JP2011169536A - Electrical apparatus and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical apparatus and an air conditioner enabling operation in accordance with persons in a room. <P>SOLUTION: Inside of an air-conditioned room 1 is imaged by cameras 21, 22, and based on imaged image information, persons within the air-conditioned room 1 and an operator of a remote controller 60 are recognized. An operating condition by the operator of the remote controller 60 is stored in an EEPROM, and when presence of the operator in the room is recognized, air conditioning operation is performed while the stored operating condition is considered. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric device installed in a room, and more particularly to an electric device and an air conditioner having a function of grasping an individual existing in a room.

  As an electrical device installed indoors, for example, in an air conditioner, the condition of the air-conditioned room, such as the whereabouts and number of people, is grasped from the image captured by the image sensor of the indoor unit, and the air conditioning operation according to this grasped content Is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

  There is also known an air conditioner that stores an air conditioning operation condition of an individual preference together with an image and performs an air conditioning optimum for the individual (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-220405 A Japanese Patent No. 3539607

  In the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, optimal air conditioning is performed for a person in an air-conditioned room. However, since each individual has individual differences with respect to the thermal environment such as cold and hot, it is difficult to optimally air condition for each individual only by grasping the location and number of people in the air-conditioned room.

  On the other hand, in the case of the air conditioner of Patent Document 2, it is necessary for an individual to set his / her favorite operating conditions in advance by operation, and the setting operation is troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electric device and an air conditioner that can perform an optimum operation in accordance with a person in a room without performing troublesome settings.

  An electric device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an electric device main body installed in a room, an image pickup means for picking up an image of the room, and an individual existing in the air-conditioned room from image information picked up by the image pickup means. Recognizing recognition means, remote control type operation device capable of setting and operating various operation contents of the device body, and specifying the individual who operates the operation device in cooperation with the recognition means when operating this operation device An operator specifying means that performs operation content storage means for storing the action content set during operation of the operating device in association with the individual specified by the operator specifying means, and the recognition means recognized by the recognition means. Control means for executing device operation in consideration of the operation content stored in correspondence with the individual when the operation content corresponding to the individual in the air-conditioned room is stored in the setting content storage means; Equipped with a.

  An air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is an electrical device that air-conditions an air-conditioned room, and includes an imaging unit that images the air-conditioned room, and image information captured by the imaging unit. A recognizing means for recognizing an individual existing in a remote control, a remote control type operating device capable of setting and operating various operation details, and an individual operating the operating device in cooperation with the recognizing means when operating the operating device. An operator specifying means for specifying, an operating condition storage means for storing the operating conditions set in the operating device during operation of the operating device in association with the individual specified by the operator specifying means, and the recognizing means When the operation condition corresponding to the individual in the air-conditioned room recognized by the operation condition is stored in the operation condition storage means, the air-conditioning operation is performed in consideration of the operation condition stored corresponding to the individual. And a control means.

  According to the electric device and the air conditioner of the present invention, it is possible to perform an optimum operation according to the person in the room without performing troublesome settings.

The figure which shows the indoor unit of one Embodiment of this invention, the mode in an air-conditioned room, and the actual information according to person / area. The external appearance perspective view of the indoor unit of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the indoor fan in the indoor unit of FIG. 2, and its peripheral part. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control circuit of one Embodiment. The external view of the remote control of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the state which opened the cover of the remote control of FIG. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the memory | storage state of each driving | running condition in one Embodiment. The figure which shows the three-dimensional pattern Px which made the bar graph the stay time of the actual information according to person / area according to one embodiment according to the area. The figure which shows a mode that the blowing wind of one Embodiment hits a person. The figure which shows a mode that the person of FIG. 10 moves and a blowing wind does not hit the person. The figure which shows the structure of the modification of FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the modification of FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Here, an air conditioner installed indoors as an electric device will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner indoor unit 10 is attached to a wall surface 1a of an air-conditioned room 1, and a person (for example, a father) A, a person (for example, a child) B, a person on a plurality of chairs on the floor surface 1b. (For example, mother) C sits down. A plurality of apparent areas “1” to “12” are set on the floor surface 1b. Person A sits in two areas “2” and “5”, and person B sits in area “11”. C sits in two areas “7” and “10”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indoor unit 10 is provided with a front panel (also referred to as a movable panel) 11 at the upper front portion and an outlet 11 b at the lower portion. A suction port 11a is provided in the center front surface of a front panel (also referred to as a movable panel) 11, and three upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15 are provided in the left and right direction at the outlet 11b. ing. A plurality of left and right louvers 16, 17, 18 are provided behind the upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15, respectively. Three indoor fans 31, 32, 33 are accommodated in the rear space of the left and right louvers 16, 17, 18 so as to face the upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15, respectively. The upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15 can individually adjust the vertical angle of the blowing air. The left and right louvers 16, 17, and 18 can individually adjust the left and right angles of the blowing air.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the indoor fans 31, 32, 33 are so-called cross-flow fans, and are held by a holding member 10a and a pair of partition members 34, 35 attached to the holding member 10a. That is, the indoor fan 31 is provided in the left end space corresponding to the upper and lower louvers 13 and the left and right louvers 16 among the three spaces formed by the partition members 34 and 35, and the motor 31M of the indoor fan 31 is held by the holding member 10a. Then, the rotation shaft on the side opposite to the motor of the indoor fan 31 is rotatably held by the partition member 34. An indoor fan 32 is provided in a central space corresponding to the upper and lower louvers 14 and the left and right louvers 17, a motor 32M of the indoor fan 32 is held by the partition member 34, and the rotation shaft on the opposite motor side of the indoor fan 32 is the partition member. 35 is rotatably held. An indoor fan 33 is provided in the right end space corresponding to the upper and lower louvers 15 and the left and right louvers 18, the motor 33 </ b> M of the indoor fan 33 is held by the holding member 10 a, and the rotating shaft on the opposite motor side of the indoor fan 33 is the partition member 35. It is held rotatably. Although details are omitted in the figure, the rotation shaft on the side opposite to the motor of each fan is attached to each partition member via a bearing.

