JP2018091544A - Air conditioner and air-conditioning control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of providing a comfortable air-conditioned environment without awareness of a resident.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: image sensors 17, 18 configured to image a resident in an air-conditioned room; a visual line direction detection unit 11 configured to detect a visual line direction of the resident, based on imaging information of the image sensors; and a control unit (indoor machine control unit 10) configured to, when it is detected that the visual line direction of the resident detected by the visual line direction detection unit faces an indoor machine 1 of the air conditioner, change air-conditioning control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to remote control of an air conditioner.

In many air conditioners, remote control of an air conditioner installed on a wall or ceiling is performed by a remote controller. However, when the remote control is not at hand, there is a problem that the air conditioner cannot be operated.
For this reason, a method for remotely operating the air conditioner without using a remote controller has been devised.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes that an air conditioner indoor unit is provided with shape recognition means, and the shape recognition means recognizes the shape of the hand to control the operation of the air conditioner. More specifically, there is a description of a technique for increasing the set temperature when recognizing a human hand or a hand contour pattern drawn on a card and recognizing a hand contour pattern pointing up.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-025575

According to the above prior art, the air conditioner can be remotely operated without using a remote controller, but it is necessary to prepare a card in which an operation instruction is described in advance. In addition, the occupant needs to learn the shape of the hand corresponding to the operation that the air conditioner recognizes in advance.
An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that provides a comfortable air-conditioning environment without being conscious of the occupants.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an air conditioner of the present invention includes an image sensor that captures an occupant in an air-conditioned room, a sight line direction detection unit that detects the sight line direction of the occupant based on imaging information of the image sensor, A control unit that changes the air conditioning control when it is detected that the line-of-sight direction of the occupant detected by the line-of-sight direction detection unit is an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

  According to the present invention, it is not necessary to prepare a card in which an operation instruction is written in advance, and it is not necessary for the occupant to remember the shape of a person's hand corresponding to the operation. It can be controlled and the comfort of occupants can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the control part structure of the indoor unit of an air conditioner. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a wall-hanging type indoor unit and a resident. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a tentacle type indoor unit and a resident. In FIG. 3, it is a figure which shows a mode when it looks down from the top of an air-conditioned room. It is a figure explaining an example of behavior monitoring of a resident. The control flow in the case of performing the air-conditioning control of the wind direction in a wall-hanging type indoor unit is shown. The control flow in the case of performing the air-conditioning control of the wind direction in the balance type indoor unit is shown. The control flow of the air-conditioning control which changes preset temperature is shown. The control flow in the case of controlling the air conditioning by monitoring the behavior of the occupants and estimating the change request regarding the air conditioning is shown.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, the control configuration of the indoor unit 1 of an air conditioner will be described with reference to FIG.
The indoor unit 1 is installed on a wall or a ceiling, is connected to an outdoor unit (not shown) through a refrigerant pipe, and performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air. Thereby, indoor air conditioning is performed.

  The indoor unit 1 includes a communication unit 12 that communicates with an outdoor unit (not shown) and a remote controller, an indoor expansion valve 15 that decompresses high-pressure refrigerant condensed in the outdoor unit during a cooling operation, and a refrigerant decompressed by the indoor expansion valve 15 It includes an indoor fan 14 that creates a flow of indoor air that is cooled by heat exchange, and a louver 3 that adjusts the ventilation direction of the cooled indoor air (cooling air).

The indoor unit 1 includes an image image sensor 17 that acquires image information in the air-conditioned room, an infrared image sensor 18 that acquires thermal image information in the air-conditioned room, a refrigerant temperature sensor 19 that measures the refrigerant temperature, and indoor air. The air temperature sensor 20 for measuring the temperature and the air humidity sensor 21 for measuring the humidity of the room air are provided.
These sensors are connected to the indoor unit control unit 10 to perform air conditioning control.

The image image sensor 17 and the infrared image sensor 18 are provided on the front surface of the indoor unit 1 and acquire image information of the entire air-conditioned room.
The image image sensor 17 and the infrared image sensor 18 may acquire image information by scanning the air-conditioned room, and may acquire image information by enlarging the occupant's face using a zoom function. Also good. Thereby, the precision of the gaze detection mentioned later can be aimed at.

