JP2017194231A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner that can estimate a humidity distribution in a room, and realize comfortable air conditioning.SOLUTION: An air conditioner comprises: a room temperature sensor 121 for detecting temperature in a room; a humidity sensor 122 for detecting relative humidity in the room; a surface temperature detection part 124 for detecting surface temperature of an area in the room; and a control unit 130 for estimating relative humidity of the area from the temperature in the room detected by the room temperature sensor 121, the relative humidity detected by the humidity sensor 122, and the surface temperature of the area detected by the surface temperature detection part 124, and performing air conditioning control depending on the estimated relative humidity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of estimating indoor humidity distribution and realizing comfortable air conditioning.

  Conventionally, as an air conditioner capable of dehumidifying operation, a method of performing a cooling operation in which the air volume of the indoor unit is suppressed (weak cooling method), an indoor heat exchanger is divided into a cooler and a heater, or an indoor unit heat exchange There is known a method (reheating method) in which an electric heater is provided downstream of the vessel to simultaneously adjust the temperature and humidity of the blown air. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner in which a user can arbitrarily set a plurality of dehumidifying operation modes.

  In the first embodiment of Patent Document 1, as the dehumidifying capability of the dehumidifying operation mode, a “standard” dehumidifying capability and a “strong” dehumidifying capability that lowers the humidity than the “standard” dehumidifying capability are further added to the first embodiment. It has a “moderate” dehumidification capability that makes the humidity higher than the “standard” dehumidification capability, and can be switched cyclically in the order of “standard” dehumidification capability, “strong” dehumidification capability, and “moderate” dehumidification capability The provision of means is described.

  In the second embodiment, in addition to the mode according to the difference in dehumidification ability in the first embodiment, the modes classified as the difference in the use of the air conditioner, that is, “Landry”, “Outing”, “Condensation” It is described that three modes of “suppression” are added, and each time the dehumidifying button is pressed, the mode is switched to six modes.

Japanese Patent No. 3801268

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 described above has a problem that only the humidity around the indoor unit can be detected because it is detected by a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor mounted on the indoor unit. In addition, the user can arbitrarily select the “standard”, “strong”, “squeeze” mode depending on the dehumidification capability, and the “landry”, “outing”, “condensation suppression” modes depending on the dehumidification application, and adjust the humidity for the entire indoor area. When indoor occupants, furniture, windows, and the like exist, humidity unevenness occurs in each area, and there is a problem that comfort cannot be said to be sufficient.

  This invention is invention for solving the said subject, Comprising: It aims at providing the air conditioner which can estimate indoor humidity distribution and can implement | achieve comfortable air conditioning.

  In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioner of the present invention includes a temperature detection unit (for example, a room temperature sensor 121) that detects the temperature in the room and a humidity detection unit (for example, the humidity sensor 122) that detects the relative humidity in the room. ), A surface temperature detection unit for detecting the surface temperature of the indoor area, a temperature of the room detected by the temperature detection unit, a relative humidity detected by the humidity detection unit, and a surface temperature of the area detected by the surface temperature detection unit And a control unit that estimates the relative humidity of the area and performs air-conditioning control in accordance with the estimated relative humidity. Other aspects of the present invention will be described in the embodiments described later.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to estimate indoor humidity distribution and realize comfortable air conditioning.

It is a front view which shows the indoor unit, outdoor unit, and remote control of an air conditioner. It is a sectional side view which shows the indoor unit of an air conditioner. It is a perspective view which shows the indoor unit of an air conditioner. It is a block diagram which shows the control part of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the calculation method of the relative humidity by the wet air diagram which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the dehumidification driving | operation process of the comfortable driving control which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the modification 1 of the dehumidification driving | operation process of the comfortable driving control which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the modification 2 of the dehumidification driving | operation process of the comfortable driving control which concerns on this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the example of ventilation in case there exist one or more high-humidity areas, (a) is when a high-humidity area is one place, (b) (c) is when a high-humidity area is plurality. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control range of an up-and-down wind direction board, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control range of a left-right wind direction board. It is explanatory drawing which shows the temperature detection range of a surface temperature detection part, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the indoor unit 100, the outdoor unit 200, and the remote controller Re of the air conditioner A. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner A includes an indoor unit 100, an outdoor unit 200, and a remote controller Re. The outdoor unit 200 includes a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor fan, a four-way valve, and an expansion valve. The indoor unit 100 includes an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan. The indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 300, and air conditioning of the room in which the indoor unit 100 is installed can be performed by a known refrigeration cycle. The indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 transmit and receive information to and from each other via a communication cable (not shown).