  By the operation of the indoor fans 31, 32, and 33, room air is sucked into the indoor unit 10 through the suction port 11 a of the indoor unit 10 and the suction port of the upper surface portion (not shown), and the sucked air is described later in the indoor unit 10. The indoor heat exchanger 45 passes through the left and right louvers 16, 17, 18 and the upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15 while exchanging heat.

  In addition, the front panel 11 of the indoor unit 10 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit 20, imaging means such as two cameras 21 and 22, and a light receiving unit 23. As the cameras 21 and 22, an electronic camera such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera is used. The cameras 21 and 22 are arranged at a predetermined interval (about 10 cm) from each other in the horizontal direction so as to three-dimensionally image the inside of the air-conditioned room 1 and to easily capture infrared light emitted from the remote controller 60 described later as an image. For this reason, a filter that slightly suppresses the transmission of visible light is provided. As a result, infrared light emitted from the remote controller when the operator performs a remote control operation described later is captured by the cameras 21 and 22, and the position of the remote controller can be specified.

  In addition, the light receiving unit 23 receives infrared light emitted from the remote controller 60 and receives operating conditions.

  Furthermore, the recording medium 70 described later can be attached to and detached from (inserted into and pulled out from) the side surface portion 12 of the indoor unit 10, and information for reading biological image information described later from the recording medium 70 when the recording medium 70 is inserted. A reading unit 24 is provided.

  FIG. 4 shows a heat pump refrigeration cycle and a control circuit of the air conditioner composed of the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 40.

  During cooling, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 41 flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 43 via the four-way valve 42, and the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 43 passes through the expansion valve 44, The refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 41 through the heat exchanger 45 and the four-way valve 42 again. By forming this cooling channel, the outdoor heat exchanger 43 functions as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 45 functions as an evaporator. During heating, switching of the four-way valve 42 causes the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 41 to flow into the indoor heat exchanger 45 through the four-way valve 42 and flow out of the indoor heat exchanger 45 as indicated by broken line arrows. The refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 41 through the expansion valve 44, the outdoor heat exchanger 43, and the four-way valve 42. By forming this heating channel, the indoor heat exchanger 45 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 43 functions as an evaporator.

  An outdoor fan 46 is provided for the outdoor heat exchanger 43, and the indoor fans 31, 32, 33 are provided for the indoor heat exchanger 45. An indoor temperature sensor 47 is provided on the suction side of the indoor heat exchanger 45 to detect the room temperature. The outdoor unit 40 is provided with an outdoor control unit 48, and the indoor unit 10 is provided with an indoor control unit 50, and the control units 48 and 50 are interconnected by a signal line 58.

  The indoor control unit 50 includes the liquid crystal display unit 20, the light receiving unit 23, the information reading unit 24, the indoor temperature sensor 47, the indoor fan driving unit 51, the upper and lower louver driving unit 52, the left and right louver driving unit 53, and a nonvolatile memory. An EEPROM 54, a ROM 59, a RAM 55, a sound generation unit 56, and an image processing unit 57, which are means, are connected.

