JP2012083062A - Air conditioning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To locate a position of a human by a small number of human detection sensors without erroneously detecting thermal sources other than a human to provide a comfortable space.SOLUTION: An air conditioning apparatus includes the human detection sensor 7 that operates in a horizontal direction, and has a scanning mode that operates in a horizontal direction to locate a thermal source and a fixed mode that fixes the position to identify the thermal source as a human body, wherein the mode is transferred from the scanning mode to the fixed mode. When the air conditioning apparatus starts the operation, the air conditioning apparatus controls a wind direction to be directed to a predetermined place irrespective of the presence of a human, and when the air conditioning apparatus locates a thermal source by the scanning mode, the air conditioning apparatus controls a wind direction to be directed to the identified thermal source.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that performs air conditioning by detecting a human body with a human body detection sensor or the like.

  Conventionally, an air conditioner that performs air conditioning by detecting a human body with a human body detection sensor or the like has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). There is also an apparatus for detecting a human body by driving a human body detection sensor mounted on an air conditioner (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  For example, in Patent Document 1, an infrared sensor is fixedly disposed on an upper part of an indoor unit of an air conditioner, a human body is detected by the infrared sensor, and then air conditioning is performed by directing the wind direction in the detected direction.

JP 2008-101871 A JP 2005-17150 A

  However, since the infrared sensor detects a temperature difference or temperature fluctuation, when detecting a heat source by driving the infrared sensor, it is necessary to determine whether it is a heat source of a human body or an obstacle such as a television. Had the problem of not being able to.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can identify the position of a person with a small number of infrared sensors and can perform a comfortable air conditioning operation.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, an air conditioner of the present invention includes a human body detection sensor that drives in the left-right direction, an up-down wind direction blade that controls the wind direction in the up-down direction, and a left-right wind direction blade that controls the wind direction in the left-right direction. An air conditioner that has a scanning mode that drives in the left-right direction to specify a heat source and a fixed mode that fixes and identifies a human body, and moves to the fixed mode after the scanning mode. When the operation of the machine is started, the wind direction is controlled in a predetermined place regardless of the presence or absence of a person, and when the heat source is specified in the scanning mode, the wind direction is controlled in the direction of the specified heat source, It is possible to quickly identify the position of a person without erroneously detecting a heat source other than a person with a small number of human body detection sensors, and there is a high possibility that a person exists even before the existence of the person is determined Comfortable to air-condition for It is possible to improve the.

  The air conditioner of the present invention can specify the position of a person without erroneously detecting a heat source other than a person with a small number of human body detection sensors, and can provide an air conditioner capable of comfortable air conditioning operation. .

The front view of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention Right sectional view of the air conditioner in the first embodiment Human body detection sensor unit configuration diagram in the first embodiment (A) Long-distance human body detection sensor angle diagram (b) Short-distance human body detection sensor angle diagram Air-conditioning area area division diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning control flowchart in the first embodiment Small area division diagram in scan mode in the first embodiment Block division diagram of air-conditioning area in the first embodiment Block ranking determination flowchart in the first embodiment Region ranking determination flowchart in the first embodiment Overall region ranking determination flowchart in the first embodiment Fixed time determination flowchart in the first embodiment Human body presence / absence determination flowchart in the first embodiment Air-conditioning area large area division diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning area determination flowchart in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction determination flowchart in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment Air-conditioning direction situation diagram in the first embodiment

  An air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a human body detection sensor that drives in the left-right direction, an up-down wind direction blade that controls the wind direction in the up-down direction, and a left-right wind direction blade that controls the wind direction in the left-right direction. An air conditioner that has a scanning mode for specifying a heat source and a fixed mode for specifying a human body in a fixed manner and moves to the fixed mode after the scanning mode, and the operation of the air conditioner is started The wind direction is controlled at a predetermined place regardless of the presence or absence of a person, and when a heat source is specified in the scanning mode, the direction of the wind is controlled in the direction of the specified heat source, so that a small number of human body detection sensors Without misdetecting the heat source of the person, it is possible to quickly identify the position of the person, and even before the existence of the person is determined, in order to air-condition in the direction where there is a high possibility that the person exists, Comfort can be improved.

  In the air conditioner of the second invention, in particular, in the first invention, when the operation of the air conditioner is started, the heat source is specified by driving in the left-right direction at least once, and then the heat source is specified. By determining whether or not the human body detection sensor is driven by moving the human body detection sensor to the set position, it is always driven in the left-right direction, so that the position of the heat source can be quickly identified.

  In the air conditioner of the third invention, in particular, in the first or second invention, the position of the heat source specified when the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left is a fixed number N1. If it does not reach the maximum, the human body detection sensor is driven again from right to left or from left to right by increasing the driving speed of the human body detection sensor. The heat source can be specified.

  In the air conditioner of the fourth invention, in particular, in the third invention, the position of the heat source specified when the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left is greater than a certain number N2. In this case, the human body detection sensor is driven again from right to left or from left to right by reducing the driving speed of the human body detection sensor. can do.

In the air conditioner of the fifth invention, in particular, in the second to fourth inventions, the position of the heat source specified when the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left is a fixed number N1. If it is between N2 and a certain number N2, the direction of the human body detection sensor is immediately moved to the position where the heat source is specified, so that the flow can be quickly determined to determine whether the heat source is a human body. The comfortable air-conditioning control based on the can be executed earlier.

  In the air conditioner of the sixth aspect of the invention, particularly in the first to fifth aspects of the invention, the scan mode is forcibly set by limiting the number of times the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left. Thus, it is possible to prevent the phenomenon that the scan mode is not ended and the mode cannot be changed to the fixed mode, and thus comfortable air conditioning control can be realized earlier.

  In the air conditioner of the seventh invention, in particular, in the first to sixth inventions, it is possible to reliably detect the human body by providing a restriction on the speed at which the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left. Because the speed is high, the heat source can be specified reliably.

  In the air conditioner of the eighth invention, in particular, in the third to seventh inventions, even if the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left with the driving speed of the human body detection sensor being maximized, If not specified, by driving the human body detection sensor to a predetermined position determined in advance, even if the human body is not detected in the scanning mode, the human body can be reliably detected.

  In the air conditioner of the ninth invention, in particular, in the first to eighth inventions, when a plurality of heat sources are specified in the scanning mode, the human body detection sensors are directed in order from the heat source having the highest priority in the fixed mode. Thus, since it is possible to sequentially determine from a heat source that is highly likely to be a human body, a comfortable air conditioning operation can be performed more quickly.

  In the air conditioner of the tenth invention, in particular, in the first to ninth inventions, there is a high possibility that the human body exists by changing the time for fixing the human body detection sensor in the fixed mode according to the situation. It is possible to reliably determine the human body by lengthening the fixed time of the region, and if there are few places to be fixed as a whole, it is possible to reliably determine the human body by increasing the fixing time per time. If there are many places to be fixed, the time can be shortened to prevent the human body detection time for the whole room from being prolonged.

  The air conditioner of the eleventh aspect of the invention is particularly quick in the first to tenth aspects of the invention, when the presence of a person is specified in the fixed mode, by controlling the wind direction in the direction of the specified human body. Comfort can be improved.

  The air conditioner of the twelfth aspect of the invention is particularly the case of the first to eleventh aspects of the invention, when the human body detection sensor is divided into a plurality of blocks in the driving direction and a human body is detected only in one area in the same block A comfortable air-conditioning operation can be realized by directing the wind direction by controlling the right and left wind direction blades toward the region where the human body exists.

  When the air conditioner of the thirteenth aspect is divided into a plurality of blocks in the direction in which the human body detection sensor is driven in the first to twelfth aspects, and the human body is detected in a plurality of areas in the same block, By changing the control of the left and right wind direction blades according to the relationship between a plurality of regions where the human body exists, an optimal air conditioning operation can be realized depending on the situation.

  The air conditioner according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first to thirteenth aspects of the present invention, which is divided into a plurality of blocks in the driving direction of the human body detection sensor. Air-conditioning is performed in order from the detected block, so that a comfortable air-conditioning operation can be realized quickly.

  The air conditioner of the fifteenth aspect of the invention is particularly divided into a plurality of blocks in the direction of driving the human body detection sensor in the first to fourteenth aspects of the invention. The air-conditioning state of the entire room can be made comfortable by alternating the blocks and air-conditioning by swinging the left and right wind direction blades in the blocks at both ends.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 1 includes an indoor heat exchanger 2 that exchanges heat between indoor air and refrigerant, and is heated or inward of the substantially V-shaped indoor heat exchanger 2. It has the indoor air blower 3 which ventilates the cooled air indoors.

