JP6790220B2 - Indoor unit and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an indoor unit and an air conditioner. In particular, it relates to the detection of the position where air-conditioned air is sent.

For example, there is an indoor unit of an air conditioner having a human body sensor that detects the presence of a person in a room (room). For example, a temperature sensor (temperature detection device) such as an infrared sensor that detects the temperature due to heat generated by a person can be used as a human body sensor. Here, there is an indoor unit of an air conditioner capable of obtaining a thermal image of the entire room by rotationally driving a temperature sensor in order to expand the detection range (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

For example, the control device of the air conditioner detects the position of the human body and the heat distribution in the human body based on the data of the thermal image of the entire room acquired by rotating the infrared sensor, and obtains the thermal image of the human body region. Further, based on the thermal image of the human body region, the position, attributes (adults, children, etc.), posture, etc. of the human body are determined, and the data of the human body detection unit information is obtained. Then, the wind direction control unit of the air conditioner determines the target airflow position, which is the target position for sending air, based on the data of the human body detection unit information, and tilts the wind direction plate so as to send the air to the determined position. , Wind speed, temperature of air to be sent, etc. By controlling the wind direction based on the thermal image of the human body area, for example, in the case of wind control that delivers warm air directly to the human body to warm it, the user's foot is detected and the foot part is detected when it is cold in winter. It is possible to send warm air, which is warm air. In addition, in the case of windbreak control that cools the surroundings without directly hitting the human body with cold air, it is possible to prevent the cold air, which is cold air, from directly hitting the user during normal operation in summer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-072965

Here, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the wind direction is controlled based on the data of the human body detection information. However, the actual wind direction is affected by conditions such as environmental conditions such as air temperature and indoor structural conditions such as furniture. For example, when warm air is sent from an air conditioner, if the temperature of the air in the room is low or the wind speed of the warm air is slow, the airflow will rise, and the position where the air is actually sent is above the target airflow position. It may shift in the direction and may not reach your feet. Also, for example, when cold air, which is cold air, is sent from an air conditioner, if the air temperature is high or the wind speed of the cold air is slow, the airflow will hang down, and the position where the air is actually sent will be determined. It may shift downward from the target airflow position and hit the human body directly with cold air.

As described above, a situation occurs in which the air is not sent to the position where the air-conditioned air is originally desired to be sent. For example, it would be good if the position could be corrected based on the position where the air is actually sent, but it was difficult to detect the position where the air was actually sent. For this reason, for example, there is a problem that it is not possible for a person to realize the comfort that should have been realized by the assumed wind direction control.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can send air to a position where air is to be sent regardless of conditions, such as by detecting a position where air is actually sent. The purpose is to obtain a machine and an air conditioner.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the indoor unit and the air conditioner according to the present invention, a thermal image acquisition device for acquiring a thermal image showing a temperature distribution, a heating device for heating and sending out air, and a heating device for sending out from the heating device. It is equipped with a wind direction control plate that adjusts the direction of the air to be air-conditioned, and a control device that controls the indoor unit. The control device includes a target air flow position determining unit that determines a target air flow position to send heated air . A floor temperature difference calculation unit that detects the temperature of the floor surface in the air-conditioned space from the thermal image and calculates the difference value of the floor surface temperature before and after control based on the target airflow position based on the detected floor surface temperature. , The target airflow position is determined by the difference between the arrival position detector that detects the arrival position of the heated air from the difference value and the target airflow position determined by the target airflow position determination unit and the arrival position detected by the arrival position detection unit. It has a target correction unit that corrects the temperature, and a wind direction control unit that determines the angle of the wind direction control plate based on the corrected target air flow position .

According to the present invention, in the control device, the floor surface temperature difference calculation unit calculates the difference in floor surface temperature before and after performing the wind direction control related to the target airflow position, and the arrival position detection unit is the indoor unit. Since the position where the air actually reaches is detected by the air flow, the position where the air actually arrives can be easily detected by the air flow. For this reason, the position of the air to be sent can be corrected to the target airflow position, and the comfort that was supposed to be realized can be obtained, which improves the comfort and reduces unnecessary temperature adjustment, thereby saving energy. It can be measured.