  The light receiving unit 23 receives infrared light emitted from a remote control type operating device (referred to as a remote controller) 60. The information reading unit 24 reads biological image information recorded on the recording medium 70 when the recording medium 70 such as a flash memory, which is a non-volatile memory in the remote controller 60, is removed and inserted. Is stored in the EEPROM 54.

  The indoor fan drive unit 51 drives the motors 31M, 32M, and 33M of the indoor fans 31, 32, and 33 independently of each other. The upper and lower louver driving unit 52 independently drives the motors 13M, 14M, and 15M of the upper and lower louvers 13, 14, and 15, respectively. The left and right louver driving unit 53 independently drives the motors 16M, 17M, and 18M of the left and right louvers 16, 17, and 18, respectively.

  The ROM 59 is designed to store control programs and cannot be rewritten. On the other hand, the EEPROM 54 functions to store biometric image information, to store driving conditions, and to store actual information for each person / area, which will be described later, and is rewritable. The RAM 55 is used for temporary storage of various information. The sound generator 56 converts various types of guidance information into actual sound and emits it from the attached speaker 56a. The image processing unit 57 processes images captured by the cameras 21 and 22. The image information processed by the image processing unit 57 is supplied to the indoor control unit 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the remote controller 60 has a liquid crystal display unit 61 and an opening / closing cover 60a on the upper surface, and the opening / closing cover 60a has a camera 62, a registration button 63, and a numerical value adjustment unit as imaging means for biological image information. A + button 64, a − button 65, a windbreak button 66, a cooling button 67, a heating button 68, and an operation button 69 are provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the remote controller 60 has a temperature adjustment button 102, an automatic button 103, a cooling button 104, a stop button 105, a dehumidifying button 106, and a heating button 107 on the operation surface 101 that is exposed when the opening / closing cover 60 a is opened. , Wind button 108, recording medium insertion section 110, cut timer button 111, “Tell me” button 112, wind direction switch button 113, air clean button 114, air volume switch button 115, loubus button 116, preheat button 117 A timer off button 118, a timer on button 119, a reservation button 120, a menu button 121, and a cancel button 122. The operator operates a corresponding button on the remote controller 60 to set various operation conditions such as an operation mode, a set temperature, a wind direction, and an air volume and start an air-conditioning operation, and an operation only by pressing the operation button 69. Any of simple operations for simply instructing stoppage can be used. The windshield button 66 functions as a windshield mode setting means. The wind removal mode is used when the operator himself dislikes direct contact with the air that has been conditioned. When the wind removal button 66 is pressed, the indoor fans 31, 32, 33 and the upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15 are used. And the air volume or / and the wind direction of the left and right louvers 16, 17, 18 are adjusted so that the wind does not hit the operator. For example, when the operator is on the right side of the room, the left and right louvers 16, 17, 18 are all directed to the left side, the right indoor fan 31 is stopped, and the upper and lower louvers 13 located on the right side are directed upward. Perform actions such as turning. When an individual who has set the wind removal mode moves based on the recognition of the individual operator, which will be described later, the air volume and the wind direction are changed so as not to hit the operator.

  On the other hand, the wind blow button 108 functions as a setting unit for the wind blowing mode that is the opposite of the windbreak mode. The air blowing mode is used when the operator himself / herself wants to directly hit the conditioned air. When the wind button 108 is pressed, the wind direction of the upper and lower louvers 13, 14, 15 and the left and right louvers 16, 17, 18 is used. Adjusts the wind to the operator. For example, when the operator is present on the right side of the room, the left and right louvers 16, 17, and 18 are all directed to the right side, and the upper and lower louvers 13 positioned on the right side are directed downward. In addition, when the individual who set the wind blowing mode moves based on the recognition of the individual operator described later, the wind direction is changed to follow the operator.

  The camera 62 is a camera that electronically captures images, such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera, like the cameras 21 and 22 provided in the indoor unit 10. However, since the camera 62 of the remote controller 60 only needs to image a person, it does not include filters like the cameras 21 and 22. The camera 62 can capture image information of an operator's living body, for example, a face, by pressing the registration button 63. The recording medium insertion unit 110 can freely attach and detach (insert and pull out) the recording medium 70, and records biological image information captured by the camera 62 with respect to the inserted recording medium 70. A camera 62, a registration button 63, a recording medium insertion unit 110, a recording medium 70, and a CPU (not shown) built in the remote controller 60 are used for registering the biological image information of the operator in the EEPROM 54 of the indoor unit 10. Registration means are configured.