  The remote controller Re is operated by the user and transmits an infrared signal to the remote controller transmission / reception unit Q of the indoor unit 100. The contents of the infrared signal are commands such as an operation request, a change in set temperature, a timer, and an operation mode change stop request. The air conditioner A performs air conditioning operations such as a cooling mode, a heating mode, and a dehumidifying mode based on these infrared signal commands. In addition, the indoor unit 100 transmits data such as room temperature information, humidity information, and electricity bill information from the remote control transmission / reception unit Q to the remote control Re.

  In addition, an imaging unit 123 and a surface temperature detection unit 124 are installed close to each other at the center lower portion of the indoor unit 100. The surface temperature detector 124 is a non-contact temperature sensor such as a thermopile. The imaging unit 123 can image a room in a band including a visible light band and a partial band of infrared light. The surface temperature detection unit 124 acquires the detected temperature distribution as a thermal image. Thereby, since the imaging part 123 and the surface temperature detection part 124 are adjoining, the picked-up image by the imaging part 123 and the thermal image by the surface temperature detection part 124 can be matched. The imaging unit 123 is arranged to capture an image of the air-conditioned room. The arrangement of the surface temperature detection unit 124 and the imaging unit 123 may be set according to the image detection method and the detection target, the specifications of the imaging unit 123, and the like. Details of the imaging unit 123 and the surface temperature detection unit 124 will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner A. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner A. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing base 101 of the indoor unit 100 houses internal structures such as an indoor heat exchanger 102, an indoor fan 103 (blower fan), and a filter 108.

  The indoor heat exchanger 102 has a plurality of heat transfer tubes 102a. The indoor heat exchanger 102 is configured to heat or cool the air taken into the indoor unit 100 by the indoor fan 103 with the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube 102a, thereby heating or cooling the air. The heat transfer tube 102a communicates with the refrigerant pipe 300 (see FIG. 1) and constitutes a part of a known refrigerant cycle (not shown).

  The left and right wind direction plates 104 are driven by a left and right wind direction plate motor 153 (see FIG. 4) with a rotating shaft (not shown) provided at the lower part as a fulcrum according to an instruction from the control unit 130 (see FIG. 4) of the indoor unit 100. It is rotated. The left and right wind direction plates 104 are divided into a plurality of parts in the left and right direction, and can simultaneously blow the winds in a plurality of directions.

  The vertical wind direction plate 105 is rotated by a vertical wind direction plate motor 154 (see FIG. 4) according to instructions from the control unit 130 of the indoor unit 100, with pivot shafts (not shown) provided at both ends as fulcrums. . As shown in FIG. 3, the up / down wind direction plate 105 is divided into three parts: a left up / down wind direction plate 105a, a central up / down wind direction plate 105b, and a right up / down wind direction plate 105c. By dividing the vertical wind direction plate 105 in the left-right direction, it is possible to improve the blowing performance in a plurality of directions. The up / down wind direction plate 105 may be divided into two or four in the left / right direction. Alternatively, the up / down wind direction plate 105 may be configured without being divided in the left / right direction, and the right / left wind direction plate 104 may be used. You may make it blow.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front panel 106 is installed so as to cover the front surface of the indoor unit 100, and is configured to be rotatable by a front panel motor (not shown) with the lower end as an axis. The front panel 106 is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured to be fixed to the lower end.

