JP5863681B2 - Air conditioner indoor unit and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner capable of changing a psychological action of a user (human) by a sound different from an air-conditioning sound, and an air conditioner including the indoor unit.

  Conventionally, to create a cool sensation, the real sound (for example, the sound of waves, the sound of a mountain stream, the sound of a squeak, the sound of a chirp, the sound of a bellworm) that inspires a control board of home appliances (fans, air conditioners, etc.) The technology has been disclosed to play back cool sound simultaneously when the product is in operation, such as by incorporating a sound that creates a cool emotion) or by connecting an external recording medium that records the real sound. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Further, a technique is disclosed in which abnormal sound is masked by sound effects of a speaker (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The technique described in Patent Document 2 masks abnormal noise that occurs depending on the driving situation, etc. Therefore, when abnormal noise occurs, sound effects in the vicinity of a specific frequency obtained from the rotational speed of the impeller of the indoor unit and the applied voltage of the motor are generated. I try to flow from the speakers.

  Further, there is disclosed a technique in which a duct-like blowing passage is formed, and a canceling sound for canceling the operation noise including the blowing sound of the blowing means is caused to flow in the duct-like blowing passage (for example, Patent Document 3). reference). The technique described in Patent Document 3 forms a duct-like air passage that can be a one-dimensional sound field in the vicinity of the air outlet, and actively silences operation noise including the air blowing sound of the air blowing means in the duct air passage, It is intended to reduce the radiated driving noise and to mute the sound.

  In addition, a subjective evaluation experiment is performed using two evaluation words of “warm” and “cool”, and based on the result of the experiment, it is evaluated whether or not an air-conditioning sound having a sharpness value within a predetermined range is generated. The technique made to do is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 4). In the technique described in Patent Document 4, the rectifying member is adjusted so as to generate a comfortable air-conditioning sound during cooling and heating, and evaluation is performed so that the sharpness value is within a predetermined range.

  In addition, a technique for improving the user's comfort using a hypersonic effect is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 5). In the technique described in Patent Document 5, in order to make the operation sound of the air conditioner comfortable, an ultrasonic wave (sound having a frequency of 20 to 100 kHz) is made to flow during operation.

  In addition, a technique is disclosed in which sound quality can be improved using measured psychoacoustic parameters (see, for example, Patent Document 6). The technique described in Patent Document 6 calculates a subjective evaluation value by measuring a psychoacoustic parameter of a sound emitted from an image forming apparatus and performing subjective evaluation, and performs multiple regression analysis of the measured psychoacoustic parameter and the subjective evaluation value. The sound quality evaluation formula is calculated based on the result.

  In addition, a technique is disclosed in which noise is reduced by a method suitable for the user's audibility (see, for example, Patent Document 7). In the technique described in Patent Document 7, a correlation expression with a psychoacoustic evaluation index is set in advance, and a noise waveform is shaped so as to be a numerical value of the psychoacoustic evaluation index corresponding to the timbre. .

  In addition, a technique is disclosed in which, in an electric vehicle, a sound converted by a conversion means is generated so that a pedestrian can intuitively know the approach of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 8). The technique described in Patent Document 8 generates a sound that the user feels comfortable and generates the sound.

JP 2002-349474 A (Example 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-267971 (Embodiment 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2011-58772 (first embodiment, etc.) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-66217 (Example 1) JP 2004-3791 A (first embodiment, etc.) JP 2002-257621 A (pages 6 to 10 etc.) JP 2002-253890 A (first embodiment, etc.) JP 2006-264390 A (pages 3 to 5 etc.)

