JPWO2011067926A1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

When the wind direction setting angle of the wind direction change blade is changed, a part of the wind direction change blade moves within the detection visual field where the human body detection means receives infrared rays, causing a change in the amount of infrared rays, and the human body detection means detects falsely. Even when the wind direction change blade is changed, the detection information during the movement is not temporarily used for the determination of the human condition (presence / absence, human position, activity amount, etc.) The detection information other than the human body is prevented from being mistakenly identified as a person.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with human body detection means.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 11, the configuration of an air conditioner equipped with this type of human body detection means includes a blowout port 2 and a wind direction changing blade 3 below the indoor unit 1, and the blowout port 2 and the wind direction changing blade. The human body detection means 4 is arrange | positioned in the right end vicinity of 3, and there exists an air conditioner which controls the driving | running of an air conditioner based on the detection information of the human body detection means 4 (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP-A-5-187682

  However, in the air conditioner having the above-described conventional configuration, when the setting angle of the wind direction changing blade is changed, if the human body detecting means moves with a part of the wind direction changing blade within the detection field of receiving infrared rays, the amount of infrared rays As a result, the human body detection means has a problem of erroneous detection.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and it is possible to more accurately determine the state of the human body such as the presence / absence, position, activity amount, etc. of the person by preventing erroneous detection of the human body detection means when the wind direction is changed. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner equipped with a human body detection means.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a blow-out port that blows out an air flow that air-conditions a room, a wind direction changing blade that changes the blowing direction, and a wind direction changing blade control unit that changes the angle by driving the wind direction changing blade. , A human body detecting means provided in the vicinity of the outlet for detecting a human body by receiving infrared rays, and a human body situation including at least one of presence / absence, position, and amount of activity based on detection information of the human body detecting means In the air conditioner provided with the human body condition determining means for determining the operation and the operation setting changing means for changing the operation setting based on the result of the human body condition determination by the human body condition determining means, the wind direction change by the wind direction changing blade control means The detection information of the human body detection means that is output in a time zone that includes the period from the start to the end of the change of the setting angle of the blades until the end and the predetermined time after the end, Is characterized in that is not used to determine the body condition of status determining means.

  As a result, when the wind direction setting angle of the wind direction changing blade is changed, a part of the wind direction changing blade moves within the detection visual field in which the human body detecting unit receives infrared rays, thereby causing a change in the amount of infrared rays and the human body detecting unit. Even if a false detection is detected, the detection information during movement is temporarily not used for the determination of the human condition (presence / absence, human position, amount of activity, etc.) of the human body condition determining means, thereby Therefore, it is possible to prevent detection information other than the human body that is generated at the time of the change from being erroneously determined as a person.

  The air conditioner of the present invention can prevent erroneous detection of the human body detection means during operation of the air conditioner, and enable more accurate human situation determination.

The front view of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner in elapsed time (a), (b) is an air conditioner in elapsed time (b). , (C) is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner at the elapsed time (c) Control block diagram of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Timing chart of control operation of air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention The front view of the air conditioner in Embodiment 2 of this invention It is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner in Embodiment 2 of this invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner in elapsed time (a), (b) is an air conditioner in elapsed time (b). Cross section of Timing chart of control operation of air conditioner in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Front view of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The figure which shows the detection area of the human body detection means in Embodiment 3 of this invention. Timing chart of control operation of air conditioner in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Front view of a conventional air conditioner

An air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a blowout port that blows out an airflow that air-conditions a room, a wind direction changing blade that changes the blowing direction, a wind direction changing blade control unit that changes the angle by driving the wind direction changing blade, A human body detecting means provided in the vicinity of the outlet for detecting a human body by receiving infrared rays, and a human body situation including at least one of presence / absence, position, and activity amount of a person based on detection information of the human body detecting means In an air conditioner provided with a human body condition determining means for determining, and an operation setting changing means for changing an operation setting based on a human body condition determination result of the human body condition determining means,
Detection of the human body detection means output during a time period including a period from the start to the end of change of the setting angle of the wind direction change blade by the wind direction change blade control means and a predetermined time after the end. The information is not used for the determination of the human body state by the human body state determination means.

  With this configuration, when the wind direction setting angle of the wind direction changing blade is changed, a part of the wind direction changing blade moves within the detection visual field in which the human body detecting means receives infrared rays, thereby causing a change in the amount of infrared rays and detecting the human body. Even if the means is erroneously detected, the wind direction is changed by temporarily not using the detection information during movement to determine the human situation (presence / absence, position, activity amount, etc.) Detection information other than the human body generated when the blades are changed is prevented from being erroneously determined as a person, and more accurate human situation determination can be performed using only human body detection information.