  As the indoor fan 103 rotates, the indoor air is taken in via the air suction port 107 and the filter 108, and the air heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 102 is guided to the blowout air passage 109a. The air guided to the blowout air passage 109a is adjusted in air direction by the left and right airflow direction plates 104 and the vertical airflow direction plate 105, and is sent to the outside from the air blowing port 109b. The air sent to the outside from the air outlet 109b air-conditions the room.

  The imaging unit 123 is attached in the vicinity of the air outlet 109b. The imaging unit 123 is installed so as to face downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction from its mounting position. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately capture the room in which the indoor unit 100 is installed. However, the attachment position of the imaging unit 123 and the installation angle thereof may be set in accordance with the specification and application of the air conditioner A, and the configuration thereof is not limited.

  When the surface temperature detection unit 124 (see FIG. 1) is a thermopile, for example, horizontal × vertical is constituted by 1 × 8 pixels. What is detected by the surface temperature detection unit 124 is not limited to the average surface temperature in the room, but the surface temperature of the floor / wall surface, the surface temperature of the person's clothing, the temperature of the person's skin, the temperature of the foot, The temperature may be the temperature of each part of a person. In addition, the structure of the air conditioner A of a present Example is an example to the last, You may change suitably.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control unit 130 of the air conditioner A according to the present embodiment. The control unit 130 of the air conditioner A includes an indoor temperature detection unit 131 and an indoor humidity detection unit 132 based on each sensor information, and calculates absolute humidity based on the indoor temperature detection unit 131 and the indoor humidity detection unit 132. Unit 133, image recognition unit 134 for each indoor area, human body / furniture / window detection unit 135 for detecting a human body / furniture / window based on the image of image recognition unit 134, and an object temperature detection unit 136 for each indoor area A high humidity area estimation unit 137 that estimates an indoor high humidity area, an air conditioning control unit 138, and a storage unit 140 are provided. The control unit 130 controls the operation of the air conditioner A based on each sensor information, and drives the driving unit 150.

  The control unit 130 is connected to a room temperature sensor 121 and a humidity sensor 122, an imaging unit 123, a surface temperature detection unit 124, and the like. The humidity sensor 122 is, for example, a resistance humidity sensor, and is a sensor that measures relative humidity.

  Information obtained by the room temperature sensor 121 and the humidity sensor 122 is processed by the indoor temperature detection unit 131 and the indoor humidity detection unit 132, and the absolute humidity calculation unit 133 is based on the calculation data of wet air in FIG. Calculate the absolute humidity in the air-conditioned room.

  Absolute humidity is expressed by the mass of water vapor in a unit volume, and in an air-conditioned space where air does not enter and exit, the amount of moisture in the air does not change regardless of the temperature, so the absolute humidity is considered to be constant. . Relative humidity is the ratio of the actual amount of water vapor to the amount of water vapor (saturated water vapor) that can be contained in the air at a certain temperature. In the case of relative humidity, the amount of water in the air is the same. The value of relative humidity changes with temperature. The relationship between absolute humidity and relative humidity will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for calculating relative humidity using the wet air diagram according to the present embodiment. The dry bulb temperature is plotted on the horizontal axis, the absolute humidity is plotted on the vertical axis, and the relative humidity is shown on the graph as a curve that rises to the right. Can do. For example, when the room temperature sensor 121 of the air conditioner A detects 20 ° C. and the humidity sensor 122 detects a relative humidity of 40%, the absolute humidity calculation unit 133 calculates the absolute humidity as 0.006 kg / kg ′. As described above, in the air-conditioned space where air does not enter and exit, the amount of moisture in the air does not change regardless of the air temperature, so the absolute humidity is constant. Therefore, the object temperature detection unit detected by the surface temperature detection unit 124 When the temperature of 136 is 25 ° C., it can be estimated that the relative humidity around the detected object is 30%.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the imaging unit 123 continuously captures images of the air-conditioned room, converts them into image information, and outputs the image information to the control unit 130. The surface temperature detection unit 124 captures the temperature distribution of each part (each area) in the air-conditioned room in a non-contact manner, acquires it as a thermal image, and outputs it to the control unit 130. The room temperature sensor 121 measures the room temperature in the air-conditioned room. The control unit 130 includes image information input from the imaging unit 123, a thermal image input from the surface temperature detection unit 124, room temperature input from the room temperature sensor 121, humidity input from the humidity sensor 122, and remote control Re. The operation of the air conditioner A is comprehensively controlled according to a command signal input from the sensor and sensor outputs input from various sensors.