  The technology described in Patent Literature 1 is based on a general concept that is not based on the user's subjectivity or physiological response, and sounds that seem to inspire a “cool feeling” (for example, the sound of waves, the turbulence of mountain streams). , Sound of cicada, sound of squirrel, sound of bellworm, etc.). For this reason, it has become a noise depending on the sound to be generated. In addition, since it is not a voice that completely takes into account the user's subjectivity and physiological response, the user cannot always be given a cool feeling.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 2 masks abnormal sound to improve the sense of hearing of sound other than abnormal sound generated from an actual air conditioner. However, the technology described in Patent Document 2 only makes abnormal sounds difficult for the user to hear, and does not change the user's psychological action at all. There is no mention of changing the specific action.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 3 applies active silencing in a wall-mounted air conditioner to cancel noise. However, the technology described in Patent Document 3 only reduces the noise radiated from the indoor unit as much as possible and prevents the user from feeling uncomfortable. There is nothing that can change the action, nor is it mentioned that it changes the psychological action of the user.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 4 performs a subjective evaluation experiment on whether or not the sound is pleasant to the user, and adjusts the rectifying member so that the sharpness value of the air-conditioning sound itself falls within a predetermined range. It is a thing. However, only evaluating whether the sound radiated from the indoor unit itself is uncomfortable for the user, so that the psychological action of the user is changed by a sound different from the air-conditioned sound. There is no mention of changing the psychological action of the user by a sound different from the air-conditioning sound.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 5 utilizes a hypersonic effect that improves the comfort of the user by superimposing ultrasonic waves on the blowing sound. However, the technique described in Patent Document 5 only generates ultrasonic waves of a predetermined range of frequencies that are not based on the subjectivity or physiological reaction of the user, and the user can recognize it as sound. This is the same as the sound without superimposing ultrasonic waves. In other words, noise is merely recognized as noise, and it is sufficiently conceivable that it does not affect the psychological action of the user.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 6 performs a subjective evaluation experiment so that an objective sound quality can be evaluated. However, the technique described in Patent Document 6 merely evaluates whether the sound itself radiated from the image forming apparatus is uncomfortable for the user. The psychological action of the user is not changed by the sound different from the sound emitted, but the psychological action of the user is changed by the sound different from the sound emitted from the image forming apparatus. There is no mention of making it happen.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 7 shapes a noise waveform so as to be a numerical value of a psychoacoustic evaluation index corresponding to the timbre. However, the technique as described in Patent Document 7 is configured to shape noise itself based on a psychoacoustic evaluation index, and a user's psychological action is caused by sound different from noise. It is not intended to change, nor is it mentioned that the psychological action of the user is changed by a sound different from the noise.

  The technique as described in Patent Document 8 produces sound obtained by a general concept that is not based on the subjectivity or physiological reaction of the user. For this reason, it has become a noise depending on the sound to be generated. Also, since it is not a voice that takes into account the subjectivity and physiological response of the user at all, it may not be uncomfortable to the user, but it does not change the psychological action of the user. No mention is made of changing the psychological effects of the user.

  The present invention has been made in order to cope with the above-described problems. Sound generated from an indoor unit of an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air-conditioning sound) is based on subjective and physiological reaction evaluation of a user. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner indoor unit and an air conditioner that are made pleasant by a sound different from the created air conditioning sound.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a driving component, a comfort driving sound signal that is a comfort driving sound that psychologically acts on a human, a human subjective evaluation and a physiological response to the driving sound of the driving component. The sound signal processing / generation means that performs digital signal processing based on the drive sound and creates based on the driving sound of the drive component, and the comfort driving sound signal sent from the sound signal processing / generation means as the comfort driving sound Radiating sound reproduction means; and a control device for radiating the comfort driving sound from the sound reproduction means when the driving sound is radiated from the drive component , the acoustic signal processing / generation means, The sound pressure level of the comfort driving sound is attenuated in the range of −1 dB to −5 dB from the sound pressure level of the driving sound of the driving component .
Further, the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a driving component and a comfort driving sound signal that is a comfort driving sound that psychologically acts on a human being, a human subjective evaluation with respect to the driving sound of the driving component, and An acoustic signal processing / generating unit that performs digital signal processing based on a physiological response and creates based on the driving sound of the driving component; and the comfort driving sound signal sent from the acoustic signal processing / generating unit Sound reproduction means that radiates as sound, and a control device that radiates the comfort driving sound from the sound reproduction means when the driving sound is radiated from the driving component, wherein the driving component changes transiently. When performing the above, the control device radiates the comfort driving sound outside the time zone in which the driving component changes transiently.

  According to the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the “comfort driving sound” created based on the user's subjective and physiological reaction evaluation results is emitted during the operation of the driving component. Can influence human psychological effects.

