JP2016061457A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance comfort depending on a characteristic of an object.SOLUTION: An air conditioner comprises: an image pickup part that takes an image of the interior of a room in which an indoor unit is installed; an extraction part that extracts edges included in the image; an object detection part that detects an object by using the edges extracted by the extraction part; and an airflow control part that controls an airflow on the basis of the shape of the object detected by the object detection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  Attempts have been made in the past to use an air conditioner to blow air comfortably for people even if there are obstacles such as furniture in the room.

  Patent Document 1 states that “a first air conditioner and a second air conditioner are arranged in the same air-conditioned space and perform signal communication between the first air conditioner and the second air conditioner. The first air conditioner has an obstacle sensor, a radiant heat sensor, a human body detecting means for detecting the position of the human body from the detection value of the radiant heat sensor, and an air blowing capable of calculating the blowing angle range B from the detection value of the obstacle sensor. An angle calculation means, and a first control means for controlling the direction of the wind direction vane from the human body detection value and the blow angle range calculation value, and the first control means is configured such that the blow angle is out of the blow angle range B. The air-conditioning system is described so as to drive the wind direction vane by transmitting it to the second air conditioner so as to blow the air toward the human body that is out of the blowing angle range B.

JP 2012-102924 A

  Patent Document 1 describes an air conditioning system that detects the presence and position of a blowing obstacle (for example, furniture) and blows conditioned air to a person in an air-conditioned space to improve comfort. However, the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 controls air flow based on the presence and position of an obstacle, and controls air flow using individual features of obstacles such as furniture. It wasn't. For this reason, since the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 is air-conditioned regardless of the characteristics of the obstacle, the comfort cannot be improved in accordance with the obstacle present in the space.

  The present invention is an invention for solving the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner that can enhance the comfort of space by using the characteristics of an object that can be measured from the air conditioner. .

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an imaging unit that captures an image of a room in which an indoor unit is installed, an extraction unit that extracts an edge included in the image, and an edge extracted by the extraction unit. The air conditioner includes: an object detection unit that detects an object using an object; and an airflow control unit that controls an airflow based on the shape of the object detected by the object detection unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the air conditioner which can improve the comfort of space according to an object is provided.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance structure of the air conditioner of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance of the remote control of the air conditioner of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the structure of the sensor part of the air conditioner of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the imaging part which has a visible light cut filter of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the wavelength range at the time of imaging through the visible light cut filter of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the control part of the air conditioner of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the process by the control part of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the imaging control part of this example, an object detection part, and a passage pass / fail detection part. It is a flowchart which shows the determination process of the presence or absence of the object by the object detection part of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process by the object detection part of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the position of the gravity center of the object which the airflow of a present Example cannot pass through. It is explanatory drawing which shows the position of the gravity center of the object which the airflow of a present Example can pass through. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which determines the passage of airflow using the position of the gravity center of the object of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the height H from the lower end and the integration area of the object which the airflow of a present Example cannot pass through. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the height H from the lower end and the integration area of the object which the airflow of a present Example can pass through. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which determines the passage of airflow using the integrated area of the object of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the height of various kinds of object of a present Example, and an integration area. It is a flowchart which shows the process which determines the ventilation method of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which determines whether the object of a present Example is an obstruction based on an area. It is explanatory drawing which shows the upper airflow mode and lower airflow mode of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control method of an airflow when there exists an obstruction between the person and indoor unit of a present Example, and an obstruction is a shape which an airflow can pass through. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control in case the obstruction of a present Example is a shape which cannot pass airflow. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control in case the person of a present Example exists between an indoor unit and an obstruction. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control when the object of a present Example is not determined as an obstruction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow control based on the distance of the wall in which the indoor unit of a present Example is installed, and an obstruction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow control at the time of heating and air_conditioning | cooling at the time of the obstruction of a present Example being a leg long object. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detailed airflow control at the time of the obstruction avoidance driving | operation at the time of a heating Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow control using the wind direction board divided | segmented into plurality of a present Example.

  The present embodiment relates to an air conditioner that detects an object such as furniture existing in a space such as a room where the air conditioner harmonizes air, and controls air blowing using the detected shape of the object such as furniture. Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of an air conditioner 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The air conditioner 10 is a device that harmonizes air in a space, such as cooling or heating, using, for example, heat pump technology. The air conditioner 10 includes an indoor unit 100, an outdoor unit 200, and a remote controller (remote controller, air control terminal) 40.

  The air conditioner 10 may harmonize air in a room (indoor) where the indoor unit 100 is installed and indoor space such as a corridor, and harmonize air in a certain volume of the outdoor space. Also good. Although the air conditioner 10 shown below harmonizes the air in the room, the process is executed according to the same embodiment when the air in other spaces is conditioned.

  The indoor unit 100 is installed on an indoor wall, ceiling, floor, or the like. The outdoor unit 200 is installed in a space that is distinguished from the space in which the indoor unit 100 is installed, such as outdoors, by a wall or the like. Indoor unit 100 and outdoor unit 200 are connected by a refrigerant pipe and a communication cable (not shown).

  The remote controller 40 communicates with the indoor unit 100 by infrared rays, radio waves, communication lines, or the like. The remote controller 40 is a terminal for the user to remotely operate the air conditioner 10 from a remote location. The indoor unit 100 has a remote control receiving unit 46 for receiving a signal from the remote control 40.

  Moreover, the air conditioner 10 has a sensor part including a plurality of types of sensors for acquiring information used for control and display of the air conditioner 10 such as room temperature and outside temperature. Moreover, the indoor unit 100 includes an imaging unit 110 and a temperature detection unit 130 as sensors in the sensor unit. 1 has a front panel 106, a foot monitor 140, and a remote control receiver 46.

  The front panel 106 is installed so as to cover the front surface of the indoor unit 100. The imaging unit 110, the temperature detection unit 130, and the near-infrared light source 120 illustrated in FIG. 1 are installed at the lower center of the front panel 106.

  The imaging unit 110 acquires a visible light image obtained by imaging the reflection of visible light, and acquires a near-infrared image obtained by imaging the reflection of near infrared light. The imaging unit 110 acquires an indoor image in which the indoor unit 100 is installed. The temperature detection unit 130 detects the temperature of the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed.

  The temperature detection unit 130 illustrated in FIG. 1 is installed adjacent to the imaging unit 110. By making the imaging unit 110 and the temperature detection unit 130 adjacent to each other, it is possible to reduce a detection error between the imaging unit 110 and the temperature detection unit 130 such as a distance and an angle to a detection target.

  The indoor unit 100 further includes a near infrared light source 120. The near-infrared light source 120 is a device that irradiates a space with near-infrared rays. The imaging unit 110 can acquire the reflected light of the near infrared light source 120.

  The near-infrared light source 120 shown in FIG. 1 is installed adjacent to the imaging unit 110, and the near-infrared light source 120 and the temperature detection unit 130 are adjacent to each other across the imaging unit 110. By installing in this way, the difference between the detection range and angle of the imaging unit 110 and the irradiation range and angle of the near-infrared light source 120 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the indoor unit 100 includes a foot monitor 140. The foot monitor 140 is disposed next to the imaging unit 110 or the temperature detection unit 130. When a human foot is detected by the imaging unit 110 or the temperature detection unit 130 or when the position of the foot is estimated, the foot monitor 140 is turned on. As a result, the user can confirm that the step has been detected. The foot monitor 140 may be disposed not only in the indoor unit 100 but also in the remote controller 40.

<Indoor unit 100>
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner 10 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit 100. 2 shows a heat exchanger 102, a heat transfer tube 1021, a blower fan 103, a left and right airflow direction plate 104, a vertical airflow direction plate 105, a front panel 106, a housing base 101, an air inlet 107, a filter 108, and a blowout air. A path 1091, an air outlet 1092, an air outlet upper surface 1093, a drain pan 99, a light transmission member 150, and a sensor unit are shown.

  The sensor unit illustrated in FIG. 2 includes an imaging unit 110, a near infrared light source 120, a temperature detection unit 130, and a foot monitor 140. The imaging unit 110, the near-infrared light source 120, the temperature detection unit 130, and the foot monitor 140 are disposed in a space above the blowing air path upper surface 1093 and below the drain pan 99.

  Each of the aforementioned sensor units is installed so that the air conditioner 10 faces a space in which air is conditioned. For example, when the indoor unit 100 is installed above a room, the above-described sensor unit is installed obliquely downward. In the present embodiment, the substrate itself on which the aforementioned sensor unit is installed is installed obliquely downward.

  Note that the indoor unit 100 according to the present embodiment may not include all of the near-infrared light source 120, the temperature detection unit 130, and the foot monitor 140 as long as the indoor unit 100 includes at least the imaging unit 110. Moreover, the indoor unit 100 may have the light transmissive member 150 on the front surface of the sensor unit.

  The heat exchanger 102 has a plurality of heat transfer tubes 1021 and exchanges heat between the air taken into the indoor unit 100 by the blower fan 103 and the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tubes 1021. Thus, the air is cooled or heated.

  The heat transfer tube 1021 communicates with the refrigerant pipe described above for connection with the outdoor unit 200, and constitutes a part of a known refrigerant cycle. The drain pan 99 receives water droplets generated when the air is cooled by the heat exchanger 102.

  The blower fan 103 rotates in order to take air into the indoor unit 100 through the air suction port 107 and the filter 108. The blower fan 103 can adjust the wind speed.

  The left and right wind direction plates 104 are rotated forward and backward by the left and right wind direction plate motors with the base end side as a fulcrum on the rotation shaft provided at the lower part of the indoor unit 100. And the front end side of the left and right wind direction plate 104 faces the indoor side, so that the front end side of the left and right wind direction plate 104 operates so as to swing in the horizontal direction.

  The up-and-down wind direction plate 105 is rotated forward and backward by the up-and-down wind direction plate motor with the rotation shafts provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 100 as fulcrums. Thereby, the front end side of the vertical wind direction plate 105 operates so as to swing in the vertical direction.

  The front panel 106 rotates forward and backward by a front panel motor with the rotation axis at the lower end as a fulcrum. Note that the front panel 106 may not rotate and may be fixed to the lower end of the indoor unit 100.