  The image recognition unit 134 of the control unit 130 recognizes the indoor environment based on the image information captured by the imaging unit 123, and the human body / furniture / window detection unit 135 recognizes each part of the person, furniture, windows, and the like to detect the object temperature. The detection unit 136 is notified. Note that the image recognition unit 134 may recognize the indoor environment based on the information of the thermal image input from the surface temperature detection unit 124, recognize each part or window of a person, and notify the object temperature detection unit 136. . Thereby, the human body / furniture / window detection unit 135 can be omitted.

The object temperature detection unit 136 detects the human face and limbs (parts other than the face) from the position of each part of the person recognized by the image recognition unit 134 and the thermal image indicating the temperature of each part in the air-conditioned room. And the temperature of the temperature object at the specified at least one part is detected in a non-contact manner. Thereby, the air conditioner A can adjust an air-conditioning driving | operation based on the temperature of each part of a person. Note that when the image recognition unit 134 recognizes each part of a person based on the information of the thermal image input from the surface temperature detection unit 124 and notifies the object temperature detection unit 136, the image captured by the imaging unit 123 is captured. There is an effect that it is not necessary to consider the deviation between the information and the thermal image.

  The human body / furniture / window detection unit 135 detects whether or not the image in the image recognition unit 134 includes a face part of the human body to be detected and / or a part other than the face part, and an image region to be detected. Is detected.

  The storage unit 140 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. And the program memorize | stored in ROM is read by the control microcomputer, expand | deployed to RAM, and is performed.

  The air conditioning control unit 138 adjusts the set temperature or the wind direction when the temperature of the human face and / or the part other than the face obtained from the surface temperature detection unit 124 during the air conditioning operation satisfies a predetermined condition. Further, the air conditioning control unit 138 adjusts the air volume and the wind direction with respect to the high humidity area estimated by the high humidity area estimation unit 137. The detailed control contents of the air conditioning control unit 138 will be described later.

  The drive unit 150 includes, for example, a compressor motor 151 included in the outdoor unit 200, a blower fan motor 152 included in the indoor unit 100, a left / right wind direction plate motor 153 installed in the left / right wind direction plate 104, and an up / down wind direction plate 105. And a vertical wind direction plate motor 154 to be installed. These left and right wind direction plates 104 and left and right wind direction plate motors 153, and the upper and lower wind direction plates 105 and the upper and lower wind direction plate motors 154 are wind direction control units that control the air direction of the air conditioning.

  In the present embodiment, the high humidity area estimation unit 137 estimates the humidity of each area in the room detected by the surface temperature detection unit 124, and for example, appropriate air can be blown to the high humidity area. In this case, the relationship among the control range of the up / down wind direction plate 105, the control range of the left / right wind direction plate 104, and the temperature detection range in the surface temperature detection unit 124 for each area will be described with reference to FIGS.

  10A and 10B are explanatory views showing the control range of the up and down wind direction plate 105, where FIG. 10A is a side view and FIG. 10B is a plan view. The depth direction (Z direction) of the room is divided into ten. The required swing range of the up / down wind direction plate 105 is determined depending on which of the 10 divided areas is a high humidity area. For example, when the high humidity area (shaded portion) is A3 and A7, the vertical wind direction plate 105 swings between A3 and A7. In addition, since the air is reliably delivered by swinging the air sending range from A3 to A8 from the previous range, the humidity in the room is further improved.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a control range of the left and right wind direction plates 104. In FIG. 11, the control range of the left and right wind direction plates 104 is divided into 20 parts, and the necessary swing range of the left and right wind direction plates 104 is determined depending on which of the 20 divided areas is a high humidity area. . For example, when the high humidity area (shaded portion) is from B3 to B6, the right and left wind direction plate 104 swings between B3 and B6. Further, if the swing is stopped for about 2 seconds at the position of the high humidity area, the humidity in the room is improved. Furthermore, if the swing range is not limited to B3 to B6 but B2 to B7, which is one area wider than the high humidity area, the indoor humidity non-uniformity is further improved.

