JP2016057041A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner the operation of which can be controlled with voice, thereby providing convenience.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes a voice input part 26, and a control device 21 which controls the operation of the air conditioner on the basis of voice input to the voice input part 26. When the control device 21 starts a voice operation in which voice input to the voice input part 26 operates the air conditioner, the control device 21 stops the operation of the air conditioner after a predetermined time passes from the start of the voice operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of controlling air conditioning operation by voice.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a remote control device for an air conditioner that controls air-conditioning operations such as a cell operation, a heating operation, and a dehumidifying operation by a voice command input to a microphone is known.

JP 2000-74466 A

  By the way, in Patent Document 1, power is supplied to the microphone only while the switch is operated in order to suppress excessive power consumption. Therefore, the improvement effect of the great convenience was not acquired compared with the conventional remote control operation which performs air-conditioning operation control by button operation.

  Therefore, in view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient air conditioner that can perform operation control by voice.

  In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a voice input unit, and a control device that controls the operation of the air conditioner based on a voice input to the voice input unit. The apparatus is characterized by stopping the operation of the air conditioner after a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of operation when the sound operation for operating the air conditioner with the sound input to the sound input unit is started.

  In the present invention, voice operation control can be performed without operating the operation unit of the remote control device. On the other hand, since the voice input unit picks up surrounding sounds even when the user is absent, there is a possibility that voice driving may be started by external noise. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the air conditioner malfunctions externally, the malfunction of the air conditioner is prevented for a long time by stopping the operation of the air conditioner after a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of voice operation, and is highly convenient. An air conditioner can be obtained.

  As described above, in the present invention, when the voice operation is started, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped after a certain time has elapsed from the start of the operation. Therefore, a highly convenient air conditioner can be obtained.

The figure which shows the refrigerant circuit (at the time of cooling operation) of the air conditioner of this invention The figure which shows the refrigerant circuit (at the time of heating operation) of the air conditioner of this invention The perspective view which shows the indoor unit of this invention The control block diagram of the control apparatus of the air conditioner of this invention FIG. 4 is a flowchart of control performed by the control device of FIG.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are refrigerant circuit diagrams showing an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the air conditioner of the present embodiment is a separate single air conditioner in which one indoor unit 2 is connected to one outdoor unit 1, and a compressor accommodated in the outdoor unit 1. 3, the three-way valve 9, the outdoor heat exchanger 4 and the expansion device 5 are connected in series in this order with refrigerant pipes, and the indoor heat exchanger accommodated in the indoor unit 2 from the expansion device 5 through the two-way valve 6 7 is connected to the pipe, and the refrigerant circuit is configured by connecting the pipe from the indoor heat exchanger 7 through the three-way valve 8 to the outdoor compressor 3 through the four-way valve 9 again.

  Since the compressor 3 is connected to the refrigerant circuit via the four-way valve 9 that is a switching valve, by switching the four-way valve 9, either the outdoor heat exchanger 4 side or the indoor heat exchanger 7 side is selected. The compressed refrigerant can also be sent out in the direction. By switching the four-way valve 9, the outdoor heat exchanger 4 and the indoor heat exchanger 7 are used as a condenser or an evaporator.

  Specifically, in FIG. 1, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the discharge pipe 11 of the compressor 3 passes through the heat exchanger side pipe 12 via the four-way valve 9 and flows in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. It flows into the indoor heat exchanger 7 as an evaporator through the outdoor heat exchanger 4 and the expansion device 5. The refrigerant sent from the indoor heat exchanger sequentially passes through the three-way valve side pipe 13, the four-way valve 9 and the suction side pipe 14 and returns to the compressor 3, whereby the cooling operation is executed.

  In FIG. 2, the refrigerant discharged from the discharge pipe 11 of the compressor 3 passes through the three-way valve side pipe 13 by switching the flow path of the four-way valve 9, flows in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and indoor heat as a condenser It flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 4 as an evaporator through the exchanger 7 and the expansion device 5. The refrigerant sent out from the outdoor heat exchanger 4 sequentially passes through the heat exchanger side pipe 12, the four-way valve 9 and the heat exchanger side pipe 12 and returns to the compressor 3, whereby the heating operation is performed.

