JP2012141104A - Air conditioner and method for controlling operaton of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of executing control so that all people may feel comfortable when those sensitive to heat and those sensitive to cold are present in the same space.SOLUTION: The air conditioner includes: a remote controller 1 for transmitting input operation information; a thermopile sensor control unit 33 for acquiring, when the start of "heat sensitive operation" control or "cold sensitive operation" control is instructed on the basis of operation information, space temperature distribution information at fixed time intervals by controlling the thermopile 23; a remote control transmission direction detector 32 for detecting the arriving direction of a signal from the remote controller 1; a transmission person specification section 35 for specifying the position of the transmission person of the remote controller 1 on the basis of the arriving direction and temperature distribution information; a limit range following section 39 for estimating the transmission person present within a limit range set on the basis of the transmission person position and an air conditioning range; and a control unit 40 for controlling an air amount and an air direction so as to control blowing on the basis of the position of the transmission person estimated by the limit range following section 39.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an operation control method for the air conditioner.

  Patent Document 1 below proposes an operation control method capable of performing operation control reflecting the user's intention by operating an intention input means provided in a remote controller (hereinafter abbreviated as a remote controller).

  In the following Patent Document 1, a “powerful” key, a “friendly” key, a “refreshing” key, a “more” key, and a “moderate” key are provided on the remote control as the intention input means. A signal in which a value corresponding to the intention is set is transmitted to the machine. Upon receiving this signal, the indoor unit performs operation control stored in advance based on the received signal.

  For example, when the “strong” key is pressed, the indoor unit increases the air volume, decreases the humidity, blows air toward the direction of the person, and the room temperature greatly overshoots the target temperature. Perform operation control. Patent Document 1 below shows that it is possible to realize a comfortable air-conditioning operation immediately after returning home from a place on a summer day, for example, by performing such operation control.

  In Patent Document 1 below, when a “friendly” key is input, the indoor unit reduces the air volume, sets the humidity to normal, blows air in a direction where no person is located, and the room temperature gradually reaches the target temperature. It is shown that it is possible to realize a comfortable air-conditioning operation for a person with coldness by performing the operation control so as to approach the distance. Thus, in the following Patent Document 1, the operation control intended by the user can be performed.

JP-A-10-259949

  However, according to the above conventional technique, operation control reflecting the user's intention is performed by operating the intention input means. Therefore, when there are hot and cold people in the same space, there are people who want to hit the cold wind and some people who want to avoid the cold wind, but only the request of the person who operated the user input means can be satisfied There is a problem that both cannot be satisfied at the same time.

  For example, even if a person who came home from a place on the summer day entered the “strong” key to perform comfortable air-conditioning operation immediately after returning home, he / she would already be in the same space before the person came home. On the other hand, strong control is not necessary and it is uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an air conditioner and an air conditioner that can be controlled so that all persons are comfortable when a hot person and a cold person coexist in the same space. The purpose is to obtain a machine operation control method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an air conditioner comprising: a remote controller that transmits input operation information; and an air conditioner that performs air conditioning based on the operation information. The operation information includes specific control information for instructing start and stop of specific control for performing specific air flow control within a limited range, and the air conditioning unit includes an air volume control unit for controlling the air volume, A wind direction control unit that controls a wind direction, and a temperature distribution acquisition unit that acquires temperature distribution information indicating a temperature distribution of a target space for air conditioning at regular time intervals when the start of the specific control is instructed by the specific control information A remote control transmission direction detection unit that detects a direction of arrival of a signal received from the remote controller as a sender direction, and the remote control based on the transmitter direction and the temperature distribution information. Based on a sender specifying unit that specifies the position of the sender who operated the remote controller as a sender position, and the air conditioning range indicating the size of the sender target and a preset target range for the specific air flow control. A limited range generating unit that generates a limited range for performing the specific air flow control, a transmitter position estimating unit that estimates the position of the transmitter existing in the limited range based on the latest temperature distribution information, and A control unit that controls the air volume control unit and the wind direction control unit to perform the specific air flow control based on the position of the sender estimated by the transmitter position estimation.

