JP6100131B2 - Indoor unit of air conditioner and air conditioner using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a light emitting means for irradiating light toward a case holder, and a part of the light emitted by the light emitting means is incident on the case holder and then emitted from the periphery of the holder window. The indoor unit of the air conditioner equipped with both the infrared sensor and the display means for displaying the operation status is described.

JP 2011-027378 A

  However, Patent Document 1 requires a light emitting means substrate separately from the sensor substrate, which increases the cost.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioner that reduces the cost of an imaging unit and a light emitting unit.

  An indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention is composed of a substrate having an imaging unit that images a room and a light emitting unit that emits light, and a light-impermeable material or a light-impermeable material that is located on the back side of the substrate. A reflecting plate, the imaging means is installed on the front surface of the substrate, and the light emitting means is installed on the back surface of the substrate.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the indoor unit of the air conditioner which reduces the cost of an imaging means and a light emission means can be provided.

1 is an external view of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view of the imaging unit concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a front view of the imaging unit concerning a 1st embodiment. It is an enlarged view of an imaging unit, a temperature detection unit, a display unit, and a remote control light-receiving part. It is an enlarged view of an imaging unit, a temperature detection unit, a display unit, and a remote control light-receiving part. It is an enlarged view of a display unit.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the common part in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of an air conditioner according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner includes an indoor unit 1, an outdoor unit 2, and a remote controller 3. As will be described later, the indoor unit 1 includes an indoor heat exchanger 9, and the outdoor unit 2 includes a compressor (not shown), an expansion mechanism (not shown), an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown), and electrical equipment. Goods (not shown). The indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 are connected by refrigerant piping, and air-conditions the room in which the indoor unit 1 is installed by a known refrigerant cycle. Moreover, the indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 mutually transmit / receive information via a communication cable (not shown).

  The remote controller 3 is operated by the user, and transmits an infrared signal from the transmission unit of the remote control 3 to the remote control light receiving unit 4 of the indoor unit 1. The contents of the signal are commands such as an operation request, a change in set temperature, a timer, an operation mode change, and a stop request. Based on these signals, the air conditioner performs air conditioning operations such as a cooling mode, a heating mode, and a dehumidifying mode. The remote controller 3 also outputs the time, calendar, and installation position of the air conditioner to the control unit.

  The imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 are installed in the lower part of the center of the front panel 15 in the left-right direction. Note that the imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 may be at the upper end of the front panel 15 so that a wider range of the room can be seen with the same angle of view.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. The housing base 8 of the indoor unit 1 houses structures such as the indoor heat exchanger 9, the blower fan 10, and the electrical component 11 inside. The indoor heat exchanger 9 has a plurality of heat transfer tubes and fins, heats the air taken into the indoor unit 1 by the blower fan 10 with the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tubes, and heats or cools the air. It is configured as follows. The heat transfer tube communicates with the above-described refrigerant pipe (not shown) and constitutes a part of a known refrigerant cycle (not shown).

  The dew receiving tray 12 is located below the indoor heat exchanger 9 and prevents water condensed from the air cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 9 from leaking into the room.

  The left and right wind direction plates 13 are rotated by a motor for left and right wind direction plates 13 (not shown) with a pivot shaft (not shown) provided at the bottom as a fulcrum according to an instruction from a microcomputer (not shown) of the indoor unit 1. Moved.

  The vertical wind direction plate 14 is rotated by a motor (not shown) for the vertical wind direction plate 14 with a rotation shaft (not shown) as a fulcrum according to an instruction from a microcomputer (not shown) of the indoor unit 1.

  The front panel 15 is installed so as to cover the front surface of the indoor unit 1, and is configured to be rotatable by a motor (not shown) for the front panel 15 with the lower end as an axis. The front panel 15 may be configured to be fixed to the lower end or may not be able to rotate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the blower fan 10 rotates, the room air is taken in via the air suction port 17 and the filter 16, and the air heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 9 is guided to the blowout air path 18. . The air guided to the blowout air passage 18 is adjusted in air direction by the left and right airflow direction plates 13 and the upper and lower airflow direction plates 14, and is sent to the outside from the air blowing port 19 to air-condition the room.