  The indoor unit 2 accommodates an indoor fan 15 (for example, a cross flow fan). When the indoor fan 15 is operated, indoor air is taken into the indoor unit 2 and heat is exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 7. . Then, as shown in FIG. 3, conditioned air is blown out from the air outlet 16 of the indoor unit 2. A louver 17 is disposed at the air outlet 16 and sends out conditioned air in a desired direction.

  The indoor unit 2 accommodates a control device 21 that controls air conditioning operations such as cooling operation, heating operation, and dehumidifying operation. The control device 21 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a nonvolatile memory, and remotely controls the refrigeration cycle so as to execute the set air conditioning operation in accordance with an instruction from the remote control device 22 (remote control).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the control device 21 controls the air conditioning operation by a command signal from the remote control device 22 received by the communication unit 23. The remote control device 22 is a condition for setting an operation start button for starting operation by selecting an operation mode such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, or automatic, an operation stop button, and operation conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. An operation unit including a setting button is provided. By operating the operation unit, a command signal is transmitted from the remote control device 22 to the control device 21.

  The control device 21 starts the air conditioning operation by pressing the operation start button of the operation unit. The indoor unit 2 is provided with a room temperature sensor 24 and a humidity sensor 25, and the compressor 3, the indoor fan 15, the louver 17 and the outdoor fan 18 are driven based on the room temperature and humidity detected by the sensors 24 and 25. Control.

  The air conditioner of the present embodiment is capable of performing voice air conditioning operation (voice operation) in addition to the air conditioning operation (normal operation) by the remote control device 22. The voice operation will be described in detail. The indoor unit 2 is provided with a microphone as the voice input unit 26, and power is always supplied to the voice input unit 26. As a result, the user can perform driving control by voice without operating the operation unit of the remote control device 22.

  The voice input to the voice input unit 26 is sent to the voice recognition unit of the control device 21. In addition, a sound here contains the sound which a person emits as a cue which controls an air-conditioning driving | operation other than a human voice, for example, the sound of fingering, the sound of applause, etc.

  In the voice recognition unit, the noise of the voice signal is cut, and the digital voice signal after the voice signal is converted from the analog signal to the digital signal by the A / D converter is compared with the voice data of the command registered in advance. Determine the most similar pattern command. The control device 21 controls the air conditioning operation based on this command. Examples of commands include voices such as “cooling”, “heating”, “dehumidification”, “automatic”, and “stop”.

  In the present embodiment, when voice operation is started, the control device 21 operates when a certain time (24 hours and 10 minutes in the present embodiment) has elapsed in consideration of the possibility of malfunction due to external noise. In principle, the operation stop reservation is canceled when the user gives an instruction to continue driving until a predetermined time has elapsed. That is, even if a certain time has elapsed from the start of the voice operation, the operation of the air conditioner is continued without executing the operation stop of the air conditioner. After canceling the reservation for the operation stop, the operation shifts to the normal operation (normal operation) in which the operation is controlled in accordance with the remote control device 21 or the command signal by voice. The fixed time can be changed as appropriate.

  The control performed by the control device 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the air conditioning operation is started, the control device 21 determines whether or not the air conditioning operation is started by voice, that is, whether or not the voice operation is performed. When the operation is not voice operation, that is, in this case, since the air-conditioning operation is started by the remote control device 22, the operation is controlled in accordance with the remote control device 22 or a voice command signal thereafter.

  On the other hand, in the case of voice driving, it is determined whether or not an instruction is received by the remote control device 22 (remote controller) or voice after the driving is started. When the command signal is received from the remote control device 22, the operation is shifted to normal operation because the user has surely instructed the operation to be continued. Specifically, when the operation start button or the condition setting button of the operation unit is pressed during the voice operation, the control device 21 cancels the reservation for operation stop and then controls the operation according to the command signal of the remote control device 22. To do.

  Therefore, by pressing the operation start button during the voice operation, the operation of the air conditioner can be shifted to the normal operation without stopping, and the operation can be continued in the operation mode selected by the operation start button. In addition, a “confirmation” button for confirming that the user has started voice driving may be provided in the operation unit, and by pressing the confirmation button, the operation mode may be left as it is to shift to normal operation. . When the operation stop button is pressed during the voice operation, the operation can be immediately stopped without waiting for a certain period of time.

