JP2018169103A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress start of inappropriate operation even in a case where automatic ON operation is activated.SOLUTION: A remote controller 15 is configured to display a menu screen including, as one of options, automated operation of starting operating an indoor machine automatically according to an indoor environment (S113). Also, the remote controller is configured to display a warning screen that when the automated operation is selected in the menu screen, confirms whether to enable execution (S115). Further, in a state where the automated operation is executed (YES in determination at S111), when a user performs operation of activating an indoor machine 13 (YES in determination at S118), the remote controller is configured to display the warning screen (S121).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  Even when the operation is stopped, when the room temperature exceeds the threshold value, there is a case where the user is alerted and the cooling operation is forcibly started.

JP 2012-207867 A

Even if the operation is stopped, there is a possibility that an inappropriate operation is performed by the remote controller in a state where the automatic on operation that automatically starts the operation according to the room temperature is set. For example, there is a case where an operation for selecting a heating operation is performed even when the room temperature requires cooling, or an operation for selecting a cooling operation is performed when the room temperature requires heating. In this case, in spite of the automatic on operation being set, an inappropriate operation is started.
The subject of this invention is providing the air conditioning apparatus which can suppress that an inappropriate driving | operation starts when the automatic on driving | operation is set.

An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes an air conditioner that performs indoor air conditioning, and a remote controller for remotely operating the air conditioner. The remote controller includes a display unit that displays a screen, and a user. A menu screen that includes automatic on-operation to automatically start the air conditioner according to the indoor environment regardless of the operation is displayed on the display unit according to the user's operation. A first display control unit that
A second display that displays a warning screen on the display unit when an operation for starting an operation different from the operation of the air conditioner by the automatic on operation is performed by the user when the automatic on operation is being performed. And a control unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when automatic ON driving | operation is performed, it can suppress that an unsuitable driving | operation is started.

It is a block diagram of an air conditioner. It is a functional block diagram of an indoor unit and a remote control. It is an external view of a remote control. It is a flowchart which shows an indoor unit control process. It is a flowchart which shows a remote control process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is schematic and may be different from the actual one. Further, the following embodiments exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the configuration is not specified as follows. That is, the technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the technical scope described in the claims.

"Constitution"
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner. The air conditioner 11 includes an indoor unit 13 attached to the wall surface of the room 12 and an outdoor unit 14 installed outdoors. The air conditioner 11 is remotely operated by a user by wireless communication via the remote controller 15. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the air conditioner. The indoor unit 13 includes a communication unit 21, an indoor unit control unit 22, and a fan 23. The communication unit 21 communicates various signals with the remote controller 15. The outdoor unit 14 is provided with an outside air temperature sensor 16, and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 16 is input to the indoor unit controller 22. The indoor unit control unit 22 includes a determination unit 24, receives various signals from the remote controller 15, and drives and controls the outdoor unit 14 and the fan 23. The determination unit 24 determines whether the user's operation for turning on the operation of the air conditioner 11 is appropriate according to the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 16.

  The indoor unit 13 and the outdoor unit 14 form a refrigerant circuit, and heat energy is exchanged between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit and the air, and cold air or warm air is supplied from the indoor unit 13 to the room 12. The The indoor unit control unit 22 controls the cooling / heating switching and the temperature of cool air and warm air blown from the indoor unit by driving and controlling a compressor and a four-way valve of the outdoor unit 14 (not shown). The remote controller 15 includes a communication unit 31, a remote control unit 32, a display unit 33, a selection operation switch 34, a menu switch 35, a cooling operation switch 36, a heating operation switch 37, and a stop switch 38. . The communication unit 31 communicates various signals with the indoor unit 13. The remote control unit 32 includes a first display control unit 51, a second display control unit 52, and an alerting unit 53. The remote control unit 32 drives and controls the display unit 33 and receives a switch signal from each switch. Send to communication unit 31.

The first display control unit 51 is one of the options for automatic on operation (hereinafter referred to as “automatic operation”) for automatically starting the operation of the air conditioner 11 according to the indoor environment regardless of the user's operation. Are displayed on the display unit 33 in response to a user operation.
The second display control unit 52 displays on the display unit 33 a warning screen for confirming whether or not the automatic operation is selected on the menu screen. When the user performs an operation for starting an operation different from the operation of the air conditioner 11 while the automatic operation is being performed, a warning screen is displayed on the display unit 33.