  By combining the control of the up / down wind direction plate 105 and the control of the left / right wind direction plate 104 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, it is possible to appropriately blow air to the high humidity area.

  12A and 12B are explanatory views showing a temperature detection range of the surface temperature detection unit 124, where FIG. 12A is a plan view and FIG. 12B is a side view. When the surface temperature detection unit 124 is a thermopile, the thermopile detection element is, for example, a one-dimensionally arranged heat receiving element with 1 × 8 pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions as described above. By rotating the thermopile with the arrangement direction of the detection elements as a rotation axis, scanning is performed in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the detection elements. Thereby, a two-dimensional radiant heat image of 8 pixels can be acquired in the vertical direction. It is possible to acquire a thermal image of 20 × 8 pixels with an angle of view of 150 ° in the scanning direction (horizontal direction) of the acquired image. From this temperature detection result, the high humidity area estimation unit 137 can specify the high humidity area.

  Next, comfortable operation control during the dehumidifying operation of the air conditioner A in the present embodiment will be described using FIG. 6 with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 as appropriate.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a dehumidifying operation process of the comfortable operation control according to the present embodiment. The operation in the dehumidifying comfortable driving control mode is started by the operation of setting the comfortable driving control mode from the remote controller Re.

  In step S10, the air conditioning control unit 138 performs the dehumidifying operation over a predetermined period. Here, the air conditioning control unit 138 is not different from the normal dehumidifying operation mode, and the vertical airflow direction plate 105 (the left vertical airflow direction plate 105a, the central vertical airflow direction plate 105b, the right side) of the outlet of the indoor unit 100 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The vertical wind direction plate 105c) is made substantially horizontal. However, this is not the case when the up-and-down wind direction plate 105 is set downward with the remote controller Re according to the user's preference. The direction of the right and left wind direction plate 104 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to allow the wind to spread throughout the room, such as by swinging in the left and right direction.

  In step S11, if the room temperature by the room temperature sensor 121 has not reached the set temperature ± α (predetermined temperature) range (step S11, No), the air conditioning control unit 138 proceeds to the process of step S12. It is determined whether the indoor fan 103 is in operation. If the indoor fan 103 is operating (step S12, Yes), the process returns to step S10. If the indoor fan 103 is not operating (step S12, No), the indoor fan 103 is operated (step S27). This operation is to improve the accuracy of absolute humidity in the air-conditioned room by eliminating the stagnation around the room temperature sensor 121 and the humidity sensor 122 and increasing the detection accuracy.

  After the operation of the indoor fan 103, the process returns to step S10 again, and the normal dehumidifying operation is continued. This determination is repeated once for several minutes to several tens of minutes. When the air conditioning control unit 138 reaches a temperature within the set temperature range as time passes (step S11, Yes), the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S <b> 13, the indoor humidity detection unit 132 acquires the relative humidity RH based on information from the humidity sensor 122.

  In step S14, the absolute humidity calculation unit 133 calculates the absolute humidity AH based on the room temperature acquired by the room temperature detection unit 131 based on the information of the room temperature sensor 121 and the relative humidity RH acquired in step S13. Regarding the calculation of the absolute humidity, the absolute humidity calculation unit 133 calculates the absolute humidity using the database of the wet air diagram of FIG.

  In step S <b> 15, the object temperature detection unit 136 acquires the indoor temperature distribution based on the information of the surface temperature detection unit 124.

  In step S16, the high humidity area estimation unit 137 calculates a local relative humidity RH_P of each area shown in FIG. Specifically, the high humidity area estimation unit 137 estimates (calculates) the relative humidity of the area from the surface temperature of the area detected by the surface temperature detection unit 124 and the absolute humidity AH in step S14.