  In addition, it is possible to instruct to continue driving by voice during voice driving. Specifically, by inputting voice commands such as “cooling”, “heating”, “dehumidification”, “automatic”, “stop” during the voice operation to the voice input unit 26, the control device 21 can stop the operation. After canceling the reservation, the operation is controlled according to the command signal by voice. According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to operate the remote control device 22, and a highly convenient air conditioner can be provided. When a voice command “stop” is input to the voice input unit during voice operation, the operation can be stopped immediately without waiting for a certain period of time.

  When instructing to continue driving by voice, the controller 21 may misunderstand that the user has instructed to continue driving when external noise similar to the voice command is generated for a short time. There is. In this case, the malfunction of the air conditioner may be continued by not accepting a voice operation continuation instruction after an appropriate time (for example, 20 minutes) has elapsed after the voice operation has started. It becomes possible to reduce.

  Note that the command for canceling the reservation for operation stop may be a command different from the command at the start of operation. Specifically, “confirmation” or the like can be used as voice. In this case, the operation mode of the voice driving shifts to the normal driving without changing by saying “confirm” during the voice driving. In this way, by making the command for canceling the operation stop reservation and the command at the start of operation different commands, the control device 21 erroneously recognizes external noise as a voice command, and the air conditioner malfunctions. Can be further reduced.

  When there is no instruction to continue driving by the user, the control device 21 measures the time from the start of voice driving, and at least a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 10 hours before a certain time (24 hours and 10 minutes) elapses). From a minute ago) until the predetermined time elapses, the notification device 27 notifies the user that voice driving is in progress. The predetermined time can be appropriately changed.

  As the notification device 27, a speaker, an LED light, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an LED 27 a and a speaker (not shown) are used together as the notification device 27, and the LED 27 a is always lit or blinked during the voice operation period. In addition, from 24 hours to 24 hours and 10 minutes after the start of voice operation, the speaker is actively notified to the user.

  When an instruction is received from the remote control device 22 or voice (when a command signal is received) between 24 hours and 24 hours and 10 minutes after the start of voice operation, the control device 21 After canceling the reservation, the operation shifts to the normal operation, and the operation is controlled according to the command signal. In the present embodiment, since the LED 27a is constantly lit or blinking during the voice driving period, when the user remembers that the voice driving was being performed by seeing the LED 27a, the user continued driving as described above. Can be instructed.

  As is clear from the above description of the embodiment, the air conditioner of the present invention is provided with a notification device 27 for notifying that it is a voice operation, and the control device 21 is at least a certain time has elapsed after the start of the voice operation. Also, until a predetermined time elapses from a predetermined time before, the notification device 27 notifies the user that voice driving is in progress, and when the user gives an instruction to continue driving within a predetermined time, The operation of the air conditioner can be continued even after the lapse. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve the convenience by avoiding the trouble of once stopping the operation of the air conditioner when a certain time has elapsed.

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, a remote control device 22 capable of remotely controlling the operation of the air conditioner by transmitting a command signal to the control device 21 is provided. When a command signal is input from the remote control device 22 before the elapse of time, the operation of the air conditioner after a predetermined time has not been stopped can be configured. In the above configuration, since the user's instruction is reliable if the command signal is input from the remote control device 22, the convenience can be further improved by not stopping the operation of the air conditioner after a predetermined time has elapsed. it can.

  Further, when a command signal is input from the remote control device 22 before a certain time has elapsed since the start of the voice operation, the control device 21 does not stop the operation of the air conditioner after the certain time has elapsed, and the remote control device The operation of the air conditioner can also be controlled based on the command signal input from 22. That is, the control device 21 controls the operation of the air conditioner based on the command signal of the remote control device after canceling the reservation for the operation stop.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment is characterized in that when a voice operation is started, a human sensor is provided to check a person's occupancy status for a certain time (for example, 10 minutes) from the start of the voice operation. When the control device 21 determines that a person is in the room based on a signal from the human sensor, the same control as in the first embodiment is performed.

  That is, the control device 21 makes a reservation to stop the operation of the air conditioner 24 hours and 10 minutes after the start of the voice operation, and if the user instructs to continue the operation before the reservation time elapses, the reservation of the operation stop is made. To release. Note that, as described above, the control device 21 does not accept an instruction to continue driving by voice unless an appropriate time (for example, time for checking a person's occupancy status) has elapsed after the voice driving is started. It is preferable to do this.