  Further, even if the human body detection means is arranged in the vicinity of the outlet, erroneous detection is prevented, and the degree of freedom in arrangement and design when the human body detection means is configured in the indoor unit can be further improved. Furthermore, even if it is arranged at a wider angle without limiting the detection visual field of the human body detection means, erroneous detection is prevented, and the human body can be detected in a wider range in the room.

  The air conditioner of the second invention is characterized in that the wind direction changing vanes change the upper and lower blowing directions, so that the shape of the upper and lower wind direction changing vanes is made larger, and the air conditioner is arranged so as to protrude from the blowing port. However, erroneous detection is prevented, and the degree of freedom in design and arrangement of the wind direction changing blades can be further improved.

  In a third aspect of the invention, in particular, in the second aspect of the invention, a plurality of the human body detection means are provided, and left and right wind direction changing blades for changing left and right blowing directions of the airflow are provided, and detection information of the plurality of human body detection means is obtained. Based on the position of the person determined by the human body condition determination means, the left and right wind direction change blades are controlled, thereby making it possible to perform comfortable air conditioning based on the position of the person while preventing erroneous detection. Can be realized.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, only the detection information obtained from some of the human body detection means among the plurality of human body detection means is not used for the determination of the human body condition of the human body condition determination means. Comfortable air conditioning can be realized by making full use of the information detected by the means.

  5th invention has the operation mode which changes the setting angle of the said up-and-down wind direction change blade | wing continuously, and when operating in the said operation mode, the change of a setting angle is stopped every predetermined time, and the said setting The human body condition is determined based on the detection information from the human body detection means while the change of the angle is stopped, and erroneous detection is detected even in a swing operation in which the set angle of the up / down air direction changing blade is continuously changed. It is possible to prevent and determine the human body condition.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front view of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner at the elapsed time (a), FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner at the elapsed time (b), and FIG. The cross-sectional view of the air conditioner in c) is shown, and the cross-sectional view at the time of setting different wind directions in each elapsed time during operation of the air conditioner is shown.

  In each drawing of FIG. 2, the air conditioner 1 is installed in a heat exchanger 5, a blower 6 that circulates blown air into the room and a diffuser 7 up to the blowout port 2, a water receiving tray 8, and the blowout port 2. The upper and lower wind direction changing blades 3a for changing the upper and lower wind directions of the blowing air and the human body detecting means 4 provided in the vicinity of the blowing port 2 for detecting a human body by receiving infrared rays are configured. Moreover, the air conditioner 1 is comprised by the right-and-left wind direction change blade | wing which changes the right and left wind direction of a blowing wind, an indoor temperature detector, a heat exchange temperature detector, a microcomputer, etc.

  About the air conditioner comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the flow of a basic control operation for changing the operation setting of the air conditioner based on the human body detection information will be described. The human body state determination unit 9 determines the human body state (presence / absence, human position, amount of activity, etc.) based on the detection information of one or more human body detection units 4 provided. Based on the information on the determined human body condition, the operation setting changing unit 10 changes the angle setting of the up / down wind direction blade changing unit 3a and the left / right wind direction blade changing unit 3b using a rotation driving unit such as a stepping motor. Each of the blade control means 11, the set temperature control means 12 for changing the target set temperature of the room temperature, and the blower air volume control means 13 for changing the setting by controlling the rotational speed of the fan, which is the blower 7. Outputs a control signal for changing operation settings.

  For example, when the absence of a person is determined by the human body condition determination unit 9, the operation setting change unit 10 sets the target set temperature set by the remote controller or the like to the set temperature control unit 12 in the energy saving direction by a predetermined temperature range. A control signal to be shifted is output. Further, when the human body state determination means 9 determines that the amount of human activity is large, the operation setting change means 10 outputs a control signal for shifting the set temperature in the direction of lowering the predetermined temperature range to the set temperature control means 12. To do. In addition, when the human position is determined by the human body state determination unit 9, the operation setting change unit 10 causes the wind direction change blade control unit so that the up / down wind direction blade change unit 3a and the left / right wind direction blade change unit 3b face the direction of the person position. 11 outputs a control signal for changing each angle setting.

  The operation setting change means 10 outputs a control signal for changing the operation setting to various control means in accordance with instruction information such as a change in operation setting by an operation means such as a remote controller or a change in operation setting by automatic control.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a timing chart of the control operation of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 (a), 2 (b), and 2 (c) are the vertical wind directions with respect to the detection visual field 14 of the human body detection means 4 at the elapsed times (a), (b), and (c) in FIG. The setting positions of the change blade 3a are shown.

