JP2019074288A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To switch an operation of a warmth/coolness sensor and to allow a single sensor to have a plurality of detection abilities based on an operation state of an air conditioner and a radiation amount of a person in an air-conditioning target area.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: a warmth/coolness sensor driven by changing a direction from one end to the other end in an air-conditioning target region and for detecting an infrared ray amount radiated in the air-conditioning target region; and a control part for performing air conditioning by receiving an output from the warmth/coolness sensor. The control part drives the warmth/coolness sensor in a first mode for detecting warmth/coolness of a person existing in the air-conditioning target region and in a second mode for detecting the location and an activity amount of the person in the air-conditioning target region, and the control part switches between the first mode and the second mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that analyzes infrared radiation emitted from an object and performs air conditioning control using surface temperature information of the object.

  In general, there is a thermography (thermal image forming apparatus) as an apparatus for analyzing infrared radiation emitted from an object to detect a surface temperature of the object. Since thermography can detect the surface temperature of an object without contact, it is used in many fields of temperature detection, such as research institutes performing thermal analysis analysis and manufacturing plants performing quality control.

  Recently, it has been proposed that an air conditioner be equipped with a temperature detection sensor (thermopile sensor) and a human detection sensor in thermography, and that the air conditioning control be performed by detecting the ambient temperature of the air conditioner and the position of the person. . Patent Document 1 proposes an air conditioner that performs air conditioning control by detecting the presence or absence of a person and the amount of activity of a person using a thermopile module and a human sensor (see Patent Document 1).

JP, 2017-075731, A

  However, mounting a plurality of sensors in a limited space in an indoor unit of an air conditioner has a low degree of freedom in design, and an increase in cost due to mounting a plurality of sensors is considered as a problem.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problem, the air conditioner of the present invention is driven by changing the direction from one end of the air conditioning target area to the other end, and detects a thermal sensation sensor detecting the amount of infrared radiation emitted in the air conditioning target area. And a control unit configured to receive the output of the thermal sensation sensor and perform air conditioning, and the control unit is a person having the thermal sensation sensor in the air conditioning target area. Driving in a first mode for detecting the thermal sensation of the subject, and a second mode for detecting the position and activity of a person in the air conditioning target area, and the control unit is configured to perform the first mode and the second mode. The mode is switched.

  According to the air conditioner of the present invention, the functions of the conventional thermal sensation sensor and the human detection sensor can be provided only by the thermal sensation sensor, and the space saving of the indoor unit main body and control base of the air conditioner, The cost can be reduced.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the indoor unit in the air conditioner of Embodiment 1 of this invention Longitudinal section of air conditioner of embodiment 1 of the present invention The perspective view at the time of exposing the sensor holding part in the air conditioner of Embodiment 1 of this invention Control block diagram of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention The flowchart which shows the determination processing of the active mass in the air conditioner of Embodiment 1 of this invention. The perspective view which shows the thermal sensation sensor in the air conditioner of Embodiment 1 of this invention In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, (a) shows the definition of the horizontal angle, and (b) shows the definition of the vertical angle. The flowchart showing the switching process of the thermal sensation sensor detection control in the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention In the indoor unit of the conventional air conditioner, (a) is a whole perspective view (b) is an exploded enlarged view of a sensor unit

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal sensation sensor which is driven by changing the direction from one end to the other end of the air conditioning target area and detects the amount of infrared radiation radiated in the air conditioning target area; Control unit for performing air conditioning, and the control unit is a first mode for detecting the thermal sensation of a person present in the air conditioning target area, the thermal sensation sensor And a second mode for detecting a position and activity of a person in the air conditioning target area, and the control unit switches between the first mode and the second mode.