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the thermal image acquisition apparatus 16 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the apparatus in the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the thermal image which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the correction process performed by the target correction unit 108 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the soaring of the airflow and the distance which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the sagging of the airflow and the distance which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the angle Θtaget which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention, and the angle correction coefficient βdist by distance. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the airflow velocity v_flow and the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the air flow when the structure 30 which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention and a target air flow position are close. It is a figure explaining the air flow when the structure 30 which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention and a target air flow position are distant. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 which concerns on Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 10 of this invention.

Hereinafter, the indoor unit and the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to drawings and the like. In the following drawings, those having the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent thereof, and are common to the entire text of the embodiments described below. The form of the component represented in the entire specification is merely an example, and is not limited to the form described in the specification. In particular, the combination of components is not limited to the combination in each embodiment, and the components described in other embodiments can be applied to other embodiments. Further, in the following description, the upper side in the figure will be referred to as "upper side" and the lower side will be referred to as "lower side". Further, for ease of understanding, directional terms (eg, "right", "left", "front", "rear", etc.) are used as appropriate, but they are for illustration purposes only. The term does not limit the invention according to the present application. Further, the vertical direction is the vertical direction when the air conditioner is viewed from the front (front) side, and the horizontal direction is the horizontal direction. Further, the high and low pressure and temperature are not fixed in relation to the absolute values, but are relatively fixed in the state and operation of the device and the like. Then, in the drawings, the relationship between the sizes of the constituent members may differ from the actual one. Further, unless otherwise specified, the air conditioner will be described as performing a heating operation. At this time, the air conditioner and the indoor unit are heating devices that heat the air and send it out into the room.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the indoor unit 10 as viewed from the front on the right side. The indoor unit 10 of the first embodiment is a wall-mounted indoor unit installed on a wall surface. However, the model of the indoor unit 10 is not limited.

As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 10 has a substantially box-shaped housing 11. As will be described later, the indoor unit 10 has a suction port 12 on the upper surface of the housing 11 into which indoor air flows. Further, the indoor unit 10 has an air outlet 13 that sends out harmonious air at the lower part of the front surface of the housing 11.

Further, the vertical wind direction control plate 14A and the left and right wind direction control plate 14B are installed at the air outlet 13 and have a plate for adjusting the direction of the air sent out through the indoor heat exchanger 17 described later at the air outlet 13. ing. The vertical wind direction control plate 14A is a plate that is supported so as to be able to rotate about a vertical rotation shaft (not shown) and adjusts the vertical wind direction of the air sent out. The left-right wind direction control plate 14B is a plate that is supported by a left-right rotation shaft (not shown) so as to be able to rotate in the left-right direction, and adjusts the wind direction of the sent out air in the left-right direction. Hereinafter, when not particularly distinguished, the wind direction control plate 14 will be described. Further, the indoor unit 10 has a thermal image acquisition device 16 at the lower part of the front surface of the housing 11 and above the air outlet 13.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a thermal image acquisition device 16 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The thermal image acquisition device 16 of the first embodiment has an infrared sensor 19 such as a thermopile. In the infrared sensor 19, for example, eight light receiving elements (not shown) are arranged in a row or a plurality of rows in a vertical direction (vertical direction) in an array. Further, the thermal image acquisition device 16 has, for example, a drive device (not shown) such as a motor that rotationally drives the infrared sensor 19 in the lateral direction (horizontal direction) to scan the infrared sensor 19. The thermal image acquisition device 16 sends a signal obtained by scanning the infrared sensor 19. In the control device 100 described later, thermal image data representing the temperature distribution in the air-conditioned space in two dimensions is generated from the transmitted signal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an apparatus in the indoor unit 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an outline when the indoor unit 10 is cut on the A side shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, an indoor heat exchanger 17 and a fan 18 are arranged inside the indoor unit 10. The indoor heat exchanger 17 and the fan 18 are arranged in an air passage in which the suction port 12 and the air outlet 13 communicate with each other. When the operation of the indoor unit 10 is started, the fan 18 rotates, so that, for example, indoor air flows into the indoor unit 10 from the suction port 12. The air that has flowed into the indoor unit 10 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 17. At this time, the air is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 17 and air-conditioned. The air-conditioned air is sent out into the room from the air outlet 13. Here, the indoor heat exchanger 17 heats the passing air during the heating operation.