  In FIG. 4, the control operation and action at each timing when the wind direction setting of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is changed in the order of elapsed time (a) → (b) → (c) will be described below. In the time zone up to the elapsed time (a), the up / down wind direction changing blade angle is set to an angle a1 close to the upper limit of the upward direction. At the time of elapsed time (a), when the target up / down air direction changing blade 3a is changed from the angle a1 to the angle b1 close to the lower limit by the operation setting changing means 10, the motor that rotationally drives the up / down air direction changing blade 3a is stopped. Is changed from OFF to ON in the operating state, and the vertical wind direction changing blade 3a changes its angle downward at a predetermined speed, and reaches the angle b1 of the target vertical wind direction changing blade 3a at the time point (b). During this time, at the time of the elapsed time (a), as shown in FIG. 2A, the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is located above the detection visual field 14 of the human body detection means 4, but the elapsed time (a) When the vertical wind direction changing blade 3a moves downward from (b) to (b), at the time of elapsed time (b), a part of the vertical wind direction changing blade 3a is located inside the detection visual field 14 as shown in FIG. Stop in the state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a was cooled by the blowing air from the time when it started to enter the inside of the detection visual field 14 during the movement until the elapsed time (b) when the movement was finished. Alternatively, when the warm up / down wind direction changing blade 3a crosses the detection visual field, a change in the amount of infrared rays of a predetermined value or more is received by the human body detection means 4, and a pulse signal is continuously output from the human body detection means 4 during that time. Further, immediately after the movement of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is stopped, the pulse signal is continuously output for several seconds until the change in the amount of infrared rays of the human body detecting means 4 is stabilized.

  A control operation for preventing an erroneous determination of the human body condition based on the erroneous detection information of the human body detection means 4 when the wind direction setting of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is changed will be described with reference to the control block diagram of FIG. To do.

  When the target angle of the up / down wind direction change blade 3a is changed by the operation setting change means 10, the wind direction change blade control means 11 operates / stops (ON / OFF) the drive motor that rotationally drives the up / down wind direction change blade 3a. Is also output to the human body condition determination means 9. On the basis of this output information, the human body state determination means 9 performs a predetermined operation from when the driving motor is operating (ON) and when the driving motor is switched from operating (ON) to stopped (OFF). Since there is a possibility that false detection may occur in both the time until the time (several seconds) elapses, the information output from the human body detection means 4 is stored in the human body status (present (No, position of person, amount of activity, etc.)

  For example, this time zone is a time zone from the start of the change of the target angle of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a until a predetermined time sufficiently longer than the assumed maximum time of both the times is elapsed. By setting, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous detection. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, although the human body detection means output occurs in this time zone, the human body condition determination means 9 outputs the absence determination (0), and the up and down wind direction It is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the detection information of the human body detection means 4 due to the movement of the change blade 3a as a human body.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, between the elapsed time (b) and the elapsed time (c), there is no change in the setting angle of the up / down air direction changing blade 3a by the operation setting changing means 10, and the up / down air direction changing blade 3a The drive motor is stopped and the angle of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is kept constant. During this time, a pulse signal is output from the human body detection means 4, but the human body condition determination means 9 is in a state where the information of the control signal of the drive motor output from the wind direction changing blade control means 11 is stopped (OFF). When a pulse signal is output from the human body detection unit 4, the human body state determination unit 9 determines this output as detection information by the human body and outputs a presence determination (1).

  Next, when the target up / down air direction changing blade angle is changed from b1 to c1 again by the operation setting changing means 10 at the time of the elapsed time (c), the motor that rotationally drives the up / down air direction changing blade 3a is stopped. When the operating state is changed from OFF to ON, the up / down air direction changing blade 3a changes its angle upward at a predetermined speed, and reaches the target up / down air direction changing blade angle c1 at the time point (c). During the elapsed time (b) to (c), as shown in FIG. 3 (b) at the start of movement and FIG. 3 (c) at the end of movement, a part of the up / down airflow direction changing blade 3a is detected. 14 is moved upward, while the up-and-down air direction changing blade 3a cooled or warmed by the blowing air crosses the detection visual field, and a change in the amount of infrared rays of a predetermined amount or more is received by the human body detection means 4, As shown in FIG. 4, pulse signals are continuously output from the human body detection means 4 during the elapsed time (b) to (c). Further, immediately after the movement of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is stopped, the pulse signal is continuously output for several seconds until the change in the amount of infrared rays of the human body detecting means 4 is stabilized.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 4, although the human body detection means output is generated during this time period, the human body condition determination means 9 outputs the absence determination (0), and the up / down wind direction changes. It is possible to prevent the detection information of the human body detection means 4 due to the movement of the blade 3a from being erroneously detected as a human body.

