JP2013047581A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner which can inform a user of conditions of air-conditioning control in an indoor space where the air conditioner performs air conditioning.SOLUTION: The air conditioner includes: a remote controller 1 that sends a control command of the air conditioner, receives display information showing a condition of the air-conditioning control in the indoor space, and generates and displays a display screen of an air-conditioning control condition based on the display information; a signal receiving means for receiving the control command; a sensor 2 for taking in space information of the indoor space which is targeted for air conditioning; an environmental temperature detecting means 33 for detecting an environmental temperature distribution in the indoor space based on the space information to generate environmental temperature information; an air-conditioning control means 6 for performing the air-conditioning control based on the control command and generating air-conditioning control information on a performance state of the air-conditioning control; and a display information output control means 7 for outputting the environmental temperature information and the air-conditioning control information as the display information.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  Conventionally, a technique for dividing a room into a plurality of areas and performing air conditioning on an area where a human body is detected using an infrared detection type sensor, a camera, or the like has been disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4589371

  However, in the above prior art, the problem is that the air conditioner actually performs the air conditioning, that is, the user cannot know the air conditioning control status of the indoor space in which the air conditioner is performing the air conditioning. was there.

  This invention is made in view of the above, Comprising: It aims at providing the air conditioner which can alert | report the condition of the air-conditioning control of the indoor space which the air conditioner is air-conditioning to a user. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an indoor unit that air-conditions an indoor space to be air-conditioned, and a remote controller that transmits a control command to the indoor unit. In the air conditioner, the remote controller transmits the control command to the indoor unit, receives display information indicating the status of air conditioning control in the indoor space from the indoor unit, and based on the display information The air conditioner control status display screen is generated and displayed, and the indoor unit is configured to receive a signal receiving unit that receives the control command, a sensor that captures spatial information of the indoor space, and the indoor space based on the spatial information. Based on environmental temperature detection means for detecting environmental temperature distribution and generating it as environmental temperature information, and performing air conditioning control of the indoor space based on the control command, Air conditioning control means for generating air conditioning control information; display information output control means for outputting the environmental temperature information and the air conditioning control information as the display information; and signal transmission means for transmitting the display information to the remote control. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the user of the status of air conditioning control in an indoor space in which the air conditioner is performing air conditioning.

Drawing 1 is a figure showing an example of the appearance of the air harmony machine concerning an embodiment. Drawing 2 is a figure showing an example of 1 composition of an air harmony machine concerning an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the indoor space in which the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment is installed on a wall surface. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the indoor space viewed from the back side of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

  An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

Embodiment.
Drawing 1 is a figure showing an example of the appearance of the indoor unit of the air harmony machine concerning an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image input means 2 is installed in the front surface of the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner according to the embodiment as a sensor for detecting spatial information that is information on the indoor space to be air-conditioned. . In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the image input unit 2 is provided in the center of the front surface of the indoor unit 100, but the installation position of the image input unit 2 is not limited to this, and the front end, side surface, or bottom surface of the indoor unit 100 is not limited thereto. You may install in.

  Drawing 2 is a figure showing an example of 1 composition of an air harmony machine concerning an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner according to the embodiment includes a remote control 1, the above-described image input means 2, image processing means 3, signal receiving means 4, air conditioning control means 6, display information output control means 7, and A signal transmission means 8 is provided. As the image input means 2, for example, a CCD camera 21 using a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor and an infrared camera 22 using an infrared sensor are provided. Note that the image input unit 2 may be, for example, an infrared sensor such as a plurality of pyroelectric sensors or a thermopile sensor, or a sensor that recognizes a shape by reflection of radio waves or ultrasonic waves. Further, the image processing means 3 includes a human body position detecting means 31, an object position detecting means 32, and an environmental temperature detecting means 33.