  Also, at the outlet of the indoor unit 1, left and right wind direction blades 4 (in the present embodiment, the first left and right wind direction blades 4A and the second left and right sides) that change the blowing direction of the wind blown in the left and right direction by the indoor blower 3 are provided. Have wind direction blades 4B), each of which operates independently in the left-right direction. Further, the air outlet of the indoor unit 1 has an up / down wind direction blade 5 (in this embodiment, the first up / down wind direction blade 5A and the second up / down wind direction blade 5B) that changes the blow direction in the up / down direction, and descends, Each operates independently up and down.

  In addition, a human body detection sensor unit 6 that detects a change in infrared rays is disposed inside the housing of the indoor unit 1 at the upper part of the outlet.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the human body detection sensor unit 6. In FIG. 3, the human body detection sensor unit of the present embodiment includes a long-distance human body detection sensor 7 </ b> A that detects an infrared change in a far area of an air-conditioned area (indoor) and a short-distance human body that detects an infrared change in a nearby area. It has a detection sensor 7B. In this embodiment, the long-distance human body detection sensor 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any air conditioner having a small capacity can be used. Since air conditioning in a large room is not assumed, only the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B may be provided.

  Then, the long-distance human body detection sensor 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B are synchronized and driven in the same direction, the transmission rod 9A for transmitting the rotation of the stepping motor 8, and the transmission rod It has a connecting lever arm 9B for transmitting the transmitted rotation of the stepping motor 8 to the long-distance human body detection sensor 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B.

  The long-distance human body detection sensor 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B are rotated by the same amount with respect to the rotation of the stepping motor 8 by the action of the connecting lever arm 9B. 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B can be simultaneously directed in the same left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the human body detection sensor unit 6 is installed at the upper part of the blowout port of the wind blown by the blower 3, and the long-distance human body detection sensor 7 </ b> A by the heated or cooled air blown by the blower 3. And it is set as the attachment structure which the human body detection sensor 7B for short distances does not detect erroneously. For example, if it is provided at a location where it is directly exposed to hot or cold air, it will be affected by the wind and erroneous detection will occur.

In particular, when the air conditioner is stopped, the front panel is closed and the human body detection sensor unit is hidden. When the air conditioner is operated, the front panel is opened and the human body detection sensor unit appears. Yes. Therefore, the design is good, and it is not necessary to attach the human body detection sensor unit to the front panel, so that it is easy to route the lead wire or the like coming out of the human body detection sensor unit. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the front panel is opened.

  Next, human body detection control in the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the concept of the air conditioning area will be described. 4A is a schematic diagram showing the detection angle of the long-distance human body detection sensor 7A, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing the detection angle of the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B. As shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, in the present embodiment, the detection angle of the long-distance human body detection sensor 7A is set to 35 degrees, and an area from about 3 m to over about 10 m centering on the indoor unit 1 is defined. It can be detected. The detection angle of the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B is 55 degrees, and an area from the indoor unit 1 to about 5 m can be detected. In addition, the detection area mentioned above is not limited to the said numerical value, can be changed suitably, and also changes with attachment positions (height direction) of the indoor unit 1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the two long-distance human body detection sensors 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B are provided, there are n areas, far-fields that can be detected only by the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B. A place that can be detected by the distance human body detection sensor 7A and the short distance human body detection sensor 7B is an m area, and a place that can be detected only by the long distance human body detection sensor 7A is an f area. In the present embodiment, the two human body detection sensors are arranged in the left-right direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no problem even if they are arranged in the up-down direction or the oblique direction.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing areas that can be detected using two human body detection sensors. As shown in FIG. 5, as described above, the indoor unit 1 can be divided into three regions of n region, m region, and f region in the depth direction. In the present embodiment, the short distance area is referred to as n area, the middle distance area as m area, and the long distance area as f area. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the area is divided into nine areas in the left-right direction, from the A area to the I area.

  In other words, since one room is divided into 3 parts in the depth direction and 9 parts in the left and right direction, it is divided in detail into 27 air conditioning areas. Is divided into areas from the Am area to the Im area and in the long distance area from the Af area to the If area.

  Next, a method for specifying a human body based on a human body detection sensor in the above-described air conditioning area will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a series of flows from the start of operation to air conditioning based on human body detection. In the present embodiment, the human body detection sensor 7 is used as a human body detection sensor 7 and described as a human body detection sensor 7, so that in the case of a large-capacity type indoor unit, the long-distance human body detection sensor 7 A and the short-distance human body detection. Both of the sensors 7B are indicated. In the case of a small capacity type indoor unit, only the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B is indicated.

  First, operation | movement of the indoor unit 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when an instruction to start the air conditioning operation is given to the indoor unit 1 by a remote controller or the like, first, in step SP1, from the left end to the right end (or from the right end to the left end). Then, the human body detection sensor 7 is driven at a predetermined driving speed, and the scanning mode for detecting the position of the heat source existing in the room is performed. At this time, the human body and the heat source other than the human body are not yet distinguished, and the position of the heat source is specified to the last. The scanning mode in the present embodiment is a mode in which the heat source is specified by driving in the left-right direction.

  Then, in order to determine whether the heat source detected in the scanning mode of step SP1 is a human body or an obstacle (for example, furniture, television, etc.), the orientation of the human body detection sensor 7 with respect to the heat source And move to the fixed mode to determine whether it is a human body or a heat source other than the human body. At this time, when there are a plurality of heat sources detected in the scanning mode, fixed order determination (step SP2) for which heat source is first shifted to the fixed mode and in which direction is fixed with respect to the heat source. After determining whether or not to fix (step SP3), in step SP4, the human body and a heat source other than the human body are determined in the fixed mode.

  Then, after specifying whether the heat source is a human body or a heat source other than the human body in the fixed mode, based on the human body detection result, it is determined which air conditioning area should be air-conditioned, and air conditioning is performed (step SP5). ). In step SP6, the indoor unit 1 is instructed to be stopped by a remote controller or the like, or when the predetermined time is reached by the set timer, the operation of the indoor unit 1 is automatically stopped. When the operation is stopped, but the operation of the indoor unit 1 is continued, the process returns to step SP1 to detect the heat source again in the scanning mode. As described above, until the operation of the indoor unit 1 is stopped, the scanning mode and the fixed mode are repeatedly performed, so that the indoor conditions that change from moment to moment can be correctly detected and reflected in the air conditioning. A simple air conditioning environment can be realized.

  Next, each step shown in FIG. 6 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing divided regions in the scanning mode in which the human body detection sensor 7 specifies the heat source position. In FIG. 5, the air conditioning area is divided into 27 areas, but the divided area of the heat source specifying position in the scanning mode specifies the position of the heat source finely by dividing 25 areas in the left-right direction. Hereinafter, in this specification, the area divided into 25 from A0 to I1 is referred to as a small area, and the short distance area, the middle distance area, and the far distance area are not distinguished. Also, the small area and the air-conditioning area correspond to each other, A0 and A1 cover the An to Af area, and B0 to B2 are the Bn to Bf area, C0 to C2 are the Cn to Cf area, and D0 to D2 are the following. Dn to Df regions, E0 to E2 are En to Ef regions, F0 to F2 are Fn to Ff regions, G0 to G2 are Gn to Gf regions, H0 to H2 are Hn to Hf regions, and I0 to I1 are In to If regions. Each covers.

  The small areas from A0 to I1 shown in FIG. 7 are linked to the pulse position of the stepping motor 8, and the width areas from the small areas A0 to I1 (that is, the pulse width of the stepping motor 8) are substantially equal. . However, the small areas at both ends of A0 and I1 have a pulse width half that of the other small areas. This is because the direction of the human body detection sensor 7 and the pulse position of the stepping motor 8 are linked to each other, so that data on the left half or right half cannot be detected at both ends. In this embodiment, the small area A0 corresponds to 1 pulse to 25 pulses of the stepping motor, the small area A1 is 26 pulses to 75 pulses, ... (the small areas are formed in increments of 50 pulses in the middle). The small region I1 has 1176 pulses to 1200 pulses.