  The air after heat exchange is guided to the blowout air path 1091. Further, the air guided to the blowout air passage 1091 is sent out from the air blowout port 1092 to the outside of the indoor unit 100. Thereby, indoor air is harmonized. When the air is blown into the room from the air outlet 1092 after the heat exchange, the horizontal wind direction is adjusted by the left and right wind direction plates 104, and the vertical wind direction is adjusted by the upper and lower wind direction plates 105.

<Outdoor unit>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the outdoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The outdoor unit 200 of the present embodiment includes, for example, a heat exchanger room 204, a machine room 205, and an electrical component box 210. The heat exchanger chamber 204 includes a heat exchanger 206, a fan column, and a propeller fan 207. The machine room 205 includes a compressor 202, an electric expansion valve, a reactor, a four-way valve, and a heat transfer tube.

  The outdoor unit 200 of the present embodiment is divided into a heat exchanger chamber 204 and a machine chamber 205 by a partition plate 211, an electrical component box 210, and a lead wire support component 209, but the functional units included in the outdoor unit 200 are Any arrangement may be used.

  The propeller fan 207 promotes heat exchange between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant pipe and the outside air. The fan column rotatably connects the driving motor and the propeller fan 207. The heat exchanger 206 exchanges heat between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant pipe and the outside air.

  The compressor 202 turns the circulating refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant. The electric expansion valve converts a normal temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant into a low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant. The reactor is an electrical component. The heat transfer tube is a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant flows. The four-way valve switches the refrigerant flow path.

  The electrical component box 210 stores electrical components that control the outdoor unit 200, and an electrical component lid is placed on the electrical component box 210. The electrical component box 210 has a control unit 60.

  The control unit 60 is connected to the sensor units of the indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 and the remote control receiving unit 46. Based on information sent from the sensor unit 50 and the remote control receiving unit 46, the control unit 60 adjusts the direction of heat exchange and the airflow to be sent by the indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200.

  In the present embodiment, the outdoor unit 200 includes the control unit 60, but the indoor unit 100 may include the control unit 60. The control unit 60 includes a processor and a memory.

<Remote control>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the appearance of the remote controller 40 of the air conditioner 10 of the present embodiment.

  The remote controller 40 is a device that transmits an instruction to the air conditioner 10 from a remote location so that the air conditioner 10 makes the space comfortable. The user operates the remote controller 40 to make the space comfortable.

  The remote controller 40 transmits a radio signal (for example, an infrared signal) to the remote control receiver 46 of the indoor unit 100. The radio signal transmitted by the remote controller 40 includes various instructions such as an operation request, a change in set temperature, a timer, an operation mode change, and a stop request.

  The air conditioner 10 performs indoor cooling, heating, dehumidification, and the like based on these instructions. The air conditioner 10 may have other air conditioning functions such as air purification. The remote controller 40 may have any function as long as it can send the above-described instruction.

  The remote controller 40 shown in FIG. 4 has a screen 41, a button 43, a button 44, and a button 45 as an input function unit in order to receive an instruction from the user. The remote controller 40 in this embodiment has at least two buttons, a button 43 and a button 44.

  The screen 41 displays details of operations performed by the remote controller 40. The content 42 indicates the operation method being executed by the air conditioner 10. For example, the content 42 displays a step airflow operation that blows an airflow toward a person's foot, an on-object airflow operation that blows an airflow toward an object such as furniture, and the like.

  The button 43 is an automatic operation button. When the button 43 is operated, the control unit 60 of the air conditioner 10 automatically selects cooling, heating, dehumidification, and the like based on the detection result of the sensor unit, and adjusts the set temperature and the like. Furthermore, when the button 43 is operated, the control unit 60 of the present embodiment starts a process for detecting a person described later, a process for detecting an object such as furniture, and the like, and reflects the detection result in the wind direction control. May be.

  The button 43 allows the user to start air conditioning for making the room comfortable in one operation, and does not need to instruct a plurality of types of driving. The remote controller 40 of the present embodiment includes a button that does not start detection of an object such as furniture even when the button 43 is operated, or a button that does not execute wind direction control based on these detection results. Also good.

  The button 44 is operated when sending an instruction to execute the foot airflow operation to the indoor unit 100. By operating the button 44, for example, the user can instruct the foot airflow operation while instructing heating, and as a result, the comfort of the foot can be enhanced.

  The button 45 is operated when the imaging unit 110 detects a room layout and transmits an instruction to start a swing operation in accordance with the floor plan. The buttons 44 and 45 may be arranged as dedicated buttons for functions that are frequently used.

  The positions of the button 43, the button 44, and the button 45 may be installed at any location on the remote controller 40. When a lid is installed on the remote controller 40, the buttons 43, 44, and 45 may be installed inside the lid.

<Sensor part>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the sensor unit 50 of the air conditioner 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The sensor unit 50 includes a plurality of sensors provided in the indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200. The sensor unit 50 is the temperature detection unit 130, the imaging unit 110, a clock, and the like in the indoor unit 100. The sensor unit 50 is an outside air temperature sensor, a compressor temperature sensor, a refrigerant pipe temperature sensor, or the like in the outdoor unit 200.

  When the temperature detection unit 130 is a thermopile, the image acquired by the temperature detection unit 130 includes, for example, horizontal × vertical 1 × 1 pixel, 4 × 4 pixel, or 1 × 8 pixel. In addition, the temperature detection unit 130 may acquire an image using an infrared sensor, a near infrared sensor, or a thermography. What is detected by the temperature detection unit 130 is not limited to the average surface temperature in the room, but the surface temperature in the room except the person, the surface temperature of the person's clothes, the temperature of the person's skin, or the surface of the floor It may be temperature.

<Imaging unit>
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the imaging unit 110 including the visible light cut filter 112 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram of the imaging unit 110 as viewed from above. The imaging unit 110 includes an imaging unit main body 111, a visible light cut filter 112, a filter gear 115, and a filter motor 114.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging unit that detects a person has an infrared cut filter inside the imaging unit. However, the imaging unit 110 of the present embodiment does not have an infrared cut filter so as not to cut near infrared rays. Furthermore, the imaging unit 110 of this embodiment includes a visible light cut filter 112 around the imaging unit main body 111.

  The imaging unit main body 111 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. The visible light cut filter 112 is a filter that does not allow visible light to pass through. The visible light cut filter 112 has an annular shape and has an opening 113.

  The filter motor 114 and the filter gear 115 are mechanisms for moving the visible light cut filter. The visible light cut filter 112 is connected to the filter motor 114 via the filter gear 115, and rotates around the imaging unit main body 111 by driving the filter motor 114.

  When the imaging unit 110 acquires a normal visible light image, the imaging unit main body 111 acquires a visible light image without passing through the visible light cut filter 112 by moving the opening 113 in front of the imaging unit main body 111. can do.

  When the imaging unit 110 acquires a near-infrared image, the imaging unit main body 111 moves the near-infrared image via the visible light cut filter 112 by moving the visible light cut filter 112 in front of the imaging unit main body 111. To get. Further, if necessary, the near-infrared light source 120 is turned on before imaging by the imaging unit 110 and irradiates near-infrared rays, so that the imaging unit 110 can clearly capture near-infrared reflected light.

  Hereinafter, the state in which the visible light cut filter 112 is moved to the front surface of the imaging unit main body 111 and the imaging unit main body 111 acquires a near-infrared image is referred to as a first imaging mode. The state in which the opening 113 of the visible light cut filter 112 has been moved to the front surface of the imaging unit main body 111 and the imaging unit main body 111 acquires a visible light image is referred to as a second imaging mode.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a wavelength range when an image is captured through the visible light cut filter 112 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 7 shows the wavelength of reflected light captured by the imaging unit main body 111 via the visible light cut filter 112. Since the visible light cut filter 112 cuts ultraviolet rays and visible light, the imaging unit 110 captures an image using a wavelength region near the near infrared (for example, 850 nm) when the visible light cut filter 112 is used.

  When the imaging unit 110 captures near-infrared rays, the image shows only the shape of the object, not the color and pattern of the captured object. This is because the near-infrared light changes in reflected light depending on the material and angle of the object, and the reflected light does not change in colors, patterns, and the like.

  The imaging unit 110 according to the present embodiment can acquire the shape of an object such as furniture clearly by acquiring an image of the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed using near infrared rays. Thereby, the control part 60 can find the way of an airflow, and can control a wind direction appropriately.

<Control unit>
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 60 of the air conditioner 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The control unit 60 receives the instruction transmitted from the remote control 40 via the remote control reception unit 46. In addition, the control unit 60 acquires a detection result by the sensor unit 50. Then, based on the received instruction and the acquired detection result, the control unit 60 controls the movement of the blower fan 103, the left and right wind direction plates 104, the upper and lower wind direction plates 105, etc. of the indoor unit 100, and compresses the outdoor unit 200. The movement of the machine 202 and the propeller fan 207 is controlled.

  The control unit 60 includes a functional unit including an imaging control unit 61, a human detection unit 62, a wall detection unit 63, an object detection unit 64, a passage pass / fail detection unit 65, and an airflow control unit 66, and a storage unit 67.

  The imaging control unit 61 switches the imaging unit 110 to the first imaging mode and the second imaging mode. The person detection unit 62 detects the position of a person in the room based on the image acquired by the imaging unit 110. The wall detection unit 63 detects the position of the indoor wall based on the image acquired by the imaging unit 110.

  The object detection unit 64 detects an object such as furniture that is arranged in the path of the airflow and may block the airflow based on the near-infrared image captured by the imaging unit 110 via the visible light cut filter 112. The passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 detects whether an object such as furniture detected by the object detection unit 64 has a shape through which an airflow passes.

  The airflow control unit 66 controls the air sent to the room based on the detection result of the object detection unit 64 and the like. For example, the airflow control unit 66 controls the airflow to be sent so that the airflow is blown to an area where the airflow can pass through.

  The storage unit 67 is a storage device that holds data of an image captured by the imaging unit 110. The storage unit 67 may be a volatile memory that holds data during power-on, or may be an auxiliary storage device that is a non-temporary storage medium. Hereinafter, each functional unit of the control unit 60 stores the processing result in the storage unit 67.