  That is, when the operator's face is imaged by the camera 62, image information of the imaged face is recorded on the recording medium 70. In this way, the biometric image information of the entire family such as the grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, and child can be recorded on the recording medium 70. By removing the recording medium 70 from the remote controller 60 and inserting it into the information reading unit 24 of the indoor unit 10, the biometric image information of the entire family recorded on the recording medium 70 is registered in the EEPROM 54.

  On the other hand, the indoor control unit 50 has the following functions (1) to (13) as control means.

  (1) From the image information captured by the cameras 21 and 22, the individual in the air-conditioned room 1 and its position (area “1” to “12”) are recognized, and the position of the remote control 60 (area “1” to “1”). A function as a recognition means for recognizing “12”). A person is identified and recognized by collating image information captured by the cameras 21 and 22 with biological image information in the EEPROM 54. Note that the collation of the image information is mainly executed mainly with facial features. If the image information captured by the cameras 21 and 22 is not sufficient to recognize the person, the actual information in the air-conditioned room 1 is supplementarily used by the actual information by person / area in the actual information storage means described later. Recognize people. The position of remote controller 60 (areas “1” to “12”) is recognized from the image information captured by the cameras 21 and 22 when infrared light emitted from the remote controller when the user performs remote control operations. The position of the remote control is specified by the means.

  (2) When the remote controller 60 is operated, among the individuals recognized by the recognition means and their positions, the operator who specifies the operator of the remote control 60 and its position based on the position of the remote control 60 recognized by the recognition means Function as identification means. That is, the person who is at the same position as the position of the remote controller 60 is specified as the operator of the remote controller 60 as an individual (a specific person among persons A, B, C...).

  (3) When the driving conditions are set by operating the remote controller 60, the set driving conditions are stored in the EEPROM 54 in association with the individual specified by the operator specifying means and the position thereof, and the actual information described later A function as a control means for sequentially storing person / area-specific actual information detected by the detection means.

  (4) When a plurality of operators are specified by the operator specifying means, and the plurality of specified operators are recognized to be in the room by the recognition means, each of the recognized operators A function as a priority setting means for setting priorities for individuals. Specifically, among the recognized individuals, the highest priority is set for the individual last identified by the operator identifying means, that is, the latest registered individual.

  (5) A function as control means for executing an air conditioning operation in accordance with the set operating condition when the operating condition is set and instructed by operating the remote controller 60.

  (6) When the operation of the remote controller 60 is only an instruction to start driving, as a determining means for determining whether or not the individual specified by the operator specifying means and the driving conditions corresponding to the position are stored in the EEPROM Function of.

  (7) If the determination result of this determination means is affirmative, the driving condition corresponding to the individual specified by the operator specifying means and its position is extracted from the EEPROM 54, and if the determination result of the determination means is negative The operating condition of the air-conditioning operation that was executed before the determination is extracted from the EEPROM 54, and when a position change of the individual is detected by the position change detecting means described later, the operating condition corresponding to the new position of the individual or the condition described later A function as an extraction means for extracting actual information by person / area from the EEPROM 54.

  (8) A function as a control means for executing an air-conditioning operation according to the operation condition extracted by the extraction means or the actual information for each person / area.

  (9) During the air-conditioning operation, based on the recognition result of the recognition means, the stay time and the air-conditioning state for each person in the plurality of areas “1” to “12” in the air-conditioned room 1 are classified by person / area. A function as actual information detection means for sequentially detecting information.

  (10) A function as actual information storage means for storing actual information by person / area detected by the actual information detection means.

  (11) A function as display control means for graphing actual information for each person / area in the actual information storage means and displaying it on the liquid crystal display section 61 of the remote controller 60 or the liquid crystal display section 20 of the indoor unit 10.

  (12) A function as position change detection means for detecting a change in the position of the individual specified by the operator specifying means based on the recognition result of the recognition means during execution of the air conditioning operation.

  (13) A function as control means for storing the operating conditions of the air conditioning operation before the stop in the EEPROM 54 when the air conditioning operation is stopped.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that three persons A, B, and C are sitting in the air-conditioned room 1. The inside of the air-conditioned room 1 is imaged by the cameras 21 and 22 of the indoor unit 10 (step 201), and the recognition unit is used to recognize the persons A, B, and C in the air-conditioned room 1 from the captured image information. The position (area “1” to “12”) is recognized (step 202).