  Various sensors in the indoor unit 1 may include a room temperature sensor that measures indoor temperature, a humidity sensor that measures indoor humidity, an illuminance sensor, an odor sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor.

  The imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 are disposed below the filter 16 located on the front side and on the front side of the dew tray 12. By arrange | positioning in such a position, it can prevent becoming the obstruction | occlusion of the suction air path and the blowing air path 18 of the indoor unit 1. FIG.

  The imaging unit 24 includes an imaging unit 24a that is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera. By disposing the imaging unit 24 below the filter 16 located on the front side and on the front side of the dew tray 12, it is possible to prevent the front side from being obstructed and prevent the imaging range from being narrowed.

  The imaging unit 24a captures the air-conditioned room over time and outputs the captured image to the A / D converter as image information. The A / D converter is an electronic circuit that converts image information input as an analog signal from the imaging unit 24a into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal. Note that an A / D converter may be built in the imaging means 24a.

  FIG. 3 is a side view of the imaging unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view of the imaging unit according to the first embodiment. The imaging unit 24 includes a substrate 6 having an imaging unit 24a and a light emitting unit 5, an imaging case 22 covering the imaging unit 24a, and an imaging case 22 having a reflecting plate 21a.

  The substrate 6 having the image pickup means 24a is installed so that the optical axis of the lens of the image pickup means 24a faces downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal line so that the room in which the indoor unit 1 is installed can be appropriately imaged. It has become.

  The light emitting means 5 is attached to the same substrate 6 as the imaging means 24a. Here, if the light emitting means 5 is attached to the front side of the substrate 6 like the imaging means 24a, the light emitted from the light emitting means 5 directly enters the imaging means 24a and the sensitivity of the imaging means 24a is reduced. Thus, the imaging unit 24a cannot appropriately capture the room.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the light emitting means 5 is attached to the back side of the substrate 6. The imaging unit 24 a is attached to the front side of the substrate 6 and the opposite side of the light emitting unit 5. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the board | substrate 6 becomes a wall and the light emitted from the light emission means 5 does not enter into the imaging means 24a directly.

  However, in the first place, the light emitting means 5 plays a role of emitting light from the indoor unit 1 so that the user can grasp that the imaging means 24a is in operation, and the light emitting means 5 is installed on the opposite side of the substrate 6. The light emitting means 5 cannot emit light toward the room.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a reflecting plate 21 a that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting means 5 is provided on the back side of the substrate 6.

  According to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide the board | substrate 6 in the light emission means 5 separately from the imaging means 24a, the cost of the imaging unit 24 can be reduced. Moreover, since the magnitude | size of the imaging unit 24 can also be reduced in size, the imaging unit 24 can be arrange | positioned in the limited space on the front side of the dew tray 12. That is, it is not necessary to secure a space for the imaging unit 24, and the indoor heat exchanger 9 can be enlarged correspondingly, which can contribute to energy saving of the air conditioner.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the illuminance from being erroneously detected by the light of the light emitting means 5, so that it is not necessary to stop the light emission of the light emitting means 5 each time the illuminance is detected. The imaging unit 24a generally changes the gain and the shutter speed depending on the illuminance. In this embodiment, since the light of the light emitting unit 5 does not enter the imaging unit 24a, the gain and the shutter speed can be changed depending on the brightness of the indoor space that is the imaging target, and thus a correct image is acquired. be able to.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base 21 is configured to have a reflecting plate 21a. Specifically, the base 21 is made of a light impermeable material or a light impermeable material. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the base 21 and the reflecting plate 21a in the image pickup unit 24, and the image pickup unit 24 can be further downsized.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the reflection plate 21 a may be provided on a surface (upper surface, lower surface, and side surface) other than the front surface side of the substrate 6 in addition to being provided on the rear surface side of the substrate 6. For example, the light reflected from the reflection plate 6 located on the back side can be further reflected by the reflection plate 6 located on the upper surface side and emitted toward the room, so that the amount of emitted light is increased. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the light emitting means 5 is positioned above the imaging means 24a. In the present embodiment, as described above, the substrate 6 is installed so that the optical axis of the lens of the imaging unit 24a faces downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal line. Therefore, the light emitted from the light emitting means 5 is mainly reflected by the reflecting plate 21a located on the back surface, further reflected by the reflecting plate 21a located on the top surface, and emitted toward the room. At this time, by separating the imaging unit 24a from the light emission path, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit 5 entering the imaging unit 24a can be further reduced.