  According to the present invention, when a hot person and a cold person coexist in the same space, it is possible to control so that all persons are comfortable.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of a remote control of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a concept of direction detection of the remote control sender. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a change in the line-of-sight direction of the thermopile sensor. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a concept of a method for specifying a sender. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a limited range generation method. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the effect of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration example of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of temperature unevenness.

  Embodiments of an air conditioner and an air conditioner operation control method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of a first embodiment of a remote controller 1 for an air conditioner according to the present invention. The remote controller 1 includes a “hot operation” key 11 for receiving an input of start or stop instruction for “hot operation” control of the air conditioner, and an instruction for starting or stopping the “cool operation” control of the air conditioner. A “cool operation” key 12 for receiving an input and a “normal operation” key 13 for receiving an input of a normal start or stop instruction for the air conditioner are provided.

  “Hot driving” key 11 is used when, for example, a cold person and a hot person are in the same space (a space subject to air conditioning) on a hot summer day, and the hot person feels hot and uncomfortable at bedtime This is an operation key that is pressed when it is desired to apply cold air only in the direction of the hot weather.

  Further, the “hot driving” key 11 is only for a cold person when, for example, a cold person and a hot person are in the same space on a cold winter day, and the cold person is cold at bedtime and cannot sleep. This is a key to be pressed when it is desired to be exposed to hot air.

  That is, the “hot operation” key 11 is a key for instructing the start and stop of the “hot operation” control. In the “hot operation” control, the transmitter of the signal of the remote controller 1 (operator of the remote controller 1) is provided. Control to concentrate and blow.

  “Chill driving” key 12 is used when, for example, a cold person and a hot person are in the same space on a hot summer day and the person who is cold at the time of bedtime is cold and cannot sleep. This is a key that is pressed when it is desired that the cooling is not applied only to the user.

  Also, the “cold driving” key 12 is used when, for example, a cold person and a hot person are in the same space on a cold winter day, and the hot person is hot when he / she is hot at bedtime. This is a key that is pressed when it is desired not to be exposed to hot air.

  That is, the “cold driving” key 12 is a key for instructing the start and stop of the “cold driving” control. In the “cold driving” control, the transmitter of the signal of the remote controller 1 (the operator of the remote controller 1). ) Is controlled to stop the air blowing.

  In this way, the “hot operation” control and the “cold operation” control are specific controls that perform specific air blow control different from the normal operation. During heating, the hot person actually presses the “Cooling Operation” key 12, and the cold person presses the “Cooling Operation” key 11. Or, considering the commonality of the operation of stopping, each key and control name defines the control content as described above. In consideration of the characteristics of the person who actually presses down, the above-mentioned definition at the time of heating may be reversed by using the “cold operation” key 12 and the “hot operation” key 11.

  In the cover 14 of the remote controller 1, setting input means (air volume setting key, air conditioning setting key, wind direction setting key, target temperature setting key, etc.) for inputting normal operation information such as temperature are provided. Then, on the liquid crystal display panel 15 of the remote controller 1, the wording corresponding to the pressed key ("Hot driving control in progress" is displayed as an example in FIG. 1) and the contents to be controlled (as an example in FIG. 1). The air volume setting value, air conditioning setting, wind direction setting value, and target temperature setting value are displayed.

  The configuration of the remote control 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the configuration is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1 as long as the same function as the remote control 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be realized. Further, the shape and arrangement of keys, the words displayed on each key, and the like are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  Normal operation information (“air volume”, “air conditioning setting”, “wind direction”, “target temperature”, etc.) is stored in storage means (for example, rewritable ROM (Read Only Memory) etc.) built in the remote controller 1. It is remembered. Specifically, for example, the setting information set when the previous air conditioning operation (air conditioner operation) was turned off is stored, or the setting input means in the cover 14 is operated by the user before the air conditioning operation. The setting information changed by this is stored.

  In addition, an infrared transmitter 16 is provided at the tip of the remote controller 1, and the user operates the keys 11 to 13 or each key of the setting input means in the cover 14 to control driving information (“hot driving” control). , “Cooling operation” control, “Operation information regarding normal operation” operation mode, and normal setting information) are input, the input operation information is transmitted as an infrared signal. In addition, although the example which transmits driving information by an infrared signal is demonstrated here, you may use radio signals other than infrared rays.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the function structural example of the air conditioner of this Embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner of the present embodiment includes a remote controller 1 and an indoor unit (air conditioner) 2.