  When the person A operates the remote controller 60 to set the driving condition (driving mode, room temperature, wind direction, air volume, etc.) D1 or instruct to start driving (pressing the driving button 69) (YES in step 203), the recognition is performed. By the means, the person in the air-conditioned room 1 and its position (areas “1” to “12”) and the position of the remote control 60 (areas “1” to “12”) are grasped. When recognizing a person, by comparing the image information captured by the cameras 21 and 22 with the biological image information in the EEPROM 54 (biological image storage means), who is the person A, B, or C, that is, the individual Be recognized. The person who is the operator and the position of the remote controller 60 always match. Therefore, if the position of the person A matches the position of the remote controller 60 by the operator specifying means, the person A is specified as an individual operator (step 204). Further, when the person C operates the remote controller 60 to set the operation condition (operation mode, room temperature, wind direction, air volume, etc.) D2 or instruct to start the operation (press the operation button 69) (Step 203). YES) Since the position of the person C matches the position of the remote controller 60, the operator specifying means specifies the person C as an individual operator (step 204).

  The set driving condition D1 is stored in the first area in the EEPROM 54 as shown in FIG. 8 in a form associated with the person A who is the operator and its position. The set driving condition D2 is stored in the second area in the EEPROM 54 as shown in FIG. 8 in a form associated with the person C who is the operator and its position.

  When a plurality of individuals identified as operators are stored in the EEPROM 54 (YES in step 205), the highest priority is set for the person C who is the last operator (step 206). That is, the operating condition D2 with the new operation date and time has a higher priority than the operating condition D1.

  Actually, when the driving condition D2 is set by the remote control operation of the person C and the start of driving is instructed (YES in step 207), the set driving condition is associated with the person C who is the operator and its position. Then, it is stored in the EEPROM 54 functioning as the operating condition storage means (step 208). At the same time, an air-conditioning operation according to the set operation condition is executed (step 209).

  When the person A performs the remote control operation after the person A performs the remote control operation, and the recognition means recognizes that the person A exists in the room, the driving condition D1 of the person A can be completely ignored. Instead, a process for verifying whether or not the operating conditions D1 and D2 are compatible may be executed. For example, if the set temperatures and air volumes of the operating conditions D1 and D2 are the same and only the remote control operation area (position) is different, the left and right louvers 16, 17, and 18 are swung so that the wind spreads in both areas. Driving is possible. That is, the indoor control unit 50, when the operating condition D1 corresponding to the person A in the air-conditioned room recognized by the function of the recognition unit is already stored in the EEPROM 54, the indoor control unit 50 functions as the function of the control unit. Correspondingly, an air-conditioning operation is performed in consideration (consideration) of the operation conditions stored in the EEPROM 54.

  When the same person performs an operation at the same position, the new operating condition is overwritten in the EEPROM 54 and updated to the latest information.

  This air-conditioning operation is mainly performed based on the operating conditions of the operator. However, the air direction, air volume, air blowing mode, Additional air-conditioning operation in consideration of the windbreak mode and the like may be executed within a range that does not impair the main operating conditions.

  When the remote control operation of the person C is only an instruction to start driving (NO in step 207), it is determined whether or not the driving condition D2 corresponding to the person C and its position is stored in the EEPROM (step 210).

  If this determination result is affirmative (YES in step 211), that is, if there is a driving condition D2 corresponding to the person C and its position, the driving condition D2 is extracted from the EEPROM 54 (step 212), and the extracted driving condition The air conditioning operation corresponding to D2 is executed (step 213).

  If the determination result is negative (NO in step 211), that is, if there is no operation condition D2 corresponding to the person C and its position, the operation condition during the previous air conditioning operation is extracted from the EEPROM 54 (step 214) and extracted. The air-conditioning operation according to the operating conditions is executed (step 213).

  Note that the position information of each person may not be stored, and only the person and driving conditions may be stored in association with each other. In this case, since position information is not used, no matter where the person is, only the operating conditions corresponding to the person are used for the operation of the air conditioner. In this way, by imaging the air-conditioned room, recognizing the person in the air-conditioned room and the operator of the remote controller 60 from the captured image information and storing the individual operating conditions of the operator of the remote controller 60, the air-conditioned room Optimal air conditioning according to the person in the room 1 and the actions of the person is possible.

  Further, the staying times of the persons A, B, and C in the areas “1” to “12” in the air-conditioned room 1 are detected and integrated by the recognition means. This stay time and the operating conditions (including wind direction, air volume, wind blowing mode, windbreak mode, etc.) set and operated by the person at the position described above are sequentially stored as actual information Pa, Pb, Pc by person / area. (Step 215).