The indoor unit control unit 10 performs air conditioning control by controlling the indoor expansion valve 15, the indoor fan 14, and the louver 3 based on operation information set by a remote controller connected to the communication unit 12.
Specifically, the indoor fan 14 drives a fan motor (not shown) and rotates the fan according to a command from the indoor unit control unit 10 to create a flow of conditioned air.
The louver 3 also changes the direction of the louver 3 by driving a vertical motor (not shown) or a horizontal motor (not shown) in accordance with a command from the indoor unit control unit 10, and the direction of the conditioned air in the air-conditioned room Adjust.

As will be described in detail later, the indoor unit control unit 10 is provided with a line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 and a request estimation unit 22.
Based on the image information in the air-conditioned room acquired by the image image sensor 17 or the infrared image sensor 18, the line-of-sight detection unit 11 detects whether there is a person in the room. The line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 determines whether the occupant's face is reflected when the occupant is present, and when the occupant's face is reflected, the occupant's face is reflected. The sight line direction of the occupant is detected from the image information.

There are the following methods for detecting the line-of-sight direction of the occupant in the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11. For example, since the direction from the center of the eyeball toward the center of the black eye can be the direction of the line of sight, the center position of the eyeball, the radius of the eyeball, and the center position of the black eye based on the image information in the air-conditioned room by the image image sensor 17 Therefore, the sight line direction of the occupant can be specified.
In addition to the method for detecting the line-of-sight direction from the image information of the eyeball, the direction of the occupant's face may be detected by detecting the face direction of the occupant from the image information in the air-conditioned room. The detection of the face direction is performed by detecting that the front of the face is facing in the direction of the indoor unit from the distance between the center of gravity of one region including the face, eyes, nose and mouth and the center of gravity of the head contour. it can.

When the indoor unit control unit 10 detects that the line-of-sight direction of the occupant is in the direction of the indoor unit 1 for a predetermined time by the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11, the direction of the conditioned air, the air volume, the air-conditioning temperature, etc. Change the air conditioning control.
This uses the habit of occupants unconsciously looking at indoor units when they feel uncomfortable when they feel hot, feel cold, or feel uncomfortable with wind.

Moreover, in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner of the embodiment, in order to provide a comfortable air-conditioning environment for the occupants, a request to the indoor unit control unit 10 to estimate the air conditioning change content requested by the occupants. An estimation unit 22 is provided.
For example, the request estimation unit 22 detects the surface temperature of the occupant's face and clothing based on the humidity of the indoor air detected by the air humidity sensor 21 and the thermal image information in the air-conditioned room acquired by the infrared image sensor 18. Then, the change contents of the air conditioning are estimated. The indoor unit control unit 10 changes the air conditioning control based on the estimation result.

Specifically, if the occupant's facial temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioning setting temperature is lowered according to the facial temperature, and if the occupant's facial temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioning is set according to the facial temperature. Make changes that increase the temperature.
Also, if the occupant's clothing temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioning set temperature is lowered according to the clothing temperature, and if the occupant's clothing temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioning set temperature is set according to the clothing temperature. Make changes that increase.
When there are a plurality of occupants in the air-conditioned room, the ratio of the occupants whose viewing direction is the direction of the indoor unit 1 and the distribution of the occupants whose viewing direction is the direction of the indoor unit 1 are considered. The air conditioning control may be changed.

  Further, the request estimation unit 22 detects that the sight line direction of the occupant is in the direction of the indoor unit 1 for a predetermined time, and then uses the image image sensor 17 and the infrared image sensor 18 to detect the occupant's line of sight. The behavior is monitored for a predetermined time, and the content of the air conditioning change request felt by the occupant is estimated.

For example, the request estimation unit 22 estimates that the occupant feels hot and seeks coolness when detecting the motion of occupying the occupant's face with a hand or a fan or the operation of wiping sweat. The indoor unit control unit 10 changes the air conditioning control such as the direction of the conditioned air and the air volume.
Further, the request estimation unit 22 detects whether the occupant feels cold or warm when the occupant detects an action of crossing arms, an action of holding the body with both arms, or an action of pointing the arm. The indoor unit control unit 10 changes the air conditioning control such as the wind direction and the air volume so that the conditioned air does not hit the occupant.
When there are a plurality of occupants in the air-conditioned room, the air-conditioning control may be changed in consideration of the ratio and distribution of the occupants who have performed a behavior such as a play.

The LED indicator lamp 13 lights or blinks for a certain period of time when the line-of-sight detection unit 11 detects that the line-of-sight direction of the occupant is in the direction of the indoor unit 1 for a predetermined time.
Thereby, it can be understood that the occupant who has moved his / her line of sight to the indoor unit 1 has been recognized by the indoor unit control unit 10.

Next, an outline of the air-conditioned room will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 shows an example in which the wall-hanging type indoor unit 1 is installed on the wall of the air-conditioned room 100. There are two occupants 101 </ b> A and 101 </ b> B in the air-conditioned room 100, and among them, the occupant 101 </ b> A is seated in front of the indoor unit 1.

  The human detection sensor 2 of the indoor unit 1 in FIG. 2 is the image image sensor 17 or the infrared image sensor 18 in FIG. 1 or both. A person is detected from the image information acquired by the human detection sensor 2, and the face image information is acquired. Then, the line-of-sight direction is obtained from the face image information, and it is determined whether the indoor unit 1 is viewed for a certain period of time.

  The notification unit 5 of the indoor unit 1 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the LED indicator lamp 13 in FIG. When the indoor unit 1 detects that the sight line 102 of the occupant is in the direction of the indoor unit 1 for a predetermined time, it lights up or blinks for a certain period of time. Accordingly, it can be understood that the occupant who has moved his / her line of sight to the indoor unit 1 has been recognized by the indoor unit 1.

  In FIG. 2, in the indoor unit 1, two persons occupying the occupants 101 </ b> A and 101 </ b> B in the air-conditioned room 100 are detected by the human detection sensor 2. Since the occupant 101B faces the side opposite to the installation side of the indoor unit 1, the indoor unit 1 acquires only image information of the face of the occupant 101A. Then, the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A is obtained, and it is detected whether or not the direction is the direction of the indoor unit 1.

When the indoor unit 1 detects that the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A is the direction of the indoor unit 1, the air conditioning control of the wind direction is changed as follows.
When the air conditioning control is performed so that the occupant 101A hits the conditioned air, the occupant 101A judges that the wind is hit and feels uncomfortable and changes the direction of the louver 3 from the direction of the occupant 101A. The wind direction 4 is changed. At the time of air-conditioning control in which the occupant 101A is not exposed to the conditioned air, the occupant 101A judges that he / she feels uncomfortable without being exposed to the wind, and changes the direction of the louver 3 to the direction of the occupant 101A. Change the wind direction 4.
That is, if the orientation is fixed, the orientation is set differently.

When the indoor unit 1 is in a swing operation that automatically changes the direction of the conditioned air to a wide range, the direction of the louver 3 is changed to be fixed to a predetermined direction, and the direction 4 of the wind is changed. change.
The louver 3 in FIG. 2 shows only the louver for adjusting the vertical direction, but a louver in the horizontal direction may also be used.

  The change of the air-conditioning control of the wind direction when it is detected that the line-of-sight direction of the occupant 101A is the direction of the indoor unit is returned to the original control state after a predetermined time. This is because the change request is a temporary request, and the occupant may change over time. Residents can make a request again as necessary, so there is no problem.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which a balance type (ceiling cassette type) indoor unit 1 </ b> A and indoor unit 1 </ b> B in which an indoor unit is embedded in a ceiling are installed in an air-conditioned room 100. There are two occupants 101A and 101B in the air-conditioned room, and among them, the occupant 101A is seated under the indoor unit 1A.
FIG. 4 is a view of the room from above the air-conditioned room 100.