  2 and 3, the indoor unit 2 includes an operation information receiving light receiving unit 21, a remote control transmission direction detecting light receiving unit 22, a thermopile sensor 23, left and right louvers 24, and upper and lower vanes 25. The actuator 3, the driving information receiving unit 31, the remote control transmission direction detecting unit 32, the thermopile sensor control unit 33, the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34, the transmitter specifying unit 35, and the transmitter specifying storage unit 36 The air conditioning range storage unit 37, the limited range generation unit 38, the limited range tracking unit (sender position estimation unit) 39, the control unit 40, and the limited range storage unit 41 are provided.

  The operation information receiving light receiving unit 21 of the indoor unit 2 receives the infrared signal transmitted from the remote controller 1. The remote control transmission direction detection light receiving unit 22 detects the transmission direction of the infrared signal from the remote control 1 (the direction of the remote control sender) by receiving the infrared signal transmitted from the remote control 1. Any method may be used as a method of detecting the direction of the remote control sender. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-328460, a plurality of infrared light receiving units having different light receiving surface angles are provided. Thus, the direction in which the infrared light signal arrives is determined based on the light amounts of these infrared light receiving portions having different angles of the light receiving surface.

  The thermopile sensor 23 of the indoor unit 2 measures the temperature distribution of the space that can be seen with the lens. A motor is attached to the thermopile sensor 23, and the lens can be moved vertically and horizontally by the motor. Thus, by moving the lens, the temperature distribution in any part of the space can be measured.

  The left and right louvers 24 of the indoor unit 2 can change the wind direction by moving left and right or stopping based on an instruction from the control unit 40. The upper and lower vanes 25 can change the wind direction by moving up and down or stopping based on an instruction from the control unit 40. That is, the left and right louvers 24 and the upper and lower vanes 25 are wind direction control units that control the wind direction.

  The actuator 3 is a fan motor or the like, and is an air volume control unit that controls the air volume based on an instruction from the control unit 40. The actuator 3 may include not only a fan motor in an indoor unit but also a fan motor in an outdoor unit.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the following normal driving information is stored in the storage means in the remote controller 1.
(1) Air volume control Strong wind (2) Air conditioning setting Cooling (3) Left and right louver wind direction Front (4) Vertical vane wind direction Down blowing (5) Target temperature 25 ° C

  When the cooling / heating setting stored in the storage means in the remote control 1 of the remote control 1 is “cooling” and the “hot operation” key 11 or the “cold operation” key 12 of the remote control 1 is pressed, the remote control 1 , The infrared transmitter 16 stores the normal operation information stored in the storage means (“air flow control strong wind”, “cooling / heating setting cooling”, “front of left and right louvers”, “up and down vane down blowing”, “target temperature 25 ° C.” ) And “operation mode information indicating that the“ hot operation ”control” or “cold operation control is instructed” are transmitted to the operation information receiving light receiving unit 21 of the indoor unit 2.

  The operation information receiving light receiving unit 21 of the indoor unit 2 receives the operation information transmitted from the remote controller 1 and outputs the received operation information to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 controls the actuator 3, the left and right louvers 24, the upper and lower vanes 25 and the like based on the operation information, and the operation mode information of the operation information is instructed to be “hot operation” control or “cold operation” control. If it is a value indicating this, the thermopile sensor control unit 33 is instructed to start collecting the temperature distribution. Instead of the control unit 40 instructing the thermopile sensor control unit 33 to start collecting the temperature distribution, the operation information receiving unit 31 may instruct the thermopile sensor control unit 33 to start collecting the temperature distribution.

  The remote control transmission direction detection unit 32 of the indoor unit 2 detects the direction of the remote control sender based on the infrared rays transmitted from the remote control 1 received by the remote control transmission direction detection light receiving unit 22. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a concept of direction detection of the remote control sender. As shown in FIG. 4, the arrival direction 50 of infrared rays from the remote controller 1 viewed from the indoor unit 2 (the remote control transmission direction detection light receiving unit 22 of the indoor unit 2) is detected as the direction of the remote control sender, and the detected direction is the remote control. The information is stored in the sender specifying storage unit 36 as sender direction information. Further, when the remote control transmission direction detection unit 32 detects the direction of the remote control transmitter, the remote control transmission direction detection unit 32 notifies the transmitter identification unit 35 to that effect.