  The imaging unit 24 of the present embodiment is configured to be turnable in the left-right direction by a stepping motor. The imaging case 22 covers the substrate 6 having the imaging means 24a and the light emitting means 5, and the imaging case 22 is supported by the pedestal 21. Yes. Thus, in order to integrate the imaging unit 24, it is necessary to cover the substrate 6 with the imaging case 22.

  In such an embodiment, the light emitted from the light emitting means 5 enters the reflection plate 21a via the imaging case 22, and the light reflected by the reflection plate 21a is directed toward the room via the imaging case 22. Is emitted. That is, the light emitted from the light emitting means 5 must pass through the imaging case 22 a plurality of times. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the imaging case 22 is made of a light transmitting material.

  Note that the light emitted from the light emitting means 5 is emitted indoors through the imaging case 22 that is a light transmitting material, so that the light becomes indirect illumination and the design can be improved.

  Further, a window (hole) 20 is provided in a portion of the imaging case 22 located on the front side of the imaging means 24a, and a case made of a material having a low refractive index of light is fitted into the window 20 portion. In the present embodiment, a material different from the imaging case 22 is used as a material having a low refractive index of light. However, the same material as the imaging case 22 may be used and the thickness may be reduced.

  When the imaging means 24a and the substrate 6 having the light emitting means 5 are separate and only the imaging means 24a is configured to rotate, the light emitted by the light emitting means 5 enters the imaging means 24a depending on the rotation angle. There is a possibility that. In this embodiment, since the imaging unit 24a and the light emitting unit 5 are installed on one substrate 6, the positions of the light emitting unit 5 and the reflecting plate 21a are not shifted depending on the angle of the imaging unit 24 in the left-right direction. The amount of light emitted from the light emitting means 5 toward the room is prevented from changing depending on the angle of the unit 24 in the left-right direction.

  The viewing angle of the imaging means 24a in this embodiment is approximately 60 °. The imaging means 24a can be rotated by 45 ° in the left-right direction with the front as the center, and a viewing angle of 150 ° in total is realized. The imaging means 24a is rotated by a stepping motor in the order of left, middle, and right. When the right is detected, the imaging means 24a returns to the left through the middle. The stepping motor used for rotation of the image pickup means 24a is provided independently of other detection means. The imaging unit 24a and the stepping motor may be connected by a gear or an arm, or may be directly connected to the imaging unit 24a.

  Although the imaging unit 24 has been described in the present embodiment, the temperature detection unit 25 including the temperature detection unit 25a can also have the same configuration as the imaging unit 24.

  The temperature detection means 25a is, for example, a thermopile composed of 1 × 1 pixel, 4 × 4 pixel, and 1 × 8 pixel in the horizontal and vertical directions, and is installed at the lower center of the front panel 15 in the left-right direction. The temperature detection means 25a may be provided at the upper end of the front panel 15 so that a wider range of the room can be seen with the same angle of view. Further, the temperature detecting means 25a may be constituted by an infrared sensor or an infrared camera.

  The viewing angles in the horizontal direction of the temperature detection means 25a and the imaging means 24a are substantially the same angle. Alternatively, one may be larger than the other, and a substantially equivalent viewing angle may be obtained by changing the viewing angle by turning.