  In the first invention configured as described above, the first mode can be outputted as a high-resolution thermal image of the entire area to be air conditioned, enabling detection of a thermal sensation, and in a second mode, a room By dividing into three directions (right, center, left), low-resolution but near real-time (about 1 minute / time) detection operation is performed, and not only detection of the position of people in the air conditioning target area but also people It can track and detect the movement of and detect the amount of activity. Further, the position information of the person is output in the first mode and the second mode, respectively, and by overlapping them, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of the person position information.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the control unit of the first aspect switches the first mode and the second mode based on the human detection information and the operating state of the air conditioner, and performs appropriate detection control. It can be implemented. In the second aspect of the invention configured as described above, the amount of human activity and the thermal sensation can be detected by one sensor by switching between the first mode and the second mode.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in the air conditioner according to the first or second aspect of the invention, when the number of revolutions of the indoor fan becomes lower than a predetermined number of revolutions, detection is performed in the second mode respectively in the forward and return paths of the sensor drive It is configured to In the air conditioner of the invention of the third aspect configured as described above, when the indoor blower rotational speed is small, for example, 450 rpm or less, and the thermal sensation sensor driving noise can not be masked by the blowing noise. In order to detect the air conditioning area divided into three directions by driving the second mode, it is possible to reduce the number of times the driving noise is interrupted and to alleviate the actual hearing. In the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the blowing noise of the indoor fan is small, the driving noise can also be reduced by reducing the driving speed of the thermal sensation sensor. In the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the blowing noise of the indoor blower is small, the frequency of sensor driving is reduced, for example, by setting 1 minute / time to 10 minutes / time to the driving noise. The actual hearing can be reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the room temperature falls within a predetermined temperature range for the set temperature based on the operating state in the first or second aspect of the invention, and when the thermo off is performed, the sensor driving forward path and return path respectively It is configured to detect in two modes. In the fourth aspect of the invention configured as described above, when the air conditioner is thermo-off and it is not possible to mask the thermal sensation sensor drive noise due to the indoor fan blowing noise, the second mode is used. Since the air conditioning area is divided into three directions for detection by driving, it is possible to reduce the number of times the driving noise is interrupted and to alleviate the actual hearing.

  A fifth aspect of the invention detects the amount of activity of the presence area of the person in the air-conditioned area based on the operating state in the first or second aspect of the invention, and the detected amount of activity is large In the case of “medium” and “large amount of activity”, it is configured to detect in the second mode on the forward and return paths of the sensor drive. In the fifth invention configured as described above, when the activity amount of a person is large, the detection period is long and detection is performed not in the first mode weak in movement but in the second mode, so that a person with high accuracy is obtained. Information can be detected.

  A sixth aspect of the invention detects the amount of activity of the existing area of the person in the air conditioning area based on the operating condition in the first or second aspect of the invention, and the detected amount of activity is small (“the amount of activity In the case of “small” and “activity amount rest”, it is configured to detect in the first mode in the forward path of the sensor drive and in the second mode in the return path. In the sixth invention configured as described above, when the amount of activity of a person is small, the detection period is long, but the first mode for detecting human information with high resolution and the second mode capable of detecting human movement By alternately detecting the mode of, it is possible to detect human information with high accuracy.

  According to a seventh invention of the present disclosure, based on the operating condition of the first or second invention, when the room temperature falls within a predetermined temperature range for the set temperature and the stable operation is performed, It is configured to detect in the first mode in the forward path of the sensor drive and in the second mode in the return path. In the seventh invention thus configured, when the room temperature is a predetermined temperature range with respect to the set temperature, for example, the room temperature during cooling-set temperature becomes + 0.5 ° C. or less, the first mode and the first mode are selected. By performing both of the two modes, it is possible to detect the position of the person, the amount of activity, and the thermal sensation, and perform air conditioning suitable for any person in the air-conditioned area. Conversely, when the room temperature is separated from the set temperature by a predetermined temperature or more, detection is performed in the second mode, so that the frequency is detected at a high level, and environmental changes such as room temperature change are detected. It is possible to respond flexibly and detect with high accuracy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the application of the detailed configuration and arrangement of components described in the following specification or illustrated in the following drawings. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the present specification and is not to be limited. For example, the use of the word "comprising," "comprising," or "having," and the like, as used herein, and variations thereof, are meant to include the elements described thereafter, as well as additional elements as well as equivalents thereof.

In embodiments, the various steps are described herein in one order, but can be performed in any order in other embodiments of the method without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. And / or all of the above steps may not be performed.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance configuration of an indoor unit in the air conditioner of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1, and is a cross-sectional view of the central portion of the air conditioner taken along the front-rear direction (the left side is the front side in FIG. 2) , The right side is the back side).

  The indoor unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a ceiling side ceiling having a suction port 2 (see FIG. 2) for taking in indoor air, a front face on the front side, both side surfaces, and a blowout port 3 for blowing air into the room. The appearance is configured to have a bottom surface and a back surface on the wall surface side. The front surface and both side surfaces of the indoor unit 1 are constituted by smooth and continuous surfaces, and the height dimension of both side surfaces is configured to be gradually shortened toward the front side. For this reason, the bottom surface of the indoor unit 1 is inclined to face forward.

As shown in FIG. 1, an air flow direction louver 4 is provided in the air outlet 3 on the bottom of the indoor unit 1 so that the air outlet 3 is opened and closed. FIG. 1 shows the indoor unit 1 with the air flow direction louver 4 closing the air outlet 3. The indoor air taken in through the suction port 2 formed on the top surface of the indoor unit 1 is subjected to heat exchange by removing dust in the interior of the indoor unit 1, and blown out from the outlet 3.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, a filter 10 for capturing dust contained in the taken-in room air inside the indoor unit 1 and a heat exchanger for exchanging heat with the taken-in room air 11 and a flow-through type fan 12 for generating an air flow which is sucked from the suction port 2 through the filter 10 and blown out from the blowout port 3 into the room (living space) through the heat exchanger 11. The front of the indoor unit 1 is constituted by a front panel 8, and the front panel 8 can be opened for replacement of the filter 10 inside the indoor unit 1 or the like.

  The air outlet 3 is provided with a vertical wind direction louver 4 for changing the wind direction in the vertical direction, and a left and right wind direction louver 5 for changing the wind direction in the horizontal direction. The vertical wind direction louver 4 has an upper blade 4a, middle blades 4b and 4c, and a lower blade 4d. Each of upper blade 4a, middle blade 4b, 4c and lower blade 4d is driven by a drive motor for vertical wind direction louver connected to the rotational shaft of one or both of left and right ends, for example, a stepping motor. It is the structure rotationally driven so that it may become. The left and right wind direction louvers 5 have upper left and right blades 5a and lower left and right blades 5b. The plurality of left and right wind direction changing blades are connected to the connecting bar such that the left and right wind direction changing blades are interlocked. The connecting bar is connected to a drive motor for the left and right wind direction louvers, for example, the rotation shaft of a stepping motor, and the rotation of the drive motor interlocks the plurality of left and right wind direction changing blades and changes direction in the left and right direction. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, a sensor holding portion 9 is provided between the front panel 8 and the air outlet 3. The front surface of the sensor holding portion 9 is inclined with respect to the front panel 8 having a substantially vertical surface. An electrical component unit 14 is provided inside the sensor holding unit 9. The control unit 25 is included in the electrical unit 14, and the control unit 25 controls driving of various sensors, the vertical wind direction louver 4, the horizontal wind direction louver 5, the fan 12, the compressor of the outdoor unit, etc. It controls the operation of the conditioner (Figure 4). The electrical unit 14 is mounted using a part of the underframe that constitutes the frame of the indoor unit 1. The control unit 25 in the electrical equipment unit 14 is configured by a microcomputer, and performs operation control of the air conditioner based on various information from a plurality of sensors described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a single infrared ray transmissive resin decorative sheet 15 is attached to the front surface of the sensor holding portion 9. Inside the sensor holding unit 9, a thermal sensation sensor 7 and the like are provided. Therefore, the thermal sensation sensor 7 is configured to detect the presence of a person, the movement of the person, the thermal image information, and the like based on the infrared rays from the air conditioning target area which is a living space through the decoration sheet 15. In the indoor unit 1 according to the first embodiment, a floor temperature sensor that detects a floor temperature of the air conditioning target area, a solar radiation sensor that detects a sunny state in the air conditioning target area, and detection states of various sensors are displayed. A light emitting display unit 16 is provided.

  The thermal sensation sensor 7 is a thermopile sensor, and is configured by arranging a large number of thermoelectric element type sensor elements in a matrix. A condenser lens is provided in front of the matrix sensor elements. In the first embodiment, for example, sensor elements are arranged in an 8 × 8 matrix. In the thermal sensation sensor 7 of the first embodiment, the vertical and horizontal directions of the sensor elements arranged in a matrix are rotated and scanned in an inclined state with respect to the rotation axis to indicate thermal image information. It is configured to output a signal. For example, when the sensor 7 is at rest, the detection angle of view is about 60 °, but the rotational axis of the thermal sensation sensor 7 is inclined and scanned to obtain a left and right angle of view of about 180 ° and an upper and lower angle of view of about A signal for forming thermal image information corresponding to 30 ° is output.

  The thermopile sensor which is the thermal sensation sensor 7 in the air conditioner according to the first embodiment is the thermal image information (temperature distribution information) of the floor surface and wall surface in the air conditioning target area and / or the thermal image information of the human body (temperature distribution information) Form two-dimensional thermal image information. The thermal image information is formed by the amount of infrared rays detected by the thermal sensation sensor 7. For this reason, unlike the human sensor 6 that detects a change in the amount of infrared light, calibration is necessary for thermal image information detected by the thermal sensation sensor 7 via the decorative sheet 15. The calibration method of the thermal sensation sensor 7 will be described later.

  The thermal sensation sensor 7 detects the presence or absence of a person, the position of the person, the movement of the person (activity amount), and the thermal sensation of the person based on the amount of infrared rays in the air conditioning target area and the change thereof.

  Although the air conditioner according to the first embodiment is configured to detect the "thermal sensation" of the person in the air conditioning target area based on the thermal image information from the thermal sensation sensor 7, the "hot" felt by the person is In general, PMV scale (Predicted Mean Vote: predicted thermal sensation report) is often used as an index of "thermal sensation" indicating "cold". On the PMV scale, it is a seven-point scale from "+3 (Hot: hot)" to "-3 (Cold: cold)".

  In the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the nine-step thermal sensation scale proposed by the Thermal Harmony Subcommittee of the Air Conditioning and Hygiene Engineering Society is used as the thermal sensation scale. The 9-point scale is the PMV scale with the addition of "+4 (very hot)" and "-4 (very cold)". Thermal sensation detection control described later is performed using this thermal sensation scale.

  In the following description of the embodiment, "thermal sensation" indicates a numerical value within the range of "-4" to "+4" of the thermal sensation scale. Similarly, in terms of "thermal sensation" such as "mean thermal sensation", "standard thermal sensation", and "detected thermal sensation" described later, each of them is "-4" of the thermal sensation scale. It indicates a numerical value within the range of "+4".

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the sensor holding portion 9 provided with the thermal sensation sensor 7 in an exposed manner. As described above, the thermal sensation sensor 7 is provided on the back surface side of the decorative sheet 15 in the sensor holding unit 9 provided below the front panel 8 of the indoor unit 1, and the thermal sensation sensor 7 is a sensor It is held by the holding unit 9.

  The internal space of the sensor holding unit 9 in which the thermal sensation sensor 7 is held is sealed and is out of the air flow path inside the indoor unit.

  Further, in the central portion of the sensor holding unit 9, for example, light from a plurality of LEDs emitting light of different colors is guided so that the operating state of the thermal sensation sensor 7 or the like and the detection state can be visually recognized. A light emitting display unit 16 configured to emit light by the light plate is provided.

[Activity detection in air conditioners]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the thermal sensation sensor 7 is disposed on the central left side of the sensor holding portion 9 and has a detection end 22 (see FIG. 6) which is a sensor portion protruding downward, approximately 180. It is the structure which acquires the thermal image information of air conditioning object area | region I residence space by rotating (degree). The thermal sensation sensor 7 is rotationally scanned only at a predetermined angle, and detects the infrared amount itself of the air conditioning target area.

  Therefore, as described above, in the first embodiment, since the thermal sensation sensor 7 is configured to detect the amount of infrared light through the decorative sheet 15, calibration processing is performed as described later. FIG. 4 shows a control block diagram of a control system in the present embodiment.

  In the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, based on the signal output from the thermal sensation sensor 7, it is determined whether the human body is in a resting state in which the human body hardly moves or in an active state in which the human body is active. In the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, the amount of activity (movement) of a human being in four stages of "large", "medium", "small", and "rest" in the activity state in which the human body is active is determined. doing. Specifically, according to the movement amount of the person detected by the thermal sensation sensor 7 within a predetermined detection time (for example, 2 minutes), the control unit 25 sets the activity amount to "large", "medium", " "Small" and "rest" activities have been determined. More specifically, the control unit 25 compares the movement amount of the person with a plurality of predetermined threshold values to determine the “large”, “medium”, “small”, and “resting state” of the activity amount. ing.

  In the first embodiment, "large" means that the activity amount is large and frequently active in a wide area as in the case of cleaning. "Medium" means that the activity is in a narrow area such as cooking. The amount of activity "small" refers to a state of activity in a narrow area such as when eating.

  Moreover, in the air conditioner of Embodiment 1, the human body position determination area in the air conditioning target area is divided into seven areas based on the human position detection result output from the thermal sensation sensor 7. In the air conditioner, the human position distance r and the human position angle θ output from the thermal sensation sensor 7 are applied to the seven human body position determination areas in the air conditioning target area to detect the presence or absence of a person. ing.

  Also, the amount of activity can be determined, for example, by the following method. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the amount of activity.

  In the case of performing the activity amount detection operation, first, in step 21, the activity amount detection operation in one direction is performed, and in step 22, it is determined whether all the three-direction detection ends. The term "measurement direction" as used herein refers to any block (direction) of blocks L, C, and R described later (see FIG. 8 described later), and measurement is performed on all blocks.

  If it is determined in step 22 that all the directions are not completed, the process returns to step 21. If it is determined that the detection is completed in all directions, it is determined in step 23 whether four sets of measurement are completed. Do. If it is determined in step 23 that the four-set measurement has not been completed, the process returns to step 21. If the four-set measurement is completed, the process proceeds to step 24.

  In step 24, it is determined whether or not the total detected movement amount of sensors of 4 sets of measurement (the last 4 sets of measurements including 1 set of measurements) has reached a predetermined distance (for example, 3 m). If not reached, it is determined in step 25 that “the amount of activity is small”, and the process proceeds to step 26.

  In step 26, it is determined whether or not the total detection distance of thermal sensation sensors in all blocks has reached a predetermined distance (for example, 20 m). If it has reached a predetermined number, “rest While all areas determined to be present except for the area determined as “determination of large amount of activity” are not determined to have reached the predetermined number, in step 28 the four sets of thermal sensation sensors for measurement An area in which the total detection distance has reached a predetermined distance is determined to be "active."

  After the determination of the amount of activity in step 27 or step 28, the determination of amount of activity control is ended in step 29.

If it is determined in step 24 that the total detection distance of the sensors is less than the predetermined number in the 4-unit measurement, it is determined in step 30 whether or not the area is "rest". It is determined that "the amount of activity is small". In the next step 32, it is determined that "the amount of activity is small", and after it is determined in the step 33 that "the amount of activity is small", it is determined whether the state of "the amount of activity is small" is continued for 30 minutes.

  If it is determined in step 33 that 30 minutes have not elapsed, the process proceeds to step 29. If it is determined that 30 minutes have ended, it is determined that "the amount of activity is small" in all 30 minutes. After the determined area is determined to be "rest" in step 34, the process proceeds to step 29.

  At the beginning of activity measurement after turning on the power of the air conditioner, the activity in any area is unknown, but according to the processing of this flowchart, it is not until 4 sets of measurement have been completed from the start of the measurement. The determination of "large active amount", "in active amount" or "small active amount" is performed, and the determination of "rest" is performed only after 30 minutes have passed. Therefore, since there is no region of "rest" for a while after the start of measurement, it is determined as NO in step 30, and determined as "small amount of activity" in step 31. After that, after 30 minutes, it is determined that "rest" is determined after 30 minutes, and if the total detection distance of the four sets of measurement sensors is less than a predetermined distance, then the region determined to be "active amount small" continues. It is continuously judged as "rest".

The process of the above-described flowchart determines the amount of activity as follows.
(1) Rest A region where sensor response frequency is less than 3 m / 4 set continued for 30 minutes or more (2) Large activity amount The total sensor response frequency in the entire region is 20 m or more / 4 set, with sensor detection distance in at least one region In the case where 3 sets or more among 4 sets, all areas except the area determined to be "rest" (3) Active volume In the case where the sum of the sensor response frequency in all areas is less than 20 m / 4 set, Region where the sensor detection distance is 3 m or more among 4 sets (4) Activity amount small Area where activity amount is not determined, activity amount is large, activity amount is not determined Note that in the description of the embodiment in the present disclosure, The position determination area may be simply referred to as an "area".

Thermal sensation detection operation
FIG. 6 is a view showing the thermal sensation sensor 7 disposed on the right side of the sensor holding unit 9. In FIG. 6, a part of the decorative sheet 15 is broken, and the thermal sensation sensor 7 provided on the back side of the decorative sheet 15 is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, there is provided a front plate 19 having a sensor window 17 opened on the front side of the detection end (sensor portion) 22 led downward in the thermal sensation sensor 7 and on both sides. . The front plate 19 is a resin plate that covers the front of the sensor holding unit 9. The front plate 19 is formed with recessed grooves 18 on both sides with the sensor window 17 at the center, and the opening of the sensor window 17 and the front plate 19 by the rotation of the detection end 22 of the thermal sensation sensor 7. The entire area of the air conditioning target area can be scanned without passing through the front plate 19 through the groove 18 of FIG.

Thermal sensation detection in air conditioners
Next, thermal sensation detection based on thermal image information acquired by the thermopile sensor as the thermal sensation sensor 7 in the air conditioner of the first embodiment will be described.

First, a method of calculating the amount of heat radiation of the human body from thermal image information obtained from the thermopile sensor which is the thermal sensation sensor 7 will be described.

The amount of heat radiation (H) [W / m ² ] from the human body is generally represented by the following formula (1).

In the equation (1), R is the heat radiation amount (heat reception amount) [W / m ² ] due to radiation of the human body, C is the heat radiation amount (heat reception amount) [W / m ² ] due to convection of the human body, and K is It is a heat release amount (heat reception amount) [W / m ² ] by conduction of the human body. Further, _Esk is a heat release amount [W / m ² ] due to evaporation of water from the skin, E _res is a heat release amount due to water evaporation of exhalation [W / m ² ], and C _res is a heat release amount due to convection of exhalation It is [W / m ² ].

  Further, assuming that the surface temperature of clothing and skin is tcl, the surrounding wall temperature is tr, and the ambient temperature is ta, R and C are expressed by the following formulas (2) and (3).

Here, hr is the radiation thermal conductivity [W / m ² ° C.] and h c is the convection thermal conductivity [W / m ² ° C.].

In the case where the contact area of the human body with the floor is small, the heat radiation amount K by conduction of the human body is so small that it can be neglected, and the heat radiation amount (C _res ) by convection from exhalation is small, equation (1) is It can be expressed by (4).

As described above, when the person is at rest and the amount of activity of the person is small in the state which can be expressed by the equation (4), the heat _release amount E _sk due to water evaporation from the skin and the heat _release amount E _res due to water evaporation of the exhalation However, if it is a situation that can be regarded as substantially constant, equation (4) becomes equation (5) below.

  That is, if the difference (tcl-tr) between the surface temperature (tcl) of the person and the wall temperature (tr) and the difference (tcl-ta) between the surface temperature (tcl) of the person and the ambient temperature (ta) are known, It is possible to estimate the heat release amount (H) of the person.

  As the ambient temperature (ta), it is possible to adopt a detection value of a temperature sensor mounted on the air conditioner or a value obtained by correcting the detection value according to the operating condition or the condition of the detected person.

  Furthermore, particularly when the ambient temperature (ta) and the ambient wall temperature (tr) are approximately equal (ta tr tr), that is, when the air conditioning is sufficiently stabilized, the equation (1) is expressed by the following equation (6) be able to.

That is, in the state that can be expressed by equation (4), when the person is at rest and the amount of activity of the person is small, the heat _release amount E _sk due to water evaporation from the skin and the heat _release amount E _res due to water evaporation of the exhalation are In a situation where it can be regarded as substantially constant, the variable of equation (4) is only (tcl−tr).

  For this reason, when the person is in a resting state and the amount of activity of the person is small, and the air conditioning operation is sufficiently stable, the difference (tcl−) between the surface temperature (tcl) of the person and the wall temperature (tr) If tr) is known, it is possible to estimate the heat radiation amount (H) of the person.

  If the heat release amount (H) of a person and the metabolic amount (heat generation amount M) of the person are in balance (H = M), the heat balance of the person is well balanced and the person feels comfortable It can be estimated. On the other hand, if the heat release amount (H) is larger than the metabolic amount (heat generation amount M) (H> M), the person feels cold depending on the degree of its size, conversely, the heat release amount (H) is the metabolic amount If it is smaller (H <M), it can be estimated that the person feels hot.

  Therefore, when the person is at rest and when the amount of activity of the person is small, the ambient temperature (ta) and the surface temperature (tcl) of the person from the thermal image information obtained from the thermopile sensor which is the thermal sensation sensor 7; By extracting the surrounding wall temperature (tr) and detecting the heat radiation amount (H) of the person, it is possible to detect the "thermal sensation" of the person without contact.

  Furthermore, when the air conditioning operation is sufficiently stable, the surface temperature (tcl) of the person and the surrounding wall temperature (tr) are extracted from the thermal image information obtained from the thermopile sensor which is the thermal sensation sensor 7 By detecting the heat radiation amount (H) of the person, it is possible to detect the "thermal sensation" of the person without contact.

In the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, as described above, the amount of heat released by a person is estimated without contact when the amount of activity of the person is small or when the person is at rest, based on the estimated amount of heat released. Air conditioning control is performed by detecting the "thermal sensation" of the person. However, it is difficult to specify the area (person existing area) in the air conditioning target area (residential space) only with the thermal image information obtained from the conventional thermal sensation detection operation, and the amount of human activity is further increased. It is difficult to detect whether the state is small or whether the person is at rest.

  Therefore, in the thermal sensation detection control based on the thermal sensation detection in the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, the temperature distribution information from the thermal image information obtained from the thermopile sensor which is the thermal sensation sensor 7 is also used. Using human body detection information obtained by driving the sensor 7 in the activity amount detection operation, and temperature information from other sensors in the living space which is the air conditioning target area, the presence position of a person in the air conditioning target area (living space) , “Activity amount” of a person, and “thermal sensation” of a person.

  In the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, thermal image information from thermal sensation sensor 7, human body detection information, and temperature information (room temperature information) from a temperature sensor (room temperature sensor, floor temperature sensor, etc.) are used. However, as the air conditioner of the present disclosure, room temperature information is acquired from the thermal image information of the thermal sensation sensor 7 and the thermal image information from the thermal sensation sensor 7 is It is also possible to constitute so as to perform the same air conditioning control as the thermal sensation detection control in the first embodiment by using and the human body detection information.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when a person is at rest and the amount of activity of the person is small, that is, the case where the amount of metabolism (amount of heat production M) can be regarded as a substantially constant value, the activity amount is constant. In the case of the above, the "thermal sensation" is detected by calculating the metabolic amount (heat generation amount M) according to the activity amount and comparing the metabolism amount (heat generation amount M) with the heat release amount H. do it.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the definitions of the terms “horizontal angle”, “vertical angle”, and “floor distance” used in the first embodiment. As shown in (a) of FIG. 7, in the “horizontal angle”, the thermal sensation sensor 7 (sensor position: detection end 22) has a horizontal angle “0” when the indoor unit 1 is viewed from above. The left is the "-" area and the right is the "+" area. Further, as shown in (b) of FIG. 7, in the “vertical angle”, the horizontal plane of the thermal sensation sensor 7 (sensor position: detection end 22) is a position at a vertical angle “0” °, and the upper side is The "-" region, the lower part is the "+" region. Further, on the floor surface, “floor distance” is the distance from the position of the perpendicular from the thermal sensation sensor 7 (sensor position) to the position of the human body to be detected.

[Thermal sensation sensor operation judgment]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing detection operation switching processing of thermal sensation sensor control.

  First, in step 101, it is determined whether the air conditioner is in the operating state. If the air conditioner is in the operating state, the process proceeds to step 102. If the air conditioner is in the stopped state, the process proceeds to step 109.

  Next, in step 102, it is determined whether or not the indoor fan rotational speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined rotational speed, and if it is higher than the predetermined rotational speed, the process proceeds to step 103, and if less than the predetermined rotational speed, the process proceeds to step 109. Transition.

  Next, in step 103, the temperature difference between room temperature and the set temperature is determined. If it is within the predetermined temperature range, the process proceeds to step 104. If it is outside the predetermined temperature range, the process proceeds to step 109.

  Next, in step 104, determination of the amount of activity is performed, and if the amount of activity is small (specifically, the amount of activity is small or rest), the process proceeds to step 105, and it is determined that the amount of activity is large. To step 109.

  Next, in step 105, the drive direction of the thermal sensation sensor 7 is determined, and if it is the forward drive, the thermal sensation detection control of step 106 is performed, and if it is the backward drive, The activity amount detection control of step 107 is performed.

  On the other hand, also in step 109, the drive direction is determined, and if it is the forward drive, the activity amount detection control of step 110 is implemented, and if it is the return drive, the activity amount control of step 111 Conduct.

  As in the above-described flowchart, in the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, when the air conditioner is operating and the indoor fan is at a predetermined rotation speed or more and the room temperature is within the predetermined temperature range and the activity amount is smaller than the set temperature. The thermal sensation detection operation is performed only on the way forward.

  This is because the thermal sensation detection operation in the present embodiment has a long detection cycle (about two and a half minutes are necessary), and it is necessary to repeat about 1 ° drive and infrared detection to detect the detection area at high resolution. Therefore, the driving noise is generated discontinuously, and the thermal sensation estimation algorithm is based on the premise that the amount of activity is small.

  For example, in step 101, in the case of the operation stop state, since the indoor blower is stopped, the driving noise of the thermal sensation detection operation can not be masked, so the activity amount detection operation is performed. At step 102, the activity amount detection operation is performed for the same reason. In step 103, since the operation is in the transition period and the operation is easy to change the room temperature, the thermal sensation detection operation with a long detection cycle is not appropriate, and the activity amount detection operation is performed. In step 104, in the thermal sensation detection algorithm, the thermal sensation scale index is set based on the human rest state or the state where the human activity amount is "small", so the activity (activity amount over a certain level (activity amount In the case where “small” is performed, there is no point in detecting the “thermal sensation” of the person based on the thermal image information from the thermal sensation sensor 7, and the activity amount detection operation is performed.

  The thermal image information transmitted from the thermal sensation sensor 7 to the control unit 25 in the first embodiment includes the number of detected people, the position (vertical angle, horizontal angle and distance), "moving distance", "warm temperature" Data such as “cool feeling” is included (see (a) and (b) in FIG. 7).

  As described above, according to the air conditioner of the present disclosure, the thermal sensation sensor 7 switches the thermal sensation detection operation and the activity amount detection operation based on the operation state and the sensor detection state, and performs detection suitable for the situation. By doing this, it is possible to identify the human presence area where the human exists, capture the amount of activity of the human, detect the thermal sensation of the human, and reduce the number of conventional human sensors.

  The activity amount detection control in each of the steps 107, 110, and 111 may be the same control content as each other, or may be different control content.

  Although the present disclosure has been described in the embodiments with a certain degree of detail, the disclosure content of the embodiments should be changed in details of the configuration, and changes in the combination or order of elements in the embodiments are claimed. It can be realized without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

  As described above, since the air conditioner according to the present invention can detect the thermal sensation and the amount of activity with a single sensor, the air conditioner according to the present invention can be used in general applications such as air conditioners, air purifiers, and general white goods. It can apply.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 indoor unit 2 suction port 3 blower outlet 4 up-down wind direction louver 5 left-right wind direction louver 6 human sensor 7 thermal sensation sensor 8 front panel 9 sensor holding part 10 filter 11 heat exchanger 12 fan 13 top panel 14 electrical unit 15 decoration Sheet 16 light emitting display unit 17 sensor window 18 recessed groove 19 front plate 22 detection end 25 control unit

Claims (7)

Control driven by changing the direction from one end of the air conditioning target area to the other end and detecting the amount of infrared radiation radiated in the air conditioning target area, and controlling the air by receiving the output of the thermal sense sensor An air conditioner including a unit, wherein the control unit is configured to detect the thermal sensation of a person present in the air conditioning target region, and the first control mode; An air conditioner driven by a second mode for detecting a position and an activity amount of a person at the controller, the controller switching between the first mode and the second mode. The thermal sensation sensor is configured to switch between the first mode and the second mode based on detection information on a person and the operating state of the air conditioner to carry out appropriate detection control. The air conditioner according to 1. The thermal sensation sensor detects in the second mode in the forward path and the return path of the thermal sensation sensor when the rotational speed of the blower of the indoor unit of the air conditioner falls below a predetermined rotational speed. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The thermal sensation sensor is characterized in that when the room temperature falls within a predetermined temperature range with respect to the set temperature and the heat is off, the thermal sensation sensor detects in the second mode in the forward path and the return path of the drive of the thermal sensation sensor. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2. The thermal sensation sensor is characterized in that when the room temperature is stabilized within a predetermined temperature range for a set temperature, the thermal sensation sensor detects in the second mode in the forward path and the return path of the drive of the thermal sensation sensor. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2. The thermal sensation sensor detects in the second mode on the outward path and the return path of the drive of the thermal sensation sensor when it is determined that the amount of activity of the person is large based on detection information on the person. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The thermal sensation sensor may detect in the first mode in the sensor drive forward path and the second mode in the return path when it is determined that the amount of activity of the person is small based on detection information on the person. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that

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