That is, the area “2” = 1 hour and the area “5” = 4 hours are detected and integrated as the stay time of the person A in the areas “2” and “5”, and the areas “2” and “5” where the person A is located. The operation conditions “wind blowing” and “strong wind”, which are the contents of the past remote control operation, are sequentially stored in the EEPROM 54 as the individual / area-specific actual information Pa of the person A (step 215). Similarly, the area “11” = 5 hours is detected and accumulated as the stay time of the person B in the area “11”, and “breeze” and “weak wind” are set as the operating conditions of the area “11” in the person B. The actual information Pb by person / area is sequentially stored in the EEPROM 54 (step 215). Further, as the stay time of the person C in the areas “7” and “10”, the area “7” = 4 hours and the area “10” = 2 hours are detected and integrated, and the areas “7” and “10” where the person C is located. “Wind Away” and “Breeze” are sequentially stored in the EEPROM 54 as the individual / area-specific actual information PC of the person C (step 215). In short, for each person and area, the staying time of each person in each area and the operating conditions when the person operates the remote control in that area are sequentially stored in the EEPROM 54 (step 215).
Then, among the person / area actual information Pa, Pb, Pc... In the EEPROM 54, the person / area actual corresponding to the person C having the highest priority, that is, the person who operated the remote controller 60 last. Information Pc is selected, and the stay time of the selected person / area actual information Pc is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 20 of the indoor unit 10 as a three-dimensional pattern Px that is bar graphed for each area as shown in FIG. (Step 216).

  By displaying the three-dimensional pattern Px, for example, it is possible to know how long the child of the student taking the exam is heading to the desk in the child room. Alternatively, it is possible to know how long the old man is in a place other than the bed in the old man's room. Such notification is an important barometer for knowing the progress of work and study, health status, and the like.

  Further, when the person C moves in the air-conditioned room 1 during the air-conditioning operation, the position change of the person C is detected (YES in step 218). In this case, the driving condition corresponding to the new position of the person C is extracted from the EEPROM 54 (step 219). If the driving condition does not exist in the EEPROM 54, the actual information for each person / area as the driving condition of the person C at the position closest to the new position of the person C is extracted from the EEPROM 54 (step 219). The extracted actual information for each person / area is the operating conditions (wind direction, air volume, wind blowing mode, windbreak mode, etc.) actually operated by the person C.

  Driving is executed according to the driving conditions thus extracted or the actual information for each person / area (step 220). For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when a person C is sitting at a desk immediately below the indoor unit 10, the operating conditions of the person C immediately below the indoor unit 10 are extracted from the EEPROM 54. At this time, if the operating condition is “weak wind / air blow ...”, the air conditioning operation in accordance with the content is executed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 11, when the person C moves to the bed at a position away from the desk, the movement is recognized by the recognition means, and the operating condition at the bed position at a position away from the desk of the person C from the EEPROM 54. Is extracted. Here, if the operation condition extracted from the EEPROM 54 is “light wind / windbreak ...”, the air-conditioning operation is switched from “light wind / windbreak” to “light wind / windbreak”. At the time of switching the air conditioning accompanying this position change, the guidance information to that effect is converted into voice information by the voice generator 56, which is emitted from the speaker 56a.

  Note that when identifying a person in the air-conditioned room 1, images are taken by the cameras 21 and 22, such as when the person is sideways or rearward, or when a person is far from the cameras 21 and 22 at the end of the air-conditioned room 1. It can be considered that a person is not sufficiently recognized only by the image information to be displayed. In such a situation, it is possible to recognize the person in the air-conditioned room 1 as accurately as possible by using the person-by-person / area-specific actual information Pa, Pb, Pc... In the EEPROM 54 as an auxiliary. That is, it is possible to analyze an action pattern for each person based on past stay times for each person and each area, and use the result of this analysis for recognition of the person. For example, in FIG. 1, when it is impossible to recognize who the person B is in the area “11” by only the image information, it can be estimated that the person B with the longest staying period in the area “11” is at that position.

  If it is recognized that the person B exists in another position, it is estimated that the person with the next long stay period in the region “11”.

(2) Modification
In the above embodiment, the remote control 60 generally used in an air conditioner is used as a remote control type operating device, but a small terminal such as a mobile phone or a book type personal computer may be used.

  Although the recording medium 70 and the information reading unit 24 are used as means for registering biological image information from the remote controller 60, a wireless transmission means for biological image information is provided in the remote controller 60, and a living body wirelessly transmitted from the remote controller 60 to the indoor unit 10. You may provide the receiving means which receives image information.

  As a method of setting the priority order, the highest priority order is set for the last operator. However, when there is an operator who sets the windshield mode by pressing the windshield button 66 of the remote controller 60, the order of operation is as follows. Regardless, the highest priority may be set for the operator who sets the windbreak mode. For those who do not like the wind blown from the indoor unit 10 directly hitting the body, such as small children, cool women, and elderly people, giving priority to the windbreak mode is an important factor in ensuring comfort. If it is difficult to prevent wind blowing, voice guidance information is issued to prompt the operator of the wind removal button 66 to move the place or to change the operating conditions.