  The viewing angle of the temperature detecting means 25a is approximately 5 ° × 45 ° in the case of 1 horizontal pixel × 8 vertical pixel. The temperature detection means 27 is rotated 30 times in the left-right direction so that the detection ranges do not overlap, so that a viewing angle of a total of 150 ° is configured.

  The angle at which the temperature detection means 25a faces downward is substantially the same as the angle at which the imaging means 24a faces downward. When the detection ranges in the vertical direction of the imaging unit 24a and the temperature detection unit 25a are different, the upper ends are aligned. Alternatively, the lower ends may be aligned. The viewing angles in the horizontal direction of the image pickup unit 24a and the temperature detection unit 25a are substantially the same angle. Alternatively, one may be larger than the other, and a substantially equivalent viewing angle may be obtained by changing the viewing angle by turning.

  The imaging unit 24 is arranged side by side with the temperature detection means 25a in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. Furthermore, the imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 are installed close to a position where space can be detected, such as the front center portion and the upper front portion of the indoor unit 1.

  The imaging unit 24 is configured by a drive mechanism independent of the temperature detection unit 25, but the drive timing of the imaging unit 24 may be synchronized with the drive timing of the temperature detection unit 25. Specifically, the imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 may be driven at a timing at which the range captured by the imaging unit 24a and the range detected by the temperature detection unit 25a overlap.

  The temperature detection unit 25 is rotated by a stepping motor. A stepping motor used for rotating the temperature detection unit 25 is provided independently of the imaging unit 24. The temperature detection unit 25 and the stepping motor are connected by a gear or an arm. Alternatively, the temperature detection means 25a and the stepping motor may be directly connected.

  5 and 6 are enlarged views of the imaging unit, the temperature detection unit, the display unit, and the remote control light receiving unit. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the display unit. As shown in FIG. 7, the display unit 26 includes a plurality of display units. For example, when the imaging unit 24 a detects a human body, the display unit of “in-room monitor” in the display unit 26 is lit. Residents tend to turn their face to the display unit 26 that displays the operating state of the air conditioner in order to check which display unit is lit. In particular, the display unit 26 of the present embodiment is configured by a plurality of display units, and not only displays operation ON / OFF, but also includes “in-room monitor”, “clean”, “mist”, etc. The typical driving status. Therefore, the occupant tends to turn to the display unit 26 that displays the operating state of the air conditioner in order to confirm which display unit is lit.

  In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 are disposed in the vicinity of the display unit 26. Therefore, when the occupant faces his / her face toward the display unit 26, the imaging unit 24a of the imaging unit 24 disposed in the vicinity of the occupant can detect the front occupant who is tuned with high accuracy. . Accordingly, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimation of attributes such as the size, sex, and age of the occupant and the distance to the occupant. In particular, when there are occupants below the indoor unit 1, it is difficult to detect the occupants from the top of the occupant, but the occupants below the indoor unit 1 see the display unit 26. The human body can be detected with high accuracy by raising the face.

  In order to detect attributes such as the size, sex, and age of the occupant, it is necessary to detect the occupant image with higher accuracy than detecting the presence and location of the occupant. Therefore, in this embodiment, the imaging unit 24a is disposed between the display unit 26 and the temperature detection unit 25a. According to the present embodiment, priority is given to the effect of detecting a front-facing occupant whose image pickup means 24a is tuned with high accuracy, so that the accuracy of estimation of attributes such as the occupant's size, gender, and age Can be further enhanced.

  Further, the temperature detection means 25a of the temperature detection unit 25 can also detect the occupant's face and head with a large projection area when the occupant faces the display unit 26. The temperature of the occupant can be detected with accuracy. Especially when the distance from the scalp to the outside of the hair is large, such as afro hair, the surface temperature of the hair is cooled and warmed by the cold air / warm air of the conditioned air, so the detection accuracy of the temperature you want to detect is lowered. There is a risk. Therefore, the effect of the present embodiment that can detect the face and head of the occupant with a large projected area is great.