  When the thermopile sensor control unit 33 is instructed by the control unit 40 to start collecting the temperature distribution (that is, when the “hot operation” key 11 or the “cold operation” key 12 of the remote controller 1 is pressed), the thermopile sensor The lens is moved so as to control the driving of the lens 23 and acquire the temperature distribution of the entire space. Further, the thermopile sensor control unit 33 notifies the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 of position information indicating which position is currently collecting the temperature distribution based on the lens drive information. In addition, although the example (temperature distribution information acquisition part) for acquiring the temperature distribution of the whole space comprised the thermopile sensor control part 33 and the thermopile sensor 23 here, the whole space was shown for every fixed space | interval. If the temperature distribution can be acquired, the temperature distribution acquisition method and the configuration of the temperature distribution information acquisition unit are not limited thereto.

  Specifically, for example, the thermopile sensor control unit 33 obtains the temperature distribution of the entire space (for example, the entire space subject to air conditioning, such as the room where the indoor unit 2 is installed). These lenses are driven with a predetermined angle profile. Thereby, the visual field of the thermopile sensor 23 changes and the temperature distribution of the whole space can be obtained. When the entire space is within the instantaneous visual field of the thermopile sensor 23, it is not necessary to drive the lens of the thermopile sensor 23. However, since the instantaneous visual field of the thermopile sensor 23 is generally smaller than the entire space, The temperature distribution of the entire space is acquired by changing the visual field by driving.

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a change in the line-of-sight direction of the thermopile sensor 23. The background of FIG. 5 shows an example of the temperature distribution in the space (for example, the room where the indoor unit 2 is installed) viewed from the thermopile sensor 23 of the indoor unit 2. The thermopile sensor control unit 33 changes the line-of-sight direction of the thermopile sensor 23 from a point a to a point b as a locus 51 in order to acquire the temperature distribution of the entire space. Here, the visual line direction is, for example, the center of the instantaneous visual field of the thermopile sensor 23, and the instantaneous visual field of the thermopile sensor 23 is set to a certain range around the visual line direction. The thermopile sensor 23 outputs the detected temperature distribution (for each instantaneous visual field) to the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 one by one.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the thermopile sensor control unit 33 moves from a point a to a point b stored in advance for a predetermined time. Moreover, in order to obtain the temperature distribution of the space in the next time zone, it will move from the point b to the point a from now on. Thus, by repeating the point a → the point b → the point a → the point b..., The temperature distribution of the entire space can be acquired at regular time intervals.

  The thermopile sensor control unit 33 notifies the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 of the timing when the line-of-sight direction of the thermopile sensor 23 is located at the point a and the timing when it is located at the point b. Thereby, the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 obtains the temperature distribution (instantaneous visual field) acquired while moving from point a to point b and the temperature distribution acquired while moving from point b to point a at regular time intervals. Can be collected alternately. The thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 generates a temperature distribution of the entire space based on the trajectory 51 and the collected temperature distribution of the instantaneous visual field.

  The lens driving method (the trajectory 51 for changing the line-of-sight direction) of the thermopile sensor 23 for acquiring the temperature distribution of the entire space is not limited to the above example. Any driving method may be used as long as the temperature distribution of the entire space can be acquired.

  As described above, the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 generates a temperature distribution of the entire space at regular time intervals, and stores the generated temperature distribution of the entire space.

  When notified from the remote control transmission direction detection unit 32 that the remote control transmission direction has been detected, the transmitter specifying unit 35 sends the latest temperature distribution information of the entire space to the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34. The storage unit 36 is instructed to store. The thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 stores (stores) the latest temperature distribution information of the entire space in the transmitter specifying unit storage unit 36 based on the instruction.

  Then, the transmitter specifying unit 35 specifies the transmitter based on the temperature distribution information and the remote control transmission direction information of the entire space stored in the transmitter specifying unit storage unit 36. Specifically, it is determined that the sender is in a space within the temperature range corresponding to the temperature of the human body in the temperature distribution information and closest to the remote control transmission direction. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a concept of a method for specifying a sender. In FIG. 6, the arrival direction 50 of the infrared signal transmitted by the sender 4 by operating the remote controller 1 is projected onto a plane representing the space viewed from the indoor unit 2. Here, for example, the projection is performed on the same plane as the plane corresponding to the temperature distribution information of the entire space generated based on the temperature distribution acquired by the thermopile sensor 23.