  For setting priority, the remote controller 60 is provided with setting buttons such as priority “1”, “2”, “3”, and when the operating condition to be set has the highest priority, the setting button with priority “1” is pressed, A configuration may be added in which the setting button with the priority “3” is pressed when the priority is low, and the setting button with the priority “2” is pressed when the priority is not important. By specifying the priority for each operating condition setting, what kind of air conditioning operation should be performed for each operator, such as when a new operating condition is set while multiple operators are in the same room. The best driving mode may be determined while learning appropriately.

  As for the indoor unit 10, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, two upper and lower louvers 81 and 82 are provided at the air outlet 11 b, and left and right louvers 83 and 84 are provided behind the upper and lower louvers 81 and 82. It is good also as a structure which accommodates the two indoor fans 85 and 86 in the back space of the louvers 83 and 84. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a remote controller that emits infrared light is adopted, and the infrared light emitted from the remote controller when the user performs remote control operation by the recognition means is captured by the cameras 21 and 22 and captured. The position of the remote control is specified from the information. However, when a remote control that uses radio signals such as radio waves is used, the camera cannot capture radio signals. In such a case, remote control position detection means for detecting the position of the wireless signal transmission source from the remote control is provided, and the position of the person recognized by the recognition means is compared with the position of the remote control detected by the position detection means. By doing so, the individual who operated the remote control can be identified.

  In the present embodiment, the air conditioner has been described as an example of an electric device. However, in an electric device such as a television or a video, a recognized person operates a controller to select a specific program every time. The person and the operation content (selected program) are stored in the setting content storage means, and then stored in the setting content storage means when the recognition means recognizes that the person is in the room. Based on the recorded information, the channel is automatically changed to the channel when the specific program is started, or the fact that the specific program is started on the specific channel is displayed on the TV screen in characters, etc. Can be considered.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the camera, the recognition unit, and the operator specifying unit are provided in the main body of the electrical apparatus (the indoor unit of the air conditioner), but the camera and the recognition unit are provided on the remote control 60 side and the operator is specified. The means may be moved from the electric device main body to the remote control side. In this case, when the remote controller 60 is operated, the operator is imaged on the remote controller 60 side, the operator is recognized and identified, and the identified result is transmitted to the indoor unit so as to improve the identification accuracy of the operator. Also good. In addition, if the imaging timing is synchronized with the operation timing of buttons or the like, recognition accuracy can be improved. At this time, if the individual of the operator cannot be specified by the remote controller 60, registration or re-registration of the reference image may be prompted by sound generation means (speaker) provided in the remote controller 60.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component of each modification suitably.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air-conditioned room, 1a ... Wall surface, 1b ... Floor surface, 10 ... Indoor unit, 11 ... Front panel, 11a ... Suction inlet, 11b ... Air outlet, 12 ... Side surface part, 13, 14, 15 ... Upper and lower louvers, 16 , 17, 17 ... left and right louvers, 20 ... liquid crystal display unit, 21, 22 ... CCD camera (or CMOS camera) (imaging means), 23 ... light receiving unit, 24 ... information reading unit, 31, 32, 33 ... indoor fan, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Compressor, 43 ... Outdoor heat exchanger, 45 ... Indoor heat exchanger, 50 ... Indoor control part, 54 ... EEPROM (memory | storage means), 60 ... Remote control, 70 ... Recording medium

Claims (14)