The indoor unit 10 has a suction temperature detecting device 21 and a heat exchange temperature detecting device 22. The suction temperature detecting device 21 is installed in the vicinity of the suction port 12 and detects the temperature of the air sucked into the indoor unit 10. Here, when the indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit, the temperature of the air sucked into the indoor unit 10 can be set as the indoor temperature T_air. Therefore, here, the suction temperature detecting device 21 also serves as an indoor temperature detecting device. Further, the heat exchange temperature detecting device 22 is installed in the indoor heat exchanger 17 and detects the temperature of the heat transfer tube constituting the indoor heat exchanger 17. Here, the temperature of the heat transfer tube can be set to the blown air temperature T_flow, which is the temperature of the air blown from the indoor unit. Therefore, here, the heat exchange temperature detecting device 22 also serves as the blown air temperature.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control device 100 includes a thermal image creation unit 101, a human body detection unit 102, a structure detection unit 103, a wind direction control unit 104, a floor surface temperature detection unit 105, a floor surface temperature difference calculation unit 106, a arrival position detection unit 107, and a floor surface. It has a temperature storage unit 121.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a thermal image according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The thermal image creation unit 101 processes the signal sent from the thermal image acquisition device 16 described above, and creates and processes the thermal image data. The thermal image data is data representing the temperature distribution in the room that is the air conditioning target space. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the thermal image can be divided into a plurality of areas defined for each ability band. In FIG. 5, the thermal image is divided into 42 areas.

The human body detection unit 102 determines the presence or absence of a person by using, for example, background subtraction, which is a technique for difference between a background image in which a person is not detected and a thermal image. Further, when it is determined that there is a person, the position and posture (standing position, sitting position, etc.) of the person in the room are determined. Then, based on the position of the person, for example, the target airflow position, which is the position for sending air related to air conditioning, is determined. Therefore, the human body detection unit 102 also performs processing as a target airflow position determination unit. The target airflow position shall be determined for each area. Here, in order to warm the feet by heating, the human body detection unit 102 determines the target airflow position for sending air to the position of the person's feet.

The structure detection unit 103 detects a structure in a room that is an air-conditioned space based on thermal image data. The indoor structure is, for example, a floor, a wall, a window, a furniture, or the like that constitutes the room, or an object that is arranged in the room. The structure detection unit 103 can detect the structure by, for example, comparing the indoor temperature T_air detected by the suction temperature detection device 21 with the temperature in each area of the thermal image. In the first embodiment, the floor surface is detected in particular. Here, if the portion to be the floor surface is known in advance in the thermal image, the floor surface detection by the structure detection unit 103 may not be performed.

The floor surface temperature detection unit 105 detects the floor surface temperature based on the thermal image data. The floor surface temperature detection unit 105 detects the temperature in the area detected as the floor surface among the plurality of areas in the thermal image as the floor surface temperature of each area. Then, the detected floor surface temperature data is stored in the floor surface temperature storage unit 121. The floor surface temperature storage unit 121 stores, for example, the floor surface temperature data related to the detection of the floor surface temperature detection unit 105 for a certain period of time. In the first embodiment, the floor surface temperature detection unit 105 and the floor surface temperature storage unit 121 detect the floor surface temperature and store it as data, but other areas including a portion such as a wall, for example. You may also detect the temperature in and store the data.