  When the transmitter is specified, the transmitter specifying unit 35 defines the position of the space determined to have the transmitter (the position in the image when the space viewed from the indoor unit 2 is converted into a planar image) as the transmitter position information in a limited range. The data is transmitted to the generation unit 38.

  The air-conditioning range storage unit 37 stores an air-conditioning range (width) that is a range in which the air blow control is to follow the remote controller sender. As the air conditioning range, for example, a predetermined range is set in advance as an initial value, and the user can set the air conditioning range by operating the remote controller 1 in advance before the air conditioning operation. When the user (sender) sets the remote controller 1 by operating the remote controller 1, the air conditioning range is transmitted to the indoor unit 2 by an infrared signal in the same manner as other operation information, and the control unit 40 stores the air conditioning range in the air conditioning range storage unit 37. Let In addition, if this air-conditioning range is taken too wide, it will be meaningless because airflow control is performed for both hot and cold people. On the other hand, if it is too narrow, when a hot person moves, the hot person moves out of the air blow control range, and the effect of the “hot operation” control is reduced. In consideration of these points, the user may set a desired air conditioning range in consideration of the movement range and the like.

  In addition, it is assumed that there is some distance between the hot and cold people in the space, and in the “hot driving” control and “cold driving” control, it is sent to the person who wants to send the wind The remote control sender is intended for bedtime, reading, etc. where the remote control sender moves less so that it can be avoided for those who want to avoid the wind.

  Upon receiving the sender location information from the sender identification unit 35, the limited range generation unit 38 reads the air conditioning range information from the air conditioning range storage unit 37, and generates a limited range based on the sender location information and the air conditioning range information. Then, the generated limited range is transmitted to the limited range follower 39.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a limited range generation method. For example, when the entire space is represented by a 256 × 256 image (corresponding to an image of the space viewed from a predetermined position of the indoor unit 2) 61, the sender position 63 where the sender 4 exists is represented by coordinates (75, 85). ), (95, 85), (95, 105), and (95, 75). Here, for the sake of simplicity, the sender position 63 is shown as a rectangle, but the sender position is not limited to a rectangle, and may be any shape such as an ellipse or other figures. The limited range generator 38 obtains the center coordinates (coordinates 85 and 95 in the example of FIG. 7) 64 of the sender position. If the air-conditioning range is 50 × 50, a 50 × 50 range centered on the central coordinate 64 is generated as the limited range 62.

  When receiving the limited range, the limited range tracking unit 39 obtains the latest temperature distribution information of the entire space from the thermopile sensor information storage unit 34 at regular time intervals, and estimates the position of the person within the limited range. Specifically, a temperature portion corresponding to the temperature of the human body in the temperature distribution information is detected, and it is estimated that there is a person in the detected portion. Then, the limited range following unit 39 transmits the position information of the person in the latest limited range to the limited range storage unit 41 as the range position information at regular time intervals. If there is no sender within the limited range, the fact is transmitted to the limited range storage unit 41. When there are a plurality of people within the limited range, the position information of each of the plurality of people is transmitted to the limited range storage unit 41 as the within-range position information.

  Upon receiving the in-range position information from the limited range following unit 39, the limited range storage unit 41 stores the received in-range position information in the built-in storage unit. Further, when the in-range position information is already stored in the built-in storage unit, the limited range storage unit 41 rewrites the latest in-range position information. When there is a transmission request from the control unit 40, the limited range storage unit 41 transmits in-range position information to the control unit 40.

  When the operation information receiving unit 22 notifies that the “hot operation” key 11 or the “cold operation” key 12 of the remote controller 1 has been pressed, the control unit 40 receives air conditioning information and wind direction information from the operation information receiving unit 22. , Get air volume information. Then, when the control unit 40 requests the limited range storage unit 41 to transmit the limited range position information and acquires the limited range position information from the limited range storage unit 41, the next control timing is based on the limited range position information. Then, the left and right louvers 24 and the upper and lower vanes 25 are controlled, and air flow control is performed for people within the limited range. When the “hot driving” key 11 is pressed, the cool air is strongly blown toward the person within the limited range, and when the “hot driving” key 12 is pressed, the person is within the limited range. Control to avoid cold air.