The human detection sensor 2A provided in the indoor unit 1A and the human detection sensor 2B provided in the indoor unit 1B are the image image sensor 17 or the infrared image sensor 18 in FIG. 1, or both.
A person is detected from the image information acquired by the human detection sensor 2A of the indoor unit 1A, and facial image information is acquired. Then, the line-of-sight direction is obtained from the face image information, and it is determined whether the indoor unit 1A is viewed for a certain period of time. At this time, it is assumed that the image information acquisition range of the human detection sensor 2A covers the reach of the conditioned air of the indoor unit 1A.
Similarly, the human detection sensor 2B of the indoor unit 1B detects a person who is looking at the indoor unit 1B for a certain period of time based on the image information acquired by the human detection sensor 2B.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the indoor unit 1A and the indoor unit 1B are four-way blowing types including louvers (3A-A, 3A-B) that individually control the four-way conditioned air, and the wind direction 4 Can be changed.

  In FIG. 3, the indoor unit 1 </ b> A detects two occupants 101 </ b> A and 101 </ b> B in the air-conditioned room 100 by the human detection sensor 2 </ b> A. Since the occupant 101B is facing the side opposite to the installation side of the indoor unit 1A, the indoor unit 1A acquires only the image information of the occupant 101A's face. Then, the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A is obtained, and it is detected whether or not the direction is the direction of the indoor unit 1A.

When the indoor unit 1A detects that the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A is the direction of the indoor unit 1A, the louver 3A-A corresponding to the direction of the occupant 101A (the direction of the line of sight 102) (see FIG. 4), the direction of the louvers 3A-A is adjusted, and the air conditioning control of the wind direction 4 is changed.
Since the change contents of the air conditioning control of the indoor unit 1A may be performed in the same manner as the indoor unit 1 of FIG.

The indoor unit 1B is detected by two people 101A and 101B in the air-conditioned room 100 by the person detection sensor 2B. The indoor unit 1B acquires the image information of the face of the occupant 101A, determines the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A, and detects whether the direction is the direction of the indoor unit 1B.
Since the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A is the direction of the indoor unit 1A, the indoor unit 1B does not change the air conditioning control.

Thus, each of the indoor unit 1A and the indoor unit 1B independently detects the line of sight of the occupant, so that an air conditioning environment suitable for each of the occupants can be applied.
3 and 4, the four-direction blow-out type indoor unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the four directions, and the direction corresponding to the sight line direction of the occupant is not limited to the two-direction or one-direction tentacle type indoor units. The louver can be controlled.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of behavior monitoring of a room occupant performed by the request estimation unit 22 (see FIG. 1).
The request estimation unit 22 monitors the behavior of the occupant 101A who turns his / her line of sight toward the indoor unit 1 detected by the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 (see FIG. 1) using the image image sensor 17 and the infrared image sensor 18 for a predetermined time, Image information as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.

Then, when the request estimation unit 22 recognizes the hand 103 with the face around the face of the occupant 101A, as shown in FIG. 5, the request estimator 22 estimates that the occupant feels hot. Change the air conditioning control such as changing the direction and air volume.
Note that the face may be other things such as a fan instead of a hand. When there is something that moves regularly in the vicinity of the face, it can be determined that it is covered.
In addition, the request estimation unit 22 performs the above-described processing for each person in the room with a line of sight directed to the indoor unit 1.

  As described above, since the request estimation unit 22 can detect the unconscious movement of “occupied with the face” of the occupant and change the air conditioner control, the occupant can make a gesture for changing the air conditioning. There is no need to remember.

  The air conditioning control changed according to the coincidence detection of the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 or the estimation result of the request estimation unit 22 returns to the state of the air conditioning control before the change after a predetermined time has elapsed. This is because the change request of the occupant is temporary, or the occupant changes with time. When the resident feels uncomfortable, there is no problem because it is changed again.

Next, the control flow of the indoor unit control unit 10 (see FIG. 1) will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 shows a control flow in a case where the air-conditioning control for changing the wind direction is performed by detecting that the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A described in FIG. 2 is the direction of the indoor unit 1.
First, the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 acquires image information in the air-conditioned room by the image image sensor 17 and the infrared image sensor 18 (see FIG. 1) corresponding to the human detection sensor 2 (see FIG. 2) (S61).

  Next, the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 detects a human face image in the acquired image information (S62). Then, the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 determines whether or not a face image has been detected (S63). If a face has been detected (Yes in S63), the process proceeds to step S64. If the face cannot be detected (No in S63), the process proceeds to step S68.