The floor surface temperature difference calculation unit 106 is a difference value of the floor surface temperature in each area before and after performing wind direction control related to the target airflow position based on the floor surface temperature data stored in the floor surface temperature storage unit 121. Performs the process of calculating. The arrival position detection unit 107 determines an area where the floor surface temperature is changing based on the result of calculation processing by the floor surface temperature difference calculation unit 106, and detects the determined area as the arrival position. The area where the floor surface temperature has changed is the position where the air-conditioned air actually reaches as a result of blowing air from the indoor unit 10 based on the target airflow position. The method for determining the area where the floor surface temperature is changing is not particularly limited. For example, a threshold value may be set and the difference value may be compared with the threshold value for determination.

Here, for example, if there is a heating element other than a person in the room, the floor surface temperature at a position farther than the person may change. In addition, there may be a plurality of areas where the floor surface temperature changes. It becomes noise to detect the arrival position. Therefore, the arrival position detection unit 107 determines the area where the floor surface temperature is changing with respect to the area where the floor surface temperature is changing in the surrounding area adjacent to the area where the target airflow position is located.

For example, conventionally, in an indoor unit, the floor surface temperature has been detected in order to determine the sensible temperature of a person due to radiant heat from the floor surface based on the state of the floor surface temperature in each area due to ventilation. In the first embodiment, the floor surface temperature is used to detect the position where the air is sent. Therefore, the floor surface temperature difference calculation unit 106 of the control device 100 calculates the difference in floor surface temperature before and after performing the wind direction control related to the target airflow position. Then, the arrival position detection unit 107 detects the position where the air-conditioned air actually reaches in the indoor unit 10 based on the difference in the floor surface temperature in each area. Therefore, the control device 100 can easily detect the position where the air actually reaches by blowing air.

The wind direction control unit 104 determines the direction of the wind direction control plate 14 based on the target airflow position. The direction of the wind direction control plate 14 (particularly, the vertical wind direction control plate 14A) corresponds to the angle Θtaget when the target airflow position is viewed from the indoor unit 10. The angle Θtaget of the wind direction control plate 14 is predetermined for each area. Therefore, the wind direction control unit 104 determines the angle Θtaget corresponding to the obtained target airflow position. Then, a control signal is sent to the wind direction control plate 14 so that the orientation of the plate corresponds to the determined angle Θtaget. Here, the closer the distance between the indoor unit 10 and the target airflow temperature is, the larger (deeper) the angle Θ target becomes.

Here, each part of the control device 100 and the like can be configured with different hardware, for example. Further, it is also possible to use a calculation control means (computer) having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as hardware, program processing procedures such as control and calculation in advance, and configure a device as software, firmware, and the like. The arithmetic control means executes a program to perform processing, and realizes processing performed by the thermal image creation unit 101, the human body detection unit 102, and the like. The data of these programs may be stored in a storage device (storage device), for example.

As described above, according to the indoor unit 10 in the air conditioner of the first embodiment, in the control device 100, before and after the floor surface temperature difference calculation unit 106 controls the wind direction related to the target airflow position, respectively. The difference in the floor surface temperature of the area is calculated, and the arrival position detection unit 107 detects the position where the air actually arrived by the ventilation of the indoor unit 10 based on the difference in each area. The position where the air actually reaches can be easily detected.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 perform the same operations as those described in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 100 of the second embodiment has a target correction unit 108. The target correction unit 108 performs a process of correcting the target airflow position when the target airflow position determined by the human body detection unit 102 and the position where the air actually reaches are different.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a correction process performed by the target correction unit 108 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The target correction unit 108 determines the deviation between the target airflow position (target airflow position 31 in FIG. 7) determined by the human body detection unit 102 and the arrival position where the air actually arrived (arrival position 32 in FIG. 7). As described above, since the arrival position 32 is detected from the surrounding area adjacent to the area corresponding to the target airflow position 31, it is only necessary to determine the direction of deviation. Then, a new target airflow position is determined from the determined direction.