<Human detection unit 62>
The person detection unit 62 detects the presence or absence of a person and the position on the person image based on the visible light image captured in the second imaging mode. In addition, the person detection unit 62 is based on the detected position on the image of the person, the direction in which the person is based on the indoor unit 100, the distance between the indoor unit 100 and the person, and the indoor unit 100 is installed. Calculate the distance between the wall and the person.

  In addition to the image acquired by the imaging unit 110, the human detection unit 62 uses a measurement result by at least one of an infrared sensor, a near infrared sensor, a thermography, a pyroelectric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a noise sensor. Thus, the presence and position of a person may be detected.

  For example, the human detection unit 62 detects a circle having a size within a predetermined range from the image captured by the imaging unit 110 as a human head, and specifies the detected position of the human head as the human position. Also good. The human detection unit 62 holds a human face pattern including eyes, nose, and mouth in advance, detects the human face pattern, and specifies the detected position of the human face pattern as the human position. May be.

  In addition, the person detection unit 62 holds the correspondence between the size of the person's head and the distance between the indoor unit 100 and the person in advance, and based on the correspondence and the detected size of the person's head, The distance between the machine 100 and the person may be calculated. In addition, the person detection unit 62 holds the height at which the indoor unit 100 is installed in advance, and uses the calculated distance between the indoor unit 100 and the person and the installed height, the wall on which the indoor unit 100 is installed. The distance from the person to the person may be calculated.

  Furthermore, the person detection unit 62 of the present embodiment may also detect the position of a person's feet. For example, the human detection unit 62 may directly detect the lower end of the moving target as a human foot using a plurality of images captured by the imaging unit 110. Further, the person detection unit 62 may detect the position of the person's head and estimate the position of the person's feet within a predetermined range from the position of the person's head.

<Wall detector 63>
The wall detection unit 63 extracts an edge in the image based on the image captured in the second imaging mode, and extracts an edge that is thicker and longer than a predetermined reference from the extracted edge. Then, the wall detection unit 63 detects a corner in the room by extending a straight line with a thick and long edge, generating an intersection, and setting the center of gravity of the intersection as a vanishing point. Then, the wall detection unit 63 identifies the detected corner as a tangent of the wall and the wall, a tangent of the wall and the ceiling, or a tangent of the wall and the floor, and detects the positions of the walls, the ceiling, and the floor of the room.

  The wall detection unit 63 may hold the position of the person detected in the past by the person detection unit 62, and may supplement the corner detection result based on the accumulated value of the person position. This is based on an empirical rule that there is an indoor wall outside the cumulative value of the person's position and no indoor wall inside the cumulative value of the person's position. When the indoor wall candidate is detected at a position inside the accumulated value of the person's position, the wall detecting unit 63 excludes the detection result from the indoor wall candidate.

<Object detection unit 64>
The object detection unit 64 detects the presence / absence of an object such as furniture arranged in the path of the air current and the position of the object on the image from the image captured in the first imaging mode or the second imaging mode. The object detection unit 64 also determines the direction in which the object is arranged based on the indoor unit 100, the distance between the indoor unit 100 and the object, and the installation of the indoor unit 100 based on the position of the detected object on the image. The distance between the measured wall and the object is calculated.

  An object such as furniture in the present embodiment is an object other than a person arranged on the floor and having a certain volume. There is a high possibility that objects such as furniture of this embodiment will block the wind sent from the indoor unit 100. Objects such as furniture include furniture such as tables, kotatsu, chairs, sofas, bookshelves, cupboards and baskets, and fittings such as walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows, beams and balustrades.

  Objects such as furniture include large figurines and potted pots. Hereinafter, such objects such as furniture are collectively referred to as objects.

<Passthrough detection unit 65>
The passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines whether or not the airflow can pass under the object detected by the object detection unit 64. The pass / fail detection unit 65 detects the luminance below the detected object, and estimates that there is an object that reflects near infrared rays when the luminance is high. Further, when the brightness is low, the pass-through permission / inhibition detecting unit 65 estimates that the foot of the object can pass through.

  In addition to this, the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 may detect by any method whether or not the lower part of the object can pass through. The specific method is shown below.

  A plurality of functional units included in the control unit 60 illustrated in FIG. 8 may be implemented by a program, or may be implemented by a physical integrated device. Further, the plurality of functional units of the control unit 60 illustrated in FIG. 8 may be implemented by one program or one integrated device. Each of the plurality of functional units may be implemented by a plurality of programs or a plurality of integrated devices for each process to be executed.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of processing by the control unit 60 of the present embodiment.

  When the instruction transmitted from the remote controller 40 is received via the remote controller receiver 46, the controller 60 starts the process shown in FIG. The instruction transmitted from the remote controller 40 may be any instruction such as a step airflow operation, an automatic operation, a heating operation, and a cooling operation.

  After the process shown in FIG. 9 is started, the person detection unit 62 detects a person using the image acquired by the imaging unit 110 and the above-described method (S91), and further detects the step of the person (S92). . Through the processing S91 and the processing S92, the control unit 60 can acquire the position of the person in the room and the position of the foot.

  After the process S92, the imaging control unit 61 determines whether or not a predetermined detection time (for example, 1 hour) has elapsed since the person was first detected (S93). When the predetermined detection time has not elapsed (S93, No), the person detection unit 62 executes the process S91. If the predetermined detection time has elapsed after the process S92 (S93, Yes), the object detection unit 64 executes the process S94.

  This is because when the person moves within the predetermined detection time, it is not necessary to control the blowing of the person, that is, it is not necessary to execute the processes after the process S94. If no person is detected, the person detection unit 62 may repeat the process S91 at a predetermined time interval.

  In process S94, the object detection unit 64 detects an object placed in a space that harmonizes air.

  And after process S94, the person detection part 62 detects a person again (S95), the wall detection part 63 detects an indoor corner (S96), and the person detection part 62 detects a person (S97). Finally, the opening / closing of the partition is detected (S98).

  Through the processing of processing S95 to processing S98, the control unit 60 determines the size of the room based on the detection result of the position of the person and the position of the corner. In addition, the person detection unit 62 performs the processes in S91, S95, and S97 to determine the presence of a person, the position on the person's image, the direction in which the person is based on the indoor unit 100, the distance between the person and the indoor unit 100, and The distance between the wall on which the indoor unit 100 is installed and a person is acquired, and the acquired information is stored in the storage unit 67.

  In S94, the object detection unit 64 determines the presence / absence of the object, the position of the object on the image, the direction in which the object is arranged with respect to the indoor unit 100, the distance between the object and the indoor unit 100, and the indoor unit 100. The distance between the wall where the object is installed and the object is acquired, and the acquired information is stored in the storage unit 67.

  The airflow control unit 66 determines a blowing method such as the strength and direction of the airflow to be sent based on the processing results up to the processing S98 after the processing S98. Then, the airflow control unit 66 adjusts the movement of the blower fan 103, the left and right wind direction plates 104, the up and down wind direction plate 105, the compressor 202, the propeller fan 207, and the like according to the determined blowing method (S99).

  In the process S99, for example, the airflow control unit 66 may determine the air blowing method so as to blow the air in the direction in which the leg-long object exists toward the lower side of the leg-long object. Further, in the process S99, the airflow control unit 66 may determine the air blowing method so that, for example, the air in the direction in which the short leg object exists is blown toward the upper side of the short leg object. As a result, the indoor unit 100 can blow air without being blocked by an object that exists in a space that harmonizes air (for example, indoors) based on the shape of the object. Can increase the sex.

  In this embodiment, the position of the person is grasped based on the image captured by the imaging unit 110. However, the position of the person is detected using the temperature detection unit 130 or the pyroelectric infrared sensor instead of the imaging unit 110. You may make it grasp.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the imaging control unit 61, the object detection unit 64, and the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 10 shows details of the process S94 of FIG. First, in process S94, the object detection unit 64 determines whether or not sunlight is irradiated in the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed (S901).

  The object detection unit 64 executes the process S902 when sunlight is not radiated into the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed or when the intensity of sunlight radiated into the room is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The object detection unit 64 returns to the process S901 when sunlight is irradiated into the room of the indoor unit 100 or when the intensity of sunlight irradiated into the room exceeds a predetermined value.

  This is because sunlight includes near infrared rays. And when near infrared rays from sunlight are irradiated to a place where there is actually no object other than the floor or wall, the object detection unit 64 may erroneously detect that an object exists at the place. .

  In the process S901, for example, the object detection unit 64 may detect a light source, and may determine that the room is irradiated with sunlight when the light source is sunlight. Here, the indoor unit 100 may include a device that detects sunlight as one of the sensors in the sensor unit 50, and the object detection unit 64 uses a device that detects sunlight, and the light source is You may estimate whether it is sunlight.

  The sensor unit 50 may include a device that measures near infrared rays. When the near-infrared light source 120 does not irradiate the room with near-infrared light and the amount of near-infrared light in the room is a predetermined amount or more, the object detection unit 64 irradiates the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed with sunlight. It may be determined that it has not been done.

  Moreover, the object detection part 64 has a function which acquires the present | current time, and may hold | maintain beforehand the time zone when the sun comes out, and the time zone when the sun does not come out as information. And in process S901, the object detection part 64 may determine with sunlight not being irradiated to the room | chamber interior in which the indoor unit 100 is installed, when the present time is a time slot | zone when the sun does not come out.

  Moreover, in process S901, the object detection part 64 is the result of the process which determines whether a light source is sunlight, the result of the process determined by the amount of near infrared rays, and the result of the process based on a time slot | zone. Based on a result, you may determine whether sunlight is irradiated indoors. For example, in the time zone when the sun does not come out, the object detection unit 64 may further determine whether or not the light source is sunlight. As a result, the imaging unit 110 can accurately acquire a near-infrared image even when the user sets an incorrect time zone.

  Moreover, since there is a possibility that an object is erroneously detected even by an incandescent lamp, the object detection unit 64 may preferentially use the result of determining whether the light source is sunlight.