It is a schematic front view which shows the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional structure which looked at the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention by the side view. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the reproduction | regeneration effect | action of the comfort driving | operation sound of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which put together the subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation result which were implemented based on the frequency characteristic of the operation sound of the air blower of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a multivariate analysis of the result of FIG. 5 (the broken line range shown in FIG. 5). It is a graph which shows an example of the frequency characteristic of the sound which carried out HPF process. It is a graph which shows an example of the frequency characteristic of the sound which carried out the LPF process. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an example of the radiation timing of comfort driving | operation sound. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the sleep induction | guidance | derivation by comfort driving | operation sound.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the relationship of the size of each component may be different from the actual one. Further, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the same reference numerals denote the same or equivalent parts, and this is common throughout the entire specification. Furthermore, the forms of the constituent elements shown in the entire specification are merely examples, and are not limited to these descriptions.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an indoor unit 100 of an air conditioner A according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional configuration of the indoor unit 100 as viewed from the side. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the air conditioner A. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the reproduction operation of the comforting operation sound of the indoor unit 100. Based on FIGS. 1-4, the structure and normal driving | operation operation | movement of the indoor unit 100 are demonstrated.

  The indoor unit 100 is comfortably operated by digital signal processing (HPF (high-pass type), LPF (low-pass type) described below) based on the subjective and physiological response evaluation of the consumer (user). The sound is output simultaneously when the indoor unit 100 is in operation.

(Configuration of indoor unit 100)
1 and 2, the indoor unit 100 is installed on a wall surface B such as a room that is an air conditioning target area. The indoor unit 100 includes a main body 1 having a suction port 3 formed in the upper part and a blower outlet 7 formed in the lower part, a front panel 2 that covers the front surface of the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable, and sucks room air from the suction port 3. The air blower 5 that forms the air path 6 leading to the heat exchanger 4, the heat exchanger 4 installed on the upstream side of the air blower 5, and the sound reproducing means 50 are included. In addition, an up / down wind direction plate 9 and a left / right wind direction plate 10 that adjust the blowing direction of air conditioned in the heat exchanger 4 (hereinafter referred to as “conditioned air”) are installed at the air outlet 7.

  A transmission / reception unit 40 that transmits and receives signals to and from a remote controller (same as a wireless remote controller) 200 is installed on the front surface of the main body 1. A control device 70 is installed inside the main body 1. A drain pan 8 is installed inside the main body 1.

  The main body 1 constitutes the outline of the indoor unit 100. The main body 1 incorporates a heat exchanger 4 and a blower 5. Further, an air passage 6 extending from the suction port 3 to the air outlet 7 is formed inside the main body 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger 4 includes a heat exchange front portion 4 a that is a portion substantially parallel to the front panel 2, a heat exchange upper front portion 4 b that is a portion obliquely above the front surface of the blower 5, and a blower 5 and a heat exchanging rear portion 4c which is a portion obliquely above the rear surface. And the drain pan 8 is arrange | positioned under the part 4a before heat exchange. The upper surface 8a of the drain pan 8 functions to actually receive the drain. The lower surface 8 b of the drain pan 8 functions as a member constituting the air path 6.

  The control device 70 controls the operation of the blower 5, the up / down wind direction plate 9 and the left / right direction plate 10 based on instructions from the remote controller 200 and measurement information from sensors (not shown) (temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor, etc.). In addition, the overall operation of the air conditioner A is controlled. The control device 70 can be configured by hardware such as a circuit device that realizes the function, or can be configured by an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer or a CPU and software executed thereon.

  In addition, the control device 70 includes an acoustic signal processing / generation unit 80 and a storage unit 90, and also has a function of outputting a comfort driving sound from the sound reproduction unit 50. The acoustic signal processing / generation means 80 performs digital signal processing, that is, HPF processing and LPF processing, on the reference sound based on the human subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation results, and creates a comfort driving sound signal. The storage unit 90 is a non-volatile memory, and stores audio data type data digitally processed by the acoustic signal processing / generation unit 80 based on the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation of a consumer (user).