  In addition, although the example in the case where the cooling is set is described here, when the heating is set, when the “hot operation” key 11 is pressed, the person in the limited range is directed to When the warm air is blown strongly and the “cold operation” key 12 is pressed, control is performed so as to avoid the warm air toward the person within the limited range.

  FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the effect of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that when the hot person 5 is present at the position 65, the “hot operation” key 11 of the remote controller 1 is pressed, and there is a cold person 6 in the same room as the hot person 5. . In this case, since the position information in the range is updated at regular intervals within the limited range 62 around the position 65 of the hot person 5, the hot person follows the movement when the hot person 5 moves. Air blowing control (sending strong cold air) to 5 can be performed. In addition, since the cold person 6 is not controlled for blowing air for the hot person 5, the cold person 6 can maintain a comfortable state.

  In the above-described example, the “hot operation” key 11 is used as a key for controlling the operator of the remote controller 1 so as to feel cooling or heating strongly, that is, a key for performing centralized airflow control, both during cooling and during heating. The “cold operation” key 12 is a key for controlling the operator of the remote controller 1 to feel weakness in cooling or heating, that is, a key for performing airflow avoidance control during cooling and heating. The name is not limited to this.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the remote controller transmission direction detector 32 that detects the remote controller transmission position based on the infrared signal transmitted from the remote controller 1 and the temperature distribution of the space to be conditioned by the air conditioner are acquired. A thermopile sensor 23, a transmitter specifying unit 35 for specifying the position of the sender based on the temperature distribution and the remote control transmission position, and a limited range generating unit 38 for determining the limited range based on the position of the sender and the air conditioning range. And a limited range follower 39 that obtains the position of a person existing within the limited range as the limited range position information based on the latest temperature distribution, and a control unit 40 that controls the air blowing based on the limited range position information. I did it. Therefore, when a hot person and a cold person coexist in the same space, it can be controlled so that all persons are comfortable.

  Specifically, for example, in a space where a hot person and a cold person coexist, a hot person when the hot person has relatively little movement during bedtime, such as turning over at bedtime or reading. The cool air can be blown following the movement of the air. In addition, a cold person can avoid cold air during cooling. In addition, during heating, when a cold person moves relatively slowly, such as turning over at bedtime or reading, the warm air can be blown following the movement of the cold person. In addition, a hot person can avoid warm air during heating.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration example of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the remote controller 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The indoor unit 2a is the same as the indoor unit 2 of Embodiment 1 except that the temperature unevenness detection unit 42 is added. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, a control method for blowing or avoiding a hot person or a cold person has been described. In the present embodiment, an operation control method that further improves energy saving will be described.

  The temperature unevenness detection unit 42 obtains temperature distribution information within the limited range from the limited range tracking unit 39, and detects a portion with temperature unevenness based on the temperature distribution information within the limited range. Any method may be used to detect the temperature unevenness portion. For example, during cooling operation, a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature (set temperature, etc.) is detected as a temperature unevenness portion, and heating operation is performed. Sometimes, a portion having a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature (set temperature or the like) is detected as a portion having temperature unevenness.

  FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of temperature unevenness. The background image in FIG. 10 shows the image of the temperature distribution information of the entire space, and the temperature unevenness 71, 72, 73 shows the portion where the temperature unevenness occurs.