  FIG. 3 is an external view of the remote controller. The display unit 33 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and displays an arbitrary screen. The selection operation switch 34 includes, for example, a direction key and an enter key, and is a switch for performing a selection operation according to the content displayed on the display unit 33. That is, the selection interface on the screen in the display unit 33 is moved with the direction key, and the item selected with the selection interface is determined with the determination key. The menu switch 35 is a switch for displaying a selectable menu on the display unit 33. The cooling operation switch 36 is a switch for turning on the cooling operation. The heating operation switch 37 is a switch for turning on the heating operation. The stop switch 38 is a switch for stopping operation.

Next, an indoor unit control process executed by the indoor unit control unit 22 will be described. Here, the processing according to the present invention is mainly described, and general processing such as control of the refrigerant circuit is omitted.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing related to control of the indoor unit. The processing related to the control of the indoor unit is started when the user performs an operation for instructing the indoor unit 13 to start operation, and thereafter, the operation is continued until a stop signal is received. In step S101, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation (automatic on operation) is being executed. The entrusted operation is a function of automatically starting the operation of the air conditioner 11 according to the indoor temperature and humidity, and is also referred to as a monitoring operation. When the automatic operation is not executed (S101-No), the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, when the automatic operation is being executed (S101-Yes), the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S102, an operation according to the operation of the remote controller 15 is executed, and the process returns to step S101. In step S103, it is determined whether an ON operation signal indicating that the cooling operation switch 36 or the heating operation switch 37 has been operated is received. When the on operation signal is not received (S103-No), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when the ON operation signal is received (S103-Yes), the process proceeds to step S105. In step S104, the automatic driving is executed, and the process returns to step S101.

  In step S105, it is determined whether or not the operation of the cooling operation switch 36 or the heating operation switch 37 is inappropriate. Specifically, two specific examples are shown below. As a first specific example, when the heating operation switch 37 is operated when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than a set value T1 (for example, 24 ° C.), or when the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the set value T2 (for example, 18 ° C.). When the cooling operation switch 36 is operated, it is determined that the operation is inappropriate. On the other hand, when the heating operation switch 37 is operated in a state where the outside air temperature is lower than the set value T1, or when the cooling operation switch 36 is operated in a state where the outside air temperature is higher than the set value T2, it is inappropriate. It is determined that it is not an operation. The set value T1 is a lower limit value of the outside air temperature that can allow the cooling operation, and the set value T2 is an upper limit value of the outside air temperature that can allow the heating operation.

  As a second specific example, when an operation different from the operation content of the main body is instructed, it is determined that the operation is inappropriate, and when the same operation as the operation content of the main body is instructed, it is not an inappropriate operation. judge. If it is determined that the operation is not inappropriate (S105-No), the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation is inappropriate (S105-Yes), the process proceeds to step S107. The process of step S105 is executed by the determination unit 24.

  In step S106, the automatic driving is stopped, the driving that is turned on by the remote controller 15 is executed, and the process returns to step S101. In step S107, an inappropriate signal is transmitted to the remote controller 15. The inappropriate signal is a signal for indicating that the user's operation is determined to be inappropriate. In step S108, it is determined whether a permission signal or a stop signal is received from the remote controller 15. When any signal is not received (S108-No), it waits until any signal is received. On the other hand, when any signal is received (S108-Yes), the process proceeds to step S109. In step S109, it is determined whether the signal received from the remote controller 15 is a permission signal. When the received signal is a permission signal (S109-Yes), the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, when the received signal is a cancel signal (S109-No), the process returns to step S101. In step S110, the automatic driving is stopped, the driving that is turned on by the remote controller 15 is executed, and the process returns to step S101. The above is the indoor unit control process.

  Next, remote control processing executed by the remote control unit 32 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the remote control process. In step S111, it is determined from the memory of the remote controller 15 whether or not the automatic operation is being executed. When the automatic operation is not executed (S111-No), the process proceeds to step S112. On the other hand, when the automatic operation is being executed (S111-Yes), the process proceeds to step S120. In step S112, it is determined whether or not the menu switch 35 is operated. When the menu switch 35 is operated (S112-Yes), the process proceeds to step S113. On the other hand, when the menu switch 35 is not operated (S112-No), the process returns to step S111.

In step S113, a menu screen is displayed on the display unit 33. The menu screen displays a list of functions that can be executed, and automatic operation is included as an option. The process of step S113 is executed by the first display control unit 51.
In step S114, it is determined whether or not an executable function is selected and determined from the menu screen by the operation of the selection operation switch 34. That is, the selection interface on the screen is moved with the direction key, and it is determined whether or not the item selected with the selection interface is determined with the determination key. When the selection is determined (S114-Yes), the process proceeds to step S115. On the other hand, when the selection has not been decided (S114-No), the process returns to step S111.
In step S115, a warning screen for confirming whether execution is possible is displayed on the display unit 33. Two options are displayed on the warning screen, such as “permit” and “cancel”, and “OK” and “Cancel”. The process of step S115 is executed by the second display control unit 52.