  The sound reproduction means 50 reproduces the comfort driving sound created by the comfort driving sound signal sent from the acoustic signal processing / generation means 80 of the control device 70. The sound reproducing means 50 may be installed on the front surface of the main body 1 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be installed in a place different from the main body 1 as a separate body from the main body 1 as shown in FIG. The sound reproducing means 50 is preferably composed of a speaker, for example. Further, the number of sound reproducing means 50 is not particularly limited. When a plurality of sound reproducing means 50 are installed, they may be installed outside the main body 1 and the main body 1, or only the main body 1 or only outside the main body 1. Further, the size of the sound reproducing means 50 is not particularly limited.

  The remote controller 200 sets an air conditioning condition instructed by a user (such as user C shown in FIG. 4) and transmits a signal corresponding to the air conditioning condition to the main body 1. A signal transmitted from the remote controller 200 is received by the transmission / reception unit 40 of the main body 1. In addition, when the display part is installed in the remote control 200, the present air-conditioning conditions etc. are displayed on a display part by receiving the signal sent from the transmission / reception part 40 of the main body 1. FIG. In addition, when the comfort driving sound can be reproduced by the selection of the user C, a comfort driving reproduction button for instructing the remote controller 200 to reproduce the comfort driving sound may be installed.

(Operation of indoor unit 100)
Usually, during the operation of the indoor unit 100, the operation sound (fluid sound) of the blower 5 as shown in FIG. 4 is radiated to the outside of the main body 1 (arrow X shown in FIG. 4). On the other hand, the indoor unit 100 is provided with a sound reproducing means 50, and radiates a comfort driving sound from the sound reproducing means 50 to the outside of the main body 1 (such as a room that is an air-conditioning target area) (FIG. 4). Arrow Y). That is, in the indoor unit 100, the comforting operation sound obtained by digital signal processing based on the result of subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation for the user C with respect to the frequency characteristic of the operation sound (fluid sound) of the blower 5 of the indoor unit 100 performed in advance. Can be output simultaneously when the indoor unit 100 is in operation. Here, the blower 5 is described as an example of the drive component, but the blower 5 may not be used as long as it is a drive component mounted on the indoor unit 100.

(Details of the operation of the indoor unit 100)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram summarizing the subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation results performed based on the frequency characteristics of the operation sound (fluid sound) of the blower 5 of the indoor unit 100. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a multivariate analysis of the result of FIG. 5 (the broken line range shown in FIG. 5). Based on FIG.5 and FIG.6, the subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation implemented based on the frequency characteristic of the operation sound (fluid sound) of the air blower 5 of the indoor unit 100 are demonstrated. FIG. 5 summarizes the results obtained for 45 men and women in the 20s. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the magnitude of the sound heard by the subject, and the vertical axis represents the subjectivity (pleasant and unpleasant) of the subject.

  In FIG. 5, an evaluation result when only the operation sound (reference sound) of the actual blower 5 radiated from the indoor unit 100 is heard by the subject, and a sound (HPF processed sound) obtained by performing HPF processing on the reference sound are added. The evaluation result when letting the subject hear the sound and the evaluation result when letting the subject hear the sound obtained by adding the LPF-processed sound (LPF-processed sound) to the reference sound are illustrated. As shown in FIG. 5, the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation let the plurality of subjects hear the operation sound (reference sound, reference sound + HPF processed sound, reference sound + LPF processed sound) of the blower 5 radiated from the indoor unit 100, This is a numerical representation of how each subject feels from the driving sound. Note that the HPF processed sound and the LPF processed sound are obtained by performing digital signal processing on the operating sound recorded using a microphone or the like.

  Referring to the broken line range portion in FIG. 5, it can be seen that there is a clear difference between the HPF processed sound and the LPF processed sound between the items indicating “cold” and “warm”. On the other hand, although there is a clear difference between “cold” and “warm”, both the HPF-processed sound and the LPF-processed sound match in the items indicating “pleasant”-“uncomfortable”. I understand that. That is, although the HPF processed sound and the LPF processed sound are common in giving the subject a psychological action of “pleasant”, the HPF processed sound gives the subject a psychological action of “cold” and the LPF processed sound. The sound gives the subject a psychological action of “warm”.

  When the results shown in FIG. 5 were subjected to multivariate analysis, it was found that the subjectivity of the subject was divided into a comfort evaluation area and a discomfort evaluation area as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, five evaluation results of A: reference (strong operation), B: fluctuation component, C: steady change component, D: HPF processed sound + sound pressure level attenuation, E: LPF processed sound + sound pressure level attenuation are shown. It is shown. And it turned out that A and B are classified into the discomfort evaluation area, and C to E are classified into the comfort evaluation area, respectively.

  A shows subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation with respect to the reference sound when the indoor unit 100 is operated at “strong”. B shows subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation with respect to the reference sound when “fluctuation component” is generated for A. C shows the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation with respect to the reference sound when the steady change assumed for A is taken into consideration. D shows subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation when the HPF processed sound is added to the reference sound and the sound pressure level as a whole is attenuated. E shows subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation when the LPF processed sound is added to the reference sound to attenuate the sound pressure level as a whole.

  From FIG. 6, it was found that comfort is given to the subject when the HPF processed sound or the LPF processed sound is added to the reference sound. Moreover, it turned out that comfort is given to a test subject when the whole sound pressure level is attenuate | damped among these. That is, it has been found that a psychological effect can be given to the subject's cooling and heating sensation by adding the comforting driving sound processed with digital signals to the reference sound and attenuating the overall sound pressure level. Therefore, the indoor unit 100 changes the psychological action of the user C by radiating the comfort driving sound.

  Specifically, the comfort driving sound created from the subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation results of the user C is radiated from the sound reproduction means 50 and superimposed on the actual driving sound of the blower 5 radiated from the indoor unit 100. I am doing so. The comfort driving sound is created based on the reference sound by performing HPF processing or LPF processing on the reference sound. Note that the comfort driving sound once created may be stored in the storage unit 90.

  The HPF process and the LPF process are performed by the acoustic signal processing / generating unit 80 of the control device 70. Specifically, the acoustic signal processing / generating unit 80 performs HPF processing and LPF processing on the frequency characteristics of the operation sound (fluid sound) of the actual blower 5 of the indoor unit 100. The HPF process is to attenuate a frequency component lower than a predetermined frequency while hardly attenuating a frequency component of a predetermined frequency (for example, 300 Hz) or higher. In the LPF process, a frequency component equal to or lower than a predetermined frequency (for example, 500 Hz) is hardly attenuated, and a frequency component higher than the predetermined frequency is gradually decreased.

  The acoustic signal processing / generation means 80 performs digital signal processing on the reference sound based on an algorithm reflecting the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation results of the user C as described in FIGS. Sound and LPF processing sound, that is, a comfort driving sound signal that becomes a comfort driving sound is created. In the indoor unit 100, the comfortable driving sound signal created by the acoustic signal processing / generating unit 80 is sent to the sound reproducing unit 50 during the operation of the indoor unit 100, and is emitted from the sound reproducing unit 50 as a comfortable driving sound. Reference sound + comfortable driving sound reaches user C. By doing so, the indoor unit 100 acts on the psychological cooling / heating sensation of the user C, and the change in the set temperature of the indoor unit 100 by the user C is reduced.

  For example, during cooling operation, for the user C who requires further temperature reduction, the sound pressure level is attenuated by adding the HPF-processed sound to the reference, thereby providing a psychological cooling effect to the user C. It is possible to prevent the cooling set temperature from being lowered. Similarly, for example, for the user C who requires further temperature increase during the heating operation, the LPF processed sound is added to the reference and the sound pressure level is attenuated, so that the user C has a psychological temperature. It gives a sensation and makes it possible not to raise the heating set temperature. As a result, an increase in actual air conditioning load can be avoided and an energy saving effect can be realized.

  The existing technology reproduces sounds that are not based on the user's subjectivity and physiological response, masks to cancel the emitted sound, and makes the user feel uncomfortable with the sound emitted to the outside. The sound is such that the sound is not given, or the ultrasonic wave is superimposed. Therefore, in order to affect the user's cooling / heating sensation, the user himself / herself has to actually adjust the cooling set temperature or the heating set temperature. Eventually, the user who wants to get a cool feeling further lowers the current cooling set temperature, and the user who wants to get a warm feeling further raises the current heating set temperature, which does not lead to an energy saving effect.