Then, the wind direction control unit 104 determines the angle Θtaget corresponding to the corrected target airflow position. Then, a control signal is sent to the wind direction control plate 14 so that the direction of the wind direction control plate 14 corresponds to the determined angle Θtaget.

As described above, according to the indoor unit 10 in the air conditioner of the second embodiment, the target correction unit 108 of the control device 100 performs the correction to determine the new target airflow position. The direction of the wind direction control plate 14 can be easily changed to a position where the air for harmony reaches.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 perform the same operations as those described in the first embodiment. In FIG. 8, the control device 100 of the third embodiment has an air temperature difference calculation unit 109 and a wind direction correction unit 110. The air temperature difference calculation unit 109 calculates the temperature difference ΔT between the room temperature T_air and the blown air temperature T_flow. Here, as described above, the room temperature T_air is set to the temperature related to the detection of the suction temperature detecting device 21. Further, the blown air temperature T_flow is a temperature related to the detection of the heat exchange temperature detecting device 22. The wind direction correction unit 110 corrects the angle Θ target determined by the wind direction control unit 104 based on the temperature difference ΔT.

Next, the wind direction correction in the third embodiment will be described. The air temperature difference calculation unit 109 calculates the temperature difference ΔT between the blown air temperature T_flow and the room temperature T_air based on the following equation (1).
ΔT = T_air? T_flow… (1)

Then, the wind direction correction unit 110 calculates the wind direction angle correction term ΔΘ from the temperature difference ΔT based on the following equation (2). Here, α <0.
ΔΘ = α × ΔT… (2)

The wind direction correction unit 110 determines the final correction angle Θ final based on the following equation (3). The wind direction correction unit 110 sends a control signal to the wind direction control plate 14 so that the direction of the plate corresponds to the correction angle Θfinal.
Θfinal = Θtarget + ΔΘ… (3)

Therefore, when the blown air temperature T_flow is higher than the room temperature T_air (ΔT <0), the sent air soars up, so that the correction angle Θfinal becomes large. Further, when the room temperature T_air is higher than the blown air temperature T_flow (ΔT> 0), the sent air hangs down, so that the correction angle Θfinal becomes smaller.

As described above, according to the indoor unit 10 of the third embodiment, the wind direction correction unit 110 of the control device 100 determines the correction angle Θfinal based on the temperature difference ΔT between the indoor temperature T_air and the blown air temperature T_flow. Since the processing is performed, it is possible to cope with the deviation between the target airflow position and the position where the air actually reaches due to the soaring airflow.

Embodiment 4.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 and the like perform the same operations as those described in the first to third embodiments. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 100 of the fourth embodiment has a distance correction coefficient determining unit 111. The distance correction coefficient determining unit 111 determines a correction value determined as a correction coefficient based on the distance between the indoor unit 10 and the target airflow position.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the soaring airflow and the distance according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the drooping airflow and the distance according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the target airflow position is far away, the influence of soaring and hanging becomes large. Here, the angle Θ target becomes smaller as the distance increases. Therefore, there is a relationship between the angle Θtaget and the distance.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the angle Θ target and the angle correction coefficient βdist for each distance according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The distance correction coefficient determining unit 111 determines the value of the angle correction coefficient βdist for each distance determined based on the distance between the indoor unit 10 and the target airflow position based on the angle Θtaget. Here, 1 ≦ β2 ≦ β1 ≦ β0. Therefore, when the distance is long, the angle correction coefficient βdist for each distance becomes large.

Then, the wind direction correction unit 110 calculates the wind direction angle correction term ΔΘ from the distance-specific angle correction coefficient βdist and the temperature difference ΔT based on the following equation (4). Here, α <0.
ΔΘ = (α + βdist) × ΔT… (4)

The wind direction correction unit 110 determines the final correction angle Θ final based on the equation (4) shown in the fourth embodiment. The wind direction correction unit 110 sends a control signal to the wind direction control plate 14 so that the direction of the plate corresponds to the correction angle Θfinal.