In step S64, the line-of-sight direction detection unit 11 calculates the line-of-sight direction of the person whose face is detected.
In step S65, the indoor unit control unit 10 determines whether the calculated line-of-sight direction is the direction of the indoor unit. When the line-of-sight direction of the person whose face is detected is the direction of the indoor unit (Yes in S65), the process proceeds to step S66. When the line-of-sight direction of the person whose face is detected is not the direction of the indoor unit (No in S65), the process proceeds to step S68.

  In step S <b> 66, the indoor unit control unit 10 corresponds to the notification unit 5 (see FIG. 2) so that the occupant 101 </ b> A who has a line of sight toward the indoor unit 1 can recognize that the indoor unit 1 has recognized the movement of the line of sight. The LED indicator lamp 13 (see FIG. 1) is turned on or blinks for a certain time.

In step S67, the indoor unit control unit 10 changes the air conditioning control of the wind direction. And it returns to step S61 so that this process may be performed periodically.
More specifically, the indoor unit control unit 10 changes the direction 4 of the wind by changing the direction of the louver 3 from the direction of the occupant when performing air-conditioning control of the air breezes on the occupant. . At the time of air-conditioning control for preventing the occupant from being conditioned, the direction of the louver 3 is changed to the direction of the occupant and the direction 4 of the wind is changed. In other words, the air conditioning control of the windshield and the windbreak is switched.
When the louver 3 is in a swing operation in which the direction of the conditioned air is automatically changed to a wide range, the indoor unit control unit 10 changes the direction of the louver 3 to be fixed to a predetermined direction. Change the wind direction 4. When the direction of the louver 3 is fixed, a swing operation is performed.

In step S <b> 68, the indoor unit control unit 10 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the change of the air-conditioning control in the wind direction based on the line-of-sight detection.
If the predetermined time has not elapsed (No in S68), the process returns to step S61. If the predetermined time has passed (Yes in S68), the air-conditioning control in the wind direction changed in step S67 is returned to the setting before the change (S69). And it returns to step S61 and repeats the air-conditioning control process of embodiment.
Limiting the time during which the direction of the conditioned air is changed by the processing of step S68 and step S69 suppresses an excessive change in the air conditioning.

FIG. 7 shows the installation of the balance type (ceiling cassette type) indoor unit 1A and indoor unit 1B described in FIGS. 3 and 4, and detects the direction of the line of sight 102 of the occupant 101A and controls the air conditioning of the wind direction. The control flow of each of the indoor unit 1A and the indoor unit 1B when changing is shown.
The control flow in FIG. 7 is the same as the control flow in FIG. 6, in which direction the indoor unit control unit 10 performs the air conditioning control (wind direction) for the four blowing directions of the indoor unit. A process (S71) for identifying from is added.
Steps S61 to S69 are the same processing as in FIG. Here, the process of step S67 is performed for the blowing direction specified in step S71.

FIG. 8 shows a control flow of air conditioning control for detecting the surface temperature of the face of the occupant whose line of sight is directed toward the indoor unit 1 and changing the set temperature.
The control flow in FIG. 8 is obtained by replacing step S67 in FIG. 6 with processing (S81) for detecting the face temperature of the person who has detected the line of sight.
In step S82, the temperature setting of the air conditioner is changed based on the face temperature of the person whose line of sight is directed to the indoor unit 1 detected in step S81.

Specifically, in step S81, the request estimation unit 22 (see FIG. 1) detects the face temperature of the occupant based on the thermal image information acquired by the infrared image sensor 18.
In step S82, the indoor unit control unit 10 (see FIG. 1) reduces the air conditioning set temperature according to the face temperature if the face temperature of the occupant is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, and the face temperature of the occupant is reduced. If the temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioning set temperature is changed according to the face temperature.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed after the change of the air conditioning control in step S68 (Yes in S68), the indoor unit control unit 10 returns the set temperature of the air conditioning control changed in step S82 to the setting before the change (S83). And it returns to step S61, detects the surface temperature of the face of the occupant who looked in the direction of the indoor unit 1, and repeats the air-conditioning control which changes preset temperature.