  On the other hand, the indoor unit 100 radiates a sound obtained by adding a digital signal processed sound to a reference sound. Therefore, the sound pressure level of the sound to be radiated is increased compared to the reference sound, but since the digital signal processed sound based on the subjectivity of the user C is added, An effect can be given to the cooling / heating sensation of the user C. Therefore, actually, the user C himself / herself can reduce the adjustment of the cooling set temperature or the heating set temperature, the air conditioning burden remains as it is, and energy saving can be realized correspondingly.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of frequency characteristics of a sound subjected to HPF processing. FIG. 8 is a graph showing an example of frequency characteristics of sound subjected to LPF processing. Based on FIGS. 7 and 8, specific examples of the sound subjected to HPF processing and the sound subjected to LPF processing will be described. 7 and 8, the horizontal axis represents frequency (Hz) and the vertical axis represents sound pressure level (dB). In FIG. 7, the solid line indicates the frequency characteristic of the reference sound (the operation sound of the blower 5 radiated from the indoor unit 100), and the broken line indicates the frequency characteristic of the sound subjected to HPF processing. In FIG. 8, the solid line indicates the frequency characteristic of the reference sound, and the broken line indicates the frequency characteristic of the sound subjected to LPF processing.

  From the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation of the user C, it was found that the sound subjected to the HPF process psychologically affects the cold feeling of the user C (see, for example, FIGS. 5 and 6). Moreover, it was found from the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation of the user C that the LPF-processed sound psychologically affects the warmth of the user C (see, for example, FIGS. 5 and 6).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the acoustic signal processing / generating means 80 makes the HPF processed signal comfortable by digital signal processing so as to reproduce only the high frequency of, for example, 300 Hz or higher among the frequency characteristics of the reference sound. Created as a driving sound signal. By sending this comforting operation sound signal to the sound reproducing means 50 and radiating it as a comforting operation sound, the user C can feel a cooling sensation more than the actual feeling of cooling without lowering the cooling set temperature. It is obtained psychologically.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 8, the acoustic signal processing / generating unit 80 comfortably processes the LPF-processed signal so as to reproduce only the low frequency of, for example, 500 Hz or less of the frequency characteristics of the reference sound by digital signal processing. Created as a general operation sound signal. By sending this comforting operation sound signal to the sound reproducing means 50 and radiating it as a comforting operation sound, the user C can feel a sense of warmth more than the sense of warmth without actually raising the heating set temperature. It is obtained psychologically.

  Further, as described above, in the indoor unit 100, the sound pressure level of the sound to be radiated itself is increased compared to the reference sound. Simply radiating the comfort driving sound from the sound reproducing means 50 may cause discomfort to the user C due to the increased sound pressure level (see FIG. 6). Therefore, in the indoor unit 100, the sound pressure level of the comfort driving sound is attenuated in the range of −1 dB to −5 dB from the driving sound of the indoor unit 100 that is the source sound (reference sound). Thereby, the comfort driving sound can be radiated within a range in which the user C is not uncomfortable.

  Furthermore, depending on the type, size, characteristics, number, etc. of the sound reproduction means 50 to be installed, the comfort driving sound may not easily reach the user C depending on the directivity of the comfort driving sound to be emitted. . Therefore, the acoustic signal processing / generating unit 80 can perform phase correction that expands the directivity of the comfort driving sound as one of the digital signal processing so that the comfort driving sound is directly emitted to the user C. It is good to leave.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the emission timing of the comfort driving sound. Based on FIG. 9, an example of the emission timing of the comfort driving sound will be described. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the response of the reference sound. FIG. 9 shows an example when the reference sound is collected using a microphone or the like.

  While the comfort unit operation sound may be continuously emitted during the operation of the indoor unit 100, the emission timing of the comfort operation sound may be determined by the operation operation of the blower 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the blower 5 is operated so as to have a transitional change and the airflow from the indoor unit 100 fluctuates, the comforting operation sound is generated during the blowing time period in which the transitional change is performed. It is better not to present. Then, the comfort driving sound is presented only in the time zone where the fluctuation (response) of the air blow is small.