As described above, according to the indoor unit 10 of the fourth embodiment, the distance correction coefficient determining unit 111 of the control device 100 determines the angle correction coefficient for each distance based on the distance between the indoor unit 10 and the target airflow position. Since the βdist is determined and the wind direction correction unit 110 calculates the wind direction angle correction term ΔΘ from the distance-specific angle correction coefficient βdist and the temperature difference ΔT, the wind direction correction term ΔΘ is calculated more accurately according to the distance from the target airflow position. It is possible to make corrections to send air to the position where it should be sent.

Embodiment 5.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 9 perform the same operations as those described in the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the control device 100 of the fifth embodiment has a speed correction coefficient determining unit 112. The velocity correction coefficient determining unit 112 determines a correction value determined based on the airflow velocity, which is the velocity of the air sent out from the indoor unit 10. In general, slower airflow velocities increase the effects of soaring and sagging.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between the airflow velocity v_flow and the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The velocity correction coefficient determining unit 112 determines the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow based on the airflow velocity v_flow. Here, 0 ≦ y2 ≦ y1 ≦ y0. Therefore, when the airflow velocity is slow, the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow becomes large.

Then, the wind direction correction unit 110 calculates the wind direction angle correction term ΔΘ from the distance-specific angle correction coefficient βdist, the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow, and the temperature difference ΔT based on the following equation (5). Here, α <0.
ΔΘ = (α + βdist + γflow) × ΔT… (5)

The wind direction correction unit 110 determines the final correction angle Θ final based on the equation (3) shown in the second embodiment. The wind direction correction unit 110 sends a control signal to the wind direction control plate 14 so that the direction of the plate corresponds to the correction angle Θfinal.

As described above, according to the indoor unit 10 of the fifth embodiment, the velocity correction coefficient determination unit 112 of the control device 100 determines the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow, and the wind direction correction unit 110 determines the distance-specific angle correction coefficient βdist. Since the wind direction angle correction term ΔΘ is calculated from the airflow velocity correction coefficient γflow and the temperature difference ΔT, it is possible to more accurately correct the air to be sent to the originally desired position according to the airflow velocity v_flow.

Embodiment 6.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 15, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 and the like perform the same operations as those described in the first to fifth embodiments. As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 100 of the sixth embodiment has a distance calculation unit 113. The distance calculation unit 113 calculates the distance between the indoor unit 10 and the structure that changes the air flow. Here, the structure that changes the air flow is, for example, a structure that blocks or reflects the air flow, such as a wall or furniture (hereinafter, simply referred to as a structure). ).

Although not particularly shown in the above-described first to fifth embodiments, even if the positions are the same on the thermal image, if the structure at that position changes the air flow, air is used. The flow of is affected by the structure.

Based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 113, the wind direction correction unit 110 reduces the distance at the target airflow position so that, for example, if it is close to the structure, the air does not directly hit the structure. The angle of the wind direction control plate 14 is adjusted. Further, if the structure is far away, the angle of the wind direction control plate 14 is adjusted so that the distance of the target airflow position becomes long.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an air flow when the structure 30 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention and the target air flow position are close to each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when the structure 30 and the target airflow position are close to each other, even if the airflow control for the windbreak is performed, the position where the air actually reaches is determined by the reflection of the air in the structure 30. , Inside the target airflow position.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an air flow when the structure 30 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention and the target air flow position are far from each other. As shown in FIG. 17, when the distance between the structure 30 and the target airflow position is long, the sent air flows outward from the target airflow position. Therefore, the position where the air actually reaches is outside the target airflow position. For example, the same applies when the structure 30 does not exist.

Even in the horizontal direction, if it is affected by a structure such as a wall or furniture, the direction of the wind direction control plate 14 (particularly the left and right wind direction control plate 14B) is adjusted based on the distance between the structure 30 and the target airflow position. By doing so, reflection or omission can be prevented.

Embodiment 7.
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 18, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 and the like perform the same operations as those described in the above-described first embodiment and the like. In FIG. 18, the correction storage unit 122 stores the data related to the correction.

For example, when a chair or the like is placed in a room, the position and posture of a person in the room are often the same, and the target airflow position may not change. In such a case, by storing the data related to the correction in the correction storage unit 122, in the subsequent operation, the wind direction control, the up / down / left / right wind direction and the wind speed, the drive rotation frequency of the compressor (not shown), etc. It is possible to perform operation that reflects the correction.

Embodiment 8.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 of the indoor unit 10 according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 19, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 and the like perform the same operations as those described in the above-described first embodiment and the like. In FIG. 19, the sensible temperature correction unit 114 calculates the wind speed from the arrival position of the air detected by the arrival position detection unit 107. Then, the sensible temperature is corrected based on the calculated wind speed.

For example, when air is sent toward a person, the sensible temperature generally feels low when the wind speed is high. For this reason, the efficiency deteriorates as the temperature of the air is raised. Therefore, the sensible temperature correction unit 114 calculates the wind speed from the arrival position of the air detected by the arrival position detection unit 107. Then, based on the calculated wind speed, the temperature is corrected so as to approach the sensible temperature based on the set temperature.

As described above, according to the indoor unit 10 of the eighth embodiment, the wind speed is calculated from the arrival position and the sensible temperature is corrected. Therefore, for example, the sensible temperature is efficiently performed without the need for an anemometer or the like. Can be corrected.

Embodiment 9.
For example, in the above-described first to seventh embodiments, when the air is not sent to the position where the air is to be sent, the arrival position of the air is adjusted by changing the wind direction. For example, even if the wind direction is corrected, if the air is not sent to the position where the air should be sent, not only the wind direction is changed, but also the wind speed is changed to adjust the arrival position of the air. You may do so.

Further, in the above-described first to eighth embodiments, in the indoor unit 10, the human body detection unit 102 determines the target airflow position for sending air to the position of the human foot during the heating operation. explained. For example, when the air conditioner performs a cooling operation, the target airflow position for sending air to a position where the direct wind is not applied to a person may be determined. Even in the case of cooling operation, the actual arrival position of the sent air can be detected based on the temperature difference before and after the wind direction control related to the target airflow position. However, in this case, the arrival position is detected by calculating the temperature difference on the wall or the like rather than the temperature difference on the floor surface temperature. Further, in the above-described first to eighth embodiments, the target airflow position does not have to be determined based on the position of the person detected by the human body detection unit 102 or the like. In the first to eighth embodiments, the position of an object other than a human being may be detected, and the target airflow position may be determined based on the detected position or the like.

Embodiment 10.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioner according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. In the air conditioner of FIG. 20, the outdoor unit (outdoor unit) 200 and the indoor unit (indoor unit) 10 described in the above-described embodiment are connected by the gas refrigerant pipe 300 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 400. .. The outdoor unit 200 includes a compressor 210, a four-way valve 220, an outdoor heat exchanger 230, and an expansion valve 240.

The compressor 210 compresses and discharges the sucked refrigerant. Here, although not particularly limited, the compressor 210 changes the capacity (amount of refrigerant delivered per unit time) of the compressor 210 by arbitrarily changing the operating frequency by, for example, an inverter circuit or the like. It may be possible to make it. The four-way valve 220 is, for example, a valve that switches the flow of the refrigerant between a cooling operation and a heating operation.

The outdoor heat exchanger 230 according to the tenth embodiment exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air (outdoor air). For example, it functions as an evaporator during heating operation to evaporate and vaporize the refrigerant. In addition, it functions as a condenser during cooling operation to condense and liquefy the refrigerant.