  When it is determined that there is no person, the control device 21 takes into account the possibility of malfunction due to external noise, and reserves by shortening the predetermined time until stopping driving to 30 minutes after starting the voice driving. . Then, the control device 21 measures the time from the start of the voice operation and stops the operation when 30 minutes have elapsed, and in principle, a predetermined time before 30 minutes have passed (in the present embodiment). 10 minutes ago) until 30 minutes elapses, the notification device 27 informs the user that voice driving is in progress, and when the user gives an instruction to continue driving until a certain period of time elapses Cancel the scheduled stop.

  That is, the operation of the air conditioner is continued without stopping the operation of the air conditioner even if a certain time (30 minutes) has elapsed since the start of the voice operation. After the cancellation of the reservation for the operation stop, the operation shifts to a normal operation (normal operation) in which the operation is controlled according to the remote control device 22 or a voice command signal. The fixed time can be changed as appropriate.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, when voice operation is started and operation stop is reserved, it is characterized in that a certain time can be changed according to the time zone in which operation stop is reserved. The same as in the first embodiment. For example, when the operation stop time is reserved at 3 o'clock when it is considered that the user is sleeping, the control device 21 considers the possibility that the user cannot respond, and sets the operation stop time at 23:00, 4 hours ago. Reserve. That is, when a time period during which the operation stop cannot be performed is set in advance and the operation stop is reserved during the time period, the control device 21 sets a certain time so as to stop the air-conditioning operation immediately before the time period. change.

  In principle, the operation is stopped when a certain time (20 hours and 10 minutes in the present embodiment) has elapsed from the start of the operation, and when the user gives an instruction to continue the operation before the certain time has elapsed, the operation is stopped. Cancel the reservation for. That is, even if a certain time has elapsed from the start of the voice operation, the operation of the air conditioner is continued without executing the operation stop of the air conditioner. Alternatively, the operation stop time may be reserved at 3 o'clock in the middle of the night, and if there is no instruction to continue the operation, an announcement to stop the operation may be executed in a time zone where the user is considered to be awake.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the voice input unit is installed in the indoor unit, but is not limited thereto, and can be installed in a remote control device. However, it is preferable to install the voice input unit in the indoor unit from the viewpoint that power can be stably supplied.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where an operation start button, an operation stop button, and a condition setting button were formed in an operation part, it is not restricted to this but can also be used as a touch panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outdoor unit 2 Indoor unit 3 Compressor 4 Outdoor heat exchanger 5 Throttle device 6 Two-way valve 7 Indoor heat exchanger 8 Three-way valve 9 Four-way valve 11 Discharge piping 12 Heat exchanger side piping 13 Three-way valve side piping 14 Suction side piping DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Indoor fan 16 Air outlet 17 Louver 18 Outdoor fan 21 Control apparatus 22 Remote control apparatus (remote control)
23 Communication Unit 24 Room Temperature Sensor 25 Humidity Sensor 26 Voice Input Unit 27 Notification Device

Claims (4)

A voice input unit; and a control device that controls the operation of the air conditioner based on the voice input to the voice input unit. The control device controls the air conditioner according to the voice input to the voice input unit. An air conditioner characterized by stopping the operation of the air conditioner after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the voice operation when the voice operation to be operated is started. A notification device is provided to notify that the voice operation is being performed, and the control device allows the user to use the notification device until a predetermined time elapses from a predetermined time before a predetermined time elapses after the voice operation starts. The operation of the air conditioner is continued even after the elapse of a predetermined time when the user is informed that the voice operation is in progress and an instruction to continue the operation is given by the user within a predetermined time. The air conditioner described. A remote control device capable of remotely controlling the operation of the air conditioner by transmitting a command signal to the control device is provided, and the control device receives a command signal from the remote control device before a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of voice operation. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when input, the air conditioner is not stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed. When a command signal is input from the remote control device before the elapse of a certain time from the start of voice operation, the control device does not stop the operation of the air conditioner after the elapse of the certain time, and the remote control device The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the operation of the air conditioner is controlled based on the input command signal.

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