  In step S902, the imaging control unit 61 moves the visible light cut filter 112 to the front of the imaging unit main body 111 and switches to the first imaging mode (S902). The imaging unit 110 shown below captures three directions, left, middle, and right. After step S902, the imaging control unit 61 moves the imaging unit 110 to an initial imaging position (for example, the imaging position on the left screen) (S903).

  After the process S903, the near-infrared light source 120 is turned on according to the instruction of the imaging control unit 61, and irradiates the room with near-infrared light (near-infrared irradiation ON) (S904). After the process S904, the imaging unit 110 images the room (S905). After step S905, the imaging control unit 61 instructs the near infrared light source 120 to be turned off, and stops the near infrared irradiation (near infrared irradiation OFF) (S906).

  The object detection unit 64 determines whether there is an object in the room based on the image acquired by the imaging unit 110 (S907). Then, when there is an object, the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 estimates whether or not the airflow can pass through the feet of the object detected by the object detection unit 64 (see FIG. 13 and FIG. 14) (S908). .

  After the process S908, the imaging control unit 61 determines whether or not imaging in the three directions of the left direction, the middle direction, and the right direction is completed (S909), and when imaging in the three directions is not completed (S909, No), an instruction to move the direction of the imaging unit 110 is issued, and the process returns to step S903.

  On the other hand, when the imaging in the three directions has been completed (S909, Yes), the imaging control unit 61 instructs the imaging unit 110 to move the visible light cut filter 112 to the initial imaging position (S910). After the process S910, the imaging control unit 61 ends the process of FIG.

  The processing of FIGS. 9 and 10, in particular, processing S <b> 907 and processing S <b> 908 may be performed when the user operates the button 43 of the remote control 40 or another button. Further, the processing S907 and the processing S908 may be executed every predetermined time. In the case of the present embodiment, the imaging control unit 61 executes the processes of FIGS. 9 and 10 every hour.

  The imaging unit 110 may drive in the left-right direction as described above and image in three directions. Further, when the imaging unit 110 includes a camera that can capture a wide range, a wide-angle range may be captured even in one direction.

  The near-infrared light source 120 irradiates the room immediately before imaging by the imaging unit 110, and ends imaging when imaging by the imaging unit 110 is completed. The near-infrared light source 120 irradiates near-infrared light only at the timing of imaging by the imaging unit 110, so that the lifetime of the near-infrared light source 120 can be extended compared to the case where the near-infrared light source 120 is continuously irradiated during the first imaging mode. .

  When the imaging unit 110 images the left direction, the middle direction, and the right direction three times, the near-infrared light source 120 also irradiates three times in accordance with the timing of imaging by the imaging unit 110. Then, the shape of the object is detected from the image captured by the object detection unit 64.

  The process illustrated in FIG. 10 is a process in which the imaging unit 110 acquires a near-infrared image in the first imaging mode. However, the imaging unit 110 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the near-infrared image as long as it is any image showing the outline of an object such as a visible light image or a temperature distribution image (hereinafter, a visible light image) in step S94. An image may be acquired, and the object detection unit 64 may execute S907 and S908 using an infrared image, a visible light image, or the like. In this case, the process S902, the process S904, and the process S906 are not executed.

  When detecting the shape of an object from a visible light image or the like, the air conditioner 10 may not be able to extract the exact shape of the object based on the color or pattern of the object. This is because a visible light image or the like projects an object in the imaging range in a planar manner.

  When the edge indicating the shape of the object cannot be clearly obtained from the visible light image or the like, the object detection unit 64 may detect the object using the near infrared image. In the following, the object detection unit 64 detects an object using a near-infrared image. However, the procedure for detecting an object using a visible light image or the like is the same as the procedure for detecting an object using a near-infrared image.

  And by improving the detection accuracy in this way, the air conditioner 10 of the present embodiment has a shape in which an object can pass through winds such as a table with a leg and a chair, or a shape in which winds such as a sofa cannot pass through. Can be determined.

  The near-infrared light source 120 irradiates near-infrared light having a wavelength peak near about 850 nm in the first imaging mode. An image obtained by imaging near-infrared reflected light is so white that near-infrared light is reflected in the direction of the imaging unit 110 and is black so that it is not reflected in the direction of the imaging unit 110.

  In general, wood, cloth, metal, paper, and the like have a rough surface, and near infrared rays are diffusely reflected on the surface. The imaging unit 110 captures near infrared rays reflected in the direction of the imaging unit 110 out of the diffused and reflected near infrared rays, so that the object detection unit 64 detects that the reflecting object exists in the reflected direction. be able to.

  For this reason, by using an image obtained by imaging near-infrared reflected light, the object detection unit 64 can generally detect the difference between the material of an object existing indoors and the material of a floor, wall, or other object. it can. An image that can clearly identify the shape of an object such as an object from a background such as a wall or floor can be acquired, and an image that clearly reflects the shape of a three-dimensional object can be acquired.

  The near-infrared light source 120 includes visible light including near-infrared light having a peak in the vicinity of about 850 nm. Therefore, when the near-infrared light source 120 is turned on, a person in the room turns on the near-infrared light source 120 in red. looks like. For this reason, when the near-infrared light source 120 is installed, a display unit for displaying whether or not the near-infrared light is on is not necessary, so that the cost can be reduced. The imaging unit 110 also reduces the amount of information required on the image and improves the accuracy when detecting an object because colors are not captured in the near-infrared image.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the determination process of the presence / absence of an object by the object detection unit 64 of the present embodiment.

  The process shown in FIG. 11 shows details of the process in which the object detection unit 64 detects an object, and corresponds to the process in process S907 shown in FIG.

  The object detection unit 64 receives near-infrared image data (image A) imaged by the imaging unit 110. Note that the object detection unit 64 stores information related to the object (object state and position, etc.), which is the result of the processing of FIG. 11 executed in the past, and near-infrared image data in correspondence with each other in the memory. May be.

  The object detection unit 64 performs a smoothing process on the image A and deletes noise from the image A (S155). Specifically, the object detection unit 64 converts the luminance of a pixel whose luminance is large and different from that of a large number of surrounding pixels into the same luminance as the surrounding pixels.

  After the process S155, the object detection unit 64 detects the edge of the image A (S156). The object detection unit 64 detects an edge using a change in luminance of the image A. A specific method is described below.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating processing by the object detection unit 64 of the present embodiment.

  In step S156, the object detection unit 64 divides the image A into a plurality of cells, thereby generating a matrix 1101 including a plurality of cells. The matrix 1101 is a matrix of images captured by the imaging unit 110. For example, the matrix 1101 illustrated in FIG. 12 is generated by dividing an image into 5 vertical cells × 10 horizontal cells. The position information of each cell is position information used by the airflow control unit 66 to specify the left and right wind directions and the upper and lower wind directions.

  The object detection unit 64 determines whether an object exists from the luminance value of the image. The numerical value in each cell shown in FIG. 12 indicates the ratio of the area occupied by one cell in a predetermined luminance area included in the cell. The numerical value in each cell shown in FIG. 12 is expressed by a numerical value of 1 to 5, and a larger numerical value is assigned if the occupied area is large.

  Specifically, when a predetermined luminance area is included in one cell at a rate of 0% or more and less than 20%, the object detection unit 64 assigns “1” to the cell, and the same luminance area is one. When the cell is included at a rate of 20% or more and less than 40%, “2” is allocated to the cell.

  In step S156, the object detection unit 64 extracts cells whose assigned numerical value is larger (or smaller) than a predetermined threshold, and detects a boundary between the extracted set of cells and other cells as an edge. .

  When at least one edge is detected in step S156, the object detection unit 64 divides the image A into a plurality of regions based on the detected edge (S157). In addition, although the above-mentioned process S155-process S157 were performed by the object detection part 64, you may be performed by the extraction part which is a different function part. The extraction unit may also execute the process of detecting edges from the image executed by the human detection unit 62 and the wall detection unit 63 described above, instead of the human detection unit 62 and the wall detection unit 63. Thereby, the process which detects an edge from an image can be mounted by one extraction part, and the duplication of the process between each function part can be prevented.

  After the process S157, the object detection unit 64 performs the process S158 and the processes S160 to S166 on the plurality of areas divided in the process S157. In process S158, the object detection unit 64 determines whether or not the processes S160 to S166 have been performed on all of the divided areas.

  When the processes S160 to S166 are performed on all of the divided areas, the object detection unit 64 ends the process illustrated in FIG. When there are areas in which the processes S160 to S166 are not executed in the divided areas, the object detection unit 64 extracts one of the divided areas. The region extracted here is referred to as region B below.

  The object detection unit 64 calculates the circularity of the region B (S160). The circularity of the present embodiment is an index indicating a higher value as the shape of the region B is closer to a circle.

  After the process S160, the object detection unit 64 determines whether or not the calculated circularity is included in a predetermined range appropriate for an object such as furniture (S161). Here, the object detection unit 64 may hold the circularity generally calculated for the object in advance as a predetermined range of the circularity.

  When the circularity calculated for the area B is not included in the predetermined range, the object detection unit 64 determines that the possibility that the area B represents an object is low, and returns to the process S158. When the circularity calculated for the area B is included in the predetermined range, the object detection unit 64 determines that the possibility that the area B represents an object is high, and executes the process S162.

  In step S162, the object detection unit 64 calculates the area of the region B. Here, the area to be calculated may be the area on the image or the actual area of the region B. Note that the object detection unit 64 may execute processing to be described later for calculating the distance from the indoor unit 100 to the object in order to calculate the actual area of the region B.

  After the process S162, the object detection unit 64 determines whether or not the calculated area is included in a predetermined area range appropriate as the size of the object (S163). This is because the object is likely to be an area smaller than the wall or floor and larger than the figurine in the image captured by the imaging unit 110. The object detection unit 64 may hold in advance an area generally calculated for an object as a predetermined area.

  When the area calculated for the region B is not included in the predetermined area range, the object detection unit 64 determines that the region B is unlikely to represent an object, and returns to the process S158.