  According to the above embodiment, when the wind direction setting angle of the wind direction changing blade is changed, a part of the wind direction changing blade moves within the detection visual field in which the human body detecting means receives infrared rays, thereby changing the amount of infrared rays. Even if the human body detection means misdetects the detection information during movement, the human body state determination means temporarily does not use the detection information to determine the person's situation (presence / absence, human position, amount of activity, etc.) Thus, it is possible to prevent detection information other than the human body generated when the wind direction change blade is changed from being erroneously determined as a person, and it is possible to more accurately determine the situation of the person using only the detection information of the human body.

  Further, even if the human body detection means is arranged in the vicinity of the outlet, erroneous detection is prevented, and the degree of freedom in arrangement and design when the human body detection means is configured in the indoor unit can be further improved. Furthermore, even if it is arranged at a wider angle without limiting the detection visual field of the human body detection means, erroneous detection is prevented, and the human body can be detected in a wider range in the room.

  Moreover, even if the design of the upper and lower wind direction changing blades is made larger and the projections are arranged so as to protrude from the air outlets, erroneous detection will be prevented, and the freedom of design and arrangement of the wind direction changing blades can be further improved. .

  For example, when performing a swing operation (swing mode) in which the up / down airflow direction change blade 3a is intermittently changed during cooling, the swing operation is temporarily stopped every predetermined period to detect the human body condition. Just do it. Thereby, while realizing the comfort by the swing operation, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection, detect the state of the human body, and reflect it in the air conditioning operation.

  In addition, in the movable range of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a, when the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a changes the angle in a range where the field of view of the human body detecting unit 4 is not obstructed, the situation determination is performed using the detection information of the human body detecting unit 4 May be performed. Thereby, detection information can be utilized more effectively.

  Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner that prevents erroneous detection of the human body detection means and enables more accurate human situation determination.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 shows a case where the human body detection means 4 is present above the outlet 2. Similar to the first embodiment, even when the human body detection means 4 is provided in the center, the effect can be exhibited.

  FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 1 in FIG. FIGS. 6A and 6B show the set positions of the up-and-down air direction changing blades 3a with respect to the detection visual field 14 of the human body detection means 4 at the elapsed times (a) and (b), respectively.

  When the human body detecting means 4 is arranged as shown in FIG. 5 due to the design and arrangement restrictions of the wind direction changing blade, the vertical wind direction changing blade 3 a may interfere with the visual field 14 of the human body detecting means 4.

  Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the time zone including the period from the start of changing the set angle of the up / down airflow direction changing blade 3a to the end and the period after the end of the predetermined time has passed. Is not used for the determination by the human body state determination means 9.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, during the time (a) to (b) when the direction of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is changed, even if a signal is detected by the human body detecting means, the output is the human body. It is not used for determination by the situation determination detection means 9. Therefore, the output of the human body state determination means 9 is absent (0).

  In this way, when the wind direction setting angle of the wind direction changing blade is changed, a part of the wind direction changing blade moves within the detection visual field in which the human body detecting means receives infrared rays, thereby causing a change in the amount of infrared rays and detecting the human body. Even if the means is erroneously detected, the wind direction is changed by temporarily not using the detection information during movement to determine the human situation (presence / absence, position, activity amount, etc.) Detection information other than the human body generated when the blades are changed is prevented from being erroneously determined as a person, and more accurate human situation determination can be performed using only human body detection information.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 shows a case where a plurality of human body detecting means 4 are present above the outlet 2. By providing a plurality of human body detection means 4 in this way, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a person in a plurality of areas as shown in FIG. Here, presence / absence in each of the three areas of left, center, and right is determined based on the outputs of the three human body detecting means 4 having different visual fields in the left-right direction.

  However, in this case as well, as in the case where there is only one human body detection means 4, the vertical wind direction changing blade 3a may interfere with the visual field 14 of the human body detection means 4 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 shows a timing chart of the control operation of the air conditioner in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the direction of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a is changed in time (a) to (b), the up / down air direction changing blade 3a crosses the field of view of each human body detecting means 4 and reacts erroneously. There is. Accordingly, the output of the human body detection means 4 is not used for the presence / absence determination for a predetermined time after the change of the wind direction of the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a. As shown in FIG. 10, although the human body detection means 4 has an output, the output of the human body state determination means 9 is absent (0).