  In step S17, the high humidity area estimation unit 137 includes an air-conditioned area in which the local relative humidity RH_P obtained in step S16 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value β (for example, 70%) (first predetermined value). Determine whether. Here, an area where the local relative humidity RH_P is equal to or greater than the predetermined value β is defined as a high humidity area.

  If it is determined in step S17 that there is no area equal to or greater than the predetermined value β (step S17, No), the process proceeds to step S29, and the air conditioning control unit 138 performs a dehumidifying operation for normal wind direction control and air volume control.

  If the determination condition in step S17 includes an area equal to or greater than the predetermined value β (step S17, Yes), the process proceeds to step S18, and the air conditioning control unit 138 determines that the local relative humidity RH_P is equal to or greater than the predetermined value β. Perform dehumidifying operation corresponding to the area. A specific example of step S18 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an example of air blowing when there are one or more high-humidity areas, (a) when there is one high-humidity area, and (b) and (c) when there are a plurality of high-humidity areas. It is. When the high humidity area (area where the relative humidity is equal to or higher than the predetermined value β) shown in FIG. 9A is one place, the dehumidified air is intensively blown to the area, or the ventilation swing time is further increased. The air conditioning control unit 138 performs control so that the relative humidity can reach the predetermined value β by blowing air for a long time.

  Further, when a plurality of high-humidity areas (areas where the relative humidity is equal to or higher than the predetermined value β) shown in FIG. 9B are detected and the swing is not set, intensive air blowing is simultaneously performed on each area. . Further, when a plurality of high humidity areas (area where the relative humidity is equal to or greater than the predetermined value β) shown in FIG. 9C is detected and the swing is set, the swing is temporarily performed in the area where the relative humidity is high. The air conditioning control unit 138 performs control so that the local relative humidity RH_P can reach less than the predetermined value β by stopping and performing intensive ventilation.

  Returning to FIG. 6, in step S <b> 19, the air conditioning control unit 138 determines whether or not the local relative humidity RH_P is less than the predetermined value β (step S <b> 19, No). Returning to FIG. 5, the relative humidity RH is acquired again. When the local relative humidity RH_P is less than the predetermined value β (step S19, Yes), the process proceeds to step S29, and normal air direction control and air volume control dehumidifying operation are performed until a stop instruction is issued.

  With this comfortable operation control, the air conditioner A estimates and adjusts the humidity distribution in each air-conditioned area with respect to the humidity unevenness in the air-conditioned area during the dehumidifying operation, so that comfortable air conditioning can always be realized.

  Here, the comfortable driving control of the present embodiment is not limited to the control shown in FIG. Hereinafter, other control examples will be described.

<Modification of Step S18>
In step S18, the air-conditioning control unit 138 blows air every predetermined time when the temperature difference between the temperature of the area and the room temperature (the average of the thermopile detection values) becomes a predetermined value (eg, 3 ° C.) or more. . Or the air-conditioning control which reduces the humidity nonuniformity in an air-conditioned room can be performed by reducing the ventilation swing time or the temporary stop time.

  When air is intensively blown in order to reduce the humidity in an area where the local relative humidity RH_P is equal to or greater than the predetermined value β%, if the air is dehumidified by cooling or weak cooling, the temperature in the high humidity area is lowered. Then, since the detection result of the surface temperature detection unit 124 is lower than before the wind is sent, the local relative humidity in the high-humidity area is further increased, and further, the wind is sent to that place and the control is diverged. there is a possibility. Therefore, when the difference between the local relative humidity RH_P in the high humidity area and the humidity of the entire room is equal to or greater than the predetermined value δ, or the difference between the temperature of the high humidity area and the temperature of the entire room is equal to or greater than the predetermined value ε, Take control. Specifically, by reducing the time to send air to the high humidity area, weakening the refrigeration cycle, or stopping the refrigeration cycle to produce so-called air blowing, the temperature in the high humidity area is not lowered too much and the humidity is reduced. be able to. Note that the humidity can be lowered without lowering the temperature of the high-humidity area by using the air dehumidified by the reheat dehumidification method instead of the dehumidification of the cooling or weak cooling method.