  In the process S163, when the area calculated for the region B is included in the range of the predetermined area, the object detection unit 64 determines the number of edges included in the region B (edges whose luminance difference is not so large as the region is divided), etc. The complexity is calculated based on (S164). The complexity in the present embodiment is the density of change in luminance in a region surrounded by edges having a predetermined intensity or higher, and is the number of portions where the luminance changes. Further, as the complexity of the present embodiment, the higher the amount of the portion where the luminance per unit area changes, the higher the value calculated.

  After the process S164, the object detection unit 64 determines whether or not the complexity of the region B is included in a predetermined complexity range appropriate as the complexity of the object (S165). This is because the object in this embodiment is furniture or the like, and has a lower complexity than a person and a higher complexity than a floor. The object detection unit 64 may hold in advance a complexity generally calculated for an object as a predetermined complexity.

  When the complexity of the area B is not included in the predetermined complexity range, the object detection unit 64 determines that the possibility that the area B represents an object is low, and returns to the process S158.

  When the complexity of the region B is included in the predetermined complexity range, the object detection unit 64 determines the region B as a region representing an object. Thereby, the object detection unit 64 of the present embodiment detects an object from the image using the circularity, the area, and the complexity, but detects the object using at least one of the circularity, the area, and the complexity. Also good. Further, the object detection unit 64 may detect the object using any index other than the circularity, the area, and the complexity as long as the object can be detected based on the feature indicated by the image.

  The object detection unit 64 can accurately detect an object by detecting the object using features indicated by the image such as circularity, area, and complexity.

  The object detection unit 64 obtains the position of the region B on the image, and based on the obtained position, the direction of the object indicated by the region B with respect to the indoor unit 100, the distance between the object indicated by the region B and the indoor unit 100, And the distance of the object which the area | region B shows, and the wall in which the indoor unit 100 was installed is calculated (S166).

  For example, the object detection unit 64 holds in advance a correspondence relationship between the height of the image captured by the imaging unit 110 and the distance from the wall installed from the indoor unit 100. The object detection unit 64 may obtain the distance between the object indicated by the region B and the wall installed from the indoor unit 100 based on the height of the lower end image of the region B and the corresponding relationship. This is because it is assumed that the lower end of the object of this embodiment is installed on the floor.

  In addition, the correspondence between the distance between the object indicated by the region B and the wall installed from the indoor unit 100, the area on the image of the region B, and the area of the actual object is held in advance. The actual area of the object may be obtained based on the correspondence and the distance between the object and the wall installed from the indoor unit 100.

  The object detection unit 64 may obtain the direction using any method as long as the indoor unit 100 can determine the wind direction. The object detection unit 64 has the position and direction of the region B determined to be the region representing the object by the processing up to step S162, the distance between the object indicated by the region B and the wall installed from the indoor unit 100, and The distance between the object indicated by the region B and the indoor unit 100 is stored in the storage unit 67.

  After the process S166, the object detection unit 64 returns to the process S158, and executes the processes S160 to S166 for other areas included in the image A.

  Then, the object detection unit 64 recognizes whether the region B determined in FIG. 11 is an object that is always installed in the room or an object that is temporarily placed in the room. An area representing an object may be determined using the processing result shown in FIG.

  For example, the imaging unit 110 executes the processing shown in FIG. 11 every predetermined time (1 hour in FIG. 12), and the matrix 1101 (matrix 1101- 1-matrix 1101-10).

  Based on the object regions determined in each of the matrices 1101-1 to 1101-10, the object detection unit 64 may specify the region in which the object is represented by majority vote. For example, the object detection unit 64 determines that a set of cells determined to be an area in which the object is represented by 6 detection results out of 10 is an area that represents a constantly installed object. The shape of the area may finally be determined as the shape of the object area.

  A matrix 1120 shown in FIG. 12 shows the result of the majority decision of the matrices 1101-1 to 1101-10. In FIG. 12, the object detection unit 64 detects an object from the cells in the second to fourth columns from the left, and detects an object from the cells in the second and third columns from the right.

  Through the above processing, the object detection unit 64 detects an area representing the object from the image A in step S907. In step S908, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines whether the region detected in step S907 is a region representing an object through which airflow can pass through the feet.

  13A, 13B, and 13C are explanatory diagrams illustrating passability determination processing using the center of gravity of an object by the passability detection unit 65 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram illustrating the position of the center of gravity 70 of the object through which the airflow of the present embodiment cannot pass.

  FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the position of the center of gravity 70 of the object through which the airflow of the present embodiment can pass.

  FIG. 13A shows the position of the center of gravity 70 of the object where the airflow cannot pass through the foot because the foot is not open. Hereinafter, an object in which an air current cannot pass through the foot is referred to as a short leg object. The centroid on the image of the short leg object is the area centroid of the area where the short leg object is represented.

  FIG. 13B shows the position of the center of gravity 70 of the object where the airflow can pass through the foot because the foot is open. Hereinafter, an object that allows airflow to pass through the feet is referred to as a leg-long object. The center of gravity of the long leg object on the image is the center of gravity of the area of the leg long object.

  The center of gravity of the short leg object is located below the center of gravity of the long leg object (down in the vertical direction in the image). This is because the lower part of the long leg object is open and has a smaller area than the short leg object. For this reason, the result of dividing the height L of the center of gravity 70 of the object by the height H from the lower end of the entire object is smaller for the short leg object than for the long leg object.

  Based on such properties, the pass / fail detection unit 65 uses the height H and the height L in step S908 to determine whether or not the airflow can pass through the foot of the object.

  Specifically, when the result obtained by dividing the height L by the height H is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 70%), the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 displays the region where the object is represented as the leg-length object. It is determined that the region is represented, and is estimated to be a region through which airflow can pass.

  Further, when the result obtained by dividing the height L by the height H is less than a predetermined value, the pass-through availability detection unit 65 determines that the area where the object is represented is an area representing the short leg object, and the airflow is It is estimated that the area cannot pass through.

  That is, when the height L is compared with the height H and the height L is equal to or higher than a predetermined height with respect to the height H, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 causes the air current to flow in the region representing the object. It is estimated that the shape can be passed through (long leg object).

  FIG. 13C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of determining whether or not airflow can pass through using the position of the center of gravity 70 of the object according to the present embodiment.

  First, in the process S908, the pass / fail detection unit 65 obtains the center of gravity 70 of each of the areas detected in the process S907. Then, the passage detection unit 65 determines whether the region detected as the region representing the object represents the leg short object or the leg long object based on the result of dividing the obtained height L of the center of gravity 70 by the height H. Judge whether to represent.

  The pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 holds the result of determining whether to represent a short leg object or a long leg object as in the matrix 1201-1 in FIG. 13C. Specifically, the pass-through availability detecting unit 65 assigns “1” when the region is a long leg object to each cell included in the region detected in step S907 and assigns “2” when the region is a leg short object. Thus, the matrix 1201-1 is generated.

  Further, the passage allowance detection unit 65 according to the present embodiment determines whether the object is a short leg object or a long leg object based on the plurality of matrices 1201 in order to increase the accuracy of the determination as to whether or not the airflow passes through. May be.

  In this case, the pass / fail detection unit 65 generates a matrix 1201 (the matrices 1201-1 to 1201-10 in FIG. 13C) each time the processing shown in FIG. 11 is executed. The pass / fail detection unit 65 uses the matrices 1201-1 to 1201-10 to generate a matrix 1220 that is the result of the majority decision.

  In this case, the pass-through availability detecting unit 65 determines that the object detected in the cells in the second to fourth columns from the left is a leg short object that cannot pass through. On the other hand, the passage detection unit 65 determines that the objects detected from the cells in the second and third columns from the right are leg-length objects that can be passed through.

  By determining whether or not the air flow can pass through the center of gravity of the object, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 can determine whether or not the object can accurately pass through based on the shape of the object.

  FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, and FIG. 14C are explanatory diagrams showing the pass / fail determination process using the vertical area ratio of the object by the pass / fail detection unit according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the height H from the lower end and the integrated area from the lower end of the object through which the airflow of the present embodiment cannot pass.

  FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the height H from the lower end and the integrated area from the lower end of the object through which the airflow of this example can pass.

  FIG. 14A shows the integrated area of short leg objects from the lower end to the highest height H. FIG. The relationship between the integrated area and the height shown in FIG. 14A is almost linear. FIG. 14B shows the integrated area of the leg-length object from the lower end to the highest height H. The relationship between the height and the integrated area shown in FIG. 14B is not a linear approximation.

  The accumulated area of the short leg object reaches 30 percent of the total area at a height smaller than half of the height H. On the other hand, the integrated area of the leg-long object reaches 30% of the total area at a height larger than half of the height H.

  For this reason, by determining whether or not the height at which the predetermined area ratio is calculated is greater than half of the height H, the pass / fail detection unit 65 determines that the area detected as the area representing the object is It can be determined whether it represents a short leg object or a long leg object.

  Specifically, when the object is divided by an arbitrary height M, the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines that the ratio of the accumulated area below the object and the area above the object is a predetermined area ratio (for example, 30 : Find the height M that becomes 70). Then, the pass / fail detection unit 65 determines whether the ratio of the height M to the height H is equal to or higher than a predetermined height ratio (for example, 50%).

  When the ratio of the height M to the height H is equal to or greater than the predetermined height ratio, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines that the object is a leg-long object and estimates that the airflow can pass through. Further, when the ratio of the height M to the height H is less than a predetermined height ratio, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines that the object is a short leg object and estimates that the airflow cannot pass through.

  FIG. 14C is an explanatory diagram illustrating processing for determining whether or not airflow can pass through using the area ratio of the top and bottom of the object according to the present embodiment.

  First, in step S908, the pass / fail detection unit 65 obtains the height H and height M of each of the areas detected in S907. Then, the pass-through availability detection unit 65 determines whether the area detected as the area representing the object represents a short leg object or a long leg object based on the result of dividing the obtained height M by the height H. judge.

  The pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 holds the result of determining whether to represent a short leg object or a long leg object as in the matrix 1301-1 in FIG. 14C. Specifically, the pass-through availability detecting unit 65 assigns “1” when the region is a long leg object to each cell included in the region detected in step S907 and assigns “2” when the region is a leg short object. Thus, the matrix 1301-1 is generated.