When the set temperature of the air conditioning control is changed in the direction in which the power consumption is increased, the power consumption before the change is returned after a predetermined time in step S83, so that there is an energy saving effect.
In addition, it is possible to respond to a temporary change in the air conditioning setting of the occupant.

FIG. 9 shows a control flow in the case of monitoring the behavior of the occupant whose line of sight is directed toward the indoor unit 1 described with reference to FIG.
The control flow in FIG. 9 is different from the control flow in FIG. 6 in the process after detecting that the sight line direction of the occupant after step S66 is the indoor unit direction. Since the processing from step S61 to step S66 is the same as that in FIG. 6, the description thereof is omitted here.

In step S91, the request estimation unit 22 (see FIG. 1) changes the line-of-sight direction to the direction of the indoor unit by the image image sensor 17 and the infrared image sensor 18 (see FIG. 1) corresponding to the human detection sensor 2 (see FIG. 2). Acquire image information of people in the room for
Then, the request estimation unit 22 determines whether or not the occupant movement of the occupant has been detected based on the acquired image information (S92).

If the occupant movement of the occupant could not be detected (No in S92), it is determined whether or not the occupant monitoring time has exceeded a predetermined time (S95).
If the monitoring time is exceeded (Yes in S95), the process returns to step S61 without changing the air conditioning control. If it is during the monitoring time (No in S95), the process returns to step S91 to continue monitoring the occupants with the line-of-sight direction toward the indoor unit.

In step S92, when the request estimation unit 22 detects the occupant movement of the occupant (Yes in S92), the indoor unit control unit 10 performs air conditioning control on the occupant who has shifted his / her line of sight to the indoor unit 1. As can be seen, the LED indicator lamp 13 (see FIG. 1) corresponding to the notification unit 5 (see FIG. 2) is lit or blinked for a certain time (S93).
In step S94, the indoor unit control unit 10 performs a change to lower the air conditioning set temperature in order to eliminate the heat of the occupants. Then, the process returns to step S61.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed after the change of the air conditioning control in Step S68 (Yes in S68), the indoor unit control unit 10 returns the set temperature of the air conditioning control changed in Step S94 to the setting before the change (S96). And it returns to step S61 and repeats a control flow.

  6 and 7, the air conditioning control flow for changing the direction of the wind toward the occupant whose line of sight is directed to the indoor unit 1, and the set temperature according to the face temperature of the occupant who is gazing at the indoor unit 1 in FIG. 8. Although the air conditioning control flow to be changed and the air conditioning control flow to change the set temperature by monitoring the behavior of the occupants who looked at the indoor unit 1 in FIG. 9 have been individually described, they may be controlled in combination.

  For example, in step S82 of the control flow of FIG. 8, when the difference between the room temperature detected by the air temperature sensor 20 (see FIG. 1) and the face temperature detected in step S81 is greater than a predetermined value, the process of step S82 is performed. Like that. When the difference value is within the predetermined value, the air conditioning control for changing the wind direction in step S67 of FIG. 6 or FIG. 7 is performed.

  Further, when the monitoring time of the occupant who has moved his / her line of sight to the indoor unit 1 in step S95 in FIG. 9 is exceeded (Yes in S95), the direction of the wind toward the occupant who has his / her line of sight toward the indoor unit 1 is changed. You may make it perform air-conditioning control which changes setting temperature according to the air-conditioning control or the face temperature of the occupant who looked at the indoor unit 1. FIG.

Further, in the process of changing the air conditioning control according to the face temperature in step S81 and step S82 of FIG. 8, the sex of the person who detected the line of sight is detected (S81), and the change of the air conditioning control (temperature setting) (S82). ) May be changed by men and women.
Moreover, the age of the person who detected the line of sight may be detected, and the content of the change in the air conditioning control (temperature setting) may be changed according to the age.

  According to the air conditioner of the present embodiment, it is possible to control the air conditioning by utilizing a human natural operation of unconsciously looking at the indoor unit when it is hot, cold, or uncomfortable with wind. Comfort can be improved. Even for a person who wants to perform air conditioning control, the air conditioning control can be changed inconspicuously and smartly without moving, without using a remote controller and without doing anything special, and comfort can be improved.

  Also, when you are in the room with many people, you may endure even if you want to change the air conditioning settings. In the case of the air conditioner of the present embodiment, for example, when the wind hits itself, it is uncomfortable, it is possible to prevent the wind from hitting itself only by looking at the indoor unit that blows out the wind. Because there is no need to operate the remote control or make a special gesture such as changing the air conditioning, it is difficult for people around you to notice that the air conditioning has changed. For this reason, air conditioning can be changed easily.

  In addition, the degree of comfort in air conditioning is greatly influenced by how freely you can set it, so it is not only dependent on the indoor air condition as a result of changing the air conditioning, but also because the air conditioning can be easily changed. Room comfort can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. The above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding in the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of an embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 3 Louver 10 Indoor unit control part 11 Gaze direction detection part 12 Communication part 13 LED indicator lamp (notification part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Indoor fan 15 Indoor expansion valve 17 Image image sensor 18 Infrared image sensor 19 Refrigerant temperature sensor 20 Air temperature sensor 21 Air humidity sensor 22 Request estimation part

Claims (12)

An image sensor for imaging people in the air-conditioned room;
A line-of-sight direction detection unit that detects the line-of-sight direction of the occupants based on the imaging information of the image sensor;
When detecting that the line-of-sight direction of the occupant detected by the line-of-sight direction detection unit is an indoor unit of an air conditioner, a control unit that changes the air conditioning control;
An air conditioner characterized by comprising: In the air conditioner according to claim 1,
The air conditioner is characterized in that the control unit changes the direction control of the conditioned air toward the occupant whose line of sight is directed toward the indoor unit. In the air conditioner according to claim 2,
The air conditioner is characterized in that the control unit switches between air blowing to a occupant with a line of sight toward the indoor unit and wind direction control of the windbreak. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:
A request estimation unit that detects the state of the occupant with the line of sight toward the indoor unit and estimates the air conditioning change content requested by the occupant,
When the control unit detects that the line-of-sight direction of the occupant detected by the line-of-sight direction detection unit is an indoor unit of an air conditioner, the control unit performs air conditioning according to the air conditioning change estimated by the request estimation unit. An air conditioner characterized by changing control. The air conditioner according to claim 4,
The request estimation unit detects a change in air conditioning by detecting a face temperature of an occupant with a line of sight toward the indoor unit,
The control unit performs an air conditioning control change that lowers an air conditioning set temperature when the face temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, and increases an air conditioning set temperature when the face temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. Harmony machine. The air conditioner according to claim 4,
The request estimation unit detects a behavior based on image information of a resident with a line of sight toward the indoor unit,
The air conditioner is characterized in that the control unit changes the air conditioning control for lowering the air conditioning set temperature when the demand estimating unit detects a foraging operation. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:
An air conditioner comprising: a notifying unit that notifies that an occupant's line-of-sight direction detected by the line-of-sight direction detection unit is an indoor unit of an air conditioner. In the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The control unit detects that the sight line direction of the occupant is an indoor unit and changes the air conditioning control, and then returns the air conditioning control to the state before the change after a predetermined time has elapsed. Machine. Detecting the line of sight of the occupants;
Changing the air conditioning control of the air conditioner when the detected line of sight is the direction of the indoor unit of the air conditioner;
The air-conditioning control method of the air conditioner characterized by including. In the air-conditioning control method of the air conditioner according to claim 9,
Detecting the state of the occupant when the detected line of sight is in the direction of the indoor unit;
Changing the air conditioning control of the air conditioner according to the state of the occupant;
The air-conditioning control method of the air conditioner characterized by including. In the air-conditioning control method of the air conditioner according to claim 9,
Monitoring for a predetermined time the behavior of the occupant with the line of sight directed toward the indoor unit when the detected line of sight is in the direction of the indoor unit;
A step of changing the air conditioning control of the air conditioner when the behavior of the occupant is a behavior related to the change request of the air conditioning control;
The air-conditioning control method of the air conditioner characterized by including. In the air-conditioning control method of the air conditioner as described in any one of Claims 9-11,
An air conditioner control method for an air conditioner, comprising the step of returning the content of the air conditioning control to the control content before the change after the elapse of a predetermined time after the air conditioning control is changed.

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