<Modifications after Step S18>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a first modification of the dehumidifying operation process of the comfortable operation control according to the present embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 has step S20 added as compared with the flowchart shown in FIG. About the same step as FIG. 6, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step S20, the air conditioning control unit 138 determines whether or not the predetermined time T has elapsed after the local relative humidity RH_P is less than the predetermined value β% (after satisfying the condition). When the predetermined time T has not passed the predetermined time T (No at Step S20), the process returns to Step S13, and when the predetermined time T has passed the predetermined time T (Yes at Step S20). The process proceeds to step S29. In the case of the first modification, the humidity can be reliably adjusted in the high humidity area, and indoor comfort is improved.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a modified example 2 of the dehumidifying operation process of the comfortable operation control according to the present embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 has step S21 instead of step S19, as compared with the flowchart shown in FIG. About the same step as FIG. 6, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step S21, the air-conditioning control unit 138 determines that the area where the local relative humidity RH_P is a predetermined value β (for example, 70%) has a predetermined value γ (for example, 60%) where the local relative humidity RH_P is smaller than the predetermined value β. %) (Second predetermined value) or less. When the local relative humidity RH_P is not less than the predetermined value γ (step S21, No), the process returns to step S13, and when it is less than the predetermined value γ (step S21, Yes), the process proceeds to step S29. Also in the case of the modification 2, the humidity can be reliably adjusted in the high humidity area, and the indoor comfort is improved.

  In summary, in the case of Modification 1 shown in FIG. 7, local air conditioning is continued for an area in which the previously detected relative humidity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value β (for example, 70%), and the relative humidity detection value is predetermined. Even if the value is equal to or less than the value β, it is preferable to continue the intensive ventilation for a predetermined time. In the case of the modification 2 shown in FIG. 8, it is good to continue intensive ventilation until it becomes less than predetermined value (gamma) (for example, 60%) smaller than predetermined value (beta). This makes it possible to adjust the humidity reliably and perform air conditioning control without impairing comfort.

<In step S19>
In step S19 of FIG. 6, when the local relative humidity RH_P does not become less than the predetermined value β, there is a possibility that the local air will be blown to the high humidity area indefinitely. In this case, as the air conditioning control that does not impair the comfort, if the relative humidity or temperature of the area does not change during the focused air blowing to the area, the rotational speed of the indoor fan 103 is increased if the air direction area is changed. It is also possible to select one of the following: canceling focused air blowing.

  For example, even if the wind is sent to the high humidity area, if there is an obstacle between the high humidity area and the indoor unit or the distance is long, the wind will not reach the high humidity area and Relative humidity does not change. In such a case, the wind is directed to the area adjacent to the high humidity area, or the rotational speed of the indoor fan 103 is increased to deliver the wind to the high humidity area.

  If the local relative humidity still does not change, it is conceivable that there is some humidification source. Therefore, the area is provisionally determined as the humidification source. After stopping sending the wind to the area temporarily determined as the humidification source for a predetermined time, the wind is sent again. If the local relative humidity does not change even if the wind is sent a predetermined number of times to the area temporarily determined as the humidification source, the area is determined as the humidification source and air is not blown. In addition, by clearing the area determined as the humidification source, for example, one day later, after the temporary humidification source disappears, it can be handled in the same manner as other areas.

<When there is a human body>
When the human body / furniture / window detection unit 135 detects a human body between the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner A and the high-humidity area, the air conditioning control unit 138 performs focused air blowing to the area. Good to have no control. Thereby, air-conditioning control that does not make the occupants feel uncomfortable can be realized.

<About Step S10>
When the air is intensively blown to reduce the humidity in the high humidity area, the air in the cooling area reduces the temperature in the high humidity area. Then, since the detection result of the surface temperature detection unit 124 is lower than before the wind is sent, the humidity in the high humidity area is further increased, and there is a possibility that the control is diverged by sending the wind to that place. . It can be mitigated by shortening the ventilation time to the high-humidity area or by temporarily blowing air, but the above-mentioned problems occur due to the dehumidifying operation, especially the reheating type dehumidifying operation. Can be difficult.