  The shaded portion in FIG. 7 is a portion conceptually showing the detection area of the human body detection sensor. First, when the indoor unit 1 is instructed to start the air conditioning operation, the human body detection sensor 7 is driven in the left-right direction at a predetermined speed Vd by driving the stepping motor 8. In the present embodiment, the initial predetermined speed Vd is 2 deg / sec. The human body detection sensor 7 is driven until the left end ZL reaches the right end ZR (or the right end ZR to the left end ZL). The driving direction of the human body detection sensor 7 in the next scanning mode is driven at the end where the human body detection sensor 7 is stopped depending on in which direction the human body detection sensor 7 is stopped in the previous scanning mode. This is the starting point.

And until it reaches the right end ZR from the left end ZL, the human body detection sensor 7 detects a change in infrared rays, and the output value of the human body detection sensor exceeds a certain threshold Vpp (for example, 1 [V]). It is determined that there is a heat source (equivalent to the human body). This determination of the heat source is linked to the pulse position of the stepping motor 8, and the presence or absence of the heat source is determined every time one pulse is driven.

  Next, as a result of determining the presence or absence of the heat source every time the stepping motor 8 moves by one pulse, if it is determined that the heat source exists at a pulse position of a predetermined value (for example, three times) or more for each small region, It is determined that there is a heat source in the region. The predetermined value is not limited to three times, and may be changed as appropriate according to the specification of the human body detection sensor and the configuration of the system.

  When it is determined that the heat source exists only at a pulse position less than a predetermined value for each small area, it is determined that there is no heat source in the small area. This is because there is a possibility that the human body detection sensor 7 has detected noise or something much smaller than the human body.

  For example, a small area in A1 will be described as an example. While the stepping motor 8 is moving from 26 pulses to 75 pulses, if the number of times the human body detection sensor 7 detects an infrared fluctuation of a certain threshold value Vpp or more is 4 times, a predetermined value (in this case, 3 times) Therefore, it is determined that there is a heat source in the small area A1. However, if the number of times the infrared ray variation is detected while the human body detection sensor 7 is detecting A1, it is determined that the number is less than a predetermined value and there is no heat source in the small area A1. Determined.

  In such a scanning mode, there are cases where the heat source is detected too much or the heat source is hardly detected. The human body detection sensor 7 described in the present embodiment uses a pyroelectric infrared sensor, and detects changes in the amount of infrared radiation (temperature fluctuation). When such a pyroelectric infrared sensor is used, if there is not much temperature difference between the air-conditioned area and the heat source, or if the distance from the human body detection sensor to the heat source is long, the human body detection sensor itself may have a variation in the finish. If a difference occurs in the output value, the above-described problem may occur due to deterioration of the human body detection sensor itself.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the small area determined to have the heat source is less than a certain number N1 (for example, 5), it is determined that the human body cannot be detected, and the speed Vd is constant. And the human body detection sensor 7 is again driven in the left-right direction (for example, in the present embodiment, the initial speed is Vd = 2 deg / secc, so it is increased by 0.5 deg / sec and Vd = 2.5 deg / sec).

  If the number of heat sources in the small area does not reach a certain number N1 even if the heat source is determined again in the scanning mode, the speed Vd is further increased by a certain speed and the scanning mode is continued. Let In this way, the scanning mode is continued until the small area determined to have the heat source reaches a certain number N1.

  However, since there may actually be no heat source equivalent to the human body, an upper limit (for example, 4 deg / sec) is provided for the speed Vd, and the speed is not accelerated to a speed exceeding the upper limit. Note that this upper limit is not limited to the above, and can be detected even under conditions where it is most difficult to detect a human body (such as when the distance to the heat source is long or the temperature difference between the heat source and the surroundings is small). There is no problem as long as it is as fast as possible.

On the other hand, if the small area determined to have a heat source is a certain number N2 or more, it is determined that many heat sources other than the human body have been detected, and the speed Vd is decelerated by a constant speed. Then, the human body detection sensor 7 is again driven in the left-right direction (for example, in this embodiment, since the initial speed is Vd = 2 deg / secc, the velocities are reduced by 0.5 deg / sec and V
d = 1.5 deg / sec).

  Even if the heat source is determined again in the scanning mode, if the number of heat sources in the small area is equal to or larger than the predetermined number N2, the speed Vd is further decreased by a constant speed and the scanning mode is continued. Let In this way, the scanning mode is continued until the small area determined to have the heat source becomes less than a certain number N2.

  However, there may be a case where there are actually many heat sources and the heat sources are detected in many small areas. Therefore, a lower limit (for example, 1 deg / sec) is set for the speed Vd, and the speed is not lower than the lower limit. This lower limit value is not limited to the above, and there is no problem as long as it is at a speed that can be detected under conditions that are the easiest to detect a human body.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the accurate heat source position can be detected by providing the thresholds N1 and N2. This is because the pyroelectric infrared sensor employed in the human body detection sensor 7 in the present embodiment increases the driving speed to a certain speed when an attempt is made to detect a heat source corresponding to the human body. This is because the output value tends to be lowered by reducing the driving speed to a certain speed. By linking such characteristics with human body detection, a heat source equivalent to the human body can be accurately detected. Can be identified.

  Further, in the scanning mode, the position of the heat source is specified while accelerating / decelerating the driving speed of the human body detection sensor 7. However, by increasing the driving speed of the human body detection sensor 7, the position of the heat source becomes a certain number N2 or more. When the driving speed of the human body detection sensor 7 is reduced, the specific position of the heat source is now less than a certain number N1, and it is necessary to accelerate the driving speed of the human body detection sensor 7 again. In this case, the human body detection sensor 7 is repeatedly accelerated and decelerated, so that the scanning mode is not terminated, and the heat source is not completely identified.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, an upper limit (for example, 7 times) is provided for the number of scan modes, and the scan mode is forcibly terminated. Since the upper limit number at this time is provided to restrict the repetition of the scanning mode, it can be appropriately set according to the situation. For example, the lower limit speed is reached to the upper limit speed, or the upper limit speed is reached to the lower limit speed. By setting the number of times, the heat source scanning can be performed reliably (in this embodiment, the lower limit speed is 1 deg / sec, the upper limit speed is 4 deg / sec, and the acceleration / deceleration is 0.5 deg / sec. If the upper limit number of times is set to 7, the scanning mode can be executed at all driving speeds).

  It should be noted that it takes time until the human body detection sensor detects the heat source in the scanning mode, the output value exceeds a certain threshold value Vpp, and it is determined that the heat source exists, and the actual pulse position and the heat source are determined. It is conceivable that the position is displaced. For example, data detected when the stepping motor 8 is at the 10 pulse position may be acquired as the heat source position when the stepping motor 8 is at the 40 pulse position. In that case, since the actual heat source position is data when the stepping motor 8 has 10 pulses, correct data is obtained by correcting only a predetermined pulse value in the direction opposite to the driving direction.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to correct the deviation between the actual pulse position and the position at which the heat source is determined, when scanning starts from the left end ZL, the scanning is started to the left, and when starting from the right end ZR, The position of the determination result is shifted in the right direction by a certain pulse value (for example, 30 pulses), and the heat source position and the pulse position are substantially matched. The pulse value shifted at this time (in the above, 30 pulses) may be variable depending on the temperature condition or the like, and can be changed appropriately according to the situation.

  The scanning mode in step SP1 shown in FIG. 6 has been described above. Next, step SP2 will be described.

  When it is determined whether or not there is a heat source in the small area in the scanning mode of step SP1, the process proceeds to the fixed mode in order to determine whether or not the heat source is a human body. However, since there are cases where a plurality of heat sources are detected in step SP1, it is determined from which heat source the human body is determined in the fixed mode in order. The fixed mode in the present embodiment is a mode in which the human body detection sensor 7 is fixed and the heat source is specified. Hereinafter, the fixed mode will be described. In the fixed mode, the concept of an air-conditioning area block is used.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram in which the air-conditioning area is divided into three blocks. First, the definition of the block will be described. 27 areas (9 directions on the left and right) shown in FIG. 5 are divided into three blocks as shown in FIG. That is, the An to Af, Bn to Bf, and Cn to Cf regions are block L, the Dn to Df, En to Ef, and Fn to Ff regions are block C, and the Gn to Gf, Hn to Hf, and In to If regions are block R. And

  In this embodiment, the heat source in the 25 directions is specified in the scanning mode, but the human body is specified because the air-conditioning area has 9 directions on the left and right without determining whether the heat source is in all 25 directions. In view of the fact that the time to be performed must be short, the nine-direction fixed mode may be implemented.

  In the present embodiment, the order of the blocks is determined in preference to the position of the heat source. This is because, when a plurality of heat sources are detected in the scanning mode, the next time the order of the fixing modes of the plurality of heat sources is determined, if only the heat sources in the same block come in the higher order, the human body to other blocks If the determination is not easy and a human body is in another block, it may cause discomfort to the person in that block.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the air-conditioning area is divided into 27 areas. The 27 areas are divided into three areas: a living area (an area where people are often present), a moving area (an area where people move), and a non-living area (an area where few people exist). Which of the three areas corresponds to these three areas is determined based on the detection result of the human body detection sensor 7, but since no detection is performed at the time of the first start-up of the indoor unit 1, etc. Is set as a non-living area.

  The concept of life frequency will be explained. Of the areas included in each of the three blocks that are air-conditioned areas, if there is a living area even in one area, the block has the highest frequency of living. In addition, when no living area exists but a moving area exists among the areas included in each of the three blocks, the block having the second highest living frequency is set. If none of the areas included in each of the three blocks includes a living area or a moving area, the block is a non-living block and has the lowest living frequency.

  FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating block order determination. First, block order determination will be described.

In step SP11 of FIG. 9, it is determined whether the life frequency is different in each of the three blocks. If all three blocks have different living frequencies, the process proceeds to step SP27. If there is a block having the same life frequency among the three blocks, the process proceeds to step SP12. For example, if the block L is the block with the highest life frequency, the block C is the block with the second highest life frequency, and the block R is the block with the lowest life frequency, the processing proceeds to SP27.

  In step SP12, the living frequencies of the three blocks are compared. If the living frequencies of the two blocks are the same among the three blocks, the process proceeds to step SP20, and the living frequencies of all the blocks of the three blocks are the same. If YES, the process proceeds to step SP13. For example, if the block L is the block with the highest living frequency, the block C is the block with the highest living frequency, and the block R is the block with the second highest living frequency, the process proceeds to step SP20.

  In step SP13, it is determined whether or not the detected heat source count is different in all three blocks every time the stepping motor 8 is driven in one pulse in the scanning mode. If the heat source count is different in all the blocks, the process proceeds to step SP19. If the count number of the heat source is the same in two of the three blocks, the process proceeds to step SP14.

  In step SP14, if the count number of the heat source is the same in all three blocks, the process proceeds to step SP15, and if even one of the count numbers of the heat source is different from the other blocks, the process proceeds to step SP16.

  In step SP15, all the blocks have the same life frequency and the same heat source count, so the order of each block in the fixed mode is as follows: block C is first, block R is second, block is L is the third. In this case, since the conditions are the same in all blocks, any order may be used in ranking, but by bringing the block C first as in this embodiment, First, it is determined whether the heat source is the human body in the middle block of the air-conditioning area, so even if there is a human body in another block, the discomfort to the human body in the other block can be minimized ( If there is a person in each of block R, block C, and block L, bringing block R or block L first, the air conditioning effect on the opposite block across block C is small, to the human body The degree of influence of discomfort is large.)

  In step SP16, when the count number of the heat source of each block is the same as the count number of the heat source of two blocks, and the count number of the heat source of one block is smaller than the count number of the heat source of the other two blocks Proceed to step SP17. If the count number of the heat sources of the two blocks is the same and the count number of the heat sources of one block is larger than the count number of the heat sources of the other two blocks, the process proceeds to step SP18.

  In step SP17, since the count number of the two blocks is larger than the count number of the other one block, the ranking of the two blocks is block C (first place) <block R (second place) <block L (3 1) and No. 2 are ranked according to the rule (rank), and the other one block is ranked No. 3. For example, if the heat source count number is the same in block L and block C, and the heat source count number in block R is lower than the other blocks, block C is number 1, block L is number 2, block R Is ranked No. 3.

  In step SP18, since the count number of the two blocks is smaller than the count number of the other one block, the block having the largest count number is No. 1, and the ranking of the two blocks of the same number is the block C (1 Ranking) <block R (second place) <block L (third place), the second and third are ranked. For example, when the heat source count is the same in block L and block C, and the heat source count in block R is higher than the other blocks, block R is number 1, block C is number 2, block L Is ranked No. 3.

  In step SP19, since the count number of the heat source is different in all the blocks, the rank for each block is determined according to the count number of the heat source. For example, when the count number of the heat source of block R is the largest and the count number of the heat source of block C is the smallest, the ranking is such that block R is number 1, block L is number 2, and block C is number 3. .

  In step SP20, there is a block having a different life frequency, but if the only one different block is lower than the life frequency of the other two blocks, the process proceeds to step SP21, where the other two blocks If it is higher than the living frequency, the process proceeds to step SP24. For example, if the life frequency of the block R and the block C is the highest and the life frequency of the block L is the lowest, the process proceeds to step SP21, and the block R and the block C have the lowest life frequency. If the block L has the highest living frequency, the process proceeds to step SP24.

  In step SP21, it is determined whether the heat source count number is the same among the two blocks having the same life frequency. If the heat source count number is the same in the two blocks, the process proceeds to step SP22. If the count number of the heat source in the block is different, the process proceeds to step SP23.

  In step SP22, two blocks having the same life frequency are ranked according to a rule of block C (first place) <block R (second place) <block L (third place). For example, when the life frequency of the block R and the block L is the same and the count number of the heat source is the same and the life frequency of the block C is the lowest, the block R is the first, the block L is the second, the block C Is ranked No. 3.

  In step SP23, in the two blocks having the same life frequency, the one with the larger heat source count is set as the first, and the smaller one is set as the second. And the block with the lowest life frequency is set to the third.

  In step SP24, it is determined whether or not the heat source count number is the same in two blocks having the same life frequency, and if the heat source count number is the same, the process proceeds to step SP25, and if the heat source count number is different. Proceed to step SP26.

  In step SP25, since there is only one block having the highest life frequency, the block is set to be the first, and the two blocks having the same life frequency and the same low have the same heat source count, so block C (first place) ) <Block R (2nd place) <Block L (3rd place). For example, when the life frequency of the block R and the block L is the same and the count number of the heat source is the same, and the life frequency of the block C is the highest, the block C is the first, the block R is the second, the block L Is ranked No. 3.

  In step SP26, since there is only one block with the highest life frequency, that block is the first, and the heat source count number is different between two blocks with the same life frequency and low, so the one with the higher heat source count number Is the second, and the one with the smaller heat source count is the third. For example, when the life frequency of the block R and the block L is the same, and the count number of the heat source is larger in the block L than the block R and the living frequency of the block C is the highest, the block C is the first, L is number 2 and block R is number 3.

  In step SP27, since the living frequencies are all different, ranking is performed in descending order of the living frequency. For example, if the life frequency of block R is the highest, the life frequency of block C is the next highest, and the life frequency of block L is the lowest, block R is number 1, block C is number 2, and block L is number 3. .

  In order to rank each block, as described above, the deviation occurring at the position where the actual pulse position and the heat source are determined in the scanning mode is corrected by returning the position by a predetermined pulse value. As a result, when the human body detection sensor 7 is driven from the left end ZL to the right end ZR, heat source data in the vicinity of the right end ZR cannot be acquired, and the human body detection sensor 7 from the right end ZR to the left end ZL. When is driven, heat source data near the left end ZL cannot be acquired.

  Therefore, when the scanning mode is started from the left end ZL, the count number of the heat source in the region I direction is set to zero, and the count number of a predetermined heat source is input again. Similarly, when the scanning mode starts from the right end ZR, the count number of the heat source in the region A direction is set to zero, and the count number of a predetermined heat source is input again. That is, when driving from the left end ZL to the right end ZR, the count of the heat source of the I region (I0, I1) (when driving from the right end ZR to the left end ZL, the heat source of the A region (A0, A1) Is a fixed value (for example, 3) regardless of the reaction of the human body detection sensor 7.

  By doing in this way, the problem that the heat source cannot be specified in the A region and the I region can be solved, and the heat source can be specified reliably in the entire air-conditioning area. In the present embodiment, the fixed value of the heat source count is set to 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The ranking of each block has been described above. Next, ranking of areas in each block will be described.

  First, as in the ranking of each block, the living area direction (area where people are often present), moving area direction (area where people move), non-living area, in nine horizontal directions (A to I directions) Sorting into three area directions (area direction in which almost no people exist). And in the area of the air-conditioning area shown in FIG. 5, when there is even one living area in the depth direction area (respectively n, m, and f areas) among the nine left and right direction areas, the right and left direction This area is defined as the life area direction, and the area direction having the highest life frequency.

  Also, if there is no living area in the depth direction area (n, m, f area respectively) among the nine left and right areas, and there is a moving area, the left and right areas are moved. The region direction is set as the region direction having the second highest living frequency.

  In addition, if there is no living area and no moving area in the depth direction area (n, m, and f areas, respectively) of the nine left and right areas, the left and right area is set as the non-living area direction. The region direction with the lowest life frequency is used.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the determination of the order of the areas in the block. Note that FIG. 10 shows the ranking of three areas in a certain block. In any of the blocks L, C, and R, the ranking of the areas is performed using the same concept. .

In step SP31 of FIG. 10, it is detected whether or not the number of heat source counts in the scanning mode of the human body detection sensor 7 exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 5 times) in the nine horizontal regions. Is not fixed, it is excluded from the region where the human body detection sensor 7 is fixed by the fixing mode. For example, the B-direction region shown in FIG. 5 is composed of small regions from B0 to B2 as shown in FIG. 7, but if the count of the heat source from B0 to B2 does not reach a predetermined value, the B-direction region It is determined that there is no heat source in the region, and if the number of heat source counts is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that there is a heat source in the B direction region.

  In step SP32 of FIG. 10, it is determined whether or not the life frequency is different in each of the three areas in one block. For example, if it is within the block L, it is determined whether the life frequency is different in each of the A region, the B region, and the C region. If all three areas have different living frequencies, the process proceeds to step SP48. If there is one of the three areas having the same life frequency, the process proceeds to step SP33. For example, in block L, if region A is the region with the highest living frequency, region C is the region with the second highest living frequency, and region B is the region with the lowest living frequency, the process proceeds to SP33. .

  In step SP33, the living frequencies of the three areas in one block are compared. If the living frequencies of the two areas of the three areas are the same, the process proceeds to step SP41, and all the areas of the three areas If the life frequency is the same, the process proceeds to step SP34. For example, if the area A is the area with the highest life frequency, the area C is the area with the highest life frequency, and the area B is the area with the second highest life frequency, the process proceeds to step SP41.

  In step SP34, it is determined whether or not the count of the heat source detected every time the stepping motor 8 is driven in one pulse in the scanning mode is different in all the three areas in the same block. If they are different, the process proceeds to step SP40, and if two of the three regions have the same heat source count, the process proceeds to step SP35.

  In step SP35, if the heat source count number is the same in all three regions, the process proceeds to step SP36, and if even one heat source count number is different from the other areas, the process proceeds to step SP37.

  In step SP36, the life frequency is the same in all areas, and the count number of the heat source is also the same. Therefore, the order among the areas in the fixed mode is as follows: the central area is first, the right area is second, The area is the third. For example, if the life frequency and the heat source count are the same in all areas from the A area to the C area in the block L, the B area is the first, the C area is the second, and the A area is the third. .

  In step SP37, when the heat source count number of each region is the same, and the heat source count number of one region is smaller than the heat source count number of the other two regions. Proceed to step SP38. If the count numbers of the heat sources in the two areas are the same and the count numbers of the heat sources in one area are larger than the count numbers of the heat sources in the other two areas, the process proceeds to step SP39.

  In step SP38, since the count number of the two areas is larger than the count number of the other one area, the ranking of the two areas is center area (first place) <right area (second place) <left area (3 1) and No. 2 are ranked according to the rule of (rank), and the other one area is ranked No. 3. For example, in the block L, when the count number of the heat sources is the same in the areas A and B and the count number of the heat sources in the area C is lower than the other areas, the area B is the first and the area A is 2 No. and area C are ranked No. 3.

In step SP39, since the count number of the two areas is smaller than the count number of the other one area, the area having the largest count number is No. 1, and the ranking of the two areas of the same number is the central area (1 Rank) <right area (2nd place) <left area (3rd place). For example, in the block L, when the heat source count number is the same in the region A and the region B and the heat source count number in the region C is higher than the other regions, the region C
No. 1, area B is No. 2, and area A is No. 3.

  In step SP40, since the count number of the heat source is different in all areas, the rank for each area is determined according to the count number of the heat source. For example, in the block L, when the count number of the heat source in the area A is the largest and the count number of the heat source in the area B is the smallest, the order of the area A is the first, the area C is the second, and the area B is the third. It becomes a supplement.

  In step SP41, there is a region where only one life frequency is different. However, when the only one different region is lower than the life frequency of the other two regions, the process proceeds to step SP42, where the other two regions If it is higher than the life frequency, the process proceeds to step SP45. For example, in the block L, if the region A and the region B have the highest living frequency and the region C has the lowest living frequency, the process proceeds to step SP42 and the region A and the region B has the lowest living frequency. If it is an area and the area C has the highest living frequency, the process proceeds to step SP45.

  In step SP42, it is determined whether the heat source count number is the same among the two areas having the same life frequency. If the heat source count number is the same in the two areas, the process proceeds to step SP43. If the count number of the heat source in the region is different, the process proceeds to step SP44.

  In step SP43, two areas having the same life frequency are ranked according to the rule of central area (first place) <right area (second place) <left area (third place). For example, if the living frequency of the region A and the region B is the same and the count number of the heat source is the same, and the living frequency of the region C is the lowest, the region B is the first, the region A is the second, the region C Is ranked No. 3.

  In step SP44, in the two regions having the same life frequency, the one with the larger heat source count is set as the first, and the one with the smaller number is set as the second. The area with the lowest life frequency is set as the third area.

  In step SP45, it is determined whether or not the heat source count number is the same in two areas where the living frequency is the same and low. If the heat source count number is the same, the process proceeds to step SP46, and if the heat source count number is different. Proceed to step SP47.

  In step SP46, since there is only one region having the highest life frequency, the region is the first, and in the two regions having the same life frequency and the same low, the heat source count is the same. ) <Right area (2nd place) <Left area (3rd place). For example, if the living frequency of the region A and the region B is the same and the count number of the heat source is the same, and the living frequency of the region C is the highest, the region C is the first, the region B is the second, the region A Is ranked No. 3.

  In step SP47, since there is only one region with the highest life frequency, the region is the first, and the heat source count number is different in two regions with the same and lower life frequency, so the heat source count number is higher. Is the second, and the one with the smaller heat source count is the third. For example, if the living frequency of the region A and the region B is the same, and the region B has a higher number of heat sources than the region A and the living frequency of the region C is the highest, the region C is the first. The ranking is B for No. 2 and Area A for No. 3.

  In step SP48, since the living frequencies are all different, ranking is performed in descending order of the living frequencies. For example, when the living frequency of area A is the highest, the living frequency of area B is the next highest, and the living frequency of area C is the lowest, area A is No. 1, area B is No. 2, and area C is No. 3. .

  As described above, first, the priority order for each block is determined, and then the priority order for each area in the block is determined. Then, the priority order of all the areas (A to I) in the left-right direction is determined by combining the priority order for each block and the priority order for each area in the block.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the order of the areas in the fixed mode. After ranking for each block and each area as described above, 9 areas (A to I) are ranked as shown in FIG. Here, a specific example will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, first, ranking is performed for each block. As a result, the block R, the block C, and the block L are ranked. For example, it is determined that the block R is first, the block C is second, and the block L is third.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the priority for each area in each block is determined. For example, in the block R, the region G is first, the region H is second, the region I is third, in the block C, the region D is first, the region E is second, the region F is third, In block L, it is assumed that region A is first, region B is second, and region C is third.

  First, in step SP51 of FIG. 11, among the areas included in the block having the highest fixed mode priority, the area having the highest fixed mode priority is determined first in the omnidirectional area. For example, in the present embodiment, the region G having the highest priority in the block R having the highest priority is the first in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP52, among the areas included in the block having the second highest fixed mode priority, the area having the highest fixed mode priority is determined second in the omnidirectional area. For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the region D having the highest priority in the block C having the second highest priority is the second in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP53, among the areas included in the block having the third highest fixed mode priority, the area having the highest fixed mode priority is determined third in the omnidirectional area. For example, in the present embodiment, the area A having the highest priority in the block L having the third highest priority is the third in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP54, since some area in all the blocks is once allocated from the first to the third, in the same manner as in steps SP51 to SP53, the block having the highest priority in the fixed mode is set. Of the included regions, the second highest fixed mode region is determined fourth in the omnidirectional region. For example, in the present embodiment, the second highest priority area H in the block R with the highest priority is the fourth in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP55, among the areas included in the block with the second highest fixed mode priority, the second highest fixed mode priority is determined fifth in the omnidirectional area. The For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the area E having the second highest priority in the block C having the second highest priority is the fifth in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP56, among the areas included in the block having the third highest fixed mode priority, the second highest fixed mode priority is determined as the sixth in the omnidirectional area. The For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the second highest priority area B in the third highest priority block L is the sixth in all nine directions.

Next, in step SP57, among the areas included in the block having the highest priority in the fixed mode, the third area having the highest priority in the fixed mode is determined as the seventh in the omnidirectional area. For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the third highest priority area I in the block R having the highest priority is the seventh in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP58, among the areas included in the block having the second highest fixed mode priority, the third highest fixed mode priority is determined as the eighth in the omnidirectional area. The For example, in the present embodiment, the third highest priority area F in the second highest priority block C is the eighth in all nine directions.

  Next, in step SP59, among the areas included in the block having the third highest fixed mode priority, the third highest fixed mode priority is determined ninth in the omnidirectional area. The For example, in the present embodiment, the third highest priority area C in the third highest priority block L is the ninth in all nine directions.

  As described above, the fixed order is determined for all regions. In the fixed mode, the center position of the human body detection sensor 7 is directed to the area for each determined order, and it is determined whether the heat source detected in the scanning mode is a human body or a non-human body. However, although all nine directions are ranked once, there is naturally a region in which the presence of the heat source cannot be confirmed if there is no heat source. In that case, when the order of the fixed mode comes to the area where the heat source does not exist, the order of the fixed mode is skipped because the heat source does not exist, and the order of the fixed mode moves to the next area.

  In addition, in the fixed mode, when the human body detection sensor 7 is directed to a certain region and the determination as to whether the heat source is a human body or not is started, erroneous detection is performed by eliminating the influence of waveform disturbance when the human body detection sensor 7 is moved. In order to avoid this, fixed detection is started after a certain time (for example, 5 seconds) has passed since the direction of the human body detection sensor 7 is directed to the area to be detected in the fixed mode. Hereinafter, the region (9 directions from A to I) for determining whether or not the heat source is directed by turning the human body detection sensor 7 in the fixed mode is a “fixed region”, and the region in which the heat source is not detected in the scanning mode. (Nine directions from A to I) will be described as a “non-fixed region”.

  In the present embodiment, the fixed time for fixing the human body detection sensor 7 to the fixed region is changed according to the situation. Next, determination of the fixed time will be described. FIG. 12 is a control flowchart for determining the fixed time.

  As shown in FIG. 12, first, in step SP61, it is determined whether or not the fixed area is a living area. If it is determined that the fixed area is a living area, the process proceeds to step SP67, and if not, the process proceeds to step SP62. When the processing proceeds to step SP67, the fixed time is set to T1 (for example, 120 seconds) regardless of the state of other regions (regions in 9 directions from A to I).

  In step SP62, it is determined how many areas are determined as non-fixed areas among the nine directions A to I, and the non-fixed areas satisfy a certain value M1 (for example, three areas). If not, the process proceeds to step SP66, and if the non-fixed area is equal to or greater than a certain value M1, the process proceeds to step SP63. When the process proceeds to step SP66, it is determined that there are many fixed areas in other areas, and the fixed time T2 (for example, 60 seconds) shorter than the fixed time T1 is set.

In step SP63, it is determined how many areas are determined as non-fixed areas among the nine directions A to I, and the non-fixed areas satisfy a certain value M2 (for example, seven areas). If not, the process proceeds to step SP65, and if the non-fixed area is equal to or greater than a certain value M2, the process proceeds to step SP64. In step SP65, it is determined that there are some fixed areas in other areas. The fixed time T3 is shorter than the fixed time T1 and longer than the fixed time T2 (for example, 90 seconds).

  In step SP64, it is assumed that there are a large number of non-fixed areas among the nine directions A to I, and the fixed mode time of the area determined to be a fixed area is lengthened, and the fixed time T4 (for example, 120 seconds) ). The fixed time T4 is longer than the fixed times T2 and T3. In the present embodiment, the fixed time T4 and the fixed time T1 are the same, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  As described above, the fixed time of the fixed mode is changed depending on how many non-fixed areas exist in the 9 directions from A to I. If there are few fixed areas in the 9 directions, the fixed time is fixed. For areas determined to be areas, the human body detection sensor 7 is fixed longer to increase the accuracy of determining whether or not it is a human body. If there are fewer non-fixed areas, the fixed mode fixing time is shortened and On the other hand, it is possible to increase the speed of determining whether or not the heat source is a human body, and it is possible to quickly realize a comfortable air conditioning environment.

  Next, specific control for determining whether or not the heat source specified in the scanning mode is a human body will be described.

  First, when the location determined to be a fixed region turns in the fixing order in the order described above, the human body detection sensor 7 is driven in the direction of the fixed region. Then, after the human body detection sensor 7 is directed to the fixed area where it is determined whether or not it is a human body, a predetermined time elapses to avoid erroneous detection, and then the human body detection sensor 7 determines whether or not the heat source is a human body. Do.

  In the fixed mode, the human body detection sensor 7 is directed to a certain region to detect whether there is a reaction while being fixed for a predetermined time. At this time, since the human body has a high possibility of movement, the human body detection sensor 7 can detect the temperature fluctuation. If the heat source does not move (for example, a television), the human body detection sensor 7 detects the temperature fluctuation. It cannot be detected.

  And after starting fixed detection in a fixed area | region, the output of the human body detection sensor 7 is determined for every fixed time L1 (for example, 3 second), and a human body position is determined according to the combination of reaction of the human body detection sensor 7. FIG. At this time, if the heat source does not move, the human body detection sensor does not respond, and the human body detection sensor reacts to the heat source that moves like the human body, so the determination of the human body and other heat sources Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the human body detection sensor 7 is composed of a long-distance human body detection sensor 7A and a short-distance human body detection sensor 7B. A predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to, and other areas (m area, n area) are set to zero. For example, when the fixed area is the A area, 1 is added only to Af.

  When only the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B reacts, a predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to the short-distance n region, and the other regions (f region and m region) are set to zero. For example, when the fixed area is the A area, 1 is added only to An.

  When there is a reaction in both the long-distance human body detection sensor 7A and the short-distance human body detection sensor 7B, a predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to the middle-distance m region, and the other region (for example, the f region) , N region) is zero. For example, when the fixed area is the A area, 1 is added only to Am.

  Then, the determination result of the human body position is cumulatively added every predetermined time (for example, every 30 seconds), and each cumulative addition number of short distance (n area), middle distance (m area), and long distance (f area). Is stored as a human body position detection history. Then, based on the detection history of the human body position, the presence / absence of a person for each region is determined. Further, even if the response of the human body detection sensor 7 is detected a plurality of times during a predetermined time (in this embodiment, every 30 seconds), the value added to the detection history is “ 1 ”.

  In the present embodiment, the living area / moving area / non-living area is determined based on the detection history. That is, the sum total of the detection histories of all the areas is calculated, and the life classification is determined depending on how much the detection history of each area occupies.

  First, the sum of the detection histories of all the regions (in the present embodiment, a total of 27 regions including 9 left and right directions and 3 depth regions) is calculated, and the ratio of the one region is calculated. Thereafter, if the ratio is less than a predetermined ratio A (for example, 3%), the area is a non-living area, and if the ratio is equal to or greater than the predetermined ratio A (for example, 20%), the movement area is set. If there is a life area. Note that the predetermined ratio A and the predetermined ratio B in the present embodiment are not limited to the values described in the present embodiment.

  The predetermined time for performing cumulative addition will be described below using the expression “set”. In this embodiment, one set is 30 seconds, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 13 is a control flow diagram showing the presence / absence determination of a human body. As shown in FIG. 13, first, in step SP71, it is determined whether or not the current fixed area is a living area. If it is a living area, the process proceeds to step SP79, and if it is not a living area, the process proceeds to step SP72.

  In step SP79, while the human body detection sensor 7 is fixed to a certain fixed area, the human body position detection history is cumulatively added for each set (in this embodiment, every 30 seconds). When the human body detection sensor 7 detects a reaction in the detection history for each set (in this embodiment, every 30 seconds in this embodiment) while it is fixed (for example, 120 seconds for the fixed time T1) Then, the process proceeds to step SP81 to determine that a human body exists. If no reaction is detected by the human body detection sensor 7 at step SP79, the process proceeds to step SP80, and it is determined that the human body is absent.

  In step SP72, it is determined whether the fixed area is a moving area. As a result, if it is a moving area, the process proceeds to step SP76, and if it is not a moving area, the process proceeds to step SP73.

  In step SP63, while the human body detection sensor 7 is fixed to a certain fixed area, the human body position detection history is cumulatively added for each set (in this embodiment, every 30 seconds). Of the detection histories for each set (for example, every 30 seconds in the present embodiment) during fixing (for example, 60 seconds for the fixed time T2), the number of times the human body detection sensor 7 has detected a reaction is twice. If two or more sets are present, the process proceeds to step SP78 to determine that a human body is present. If two or more sets are not present, the process proceeds to step SP77 to confirm that a human body is absent.

In step SP73, while the human body detection sensor 7 is fixed to a certain fixed region, the human body position detection history is cumulatively added for each set (in this embodiment, every 30 seconds). Of the detection histories for each set (for example, every 30 seconds in the present embodiment) during fixing (for example, 90 seconds for the fixed time T3), the number of times the human body detection sensor 7 has detected a reaction is 3 times. If two or more sets are present, the process proceeds to step SP75 to determine that a human body is present. If two or more sets are not present, the process proceeds to step SP74 to confirm that a human body is absent.

  As described above, it is determined whether the heat source is a human body in the fixed mode with respect to the heat source specified in the scanning mode. It should be noted that the number of reactions and the number of sets of the human body detection sensor 7 used for determining that the human body is in step SP73, step SP76, and step SP79 are not limited to the above numerical values and can be appropriately changed. .

  Further, when it is determined that the area is non-fixed in 9 directions from A to I in the scanning mode stage, all areas of the long distance area, the middle distance area, and the short distance area included in the direction area are determined. It is determined that the human body is absent.

  The air conditioning region is determined based on the determination of the presence / absence of the human body determined as described above. In addition, in the air-conditioning area subdivided into 27 areas as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that one human body extends over a plurality of areas, and the concept of a large area that combines a plurality of areas is used. . In this embodiment, nine large areas are collected as shown in FIG.

  That is, in this embodiment, the regions An, Bn, and Cn are large regions Ln, the regions Dn, En, and Fn are large regions Cn, the regions Gn, Hn, and In are large regions Rn, and the regions Am, Bm, and Cm are The large region Lm, the regions Dm, Em, and Fm are large regions Cm, the regions Gm, Hm, and Im are large regions Rm, the regions Af, Bf, and Cf are large regions Lf, and the regions Df, Ef, and Ff are large regions The region Gf, Hf, If is the large region Rf.

  Next, a method for determining the air conditioning area will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for determining an air-conditioning area. As shown in FIG. 15, in step SP91, it is determined whether any one of the 27 areas is determined to have a human body. If there is an area in which a human body exists, step SP95 is determined. The large area including the area where the human body exists is determined as the air-conditioning area, and when there is no area where the human body exists, the process proceeds to step SP92.

  In step SP92, since there is no area where the presence of a human body is confirmed, it is determined whether or not a living area exists. As a result, when the living area exists, the process proceeds to step SP94, and the large area including the living area is determined as the air-conditioning area, and when the living area does not exist, the process proceeds to step SP93.

  In step SP93, since neither the area where the human body is confirmed nor the living area exists, the central large area, that is, the large area Cm is set as the air conditioning area from the viewpoint of air conditioning optimization.

  The air conditioning control will be described below for the air conditioning region determined as described above.

  First, the description will be given by taking the three regions Af, Bf, and Cf constituting the large region Lf as an example in one large region (in the present embodiment, the large region Lf will be described as an example). The wind direction control differs depending on where the human body is detected.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for determining the wind direction control when there is only one air conditioning region. First, it is assumed that only Lf is selected in the air-conditioning area according to the flowchart of FIG. In that case, in step SP101, when there is only one human body presence determination among the three regions, the process proceeds to step SP107, and when there are two or more human body presence determinations, the process proceeds to step SP102.

First, the situation at step SP107 will be described with reference to FIG. In the situation of step SP107, as shown in FIG. 17, there is only one presence determination (in FIG. 17, it is assumed that the presence determination is made in the area Af). In that case, the left and right wind direction blades and the upper and lower springs are driven so that the wind direction is directed to the center of the area Af that is determined to be present (hereinafter referred to as first wind direction control). As a result, the wind direction is directed directly toward the detected human body, so that comfortable air conditioning can be realized.

  Next, in step SP102, it is determined whether the presence determination is made in all three areas. If it is determined that the human body is present in all the regions (regions Af, Bf, Cf), the process proceeds to step SP106, and if not, the process proceeds to step SP103.

  The situation at step SP106 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, there are three presence determinations in the state of step SP106 (in FIG. 18, it is assumed that presence determinations are made in all regions Af, Bf, and Cf). In that case, air conditioning is performed by driving the left and right wind direction blades and the upper and lower wind direction blades so that the wind direction is directed to the center of the region Bf that is determined to be present (hereinafter referred to as second wind direction control). As a result, comfortable air conditioning can be realized over the entire large area Lf.

  Next, in step SP103, it is determined whether the presence determination is adjacent. If it is determined that they are adjacent, the process proceeds to step SP105, and if it is determined that they are not adjacent, the process proceeds to step SP104.

  The situation at step SP104 will be described with reference to FIG. In step SP104, the areas where the presence of the human body is determined are present apart from each other (in this embodiment, the areas Af and Cf are determined to be present). In that case, the left and right wind direction blades and the upper and lower wind direction blades are driven so that the wind direction is directed to the center of the region Bf that is not determined to be present (hereinafter referred to as third wind direction control). As a result, the air direction is not biased to any one of the area Af and the area Cf, and equally comfortable air conditioning can be realized.

  The situation at step SP105 will be described with reference to FIG. In step SP105, the areas determined to be present are adjacent to each other (in this embodiment, the areas Af and Bf are determined to be present). In that case, air conditioning is performed by driving the right and left wind direction blades and the upper and lower wind direction blades so that the wind direction is directed to the center between the areas determined to be present (hereinafter referred to as fourth wind direction control). As a result, the air direction is not biased to one of the region Af and the region Bf, and an even comfortable air conditioning can be realized.

  The wind direction control in the case where only one large area is the air conditioning area has been described above. However, as shown in FIG. 21, a plurality of large areas may be determined as air-conditioned areas in one block area (block L in the present embodiment). The example shown in FIG. 21 is a case where a human body is detected across two large areas Lf and Lm. In addition, this is one Example, It is not limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 21, when a plurality of large areas are determined to be air-conditioning areas in one block area, the entire air-conditioning in the block area is performed by swinging the left and right wind direction blades. At this time, it is necessary to perform air conditioning over the two large areas Lf and Lm as in the present embodiment. Therefore, in such a case, the right and left wind direction vanes swing in the block area to perform air conditioning, and the vertical wind direction vanes are driven at predetermined time intervals to alternately direct the wind direction to a large area for air conditioning. (In the present embodiment, the vertical wind direction blades are driven every predetermined time to alternately direct the wind direction to the large area Lf and the large area Lm. Hereinafter, this is referred to as fifth wind direction control). As a result, air conditioning in the block area can be comfortably performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22, a human body may be detected in a plurality of block areas. The example shown in FIG. 22 is a case where a human body is detected in block L (large area Lf and large area Lm) and block R (large area Rf). In addition, this is one Example, It is not limited to this.

  Basically, the wind direction control is performed by combining the first wind direction control to the fifth wind direction control. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, when a human body is detected in a different block area, the fifth wind direction control is performed in the block L, and the first wind direction control is performed in the block R. And, by driving the left and right wind direction blades every predetermined time and directing the wind direction in the corresponding block area direction, the first wind direction control and the fifth wind direction control are alternately performed to realize comfortable indoor air conditioning. Yes.

  However, when a plurality of large areas are determined to be air-conditioning areas in the same block area, the upper and lower wind direction blades were alternately driven in the fifth wind direction control, but different block areas as shown in FIG. Are detected, a plurality of vertical wind vanes are not driven alternately.

  In the present embodiment, when a plurality of different block areas are detected as air-conditioning areas, and when swing control is performed with left and right wind vanes in the block area, the air-conditioning area farthest from the indoor unit 1 during cooling operation The wind direction of the upper and lower wind direction blades is directed toward the large area (large area Lf in FIG. 22), and the large area (in FIG. 22) determined to be the closest air conditioning area from the indoor unit 1 during the heating operation. Is directed toward the large area Lm). This is due to the nature that cold air descends because it is heavy and warm air rises because it is light, and the entire block area can be comfortably air-conditioned.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 23, a human body may be detected in all the block areas. The example shown in FIG. 23 is a case where a human body is detected in block L (large area Lf and large area Lm), block C (large area Cf), and block R (large area Rf). In addition, this is one Example, It is not limited to this.

  When human bodies are detected in all block areas, if air conditioning is performed with all blocks fixed, the time becomes long, and there is a possibility that comfortable air conditioning cannot be realized in any block area.

  Therefore, when a human body is detected in the three block areas, the air direction is alternately directed toward the block areas (block R and block L) at the left and right ends, and the air flow is performed by swinging the right and left wind direction blades in the block area. . Further, during the cooling operation, the wind direction of the up and down wind direction blades is directed toward the large area (the large area Lf or the large area Rf in FIG. 23) determined as the air-conditioning area farthest from the indoor unit 1, and during the heating operation The wind direction of the up-and-down wind direction blades is directed toward the large area (the large area Lm or large area Rf in FIG. 23) determined to be the closest air-conditioned area from the indoor unit 1.

  In the middle block area (block C), the wind direction is not fixed and air-conditioning is performed, but the wind direction is only directed when moving from the block L to the block R (or from the block R to the block L). However, since air conditioning is performed by swinging the left and right wind vanes at both ends, comfort is not impaired and comfortable and energy-saving air conditioning can be realized.

Further, since the heat source is not specified during the scanning mode, air conditioning is performed by directing the blown air in a predetermined direction during the air conditioning operation. Until the heat source is specified, the right and left wind direction blades and the upper and lower wind direction blades may be driven to blow out in the central direction, or may swing. In the present embodiment, in consideration of the comfort of the entire room, the air-conditioning operation is performed with the air direction directed toward the center so that the air-conditioning can be performed uniformly.

  In the scanning mode, when the heat source is specified while the human body detection sensor 7 is driven in the left-right direction, it is not yet determined whether the human body is in the scanning mode. However, in order to perform an efficient air conditioning operation as soon as possible, the air conditioning operation is performed in the direction of the heat source specified in the scanning mode before it is determined whether the heat source is a human body in the fixed mode.

  Specifically, the wind direction is changed depending on whether or not there is a heat source in block L, block C, and block R shown in FIG. 8 in the scanning mode.

  First, in the case of a single block only, the air-conditioning operation is performed by controlling the wind direction toward the center of the block where the heat source is specified. That is, when the heat source exists within the range of only the block L, the air-conditioning operation is performed with the wind direction directed toward the center of the block L, and when the heat source exists within the range of only the block C, the block The air conditioning operation is performed with the wind direction directed toward the center of C, and if the heat source exists within the range of only the block R, the air conditioning operation is performed with the wind direction directed toward the center of the block R.

  Next, when a heat source is specified in a plurality of blocks, the wind direction differs depending on the specified block. That is, when there is a heat source in both the block L and the block C, the air conditioning operation is performed by swinging between the central direction of the block L and the central direction of the block C. If the heat source is also present, the air conditioning operation is performed by swinging between the central direction of the block R and the central direction of the block C.

  In addition, when there is a heat source in both the block L and the block R, the air direction is controlled by controlling the wind direction toward the center of the block C, and the heat source is present in any of the block L, the block C, and the block R. If present, the air-conditioning operation is performed by controlling the wind direction toward the center of the block C. When heat sources are specified in block L and block R, air conditioning operation is performed by controlling the wind direction toward the center of block C instead of swinging, if the specified heat source is not a person but a heat source such as a television. In such a case, if the air conditioning operation is performed by swinging, the person in the room may be uncomfortable while the wind direction is in the opposite direction to the human body. Therefore, when a heat source is specified in blocks such as block R and block L, air conditioning operation is not performed by swinging, but air conditioning operation is performed by controlling the air direction toward the center of block C in the middle. By doing so, I try to maintain comfort.

  Further, the air direction when the human body cannot be specified in either the scanning mode or the fixed mode may be air-conditioned based on the learning control so far.

  In the present embodiment, when the heat source cannot be specified in the scanning mode, the human body detection sensor 7 is stopped in all the fixing directions in the nine area directions in the fixing mode. In this way, even when the heat source cannot be specified in the scanning mode, the heat source can be confirmed again in the fixed mode, so that the air conditioning control according to the state of the heat source can be performed and the comfort can be achieved. There is no loss of sex.

  When a human body is detected in a different block, the air-conditioning operation is started from the block where the previously detected human body exists in order to quickly perform a comfortable air-conditioning operation. That is, initially, the situation is determined as shown in FIG. 21, but as the human body detection flow proceeds, the situation may change as shown in FIG. In this case, instead of waiting for the human body detection flow to the end and performing the air conditioning operation according to the human body, as soon as the human body is detected, the air conditioning operation according to the position of the human body is performed quickly. Comfortable air conditioning operation can be realized.

  As described above, in this embodiment, by using a driving human body detection sensor, it is possible to distinguish between a human body and a heat source and perform comfortable air conditioning control.

  Since the air conditioner of the present invention uses only a driving human body detection sensor to identify a human body and a heat source, the cost can be reduced and the human body existing indoors can be detected with high accuracy. Optimal air conditioning can be realized depending on the presence or absence of the air conditioner. Therefore, in this embodiment, the air conditioner having a wall-mounted indoor unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the present invention can be applied to a ceiling-embedded indoor unit. Is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Indoor heat exchanger 3 Indoor fan 6 Human body detection sensor unit 7 Human body detection sensor 7A Human body detection sensor for long distances 7B Human body detection sensor for short distances 8 Stepping motor 9A Transmission rod 9B Connection lever arm

Claims (15)

A human body detection sensor that drives in the left-right direction, an up-down wind direction blade that controls the wind direction in the up-down direction, and a left-right wind direction blade that controls the wind direction in the left-right direction, and a scanning mode that drives in the left-right direction to identify the heat source; An air conditioner that moves to the fixed mode after the scanning mode, and when the operation of the air conditioner is started, a predetermined mode is set regardless of the presence or absence of a person. When the wind direction is controlled at a place and the heat source is specified in the scanning mode, the air direction is controlled in the direction of the specified heat source. When the operation of the air conditioner is started, the heat source is specified by driving in the left-right direction at least once or more, and then the human body detection sensor is driven to the position where the heat source is specified to determine whether or not it is a human body. The air conditioner according to claim 1. If the position of the heat source specified when driving the human body detection sensor from left to right or from right to left does not reach the first predetermined number of times, the driving speed of the human body detection sensor is increased and The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the human body detection sensor is driven again from left to right or from left to right. If the position of the heat source specified when the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left is greater than the second predetermined number of times, the driving speed of the human body detection sensor is decreased and the right The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the human body detection sensor is driven again from left to right or from left to right. If the position of the heat source specified when the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left is between the first predetermined number of times and the second predetermined number of times, the heat source is immediately The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a direction of the human body detection sensor is moved to a position where the air conditioner is specified. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein there is a limit to the number of times the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a restriction is provided on a speed at which the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left. If the heat source is not specified even if the human body detection sensor is driven from left to right or from right to left with the driving speed of the human body detection sensor being maximized, the human body detection sensor is driven to a predetermined position. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that: 9. The human body detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of heat sources are specified in the scanning mode, the human body detection sensor is directed in order from a heat source having a higher priority in the fixed mode. Air conditioner. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a time for fixing the human body detection sensor in the fixing mode is changed according to a situation. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein when the presence of a person is specified in the fixed mode, the wind direction is controlled in the direction of the specified human body. When the human body detection sensor is divided into a plurality of blocks in the driving direction, and the human body is detected only in one area in the same block, the right and left wind direction blades are controlled toward the area where the human body exists to control the wind direction. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the air conditioner is directed. When the human body detection sensor is divided into a plurality of blocks in the driving direction and a human body is detected in a plurality of areas in the same block, control of the left and right wind direction blades is performed according to the relationship between the plurality of areas where the human body exists. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the air conditioner is changed. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the human body detection sensor is divided into a plurality of blocks in a driving direction, and when a person is detected in a different block, air conditioning is performed in order from the block in which the person was detected first. The air conditioner according to any one of 13. When the human body detection sensor is divided into a plurality of blocks in the driving direction, and human bodies are detected in all the blocks, the blocks on both ends are swung alternately and the right and left wind direction blades are swung in the blocks on both ends. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the air conditioner is air-conditioned.