  By doing so, it is possible to present a comforting operation sound having a constant sound pressure without presenting a comforting operation sound corresponding to a transient air flow. For this reason, the comfort driving sound does not become noise, and the algorithm for presenting the comfort driving sound is the same as the constant sound volume presentation. Therefore, it is possible to provide comfort driving sound by a relatively simple algorithm. Note that the emission timing of the comfort driving sound may be stored in the control device 70 in advance.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining sleep guidance by the comfort driving sound. Based on FIG. 10, the sleep induction by the comfort driving sound will be described. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents time (t), and the vertical axis represents the change in hemoglobin (Hb) concentration in the brain (large or small).

  From the subjective evaluation and physiological response evaluation of the user C, a comfortable driving sound having frequency characteristics optimal for sleep induction is created. By radiating this comforting operation sound during, for example, a blowing operation or a cooling operation, it becomes possible to induce sleep to the user C without lowering the cooling set temperature. From FIG. 10, it was found that the user C can be guided to non-REM sleep in a short time by radiating the comfort driving sound having the optimal frequency characteristics for sleep induction. For example, even in a sleepless night in midsummer, the user C is induced to sleep by the comfort driving sound radiated from the indoor unit 100 without forcibly lowering the cooling set temperature. It will be.

  As described above, the indoor unit 100 and the air-conditioning apparatus A including the indoor unit 100 are comfortably operated sound that has been subjected to digital signal processing based on the user's subjective evaluation and physiological reaction evaluation with respect to the reference sound performed in advance. Can be emitted during the operation of the indoor unit 100, and the psychological cooling / heating sensation of the user can be affected. As a result, the psychological action of the user can be changed by the comfort driving sound, and the comfort of the user can be improved. Also, by changing the psychological action of the user, it is possible to reduce actually increasing the air conditioning load, which contributes to energy saving. Furthermore, it is possible to realize sleep guidance using comfort driving sound.

  1 Main body, 2 Front panel, 3 Suction port, 4 Heat exchanger, 4a Heat exchange part, 4b Heat exchange front part, 4c Heat exchange upper part, 5 Blower, 6 Air passage, 7 Air outlet, 8 Drain pan, 8a Upper surface, 8b Lower surface, 9 Up / down wind direction plate, 10 Left / right wind direction plate, 40 Transmission / reception unit, 50 Sound reproduction means, 70 Control device, 80 Acoustic signal processing / generation means, 90 Storage means, 100 Indoor unit, 200 Remote control, A Air Harmonic device, B wall, C user.

Claims (6)

Driving parts,
A comfortable driving sound signal that is a comfort driving sound that psychologically affects humans is subjected to digital signal processing based on human subjective evaluation and physiological response to the driving sound of the driving component, and the driving sound of the driving component is Acoustic signal processing / generation means to be created based on,
Sound reproduction means for radiating the comfort driving sound signal sent from the acoustic signal processing / generating means as comfort driving sound;
A control device that radiates the comfort driving sound from the sound reproduction means when the driving sound is radiated from the driving component ;
The acoustic signal processing / generating means includes:
An indoor unit of an air conditioner , wherein a sound pressure level of the comfort driving sound is attenuated in a range of -1 dB to -5 dB from a sound pressure level of the driving sound of the driving component . Driving parts,
The comfort driving sound signal that is a comfort driving sound that psychologically affects humans is subjected to digital signal processing based on human subjective evaluation and physiological response to the driving sound of the driving component, and the driving sound of the driving component is converted into the driving sound of the driving component. Acoustic signal processing / generation means to be created based on,
Sound reproduction means for radiating the comfort driving sound signal sent from the acoustic signal processing / generating means as comfort driving sound;
A control device that radiates the comfort driving sound from the sound reproduction means when the driving sound is radiated from the driving component ;
When the driving component is to make a transitional change,
The control device includes:
An indoor unit of an air conditioner , wherein the comfort operating sound is emitted outside a time zone in which the driving component changes transiently . The acoustic signal processing / generating means includes:
The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the comforting operation sound signal is created by performing HPF processing or LPF processing on a frequency characteristic of the driving sound of the driving component. The acoustic signal processing / generating means includes:
The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 3 , wherein the HPF process is performed so as to gradually reduce a frequency component lower than 300 Hz. The acoustic signal processing / generating means includes:
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 3 , wherein LPF processing is performed so as to gradually reduce a frequency component higher than 500 Hz. An air conditioner comprising the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .

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