  Furthermore, the pass / fail detection unit 65 according to the present embodiment determines whether the object is a short leg object or a long leg object based on a plurality of matrices 1301 in order to increase the accuracy of the determination of whether or not the air current passes through. May be.

  In this case, the pass / fail detection unit 65 generates a matrix 1301 (the matrices 1301-1 to 1301-10 in FIG. 14C) each time the processing shown in FIG. 11 is executed. The pass / fail detection unit 65 uses the matrices 1301-1 to 1301-10 to generate a matrix 1310 that is the result of the majority decision.

  Further, the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines that the object detected in the second to fourth cells from the left is a leg short object that cannot be passed through. On the other hand, the passage detection unit 65 determines that the objects detected from the cells in the second and third columns from the right are leg-length objects that can be passed through.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the height and the integrated area of various types of objects in this embodiment.

  FIG. 15 shows actually measured values of the relationship between the height and the integrated area of various types of objects. The horizontal axis shown in FIG. 15 indicates the height when the length from the lower end to the upper end of the object is 100, and the vertical axis indicates the ratio of the integrated area from the lower end to the total area.

  In addition, FIG. 15 shows the integrated area of the desk as a square, the integrated area of the table 1 as a diamond, the integrated area of the chair as a triangle, the integrated area of the table 2 as an oblique cross, and the integrated area of the sofa as Shown with small circles and ironing board with large circles.

  The relationship between the height of the desk, chair and sofa and the integrated area is almost monotonically proportional. On the other hand, the relationship between the height of the table 1, the table 2, and the iron and the integrated area indicates a transition of a downwardly convex parabolic shape.

  Desks and sofas are short leg objects. The chair is also a short leg object because the leg portion supporting the foot wheel is large. The administrator of the present embodiment uses the predetermined area ratio and the predetermined height ratio used by the pass-through permission detection unit 65 based on the relationship between the height calculated for these short leg objects and the integrated area. It may be determined.

  In other words, from the relationship between the height of the desk, chair and sofa and the integrated area, a sufficiently distant point is extracted, the horizontal axis value of the extracted point is set to a predetermined height ratio, and the vertical axis of the extracted point is The value may be set to a predetermined area ratio.

  By determining whether or not the air flow can pass through using the area ratio of the top and bottom of the object, it is possible to determine whether or not it is possible to pass through accurately based on the shape of the object. Further, the pass-through permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines that the object M is divided when the height M for dividing the area of the object vertically by a predetermined ratio is higher than the predetermined height ratio, or when the center of gravity is higher than a predetermined value. It is estimated that the feet can pass through. Thereby, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 can estimate the extent to which the airflow can pass through the object when the air is blown in the direction of the object.

  And after process S908, process S909, and process S910, the process shown in FIG. 10 is complete | finished, and after process S95-process S98 are complete | finished after that, process S99 is performed. In the process S99, the airflow control unit 66 determines a blowing method based on the detected position and distance of the object.

  The airflow control unit 66 can reduce the amount of heat per unit time supplied by blowing air to an object through which the airflow cannot pass, and can reduce the amount of heat wasted. In addition, the airflow control unit 66 can increase the amount of heat supplied per unit time in a direction in which the airflow can pass through, efficiently air-condition the space, and improve human comfort.

  Further, the airflow control unit 66 may determine the air blowing method based on the corners, partitions, people, the feet of the person, and the positions of the objects detected by the process shown in FIG. Below, the process which determines the ventilation method based on the position of the detected person and object is shown.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the air blowing method of the present embodiment.

  First, when the process S99 is started, the airflow control unit 66 determines whether or not the object detected in the process S907 is an obstacle when the airflow is blown to a person (S601).

  Specifically, the object detection unit 64 determines that the object is an obstacle when the direction (position) in which the object is detected overlaps the direction (position) in which the person is detected. Here, the direction of the predetermined range is a range of a direction in which the direction in which the person is detected and the direction in which the object is detected overlap.

  Furthermore, the airflow control unit 66 may determine whether or not the object is an obstacle using at least one of the width, height, area, and the like of the object, for example. The airflow control unit 66 or the object detection unit 64 calculates the absolute value of the area, the horizontal width, or the vertical width of the object from the area of the object on the screen and the distance from the indoor unit 100 to the object. In step S99, the airflow control unit 66 may determine whether the object is an obstacle based on whether the area, width, or length of the object is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

  For example, the airflow control unit 66 determines that an object that is in the same direction as the direction in which the person is detected and has a width less than a predetermined width does not block the airflow, and the object is not an obstacle. You may judge. Further, FIG. 17 shows a process for determining whether or not the object is an obstacle using the area of the object on the image.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating processing for determining whether or not the object of the present embodiment is an obstacle based on the area. FIG. 17A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an object having an area determined to be an obstacle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an object having an area that is determined not to be an obstacle according to the present exemplary embodiment.

  The airflow control unit 66 generates an entire screen by connecting the left, middle, and right screens captured by the imaging unit 110. Then, the airflow control unit 66 calculates the horizontal width X and vertical width Y of the generated entire screen, and the horizontal width x and vertical width y of the detected object.

  When the direction in which the object is detected is included in a predetermined direction range from the direction in which the person is detected, the airflow control unit 66 is configured such that the ratio of the area of the object to the area of the entire screen, the ratio of the width X and the width x, and It is determined whether or not the object is an obstacle by using at least one of the ratios of the vertical width Y and the vertical width y.

  The object shown in FIG. 17A has a width x / width X of 20% and a length y / length Y of 15%. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 calculates 3% as (the area of the object / the area of the entire screen). Here, when 8% is designated in advance as the predetermined ratio of the area of the object to the area of the entire screen, the airflow control unit 66 determines in step S601 that the object is not an obstacle.

  On the other hand, the object shown in FIG. 17B has 10% of the area of the object / the area of the entire screen. For this reason, when the object is disposed in the same direction as the person, the air flow control unit 66 determines that the object is an obstacle in step S601.

  When controlling the airflow to all the objects detected from the image, the processing time of the microcomputer becomes long. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 in the process shown in FIG. 16 improves the processing speed of the microcomputer by determining an object having a size that affects the passage of the airflow as an obstacle for adjusting the air flow. By the process S601, the airflow control unit 66 excludes objects such as small trash cans that do not hinder the blowing from the target for adjusting the airflow.

  Note that the object detection unit 64 may improve the processing speed of the microcomputer in the process S908 by executing the process S601 after the process S907.

  When it is determined in step S601 that the object is not an obstacle, there is a high possibility that the obstacle and the person are in positions as shown in FIG. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects a blowing method (hereinafter referred to as “air blowing mode”) for directly blowing air to a person (S631), and ends the processing shown in FIG. As a result, the airflow control unit 66 can avoid unnecessary adjustment of the air blowing method for an object that is unlikely to block the wind.

  When it is determined in step S601 that the object is an obstacle, the airflow control unit 66 detects the person, the indoor unit 100, and the person in which the object determined to be an obstacle in step S601 (hereinafter referred to as an obstacle) is detected. It is determined whether or not it is an intermediate obstacle between the two (S602). The airflow control unit 66 determines whether or not the obstacle is between the person and the indoor unit 100, the distance between the object detected in the process S94 and the indoor unit 100, and the object detected in the process S97 and the indoor unit 100. By comparing the distance to.

  The airflow control unit 66 can select a blowing method based on the positional relationship between the person and the obstacle by executing the process S602.

  In the process S602, when it is determined that the obstacle is between the person and the indoor unit 100, or when it is determined that the obstacle is not between the person and the indoor unit 100, the air flow control unit 66 is It is determined whether or not the airflow can pass through the foot of the obstacle (S603, S611). The airflow control unit 66 determines whether the airflow can pass through based on the result in the process S908.

  If it is determined in step S603 that the airflow can pass through the foot of the obstacle, or if it is determined that the airflow cannot pass under the obstacle, the airflow control unit 66 determines that the distance between the person and the obstacle is It is determined whether or not the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance Lc (S604, S621).

  If it is determined in step S604 that the distance between the person and the obstacle is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance Lc, the positions of the person and the obstacle are as shown in FIGS. 19B to 19D described later. There is a high possibility that For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the air blowing method (hereinafter referred to as the upper airflow mode) that adjusts the airflow so that the airflow passes through a predetermined height from the upper end of the obstacle (S605). After the process S605, the airflow control unit 66 ends the process shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S604 that the distance between the person and the obstacle is less than the predetermined distance Lc, the position between the person and the obstacle may be a position as shown in FIG. Is expensive. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects a blowing method (hereinafter referred to as a downward airflow mode) that sends an airflow toward the foot of the obstacle (S606).

  Thereby, the airflow control unit 66 can blow air toward the person without being blocked by the obstacle. After process S606, the airflow control unit 66 ends the process shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in process S621 that the distance between the person and the obstacle is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance Lc, the position between the person and the obstacle may be a position as shown in FIG. Is expensive. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the air blowing mode (S622). After the process S622, the airflow control unit 66 ends the process shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in process S621 that the distance between the person and the obstacle is less than the predetermined distance Lc, the position between the person and the obstacle may be a position as shown in FIG. Is expensive. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects a blowing method (hereinafter, “upper end airflow mode”) for sending an airflow along the upper end or side surface of the obstacle (S623). After the process S623, the airflow control unit 66 ends the process shown in FIG. Since the distance between the person and the obstacle is short in the process S621, the airflow control unit 66 determines a blowing method that allows direct airflow to the person even though the airflow passes through the vicinity of the obstacle.

  If it is determined in step S611 that the airflow can pass through the foot of the obstacle, the positions of the person and the obstacle are likely to be positions as shown in FIG. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the lower airflow mode (S612). Thereby, the airflow control part 66 can determine the ventilation method which prevents that the airflow which passed the person stays between an obstruction and a person, and improves the comfort of the whole space. After the process S612, the airflow control unit 66 ends the process shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S611 that the airflow cannot pass through the foot of the obstacle, the positions of the person and the obstacle are likely to be positions as shown in FIG. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the air blowing mode (S613). After the process S613, the airflow control unit 66 ends the process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an upper airflow mode and a lower airflow mode of this embodiment.