The expansion valve 240 such as the throttle device (flow rate control means) decompresses the refrigerant and expands it. For example, when it is composed of an electronic expansion valve or the like, the opening degree is adjusted based on an instruction from the control device 100 or the like. The indoor heat exchanger 17 exchanges heat between, for example, air to be air-conditioned and a refrigerant. During heating operation, it functions as a condenser to condense and liquefy the refrigerant. In addition, it functions as an evaporator during cooling operation to evaporate and vaporize the refrigerant.

As described above, by configuring the air conditioner using the indoor unit 10 described in the previous embodiments, for example, in a room that is an air-conditioned space, air is more accurately directed to the target airflow position. Since harmonious air can be sent, comfortable and energy-saving driving can be realized.

1 Indoor unit, 11 housing, 12 suction port, 13 air outlet, 14 wind direction control plate, 14A vertical wind direction control plate, 14B left and right wind direction control plate, 16 thermal image acquisition device, 17 indoor heat exchanger, 18 fan, 19 infrared Sensor, 21 Suction temperature detector, 22 Heat exchange temperature detector, 30 Structure, 31 Target airflow position, 32 Reach position, 100 Control device, 101 Thermal image creation unit, 102 Human body detector, 103 Structure detector, 104 Wind direction control unit, 105 floor temperature detection unit, 106 floor temperature difference calculation unit, 107 arrival position detection unit, 108 target correction unit, 109 air temperature difference calculation unit, 110 wind direction correction unit, 111 distance correction coefficient determination unit, 112 Speed correction coefficient determination unit, 113 distance calculation unit, 114 experience temperature correction unit, 121 floor temperature storage unit, 122 correction storage unit, 200 outdoor unit, 210 compressor, 220 four-way valve, 230 outdoor heat exchanger, 240 expansion valve , 300 gas refrigerant pipe, 400 liquid refrigerant pipe.

Claims (8)

A thermal image acquisition device that acquires a thermal image representing the temperature distribution,
A heating device that heats and sends out air,
A wind direction control plate that adjusts the direction of the air sent from the heating device,
Equipped with a control device that controls the indoor unit
The control device
A target airflow position determining unit that determines a target airflow position to send the heated air,
From the thermal image, the temperature of the floor surface in the air-conditioned space is detected, and based on the detected floor surface temperature, the difference value of the floor surface temperature before and after control based on the target airflow position is calculated. Difference calculation unit and
The arrival position detection unit that detects the arrival position of the heated air from the difference value,
A target correction unit that corrects the target airflow position from the difference between the target airflow position determined by the target airflow position determination unit and the arrival position detected by the arrival position detection unit.
An indoor unit having a wind direction control unit that determines an angle of the wind direction control plate based on the corrected target airflow position. An air temperature difference calculation unit that calculates the temperature difference between the temperature T_air in the air-conditioned space and the temperature of the heated air, and
The indoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a wind direction correction unit that corrects an angle of the wind direction control plate determined by the wind direction control unit based on the temperature difference. The wind direction correction unit
Said based on the distance of the indoor unit and the target air flow position, performs an operation including the angle correction coefficient the distance the more distant coefficient value increases between the target air flow position, the air direction control unit has determined The indoor unit according to claim 2, wherein the angle of the wind direction control plate is corrected. The wind direction correction unit, said based on the speed of the air fed from the heating device, performs an operation, including speed correction coefficient the higher the coefficient values slow speed of the air fed is increased, the air direction control The indoor unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the angle of the wind direction control plate determined by the unit is corrected. A structure detection unit that detects a structure in the air-conditioned space from the thermal image data and a distance calculation unit that calculates the distance between the indoor unit and the structure are further provided.
The indoor unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the wind direction correction unit corrects the angle of the wind direction control plate determined by the wind direction control unit based on the distance from the structure. .. The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a correction storage unit that stores the value related to the correction as data. From the thermal image data, a human body detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a person and the posture when a person is present,
The indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a sensible temperature correction unit that calculates the wind speed based on the arrival position and corrects the sensible temperature. An air conditioner comprising the indoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and an outdoor unit to perform air conditioning.

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