  The remote controller 1 is a controller that performs wireless communication using infrared rays, radio waves, and the like, and transmits a control command to the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner according to the embodiment to the signal receiving unit 4 of the indoor unit 100 according to a user operation. The display information indicating the status of the air conditioning control in the indoor space in which the indoor unit 100 is air-conditioned is received from the signal transmission means 8 of the indoor unit 100, and the air conditioning control status display screen in the indoor space is displayed based on the display information. It has a function to generate and display. As the remote controller 1, for example, a tablet information terminal or a smartphone having a larger amount of information that can be displayed than a general remote controller may be used.

  The CCD camera 21 captures an image of the indoor space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioner. The infrared camera 22 captures infrared rays emitted from the object in the indoor space and captures a thermal image indicating the environmental temperature distribution in the indoor space. These images and thermal images are hereinafter referred to as “spatial information”.

  The human body position detecting means 31 detects the position of the human body in the indoor space based on the spatial information and generates it as human body information. In addition, although description is abbreviate | omitted here about the detection method of a human body, this invention is not limited by this human body detection method.

  The object position detection means 32 detects the position of each object (for example, a floor, a wall, a window, a table, a chair, a sofa, a television, etc.) that is assumed to be placed in the indoor space based on the space information, and the object information Generate as In addition, although description is abbreviate | omitted here about the detection method of an object, this invention is not limited by this object detection method.

  The environmental temperature detection means 33 detects the environmental temperature distribution in the indoor space based on the spatial information and generates it as environmental temperature information.

  The signal receiving means 4 receives the control command transmitted from the remote controller 1 and outputs it to the air conditioning control means 6.

  The air conditioning control means 6 is a control command input from the remote control 1 via the signal receiving means 4, human body information input from the human body position detection means 31, object information input from the object position detection means 32, and environmental temperature detection. Based on the environmental temperature information input from the means 33, air-conditioning control of the indoor space to be air-conditioned is performed, and air-conditioning control information related to the execution state of the air-conditioning control is generated. The air conditioning control information includes, for example, information such as the wind direction, the air volume, and the temperature of the blown air.

  The display information output control means 7 outputs human body information, object information, environmental temperature information, and air conditioning control information as each display information to be transmitted to the remote controller 1.

  The signal transmission unit 8 transmits each display information input from the display signal processing unit 7 to the remote controller 1.

  Below, the alerting | reporting operation | movement of the air-conditioning control condition of the indoor space made into air conditioning object in the air conditioner concerning Embodiment is demonstrated. In general, since the communication speed between the remote controller and the indoor unit is slow, if the amount of data transmitted to the remote controller is large, the transmission takes time. Further, since the resolution of the liquid crystal panel used for the display unit of the remote controller is also coarse, the amount of information that can be displayed is limited. In the present embodiment, while reducing the amount of display information to be transmitted to the remote controller 1, information with high priority is transmitted to the remote controller 1 with priority, thereby efficiently informing the user of the air conditioning control status. Is possible. For example, even when a tablet-type information terminal, a smart phone, or the like is used as the remote controller 1, effects such as an increase in display speed and a lack of realism can be obtained.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the indoor space in which the air conditioner according to the embodiment is installed on a wall surface. In the example shown in FIG. 3, an example is shown in which the indoor space that is subject to air conditioning by the air conditioner according to the embodiment is divided into six areas A to F of two sections in the vertical direction and three sections in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the display information output control means 7 generates display information for each area and transmits it to the remote controller 1. Note that the number of areas is not limited to this, and the number of areas may be divided into more areas, or may be divided into one vertical row or one horizontal row. Further, the environmental temperature information is further divided for each area (in the example shown in FIG. 3, the area E is divided into nine sections (E1 to E9) of three sections in the vertical direction and three sections in the horizontal direction). Includes ambient temperature. Each of these areas and subdivided sections in each area are recognized in common by the indoor unit 100 and the remote controller 1.

  The display information output control means 7 sequentially outputs each display information for each of the areas A to F described above, and the remote controller 1 displays the air conditioning control status display screen for each area A to F every time the display information is received. Is generated and displayed. In this way, since the remote controller 1 can generate and display the air conditioning control status display screen sequentially from the area where each display information is received, for example, the display information of the area with high priority is low in priority. By outputting before the display information of the area, it is possible to shorten the time until the air conditioning control status display screen of the area with high priority is displayed.

  Here, the high priority area is, for example, an area where a user operating the remote controller 1 exists, that is, an area where a human body exists (hereinafter referred to as a “human body detection area”). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display information output control means 7 displays display information of an area where no human body exists (hereinafter referred to as “human body non-detection area”) based on the human body information input from the human body position detection means 31. The display information of the human body detection area is given priority over the output. In this way, it is possible to shorten the time until the air conditioning control status display screen in the human body detection area is displayed. In addition, when there are a plurality of human body detection areas, priority may be given to an area having a long human body residence time.

  In addition, as described above, the environment temperature information includes the environment for each section further divided into sections (in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the sections divided into nine (E1 to E9) in the area E). Although the temperature is included, in the present embodiment, the data amount of the environmental temperature information is thinned out for the human body non-detection area, that is, for example, the average value or the representative value (for example, the environmental temperature of each section in the area) The central section (environment temperature of E4 in the example shown in FIG. 3) is output as the environment temperature information of the area. In this way, it is possible to reduce the data amount of the environmental temperature information in the human body non-detection area, and it is possible to shorten the time until the air conditioning control status display screen for the entire indoor space to be air conditioned.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a recognition code is set for each object (eg, floor, wall, window, table, chair, sofa, television, etc.) that is assumed to be placed in the human body and the indoor space to be air-conditioned. Then, icons corresponding to the recognition codes of the human body and each object are registered in the remote controller 1. Then, the human body position detecting means 31 detects the center coordinates of the human body in the indoor space and generates human body information together with the human body recognition code, and the object position detecting means 32 detects the center coordinates of each object in the indoor space. The remote control 1 displays an air conditioning control status display screen using an icon corresponding to each recognition code. In this way, the data amount of human body information and object information can be reduced, and the time until the air conditioning control status display screen for each area is displayed can be shortened. For example, when using a tablet-type information terminal or a smartphone having a larger amount of information that can be displayed than a general remote controller as the remote controller 1, the human body position detection unit 31 and the object position detection unit 32 include spatial information. An image of a human body or each object included may be generated as human body information or object information by performing edge processing or 3D polygon conversion.

  Moreover, when outputting each display information, it is also conceivable to give priority to the human body information and then output the object information, the environmental temperature information, and the air conditioning control information. In this way, it is possible to shorten the time until the air conditioning control status display screen reflecting the human body information with high priority is displayed.

  It is also possible to display the human body movement history including the user's footprint trajectory and the grid lines corresponding to the footprint trajectory by outputting human body information from the present time to a predetermined time ago. In this case, since it is necessary to output human body information every time a human body is detected, the data amount of display information increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display information output control means 7 accumulates and weights the number of human body position detections for each area within a predetermined time based on the human body information to give the user's footprint trajectory information and footprint trajectory information. The movement history information including the corresponding grid line information and the like is generated, and the movement history information is output as display information. In this way, it is possible to display the movement history of the human body including the user's footprint trajectory and grid lines corresponding to the footprint trajectory while suppressing an increase in the data amount of the display information.

  Next, the timing for outputting each display information will be described. In the present embodiment, the display information to be output to the remote controller 1 is selected according to the timing at which the display information is output, and the display information having the minimum necessary data amount is output.

  The timing for outputting the display information is first when the air conditioner is activated. At the time of starting the air conditioner, the display information output control means 7 outputs human body information, object information, environmental temperature information, and air conditioning control information as display information for all areas of the indoor space to be air-conditioned.

  Further, when all the areas of the indoor space to be air-conditioned are human body undetected areas and the object information has not changed for a predetermined time, the display information output control means 7 outputs the object information as display information. Thereby, the background of the air conditioning control status display screen can be generated using highly accurate object information.

  Further, when a control command is received from the remote controller 1, the display information output control means 7 outputs human body information, environmental temperature information, and air conditioning control information as display information to the human body detection area.

  Further, when a change occurs in at least one of the human body information, the environmental temperature information, and the air conditioning control information in a certain area, the display information output control means 7 displays the human body information, the environmental temperature that has changed in the area. Information or air conditioning control information is output as display information.

  It is also conceivable that the remote controller 1 has a function of requesting transmission of display information by designating an arbitrary area. In this case, when the remote controller 1 requests display information to be transmitted to an arbitrary area, the display information output control means 7 outputs the display information of the designated area. In this way, for example, even when a communication error or the like occurs and an object existing in the indoor space is not displayed on the remote controller 1, an area where the object is originally displayed is designated, and display information for the area is displayed. By requesting retransmission, the display on the remote controller 1 can be corrected.

  It is also conceivable that the remote controller 1 has a function of designating an arbitrary human body and requesting transmission of display information. In this case, when the remote controller 1 requests transmission of display information for an arbitrary human body, the display information output control means 7 outputs display information corresponding to the designated human body.

  It is also conceivable that the remote controller 1 has a function of requesting transmission of display information by designating an arbitrary object. In this case, when the remote controller 1 requests transmission of display information for an arbitrary object, the display information output control means 7 outputs display information corresponding to the designated object. In this case, for example, the surface temperature, wind sensation, etc. of the designated object may be output as display information.

  Note that the situation in which the object information is output as display information is limited to when the air conditioner is activated and when the human body information and the object information have not changed for a predetermined time, as described above. That is, when a control command is received from the remote controller 1 or when transmission of display information for an arbitrary area, human body, or object is requested from the remote controller 1, the object information is not output. Can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the air conditioner of the embodiment, the thermal image indicating the environmental temperature distribution of the indoor space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioner is captured as the spatial information, and the indoor space based on the spatial information is captured. Generates environmental temperature information, performs air conditioning control of the indoor space based on the control command from the remote control and the environmental temperature information, generates air conditioning control information related to the implementation status of the air conditioning control, and displays the status of the air conditioning control in the indoor space The environmental temperature information and the air conditioning control information are sent to the remote control as display information to display the air conditioning control status display screen that reflects the environmental temperature information and the air conditioning control information in the indoor space. It is possible to notify the user of the status of the air conditioning control of the indoor space being performed.

  In addition, an image of the indoor space is taken as spatial information, the human body information is generated by detecting the position of the human body in the indoor space based on the spatial information, and the human body existing in the indoor space is detected based on the spatial information. Information is generated and sent to the remote control as display information to display an air conditioning control status display screen that reflects the human body information in the indoor space, so the air conditioning control of the indoor space according to the position of the human body in the indoor space This situation can be notified to the user.

  In addition, the position of each object existing in the indoor space is detected based on the spatial information to generate object information, which is transmitted to the remote control as display information, and an air conditioning control status display screen that reflects the object information in the indoor space is displayed. Since it is made to display, the condition of the air-conditioning control of indoor space including arrangement | positioning of each object which exists in indoor space can be alert | reported to a user.

  In addition, by dividing the indoor space to be air-conditioned into multiple areas and transmitting each display information to each remote controller for each area, an air conditioning control status display screen is generated sequentially from the area that received each display information. Can be displayed. Therefore, by outputting the display information of the high priority area before the display information of the low priority area, it is possible to shorten the time until the air conditioning control status display screen of the high priority area is displayed. it can.

  Further, based on the human body information, it is determined whether or not each area is a human body detection area, and the display information of the human body detection area is given priority over the display information of the human body non-detection area where there is no human body. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until the air conditioning control status display screen of the human body detection area with high priority is displayed.

  In addition, by thinning out and outputting the amount of environmental temperature information in the human body undetected area, the amount of environmental temperature information in the human body undetected area can be reduced, and the air conditioning control status of the entire indoor space subject to air conditioning The time until the display screen is displayed can be shortened.

  Furthermore, a recognition code for each object assumed to be placed in the human body and the indoor space to be air-conditioned is set, icons corresponding to the human body and each object recognition code are registered in the remote control, and the human body in the indoor space is registered. The center coordinates of the human body are detected and generated as human body information together with the human body recognition code, the center coordinates of each object in the indoor space are detected and generated as object information together with the recognition code of each object, and each recognition code is supported. By displaying the air conditioning control status display screen using icons, the amount of human body information and object information can be reduced, and the time until the air conditioning control status display screen for each area can be reduced. it can.

  When each display information is output, the human body information is output with priority, and then the object information, environmental temperature information, and air conditioning control information are output, thereby reflecting the human body information with high priority. The time until the air conditioning control status display screen is displayed can be shortened.

  Further, based on the human body information, the movement history information including the user's footprint trajectory information and grid line information corresponding to the footprint trajectory information is generated by accumulating and weighting the human body position detection count for each area within a predetermined time. By outputting the movement history information as display information, it is possible to display the movement history of the human body including the user's footprint trajectory and grid lines corresponding to the footprint trajectory while suppressing an increase in the data amount of the display information. it can.

  Further, by selecting the display information to be output to the remote controller according to the timing for generating the display information, it is possible to output the display information with the minimum necessary data amount according to the timing for generating the display information.

  Further, when all the areas of the indoor space to be air-conditioned are human body undetected areas and the object information has not changed for a predetermined time, the object information is output as display information, so that highly accurate object information can be obtained. By using this, the background of the air conditioning control status display screen can be generated.

  The timing for outputting the object information is when the air conditioner is activated and when all areas of the indoor space to be air-conditioned are human body undetected areas and the object information has not changed for a predetermined time. The frequency of outputting the object information is limited.

  In addition, while reducing the data amount of display information to be transmitted to the remote control, priority information is transmitted to the remote control with priority, so even when using a tablet-type information terminal or smartphone as a remote control, Effects such as an increase in display speed and a lack of realism and a feeling of being seen can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, a display example in which the indoor unit side is viewed from the user side is shown as one display example (see FIG. 3). However, the tablet type has a larger amount of information that can be displayed than a general remote controller. When an information terminal, a smart phone, or the like is used as a remote controller, it is possible to generate an air conditioning control status display screen at an arbitrary viewpoint. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the indoor space viewed from the back side of the indoor unit.

  When a tablet-type information terminal, a smart phone, or the like is used, the amount of information that can be displayed is larger than that of a general remote controller, so that the display can be more easily recognized by the user. When a touch panel is provided, an area, a human body, or an object can be specified on the air conditioning control status display screen. Further, for example, if the display information is transmitted as a general image data format, the received image data can be displayed as it is without creating a complicated application on the information terminal side.

  Note that the configuration shown in the above embodiment is an example of the configuration of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and a part thereof is omitted without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say, it is possible to change the configuration.

1 Remote control 2 Image input means (sensor)
3 Image processing means 4 Signal receiving means 6 Air conditioning control means 7 Display information output control means 8 Signal transmission means 21 CCD camera (image input means)
22 Infrared camera (image input means)
31 Human body position detection means 32 Object position detection means 33 Environmental temperature detection means 100 Indoor unit

Claims (21)