  Further, by arranging the temperature detection unit 24, the imaging unit 25, and the display unit 26 side by side, continuity in the left-right direction and the up-down direction is created on the front surface of the indoor unit 1, and the randomness due to the disposition is separated. It can be reduced and the design is improved. In particular, by arranging the temperature detection unit 24, the imaging unit 25, and the display unit 26 in a design portion that substantially penetrates the front panel 15 of the indoor unit 1 such as in a black belt, higher designability can be obtained.

  Further, the remote control light receiving unit 4 that receives a signal from the remote control may be disposed in the vicinity of the display unit 26. In the present embodiment, the temperature detection unit 24 and the imaging unit 25 are arranged between the display unit 26 and the remote control light receiving unit 4.

  In the present embodiment, the temperature detection unit 24 and the imaging unit 25 are arranged beside the display unit 26, but may be arranged in the vertical direction of the display unit 26.

  In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 used for the indoor unit of the air conditioner have been described. However, the imaging unit 24 and the temperature detection unit 25 are an air conditioner for building air conditioning, other home appliances, It can be used for surveillance cameras and sensor functions that monitor the indoor environment.

  In particular, when the imaging unit 24a has a function of detecting illuminance from the captured image and discriminating sunlight or artificial light based on the white balance of the image captured by the imaging unit 24a, the light emitting unit 5 emits the light. Highly important to prevent false detection by light.

  In the present embodiment, it is not always necessary to cover the entire surface other than the front surface of the substrate 6 with the reflecting plate 21 a, and only the back surface of the substrate 6 or a part of the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface in addition to the back surface of the substrate 6. It is good also as a structure covered. Moreover, you may comprise the cover which has the reflecting plate 21a spherically.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Outdoor unit 3 Remote control 4 Remote control light-receiving part 5 Light emission means 6 Board | substrate 8 Case base 9 Heat exchanger 10 Blower fan 11 Electrical component 12 Dew tray 13 Left and right wind direction plate 14 Up and down wind direction plate 15 Front panel 16 Filter 17 Inlet 18 Air outlet 19 Air outlet 20 Imaging case 21 Cover 22 Window 23 Sensor field of view 24 Imaging unit 24a Imaging unit 25 Temperature detection unit 25a Temperature detection unit 26 Display unit

Claims (10)

A substrate having an imaging means for imaging the room and a light emitting means for emitting light;
Located on the back side of the substrate, comprising a reflector made of a light impermeable material or a hardly light transmissive material,
The image pickup means is installed on the front surface of the substrate, and the light emitting means is an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed on the back surface of the substrate. A cover covering the substrate;
Among the covers, at least a part of the cover located on the back side of the substrate is the reflector.
The interior of the air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the cover located on the front side of the substrate is made of a light-impermeable material or a light-impermeable material. Machine. The substrate is installed such that the optical axis of the imaging means is directed downward by a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal line,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light emitting means is located above the imaging means. Comprising a plurality having a display unit a display unit for displaying the OPERATION state,
The imaging hands stage indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged in the vicinity of the display unit. Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the room,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 4 , wherein the imaging means is arranged between the display unit and the temperature detection means. A substrate having temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the room and light emitting means for emitting light;
Located on the back side of the substrate, comprising a reflector made of a light impermeable material or a hardly light transmissive material,
The temperature detecting means is installed on the front surface of the substrate, and the light emitting means is installed on the back surface of the substrate. Provided with a display unit having a plurality of display units for displaying the operating state,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the temperature detecting means is arranged in the vicinity of the display unit. An imaging means for imaging the room;
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the imaging unit is disposed between the display unit and the temperature detection unit. An indoor heat exchanger that harmonizes the air sucked from the inlet,
A filter located upstream of the indoor heat exchanger;
A dew pan located below the indoor heat exchanger,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the imaging means is located below the filter and on the front side of the dew tray. An indoor unit for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
An air conditioner provided with a compressor, an expansion mechanism, and an outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger.