JP6408300B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of finding a path through which an air current passes by viewing the position and shape of an indoor person and an obstacle three-dimensionally and appropriately controlling the wind direction.

  Attempts have been made to blow air comfortably even if there are obstacles in the room. In Patent Document 1, when an obstacle is low in heating, comfortable air conditioning can be performed by setting the upper and lower blades slightly upward from the normal automatic wind direction control and sending an airflow over the obstacle. A possible air conditioner is described.

JP 2011-80683 A

  However, when the upper and lower blades are set upward from the normal automatic wind direction control and the airflow is sent from above the obstacle, the person's face is warmed rather than the person's feet, which may cause discomfort to the person.

  On the other hand, in normal heating operation, an air current is blown in front of the indoor unit, and there is a risk that sufficient warm air may not reach the human feet.

  The present invention is an invention for solving the above-described problems, and provides an air conditioner that makes it easy to deliver hot air to a person's feet while preventing the person's face from being warmed rather than the person's feet. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner of the present invention includes a blowout port that blows out an airflow, a wind direction plate that changes a wind direction of the airflow that blows out from the blowout port, an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle in the room, and an obstacle A first heating operation that controls the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the detection unit, and a second that does not control the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit. The direction of the wind direction plate during the first heating operation is lower than the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit and is higher than the direction of the wind direction plate during the second heating operation. This is the main feature.
Furthermore, the air conditioner of the present invention further includes a pass-through availability detection unit that detects whether the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit has a shape that passes through an airflow, in addition to the main features described above. The first heating operation is performed when the passage detection unit detects that the obstacle passes through the airflow.
Alternatively, the air conditioner of the present invention includes, in addition to the main features described above, a blower fan that sends an airflow to the outlet, and the rotation speed of the blower fan during the first heating operation is the second heating unit. It is characterized by being higher than the rotation speed of the blower fan during operation.
Other aspects of the present invention will be described in the embodiments described later.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can provide the air conditioner which makes it easy to deliver warm air to a person's step, preventing a person's face being warmed rather than a person's step.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance structure of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance of the remote control of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the sensor part of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the imaging part which has a visible light cut filter which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the wavelength range at the time of imaging through the filter of visible light cut. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the control part of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the whole outline | summary of the process of a control part. It is a flowchart which shows the process of an imaging control part, an obstruction detection part, and a passage passability detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the determination process of the presence or absence of the object of an obstruction detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the determination process using the gravity center of the object of the passage availability detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the determination process using the integrated area of the object of a passage availability detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the ratio of the integrated area by the height from the lower end of various furniture. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the determination process whether an object is an obstruction. It is a flowchart which shows the airflow mode selection process of an airflow control part. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control in case an obstruction is a shape which passes airflow. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow control of a room side view and a top view. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control in case an obstruction is a shape which cannot pass airflow. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control in case a person is close to an indoor unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control in case it is not determined with an obstruction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow control based on the distance of the wall in which an indoor unit is installed, and an obstruction. It is explanatory drawing which shows airflow control at the time of the heating at the time of a heating in the shape where an obstruction passes the airflow, and air_conditioning | cooling. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detailed airflow control at the time of the obstacle avoidance driving | operation at the time of heating. It is explanatory drawing which shows the airflow control using the up-down wind direction board divided | segmented into the several division. It is a flowchart which shows the person position determination process of a person detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the person position determination process of a person detection part. It is a flowchart which shows the corner direction determination process of a wall detection part. It is a figure which shows the image process performed by the corner direction determination process of a wall detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the indoor plane in the corner direction determination process of a wall detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the corner direction determination process of a wall detection part. It is a flowchart which shows the expansion range determination process of a wall detection part. It is a top view which shows indoor arrangement | positioning in the expansion range determination process of a wall detection part. It is a schematic diagram which shows the detection of the position and shape of a person in a room and an obstacle.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. First, an outline of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The air conditioner A is a device that performs air conditioning in a room such as cooling using, for example, a heat pump technology. The air conditioner A is roughly classified into an indoor unit 100 installed on an indoor wall, ceiling, floor, etc., an outdoor unit 200 installed outdoors, and the indoor unit 100 by infrared rays, radio waves, communication lines, and the like. A remote controller 40 (remote controller, air conditioning control terminal) for the user to operate the air conditioner A, and various sensor units for obtaining information used for control and display of the air conditioner such as room temperature and outside temperature 50 (see FIG. 5). Moreover, the indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 are connected to the refrigerant pipe and a communication cable (not shown). Furthermore, the indoor unit 100 includes an imaging unit 110 that images the room as one sensor of the sensor unit 50.

  A temperature detection unit 130 that detects the indoor temperature is disposed on one side of the imaging unit 110. With such an arrangement, it is possible to reduce detection errors in the distance and angle between the imaging unit 110 and the temperature detection unit 130 to be detected. A near-infrared light source 120 is disposed on the other side of the imaging unit 110. With such an arrangement, the difference between the detection range and angle of the imaging unit 110 and the irradiation range and angle of the near-infrared light source 120 can be reduced. That is, it is desirable to arrange the temperature detection unit 130 and the near-infrared light source 120 on both sides of the imaging unit 110.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a foot monitor 140 is disposed beside the imaging unit 110 or the temperature detection unit 130. As described later, when the foot is detected by the imaging unit 110 or the temperature detection unit 130 or when the foot is estimated, the foot monitor 140 is turned on, and the user can confirm that the foot has been detected. . The foot monitor 140 may be disposed not only on the indoor unit 100 but also on the remote controller 40.

  Furthermore, you may make it arrange | position the display part (not shown) which displays the detection result of the obstacle detection part 64 mentioned later and the passage pass / fail detection part 65 in the indoor unit 100 and the remote control 40. FIG.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The indoor unit 100 includes a heat exchanger 102, a blower fan 103, a left and right wind direction plate 104 (wind direction portion), an up and down wind direction plate 105 (wind direction portion), a front panel 106, a housing base 101, and various sensor units 50 (see FIG. 5). ) Etc. Of the sensor unit 50, the imaging unit 110, the near-infrared light source 120, the temperature detection unit 130, and the foot monitor 140 are arranged in a space above the blowing air path upper surface 109 c and below the drain pan 99. These sensors and the like need to be installed obliquely downward so as to face the living space. In this embodiment, the substrate itself is installed obliquely downward and these sensors are directly connected to the substrate. . Note that the imaging unit 110, the near-infrared light source 120, the temperature detection unit 130, and the foot monitor 140 are not necessarily mounted on the indoor unit 100, and a sensor or the like mounted on the indoor unit 100 may be selected as appropriate according to the embodiment. That's fine. In addition, a light transmitting member 150 may be disposed on the front surface of the sensor.

  The heat exchanger 102 has a plurality of heat transfer tubes 102a. The indoor air taken into the indoor unit 100 by the blower fan 103 is exchanged with a refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tubes 102a, and the air is cooled. Or it is comprised so that it may heat. The heat transfer tube 102a communicates with the above-described refrigerant pipe and constitutes a part of a known refrigerant cycle. The blower fan 103 can adjust the wind speed. The left and right wind direction plates 104 are rotated forward and backward by the left and right wind direction plate motors, with the base end of the rotation shaft provided at the lower part of the indoor unit as a fulcrum. And the front end side of the left and right wind direction plate 104 faces the indoor side, so that the front end side of the left and right wind direction plate 104 can operate in a horizontal direction. The up-and-down wind direction plate 105 is rotated forward and backward by the up-and-down wind direction plate motor with the rotation shafts provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 100 as fulcrums. Thereby, the front end side of the vertical wind direction plate 105 can be operated so as to swing in the vertical direction. The front panel 106 is installed so as to cover the front surface of the indoor unit, and can be rotated forward and backward by a front panel motor with the rotation shaft at the lower end as a fulcrum. Incidentally, the front panel 106 may be fixed to the lower end of the indoor unit 100 without rotating.

  When the blower fan 103 rotates, the indoor unit 100 takes indoor air into the indoor unit 100 through the air suction port 107 and the filter 108, and heat-exchanges this air with the heat exchanger 102. Thereby, the air after the heat exchange is cooled by the heat exchanger 102 or heated. The air after the heat exchange is guided to the blowout air passage 109a. Further, the air guided to the blowout air passage 109a is sent out from the air blowout port 109b to the outside of the indoor unit, and air is conditioned in the room. When the air is blown into the room from the air outlet 109 b after the heat exchange, the horizontal wind direction is adjusted by the left and right wind direction plates 104, and the vertical wind direction is adjusted by the upper and lower wind direction plates 105.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The outdoor unit 200 of the air conditioner A includes a compressor 202 that compresses the refrigerant, an expansion valve that decompresses the high-pressure refrigerant, a four-way valve that switches the refrigerant flow path, a heat exchanger 206 that exchanges heat between the outside air and the refrigerant, and the like. Equipment. The outdoor unit 200 divides (divides) the heat exchanger chamber 204 and the machine chamber 205 by the partition plate 211, the electrical component box 210, and the lead wire support component 209. In the heat exchanger chamber 204, a propeller fan 207 that promotes heat exchange with the outside air of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant piping, a motor for driving the propeller fan, a fan column that rotatably supports the propeller fan 207, and the outside air circulate. A heat exchanger 206 that performs heat exchange of the refrigerant is disposed. In the machine room 205, a compressor 202 that converts a circulating refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant, an electric expansion valve that converts a normal-temperature / high-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature / low-pressure liquid refrigerant, a reactor for an electrical component, and a refrigerant flow. A heat transfer tube of refrigerant piping is provided. The electrical component box 210 stores electrical components for controlling the outdoor unit 200, and an electrical component lid is placed on the electrical component box 210.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an appearance of a remote control of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The remote controller 40 is operated by the user and transmits an infrared signal to the remote control receiver Q (see FIG. 1) of the indoor unit. The contents of the signal are various commands such as an operation request, a change in set temperature, a timer, an operation mode change, and a stop request. The air conditioner A can perform at least indoor cooling, heating, dehumidification, and the like based on these signals. Moreover, you may provide other air conditioning functions, such as air purification. The air conditioner A can adjust indoor air variously.

  On the display screen 41 of the remote controller 40, a message 42 indicating whether or not the foot airflow described with reference to FIG. 17 is being executed is displayed. Specifically, the display contents include an airflow above the obstacle in addition to the airflow at the foot.

  By pressing the automatic operation button 43, automatic operation for automatically selecting cooling, heating, dehumidification and the like based on the detection result of the sensor unit 50 and adjusting the set temperature and the like is started. Moreover, the 1st heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) mentioned later is performed by pushing the automatic operation button 43. FIG. That is, a room temperature sensor that detects the indoor temperature, an outdoor air temperature sensor that detects the outdoor temperature, and an automatic operation that automatically switches the operation mode based on the indoor temperature detected by the room temperature sensor and the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor air temperature sensor. In the case where the heating operation is performed by automatic operation, the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) is executed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by pressing the automatic operation button 43, the execution of the obstacle detection unit 64 and the pass-through availability detection unit 65 is started and reflected in the wind direction control. Therefore, the user can start driving with a single operation, and there is no need to separately operate the obstacle detection unit 64 and the pass / fail detection unit 65.

  In the present embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 64 and the pass / fail detection unit 65 are not executed even when the automatic operation button 43 is pressed by a button (not shown) inside the remote controller 40, or the wind direction based on the detection results. It can be operated so that control is not executed.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the automatic operation button 43, a foot airflow button 44 is provided exclusively. In the present embodiment, the foot airflow button 44 is provided on the surface of the remote control 40 so that the user can easily start the foot airflow operation even for a user who starts operation with a heating operation button or the like. In other words, in the present embodiment, at least the foot airflow button 44 can start the wind direction control based on the detection results of the human detection unit 62, the wall detection unit 63, the obstacle detection unit 64, and the pass / fail detection unit 65. The foot airflow button 44 may be disposed inside the remote controller 40.

  In the present embodiment, the foot airflow button 44 and the floor plan airflow button 45 are arranged under the stop button as dedicated buttons for frequently used functions. Incidentally, the floor plan airflow button 45 is a button for detecting a floor plan in the room by the imaging unit 110 and starting a swing operation in accordance with the floor plan.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sensor unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The sensor unit 50 is provided in the indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200. The sensor unit 50 includes a room temperature sensor, a temperature detection unit 130 (see FIG. 1) that detects the surface temperature of a person, an object, and a room, an outside air temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a refrigerant pipe temperature sensor, a compressor temperature sensor, and an imaging unit 110 ( 1), and is constituted by a clock or the like. The imaging unit 110 is installed in the lower part of the center of the front panel 106 in the left-right direction.

  When the temperature detection unit 130 is a thermopile, for example, the horizontal and vertical directions are configured by 1 × 1 pixel, 4 × 4 pixel, and 1 × 8 pixel, and are installed at the lower part of the front panel 106 at the center in the left-right direction. In addition, an infrared sensor, a near infrared sensor, and a thermography may be used. What is detected by the temperature detection unit 130 is not limited to the average surface temperature in the room, and within the detection range, the surface temperature of the room in the region excluding the person, the surface temperature of the clothes of the person, the temperature of the skin of the person, It may be the floor surface temperature.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging unit having a visible light cut filter according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram of the imaging unit 110 as viewed from above. As the imaging unit 110, an imaging unit capable of imaging visible light and near infrared rays is used. Conventionally, in an image pickup unit for detecting a person or the like, an infrared cut filter is attached inside the image pickup unit, but in this embodiment, it is not attached in order not to cut near infrared rays. The visible light cut filter 112 is disposed around the imaging unit main body 111, and the visible light cut filter 112 is rotated and moved in front of the imaging unit main body 111.

  Specifically, the imaging unit 110 includes an annular visible light cut filter 112 having an opening 113 around an imaging unit main body 111 that is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. The visible light cut filter 112 can be rotated around the imaging unit main body 111 by the filter motor 114 via the filter gear 115 (filter moving mechanism). Thereby, when performing normal imaging, it is possible to take an image without passing through the visible light cut filter 112. On the other hand, when detecting an object to be described later, the visible light cut filter 112 can be rotated and driven in conjunction with the imaging unit main body 111 via the visible light cut filter 112. Further, if necessary, the near-infrared light source 120 (see FIG. 1) is turned on before photographing, and the near-infrared reflected light can be imaged more clearly by irradiating the near-infrared light.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a wavelength range in the case of imaging through a visible light cut filter. Ultraviolet rays and visible light are cut, and imaging can be performed using a wavelength region in the vicinity of near infrared rays (for example, 850 nm). Near-infrared light is characterized in that only the shape of the object is reflected without reflecting the color or pattern of the object. As a result, the shape of the object can be clearly captured. Also, since no color information is used, the amount of information required on the image is reduced, leading to an improvement in accuracy when detecting an object.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The control unit 60 is provided in the electrical component. The control unit 60 drives the blower fan 103, the left and right wind direction plates 104, and the up and down wind direction plate 105 of the indoor unit 100 based on information from the remote controller 40 via the transmission / reception unit 47 and information from the sensor unit 50, and the outdoor unit 200. The compressor 202 and the propeller fan 207 are driven.

  The control unit 60 detects the position of a person in the room based on an imaging control unit 61 that controls the imaging unit 110 in a first imaging mode and a second imaging mode described later, and an image captured by the imaging unit 110. A person detecting unit 62 (see FIGS. 26 and 27), a wall detecting unit 63 (see FIGS. 28 to 33) for detecting a wall position in the room based on an image taken by the imaging unit 110, and visible light. An obstacle detection unit 64 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) that detects an object that becomes an obstacle in the path through which the airflow passes based on a near-infrared image captured by the imaging unit 110 via the cut filter 112, and an obstacle A passage pass / fail detection unit 65 (see FIGS. 12 to 14) that detects whether or not the obstacle detected by the detection unit 64 has a shape that passes through the air flow, and an air flow that blows the air flow to an area through which the air flow can pass Control unit 66 (FIG. 1 ~ Figure 25 reference), and a storage unit 67.

  When the imaging control unit 61 controls the imaging unit 110 including the visible light cut filter 112 and the imaging unit main body 111 that images the room, the visible light cut filter 112 is positioned in front of the imaging unit main body 111. The first shooting mode for shooting the room with the imaging unit main body 111 and the second shooting mode for shooting the room with the imaging unit main body 111 in a state where the visible light cut filter 112 is not positioned in front of the imaging unit main body 111. Have.

  The person detection unit 62 detects the position of a person in the room based on an image photographed by the imaging unit 110 that does not pass through the visible light cut filter 112 (see FIG. 6) (photographed in the second photographing mode). In addition to the imaging unit 110, an infrared sensor, a near infrared sensor, a thermography, a pyroelectric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a noise sensor may be used. What is detected by the person detection unit 62 is not limited to the presence or absence of a person, and the position, activity amount, life scene, and the like may be detected.

  The position of the person detects the position of the person's head or the like from the image captured by the imaging unit 110, and uses the position of the head as the position of the person. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the position of the person, the position of the person's feet is also detected. The position of the person's foot may be directly detected based on the image captured by the imaging unit 110, or the position of the person's head may be detected to detect the position of the person's head. The position of the person's foot may be estimated from the positions such as.

  The wall detection unit 63 extracts edges in the image based on the image photographed by the imaging unit 110 without the visible light cut filter 112 (photographed in the second photographing mode), and extracts thick and long edges, By extending a straight line, creating an intersection, and making the center of gravity of the intersection the vanishing point, the corner 373 in the room is detected, and the detected corner 373 is defined as a tangent line between the wall and the wall or the wall and the ceiling or the wall and the floor. The position of the wall, ceiling, or floor surface of the room is detected.

  Note that the position of the person detected by the person detection unit 62 may be accumulated, and the detection result of the corner 373 may be supplemented based on the accumulated value of the person's position. That is, because the indoor wall exists outside the accumulated value of the person's position and the indoor wall does not exist inside the accumulated value of the person's position, the indoor wall is the accumulated value of the person's position. If detected at a position inside, the detection result may be excluded. Details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 32 and 33.

  The obstacle detection unit 64 detects an object that becomes an obstacle on the path through which the airflow passes, from an image photographed by the imaging unit 110 (photographed in the first photographing mode) via the visible light cut filter 112. Specifically, it detects furniture, such as tables, kotatsu, chairs, sofas, bookshelves, cupboards, baskets, walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows, small beams, fittings between columns, etc. in the room. Details will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The pass / fail detection unit 65 detects the luminance below the object detected by the obstacle detection unit 64, and estimates that there is an object that reflects near infrared rays if the luminance is high, and if the luminance is low, for example, It can be estimated that the feet can pass through.

  As described in the present embodiment, when the proportion of the area of the object occupying a predetermined range in the image is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the passage allowance detection unit 65 estimates that the foot of the object can pass through. It is possible to estimate the extent that the air cannot pass through when the air is blown in the direction. It is possible to reduce the amount of heat supplied per unit time for an object that cannot pass through. In addition, it is possible to increase the amount of heat supplied per unit time in the direction in which it can pass through, and to improve comfort.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a process for determining whether or not an object is an obstacle, and (a) and (b) show objects of different sizes. Whether or not the object is an obstacle may be determined by, for example, the width, height, or area of the object. For example, when determining by the width of the object, if it is less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the object is not an obstacle on the path through which the air current passes. judge.

  The obstacle may be determined based on the size of the object and the distance from the indoor unit 100 to the object. Specifically, the absolute value of the area, width or height of the object is calculated from the area of the object screen and the distance to the object, and based on whether the area, width or height of the object is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Thus, it may be determined whether or not the object is an obstacle.

  A case where the area is determined will be described with reference to FIG. Let X be the total width of an indoor image taken by the imaging unit 110, which is a left screen, a middle screen, and a right screen, and be a total height Y. The horizontal width of an object in the image is x, and the vertical width is y. Whether or not the object is an obstacle is determined as not an obstacle on the path through which the airflow passes if the area of the object relative to the area of the entire screen is less than a predetermined value (for example, 8%) If the area is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it may be determined as an obstacle on the path through which the airflow passes.

  In the case of FIG. 15A, if x / X is 20% and y / Y is 15%, the area of the object is 3% with respect to the area of the entire screen, and it is determined that the object is not an obstacle on the path through which the airflow passes. Is done. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 15B, the area of the object with respect to the area of the entire screen is 10%, and is determined as an obstacle on the path through which the airflow passes.

  If an object having a size that does not affect the passage of airflow is determined as an obstacle and an airflow path that avoids the object is selected, the airflow path is not optimal. For this reason, in the present embodiment, an object having a size that does not affect the passage of airflow is avoided.

  If it is attempted to determine whether or not the wind can pass through all objects, the processing time of the microcomputer becomes longer. Therefore, in this embodiment, an object having a size that affects the passage of the wind is determined. When an object is detected, it is determined whether or not the length in the vertical direction, the length in the horizontal direction, or both are greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and an object having a predetermined value or less such as a small trash can is excluded from the detection target. By doing so, the processing speed of the microcomputer can be improved.

  Next, processing contents will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an overall outline of the processing of the control unit. When the driving is started, the control unit 60 detects a person (process S91), and detects a person's foot (process S92), thereby grasping the position of the person. When one hour has not elapsed since the measurement (No in process S93), the process returns to process S91. When 1 hour has passed since the measurement (step S93, Yes), the control unit 60 performs object detection including a pass-through detection process (step S94). After the object detection process, a person is detected again (process S95), an indoor corner is detected (process S96), a person is detected (process S97), and finally the opening / closing of the partition is detected (process S98). Then, a series of processing is completed. The size of the room is determined based on the position of the person and the corner detection by the processing of processing S95 to processing S98. In the present embodiment, the position of a person is grasped based on an image photographed by the imaging unit 110. However, instead of the imaging unit 110, a temperature detection unit 130 or a pyroelectric infrared sensor is used. You may make it grasp | ascertain a position.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the imaging control unit, the obstacle detection unit, and the pass-through availability detection unit. FIG. 10 is a detailed process of process S94 of FIG. The process of FIG. 10 is a process of the control unit 60, and the main components of the imaging control unit 61, the obstacle detection unit 64, and the pass / fail detection unit 65 will be described clearly.

  The obstacle detection unit 64 determines whether the room is irradiated with sunlight (sunlight presence / absence) (processing 901). The determination by the obstacle detection unit 64 may be performed when the light source is detected and sunlight does not enter the room, or when the amount of sunlight entering the room is equal to or less than a predetermined value. This is because near-infrared rays are also included in sunlight, and therefore, when sunlight enters from a window, there is a risk of erroneous detection if there is an object at the location irradiated with sunlight. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the light source is detected and executed when the sunlight does not enter the room or when the amount of sunlight entering the room is a predetermined value or less. As another method for determining the presence / absence of sunlight, the object detection mode may be executed in a time zone in which the sun does not appear depending on the time zone without identifying the light source itself. It is desirable that the light source identification can be performed because there is a possibility that the object cannot be detected when the user sets an incorrect time zone, and there is a possibility that the object detection may be erroneously detected by the incandescent lamp. .

  The imaging control unit 61 moves so as to apply the visible light cut filter 112 to the opening 113 (see FIG. 6) (processing S902). Then, the imaging control unit 61 moves to the initial imaging position (for example, the imaging position on the left screen) (processing S903), turns on the near-infrared light source 120 (see FIG. 1), and emits near-infrared light (near-infrared light). (Irradiation ON) (Processing S904). The imaging control unit 61 images (captures) the room (processing S905), turns off the near-infrared light source 120, and stops near-infrared irradiation (near-infrared irradiation OFF) (processing S906).

  The obstacle detection unit 64 determines the presence / absence of an object (see FIG. 11) (processing S907). Then, the passage pass / fail detection unit performs pass-through estimation for the object detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 (see FIG. 12 and FIG. 13) (step S908).

  Next, the imaging control unit 61 determines whether or not shooting in the three directions of the left screen, the middle screen, and the right screen has ended (processing S909), and when shooting in the three directions has not ended (processing S909, No), the process returns to step S903. On the other hand, when the photographing in the three directions has been completed (step S909, Yes), the imaging control unit 61 moves the visible light cut filter 112 to the original position (step S910).

  The control flow of FIGS. 9 and 10, particularly the object detection process (obstacle detection process) and the pass / fail detection, performs automatic operation when the automatic button on the remote controller 40 is pressed. However, the object detection mode is changed at regular intervals. Run. In the case of this embodiment, it is executed every hour. Note that the object detection mode may be executed by a button different from the automatic button.

  In the object detection mode executed by the obstacle detection unit 64, the imaging unit 110 having the visible light cut filter 112 is used. In addition, a near-infrared light source 120 (for example, a near-infrared LED (Light Emitting Diode)) is also used when necessary to increase object detection accuracy. As described above, the imaging unit 110 drives in the left-right direction in the same way as normal imaging, and images the room. The near-infrared light source 120 irradiates the room immediately before imaging by the imaging unit 110, and ends the irradiation when imaging by the imaging unit 110 is completed. By irradiating the near-infrared light source 120 only at the timing when the imaging unit 110 captures an image, the lifetime of the near-infrared light source 120 is extended compared to the case where the near-infrared light source 120 is continuously irradiated during execution of the object detection mode. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, since the imaging unit 110 performs imaging three times in the left direction, the middle direction, and the right direction, the near-infrared light source 120 also performs irradiation three times in accordance with the timing of imaging by the imaging unit 110. Then, the image captured by the obstacle detection unit 64 is processed to detect the shape of an object such as furniture.

  Here, normally, when extracting the shape of an object, there is a possibility that the exact shape of the object cannot be extracted due to the color or pattern of the object. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the visible light cut filter 112 is moved to be positioned in front of the imaging unit 110 and the near-infrared light source 120 is irradiated in the object detection mode. Near-infrared light is characterized in that only the shape of the object is reflected without reflecting the color or pattern of the object. By making use of this feature of near infrared rays, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to the color and pattern of the object and to detect the shape of the object more accurately. By increasing the detection accuracy in this way, it is possible to determine whether the object has a shape that allows wind to pass through, such as a table with a leg or a chair, or a shape that prevents wind from passing through, such as a sofa.

  In the object detection mode of the present embodiment, the imaging control unit 61 may irradiate the near-infrared light source 120 having a wavelength peak near about 850 nm. The captured image appears white as near infrared rays are reflected in the direction of the imaging unit 110, and appears black so as not to be reflected in the direction of the imaging unit 110. In general, wood, cloth, metal, paper, and the like existing in a living space have a rough surface, and near infrared rays are diffusely reflected on the surface. By imaging near infrared rays reflected in the direction of the imaging unit 110 by diffuse reflection, it is possible to detect that the reflecting object exists in the reflected direction. For this reason, by irradiating the near-infrared light source 120, it is possible to cover the furniture materials that are generally present in the room, and it is possible to obtain high detection accuracy.

  The near-infrared light source 120 includes visible light including near-infrared light having a peak in the vicinity of about 850 nm. Therefore, when the near-infrared light source 120 is turned on, the near-infrared light source 120 looks red. For this reason, the display part which displays whether it is lighting or not becomes unnecessary, and it becomes possible to reduce cost.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a determination process for the presence or absence of an object in the obstacle detection unit. The obstacle detection unit 64 divides the image captured by the imaging control unit 61 into a matrix, and manages each divided region as a cell. For example, the matrix 1101 is an image matrix viewed from the indoor unit 100 side of the air conditioner A, and will be described as 5 vertical cells × 10 horizontal cells. The position of each cell corresponds to the position in the case of controlling the left / right wind direction and the up / down wind direction.

  The obstacle detection unit 64 determines whether or not an object exists from the luminance value of the image. The numerical value in each cell indicates the ratio of the occupied area of the object in each cell by 1 to 5. Specifically, it is “1” for an occupied area of 0 to less than 20%, and “2” for an occupied area of 20 to less than 40%.

  The obstacle detection unit 64 performs detection a plurality of times in order to determine whether the object is an object such as furniture that is always installed indoors or is an object that is temporarily placed. Specifically, the image is taken once per hour, and the shape of the object is specified by majority decision among the detection results a predetermined number of times (for example, 10 times). For example, when it is determined that the object is an object from six detection results out of ten times, it is recognized as an always-installed object and its shape is specified.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11, a matrix 1120 that is a majority decision result is shown based on ten detection results of the matrix 1101,. In this case, objects are detected in the second to fourth columns from the left, and similarly, objects are detected in the second and third columns from the right.

  FIGS. 12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams showing determination processing using the center of gravity of the object of the passage pass / fail detection unit, where FIG. 12A is an example of the center of gravity position of the object, and FIG. 12B is a determination example using the center of gravity of the object. FIG. In FIG. 12A, the center of gravity position of the object is shown, and the pass / fail detection unit 65 determines that the foot of the object is an air flow based on the height H and the center of gravity position L of the object from the bottom of the object. It is determined whether or not the shape can be passed through.

  Specifically, the passage detection unit 65 determines that the furniture is leg-length furniture when the ratio of the height L of the center of gravity of the object to the height H of the object is a predetermined value (for example, 70%) or more. Is estimated to be able to pass through. In addition, the passage permission / inhibition detection unit 65 determines that the furniture is leg short furniture when the ratio of the height L of the center of gravity of the object to the height H of the object is less than a predetermined value, and estimates that the air current cannot pass through. That is, when the gravity center position L of the object is compared with the height H of the object, and the gravity center position L of the object is equal to or higher than a predetermined height with respect to the height H of the object, the shape allows airflow (wind) to pass through. Judge that there is.

  In FIG. 12B, the determination result for the cell detected in FIG. 11 (the symbol of the occupied area is 2 to 5) is “1” when the passage is possible and “2” when the passage is impossible. Have been described. A matrix 1220 that is the result of the majority decision is shown based on 10 determination results of the matrix 1201,. In this case, it is determined that the objects detected from the second column to the fourth column from the left cannot pass through. On the other hand, it is determined that the objects detected in the second and third columns from the right can pass through.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a determination process using the accumulated area of the object of the passage detection unit, (a) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the height from the lower end and the accumulated area, and (b) is an illustration of the object. It is a figure which shows the example of determination using an integration area. In the case of the object on the left side of FIG. 13A, the height from the lower end and the integrated area have a substantially linear relationship, whereas in the case of the object on the right side of FIG. 13B, the height from the lower end and the integrated area. Is not in a linear relationship.

  Specifically, the pass / fail detection unit 65 detects the height of the object having the height M from the lower end of the object when the ratio of the integrated area from the lower end of the object to the total area of the object is a predetermined value (for example, 30%). When the ratio with respect to H is a predetermined value (for example, 50%) or more, it is determined that the furniture is leg-length furniture, and it is estimated that the airflow can pass through. Further, if the ratio of the height M from the lower end of the object to the height H of the object is less than the predetermined value when the integrated area with respect to the entire area of the object is less than the predetermined value, Judge and estimate that the airflow cannot pass through.

  In FIG. 13B, the determination result for the cell detected in FIG. 11 (the symbol of the occupied area is 2 to 5) is “1” when the passage is possible and “2” when the passage is impossible. Have been described. A matrix 1320 that is the result of the majority decision is shown based on the 10 determination results of the matrix 1301,. In this case, it is determined that the objects detected from the second column to the fourth column from the left cannot pass through. On the other hand, it is determined that the objects detected in the second and third columns from the right can pass through.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the ratio of the integrated area depending on the height from the lower end of various furniture. The horizontal axis indicates the ratio of the distance from the lower end to the upper end, and the vertical axis indicates the ratio of the integrated area from the lower end to the total area. From the results shown in FIG. 14, in the case of furniture of (1), (3), and (5), it can be seen that the ratio of the distance from the lower end to the upper end and the ratio of the integrated area are monotonically proportional. On the other hand, the furniture of (2), (4), and (6) has a parabolic relationship convex downward.

  The furniture (1) is short leg furniture, and similarly, the furniture (5) is short leg furniture (sofa). It can be seen that the furniture (chair) of (3) has an area of a wheel portion at the foot and obstructs the flow of airflow. According to the result of FIG. 14, whether or not the shape is such that the airflow passes through the foot depending on whether or not the ratio of the integrated plane line is 30% and the ratio of the distance from the lower end to the upper end is 50% or more. It can be seen that This result is the same as that shown in the determination of FIG.

  FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram showing detection of the position and shape of a person in the room and the obstacle, (a) is a diagram showing the position and shape of the person and the obstacle on the image when the room is viewed from the indoor unit, (B) is a figure which shows the distance of the person and obstacle from the wall in which the indoor unit is installed. The room is composed of walls 335, 336, and 334 detected by the wall detector 63. The wall 331 is a wall on which the indoor unit 100 is installed, the walls 336 and 335 are side walls of the wall 331, and the wall 334 is a wall that is an opposite surface of the wall 331. The human detection unit 62 can detect a person at 2 m and 4.5 m from the wall 331 where the indoor unit 100 is installed. Further, the obstacle detection unit 64 can detect an obstacle on the table or chair. The airflow control unit 66 to be described later appropriately controls the airflow (see FIG. 16) in the path through which the airflow passes by viewing the position and shape of the person in the room and the obstacle in three dimensions.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an airflow mode selection process of the airflow control unit. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when the obstacle has a shape that passes through the airflow, and (a) to (d) are diagrams showing the airflow according to the distance between the person and the obstacle. 18A and 18B are explanatory diagrams showing airflow control of the indoor side view and the top view. FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams showing the downflow mode of the obstacle, and FIGS. It is a figure which shows the upper airflow mode of a thing. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when the obstacle has a shape that cannot pass through the airflow, (a) and (c) are diagrams showing an upper end airflow mode of the obstacle, and (b) is an obstacle. It is a figure which shows the upper airflow mode of a thing. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when a person is close to the indoor unit, (a) is a diagram showing a wind blowing mode for a person and a downflow mode of an obstacle, and (b) is a windflow mode for the person. It is a figure which shows the contact mode. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when it is not determined as an obstacle. First, various airflow modes will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when the obstacle has a shape that passes through the airflow, and (a) to (d) are diagrams showing the airflow according to the distance between the person and the obstacle. When the detected obstacle F1 has a shape that passes through the airflow, the airflow control unit 66 detects the detected person M (for example, persons M1 and M2) and the detected obstacle F (for example, obstacles F1 and F2). Based on the distance L _MF (for example, distances L _MF 1, L _MF 2, L _MF 3), the air flow is blown above the obstacle F 1 or the air flow is blown below the obstacle F 1. Select the lower airflow mode. If the distance L is greater than or equal to the predetermined value Lc, the upper airflow mode is selected, and if the distance L is less than the predetermined value Lc, the lower airflow mode is selected.

In the case of FIG. 17A, the distance L _MF 1 is less than the predetermined value Lc, so that the lower airflow mode is selected. The airflow 171 is blown below the obstacle F1 and is blown to the feet of the person M1. On the other hand, as a comparative example, the airflow 175 in FIG. 17A is a case where air is blown toward the feet of the person M1. In the case of the air current 175, since there is the obstacle F1, the air current does not reach the feet of the person M1. In the case of FIG. 17 (b), since the distance L _MF 2 is a predetermined value or more Lc, a case where the upper air flow mode is selected. The airflow 172 is blown above the obstacle F1 and is blown to the feet of the person M1. In the case of FIG. 17C, the position of the person M1 and the position of the obstacle F1 are closer to the wall 331 as compared to FIG. In the case of FIG. 17D, the distance L _MF 3 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Lc, and thus the upper airflow mode is selected. The airflow 174 is blown above the obstacle F1 and is blown to the feet of the person M1.

In the present embodiment, when the obstacle is a shape passing through the air flow, based on the distance L _MF of human M and the obstacle F, a feature that selects the lower stream mode and the upper air flow mode ing. The indoor unit 100 is divided into capacity bands corresponding to the size of the air-conditioned room. For example, when the capacity of the indoor unit 100 is 3.6 kW, the tatami standard for the air conditioning area during the cooling operation is 10 to 15 tatami. The area (area) of 10-15 tatami mats is 16-25 m ² . In this case, although the distance varies depending on the aspect ratio, the distance to the wall 334 which is the opposite surface of the wall 331 is about 7 m at maximum. In this case, even if there is an obstacle F1 near the wall 331, if the person M1 is away from the obstacle F1 (see FIG. 17B), the downflow mode of the obstacle F1 is selected. However, since floor ventilation becomes long, it may not be able to comfortably blow to the person M1. For this reason, when the person M1 and the obstacle F1 are separated, even if the obstacle F1 has a shape that passes through the airflow, it has been found that it is more comfortable to send it directly to the person M1. For this reason, in order to perform comfortable ventilation with respect to a person, the lower airflow mode and the upper airflow mode can be selected based on the distance between the person M1 and the obstacle F1.

  18A and 18B are explanatory views showing the air flow control of the indoor side view and the top view, wherein FIG. 18A is a side view of the room showing the downflow mode of the obstacle, and FIG. 18B is the indoor side view of FIG. It is a top view, (c) is a side view of the room showing the upward airflow mode of the obstacle, and (d) is a top view of the room of (c). 18A corresponds to the airflow control of FIG. 17A, and FIG. 18C corresponds to the airflow control of FIG. 17B.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, when the airflow control unit 66 selects the downflow mode of the obstacle F1, the airflow control unit 66 detects the person detected by the human detection unit 62. Even if there is an obstacle F1 between the position of M1 and the indoor unit 100, the direction of the left and right wind direction plate 104 and the up and down wind direction plate 105 are controlled to perform swing control toward the lower side of the obstacle F1 through which airflow can pass. . For example, when a person is detected at the back of the table during heating operation, the airflow control unit 66 passes under the table and the direction of the left and right wind direction plates 104 and the up and down wind direction so that the warm air reaches the person's feet. The direction of the plate 105 is controlled. Moreover, you may control the rotational speed of the ventilation fan 103 according to the distance from the wall 331 of the person M1.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, when the air flow control unit 66 selects the upper air flow mode of the obstacle F1, the air flow control unit 66 detects the position of the person M1 detected by the human detection unit 62. Even if there is an obstacle F1 between the indoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 100, the direction of the obstacle F1 through which the airflow can be controlled by controlling the direction of the left and right wind direction plates 104 and the up and down wind direction plate 105. Swing control is performed upward. For example, when a person is detected at a position away from the table during heating operation, the airflow control unit 66 controls the direction of the left and right wind direction plates 104 and the direction of the upper and lower wind direction plates 105 so that the warm air reaches the person's feet. To do. Moreover, you may raise the rotational speed of the ventilation fan 103 according to a position from the wall 331 of the person M1, and you may blow.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when the obstacle has a shape that cannot pass through the airflow, (a) and (c) are diagrams showing an upper end airflow mode of the obstacle, and (b) is an obstacle. It is a figure which shows the upper airflow mode of a thing.

Airflow control unit 66, if the detected obstacle F2 has a shape that can not be passed through the air flow, based on the distance _{L MF 1, L MF 4,} L MF 2 between the detected human M1 and detected obstacle F2 The top airflow mode of the obstacle that blows the airflow along the upper end or the side surface of the obstacle F2 (or the obstacle F2A) or the upper airflow mode that blows the airflow above the obstacle F2 is selected. If the distances L _MF 1 and L _MF 4 are less than the predetermined value Lc, the upper end air flow mode of the obstacle is selected, and if the distance L _MF 2 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value Lc, the upper air flow mode is selected.

In the case of FIG. 19 (a), the distance L _MF 1 is less than the predetermined value Lc, and thus the upper end airflow mode of the obstacle is selected. When the obstacle F2 has a shape that cannot pass through the air current, the air current 193 does not reach the person M1 even if the air current 193 is blown below the obstacle F2. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects the upper end airflow mode of the obstacle F2 blown to the upper end of the obstacle F2. The airflow 191 is blown along the upper end of the obstacle F2, and is blown to the person M1. In the case of FIG. 19 (c), the the distance L _MF 4 is less than the predetermined value Lc, the case where the upper end airflow mode obstacle is selected. The airflow 194 is blown along the upper end of the obstacle F2A and is blown to the person M1. That is, when there is an obstacle (for example, the obstacle F2 or F2A) on the airflow path from the indoor unit 100 to the person M1, the airflow control unit 66 sets the obstacle upper end airflow mode regardless of the position of the person M1. It is good to select. In the case of FIG. 19 (b), since the distance L _MF 2 is a predetermined value or more Lc, on stream mode, and a case where the wind against mode is selected in humans. The airflow 192 is blown above the obstacle F2 and blown so as to apply wind to the person M1.

  FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when a person is close to the indoor unit, where (a) is a case where the air blowing mode and the downflow airflow mode of the obstacle are selected for the person, and (b) is the person. This is a case where the wind blowing mode is selected. As shown in FIG. 20A, the airflow control unit 66 is a person who blows a person when the person M1 is close to the indoor unit 100 and the detected obstacle F1 has a shape that can pass through the airflow. While selecting the air blowing mode, the under air flow mode of the obstacle is selected. The airflow 201 passes through the feet of the person M1 and is blown below the obstacle F1. As shown in FIG. 20 (b), the airflow control unit 66 is configured to apply wind to the person when the person M1 is close to the indoor unit 100 and the detected obstacle F1 cannot pass through the airflow. Select the guess mode. The airflow 202 is blown so as to apply wind to the person M1.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control when it is not determined as an obstacle. FIG. 21 shows an airflow 21A when the obstacle F3 is not in front of the indoor unit 100 by the person M2 and is not determined as an obstacle. The determination of the obstacle is based on the obstacle determination conditions in FIG. For example, in the case of a coat hanger, the obstacle F3 is not determined as an obstacle because the width of the rod is small. For this reason, the airflow control unit 66 selects a wind blowing mode for blowing air to a person.

  As described above, there are various methods for selecting the airflow mode (FIGS. 17 to 21). As an example, referring to FIG. 16, when a person and an obstacle are detected indoors, The airflow mode selection process of the airflow control unit 66 will be described. The airflow control unit 66 determines whether or not the object detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 is an obstacle (processing S601). When the object is an obstacle (processing S601, Yes), the process proceeds to processing S602. When the object is not an obstacle (No in process S601), the process proceeds to process S631. In process S631, the airflow control unit 66 selects the air blowing mode (see FIG. 21) for the person, and ends the airflow mode selection process.

  In process S602, the airflow control unit 66 determines whether the obstacle is closer to the indoor unit 100 than the person. If the obstacle is closer to the person (Yes in process S602), the process proceeds to process S603, where the obstacle is a person. If it is further away (No at step S602), the process proceeds to step S611.

  In process S603, the airflow control unit 66 determines whether or not the obstacle can pass through the airflow. If the obstacle can pass through the airflow (Yes in process S603), the process proceeds to process S604, and the obstacle is airflow. If it is not possible to pass through (No in step S603), the process proceeds to step S621.

In process S604, the air flow control unit 66, the distance L _MF human M and the obstacle F is determined whether more than a predetermined value, when the distance L _MF of human M and the obstacle F is the predetermined value or more ( processing S604, Yes), selects the airflow mode over obstacles reference (FIG. 17 (b) ~ (d) ) ( processing S605), when the distance L _MF of human M and the obstacle F is less than a predetermined value (Processing S604, No), the lower airflow mode of the obstacle (see FIG. 17A) is selected (Processing S606), and the airflow mode selection process is terminated.

In process S621, the air flow control unit 66, the distance L _MF human M and the obstacle F is determined whether more than a predetermined value, when the distance L _MF of human M and the obstacle F is the predetermined value or more ( processing S621, Yes), selects the wind against mode reference (FIG. 19 (b)) to humans (processing S622), when the distance L _MF of human M and the obstacle F is less than the predetermined value (step S621, No ), The upper end airflow mode (see FIGS. 19A and 19C) of the obstacle is selected (step S623), and the airflow mode selection processing is terminated.

  In process S611, the airflow control unit 66 determines whether the obstacle can pass through the airflow. If the obstacle can pass through the airflow (Yes in process S611), the air blowing mode for the person and the obstacle When the object underflow mode (see FIG. 20A) is selected (step 612) and the obstacle cannot pass through the airflow (step S611, No), the air blowing mode for the person (see FIG. 20B) Is selected (step S621), and the airflow mode selection processing is terminated.

  As described above, according to the airflow control mode of the airflow control unit 66 of the present embodiment, the path through which the airflow passes can be found by viewing the position and shape of the person in the room and the obstacle in three dimensions, and the air direction can be appropriately adjusted. Can be controlled. Hereinafter, a method for selecting another airflow mode will be described.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control based on the distance between the wall where the indoor unit is installed and the obstacle. Figure 22 (a), (b) is a case where the distance L _AF between wall 331 and the obstacle F4 which is installed in the indoor unit 100 is short, (a) is a side view (b) is a top view is there. 22C and 22D show the case where the distance L _AF between the wall 331 where the indoor unit 100 is installed and the obstacle F4 is long, FIG. 22C is a side view, and FIG. 22D is a top view. is there.

In the process 623 of FIG. 16 described above, the airflow control unit 66 determines that the object is an obstacle, determines that the obstacle F is closer to the indoor unit 100 than the person M, and determines that the obstacle F cannot pass through the airflow. when the distance L _MF of human M and the obstacle F is less than the predetermined value Lc, the airflow control unit 66 is to select the upper stream mode of obstacle F (see FIG. 19 (a)), is limited to It is not something.

  22A and 22B, as in FIG. 19A, the air flow control unit 66 determines that the object is an obstacle F4, and determines that the obstacle F4 is closer to the indoor unit 100 than the person M4. In this case, it is determined that the obstacle F4 cannot pass through the airflow, and the distance between the person M4 and the obstacle F4 is less than a predetermined value. The airflow control unit 66 selects the upper-end airflow mode of the obstacle as in FIG.

In contrast, FIGS. 22C and 22D have the same conditions as FIGS. 22A and 22B, but the distance L between the wall 331 on which the indoor unit 100 is installed and the obstacle F4. _{When AF} 4 is far, the air flow control unit 66 may select the air blowing mode for the obstacle F4. The airflow control unit 66 can generate an airflow as if the object is not the obstacle F4 by blowing the airflow 222 by swing control around the person M4.

  Next, a method for selecting an airflow mode in consideration of operation modes during heating and cooling will be described. FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control during heating and cooling when an obstacle passes through an airflow and has a shape. FIG. 23A is a side view of the room showing the airflow during heating, and FIG. 23B is a top view of the room of FIG. FIG. 23C is a side view of the room showing the airflow during cooling, and FIG. 23D is a top view of the room of FIG. During heating in FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), the airflow control unit 66 sets the lower airflow mode of the obstacle F1 because the person M1 feels more comfortable when the air is blown to the feet of the person M1. Select and blow below the obstacle F1 as an air flow 231. On the other hand, at the time of cooling in FIGS. 23C and 23D, it is often more comfortable for the person M1 to blow the head side than the foot of the person M1. The upper airflow mode is selected and the airflow is blown above the obstacle F1 as the airflow 232.

  That is, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a blowout port 109b that blows out an airflow, wind direction plates 104 and 105 that change a wind direction of the airflow that blows out from the blowout port 109b, and an obstacle detection unit 64 that detects an obstacle in the room. The first heating operation (obstacle avoidance heating operation) for controlling the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 And the first cooling operation (obstacle avoidance cooling operation) for controlling the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 based on the position of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 in the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance heating operation). Is directed downward from the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 during the first cooling operation (obstacle avoidance cooling operation).

  FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing detailed airflow control during obstacle avoidance operation during heating. Normally, when the obstacle avoidance operation for changing the airflow mode according to the obstacle in the room shown in FIG. 16 is not performed in the heating operation mode, the air flow as shown by the airflow 242 is performed during the heating. It is often set to. In this case, the airflow 242 is blown at a position away from the person M5, and sufficient warm air may not reach the feet of the person M5.

  Therefore, when the air flow control unit 66 receives an operation control command for avoiding an obstacle in a state where the vertical wind direction plate 105 is set downward at the time of the normal operation command, the air flow control unit 66 moves the vertical wind direction plate 105 at the time of the normal operation command. Turn upward.

  That is, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a blowout port 109b that blows out an airflow, wind direction plates 104 and 105 that change a wind direction of the airflow that blows out from the blowout port 109b, and an obstacle detection unit 64 that detects an obstacle in the room. The first heating operation (obstacle avoiding operation) for controlling the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 A second heating operation (normal heating operation) that does not control the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 based on the position, and the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 during the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation). The position is below the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 and upward from the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 during the second heating operation (normal heating operation).

  In other words, an air conditioning control terminal (such as a remote control 40) having a first operation instruction unit (such as an automatic operation button 43 and a foot airflow button 44) that starts the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) is provided. When the first operation instruction unit (automatic operation button 43, foot airflow button 44, etc.) is operated during the heating operation (normal heating operation), the wind direction plates 104 and 105 are driven upward. According to such an air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the airflow 241 is blown to the person M5 without the wind speed being weakened as compared with the airflow 242, and thus it is possible to feel a warm air comfortable for the person M5. .

  For example, when the foot airflow button 44 is pressed by the remote controller 40 (see FIG. 4), the airflow control unit 66 operates to avoid an obstacle while the vertical airflow direction plate 105 is set downward at the time of a normal operation command. When a control command is received, the vertical airflow direction plate 105 may be directed upward as compared with the normal operation command, and the lower airflow mode in which the airflow passes through the obstacle (for example, the obstacle F1) may be controlled.

  The direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 may be changed based on the position of the person detected by the person detection unit 62 so that the person M5 can feel a comfortable air blow. That is, the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 is controlled based on the person detection unit 62 that detects a person in the room, the person detected by the person detection unit 62, and the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64. The direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 is not controlled based on the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation), the person detected by the person detection unit 62, and the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64. A second heating operation (normal heating operation), and the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 during the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) is below the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 And it is good to make it upward from the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 at the time of a 2nd heating operation (normal heating operation).

  Further, when there is an obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 between the person detected by the person detection unit 62 and the indoor unit 100, the direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 detected by the person detection unit 62 and The direction of the wind direction plates 104 and 105 when there is no obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 between the indoor unit 100 and the airflow direction may be set upward (the blowing angle is upward).

  The passage detection unit 65 includes a passage passage detection unit 65 that detects whether or not the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 64 has a shape that passes through the airflow. The passage passage detection unit 65 detects that the obstacle passes through the airflow. In this case, the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) may be performed.

  In order to make it easy for the person M5 to feel the warm air, the blower fan 103 that sends the air flow to the outlet 109b is provided, and the rotation speed of the air fan 103 during the first heating operation (obstacle avoiding operation) is set to the second heating operation. You may make it higher than the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 103 at the time of (normal heating operation).

  Further, the rotational speed of the compressor 202 during the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) may be lower than the rotational speed of the compressor 202 during the second heating operation (normal heating operation).

  In the present embodiment, the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation) and the second heating operation (normal heating operation) are performed under the same conditions such as the position of the obstacle, the position of the person M5, the indoor / outdoor temperature, and the like. The case where it performed is demonstrated.

  Next, the case where the wind direction function of the indoor unit 100 is divided into a plurality of sections on the left and right sides and the model is capable of independent wind direction control will be described.

  FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing airflow control using a wind direction plate divided into a plurality of sections. FIG. 25A is a side view of the room when a person is sitting in Sofu, and FIG. 25B is a top view of the room of FIG. FIG. 25C is a side view of the room when a person is sitting on the chair of the dining table, and FIG. 25D is a top view of the room of FIG. The wind direction plates of the indoor unit 100 are divided into sections 150a, 150b, and 150c, and the wind direction can be controlled independently in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  When the vertical wind direction plate 150 is divided, the airflow control unit 66 detects an obstacle when receiving an operation control command for avoiding an obstacle in a state in which the vertical wind direction plate 150 is set downward at the time of a normal operation command. The up-and-down wind direction plates 105 in the divided sections 150b and 150c are made to face upward as compared with the normal operation command.

  That is, the wind direction plate has an upper and lower wind direction plate 105 that changes the wind direction in the vertical direction, and the upper and lower wind direction plate 105 is divided into a plurality of portions in the horizontal direction, and is moved up and down during the first heating operation (obstacle avoidance operation). The direction of a part (150b, 150c) of the wind direction plate 105 is set upward from the direction of a part (150b, 150c) of the vertical wind direction plate 105 during the second heating operation (normal heating operation).

  25 (a) and 25 (b), when the detected obstacle F6 has a shape that cannot pass through the airflow, the airflow control unit 66 is a part of the divided wind direction plates (for example, the wind direction plate shown in the section 150a). ) Toward the obstacle F6, and the other air direction plate (for example, the wind direction plates shown in the sections 150b and 150c) in the direction in which the obstacle F6 is not detected, and It is good to blow in the downward direction. Thereby, while being able to blow with respect to a person, there exists an effect which can make the temperature difference of indoor temperature small.

  25 (c) and 25 (d), when the detected obstacle F7 has a shape capable of passing through the airflow, the airflow control unit 66 is a part of the divided wind direction plates (for example, the wind direction plate shown in the section 150a). ) Toward the obstacle F7, and the airflow 253 is blown downward, and the obstacle F7 is detected on the other divided wind direction plates shown in the sections 150b and 150c (for example, the wind direction plates shown in the sections 150b and 150c). It is good to blow in the direction which is not and toward the downward direction. Thereby, while being able to blow with respect to a person, there exists an effect which can make the temperature difference of indoor temperature small.

  Next, details of the human detection unit and the wall detection unit will be described. FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating the human position determination process of the human detection unit. FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram illustrating human position determination processing of the human detection unit, and (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams for explaining specific calculations. First, the person detection unit 62 (see FIG. 6) detects the position of a person from the left image, the middle image, and the right image acquired by the imaging process (process S31). Next, the person detecting unit 62 converts the detected position of the person from the coordinate system on the screen to the coordinate system in the real space (processing S32). Thereby, it can be determined where the person was in the room. Thus, if the coordinate of a person's real space is determined, the person detection part 62 will memorize | store the information of the said coordinate in the memory | storage part 67 (process S33).

  FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram explaining in detail the determination process of the direction of the person in the room of FIG. In the process S32 of FIG. 26, specifically, the coordinates of the real space of the person in the room are determined by the following process. First, the head is a part of a human body having a size that is relatively independent of height and sex. Therefore, for each person detected in step S31, the position of the face center of the person is calculated, and the size of the head (length in the vertical direction) D0 is calculated.

  FIG. 27A is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between the optical axis P and the vertical plane S of the imaging unit 110. As shown in FIG. 27A, the optical axis P of the imaging unit 110 has a depression angle ε with respect to the horizontal plane. The vertical plane S is a virtual plane that is perpendicular to the optical axis P and passes through the center of the face of the person 391. The distance L is the distance between the focal point 131 a of a lens (not shown) included in the imaging unit 110 and the face center of the person 391. The distance between the wall 331 where the indoor unit 100 is installed and the focal point 131a of the lens is Δd.

  FIG. 27B is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an image captured on the image plane and a person 391 existing in the real space. An image plane R illustrated in FIG. 27B is a plane that passes through a plurality of light receiving elements (not shown) included in the imaging unit 110. The vertical angle of view γy corresponding to the calculated head size D0 is expressed by the following equation (1). Incidentally, the angle βy [deg / pixel] in the equation (1) is an average value of the angle of view (y direction) per pixel, and is a known value.

  Then, the distance L [m] from the focal point 131a of the lens (not shown) included in the imaging unit 110 to the center of the face is the average value of the length of the general human face in the vertical direction, D1 [m] (known Is expressed by the following equation (2). As described above, the depression angle ε is an angle formed by the optical axis of the lens and a horizontal plane.

  FIG. 27C is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the distance L from the focal point of the lens to the center of the face and the field angles δx and δy. Assuming that the field angles in the x direction and y direction from the center of the image plane R to the center of the face on the image are δx and δy, respectively, these are expressed by the following equations (3) and (4). Here, xc and yc are positions of the person center of the person 391 in the image (x coordinate, y coordinate in the image). Further, Tx [pixel] is the horizontal size of the imaging screen, and Ty [pixel] is the vertical size of the imaging screen, each of which is a known value.

  Therefore, the position coordinates of the human center in the real space are expressed by the following equations (5) to (7).

  That is, the values of x, y, and z are as shown in FIG. 27. From these values, the X direction (left and right direction in FIG. 12) and Y direction (see FIG. 12) viewed from the air outlet 109b side of the indoor unit 100. 12 coordinates in the vertical direction) and the Z direction (direction perpendicular to FIG. 12). The process S32 is realized by the above process.

  FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating corner direction determination processing of the wall detection unit. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating image processing performed in the corner direction determination processing of the wall detection unit, and (a) to (e) illustrate image processing procedures in this order. This corner direction determination process is performed every time the imaging process is executed.

  That is, the following image processing is performed for each of the left image, the middle image, and the right image acquired by the imaging process. First, the wall detection unit 63 (see FIG. 8) detects an edge from the image acquired by the imaging process (an example is shown in FIG. 29A) (process S21). Next, the wall detection unit 63 performs a filtering process on the detected edge, leaving only edges that are thicker than a predetermined value, longer than a predetermined value, and clearer than a predetermined value (processing S22). In FIG. 29 (b), the edge 371 obtained from the image of FIG. 29 (a) is shown by a white line diagram. Next, the wall detection unit 63 extends each edge 371 in the length direction (processing S23). FIG. 29C shows each edge 371 extended in this way. Then, the wall detection unit 63 obtains an intersection (intersection 372 shown in FIG. 29 (d)) of each edge 371 thus extended (processing S24). Then, the center of gravity of each intersection 372 (the center of gravity 373 shown in FIG. 29E) is obtained (processing S25). The coordinates of the center of gravity 373 can be calculated by obtaining the average of distances in the X direction (horizontal direction) and Y direction (vertical direction) from the reference position on the image of each intersection 372. The position of the center of gravity 373 on the image can be estimated as the position of the corner (corner) of the room. Thereby, since the horizontal direction seen from the imaging unit 110 of the corner (centroid 373) in the room can be known (whether it is the left image, the middle image, or the right image, the center of gravity 373 in the image). The direction is determined by the number of pixels from the reference position in the horizontal direction), and the direction of the corner is stored (set) in the storage unit 67 (processing S26). In the storage process in this case, the direction of the corner (center of gravity 373) only for a predetermined number of times in the past (for example, the past 10 times) is accumulated in the storage unit 67, and information older than that is deleted. Then, the average value (moving average value) of the information for a predetermined number of times in the past is determined as the final corner (center of gravity 373) and stored in the storage unit 67. This is because the direction of the left and right corners in the room indicated by the information stored in the storage unit 67 may vary in the time zone due to the arrangement movement of furniture and furniture in the room. Therefore, by obtaining the average value as described above, the noise contained in the information can be removed, and the most probable direction can be set as the direction of the left and right corners (center of gravity 373) in the room. Hereinafter, the center of gravity 373 is referred to as a corner 373 as appropriate. By processing S26, directions 376 and 377 described later are set.

  In the example of FIG. 29 (e), since the sliding door 374 of the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed is open, the edge at the back of the opening is detected, and the position of the center of gravity 373 is shown in FIG. Is in position. However, if an image in which the sliding door 374 is closed is captured, there is a high possibility that the position of the reference numeral 375 or the vicinity thereof becomes the center of gravity 373.

  As shown in FIG. 1, since the imaging unit 110 is located in the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 109b (see FIG. 2), the center of gravity 373 specified as described above is from the air outlet 109b side. It can be regarded as a corner in the room.

  In addition, the wall detection unit 63 refers to the corner 373 (left and right corners 373a and 373b toward the indoor unit 100. Hereinafter referred to as the corner 373 (corners 373a and 373b)) as seen in the imaging unit 110. It is determined how many angles the directions 376, 377 of the center of gravity (meaning FIG. 29 (e)) on the image from the air outlet 109b side viewed from the front direction 311 of the indoor unit 100 are. (Processing S27). Then, it is determined that the wall with the smaller angle is closer to the wall with the larger angle when viewed from the air outlet 109b side (processing S28). That is, if the angle formed by the direction 376 and the direction 311 is smaller than the angle formed by the direction 377 and the direction 311, it is determined that the wall 336 is closer to the wall 335 (see FIG. 30) when viewed from the air outlet 109 b side. If the angle formed by the direction 377 and the direction 311 is smaller than the angle formed by the direction 376 and the direction 311, it is determined that the wall 335 is closer to the air outlet 109 b side than the wall 336. Information on which of the left and right walls 336 and 335 is closer or farther from the air outlet 109b side is also stored in the storage unit 67 (processing S29).

  FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing a plane in the room in the corner direction determination processing of the wall detection unit. With reference to FIG. 31, the process of process S27 and process S28 is demonstrated concretely. First, the angle a is calculated. For example, if the number of pixels in the imaging unit 110 in the horizontal direction is, for example, 640 [pixel] and the number of pixels in the range of the angle a (in the vertical and horizontal directions) is β [pixel], “640 [pixel] pixel]: β [pixel] = 60 °: a ° ”,“ a ° = 60 ° × β [pixel] / 640 [pixel] ”. Then, the angle A is obtained by “A ° = 30 ° + a °” (the angle of the range 312 is about 60 °, and 30 ° is a half thereof). In the same way, the angle b is obtained, and the angle B is obtained by “B ° = 30 ° −b °”. In this example, since “A °> B °”, in FIG. 18, it can be determined that the wall 335 is farther from the wall 336 when viewed from the air outlet 109b side.

  FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram illustrating corner direction determination processing of the wall detection unit, (a) is a plan view of the room, and (b) is an explanatory diagram illustrating determination of the center of gravity in the image. Photographed when the interior shape of the room is not rectangular or square as shown in the plan view of FIG. 31 (a), for example, the corner portion 378 of the room protrudes into a prismatic shape on the indoor side. An example of the image 379 is as shown in FIG. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 31B, a plurality of corner (center of gravity) 373 candidates (reference numeral 373c) may be obtained.

  In such a case, by obtaining the average of distances in the X direction (horizontal direction) and Y direction (vertical direction) from the reference position on the image of the plurality of candidates 373c, the coordinates after the average are calculated as corners ( Centroid) 373.

  Through the above processing, the wall detection unit 63 can accurately determine the directions 376 and 377 of the left and right corners 373a and 373b (see FIG. 30) of the room as viewed from the air outlet 109b side. The wall detection unit 63 can also determine which of the left and right walls 336 and 337 in the room is closer and which is farther as viewed from the air outlet 109b side.

  FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing an expansion range determination process of the wall detection unit. FIG. 33 is a plan view showing the indoor arrangement in the expansion range determination process of the wall detection unit. With reference to FIG. 32 and FIG. 33, the process of determining the range of indoor expansion using the result of the person detection process shown in FIG. 26 will be described. First, an imaging process is performed every predetermined time t1, the process of FIG. 26 is executed each time, and the result is stored in the storage unit 67. Therefore, when the person's coordinate information is newly stored in the storage unit 67 by the process S33 (see FIG. 26) (process S41, Yes), the wall detection unit 63 calculates the left and right of the room from the person's coordinate information. It is determined whether or not there is a human coordinate in a region 381 outside the region 383 between the direction 376 and the direction 377 of the corner (step S42). When a person's coordinates exist in the area 381 (an example of the person is indicated by reference numeral 382 in FIG. 33) (Yes in step S42), the position of the person in the X-direction coordinate (left-right direction in FIG. 33) is set. The position of the right wall 336 (or the left wall 335) toward the indoor unit 100 is estimated (processing S43). The fact that the person 382 is located at the coordinates means that the wall 336 (or the left wall 335) is at least at the position of the coordinates or further outside, so that the position of the person 382 is changed to the current wall. 336 (or the left wall 335).

  As a result, the estimated position of the wall 336 (or the wall 335) at the present time can be known, so that the position of each corner and each wall in the room is estimated (processing S44). That is, the Y direction of the wall 336 (or the wall 335) is extended in the Y direction, and the intersection with the corner direction 376 (or the corner direction 377) can be estimated as the actual corner 422a (or the corner 422b). . Further, the position of the corner 422a (or corner 422b) is extended in the X direction, and the position of the front wall 334 can be estimated until the corner 422a (or corner 376) is reached. Then, it can be determined that the position intersecting the direction of the corner direction 377 (or corner 376) is another actual corner 422b (or corner 422a). Furthermore, it can be estimated that the position extending in the Y direction from the position is the position of the other of the walls 335 and 336.

  On the other hand, after the process S44 or when the coordinates of the person do not exist in the area 381 (No in the process S42), the person lies in the area 383 between the directions 376 and 377 of the left and right corners in the room. When the coordinates exist (an example of the person is indicated by reference numeral 384 in FIG. 33) (processing S45, Yes), the person's Y-direction coordinate position is estimated as the position of the front wall 334 of the indoor unit 100. (Processing S46). The fact that the person 384 is located at the coordinates means that the wall 334 is at least at the position of the coordinates or further outside, so that the position of the person 384 is the current position of the wall 334. is there.

  As a result, the position of the front wall 334 can be known, and the position of each corner and each wall in the room is determined (processing S47). That is, the front wall 334 is extended in the X direction, and it can be estimated that the intersections between the corner direction 376 and the corner direction 377 are the actual corner 421a and the corner 421b. Then, when the actual corners 421a and 421b are extended in the Y direction, it can be estimated that the positions are the wall 336 and the wall 335.

  After processing S47 or when no human coordinates exist in the region 383 between the directions 376 and 377 of the left and right corners in the room (processing S45, No), it is estimated in processing S44 and processing S47. Of the actual corner and wall positions, the farthest from the indoor unit 100 side is set as the final determination result of the corner and wall positions (processing S48).

  FIG. 33 shows the positions of the walls 331, 334, 335, and 336 estimated based on the person 384 as 331a, 334a, 335a, and 336a, respectively. Similarly, the positions of the walls 331, 334, 335, and 336 estimated based on the person 382 are indicated as 331b, 334b, 335b, and 336b, respectively.

  In this case, when the determination result is obtained only in the process S44 or the process S47, the obtained determination result (the determination result of the one farthest from the indoor unit 100 side when a plurality of persons are detected) is displayed on each wall and The result of determining the position of each corner is used. And this determination result is memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 67 (process S49). This information is stored every predetermined time t1 because the information about each wall and each corner is acquired every predetermined time t1. Then, the storage of this information is updated with the information of the wall and the corner of the information after the predetermined reference time (for example, the latest past 30 times) that is the farthest from the indoor unit 100 side. To do. As a result, among the information acquired after the predetermined reference time, information on the position of each wall and each corner farthest from the indoor unit 100 side is stored in step S49.