An electrical equipment body installed indoors;
Imaging means for imaging the room;
Recognition means for recognizing an individual present in the air-conditioned room from image information captured by the imaging means;
A remote control type operation device capable of setting and operating various operation contents of the device body;
When operating this operating device, an operator specifying means for specifying an individual who operates the operating device in cooperation with the recognition means;
Action content storage means for storing action contents set at the time of operation of the operating device in association with the individual specified by the operator specifying means;
When the operation content corresponding to the individual in the air-conditioned room recognized by the recognition unit is stored in the setting content storage unit, the device operation in consideration of the operation content stored corresponding to the individual Control means for executing
An electrical apparatus comprising: In an air conditioner that is an electrical device that air-conditions the air-conditioned room,
Imaging means for imaging the air-conditioned room;
Recognition means for recognizing an individual present in the air-conditioned room from image information captured by the imaging means;
Remote control type controller that can set and operate various operation details,
When operating this operating device, an operator specifying means for specifying an individual who operates the operating device in cooperation with the recognition means;
Driving condition storage means for storing the driving condition set in the operating device at the time of operation of the operating device in association with the individual specified by the operator specifying means;
When the operation condition corresponding to the individual in the air-conditioned room recognized by the recognition unit is stored in the operation condition storage unit, the air-conditioning operation considering the operation condition stored corresponding to the individual Control means for executing
An air conditioner comprising:   The control means, when the operation of the operating device is only an instruction to start operation, when the operation content corresponding to the individual recognized by the operator specifying means is stored in the driving condition storage means, The air conditioner according to claim 1 or the air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein an air conditioning operation corresponding to an operation content corresponding to an individual specified by the person specifying means is executed. The imaging means is at least two imaging means, and stereoscopically images the air-conditioned room,
The recognizing unit recognizes the individual in the room and the position thereof from the image information captured by the imaging unit, and recognizes the position of the operation unit,
The operator specifying unit is configured to recognize an individual who operates the operating unit in cooperation with the recognition unit when the operating unit is operated, and an operation recognized by the recognition unit and the position of the individual operating the operating unit. Based on the position of the vessel,
The operating condition storage means stores the operation content of the operating device in association with the individual and its position detected by the operator specifying means,
When the recognizing unit recognizes the individual and the position thereof during operation, the control unit is configured to operate the individual identified by the operator identifying unit and the operation content corresponding to the position with respect to the recognized individual and the position. Is stored in the driving condition storage means, and an operation corresponding to the operation content corresponding to the individual and the position stored in the driving condition storage means is executed.
The electrical apparatus or air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A plurality of individuals are simultaneously recognized in the air-conditioned room by the recognizing unit, and at least a plurality of individuals among the recognized plurality of individuals are identified as the individuals identified by the operator identifying unit. In order to set the priority order for each stored person, and a priority order setting means for setting the priority order,
The control means executes an air conditioning operation in consideration of the operation content stored in the operation condition storage means corresponding to the individual with the highest priority set by the priority order setting means.
The air conditioner according to claim 2.   6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the priority setting unit sets the highest priority for the individual specified most recently among the individuals specified by the operator specifying unit. Machine. The operating device has setting means for a windbreak mode that prevents wind from hitting a person,
The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the priority order setting means sets the highest priority order for the individual who has set the windshield mode among the individuals specified by the operator specifying means. Machine. Biometric image storage means for storing biometric image information of a person,
The recognizing unit recognizes the person in the room by collating image information captured by the imaging unit with biometric image information in the biometric image storage unit.
The electrical apparatus or the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   9. The electric device or the air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the operation device includes a registration unit for registering the biological image information of a person in the biological image storage unit. The registration unit includes an imaging unit that images a person, and a detachable recording medium on which biological image information captured by the imaging unit is recorded,
Read means for reading biometric image information recorded on the recording medium and storing it in the biometric image storage means,
The electrical apparatus or the air conditioner according to claim 9. The registration unit includes an imaging unit that images a person, and a transmission unit that transmits biological image information captured by the imaging unit,
Receiving means for receiving biological image information transmitted from the transmitting means and storing the biological image information in the biological image storage means;
The electrical apparatus or air conditioner according to claim 10. During execution of air conditioning operation, based on the recognition result of the recognition means and the detection result of the operator specifying means, the stay time and the air-conditioning state for each person in the plurality of areas in the air-conditioned room are as actual information for each person / area. An actual information detecting means for detecting;
Actual condition information storage means for storing actual information by person / area detected by the actual condition information detection means;
Display control means for displaying actual information by person / area in the actual information storage means on the operating unit or the indoor unit of the air conditioner;
The electric device or the air conditioner according to claim 4, further comprising:   The recognizing unit recognizes a person in the air-conditioned room from the image information captured by the imaging unit and supplementarily using the individual / region-specific actual information in the actual information storage unit. The electric device or the air conditioner according to claim 12. A position change detection means for detecting a change in the position of the individual specified by the operator specifying means based on a recognition result of the recognition means during the air conditioning operation;
When the operation of the operating device is only an instruction to start driving, the control means stores an operation content corresponding to the individual specified by the operator specifying means and its position in the driving condition storage means The operation content executes the air conditioning operation according to the operation content corresponding to the individual and the position stored in the operation condition storage means, and then when the position change of the person is detected by the position change detection means, When the operation conditions corresponding to the individual and the new position are stored in the operation condition storage means, the air conditioning operation according to the operation contents corresponding to the individual and the new position stored in the operation condition storage means Run the
The air conditioner according to claim 2.

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