JP6797962B2 - Sensor system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner that controls air conditioning in a target space and a method for estimating the temperature and cold sensation thereof.

An air conditioner such as an air conditioner that estimates a hot / cold feeling from a person's surface temperature and controls the air conditioning of the target space based on the estimated hot / cold feeling is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-138793

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the feeling of warmth and coldness, which indicates a person's feeling of being hot and cold, is only estimated from the surface temperature of the person in the target space. That is, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot estimate the feeling of warmth and coldness of a person with high accuracy. Therefore, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that even if the air conditioning control is performed based on the estimated hot / cold feeling, the environmental temperature is not always comfortable for the person concerned.

The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of estimating a person's warm / cold feeling with higher accuracy and a method for estimating the hot / cold feeling.

In order to achieve the above object, the sensor system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a sensor system mounted on an air conditioner that controls air conditioning in the target space based on the feeling of heat and cold of a person in the target space. The thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space, the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit, and the parameters set in the air conditioner, that is, the air conditioner. A heat / cold feeling estimation unit that estimates the heat / cold feeling of the person and a wind speed estimation that estimates the wind speed in the target space based on parameters that specify at least one of the wind direction, the wind speed, and the air temperature of the wind emitted from the wind. A unit and a heat dissipation amount estimation unit that estimates the heat radiation amount of the human body based on the thermal image and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit are provided, and the wind speed estimation unit is set in the air conditioner. The air velocity in the target space is estimated based on the air flow parameter that defines the air velocity of the air outlet of the air conditioner that blows air into the target space to control the air conditioning, and the feeling of heat and cold is estimated. The estimation unit estimates the warm / cold sensation of the person based on the thermal image and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit, and the heat / cold sensation estimation unit estimates the person's heat dissipation amount estimation unit. The feeling of heat and cold of the person is estimated based on the amount of heat released from the human body.

It should be noted that these general or specific embodiments may be realized in a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, system, method, integrated circuit, computer. It may be realized by any combination of a program and a recording medium.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner or the like that can estimate a person's feeling of warmth and coldness with higher accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an overview view of an example of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of how the air conditioner of FIG. 2 is installed. FIG. 4A is a diagram schematically showing a person in the target space. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a thermal image of the person shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the wind speed stored in the storage unit and the convection heat transfer coefficient in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of estimating the amount of heat released from the human body. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an outline of the temperature sensation estimation process of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit in the first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the person position estimation unit estimates the position of a person in the first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the wind speed in the first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit in the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the air temperature in the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the air temperature in the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of information indicating the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the air temperature in the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the distance and time stored in the storage unit in the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit in the modification 3 of the first embodiment. FIG. 19A is a diagram showing an example of a thermal image of a person in the third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 19B is a diagram showing an example of a thermal image of a person in the third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference of a person stored in the storage unit in the third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing another example of information showing the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference of a person stored in the storage unit in the third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 22A is a diagram showing an example of a communication device connected to the air conditioner in the fourth modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 22B is a diagram showing an example of the electric fan in the modified example 4 of the first embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the heat receiving amount calculation unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of how a person receives heat in the second embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the solar radiation sensor is attached according to the second embodiment. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing another example of the position where the solar radiation sensor is attached according to the second embodiment. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of the opening degree of the window of the vehicle estimated by the air conditioner in the first modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the thermo camera is installed in the second modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the non-contact temperature sensor is installed in the third modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the hygrometer is installed in the modified example 4 of the second embodiment.

The air conditioner according to one aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner that controls air conditioning in the target space based on the feeling of warmth and coldness of a person in the target space, and is a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space. Of the thermal image acquisition unit, the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit, and the wind direction, speed, and temperature of the wind emitted from the air conditioner, which are parameters set in the air conditioner. A hot / cold feeling estimation unit for estimating the hot / cold feeling of the person based on a parameter defining at least one is provided.

With this configuration, it is possible to realize an air conditioner capable of estimating the warmth and coldness of a person with higher accuracy. As a result, the air conditioner can control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the person based on the feeling of temperature of the person estimated with high accuracy.

Here, for example, the air conditioner further includes a wind speed estimation unit that estimates the wind speed in the target space, and the wind speed estimation unit controls the air conditioning with the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner. The wind speed in the target space is estimated based on the air blowing parameter that defines the wind speed of the air outlet of the air conditioner that blows air into the target space, and the hot / cold feeling estimation unit uses the thermal image and the wind speed. The warm / cold feeling of the person may be estimated based on the wind speed estimated by the estimation unit.

Further, for example, the air conditioner further includes a heat dissipation amount estimation unit that estimates the heat radiation amount of the human body based on the thermal image and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit, and estimates the warm / cold feeling. The unit may estimate the warm / cold feeling of the person based on the heat radiation amount of the person's body estimated by the heat dissipation amount estimation unit.

Further, for example, the air conditioner further calculates the convection heat transfer rate based on the temperature calculation unit that calculates the surface temperature of the person and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit using the thermal image. The convection heat transfer rate calculation unit is provided, and the heat dissipation amount estimation unit includes the convection heat transfer rate calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculation unit and the ambient temperature of a region other than the person in the target space. The amount of heat dissipated from the human body may be estimated using the temperature and the surface temperature of the person calculated by the temperature calculation unit.

Here, for example, the air conditioner is based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit and the position of the thermal image acquisition unit in the target space with reference to the air conditioner. The wind velocity estimation unit includes a person position estimation unit that estimates the position of the person, and the wind velocity estimation unit is based on the position of the person estimated by the person position estimation unit and the ventilation parameters of the person in the target space. The surrounding wind velocity may be estimated, and the convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit may calculate the convection heat transfer coefficient based on the wind velocity around the person estimated by the wind velocity estimation unit.

Further, for example, the air conditioner further estimates the position of the person with respect to the air conditioner based on the thermal image and the position of the thermal image acquisition unit in the target space. The air temperature around the person in the target space is estimated based on the position estimation unit, the position of the person estimated by the person position estimation unit, and the air temperature of the air outlet of the air conditioner. Even if the air temperature estimation unit is provided and the heat radiation amount estimation unit estimates the heat radiation amount of the person's body using the air temperature around the person estimated by the air temperature estimation unit as the ambient temperature. Good.

Here, for example, the air temperature estimation unit is the target for performing the air conditioning control with the position of the person estimated by the person position estimation unit and the air temperature parameter set in the air conditioner. The air temperature around the person may be estimated based on the air temperature parameter that defines the air temperature of the air outlet of the air conditioner that blows air into the space.

Further, for example, the person position estimation unit includes the position of the person's foot in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, the height of the thermal image acquisition unit from the floor in the target space, and the heat. The position of the person may be estimated using the effective viewing angle of the image acquisition unit.

Further, for example, when the wind speed of the outlet fluctuates, the temperature calculation unit uses the thermal image before the fluctuation of the wind speed of the outlet and the thermal image after the fluctuation of the wind speed of the outlet. The surface temperature of the person before the fluctuation and the surface temperature of the person after the fluctuation are calculated, and the wind speed estimation unit is based on the surface temperature of the person before the fluctuation and the surface temperature of the person after the fluctuation. Therefore, the wind speed around the person in the target space may be estimated.

Here, for example, the wind speed of the outlet may be changed by setting the predetermined wind speed of the outlet to zero and then setting the ventilation parameter so as to specify the predetermined wind speed.

Further, for example, the temperature calculation unit may calculate the surface temperature of the person and the ambient temperature by using the thermal image.

Further, for example, the air conditioner further includes a heat receiving amount calculation unit for calculating the heat receiving amount which is the heat amount received by the person, and the heat dissipation amount estimating unit is a convection calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculating unit. The heat transfer rate, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of the region other than the person in the target space, the surface temperature of the person calculated by the temperature calculation unit, and the heat reception amount calculated by the heat reception amount calculation unit. May be used to estimate the amount of heat released from the human body.

Here, for example, the heat receiving amount calculation unit includes a solar radiation amount estimation unit that estimates the amount of solar radiation to the person, a solar radiation area calculation unit that calculates the area of the portion that is exposed to the person, and the solar radiation amount. A heat receiving amount calculation unit that calculates the heat receiving amount using the solar radiation amount estimated by the estimating unit, the area calculated by the solar radiation area calculation unit, and the clothing absorption rate of the person may be provided.

Further, for example, the temperature calculation unit may calculate the temperature of the person's face or the inside of the face as the surface temperature of the person.

Further, for example, the temperature calculation unit may calculate the temperature of the thigh of the person as the surface temperature of the person.

Further, for example, the temperature calculation unit may calculate the average temperature of the region recognized as the person in the thermal image as the surface temperature of the person.

Further, the method for estimating the hot / cold feeling of the air conditioner according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for estimating the hot / cold feeling of the air conditioner that controls the air conditioning of the target space based on the hot / cold feeling of a person in the target space. The thermal image acquisition step for acquiring a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space, the thermal image obtained in the thermal image acquisition step, and the parameters set in the air conditioner and the air conditioning are provided. It includes a heat / cold sensation estimation step of estimating the warm / cold sensation of the person based on parameters that define at least one of the wind direction, the wind speed, and the air temperature of the wind emitted from the machine.

Further, the sensor system mounted on the air conditioner according to one aspect of the present invention is a sensor system mounted on the air conditioner that controls the air conditioning of the target space based on the feeling of heat and cold of a person in the target space. The thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space, the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit, and the parameters set in the air conditioner and the air conditioning It is provided with a hot / cold feeling estimation unit that estimates the hot / cold feeling of the person based on parameters that define at least one of the wind direction, the wind speed, and the wind temperature of the wind emitted from the machine.

It should be noted that these general or specific embodiments may be realized in a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, and the system, method, integrated circuit, computer. It may be realized by any combination of programs or recording media.

Hereinafter, the infrared detection device and the like according to one aspect of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that all of the embodiments described below show a specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions of the components, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Further, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest level concept are described as arbitrary components.

(Embodiment 1)
[Construction of air conditioner]
Hereinafter, the air conditioner according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an overview view of an example of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of how the air conditioner of FIG. 2 is installed. FIG. 4A is a diagram schematically showing a person in the target space. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a thermal image of the person shown in FIG. 4A.

The air conditioner 10 is an air conditioner that controls air conditioning in the target space based on the feeling of warmth and coldness of a person in the target space.

The air conditioner 10 is, for example, an air conditioner as shown in FIG. 2, and is installed at a predetermined height from the floor 61 on a wall 62 which is an installation surface substantially perpendicular to the floor 61 of the target space 60, for example, as shown in FIG. To. The air conditioner 10 estimates the warm / cold feeling of the person 50 in the target space 60 based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 attached to the front surface of the air conditioner 10, for example. Here, the thermal image is an image composed of a plurality of pixels showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60. Further, the predetermined height is a height higher than that of a temperature detection target such as a person, for example, a height of 1800 mm or more. The target space 60 is, for example, a room, the floor 61 is, for example, the floor of a room, and the wall is, for example, the wall of a room.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 10 includes at least a thermal image acquisition unit 11, a temperature sensor 12, a calculation unit 13, and a control unit 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 10 includes a louver, a compressor, a fan, and the like, and controls the air conditioning of the target space by controlling these based on the feeling of warmth and coldness of a person in the target space 60. ..

The thermal image acquisition unit 11 is, for example, a thermography attached to the front surface of the air conditioner 10 and acquires a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60.

The thermal image acquisition unit 11 has an effective viewing angle (angle of view) in the vertical direction and an effective viewing angle in the horizontal direction, and is a two-dimensional object existing in the target space 60 in front of the air conditioner 10. Thermal images can be acquired. The thermal image acquisition unit 11 may be composed of, for example, infrared detection elements (pixels) arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, and may acquire a two-dimensional thermal image at a time. Further, the thermal image acquisition unit 11 may be composed of, for example, a line sensor, that is, infrared detection elements (pixels) arranged in a one-dimensional shape, and may acquire a two-dimensional thermal image by scanning one-dimensionally. .. That is, the thermal image acquisition unit 11 may have any configuration as long as it can acquire a two-dimensional thermal image.

In the present embodiment, the thermal image acquisition unit 11 acquires a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60. That is, when a person 50 exists in the target space 60 in front of the air conditioner 10 as shown in FIG. 3, the thermal image acquisition unit 11 displays a thermal image showing the temperature distribution of the target space 60 including the person 50. get.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, it is assumed that the person 50 wears a jacket 50a and trousers 50b, and the ambient temperature (temperature of the target space 60) is, for example, about 25 ° C. In this case, the thermal image acquisition unit 11 acquires a thermal image as shown in FIG. 4B, for example. In the thermal image shown in FIG. 4B, the higher the temperature of the object (pixels), the higher the density. That is, in the thermal image shown in FIG. 4B, the higher the temperature of the pixel, the closer the color is to black. The display of the thermal image is not limited to this.

In the person 50 shown in FIG. 4A, the surface temperature of the part corresponding to the jacket 50a and the trousers 50b is higher than the surface temperature of other parts (face, neck, both hands, both feet) where the skin of the person 50 is exposed. It gets closer to the temperature. That is, the surface temperature of the portion corresponding to the outerwear 50a and the trousers 50b is lower than the surface temperature of other portions (face, neck, both hands, both feet). Therefore, in the thermal image shown in FIG. 4B, the relative density of the area corresponding to the outerwear 50a and the trousers 50b is displayed lower than the surface temperature of the area corresponding to the exposed part of the skin. There is.

The temperature sensor 12 is, for example, a thermistor or a thermocouple, and can measure the temperature of one point in the target space 60 or one point on the surface of the member. In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 12 is arranged in, for example, an air suction port in the air conditioner 10 and measures the ambient temperature, which is the temperature of a region other than the person 50 in the target space 60. The temperature sensor 12 transmits the measured ambient temperature to the calculation unit 13.

The control unit 14 controls the louver, compressor, fan, etc. based on the result of the calculation unit 13, that is, the estimated temperature of the person 50 in the target space 60, so that the environment temperature becomes comfortable for the person 50. The air conditioning of the target space 60 is controlled as described above. For example, when the control unit 14 determines that the person 50 feels hot due to the estimated heat and cold feeling of the person 50, the control unit 14 operates a compressor and a fan to control the air temperature and the wind speed to generate cold air. Control to let. The control unit 14 may further recognize the position of the person 50 by using the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and control the louver to be directed in the direction of the recognized person 50. As a result, the ambient temperature of the person 50 can be lowered, so that the person 50 does not feel hot and can spend comfortably. Further, for example, when the control unit 14 determines that the person 50 feels cold due to the estimated warm / cold feeling of the person 50, the control unit 14 operates a compressor and a fan to control the air temperature and the wind speed to control the hot air. Is controlled to generate. The control unit 14 may further recognize the position of the person 50 by using the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and control the louver to be directed in the direction of the recognized person 50. As a result, the ambient temperature of the person 50 can be raised, so that the person 50 does not feel cold and can spend comfortably.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the wind speed stored in the storage unit and the convection heat transfer coefficient in the first embodiment.

The calculation unit 13 estimates the feeling of warmth and coldness of the person 50 in the target space 60 based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the calculation unit 13 includes a temperature calculation unit 130, a storage unit 134, a wind speed estimation unit 135, a convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit 136, and a heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137. , A hot / cold feeling estimation unit 138 is provided.

The temperature calculation unit 130 includes a human region temperature calculation unit 131 and a human ambient temperature calculation unit 132. The temperature calculation unit 130 may not include the human ambient temperature calculation unit 132.

The human ambient temperature calculation unit 132 calculates the ambient temperature, which is the temperature of a region other than the human 50 in the target space 60, using a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60. More specifically, the human ambient temperature calculation unit 132 uses a thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11, for example, a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60 shown in FIG. 4B, and uses the ambient temperature. Is calculated. Here, if the ambient temperature and the wall surface temperature are the same, the ambient temperature may be estimated based on the measured wall surface temperature.

The human region temperature calculation unit 131 calculates the surface temperature of the human 50 by using a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60. More specifically, the human region temperature calculation unit 131 uses a thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11, for example, a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60 shown in FIG. 4B, and is used by the person 50. Calculate the surface temperature. Here, the human area temperature calculation unit 131 considers that the surface temperature of the person 50 is the temperature of the face or the inside of the face of the person 50, and averages the areas (face areas) recognized as the face of the person 50 in the thermal image. The temperature or the temperature of the area recognized as the forehead of the person 50 (forehead area) may be calculated. Further, the human region temperature calculation unit 131 may calculate the average temperature of the region (human region) recognized as the human 50 in the thermal image as the surface temperature of the human 50. The human region temperature calculation unit 131 may calculate the temperature of the region recognized as the thigh of the human 50 in the thermal image as the surface temperature of the human 50. This is because the temperature of a person's thigh is considered to be close to the average skin temperature of a person.

The wind speed estimation unit 135 estimates the wind speed in the target space 60. In the present embodiment, the wind speed estimation unit 135 is a blower parameter set in the air conditioner 10 and defines the wind speed at the outlet of the air conditioner 10 that blows air into the target space 60 to control air conditioning. The wind speed in the target space 60 is estimated based on the parameters. That is, in the present embodiment, the wind speed estimation unit 135 estimates the wind speed of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 set by the ventilation parameter as the wind speed in the target space 60.

The storage unit 134 stores in advance information indicating the relationship between the wind speed and the convection heat transfer coefficient, as in the table shown in FIG. 6, for example. As shown in FIG. 6, the convective heat transfer coefficient tends to have a linear relationship with the wind speed in a region where the wind speed is relatively high. On the other hand, the convective heat transfer coefficient tends to increase as the wind speed increases in a region where the wind speed is relatively slow, but it is considered that there is no linear relationship with the wind speed, but it is usually obtained by measurement. It is not limited to the shape of this graph because it may be different from this graph.

The convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit 136 calculates the convection heat transfer coefficient of the person 50 based on the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit 135. In the present embodiment, the convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit 136 refers to the information indicating the relationship between the wind speed stored in the storage unit 134 and the convection heat transfer coefficient, and refers to the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit 135. Calculate the convective heat transfer coefficient of the person 50.

The heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 estimates the heat radiation amount of the human body 50 based on the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit 135. More specifically, the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 calculates the convection heat transfer rate calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculation unit 136, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of the region other than the person 50 in the target space 60, and the temperature. The amount of heat dissipated from the human body of the person 50 is estimated using the surface temperature of the person 50 calculated by the unit 130. The heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 may use the ambient temperature calculated by the temperature calculation unit 130, or may use the ambient temperature measured by the temperature sensor 12.

Here, a method of estimating the amount of heat released from the human body will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of estimating the amount of heat released from the human body.

The amount of heat radiated from the human body, that is, the amount of heat radiated from the human body can be expressed by the following equations 1 to 3.

H [W / m ² ] = R + C + K + Esk + Eres + Cres (Equation 1)
R = hr × (Tcl-Tr) (Equation 2)
C = hc × (Tcl-Ta) (Equation 3)

Here, H indicates the amount of heat released from the human body. R is radiation from the human body, C is convection (heat transfer from the human body to the air), K is conduction (heat transfer from the contact area of the human body in contact with an object such as the floor), and Esk is water evaporation from the human skin. , Eres indicates the evaporation of water from the exhaled body of the human body, and Cres indicates the convection of the exhaled breath. Further, hr is the radiant heat transfer coefficient, hc is the convection heat transfer coefficient, Tcl is the surface temperature of the human body, Tr is the wall surface temperature, and Ta is the ambient temperature.

In the space (target space) where the person 50 exists as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that there is no wind, the temperature of the space (room temperature) and the temperature of the wall 62a (wall surface temperature) are the same, and dry heat dissipation is further generated. When the conduction K is dominant and the conduction K is small (the contact area between the floor 61a and the foot of the person 50 is small), the heat dissipation amount H of the human body can be expressed by the following equation 4.

H [W / m ² ] = R + C = (hr + hc) × (Tcl-Tr) (Equation 4)

Here, for example, hr is 4.65 [W / m ² / deg] and hc is 3.7 [W / m ² / deg].

That is, in this case, if the difference between the average value of the human surface temperature (average skin temperature) and the ambient temperature (or wall surface temperature) is known, the sum of hr and hc (4.65 + 3.7 = 8.35). ) Can be multiplied to estimate the amount of heat released from the human body.

However, in the target space 60 where the air conditioner 10 is installed, there are many cases where there is wind such as blowing air of the air conditioner 10. Then, when there is wind in the target space 60, the above-mentioned convection heat transfer coefficient hc changes. For example, when the wind becomes strong, the convective heat transfer coefficient hc increases, so that the amount of heat radiated increases even at the same room temperature, and the person feels cold. That is, when the human body heat dissipation amount is estimated using the convection heat transfer coefficient hc of a predetermined value on the premise of a windless state, the numerical value of the human body heat dissipation amount does not change even if there is wind. It is presumed that the person's feeling of warmth and coldness has not changed. Alternatively, the amount of heat released may be underestimated because the surface temperature of a person is lowered by the wind. Therefore, due to the influence of the wind, even if the person actually feels cold, the feeling of warmth and coldness of the person does not change, or conversely, it is estimated that the person feels hot.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to estimate the feeling of warmth and coldness of a person with higher accuracy, the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 estimates the heat dissipation amount of the human body with higher accuracy even under the influence of wind. That is, the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 calculates the convection heat transfer rate calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculation unit 136, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of the region other than the person 50 in the target space 60, and the temperature calculation unit 130. The amount of heat dissipated from the human body of the person 50 is estimated using the surface temperature of the person 50. In the present embodiment, the heat radiation amount estimation unit 137 assumes that the temperature of the wind reaching the person 50 (wind temperature) and the ambient temperature of the target space 60 (room temperature) are the same, and the heat radiation amount of the human body of the person 50. May be estimated.

The thermal sensation estimation unit 138 is a parameter set in the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and the air conditioner 10, and is at least one of the wind direction, speed, and temperature of the wind emitted from the air conditioner 10. The warmth and coldness of the person 50 is estimated based on the parameters that specify one. More specifically, the hot / cold feeling estimation unit 138 estimates the hot / cold feeling of the person 50 based on the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit 135.

In the present embodiment, the warm / cold feeling estimation unit 138 estimates the warm / cold feeling of the person 50 based on the heat radiation amount of the human body estimated by the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137. The warm / cold feeling estimation unit 138 holds information indicating the relationship between the heat radiation amount of the human body and the warm / cold feeling, for example, the larger the heat radiation amount of the human body, the colder the person feels. Further, the warm / cold sensation estimation unit 138 holds in advance a threshold value in the information indicating the relationship between the amount of heat radiated from the human body and the sensation of warm / cold, which does not make a person feel hot or cold. As a result, the warm / cold feeling estimation unit 138 uses the heat radiation amount of the human body estimated by the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 and the information indicating the relationship between the human body heat radiation amount and the warm / cold feeling to heat / cool the person 50. The feeling can be estimated. For example, when the amount of heat radiation is larger than the threshold value, it feels cool or cold depending on the degree of heat dissipation, and the larger the amount of heat radiation, the colder it feels. On the contrary, when the amount of heat radiation is less than the threshold value, it feels warm or hot depending on the degree of heat dissipation, and the smaller the amount of heat radiation, the hotter it feels.

The feeling of warmth and coldness may be shown step by step according to the amount of deviation from the threshold value.

Moreover, the threshold value may be changed according to the person. This threshold can be estimated from the amount of food consumed (calorie intake) and the surface area of a person. Since the surface area of a person can be estimated from the height and weight of the person, the user inputs the calorie intake and the height and weight into the warm / cold feeling estimation unit 138 to set this threshold value in the warm / cold feeling estimation unit 138. It may be calculated and set individually to judge the feeling of warmth and coldness. By doing so, it is possible to estimate the hot and cold feeling with high accuracy corresponding to individual differences. In addition, the amount of food (calorie intake) to be ingested differs depending on the race, but by inputting the calorie intake, height, and weight as described above, it is possible to estimate the warmth and coldness according to the racial difference. Become. In addition, it is known that the amount of metabolism varies depending on the age. Since the amount of metabolism is large as a child and the amount of metabolism tends to decrease with age, the amount of heat released per unit area of a child is larger, and the amount of heat released decreases with age. Therefore, a table of threshold values according to age may be held in the warm / cold feeling estimation unit 138, and the user may input the age to change the threshold value according to the age and judge the hot / cold feeling. Absent. By doing so, it is possible to estimate the feeling of warmth and coldness with high accuracy corresponding to the age difference.

Furthermore, it can be applied not only to humans but also to animals. That is, as described above, the threshold of heat dissipation can be obtained from the calorie intake and the surface area of the animal. Therefore, for example, in the case of a chicken, the daily calorie intake of the chicken is determined in advance, and the calorie intake and the body surface area of the chicken are obtained. Therefore, it becomes possible to obtain the threshold value from the calculation. By determining the heat dissipation amount of chickens calculated by the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137 by the threshold value as in the case of humans, it is possible to obtain the feeling of warmth and coldness of not only humans but also animals.

[Operation of air conditioner]
Next, an outline of the operation of the air conditioner 10 configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an outline of the temperature sensation estimation process of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment.

First, the air conditioner 10 estimates the feeling of warmth and coldness (S11). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the arithmetic unit 13 included in the air conditioner 10 calculates the surface temperature of the person 50 in the target space 60 by using a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space 60. (S111). Next, the calculation unit 13 estimates the wind speed in the target space 60 (S112). Next, the calculation unit 13 calculates the convection heat transfer coefficient of the person 50 based on the wind speed estimated in S112 (S113). Next, the calculation unit 13 uses the convection heat transfer coefficient calculated in S113, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of the region other than the person 50 in the target space 60, and the surface temperature of the person 50 calculated in S111. The amount of heat released from the human body of the person 50 is estimated (S114). Next, the calculation unit 13 estimates the feeling of warmth and coldness of the person 50 based on the amount of heat released from the human body estimated in S114 (S115). Since the detailed description has been described above, it will be omitted. As long as the processing of S112 is before the processing of S113, it may be before or after the processing of S111.

Next, the air conditioner 10 controls air conditioning (S13). Specifically, the control unit 14 of the air conditioner 10 controls the louver, compressor, fan, etc. based on the estimated warm / cold feeling of the person so that the environmental temperature is comfortable for the person. Control the air conditioning of the target space. Since the detailed description has been described above, it will be omitted.

[Effects of Embodiment 1 and the like]
As described above, the air conditioner 10 of the first embodiment estimates the wind speed in the target space from the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10, and obtains the information on the relationship between the wind speed calculated in advance and the convection heat transfer coefficient. By using it, a more accurate heat dissipation amount to the human body is estimated in consideration of the influence of wind. As a result, the air conditioner 10 can estimate the warm / cold feeling of a person with higher accuracy, and therefore, the environmental temperature becomes more comfortable for the person based on the hot / cold feeling of the person estimated with high accuracy. The air conditioning of the target space can be controlled as described above.

In the first embodiment, assuming that the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 always hits the person 50, the amount of heat radiated from the human body of the person 50 in consideration of the influence of the wind is estimated, and the warmth and cold feeling of the person 50 is estimated. However, it is not limited to this.

For example, the direction of the louver is detected, the wind direction emitted from the air conditioner 10 is estimated, and whether or not the wind emitted from the air conditioner 10 is hitting the person is determined from the position of the person obtained from the thermal image, and the determination is made. The convection heat transfer coefficient may be selected based on the result, and the warm / cold feeling may be estimated.

For example, when there is a time when the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 hits the person 50 and a time when the wind does not hit the person 50, the direction of the louver is detected, the wind direction emitted from the air conditioner 10 is estimated, and the wind is emitted. At a time (timing) that does not hit the person 50, the amount of heat radiated from the human body of the person 50 may be estimated using the convection heat transfer coefficient in a windless state, and the warmth and cold feeling of the person 50 may be estimated.

Further, for example, the time during which the wind hits the person 50 may be calculated based on the wind direction of the wind by the air conditioner 10 and the scanning time of the louver by the air conditioner 10. Then, the convection heat transfer coefficient during the time when the wind hits the person 50 and the convection heat transfer coefficient when the wind does not hit the person 50 are weighted to estimate the amount of heat radiated from the human body of the person 50, and the warmth and cold feeling of the person 50 is estimated. May be good. The amount of heat radiated from the human body may be estimated by separately obtaining the amount of heat radiated when the wind hits and the amount of heat radiated when the wind does not hit, and weighting and averaging each time.

The time during which the wind hits the person 50 is not limited to the scanning time of the louver, and may be estimated from the amount of temperature fluctuation in the region of the person 50 in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11. Further, even if the air conditioner 10 uses the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and estimates the amount of clothing of the person 50 from the fluctuation time constant of the surface temperature after the wind hits the person 50. Good. For example, if the temperature rises faster after the wind hits in the summer, the amount of clothes is estimated to be small, and if the temperature drops faster after the wind hits the winter, the amount of clothes is estimated to be large. The warmth and coldness of a person may be estimated based on the amount of clothing obtained from this, and the warmth and coldness of a person may be estimated from PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) or the like based on the amount of clothing obtained in this way. It doesn't matter.

(Modification example 1)
In the first embodiment, an example in which the wind speed of the target space 60 is estimated from the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In this modification, a case where the position of the person 50 estimated from the thermal image and the wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 are estimated from the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10 will be described.

[Configuration unit configuration]
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit in the first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the person position estimation unit estimates the position of a person in the first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the wind speed in the first modification of the first embodiment. The same elements as those in FIGS. 3 and 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Compared with the calculation unit 13 shown in FIG. 5, the calculation unit 13A shown in FIG. 10 has an additional configuration of the person position estimation unit 133, and the configuration of the wind speed estimation unit 135A and the storage unit 134A is different.

The human position estimation unit 133 estimates the position of the person 50 with respect to the air conditioner 10 based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and the position of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 in the target space 60. To do.

For example, the person position estimation unit 133 includes the position of a person's foot in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11, the height of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 from the floor 61 in the target space 60, and the thermal image acquisition unit 11. The position of the person 50 can be estimated by using the effective viewing angle (angle of view) of.

Here, the air conditioner 10 of the present modification is installed on the wall 62 at a predetermined height from the floor 61, for example, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the height (h1) of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 attached to the front surface of the air conditioner 10 from the floor 61 can be calculated from the height at which the air conditioner 10 is installed. When the air conditioner 10 is installed, the height (h1) of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 may be input in advance to a memory such as the person position estimation unit 133. Further, the effective viewing angle (angle of view), that is, the FOV (Field of View) in the vertical direction of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 is a design value and is known. Therefore, the FOV may be input in advance to a memory such as the person position estimation unit 133. Therefore, the human position estimation unit 133 specifies the position of the person's foot and the position of the head in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11, so that the height (h1) of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 from the floor 61. And the FOV of the thermal image acquisition unit 11, the position (distance L1) of the person 50 with respect to the air conditioner 10 can be estimated.

The storage unit 134A stores, for example, information indicating the relationship between the distance and the wind speed as shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the information indicating the relationship between the wind speed and the convection heat transfer coefficient described above. As shown in FIG. 12, the wind speed of the wind sent out at a constant wind speed (initial speed 1 in the figure) at a certain point tends to decrease as the distance increases.

The wind speed estimation unit 135A estimates the wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 based on the position of the person 50 estimated by the person position estimation unit 133 and the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10. In the present embodiment, the wind speed estimation unit 135A refers to the information indicating the relationship between the wind speed and the distance stored in the storage unit 134A, and refers to the air conditioner 10 indicated by the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10. The wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 (wind speed V1 in the figure) is estimated from the position (distance L1) of the person 50 estimated by the person position estimation unit 133, using the wind speed of the air outlet as the initial speed. be able to.

The convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit 136 calculates the convection heat transfer coefficient of the person 50 based on the wind speed around the person 50 estimated by the wind speed estimation unit 135A. Since the method of calculating the convection heat transfer coefficient of the convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit 136 is as described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

[Effects of Modification 1]
As described above, the air conditioner 10 of this modified example is set to the position of the person 50 estimated from the thermal image and the air conditioner by using the information on the relationship between the wind speed and the distance calculated in advance. The wind speed around a person in the target space can be estimated from the ventilation parameters. As a result, the air conditioner of this modified example can estimate the amount of heat released from the human body with higher accuracy in consideration of the influence of the wind around the person, and can estimate the feeling of heat and cold of the person with higher accuracy. it can.

As a result, the air conditioner of the present modification can control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the person based on the feeling of warmth and coldness of the person estimated with high accuracy.

In this modification, the person position estimation unit 133 estimates the position of the person 50 based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioner 10 of the present modification may further have a visible camera, and the position of the person 50 may be obtained from the visible camera. Further, the air conditioner 10 of the present modification may further include a stereo camera, a millimeter wave radar, or the like, and the position of the person 50 may be directly measured by the stereo camera.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment, the air conditioner 10 estimates the amount of heat released to the human body in consideration of the influence of the wind, assuming that the temperature of the wind around the person 50 (air temperature) is the same as the temperature of the target space 60 (room temperature). explained. In this modification, a method of estimating the amount of heat radiated from the human body in consideration of the influence of the wind when the air temperature blown from the air conditioner and the room temperature are different will be described.

[Configuration unit configuration]
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit in the second modification of the first embodiment. 14 and 15 are diagrams showing an example of information showing the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the air temperature in the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of information indicating the relationship between the distance stored in the storage unit and the air temperature in the second modification of the first embodiment. The same elements as those in FIGS. 5 and 10 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Compared with the calculation unit 13 shown in FIG. 5, the calculation unit 13B shown in FIG. 13 has an additional configuration of a person position estimation unit 133 and an air temperature estimation unit 139, and has a temperature calculation unit 130B, a storage unit 134A, and a heat dissipation amount estimation. The configuration of part 137B is different. Here, the temperature calculation unit 130B does not have the configuration of the human ambient temperature calculation unit 132 as compared with the temperature calculation unit 130 shown in FIG. Others are as described above, and thus the description thereof will be omitted here.

As described in the first modification, the human position estimation unit 133 refers to the air conditioner 10 based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 and the position of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 in the target space 60. The position of the person 50 is estimated. For example, the human position estimation unit 133 includes the position of the human foot in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11, the height of the thermal image acquisition unit 11 from the floor 61 in the target space 60, and the thermal image acquisition unit 11. The position of the person 50 is estimated using the effective viewing angle (angle of view). Since the method of estimating the position of the person 50 of the person position estimation unit 133 is as described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

In addition to the above-mentioned information indicating the relationship between the wind speed and the convection heat transfer coefficient, the storage unit 134B stores information indicating the relationship between the distance and the air temperature as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, for example. Here, FIG. 14 shows an example in summer, for example, and shows the relationship when the air temperature (20 ° C.) of the sent wind is lower than the room temperature (25 ° C.). Further, FIG. 15 shows an example in winter, for example, and shows the relationship when the air temperature (23 ° C.) of the sent wind is higher than the room temperature (18 ° C.). As shown in FIG. 14, in summer or the like, the wind temperature of the wind sent out at a constant wind temperature (25 ° C.) tends to increase as the distance increases. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, in winter or the like, the wind temperature of the wind sent out at a constant wind temperature (25 ° C.) tends to decrease as the distance increases.

The air temperature estimation unit 139 estimates the air temperature around the person 50 in the target space 60 based on the position of the person 50 estimated by the person position estimation unit 133 and the air temperature of the air conditioner 10 outlet. .. More specifically, the air temperature estimation unit 139 uses the position of the person 50 estimated by the person position estimation unit 133 and the air conditioning temperature parameter set in the air conditioner 10 to control the air conditioning in the target space. The air temperature around the person 50 is estimated based on the air temperature parameter that defines the air temperature of the air conditioner 10 that blows air to the air conditioner 10.

In the present embodiment, the air temperature estimation unit 139 is set in the air conditioner 10 with reference to the information indicating the relationship between the air temperature and the distance stored in the storage unit 134B (for example, FIG. 14 or FIG. 15). Using the blown air temperature parameter as the blown air temperature of the air outlet, the air temperature around the person 50 in the target space 60 can be estimated from the position (distance L1) of the person 50 estimated by the person position estimation unit 133.

The air temperature estimation unit 139 uses information indicating the relationship between the air temperature and the distance stored in the storage unit 134B as shown in FIG. 14 or 15, but is not limited thereto. For example, the wind temperature estimation unit 139 uses information indicating the relationship between the wind speed and the distance depending on the wind speed as shown in FIG. 16 instead of FIG. 14, and the wind around the person 50 in the target space 60 is used. The temperature may be estimated. This is because the slower the wind speed (initial speed) of the air outlet, the more easily it is affected by the room temperature. Further, the air temperature estimation unit 139 is not limited to the case where the air temperature of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 is obtained from the air temperature parameter. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 12 arranged at the air suction port or the like may be used as the air blowing temperature of the air outlet. This is because in the air conditioner 10, the air sucked from the air suction port is blown from the air outlet, so that the temperature of the air sucked from the air suction port corresponds to the air temperature blown from the air outlet.

The heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137B estimates the heat dissipation amount of the human body of the person 50 by using the air temperature around the person 50 estimated by the air temperature estimation unit 139 as the ambient temperature. In the present embodiment, the temperature of the wind reaching the person 50 (air temperature) is different from the ambient temperature (room temperature) of the target space 60. Therefore, the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137B uses the temperature of the wind reaching the person 50 (wind temperature) as the ambient temperature Ta in the above equation 3, that is, the wind temperature estimated by the wind temperature estimation unit 139. Further, the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137B uses the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 12 as the wall surface temperature Tr, assuming that the wall surface temperature Tr is the same as the ambient temperature (room temperature) of the target space 60 in the above equation 2.

Since the other configurations are as described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

In this way, in the air conditioner of this modified example, the position of the person 50 estimated from the thermal image and the air temperature (target space) which is the temperature of the wind hitting the person 50 from the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10. The air temperature around 60 people and 50) is estimated, and the amount of heat released from the human body is estimated.

[Effects of Modification 2]
As described above, the air conditioner 10 of this modified example is a person estimated from a thermal image by using the information on the relationship between the wind speed and the distance calculated in advance and the information on the relationship between the wind temperature and the distance calculated in advance. The wind speed and temperature around a person in the target space can be estimated from the positions of 50 and the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner. As a result, the air conditioner 10 of this modified example can estimate the amount of heat radiated from the human body with higher accuracy in consideration of the influence of the wind around the person, and can estimate the feeling of warmth and coldness of the person with higher accuracy. Can be done.

Therefore, the air conditioner 10 of the present modification can control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the person based on the feeling of warmth and coldness of the person estimated with high accuracy.

In this modification, assuming that the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 always hits the person 50, the amount of heat radiated from the human body of the person 50 in consideration of the influence of the wind is estimated, and the warmth and cold feeling of the person 50 is estimated. , Not limited to this. For example, when there are times when the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 hits the person 50 and times when it does not hit the person 50, the amount of heat radiated from the human body may be estimated in consideration of these times.

For example, when there is a time when the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 hits the person 50 and a time when the wind does not hit the person 50, the air temperature around the person 50 fluctuates as shown in FIG. 17, for example. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the air temperature around the person 50 and the time in the second modification of the first embodiment. Here, FIG. 17 shows the relationship between the air temperature and the time when the louver controlled by the air conditioner 10 changes the wind direction at regular intervals. In FIG. 17, the time T1 corresponds to the time when the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 does not hit the person 50, and the time T2 corresponds to the time when the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 hits the person 50.

In this case, the air temperature estimation unit 139 determines the time T1 in which the wind blown by the air conditioner 10 does not hit the person 50 and the time T2 in which the wind hits, based on the scanning time of the louver by the air conditioner 10. May be estimated. Then, the wind temperature estimation unit 139 weights the convection heat transfer coefficient and the air temperature of the time T2 when the wind hits, and the convection heat transfer coefficient and the wind temperature of the time T1 when the wind does not hit, and weights the person 50. The amount of heat released from the human body may be estimated to estimate the feeling of warmth and coldness.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment, an example in which the wind speed of the target space 60 is estimated from the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the third modification, a case where the wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 is estimated from the amount of fluctuation in the surface temperature of the person 50 at that time by changing the wind speed sent from the air conditioner 10 will be described. Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the temperature of the wind around the person 50 (air temperature) is the same as the temperature of the target space 60 (room temperature).

[Configuration unit configuration]
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit in the modification 3 of the first embodiment. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing an example of a thermal image of a person in the third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of information showing the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference of a person stored in the storage unit in the third modification of the first embodiment. The same elements as those in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The calculation unit 13C shown in FIG. 18 has a different configuration of the temperature calculation unit 130C, the storage unit 134C, and the wind speed estimation unit 135C as compared with the calculation unit 13 shown in FIG.

The temperature calculation unit 130C includes a human region temperature calculation unit 131C and a human ambient temperature calculation unit 132.

When the wind speed at the outlet of the air conditioner 10 fluctuates, the human region temperature calculation unit 131C uses the thermal image before the fluctuation of the wind speed at the outlet and the thermal image after the fluctuation of the wind speed at the outlet to change. The surface temperature of the former person 50 and the surface temperature of the person 50 after the fluctuation are calculated. The wind speed at the outlet of the air conditioner 10 can be changed by setting the ventilation parameter of the air conditioner 10.

Specifically, the human region temperature calculation unit 131C uses a thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 when the wind speed of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 is 1 m / s, for example, as shown in FIG. 19A. The surface temperature of the person 50 (before fluctuation) when the wind speed is 1 m / s is calculated. Then, as shown in FIG. 19B, the human region temperature calculation unit 131C uses the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 when the wind speed of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 is 2 m / s, and the wind speed is 2 m / s. The surface temperature of the person 50 (after the fluctuation) at s is calculated. In this way, the human region temperature calculation unit 131C can calculate the surface temperature of the human 50 before and after the fluctuation of the wind speed at the air outlet of the air conditioner 10.

The examples of fluctuations in the wind speed at the outlet are not limited to these cases. For example, the wind speed of the air outlet may be changed by setting the predetermined wind speed of the air outlet to zero and then setting the ventilation parameter of the air conditioner 10 so as to specify the predetermined wind speed. The wind speed of the air outlet before and after the fluctuation may be any value as long as the information indicating the relationship between the surface temperature difference of the person and the wind speed difference stored in the storage unit described later can be used.

In addition to the above-mentioned information indicating the relationship between the wind speed and the convection heat transfer coefficient, the storage unit 134C stores information indicating the relationship between the surface temperature difference of a person and the wind speed difference as shown in FIG. 20, for example. The relationship shown in FIG. 20 is calculated in advance. FIG. 20 shows that the larger the difference in surface temperature of a person, the closer to the difference in wind speed due to the ventilation parameter of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10.

The wind speed estimation unit 135C is based on the surface temperature of the person 50 before the fluctuation of the wind speed of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 and the surface temperature of the person 50 after the fluctuation of the wind speed of the air conditioner 10 of the air conditioner 10. The wind speed around the person 50 in 60 is estimated.

In the present embodiment, the wind speed estimation unit 135C is calculated by the human region temperature calculation unit 131C with reference to the information indicating the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference stored in the storage unit 134C (for example, FIG. 20). The wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 is estimated from the surface temperature of the person 50 before and after the fluctuation of the wind speed at the air outlet of the air conditioner 10.

The storage unit 134C may store information other than that shown in FIG. 20 indicating the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference. In this case, the wind speed estimation unit 135C is a ventilation parameter set in the air conditioner 10 and defines the wind speed of the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 that blows air into the target space 60 to control air conditioning. Based on the above, among the information indicating the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference stored in the storage unit 134C, the information corresponding to the difference before and after the fluctuation of the wind speed of the air outlet specified by the ventilation parameter is selected and referred to. May be good.

Since the other configurations are as described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

As described above, in the air conditioner of the present modification, by changing the wind speed sent from the air conditioner 10, the wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 is calculated from the fluctuation amount of the surface temperature of the person 50 at that time. Is estimated, and the amount of heat released from the human body is estimated.

[Effects of Modification 3]
As described above, the air conditioner of the present modification uses the information on the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference of the person calculated in advance, and the person 50 when the wind speed sent from the air conditioner 10 is changed. The wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 can be estimated from the amount of fluctuation in the surface temperature of the air conditioner. As a result, the air conditioner of this modified example can estimate the amount of heat released from the human body with higher accuracy in consideration of the influence of the wind around the person, and can estimate the feeling of heat and cold of the person with higher accuracy. it can.

Therefore, the air conditioner of the present modification can control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the person based on the feeling of temperature of the person estimated with high accuracy.

The storage unit 134C may store information indicating the relationship between the temperature difference and the wind speed difference in the amount of clothing worn by a person as shown in FIG. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing another example of information showing the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference of a person stored in the storage unit in the third modification of the first embodiment.

In this case, the human region temperature calculation unit 131C may further calculate whether the amount of clothing of the person 50 is larger or less than the standard by using the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11. Further, the wind speed estimation unit 135C may refer to information (for example, FIG. 21) indicating the relationship between the surface temperature difference and the wind speed difference in the amount of clothing of a person stored in the storage unit 134C.

As a result, the wind speed estimation unit 135C refers to the information shown in FIG. 21, and the surface temperature of the person 50 before and after the fluctuation of the wind speed at the air outlet of the air conditioner 10 calculated by the human region temperature calculation unit 131C. The wind speed around the person 50 can be estimated based on the amount of clothes worn by the person 50.

(Modification example 4)
In the first embodiment and the first to third embodiments, the wind speed estimation unit 135 and the like estimate the wind speed based on the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner 10 and the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11. Was explained, but it is not limited to that. The wind speed may be estimated based on the information acquired from the device outside the air conditioner 10.

FIG. 22A is a diagram showing an example of a communication device connected to the air conditioner in the fourth modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 22B is a diagram showing an example of the electric fan in the modified example 4 of the first embodiment.

The air conditioner 10D shown in FIG. 22A is connected to the communication device 15 as compared with the air conditioner 10 shown in FIG. 5, and the function of the wind speed estimation unit (not shown) is different.

The communication device 15 wirelessly connects to the electric fan 20 as shown in FIG. 22B to exchange information. More specifically, the communication device 15 acquires, for example, the wind force and the wind direction of the fan 20 as information of the fan 20 and transmits the information to the air conditioner 10D.

The electric fan 20 includes a communication unit (not shown) and an LED unit 201. The communication unit of the electric fan 20 can be wirelessly connected to the communication device 15, and transmits information on the electric fan 20 such as wind power and wind direction to the communication device 15. The LED unit 201 may be turned on, for example, when the communication unit of the electric fan 20 transmits information to the communication device 15.

The wind speed estimation unit of the air conditioner 10D estimates the wind speed in the target space 60 based on the wind speed of the fan 20 transmitted by the communication device 15.

The air conditioner 10D may further include the person position estimation unit 133 described in the first modification. In this case, the calculation unit can estimate the position of the fan 20 by acquiring the thermal image when the LED unit 201 of the fan 20 is lit by the thermal image acquisition unit 11 of the air conditioner 10D. As a result, the wind speed estimation unit of the air conditioner 10D estimates the position of the fan 20 estimated by the human position estimation unit 133, the wind force and wind direction of the fan 20 transmitted by the communication device 15, and the human position estimation unit 133. The wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60 can be estimated based on the position of the person 50.

Further, the example of estimating the wind speed based on the information acquired from the device outside the air conditioner 10D is not limited to the above example.

For example, the communication device 15 may be wirelessly connected to a laser speckle flow meter installed outside the air conditioner 10D. In this case, the wind speed estimation unit of the air conditioner 10D may estimate the wind speed measured by the laser speckle flow meter as the wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60.

Further, for example, the communication device 15 may be a remote controller or a smartphone capable of operating the air conditioner 10D and may be wirelessly connected to the remote controller or the smartphone provided with an anemometer. In this case, the wind speed estimation unit of the air conditioner 10D may estimate the measured value of the remote controller or the anemometer of the smartphone transmitted by the communication device 15 as the wind speed around the person 50 in the target space 60. This is because it is considered that the remote controller or the smartphone is operated by the person 50 in his / her hand, and it can be said that the anemometer of the remote controller or the smartphone measures the wind speed around the person 50.

Further, in the present embodiment, the description has been made using an indoor air conditioner as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the place where the air conditioner is used is not limited to the place where the air conditioner is used. It may be used for air conditioning or spot air conditioning in a factory. In in-vehicle air conditioning and spot air conditioning in factories, it is premised that the wind is directly applied to a person, and conventionally, the feeling of warmth and cold cannot be estimated and the wind direction is manually controlled by the person. On the other hand, according to the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the feeling of warmth and coldness can be accurately estimated even when the wind hits, so that the wind direction can be controlled automatically. This eliminates the need for the user to manually control the wind direction, allowing the user to concentrate on driving a car or working in a factory.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, a case where the heat radiation amount of the human body is estimated assuming that the human body does not receive heat and only dissipates heat has been described. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the amount of heat released from the human body is estimated in consideration of the fact that the human body receives heat due to sunlight or the like. Since the air conditioner 10E (not shown) according to the second embodiment has a different configuration of the calculation unit from the air conditioner 10 of the first embodiment, the configuration of the calculation unit will be described below.

[Configuration unit configuration]
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the calculation unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the heat receiving amount calculation unit according to the second embodiment. The same elements as those in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The calculation unit 13E shown in FIG. 23 has an additional configuration of the heat receiving amount calculation unit 233 and a different configuration of the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137E as compared with the calculation unit 13 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 24, for example, the heat receiving amount calculation unit 233 includes a solar radiation area calculation unit 2331, a solar radiation amount estimation unit 2332, and a heat reception amount calculation unit 2333, and calculates the heat reception amount which is the heat amount received by a person. .. In the present embodiment, the amount of heat received by a person is assumed to be the amount of heat received by a person due to solar radiation. The amount of heat received by a person due to solar radiation can be expressed by the following equation 5.

(Amount of heat received by solar radiation) ∝ (Amount of solar radiation) x (Clothing absorption rate) x (Area of solar radiation) (Equation 5)

The solar radiation area calculation unit 2331 calculates the area (solar radiation area) of the portion that is exposed to sunlight by a person. The solar radiation amount estimation unit 2332 estimates the amount of solar radiation for a person. The heat receiving amount calculation unit 2333 calculates the heat receiving amount using the amount of solar radiation estimated by the solar radiation amount estimation unit 2332, the area calculated by the solar radiation area calculation unit 2331, and the clothing absorption rate of a person.

Here, an example of a method of calculating the amount of heat received, which is the amount of heat received by the person 50A, will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of how a person receives heat in the second embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the solar radiation sensor is attached according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 25, a person 50A is sitting in a seat 40 of a vehicle such as a car, and the area 30 is exposed to sunlight through a window such as a windshield. Further, in the scene shown in FIG. 25, the air conditioner 10E according to the second embodiment is mounted on the air conditioner of the vehicle and is connected to the solar radiation sensor 31 shown in FIG. 26 by wire or wirelessly.

As shown in FIG. 26, for example, the solar radiation sensor 31 is arranged under the window glass of the vehicle door, that is, on the upper side portion (upper edge portion) of the door trim, and detects the amount of solar radiation. As a result, the air conditioner 10E can acquire the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 31.

The solar radiation amount estimation unit 2332 estimates the amount of solar radiation to a person based on the amount of solar radiation acquired by the solar radiation sensor 31. In the case shown in FIG. 25, the solar radiation amount estimation unit 2332 estimates the solar radiation amount acquired by the solar radiation sensor 31 as the solar radiation amount for the person 50A. The solar radiation area calculation unit 2331 calculates the area of the area 30 as the area (solar radiation area) of the portion that is exposed to sunlight by a person. Here, the solar radiation area calculation unit 2331 may calculate the area of the region 30 based on the thermal image including the person 50A acquired from the thermal image acquisition unit 11. In this case, the solar radiation area calculation unit 2331 calculates the area of the region 30 by setting the portion of the region recognized as the human 50A that is higher than the surface temperature of the human 50A in the thermal image including the human 50A as the region 30. be able to. The solar radiation area calculation unit 2331 may calculate the area of the region 30 from the brightness or the like based on the image acquired by the visible camera mounted on the rearview mirror or the like of the vehicle.

Further, the heat receiving amount calculation unit 2333 can estimate the clothing reflectance of the person 50A based on the RGB value of the image acquired by the visible camera mounted on the rearview mirror or the like of the vehicle. Here, since there is a relationship of the clothing absorption rate of the person 50A = (1-clothing reflectance of the person 50A), the heat receiving amount calculation unit 2333 can calculate the clothing absorption rate of the person 50A. The heat receiving amount calculation unit 2333 may estimate the clothing reflectance of the person 50A based on the RGB value of the image acquired by the visible camera when the vehicle interior light of the vehicle is lit. This is because the emission spectrum of the lighting of the interior light of the vehicle is known in advance, which has the effect of more accurately knowing the clothing reflectance.

Further, the heat receiving amount calculation unit 2333 may calculate the clothes reflectance as, for example, 50%. This is because the clothing reflectance is usually calculated to be in the range of 40% to 60%, although it depends on the color of the clothing, and therefore, even if it is calculated as 50%, a large error does not occur. Of course, if it is around 50%, it does not matter where it is set.

In this way, the heat receiving amount calculation unit 2333 determines the amount of solar radiation estimated by the solar radiation amount estimation unit 2332, the area of the region 30 calculated by the solar radiation area calculation unit 2331, and the estimated clothing absorption rate of the person 50A. Can be used to calculate the amount of heat received by a person 50A.

The heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137E was calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculation unit 136, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of the region other than the person 50A in the target space 60, and the temperature calculation unit 130. The amount of heat released from the human body of the person 50A is estimated using the surface temperature of the person 50A and the amount of heat received estimated by the heat receiving amount calculation unit 233.

Here, a method for estimating the amount of heat released from the human body in consideration of receiving heat from the human body will be described.

The amount of heat radiated from the human body can be expressed by the following equation 6 using the amount of heat received by a person α.

H'[W / m ² ] = R + C + K + Esk + Eres + Cres-α (Equation 6)

In addition, H indicates the amount of heat radiated from the human body. R is radiation from the human body, C is convection (heat transfer from the human body to the air), K is conduction, Esk is water evaporation from the human skin, Eres is water evaporation of human exhaled breath, Cres is exhaled air convection. .. Further, hr is the radiant heat transfer coefficient, hc is the convection heat transfer coefficient, Tcl is the surface temperature of the human body, Tr is the wall surface temperature, and Ta is the ambient temperature.

That is, the human body heat radiation amount H'considering that the human body receives heat can be calculated by subtracting the human heat reception amount α from the human body heat radiation amount H of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the heat radiation amount estimation unit 137E can estimate the heat radiation amount of the human body 50A by the same method as in the first embodiment by using the heat reception amount estimated by the heat reception amount calculation unit 233.

[Effects of Embodiment 2 and the like]
As described above, in the air conditioner 10E of the second embodiment, by further estimating the amount of heat received by solar radiation or the like, the amount of heat radiated from the human body can be estimated in consideration of the influence of the heat received by solar radiation. As a result, the air conditioner 10E can estimate the warm / cold feeling of a person with higher accuracy even when the person is in the sunlight. Therefore, the person concerned is based on the hot / cold feeling of the person estimated with high accuracy. It is possible to control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the user.

In the second embodiment, an example in which the air conditioner 10E is mounted on a vehicle has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be installed in an air conditioner in a room where the human body may receive heat due to sunlight or the like, or it may be installed in an air conditioner such as a train.

Further, the solar radiation sensor is not limited to the case where it is arranged on the upper side portion (upper edge portion) of the door trim shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 27, the solar radiation sensor may be arranged as long as the person 50A in the seat 40 does not hide it. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing another example of the position where the solar radiation sensor is attached according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 27, the solar radiation sensor 32 is arranged at the upper end of the seat 40, that is, at a position higher than the shoulder of the person 50A when the person 50A sits, so that the person 50A in the seat 40 hides the solar radiation sensor 32. Can be placed in no position. As a result, the solar radiation sensor 32 is arranged at a position closer to the person 50A, so that it is possible to detect the amount of solar radiation closer to the amount of solar radiation received by the person 50A.

The position where the solar radiation sensor is arranged is not limited to the above example. The solar radiation sensor may be arranged on the windshield side surface of the seat belt (not shown) of the seat 40 so that the person 50A of the seat 40 does not hide it. As a result, the solar radiation sensor 32 is arranged at a position closer to the person 50A, so that it is possible to detect the amount of solar radiation closer to the amount of solar radiation received by the person 50A.

Further, one or a plurality of temperature sensors may be provided in the area where the person 50A of the seat 40 contacts, and the temperature detected by each may be transmitted to the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137E. This is because when the person 50A is seated in the seat 40, the area in contact with the person 50A becomes larger than the part of the sole of the foot of the first embodiment, and the influence of the amount of heat radiation due to the conduction K of (Equation 6) becomes larger. is there. As a result, the heat dissipation amount estimation unit 137E person 50A can estimate the heat radiation amount due to conduction to the contact area from the temperature fluctuation in the area where the seated person 50A contacts and the time after sitting. That is, even in addition to the influence of heat reception by solar radiation, it is possible to more accurately estimate from the region where the person 50A comes into contact with the amount of heat radiated by the conduction K.

(Modification example 1)
FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of the opening degree of the window of the vehicle estimated by the air conditioner 10E in the first modification of the second embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 28, when the vehicle is traveling with the window 33 of the vehicle open, the amount of heat radiated from the human body of the person 50A is the wind from the open window 33 in addition to the air blown from the air conditioner 10E. It is also affected by 34. In this case, the calculation unit 13E may further estimate the opening degree of the window 33 of the vehicle from the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 11. Then, the calculation unit 13E may estimate, for example, the wind speed around the person 50A from the driving speed of the vehicle, and estimate the area of the wind hitting the person 50A from the estimated opening degree of the window 33.

As described above, according to the present modification, the air conditioner 10E can estimate the amount of heat radiated from the human body based on the opening degree of the window 33 of the vehicle and the wind speed and the area of the person 50A. As a result, the air conditioner 10E can estimate the temperature and cold sensation of a person with higher accuracy even when the vehicle is running with the window 33 of the vehicle open. Based on the feeling of warmth and coldness, it is possible to control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the person 50A.

The air conditioner 10E may control the air conditioning of the target space by automatically opening and closing the window 33 instead of controlling the louver or the like based on the estimated warm / cold feeling of the person 50A.

As a result, not only the air conditioning control of the target space is performed based on the opening degree of the window 33, but also the natural wind is taken in, which saves energy for the air conditioner 10E and the like, and further reduces the oxygen concentration in the vehicle. It also suppresses drowsiness and has the effect of preventing drowsiness.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the thermo camera 35 is installed in the second modification of the second embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 29, the thermo camera 35 is installed on the passenger seat side of the vehicle (the seat 41 side opposite to the seat 40 of the person 50A), and the side surface of the person 50A is photographed to obtain a thermal image of the side surface of the person 50A. May be obtained. Here, the thermo camera 35 may be the thermal image acquisition unit 11 or may be installed separately from the thermal image acquisition unit 11. As a result, the angle of view can be obtained even in a narrow vehicle, so that the human region temperature calculation unit 131 can obtain the average temperature (average skin temperature) of the region (human region) recognized as the human 50A in the thermal image. Can be calculated more accurately.

As described above, according to this modification, even in the air conditioner 10E installed in the vehicle, the ambient temperature and the average temperature can be calculated more accurately, so that the amount of heat dissipated from the human body can be calculated more accurately. Can be estimated. As a result, the air conditioner 10E of the present modification can estimate the warm / cold feeling of a person with high accuracy, and therefore, based on the estimated high-precision warm / cold feeling of the person, a more comfortable environment for the person. It is possible to control the air conditioning of the target space so that the temperature becomes high.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the non-contact temperature sensor is installed in the third modification of the second embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 30, a non-contact temperature sensor is placed near the dashboard of the vehicle (for example, position 36) or near the center of the steering wheel (for example, position 37) to measure the skin temperature of the lower limbs of the person 50A. You may. Then, the human region temperature calculation unit 131 may use the temperature of the lower limbs measured by the non-contact temperature sensor as the surface temperature (average skin temperature: Tcl) of the human 50A. This is because the temperature of a person's thigh is considered to be close to the average skin temperature of a person.

As described above, according to this modification, the air conditioner 10E does not calculate the surface temperature (average skin temperature) of the human 50A from the thermal image of the whole body, but substitutes the lower limb temperature for the human 50A. It is possible to estimate the amount of heat released from the human body. As a result, even if the air conditioner 10E of the present modification is installed in the vehicle, it is possible to easily estimate the warm / cold feeling of the person 50A with high accuracy. The air conditioner 10E of the present modification can control the air conditioning of the target space so that the environmental temperature is more comfortable for the person 50A based on the estimated high-precision feeling of warming and cooling of the person.

The method for measuring the temperature of the lower limbs of the person 50A is not limited to the above case. For example, a thermometer may be placed on the seat surface of the seat 40 to measure the temperature of the back surface of the thigh of the person 50A. In this case, since the back surface of the thigh of the person 50A is in contact with the seating surface of the seat 40, it may be measured at a temperature higher than the surface temperature (average skin temperature) of the person 50A. In this case, the temperature measured by the thermometer may be corrected by reducing the amount of temperature rise due to contact between the back surface of the thigh of the person 50A and the seat surface of the seat 40.

(Modification example 4)
FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a position where the hygrometer is installed in the modified example 4 of the second embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 31, a hygrometer may be installed on the seat surface (for example, position 38) of the seat 40 to detect the degree of sweating of the person 50A.

As a result, the air conditioner 10E of the present modification can detect sweating due to a sudden rise in the humidity of the person 50A based on the detection result of the hygrometer.

Therefore, the air conditioner 10E of the present modification can estimate the sitting comfort of the seat 40 of the person 50A based on the detection result of the hygrometer in addition to estimating the hot and cold feeling of the person 50A.

In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle use has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it can be applied to spot air-conditioning in trains, airplanes, and outdoor solar radiation environments, and to rooms that take in a lot of solar radiation even indoors.

The air conditioner and the method for estimating the temperature and cold sensation thereof according to one or more aspects of the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. .. As long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention, one or more of the present embodiments may be modified by those skilled in the art, or may be constructed by combining components in different embodiments. It may be included within the scope of the embodiment. For example, the following cases are also included in the present invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, an air conditioner including at least a temperature sensor, a thermal image acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a control unit has been described. However, it is also possible to make some of the components of the air conditioner, such as the thermal image acquisition unit and the calculation unit, separate as software. In this case, the main body that processes the software may be an arithmetic unit of an air conditioner, an arithmetic unit included in a PC (personal computer), a smart phone, or the like, or the air conditioner. It may be a cloud server or the like connected via a network. In addition, some configurations such as a thermal image acquisition unit and a calculation unit may be configured separately from the air conditioner. That is, it may be a sensor system including at least the thermal image acquisition unit and the calculation unit described in the above embodiment.

(2) Each of the above devices is specifically a computer system including a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk unit, a display unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. A computer program is stored in the RAM or the hard disk unit. When the microprocessor operates according to the computer program, each device achieves its function. Here, a computer program is configured by combining a plurality of instruction codes indicating commands to a computer in order to achieve a predetermined function.

(3) A part or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). A system LSI is an ultra-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating a plurality of components on a single chip, and specifically, is a computer system including a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, and the like. .. A computer program is stored in the RAM. When the microprocessor operates according to the computer program, the system LSI achieves its function.

(4) A part or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of an IC card or a single module that can be attached to and detached from each device. The IC card or the module is a computer system composed of a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The IC card or the module may include the above-mentioned super multifunctional LSI. When the microprocessor operates according to a computer program, the IC card or the module achieves its function. This IC card or this module may have tamper resistance.

(5) The present disclosure may be the method shown above. Further, it may be a computer program that realizes these methods by a computer, or it may be a digital signal composed of the computer program.

Further, the present disclosure discloses a recording medium in which the computer program or the digital signal can be read by a computer, such as a flexible disc, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, and a BD (Blu-ray). (Registered trademark) Disc), may be recorded in a semiconductor memory or the like. Further, it may be the digital signal recorded on these recording media.

Further, in the present disclosure, the computer program or the digital signal may be transmitted via a telecommunication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network typified by the Internet, data broadcasting, or the like.

Further, the present disclosure is a computer system including a microprocessor and a memory, in which the memory stores the computer program, and the microprocessor may operate according to the computer program.

Also, by recording and transferring the program or the digital signal to the recording medium, or by transferring the program or the digital signal via the network or the like, it is carried out by another independent computer system. You may do so.

(6) The above-described embodiment and the above-described modification may be combined.

The present disclosure can be used for sensing methods, sensing systems and air conditioners equipped with them, and in particular, for sensing methods mounted on air conditioners such as pet air conditioners, watching air conditioners and health air conditioners, sensing systems and air conditioners equipped with them. It is possible.

The present invention can be used for an air conditioner that controls air conditioning in a target space and a method for estimating the temperature and cold feeling of the air conditioner. It can be used for an air conditioner that controls the air conditioning of the target space based on the feeling and a method for estimating the temperature feeling.

10, 10D, 10E Air conditioner 11 Thermal image acquisition unit 12 Temperature sensor 13, 13A, 13B, 13C, 13E Calculation unit 14 Control unit 15 Communication equipment 20 Fan 30 Area 31, 32 Solar radiation sensor 33 Window 34 Wind 35 Thermo camera 36 , 37, 38 Position 40, 41 Seat 50, 50A Person 50a Overcoat 50b Trousers 60 Target space 61, 61a Floor 62, 62a Wall 130, 130B, 130C Temperature calculation unit 131, 131C Person area temperature calculation unit 132 Person ambient temperature calculation Unit 133 Person position estimation unit 134, 134A, 134B, 134C Storage unit 135, 135A, 135C Wind speed estimation unit 136 Convection heat transfer rate calculation unit 137, 137B, 137E Heat dissipation estimation unit 138 Warm / cold feeling estimation unit 139 Wind temperature estimation unit 201 LED unit 233 Heat reception amount calculation unit 2331 Solar radiation area calculation unit 2332 Solar radiation amount estimation unit 2333 Heat reception amount calculation unit

Claims (12)

A sensor system mounted on an air conditioner that controls air conditioning in the target space based on the feeling of warmth and coldness of a person in the target space.
A thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image showing the temperature distribution in the target space,
A temperature calculation unit that calculates the surface temperature of the person using the thermal image,
A wind speed estimation unit that estimates the wind speed in the target space,
A heat dissipation amount estimation unit that estimates the heat radiation amount of the human body based on the thermal image and the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit, and
A hot / cold feeling estimation unit that estimates the hot / cold feeling of the person based on the heat radiation amount of the human body estimated by the heat radiation amount estimation unit is provided.
When the wind speed at the outlet of the air conditioner fluctuates, the temperature calculation unit uses the thermal image before the fluctuation of the wind speed at the outlet and the thermal image after the fluctuation of the wind speed at the outlet. The surface temperature of the person before the fluctuation and the surface temperature of the person after the fluctuation are calculated.
The wind speed estimation unit estimates the wind speed around the person in the target space based on the surface temperature of the person before the fluctuation and the surface temperature of the person after the fluctuation.
Sensor system. The air conditioner further
A person position estimation unit that estimates the position of the person with reference to the air conditioner based on the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit and the position of the thermal image acquisition unit in the target space. ,
A convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit for calculating the convection heat transfer coefficient of the person based on the wind speed estimated by the wind speed estimation unit is provided.
The wind speed estimation unit estimates the wind speed around the person in the target space based on the position of the person estimated by the person position estimation unit and the ventilation parameters set in the air conditioner.
The convection heat transfer coefficient calculation unit calculates the convection heat transfer coefficient of the person based on the wind speed around the person estimated by the wind speed estimation unit.
The heat dissipation amount estimation unit is based on the convection heat transfer rate of the person calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculation unit, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of a region other than the person in the target space, and the temperature calculation unit. The amount of heat dissipated from the human body is estimated using the calculated surface temperature of the person.
The sensor system according to claim 1. The air conditioner further
A person position estimation unit that estimates the position of the person based on the air conditioner based on the thermal image and the position of the thermal image acquisition unit in the target space.
An air temperature estimation unit that estimates the air temperature around the person in the target space based on the position of the person estimated by the person position estimation unit and the air temperature of the air outlet of the air conditioner. Equipped with
The heat dissipation amount estimation unit uses the air temperature around the person estimated by the air temperature estimation unit as the ambient temperature which is the temperature of a region other than the person in the target space, and releases the person to the human body. Estimate the amount of heat,
The sensor system according to claim 2. The air temperature estimation unit blows air into the target space in order to control the air conditioning with the position of the person estimated by the person position estimation unit and the air temperature parameter set in the air conditioner. The air temperature around the person is estimated based on the air temperature parameter that defines the air temperature at the air outlet of the air conditioner.
The sensor system according to claim 3. The person position estimation unit includes the position of the person's foot in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, the height of the thermal image acquisition unit from the floor in the target space, and the thermal image acquisition unit. The position of the person is estimated using the effective viewing angle.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 2 to 4. By defining the predetermined wind speed of the outlet to zero and then setting the ventilation parameter so as to specify the predetermined wind speed, the wind speed of the outlet is changed.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The temperature calculation unit calculates the surface temperature of the person and the ambient temperature by using the thermal image.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The air conditioner further includes a heat receiving amount calculation unit that calculates the heat receiving amount, which is the heat amount received by the person.
The heat dissipation amount estimation unit was calculated by the convection heat transfer rate calculation unit, the ambient temperature which is the temperature of the region other than the person in the target space, and the temperature calculation unit. The amount of heat dissipated from the human body is estimated using the surface temperature of the person and the amount of heat received calculated by the heat receiving amount calculation unit.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The heat receiving amount calculation unit
The solar radiation amount estimation unit that estimates the amount of solar radiation for the person, and
The solar radiation area calculation unit that calculates the area of the part that is exposed to the person
The amount of solar radiation estimated by the solar radiation amount estimation unit, the area calculated by the solar radiation area calculation unit, and
It is provided with a heat receiving amount calculation unit that calculates the heat receiving amount using the clothing absorption rate of the person.
The sensor system according to claim 8. The temperature calculation unit calculates the temperature of the person's face or the inside of the face as the surface temperature of the person.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The temperature calculation unit calculates the temperature of the thigh of the person as the surface temperature of the person.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The temperature calculation unit calculates the average temperature of the region recognized as the person in the thermal image as the surface temperature of the person.
The sensor system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.