  The temperature unevenness detection unit 42 notifies the control unit 40 of the detected position of the temperature uneven portion as temperature unevenness position information. Based on the temperature unevenness position information, the control unit 40 controls the air volume and the wind direction so as to keep the temperature in the space within the limited range constant. The operations of the present embodiment other than those described above are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the temperature unevenness detection unit 42 that obtains the temperature unevenness position information based on the temperature distribution information within the limited range is provided, and the control unit 40 is within the limited range based on the temperature unevenness position information. Air volume and direction were controlled to keep the temperature in the space constant. Since the temperature unevenness of the space affects the sensible temperature, the operator of the remote controller 1 existing within the limited range can spend more comfortably than the first embodiment by eliminating the temperature unevenness. In addition, since it is possible to avoid sending extra wind, it is possible to perform an air conditioning operation excellent in energy saving.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote control 2,2a Indoor unit 3 Actuator 4 Transmitter 5 Hot person 6 Cold person 11 "Normal operation" key 12 "Hot operation" key 13 "Cool operation" key 14 Cover 15 Liquid crystal display panel 16 Infrared transmitter 21 Light receiving unit for receiving driving information 22 Light receiving unit for detecting remote control transmission direction 23 Thermopile sensor 24 Left and right louvers 25 Upper and lower vanes 31 Driving information receiving unit 32 Remote control transmission direction detecting unit 33 Thermopile sensor control unit 34 Thermopile sensor information storage unit 35 Sender identification Unit 36 Sender identification storage unit 37 Air-conditioning range storage unit 38 Limited range generation unit 39 Limited range tracking unit 40 Control unit 41 Limited range storage unit 42 Temperature unevenness detection unit 50 Arrival direction 51 Trajectory 61 Image 62 Limited range 63 Sender position 64 Center coordinates 71, 72, 73 Temperature

Claims (7)

An air conditioner comprising: a remote controller that transmits input operation information; and an air conditioner that performs air conditioning based on the operation information,
As the operation information, including specific control information for instructing start and stop of specific control for performing specific air flow control within a limited range,
The air conditioning unit
An air volume control unit for controlling the air volume;
A wind direction control unit for controlling the wind direction;
A temperature distribution acquisition unit that acquires temperature distribution information indicating a temperature distribution of a target space for air conditioning at regular time intervals when the start of the specific control is instructed by the specific control information;
A remote control transmission direction detector that detects the direction of arrival of the signal received from the remote controller as a transmitter direction;
A sender identifying unit that identifies the position of the sender who operated the remote controller based on the sender direction and the temperature distribution information as a sender position;
A limited range generating unit that generates a limited range for performing the specific air flow control based on the sender position and an air conditioning range indicating a size of the target range of the specific air flow control set in advance;
A sender position estimating unit that estimates the position of the sender existing within the limited range based on the latest temperature distribution information;
A control unit that controls the air volume control unit and the wind direction control unit so as to perform the specific air flow control based on the position of the sender estimated by the transmitter position estimation unit;
An air conditioner characterized by comprising:   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the specific air blow control includes a control to blow air to a position of a sender existing within the limited range.   The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the specific air blow control includes a control to avoid air blow to a sender's position existing within the limited range. Based on the temperature distribution information and the limited range, a temperature unevenness detection unit that detects temperature unevenness within the limited range,
Further comprising
The air conditioner according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the control unit controls the air volume control unit and the wind direction control unit so as to eliminate the temperature unevenness. The temperature distribution acquisition unit
A thermopile sensor with a movable field of view,
A thermopile sensor control unit that controls the field of view of the thermopile sensor so that temperature distribution information indicating the temperature distribution of the target space for air conditioning can be acquired at regular time intervals;
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air conditioner is provided. Including the air conditioning range in the operation information,
The limited range generation unit generates the limited range based on the air conditioning range set by the operation information.
The air conditioner as described in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. An air conditioner operation control method comprising: a remote controller that transmits input operation information; and an air conditioner that performs air conditioning based on the operation information,
As the operation information, including specific control information for instructing start and stop of specific control for performing specific air flow control within a limited range,
A temperature distribution acquisition step of acquiring temperature distribution information indicating a temperature distribution of a target space for air conditioning at regular time intervals when the start of the specific control is instructed by the specific control information;
A remote control transmission direction detection step of detecting the arrival direction of the signal received from the remote controller as a sender direction;
A sender specifying step of specifying the position of the sender who operated the remote controller based on the sender direction and the temperature distribution information as a sender position;
A limited range generation step of generating a limited range for performing the specific air flow control based on the sender position and an air conditioning range indicating a size of the target range of the specific air flow control set in advance;
A sender position estimating step for estimating a position of a sender existing within the limited range based on the latest temperature distribution information;
A control step of controlling the air volume and the wind direction so as to perform the specific air flow control based on the position of the sender estimated in the sender position estimation step;
An operation control method for an air conditioner, comprising: