JP2016056974A - Air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner which allows easy setting of a wind direction to a designated point and allows a user to recognize a range of blowing, when the wind direction is set using a camera image etc. from the air conditioner fixedly installed.SOLUTION: In an operation terminal, an area to which a wind is blown when a wind direction is set is superimposed on information, such as a camera image acquired from an indoor unit, or a circumstance of a blowing area, and is then displayed. A settable area is displayed and a user then designates an area, thereby allowing wind direction setting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning system.

  In recent years, in an air conditioner, a fan, or the like, an operation is performed so that the wind generated by a blower is directed in an appropriate direction to improve comfort. Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which an image is used to manipulate the wind direction of a fan.

Patent No. 5327756

  Patent Document 1 describes a blower system in which an image from a camera that captures the front of a blower is displayed in a fan, a path is drawn directly on the image, and the direction of the blower changes along the path.

  However, there is a limit to the wind direction that can be blown by a fixedly installed blower, and it is not always possible to set the wind direction to a specified point, and it is difficult for the user to recognize the range that can be blown.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system capable of recognizing the range of the wind direction that can be set by the user when setting the wind direction and improving the usability even when the wind direction that can be blown is limited. And

In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted.

  According to the present invention, the air direction of the air conditioner can be more easily operated.

  Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a system according to a first embodiment. 2 is an example of a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit of Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the indoor unit of Example 1 as viewed from the panel side. 6 is an example of a flowchart for setting a wind direction in the remote controller according to the first embodiment. 6 is a data example of display setting information according to the first embodiment. 6 is a data example of environmental wind direction correspondence information according to the first embodiment. 6 is an example of a screen when setting the wind direction with the remote control according to the first embodiment. 10 is a data example of display setting information according to the second embodiment. 10 is an example of a screen when setting the wind direction with the remote control according to the second embodiment. 10 is an example of a flowchart for setting a wind direction in the remote control according to the third embodiment. 12 is a data example of operation setting correspondence information according to the third embodiment. 12 is an example of a screen when setting the wind direction with the remote control according to the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

  The present invention is not limited to the examples.

  In this embodiment, a description will be given of a method for more easily setting the air direction of an air conditioner in a remote controller operated by a touch panel.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of this embodiment.

  1 is a remote control, 2 and 4 are indoor units, and 3 is an outdoor unit.

  In the present embodiment, the remote controller 1 displays a camera image acquired from the indoor unit 2 with an area that can blow air when the wind direction is set, and the user specifies the area to operate the wind direction. Will be described.

  The remote controller 1 includes a control unit 10, a communication unit 11, a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, and a storage unit 14. The communication unit 11 is connected to and communicates with the indoor unit 1 through wired communication such as serial communication or wired LAN, or wireless communication such as IEEE802.11 compliant wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark). However, the remote controller 1 and the indoor unit 2 may not be directly connected, and a repeater or the like may exist between them. The display unit 12 presents various types of information to the user, and is realized by an LED, an LCD, an organic EL display, or the like. The operation unit 13 receives an operation input by a user and is realized by a touch panel. The operation unit 12 may be realized by an operation button, a cross key, or the like. The recording unit 14 stores programs and other information, and is realized by, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as FlashROM, EEPROM, HDD, or the like. The control unit 10 performs various processes described later, and can be realized by, for example, an integrated circuit memory, a CPU, an MPU, a gate array, and the like, and a program.

  The control unit 10 of the remote controller 1 includes an environment information presentation unit 101, a wind direction setting acquisition unit 102, and a wind direction command transmission unit 103 (details of each unit will be described later).

  The indoor unit 2 includes a control unit 20, a communication unit 21, an imaging unit 22, a blower unit 23, a wind direction changing unit 24, an air conditioner communication unit 25, and a storage unit 26.

  The communication unit 21 and the air conditioner communication unit 25 are connected to the remote controller 1 and the outdoor unit 3, respectively, via wired communication such as serial communication and wired LAN, and wireless communication such as IEEE802.11 compliant wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark). , To communicate. However, when communicating with the remote controller 1, the communication may be performed by the air conditioner communication unit 25 instead of the communication unit 21. The imaging unit 22 captures a direction in which air can be blown from the indoor unit 2 and acquires image data as environmental information, and is realized by an imaging element such as a lens and a CCD. The blower unit 23 generates wind from the indoor unit according to a command from the control unit 20, and is realized by a blower fan, a blower fan motor, or the like. The wind direction changing unit 24 is for controlling the direction of the wind from the air blowing unit 23 according to a command from the control unit 20, and is realized by a louver, a louver motor, or the like.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in the present embodiment. When the blower fan motor 91 rotates the blower fan 92, the air around the suction port 93 is sucked in, through the filter 94 and the blower fan 92, heat exchanged by the heat exchanger 95, and sent from the blowout port 96. . At this time, the wind direction is controlled by changing the angle of the louver 97 by a louver motor (not shown).

  FIG. 3 is an example of a view of the indoor unit in the present embodiment as viewed from the panel side (suction port side). The blower outlets 96a, 96b, 96c, and 96d and the louvers 97a, 97b, 97c, and 97d have a structure that allows air blowing and wind direction operations in four directions. Moreover, the camera 98 for acquiring the image data below a blower outlet as environmental information is provided. The blower fan motor 91 and the blower fan 92 correspond to the blower unit 23 in FIG. 1, and the louver 97 and the louver motor (not shown) correspond to the wind direction changing unit 24 in FIG. The camera 98 corresponds to the imaging unit 22 in FIG.

  The structure of the indoor unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a general example of an indoor unit that can blow air in four directions, but the structure of the blower fan motor and blower fan that is the blower and the louver that is the wind direction changer Regardless of the structure of the louver motor, if the air blowing section that sends the wind and the wind direction changing section that controls the wind direction are provided, the structure of the indoor unit that operates the air blowing and the wind direction and the air blowing direction are different. Can be realized similarly.

  The control unit 20 of the indoor unit 2 includes an environment information providing unit 201 and a wind direction control unit 202.

  When the communication unit 21 receives a request for environmental information from the remote controller 1, the environment information providing unit 201 acquires image data from the imaging unit 22 and transmits the image data from the communication unit 21 to the remote control 1.

  When the communication unit 21 receives the wind direction setting command from the remote controller 1, the wind direction control unit 202 controls the wind direction changing unit 24 so that the wind direction corresponds to the received command.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a flowchart for setting the wind direction in the remote controller 1 in the present embodiment.

  When receiving a wind direction setting start request from the user, the environment information presentation unit 101 acquires image data as environment information from the indoor unit 2 via the communication unit 11 (S101), and the display stored in the storage unit 14 The setting information is acquired (S102), and the image data is displayed on the display unit 12 based on the display setting information (S103). Next, the wind direction setting acquisition unit 102 acquires environmental wind direction correspondence information that is correspondence information between the environmental information stored in the storage unit 14 and the air blowing area (S104), and superimposes it on the already displayed image data. The air blowing area calculated from the environmental wind direction correspondence information is displayed (S105). Thereafter, when the coordinate specified by the user is acquired from the operation unit 13 (S106), it is determined whether the coordinate corresponds to the air blowing area (S107). A wind direction setting command corresponding to the area is transmitted (S108), and the setting of the wind direction is completed. However, the user may be able to acquire the wind direction setting operation again without ending the wind direction setting.

  If the coordinates do not correspond to any ventilation area, an error message such as `` The wind direction in that direction cannot be set '' is displayed on the display unit 12, or error processing such as ignoring the user's specification is performed ( S109).

  The environmental information presentation unit 101 may acquire the image data acquired and stored in advance from the indoor unit 2 from the storage unit 14 in the process of acquiring environmental information (S101).

  FIG. 5 is a data example of display setting information stored in the storage unit 14 in the present embodiment.

  The display setting information 400 includes setting target information 401, layout information 402, and security information 403.

  The setting target information 401 includes an indoor unit address 405 that identifies the indoor unit through communication between the remote controller and the indoor unit. The layout information 402 includes a display rotation angle 406, a display magnification 407, and a cutout area 404. The cutout area 404 includes an upper left x coordinate 408, an upper left y coordinate 409, a lower right x coordinate 410, and a lower right y coordinate 411. . The security information includes an encryption method 412, a password 413, and a privacy protection method 414.

  The environment information presentation unit 101 identifies the data of the setting target indoor unit in the setting target information 401, and displays the image data acquired from the target on the display unit 12 by rotating, cutting out, scaling up or down according to the layout information 402 To do. At this time, depending on the contents of the security information 403, the image data encryption / decryption processing and privacy protection processing are performed on the image. Here, the process for protecting privacy includes, for example, a process for reducing the sharpness of an image and making it difficult to distinguish a person or a document.

  FIG. 6 is a data example of the environmental wind direction correspondence information stored in the storage unit 14 in the present embodiment.

  The environmental wind direction correspondence information 500 includes setting target information 501, wind direction setting information 502, and air blowing area information 503. The setting target information 501 includes an indoor unit address 505. The wind direction setting information 502 includes a target louver number 506 and a wind direction setting value 507. The blowing area information 503 includes a display area 504, and the display area 504 includes an upper left x coordinate 508, an upper left y coordinate 509, a lower right x coordinate 510, and a lower right y coordinate 511.

  The wind direction setting acquisition unit 102 specifies the data of the setting target indoor unit using the setting target information 501, and displays the rectangular area specified in the display area 504 of the air blowing area information 503 on the image data. If the coordinate specified by the user from the operation unit 13 is included in any of the rectangular areas, the wind direction setting information 502 corresponding to the rectangular area is notified to the wind direction command transmitting unit 103. The wind direction command transmission unit 103 notifies the indoor unit 2 of a wind direction setting command corresponding to the notified wind direction setting information 502.

  When the wind direction of the indoor unit 2 is set to the value of the wind direction setting information 502, the environmental wind direction correspondence information 500 is created on the image data so that the air is blown near the display area of the corresponding blow area information 503. An area close to a place where the air is desired to be blown can be directly designated from among the plurality of displayed air blowing areas.

  The display area 504 of the blower area information 503 is expressed as a rectangle, but may be expressed as a figure of any shape as long as a specific area can be designated.

  The display setting information 400 and the environmental wind direction correspondence information 500 may be a method that uses data stored in the storage unit 14 in advance, or may be a method that is acquired from the indoor unit 2 via the communication unit 11. Further, the user may be able to create or modify data via the display unit 12 or the operation unit 13. At the time of such correction, correction of the display rotation angle 406 or rotation while holding the relative position of each area of the display area 504 may be performed so that the user can select an orientation that can be easily grasped.

  FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the screen when setting the wind direction on the remote controller 1 in the present embodiment.

  The environment information layer 600a displays an image acquired as environment information from the indoor unit 2. This image was taken from the camera of the indoor unit 2 embedded in the ceiling, looking down at the room.

  The air blowing area layer 601a indicates an area to be blown when the wind direction is set when it is superimposed on the environment information layer 600a. An area corresponding to the wind direction being set is indicated by a rectangular area 602, and an area corresponding to an unset wind direction is indicated by a rectangular area 603. Since the four air directions corresponding to the four air outlets (air outlets) and the louvers can be set separately, the region corresponding to the wind direction being set for each direction is shown in a different manner from the other regions. In the present embodiment, the area where the air blowing is set is shown by the shading of the color, but a different color or shape may be used, or only the area to be sent may be displayed.

  The wind direction setting screen 604a actually displayed is obtained by superimposing the air blowing area layer 601a on the environment information layer 600a. The user can change the wind direction setting corresponding to the area by touching the rectangular area of the air blowing area layer.

  As described above, even when the wind direction that can be blown by the blower is limited, the user-friendliness at the time of setting the wind direction can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, a case where the environment information layer is configured by information other than an image from an indoor unit will be described.

  The same contents are omitted based on the first embodiment.

  The system configuration is the same as in FIG. 1, but the environment information providing unit 201 may not be provided.

  In this embodiment, when a wind direction setting start request is received from the user in FIG. 4, the environment information presentation unit 101 acquires the environment information stored in advance in the storage unit 14 (S101), and the storage unit 14 The display setting information stored in is acquired (S102), and the environment information is displayed on the display unit 12 based on the display setting information (S103).

  The environmental information includes, for example, text data such as “window”, “desk”, “south”, “north”, and “first conference room”, and image data such as room layouts, windows, and illustrations showing desks.

  FIG. 8 is a data example of display setting information used by the environment information presentation unit 101 in the present embodiment.

  The display setting information 400 includes setting target information 401, display target information 415, and layout information 402.

  The setting target information 401 includes an indoor unit address 405. The display target information 415 includes a data number 417. The layout information 402 includes display coordinates 416, and the display coordinates 416 include x coordinates 418 and y coordinates 419.

  If the data number stores information such as the type of furniture, size, color, etc., it is possible to provide a screen on which the user can more easily recognize the indoor layout.

  The environment information presentation unit 101 specifies the environment information data to be displayed from the setting target information 401 and the display target information 415, and displays the data at predetermined coordinates using the layout information 402.

  The environmental information displayed by the environmental information presentation unit 101 is for the user to more easily recognize the arrangement of the indoor units and the position of the air blowing area, and can easily recognize the contents of the wind direction setting only by displaying the air blowing area. In some cases, the setting may be such that no data is displayed in the environmental information.

  FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the screen when the wind direction is set on the remote controller 1 in the present embodiment.

  The environment information layer 600b shows the environment information as text or illustration data.

  The wind direction setting screen 604b of the remote controller 1 displays the air blowing area layer 601a so as to overlap the environment information layer 600b. The user can change the wind direction setting corresponding to the area by touching the rectangular area of the air blowing area layer.

  As described above, even when the environmental information is displayed using information other than the image data from the indoor unit, it is possible to improve the usability of the user when setting the wind direction.

  In the present embodiment, a case in which more various operations such as swiping on the touch panel and an operation with a cross key are supported will be described.

  The same contents are omitted based on the first embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart for setting the wind direction in the remote controller 1 in the present embodiment.

  When a wind direction setting start request is received from the user, the processing from S101 to S105 is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, the wind direction setting acquisition unit 102 acquires operation setting correspondence information from the storage unit 14 (S110), and displays an operation guide based on the operation setting correspondence information (S111). Thereafter, when the user operation content is acquired from the operation unit 13 (S112), it is determined whether the user operation content exists in the operation setting correspondence information (S113). If it exists, the wind direction command transmission unit 103 transmits a wind direction setting command corresponding to the user's operation content (S114), and ends the setting of the wind direction. If it does not exist, an error message such as “Invalid operation” is displayed on the display unit 12, or error processing such as ignoring the user operation is performed (S115).

  FIG. 11 is a data example of the operation setting correspondence information stored in the storage unit 14 in the present embodiment.

  The operation setting correspondence information 700 includes setting target information 701, operation guide information 702, operation content information 703, and wind direction setting information 704.

  The setting target information 701 includes an indoor unit address 706. The operation guide information 702 includes a display format 707, display data 708, and an operation display area 705. The operation display area 705 includes an upper left x coordinate 709, an upper left y coordinate 710, a lower right x coordinate 711, and a lower right y coordinate. 712 is included. The operation content information 703 includes an operation target 713 and an operation type 714. The operation setting information 704 includes a target louver number 715 and setting contents 716.

  The wind direction setting acquisition unit 102 displays the rectangular area specified in the display area 504 of the air blowing area information 503 on the image data as in the first embodiment, acquires the operation setting correspondence information 700, and sets the setting target information 701. Then, the data of the setting target indoor unit is specified, and the operation buttons and text designated in the operation guide information 702 are displayed. Thereafter, when the user's operation content from the operation unit 13 matches the operation content information 703, the wind direction command transmission unit 103 is notified of the wind direction setting information 704 corresponding to the operation. The wind direction command transmission unit 103 notifies the indoor unit 2 of a wind direction setting command corresponding to the notified wind direction setting information 704.

  As an example of various operations in the present embodiment, a button which is an image indicating air blow suppression displayed as “not hit” is arranged at the upper part of a specific air blow area, and the button is selected with the cross key and determined. When the key is pressed, the button color and shape are displayed differently from those before pressing, and there is an operation of swinging (changing) the wind direction so that the wind is not applied to the blowing area. In addition, when the entire air blowing area in one direction among the four directions is swiped with the touch panel, there is an operation of swinging (changing) the wind direction in that direction.

  FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the screen when the wind direction is set on the remote controller 1 in the present embodiment.

  The blowing area layer 601b shows a button-type operation guide 605 and a text-type operation guide 606 in addition to the display contents in 601a.

  The wind direction setting screen 604c of the remote controller 1 displays the air blowing area layer 601b on the environment information layer 600a. The user can operate in various ways while referring to the operation guide displayed on 601b.

  As described above, it is possible to deal with various wind direction setting operations other than touching the air blowing area, and it is possible to improve user convenience.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

  Each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function by the processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

  Further, the control lines and information lines indicate what is considered necessary for the explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. Actually, it may be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other.

1 operation terminal, 2, 4 indoor unit, 3 outdoor unit, 10, 20 control unit, 11, 21 communication unit, 12, display unit,
13, operation unit, 14, 26 storage unit, 22 imaging unit, 23 air blowing unit, 24 wind direction changing unit, 25 air conditioner communication unit,
91 Blower fan motor, 92 Blower fan, 93 inlet, 94 filter, 95 heat exchanger,
96a, 96b, 96c, 96d outlet, 97a, 97b, 97c, 97d louver, 98 camera,
101 environmental information presentation unit, 102 wind direction setting acquisition unit, 103 wind direction command transmission unit, 201 environmental information provision unit,
202 Wind direction controller

Claims (9)

A storage unit for storing environmental information indicating an area where the air conditioner may blow,
A wind direction setting acquisition unit for receiving wind direction setting information from the operation unit;
A control unit that associates the wind direction setting information with the environment information, a display unit that displays the environment information and the wind direction setting information associated with the control unit, and a wind direction command transmitted to the indoor unit based on the setting information received by the wind direction setting acquisition unit An operation terminal including a wind direction command transmission unit
An air conditioning system comprising an indoor unit that determines a wind direction based on a wind direction command transmitted from a wind direction command transmission unit. The indoor unit includes a camera, and includes a transmission unit that transmits an image captured by the camera to the operation terminal.
The operation terminal includes a reception unit that receives an image transmitted from a transmission unit of an indoor unit,
The image received by the receiving unit is stored in the storage unit as environmental information,
The control unit associates the image with the wind direction setting information,
The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays an image associated with the control unit and wind direction setting information. The operation unit receives information on the orientation of the image,
The control unit associates the image with the wind direction setting information based on the received information on the direction of the image,
The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the display unit displays an image associated with the control unit and wind direction setting information. The operation unit receives information about the size of the image,
The control unit associates the image with the wind direction setting information based on the received information about the size of the image,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays an image associated with the control unit and wind direction setting information. The environmental information stored in the storage unit in the air conditioning system according to claim 1 is information indicating a position and a size of furniture arranged in a region where the indoor unit in the room may blow,
The control unit associates the environment information with the wind direction setting information,
The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays environment information and wind direction setting information associated with each other by the control unit.   The display unit includes a plurality of areas indicating the distance from the indoor unit on a straight line from the indoor unit, and includes wind direction setting information including an image indicating four directions corresponding to the blower port of the indoor unit, and setting of air blowing from the indoor unit The air conditioning system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the area being displayed is displayed in a manner different from other areas.   The air conditioning system according to claim 6, wherein the display unit displays a plurality of displayed areas in a manner different from the other areas in the setting operation.   The display unit includes an air blowing suppression image indicating that air is not blown in the corresponding direction in association with the displayed image indicating the four directions, and an aspect different from the air blowing suppression image in the air blowing direction is selected when no air blowing is selected. The air conditioning system according to claim 7, wherein the air conditioning system is displayed. The air conditioning system according to claim 8, wherein the operation unit includes an operation terminal that enables any one of button press, list selection, and touch panel swipe.

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