The distances from the air outlet 109b thus specified to the actual corners 421a, 421b, 422a, 422b (estimated positions) on the left and right sides of the room are also obtained as follows. That is,
“Distance to corner 421a = √ ((distance to wall 336a) 2+ (distance to wall 334a) 2)”
“Distance to corner 421b = √ ((distance to wall 335a) 2+ (distance to wall 334a) 2)”. The distance to the corner 422a and the distance to the corner 422b are obtained in the same manner.

  As described above, the wall detection unit 63 determines the direction of the right corner on the front side of the air outlet 109b and the air outlet 109b from the image captured by the imaging unit 110 in the horizontal direction of the wind direction part. The position of the wall in the room can be detected based on the direction of the left corner on the front side and the position of the person detected by the person detection unit 62.

  In the present embodiment, the wall detection unit 63 using the image of the imaging unit 110 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the near-infrared ray is irradiated indoors, imaged with a CCD image sensor equipped with an infrared transmission filter (IR transmission filter), and the side of the image is compared with the degree of luminance above the image and a database of luminance and distance. The distance to the wall or the front wall may be estimated.

  In addition, near-infrared rays are irradiated indoors in the form of multiple parallel lines, captured by a CCD image sensor equipped with an IR transmission filter, and the distance to the side or front wall is estimated from the difference in the parallel line spacing. May be.

  Furthermore, although the imaging unit 110 has been described as being installed on the front surface of the indoor unit 100, a wall may be detected by detecting the floor using an imaging unit installed on the ceiling in a similar manner.

  The human detection unit 62 and the obstacle detection unit 64 are detected based on the image of the imaging unit 110, but are not limited thereto. For example, an infrared sensor, thermopile, thermography, pyroelectric sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or noise sensor may be used. What is detected by the person detection unit 62 is not limited to the position of the person, but may detect an activity amount, a life scene, or the like. When a thermopile is used as a temperature detection sensor, for example, a thermopile composed of 1 × 1 pixel, 4 × 4 pixels, and 1 × 8 pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions may be installed at the lower portion in the center in the left-right direction of the front panel. The temperature sensor detects not only the average surface temperature in the room, but also the room surface temperature in the area excluding the person in the detection range, the surface temperature of the person's clothing, the temperature of the person's skin, the floor and The surface temperature of each part of the wall or ceiling can be detected.

  The airflow may be directly controlled based on the region without the process of estimating that the obstacle is located in a region where the temperature detected by the thermopile is higher or lower than that of the other region. That is, an infrared sensor that detects the indoor surface temperature, and an airflow control unit 66 that blows an airflow while avoiding the first region where the temperature detected by the infrared sensor is higher or lower than other regions, When the width or size of the first region is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the airflow control unit 66 may blow the airflow without avoiding the first region (excluding the first region).

  In this case, the area detecting means sets the average value of the temperatures of all the areas that can be detected by the thermopile as the reference temperature, and sets the area that is higher or lower than the reference temperature as the first area. The reference temperature may be an average value of the temperatures of the areas excluding the first area from all areas that can be detected by the thermopile. Further, a value (detection correction value or the like) based on the detection value of the temperature sensor can be used as the reference temperature.

  In addition, an infrared sensor that detects the surface temperature of the room, a wall detector 63 that detects the position of the wall surface of the room, and a first area in which the temperature detected by the infrared sensor is higher or lower than other areas. An airflow control unit 66 for blowing airflow while avoiding the first region when the first region is within a predetermined range from the wall surface detected by the wall detection unit 63. Airflow may be blown (excluding from the first region).

  The ultrasonic sensor used in the obstacle detection unit 64 includes an ultrasonic transmission unit and an ultrasonic reception unit, transmits ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic pulse hits an obstacle, etc., and receives the reflected waves. Received in the department. From the time t from transmission to reception and the sound speed A, the distance T from the ultrasonic sensor (indoor unit 100) to the obstacle can be calculated as T = At / 2.

  Furthermore, the ultrasonic sensor used in the obstacle detection unit 64 is a rotary type, and distance detection is performed by changing the direction of the ultrasonic sensor. The direction of the obstacle can be recognized from the angle α at which the ultrasonic sensor is directed. Therefore, the position of the obstacle is detected from the distance T from the ultrasonic sensor (indoor unit 100) to the obstacle and the angle α at which the ultrasonic sensor is directed. That is, an ultrasonic sensor that transmits ultrasonic waves to the room and receives reflected waves reflected from the room is provided, and the obstacle detection unit 64 detects the position of the obstacle based on the ultrasonic sensor.

  According to the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the path through which the air current passes is found by viewing the position and shape of the person in the room and the obstacle in three dimensions, and the wind direction is appropriately controlled by the various air current modes shown in FIG. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 Remote control 41 Display screen 47 Transmission / reception part 50 Sensor part 60 Control part 61 Imaging control part 62 Human detection part 63 Wall detection part 64 Obstacle detection part 65 Passing through / non-detection part 66 Airflow control part 67 Storage part 100 Indoor unit 103 Blower fan 104 Left and right wind direction plates 105 Up and down wind direction plates 106 Front panel 109b Air outlet 110 Imaging unit 111 Imaging unit main body 112 Visible light cut filter 113 Opening portion 114 Filter motor (filter moving mechanism)
115 Filter gear (filter moving mechanism)
120 Near-infrared light source 130 Temperature detector 140 Foot monitor 200 Outdoor unit 202 Compressor 207 Propeller fan A Air conditioner

Claims (12)

An air outlet that blows out airflow;
A wind direction plate that changes a wind direction of an airflow blown from the blowout opening;
An obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in the room;
A first heating operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
A second heating operation that does not control the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit,
Orientation of the wind direction plate when said first heating operation is below the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit, and, Ri upward der than the orientation of the wind direction plate when said second heating operation ,
Including a passage detection unit that detects whether or not the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit has a shape that passes through an airflow;
The air conditioner characterized in that the first heating operation is executed when the passage detection unit detects that the obstacle has a shape that passes through an air flow . An air outlet that blows out airflow;
A wind direction plate that changes a wind direction of an airflow blown from the blowout opening;
An obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in the room;
A first heating operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
A second heating operation that does not control the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit,
Orientation of the wind direction plate when said first heating operation is below the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit, and, Ri upward der than the orientation of the wind direction plate when said second heating operation ,
A blower fan for sending an airflow to the outlet;
The air conditioner characterized in that the rotational speed of the blower fan during the first heating operation is higher than the rotational speed of the blower fan during the second heating operation . A human detection unit for detecting a person in the room;
A first heating operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate based on the person detected by the person detection unit and the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
A second heating operation that does not control the direction of the wind direction plate based on the person detected by the person detection unit and the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
The direction of the wind direction plate during the first heating operation is below the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit and above the direction of the wind direction plate during the second heating operation. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that. An air outlet that blows out airflow;
A wind direction plate that changes a wind direction of an airflow blown from the blowout opening;
An obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in the room;
A first heating operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate to face downward from the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
A second heating operation that does not control the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
An air conditioning control terminal having a first operation instruction unit for starting the first heating operation,
When the first operation instruction unit is operated during the second heating operation, the wind direction plate is driven upward ,
Including a passage detection unit that detects whether or not the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit has a shape that passes through an airflow;
The air conditioner characterized in that the first heating operation is executed when the passage detection unit detects that the obstacle has a shape that passes through an air flow . An air outlet that blows out airflow;
A wind direction plate that changes a wind direction of an airflow blown from the blowout opening;
An obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in the room;
A first heating operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate to face downward from the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
A second heating operation that does not control the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
An air conditioning control terminal having a first operation instruction unit for starting the first heating operation,
When the first operation instruction unit is operated during the second heating operation, the wind direction plate is driven upward ,
A blower fan for sending an airflow to the outlet;
The air conditioner characterized in that the rotational speed of the blower fan during the first heating operation is higher than the rotational speed of the blower fan during the second heating operation . The wind direction plate has an up and down wind direction plate that changes the wind direction to a vertical direction,
The up and down wind direction plate is divided into a plurality in the horizontal direction,
Claims 1 part of orientation of the vertical airflow direction plate at the first heating operation, characterized in that upward from a part of the orientation of the vertical airflow direction plate during operation the second heating The air conditioner according to any one of 5 . An air outlet that blows out airflow;
A wind direction plate that changes a wind direction of an airflow blown from the blowout opening;
An obstacle detection unit for detecting obstacles in the room;
A first heating operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit;
A first cooling operation for controlling the direction of the wind direction plate based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit,
Orientation of the wind direction plate at the first heating operation Ri downward der than the orientation of the wind direction plate when the first cooling operation,
Including a passage detection unit that detects whether or not the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit has a shape that passes through an airflow;
The air conditioner characterized in that the first heating operation is executed when the passage detection unit detects that the obstacle has a shape that passes through an air flow . An indoor temperature sensor for detecting the indoor temperature;
An outdoor temperature sensor for detecting the outdoor temperature;
Automatic operation that automatically switches the operation mode based on the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor and the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the heating operation in the automatic operation is the first heating operation. It has an imaging unit that images the room,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle based on an image taken by the imaging unit. The imaging unit includes a filter that removes visible light, and an imaging unit main body that images a room,
A first shooting mode in which a room is photographed by the image pickup unit main body with the filter positioned on the front surface of the image pickup unit main body, and a state in which the filter is not positioned on the front surface of the image pickup unit main body. The air conditioner according to claim 9, further comprising an imaging control unit having a second imaging mode for imaging the room. It has an infrared sensor that detects the indoor surface temperature,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the obstacle detection unit detects the position of an obstacle based on a thermal image detected by the infrared sensor. Equipped with an ultrasonic sensor that transmits ultrasonic waves into the room and receives reflected waves reflected from the room,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the obstacle detection unit detects the position of an obstacle based on the ultrasonic sensor.