  In step S116, it is determined whether an operation for permitting execution or an operation for canceling execution has been performed by operating the selection operation switch 34. When any operation is not performed (No in S116), the process waits until any operation is performed. When any operation is performed (S116-Yes), the process proceeds to step S117. In step S117, it is determined whether or not the performed operation is an operation that permits execution. When the performed operation is an operation permitting execution (S117-Yes), the process proceeds to step S118. On the other hand, when the performed operation is an operation to stop execution (S117-No), the process proceeds to step S119. In step S118, an execution signal is transmitted to the indoor unit 13, and then the process returns to step S111. In step S119, a stop signal is transmitted to the indoor unit 13, and then the process returns to step S111. In step S120, it is determined whether the cooling operation switch 36 or the heating operation switch 37 has been operated. When the on operation is not performed (S120-No), the process returns to step S111. On the other hand, when the ON operation is performed (S120-Yes), the process proceeds to step S121.

  In step S121, an ON operation signal (cooling operation ON or heating operation ON) is transmitted to the indoor unit 13. In step S122, it is determined whether or not an inappropriate signal is received from the indoor unit 13. When the inappropriate signal is not received (S122-No), the process returns to step S111. On the other hand, when an inappropriate signal is received (S122-Yes), the process proceeds to step S121. In step S123, a warning screen for confirming whether or not the cooling operation or the heating operation that has been turned on is performed is displayed on the display unit 33. Two options are displayed on the warning screen, such as “permit” and “cancel”, and “OK” and “Cancel”. As an example of the display, as shown by the reference numeral 41 in FIG. 3, the options “OK” and “Cancel” are displayed together with the characters “Do you want to change?”. The process in step S123 is executed by the second display control unit 52. In step S124, as an alert to the user, a message indicating that the automatic driving is being performed is displayed on the display unit 33. As an example of the display, as shown by the reference numeral 42 in FIG. 3, the characters “automatic driving” are displayed. The process of step S124 is executed by the alerting unit 53.

In step S125, it is determined whether or not an operation for permitting execution or an operation for canceling execution has been performed by operating the selection operation switch 34. When no operation is performed (S125-No), the process waits until any operation is performed. When any operation is performed (S125-Yes), the process proceeds to step S126. In step S126, it is determined whether the performed operation is an operation permitting execution. When the performed operation is an operation permitting execution (S126-Yes), the process proceeds to step S127. On the other hand, when the performed operation is an operation to cancel execution (S126-No), the process proceeds to step S128. In step S127, after transmitting a permission signal to the indoor unit 13, the process returns to step S111. In step S128, a stop signal is transmitted to the indoor unit 13, and then the process returns to step S111. The above is the remote control process.
As described above, the process of step S113 is executed by the first display control unit 51. The processes of steps S115 and S123 are executed by the second display control unit 52. The outside air temperature sensor 16 corresponds to the “outside air temperature detector”. The determination unit 24 executes the process of step S105. The process of step S124 is executed by the alerting unit 53.

<Action>
Next, main functions of the embodiment will be described.
Omakase operation is a function that automatically starts a cooling operation or a heating operation according to the temperature or humidity of the room 12, for example, the remote controller 15 cannot be operated voluntarily like an elderly person or an infant. Or it is assumed that it is used for those who are not good at it. There is a possibility that an inappropriate operation is performed by the remote controller 15 in the state where the automatic driving is executed. For example, there is a case where an operation for selecting a heating operation is performed even when the room temperature requires cooling, or an operation for selecting a cooling operation is performed when the room temperature requires heating. In this case, an inappropriate driving is forcibly started even though the automatic driving is being executed.

  Therefore, the indoor unit control unit 22 performs the automatic operation (determination in S101 is “Yes”), and if the cooling operation switch 36 or the heating operation switch 37 is operated (determination in S103 is “Yes”). Whether or not this operation is inappropriate is determined according to the outside air temperature. That is, when the heating operation switch 37 is operated even when the outside air temperature is high, or when the cooling operation switch 36 is operated even when the outside air temperature is low, it is determined that the operation is inappropriate (S105). Is determined as “Yes”), an inappropriate signal is transmitted to the remote controller 15 (S107). When receiving an inappropriate signal (determination in S122 is “Yes”), the remote control unit 32 displays a warning screen for confirming whether or not it can be executed on the display unit 33 as shown in FIG. 3 (S123). . As a result, for example, if the remote controller 15 is operated by mistake, by selecting and executing the “Cancel” option (determination in S126 is “No”), a stop signal is transmitted (S128). Prevents driving from being executed.

When the automatic operation is not executed (determination in S111 is “No”), the menu screen is displayed according to the operation of the menu switch 35 (S113), and the warning screen is displayed according to the operation of the selection operation switch 34. (S115). As described above, when the automatic driving is not being executed, the transition is made from the menu screen to the warning screen, and it is determined whether to permit or cancel the execution. On the other hand, when an inappropriate operation is input while Omakase driving is being performed, as described above, the menu screen is not displayed and the screen immediately transitions to the warning screen, which is excellent in operability. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling complicated.
Further, when displaying the warning screen, the remote control unit 32 displays on the display unit 33 that the automatic driving is being performed as a warning to the user as shown in FIG. 3 (S124). Accordingly, it is possible to effectively allow the user to recognize that an operation that is originally unnecessary is performed during the automatic driving.

On the other hand, the user's operation is not necessarily wrong. For example, in winter, there is a situation where the room temperature temporarily rises by using a heating facility (fireplace or stove) other than the indoor unit 13 or using a cooking heater in the room 12. . In this case, the user may temporarily operate the cooling operation switch 36. Therefore, when the user who has seen the warning screen selects and executes the “OK” option (the determination in S126 is “Yes”), the remote control unit 32 transmits a permission signal to the indoor unit 13 (S127). When receiving the permission signal (determination in S109 is “Yes”), the indoor unit control unit 22 performs the operation (S110). Thereby, the driving | operation which respected the user's will can be performed.
When the heating operation switch 37 is operated when the outside air temperature is low, or when the cooling operation switch 36 is operated when the outside air temperature is high (“No” in S105), it is determined that the operation is not inappropriate. Then, the operation is executed (S106). Thereby, the driving | operation which respected the user's will can be performed.

《Application example》
In the embodiment, although the case where an inappropriate operation is performed during the automatic driving and the warning screen is displayed and the operation allowing the execution is performed, the automatic driving is stopped, the present invention is limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, after a predetermined time (for example, about 2 to 3 hours) has elapsed, the automatic operation may be returned. At this time, a warning screen may be displayed again to allow the user to select whether or not the automatic driving may be returned. As described above, when a certain amount of time has elapsed after the automatic operation is stopped, the automatic operation is restored again, thereby improving convenience.

<Modification>
In the embodiment, as an alert to the user, the fact that the automatic driving is being performed is displayed on the display unit 33 of the remote controller 15, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a message indicating that the automatic driving is being performed may be performed by lighting a lamp, outputting a sound effect or a sound. These may not be performed by the remote controller 15 but may be performed by the indoor unit 13.
In the embodiment, the indoor unit control unit 22 determines whether or not the operation for turning on the cooling operation or the heating operation is inappropriate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and external temperature information is acquired. If possible, the remote controller control unit 32 may make the determination.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to a limited number of embodiments, the scope of rights is not limited thereto, and modifications of the embodiments based on the above disclosure are obvious to those skilled in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Air conditioner 12 Indoor 13 Indoor unit 14 Outdoor unit 15 Remote control 16 Outdoor temperature sensor 21 Communication part 22 Indoor unit control part 23 Fan 24 Determination part 31 Communication part 32 Remote control part 33 Display part 34 Selection operation switch 35 Menu switch 36 Cooling Operation switch 37 Heating operation switch 38 Stop switch 51 First display control unit 52 Second display control unit 53 Alerting unit

Claims (3)

An air conditioner that performs indoor air conditioning;
A remote control for remotely operating the air conditioner,
The remote control is
A display for displaying a screen;
A menu screen that includes automatic on-operation for automatically starting the operation of the air conditioner according to the indoor environment regardless of the user's operation is included as an option according to the user's operation. A first display control unit for displaying on the unit;
A second warning screen is displayed on the display unit when an operation for starting an operation different from the operation of the air conditioner by the automatic on operation is performed when the automatic on operation is being performed. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a display control unit. An outside air temperature detector for detecting outside air temperature,
A determination unit that determines whether a user operation for turning on the operation of the air conditioner is appropriate according to the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit;
The second display control unit
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the warning screen is displayed on the display unit when the determination unit determines that the user's operation is inappropriate.   The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an alerting unit that alerts the user when the determining unit determines that the user's operation is inappropriate.

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