  On the other hand, when the human body detection means 4 reacts with the vertical wind direction change blade 3a fixed, the left and right wind direction change blades 3b (not shown) are directed toward the area where it is determined that a person exists, To reach people. In FIG. 10, the right human body detecting means 4 reacts at times (c) to (d), and the presence (1) is output assuming that there is a person in the right area. At this time, the direction of the right and left wind direction changing blade 3b is changed to the right side, and the wind direction is changed in the direction of the right area where a person is present (fixed at an angle b2).

  Here, when the absence determination is made for all the areas, for example, the right and left wind direction changing blades 3b are directed in the direction of the area where the person is often present (left area in FIG. 9), which is determined based on the accumulated data of absence. In addition, although the example which orient | assigns the left-right wind direction change blade | wing 3b to the direction where a person exists as an airflow control was demonstrated, when it avoids that a direct wind strikes, you may control an air direction so that it may face in the direction where a person does not exist.

  Further, when a plurality of human body detection means 4 are used, the visual field may be obstructed by the up / down wind direction changing blade 3a only for some of the human body detection means 4 due to the difference in the installation position of the human body detection means 4. Therefore, in this case, only the human body detection means 4 whose visual field is obstructed, the detection information during the change of the set angle of the up / down wind direction changing means 3a is not used for the determination, and the detection information of the other human body detection means 4 is the human body By using it for the situation determination, a comfortable air-conditioning operation can be realized.

  Further, it goes without saying that a plurality of human body detection means 4 may be provided at the center of the indoor unit 1 as in the present embodiment, or may be provided at the end of the indoor unit 1 as in the first embodiment. Yes.

  In each embodiment of the present invention, a specific example is shown for a wall-mounted air conditioner. However, the wind direction is changed even in various forms of the air conditioner, such as a floor-standing type and a ceiling-embedded type. When a part of the wind direction changing blade interferes with the detection visual field of the human body detection means by changing the setting angle of the blade, the same operation and effect are exhibited. Moreover, it is not limited to a vertical wind direction change blade as a specific example of a wind direction change blade, and even if it is a left and right wind direction change blade, an effect | action and an effect are exhibited similarly.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention makes it possible to more accurately determine the human body condition by reducing false detection of the human body detection means, and to provide an air conditioner that is more comfortable and more energy efficient according to the human body condition. Since it has been realized, it can be applied not only to a general home air conditioner but also to a business air conditioner used in an office or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 2 Outlet 3 Wind direction change blade 3a Vertical wind direction change blade 3b Left and right wind direction change blade 4 Human body detection means 5 Heat exchanger 6 Blower 7 Diffuser 8 Water tray 9 Human body condition determination means 10 Operation setting change means 11 Wind direction change blade control Means 12 Set temperature control means 13 Blower air volume control means

Claims (5)

An air outlet that blows out airflow to air-condition the room;
A wind direction changing blade for changing the blowing direction of the air flow;
Wind direction changing blade control means for changing the angle by driving the wind direction changing blade;
A human body detecting means for detecting a human body by receiving infrared rays provided near the outlet;
A human body condition determination unit for determining a human body condition including at least one of the presence / absence, position, and activity amount of a person based on detection information of the human body detection unit, and the human body condition determination result of the human body condition determination unit In an air conditioner that changes operation settings based on
Detection of the human body detection means output during a time period including a period from the start to the end of change of the setting angle of the wind direction change blade by the wind direction change blade control means and a predetermined time after the end. An air conditioner characterized in that information is not used for determination of a human body condition by the human body condition determination means. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the wind direction changing blade is an up / down air direction changing blade that changes an upper and lower blowing direction. A plurality of the human body detection means are provided, and provided with left and right wind direction changing blades for changing the left and right blowing directions of the airflow
3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the right and left wind direction changing blades are controlled based on the position of the person determined by the human body state determination unit based on detection information of the plurality of human body detection units. . 4. The air conditioning according to claim 3, wherein only the detection information obtained from a part of the human body detection means among a plurality of the human body detection means is not used for the determination of the human body condition of the human body condition determination means. Machine. It has an operation mode in which the set angle of the up / down air direction change blade is continuously changed, and when operating in the operation mode, the change of the set angle is stopped every predetermined time, and the change of the set angle is being stopped. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the state of the human body is determined based on detection information from the human body detection means.

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