FIG. 18A shows a side view of the room when the distance L _MF 1 between the person M1 and the obstacle F1 is small and the obstacle F1 is a long leg object. FIG. 18B shows a top view of the room when the distance L _MF 1 between the person M1 and the obstacle F1 is small and the obstacle F1 is a long leg object.

  The wall 331 is a wall on which the indoor unit 100 is installed, and the wall 334 is a wall facing the wall 331. Further, the wall 335 and the wall 336 are walls that intersect the wall 331 and the wall 336.

  The airflow control unit 66 of the indoor unit 100 illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B selects the lower airflow mode. Accordingly, when there is an obstacle F1 between the detected person M1 and the indoor unit 100, the airflow control unit 66 sends the airflow 171 toward the feet of the obstacle F1, which is a leg-long object, so that the left and right wind directions The direction of the plate 104 and the vertical wind direction plate 105 are swing-controlled.

  For example, when the air conditioner 10 is in the heating operation and a table is detected between the person M1 and the indoor unit 100, the air flow control unit 66 selects the down air flow mode so that the warm air is at the foot of the person M1. The direction of the left and right wind direction plate 104 and the direction of the up and down wind direction plate 105 are controlled so that the The airflow control unit 66 may adjust the rotation speed of the blower fan 103 according to the distance from the wall 331 of the person M1.

FIG. 18C shows a side view of the room when the distance L _MF2 between the person M1 and the obstacle F1 is large. FIG. 18D shows a top view of the room when the distance L _MF2 between the person M1 and the obstacle F1 is large.

  The airflow control unit 66 of the indoor unit 100 illustrated in FIGS. 18C and 18D selects the upper airflow mode. Thereby, when there is an obstacle F1 between the detected person M1 and the indoor unit 100, the airflow control unit 66 sends the airflow 172 so as to exceed the obstacle F1. The direction and up / down wind direction plate 105 is swing-controlled.

  For example, when the air conditioner 10 is in the heating operation and the person M1 is detected at a position away from the table, the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper airflow mode, so that the hot air is over the table and the person The direction of the left and right wind direction plates 104 and the direction of the upper and lower wind direction plates 105 are controlled so as to reach the feet of M1. The airflow control unit 66 may adjust the rotation speed of the blower fan 103 according to the distance from the wall 331 of the person M1.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for controlling the airflow 171 when the obstacle F1 is between the person of the present embodiment and the indoor unit 100 and the obstacle F1 has a shape through which the airflow 171 can pass. .

19 (a) is an explanatory view distance L _{MF 1} between the human M1 and the obstacle F1 of this embodiment showing the lower stream mode when a predetermined distance Lc smaller.

When the obstacle F1 has a shape that allows the obstacle F1 to pass through the airflow (leg-long object), the airflow control unit 66 selects the lower airflow mode and the upper airflow mode based on the distance between the person M1 and the obstacle F1. Specifically, the obstacle F1 is the leg length object, and, when the distance L _{MF 1} between the human M1 and the obstacle F1 predetermined distance Lc smaller, the airflow control portion 66 selects the lower stream mode To do. Even if the indoor unit 100 sends the airflow 171 directly to the person's feet, the top plate of the obstacle F1 blocks the airflow. This is because it can be delivered.

19 (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the control method of the air flow 172 when the distance L _{MF 2} is large between the human M1 and the obstacle F1 of this embodiment. FIG. 19C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for controlling the airflow 172 when the distance L _MF2 of the present embodiment is large and the obstacle F1 is close to the indoor unit 100. FIG. 19D is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for controlling the airflow 172 when the distance L _MF 3 is large and the obstacle F 1 is far from the indoor unit 100.

If human M1 and the distance L _{MF 2} with an obstacle F1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Lc, the airflow control portion 66 selects the upper stream mode. This is because the obstacle F1 does not block the airflow 172 even if the indoor unit 100 sends the airflow 172 over the obstacle F1.

The air conditioner 10 has predetermined air-conditioning capability (electric power, etc.) based on the size of the air-conditioned space. For example, when the capacity of the indoor unit 100 is 3.6 kW, the standard of the area that can be air-conditioned during the cooling operation is generally 10 to 15 tatami. The area (area) of 10-15 tatami mats is 16-25 m ² . In general, the distance to the wall 334 which is the opposite surface of the wall 331 is about 7 m at maximum, although it varies depending on the aspect ratio of the space.

  In the room of such a size, the obstacle F1 is close to the wall 331, the person M1 is away from the obstacle F1 (see FIG. 19C), and the airflow control unit 66 is under the obstacle F1. When the mode is selected, since the length of the airflow flowing on the floor becomes long, the indoor unit 100 may not be able to blow air so as to improve the comfort for the person M1.

  For this reason, when the person M1 and the obstacle F1 are separated from each other, the airflow control unit 66 according to the present embodiment selects the upper airflow mode even if the obstacle F1 passes through the airflow. The air flow may be sent directly to the person M1 to improve the comfort.

  FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating airflow control when the obstacle F2 of the present embodiment has a shape in which the airflow cannot pass therethrough. Fig.20 (a) is explanatory drawing which shows the upper end airflow mode of the obstruction F2 of a present Example. FIG.20 (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the upper airflow mode and wind blowing mode of the obstruction F2 of a present Example.

When the detected obstacle F2 is a short leg object, the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper end airflow mode or the upper airflow mode according to the distance L between the person M1 and the obstacle F2. Airflow control unit 66, when the distance _{L MF} 1 between the human M1 and the obstacle F2 is less than the predetermined value Lc, select the upper air flow mode shown in FIG. 20 (a), the human M1 and the obstacle F2 If the distance L _{MF 2} between is not less than a predetermined value Lc, selects the airflow mode on shown in FIG. 20 (b).

  When the obstacle F2 is a short leg object, even if the indoor unit 100 sends the airflow 193 below the obstacle F2, the airflow 193 is blocked by the obstacle F2 and does not reach the person M1. When the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper end airflow mode, the indoor unit 100 blows the airflow 191 along the upper end of the obstacle F2 and blows the airflow 191 toward the person M1. As a result, the air flow control unit 66 can deliver the air flow 191 to the person M1 near the obstacle F2.

If the distance L _{MF 2} between the human M1 and the obstacle F2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value Lc, the airflow control portion 66 selects the upper stream mode and wind hit mode. As a result, the indoor unit 100 blows the airflow 192 so that it passes over the obstacle F2 and the wind hits the person M1.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating airflow control when the person M1 of the present embodiment is between the indoor unit 100 and an obstacle. Fig.21 (a) is explanatory drawing which shows the air blowing mode and downflow mode of a present Example. FIG. 21B is an explanatory diagram showing the air blowing mode of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 21 (a), the airflow control unit 66 is configured so that the air blowing mode and the downward airflow are generated when the person M1 is between the obstacle F1 and the indoor unit 100 and the obstacle F1 is a leg-long object. Select a mode. In this case, the indoor unit 100 blows the airflow 223 toward the feet of the person M1 and the feet of the obstacle F1.

  As shown in FIG. 21 (b), the airflow control unit 66 selects the air blowing mode when the person M1 is between the obstacle F1 and the indoor unit 100 and the obstacle F1 is a short leg object. To do. In this case, the indoor unit 100 blows the airflow 224 toward the feet of the person M1.

  FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when the object of this example is not determined to be an obstacle.

  FIG. 22 shows the airflow 230 that the indoor unit 100 sends in the air blowing mode when the object F3 is between the person M2 and the indoor unit 100 and it is not determined that the object F3 is an obstacle. For example, the object F3 is an object having a thin cross-sectional area such as a coat hanger and the width of the rod is small. Therefore, the airflow control unit 66 does not determine that the object F3 is an obstacle in step S601. Since the area of the object F3 is not large enough to block the airflow, the airflow control unit 66 selects the air blowing mode in which the air is directly applied to the person M2 (S631).

  In the process shown in FIG. 16, the airflow control unit 66 is shown in FIGS. 17 to 22 in accordance with conditions such as the position of the obstacle, the distance between the person and the obstacle, and whether the obstacle is a long leg object. Select the blowing method. Thereby, the airflow control part 66 can find the path of an appropriate airflow according to the person in the room and the position and shape of the obstacle, and can appropriately control the wind direction.

  However, the combination of the condition for selecting the blowing method and the blowing method may be other than the combination shown in FIG. 16 as long as it is a combination that can enhance human comfort. For example, in the process S612, the airflow control unit 66 may select only the air blowing mode. Furthermore, the conditions for selecting the blowing method may be any conditions.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating airflow control based on the distance between the wall 331 on which the indoor unit 100 of the present embodiment is installed and the obstacle F4. 23 (a) is an explanatory view showing the air flow control when the distance L _AF is small between the wall 331 and the obstacle F2 of this embodiment from the side. FIG. _23B is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control from the top when the distance LAF between the wall 331 and the obstacle F2 of this embodiment is small.

FIG. 23 (c) is an explanatory view showing the air flow control when the distance L _AF is large between the wall 331 and the obstacle F2 of this embodiment from the side. FIG. _23D is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control from the top when the distance LAF between the wall 331 and the obstacle F2 of this embodiment is large.

In process S623 of FIG. 17, the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper end airflow mode. Here, the airflow control unit 66 may select an airflow control method based on the distance L _AF 1 between the obstacle F2 and the person M1. When the distance L _AF 1 is less than or equal to the predetermined distance L _c 1, the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper end airflow mode as in the process S623 of FIG. Further, the airflow control unit 66 may determine to perform the left and right swing operation.

On the other hand, when the distance L _AF 1 is larger than the predetermined distance L _c 1, the airflow control unit 66 selects a method of directing the obstacle F2 as shown in FIGS. 23 (c) and 23 (d). The air flow 222 may be blown by the left and right swing operation around the person M1. Due to this swing operation, the airflow bypasses the obstacle F2, so that the airflow is not blocked by the obstacle F2.

  By determining the air blowing method based on the distance between the wall 331 and the obstacle F4, the airflow control unit 66 can also reduce the possibility that the object that is determined to be the obstacle F4 actually blocks the wind. The air flow can be adjusted appropriately.

  Next, a method for determining a blowing method in consideration of heating operation and cooling operation will be described.

  FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control during heating and cooling when the obstacle F1 of the present embodiment is a long leg object. Fig.24 (a) is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow at the time of the heating of a present Example from a side surface. FIG.24 (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow at the time of the heating of a present Example from an upper surface.

  FIG.24 (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow at the time of the cooling of a present Example from a side surface. FIG.24 (d) is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow at the time of the cooling of a present Example from an upper surface.

  The indoor unit 100 can improve the comfort of the person M1 when the air is blown to the foot of the person M1 during heating. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the lower airflow mode of the obstacle F1 in the processing S606 and the processing S612, and sends air to the feet of the obstacle F1 as in the airflow 231 in FIGS. 24 (a) and 24 (b). To do.

  On the other hand, the indoor unit 100 can enhance the comfort of the person M1 when the air is blown to the head side of the person M1 during cooling. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper airflow mode of the obstacle F <b> 1 and blows the air above the obstacle F <b> 1 like the airflow 232 even if the object is a long leg object in the processes S <b> 606 and S <b> 612.

  FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing detailed airflow control during obstacle avoidance operation during heating according to the present embodiment.

  The airflow 242 illustrated in FIG. 25 is wind that is in the vicinity of the indoor unit 100 and is sent toward the bottom of the indoor unit 100. In the heating operation based on the normal operation command, the indoor unit 100 is set to blow air almost directly below as indicated by the airflow 242.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when the button 44 of the remote controller 40 is operated, the processing shown in FIG. 9 is executed. When the heating operation by the normal operation command is performed before the start of the process shown in FIG. 9 and the process S606 shown in FIG. 16 is performed, the control unit 60 is more than at the time of the operation by the normal operation command. The downward airflow mode is executed in which the vertical airflow direction plate 105 is directed upward and the airflow 241 is sent to the foot of the obstacle F1.

  Since the air flow 241 is an air flow in which only the air direction of the air flow 242 is changed, the wind speed is not weakened compared to the air flow 242. For this reason, the air conditioner 10 can enhance the comfort of the person M1 while maintaining the instruction before the start of the process shown in FIG.

  Next, a case will be described in which the left and right wind direction plates 104 and the upper and lower wind direction plates 105 of the indoor unit 100 are divided into a plurality of units, and the control unit 60 is a model that can independently control each of the plurality of wind direction plates.

  FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control using a plurality of divided wind direction plates according to the present embodiment. Fig.26 (a) is explanatory drawing which shows the side surface of a room | chamber interior when a person sits on the leg short object of a present Example. FIG. 26B is an explanatory view showing the upper surface of the room when a person is sitting on the short leg object of this embodiment.

  FIG.26 (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the side surface of a room | chamber interior when a person is sitting on the chair adjacent to the leg long object of a present Example. FIG.26 (d) is explanatory drawing which shows the indoor upper surface in case a person is sitting on the chair next to the leg-length object of a present Example.

  The left and right wind direction plates 104 and the upper and lower wind direction plates 105 shown in FIGS. 26A to 26D are divided into a wind direction plate 150a, a wind direction plate 150b, and a wind direction plate 150c. The wind direction plate 150a, the wind direction plate 150b, and the wind direction plate 150c each independently control the wind direction vertically and horizontally.

  In step S623, the airflow control unit 66 uses a part of the wind direction plates (for example, the wind direction plate 150a) as shown in FIGS. Decide to blow. Further, the airflow control unit 66 determines that the other wind direction plates (for example, the wind direction plate 150b and the wind direction plate 150c) are blown in the direction in which the obstacle F2 is not detected and in the downward direction. May be. Thereby, the air conditioner 10 can ventilate people and reduce the temperature difference between the indoor temperatures.

  In the process S606, the air flow control unit 66 blows the air flow 253 with a part of the wind direction plates (for example, the wind direction plate 150a) facing the obstacle F1, as shown in FIGS. 26 (c) and 26 (d). Decide what to do. Further, the airflow control unit 66 may determine that other wind direction plates (for example, the wind direction plate 150b and the wind direction plate 150c) are blown in the direction in which the obstacle F1 is not detected and in the downward direction. . Thereby, the air conditioner 10 can ventilate people and reduce the temperature difference between the indoor temperatures.

  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.

  In addition, each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing procedures, and the like may be realized in hardware by designing some or all of them, for example, with 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 a program, a table, or a file that realizes each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

  Further, the control lines or information lines indicate what is considered necessary for the explanation, and not all the control lines or information lines on the product are necessarily shown. In practice, almost all the components are connected to each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air conditioner 40 Remote control 46 Remote control receiving part 100 Indoor unit 106 Front panel 110 Imaging part 120 Near-infrared light source 130 Temperature detection part 140 Foot monitor 200 Outdoor unit

Claims (14)

An imaging unit that captures an image of the room in which the indoor unit is installed;
An extraction unit for extracting an edge included in the image;
An object detection unit for detecting an object using the edge extracted by the extraction unit;
An air conditioner having an airflow control unit that controls an airflow based on the shape of the object detected by the object detection unit. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The image pickup unit picks up the image with near infrared rays. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The object detection unit determines whether or not the shape detected by the object detection unit is a shape that allows airflow to pass through.
The airflow control unit controls the direction of the airflow based on a determination result as to whether or not the airflow can pass through the airflow control unit. The air conditioner according to claim 3,
The object detection unit is
Obtain the center of gravity of the object detected by the object detection unit based on the shape of the object detected by the object detection unit,
Comparing the obtained position of the center of gravity with a first height obtained by multiplying the height of the object detected by the object detection unit by a first predetermined ratio;
When the position of the center of gravity obtained by the object detection unit is equal to or higher than the first height, it is determined that the airflow can pass through the object,
An air conditioner, wherein when the position of the center of gravity obtained by the object detection unit is lower than the first height, it is determined that the object does not have a shape through which airflow can pass. The air conditioner according to claim 3,
The object detection unit is
Based on the shape of the object detected by the object detection unit, calculate the height for dividing the object detected by the object detection unit up and down by a predetermined area ratio,
Comparing the height calculated by the object detector with a second height obtained by multiplying the height of the object detected by the object detector by a second predetermined ratio;
When the height calculated by the object detection unit is equal to or higher than the second height, it is determined that the object has a shape through which airflow can pass.
When the height calculated by the object detection unit is lower than the second height, the air conditioner determines that the object does not have a shape through which airflow can pass. The air conditioner according to claim 3,
A human detection unit for detecting a person using the edge extracted by the extraction unit;
The airflow control unit
The position of the person detected by the person detection unit on the image is determined to be an obstacle that is an obstacle to air flow to the person, the object detected by the object detection unit overlapping the position on the image,
Based on the person and the obstacle detected by the person detection unit, the distance between the person and the obstacle is calculated,
Comparing the distance between the person and the obstacle calculated by the airflow control unit and the first predetermined distance;
When the shape of the obstacle is a shape through which airflow can pass through the obstacle, and the distance between the person and the obstacle calculated by the airflow control unit is smaller than a first predetermined distance, An air conditioner characterized by controlling the air flow so as to blow air downward. It is an air conditioner of Claim 6, Comprising:
The airflow control unit
The obstacle placed between the person detected by the person detection unit and the air conditioner is determined as an intermediate obstacle,
When it is determined that the shape of the intermediate obstacle is a shape through which airflow can pass through the intermediate obstacle, the air is blown upward from the intermediate obstacle based on the distance between the person and the intermediate obstacle. Or an air conditioner that determines whether to blow air toward the lower side of the intermediate obstacle. It is an air conditioner of Claim 6, Comprising:
The airflow control unit
Based on the person and the obstacle detected by the person detection unit, the obstacle arranged between the person and the air conditioner is determined as an intermediate obstacle,
If it is determined that the shape of the intermediate obstacle is not a shape through which airflow can pass through the intermediate obstacle, based on the distance between the person and the intermediate obstacle, blow toward the person, or An air conditioner that determines whether to blow along at least one of an upper end and a side surface of the intermediate obstacle. It is an air conditioner of Claim 6, Comprising:
The airflow control unit
Compare the area on the image of the obstacle with a predetermined area,
When the area on the image of the obstacle is equal to or less than the predetermined area, the air flow is controlled so as to blow air toward the person. It is an air conditioner of Claim 6, Comprising:
The airflow control unit
Based on the obstacle, calculate the distance between the position where the air conditioner is installed and the obstacle,
Comparing the distance between the position where the air conditioner is installed and the obstacle and a second predetermined distance;
When the distance between the position where the air conditioner is installed and the obstacle is equal to or greater than the second predetermined distance, the airflow is blown toward at least one of a lower end and a side surface of the obstacle. An air conditioner characterized by controlling. The air conditioner according to claim 3,
A human detection unit for detecting a person using the edge extracted by the extraction unit;
The airflow control unit
The position of the person detected by the person detection unit on the image is determined to be an obstacle that is an obstacle to air flow to the person, the object detected by the object detection unit overlapping the position on the image,
The airflow control unit
When the shape of the obstacle is a shape through which airflow can pass through the obstacle, and the air conditioner is operating cooling, the airflow is controlled so as to blow air toward the upper side of the obstacle. And
When the shape of the obstacle is a shape through which airflow can pass through the obstacle, and the air conditioner is operating heating, the airflow is controlled so as to blow downward toward the obstacle An air conditioner characterized by The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The extraction unit extracts an area surrounded by an edge from the image,
The object detection unit is
Calculating a complexity indicating a change in luminance of the region extracted by the extraction unit;
An air conditioner that detects an area extracted by the extraction unit as the object when the complexity calculated by the object detection unit is included in a predetermined complexity range. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The extraction unit extracts an area surrounded by an edge from the image,
The object detection unit is
Calculate circularity indicating that the region extracted by the extraction unit is close to a circle,
When the circularity calculated by the object detection unit is included in a predetermined circularity range, an area extracted by the extraction unit is detected as the object. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The extraction unit extracts an area surrounded by an edge from the image,
The object detection unit is
Calculate the area of the region extracted by the extraction unit,
When the area of the region calculated by the object detection unit is included in a range of a predetermined area, the region extracted by the extraction unit is detected as the object.