<During operation stop>
In FIG. 6, the dehumidifying operation process of the comfortable driving control after the start of the operation has been described, but the dehumidifying operation process of the present embodiment can be applied even when the operation is stopped. That is, when the operation is stopped, the control unit 130 operates the indoor fan 103 and estimates the indoor temperature and humidity sensor 122 (humidity) detected by the room temperature sensor 121 (temperature detection unit) before estimating the relative humidity. The relative humidity of the area may be estimated from the relative humidity detected by the detection unit) and the surface temperature of the area detected by the surface temperature detection unit 124. Thereby, before the user performs an operation to start driving, the indoor situation can be grasped, and comfortable driving control can be started immediately.

100 indoor unit 103 indoor fan (fan)
104 Left and right wind direction plates 105 Up and down wind direction plates 121 Room temperature sensor (temperature detection unit)
122 Humidity sensor (humidity detector)
123 Image pickup unit 124 Surface temperature detection unit 130 Control unit 131 Indoor temperature detection unit 132 Indoor humidity detection unit 133 Absolute temperature calculation unit 134 Image recognition unit 135 Human body / furniture / window detection unit (human body detection unit)
136 Object temperature detection unit 137 High humidity area estimation unit 138 Air conditioning control unit 140 Storage unit 150 Drive unit 200 Outdoor unit 300 Refrigerant piping A Air conditioner AH Absolute humidity Q Remote control transmission / reception unit Re Remote control RH Relative humidity RH_P Local relative humidity β Predetermined value (first predetermined value)
γ predetermined value (second predetermined value)

Claims (11)

A temperature detector for detecting the temperature in the room;
A humidity detector for detecting the relative humidity in the room;
A surface temperature detector for detecting the surface temperature of the indoor area;
The relative humidity of the area is estimated from the indoor temperature detected by the temperature detection unit, the relative humidity detected by the humidity detection unit, and the surface temperature of the area detected by the surface temperature detection unit, and the estimated relative humidity An air conditioner comprising: a control unit that performs air-conditioning control according to the air conditioner. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit operates an indoor fan before estimating the relative humidity. When the operation is stopped, the controller operates the indoor fan before estimating the relative humidity, detects the indoor temperature detected by the temperature detection unit, the relative humidity detected by the humidity detection unit, The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the relative humidity of the area is estimated from the surface temperature of the area detected by the surface temperature detector. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the control unit estimates the relative humidity of the area when the room temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is within a predetermined temperature with respect to a set temperature. The control unit blows air more heavily into an area where the estimated relative humidity is equal to or higher than a first predetermined value than the other areas in the room, or blows a fan swing time longer. The air conditioner according to claim 1. When the temperature difference between the temperature of the area where the relative humidity is equal to or higher than the first predetermined value and the average temperature of the surface temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the control unit reduces air flow to the area, or The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the air swing time is reduced. The control unit continues air blowing focused on a predetermined time for an area where the estimated relative humidity is equal to or higher than a first predetermined value even if a next detection value is equal to or lower than the first predetermined value, or 6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the intensive ventilation is continued until the second predetermined value is less than or equal to the first predetermined value. The air conditioner has a human body detection unit that detects a human body in the room,
When the human body detection unit detects a human body between the indoor unit of the air conditioner and the area of the first predetermined value or more, the control unit does not perform focused air blowing to the area. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the air conditioner is characterized. The control unit changes the wind direction area and increases the rotation speed of the indoor fan when the relative humidity or temperature of the area does not change during the focused ventilation to the area of the first predetermined value or more. The air conditioner according to claim 7 is selected. When a plurality of areas of the first predetermined value or more are detected, the control unit performs focused air blowing on the detected areas, or temporarily stops the swing in an area where the relative humidity is high during the air blowing swing. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the air is preferentially blown. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit performs air conditioning control during a dehumidifying operation.

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