An air conditioner including an indoor unit that performs air conditioning of an indoor space to be air-conditioned, and a remote controller that transmits a control command to the indoor unit,
The remote control is
Transmits the control command to the indoor unit, receives display information indicating the status of air conditioning control in the indoor space from the indoor unit, and generates and displays an air conditioning control status display screen based on the display information And
The indoor unit is
Signal receiving means for receiving the control command;
A sensor that captures spatial information of the indoor space;
Environmental temperature detection means for detecting environmental temperature distribution of the indoor space based on the spatial information and generating as environmental temperature information;
Air conditioning control means for performing air conditioning control of the indoor space based on the control command and generating air conditioning control information related to the implementation state of the air conditioning control;
Display information output control means for outputting the environmental temperature information and the air conditioning control information as the display information;
Signal transmitting means for transmitting the display information to the remote control;
An air conditioner characterized by comprising: A human body position detecting means for detecting the position of the human body in the indoor space based on the spatial information and generating the human body information;
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the display information output control means further outputs the human body information as the display information. An object position detecting unit configured to detect the position of each object existing in the indoor space based on the spatial information and generate the object information;
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display information output control means further outputs the object information as the display information. The indoor space is divided into a plurality of areas recognized in common by the indoor unit and the remote controller,
The display information output control means sequentially outputs the display information for each area,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the remote controller generates and displays the air conditioning control status display screen for each area.   The display information output control means outputs, based on the human body information, the display information of the human body detection area where the human body exists is prioritized and output over the display information of the human body undetected area where the human body does not exist. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the air conditioner is characterized.   The display information output control means preferentially outputs the display information of the human body detection area with a long residence time of the human body when there are a plurality of the human body detection areas. The air conditioner described.   The display information output control means outputs the display information by thinning out a data amount of the environmental temperature information in a human body non-detection area where the human body does not exist based on the human body information. The air conditioner as described in any one of 6. The human body position detecting means generates the human body recognition code as the human body information together with the position of the human body in the indoor space,
8. The remote controller, wherein an icon indicating the human body corresponding to the human body recognition code is registered in advance, and the air conditioning control status display screen is generated using the icon. The air conditioner described in the paragraph. The object position detection means generates a recognition code of each object as the object information together with the position of each object in the indoor space,
9. The remote controller, wherein an icon indicating each object corresponding to the recognition code of each object is registered in advance, and the air conditioning control status display screen is generated using the icon. An air conditioner according to claim 1.   The said human body position detection means produces | generates the said human body as said human body information by edge-processing or 3D polygon-izing the said human body based on the said spatial information. Air conditioner.   The said object position detection means produces | generates as said object information by carrying out an edge process or 3D polygon of each said object based on the said spatial information, The said object information is produced | generated. Air conditioner.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein the display information output control means preferentially outputs the human body information when outputting the display information.   The display information output control means accumulates and weights the number of human body position detections for each area within a predetermined time based on the human body information and weights the human body footprint trajectory information and grid line information corresponding to the footprint trajectory information. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein movement history information including the movement history information is generated and the movement history information is output as the display information together with the human body information.   14. The air conditioner according to claim 13, wherein the display information output control means preferentially outputs the human body information and the movement history information when outputting the display information.   The display information output control means outputs the human body information, the object information, the environmental temperature information, and the air conditioning control information as the display information when the air conditioner is started. The air conditioner as described in any one of -14.   The display information output control means determines whether or not the human body exists in the indoor space based on the human body information, and the human body does not exist and the object information has not changed for a predetermined time. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 15, wherein the object information is output as the display information.   The display information output control means outputs the human body information, the environmental temperature information, and the air conditioning control information as the display information to the human body detection area where the human body exists when the control command is received. The air conditioner as described in any one of Claims 4-16 characterized by the above-mentioned.   When the display information output control means changes in at least one of the human body information, the environmental temperature information, and the air conditioning control information in the area, the changed human body information, the environmental temperature information, or The air conditioner according to any one of claims 4 to 17, wherein the air conditioning control information is output as display information for the area. The remote control has a function of designating an arbitrary area and requesting transmission of the display information for the area,
The said display information output control means outputs the said display information corresponding to the said area, when transmission of the said display information with respect to arbitrary said areas is requested | required from the said remote control. The air conditioner as described in any one of Claims. The remote control has a function of requesting transmission of the display information for the human body by designating an arbitrary human body,
The said display information output control means outputs the said display information corresponding to the said human body, when transmission of the said display information with respect to the said arbitrary human bodies is requested | required from the said remote control. The air conditioner as described in any one of Claims. The remote control has a function of requesting transmission of the display information for the object by designating an arbitrary object,
The display information output control means outputs the display information corresponding to the object when the remote control is requested to transmit the display information to the arbitrary object. The air conditioner as described in any one of Claims.

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