WO2021224985A1

WO2021224985A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: WO2021224985A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/018659
Authority: WO
Inventors: 裕信矢野
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2020-05-08
Filing date: 2020-05-08
Publication date: 2021-11-11
Also published as: JPWO2021225010A1; WO2021225010A1; JP7378604B2

Abstract

This air conditioner comprises: a controller to which is input setting information, including one or a combination of the wind speed, wind direction, and blown air temperature of an indoor unit installed in an indoor space; an air conditioning control unit which controls the air conditioning setting of the indoor unit on the basis of the setting information input to the controller; a sensor which is provided in the indoor space or to the indoor unit and generates a first image showing the indoor space; an information acquisition unit which acquires the first image from the sensor; and an image processing unit which performs image processing on the first image acquired by the information acquisition unit and generates a second image. The controller has a display unit which displays a display image based on the second image generated by the image processing unit, and an operation unit to which the setting information is input and which accepts a touch operation touching the display image. The operation unit accepts a change to the setting information for a first position of the indoor space specified by the touch operation.

Description

Air conditioner

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner including a controller.

Generally, setting information such as a set temperature for an air conditioner is input to an operation unit such as a remote controller used for an air conditioner. The user inputs the setting information while anticipating a change in the state of the room due to the input of the setting information.

For example, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 includes an image pickup unit that images an indoor space, an image processing unit that synthesizes an image captured by the image pickup unit and airflow information in the room, and image information generated by the image processing unit. It is equipped with a touch panel type operation unit that displays.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-257071

Since the operation unit of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 has a display unit and a captured image of the indoor space is displayed, the user can grasp the state of the entire indoor space. However, the operation unit does not display the prediction result of the state change of the indoor space due to the change of the setting information. Therefore, the user needs to input the setting information while anticipating the change in the state of the indoor space. However, the change in the state of the indoor space may be different from the user's expectation, not as the user's expectation. In that case, the user had to repeatedly operate the operation unit until a satisfactory result was obtained. As a result, there is a problem that the user is required to have a proficiency level, or the user who does not have the proficiency level has the impression that the operation of the operation unit is complicated.

The present disclosure has been made to solve such a problem, and an air conditioner capable of easily operating the controller and easily realizing the state of the indoor space according to the user's wishes is provided. The purpose is to get.

The air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes a controller in which setting information including any or a combination of the wind speed, the wind direction, and the temperature of the blown air of the indoor unit installed in the indoor space is input, and the controller. From the air conditioning control unit that controls the air conditioning setting of the indoor unit based on the setting information, a sensor provided in the indoor space or the indoor unit and generating a first image showing the indoor space, and the sensor. The controller includes an information acquisition unit that acquires the first image and an image processing unit that performs image processing on the first image acquired by the information acquisition unit to generate a second image. The operation unit includes a display unit that displays a display image based on the second image generated by the image processing unit, and an operation unit that receives the touch operation of inputting the setting information and touching the display image. It accepts a change in the setting information with respect to the first position of the indoor space specified by the touch operation.

According to the air conditioner according to the present disclosure, the user moves the first icon in the display image displayed on the controller to change the setting information for the first position of the indoor space specified by the first icon. Since it can be performed, it is possible to easily realize the state of the indoor space according to the user's desire by the easy operation of the controller.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the indoor unit 3 and the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the distance visualization image of the indoor space 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the distance visualization image of the indoor space 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a front view which showed the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a front view which showed the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process flow of the indoor unit 3 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process flow of the controller 4 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process flow of the controller 4 which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the air conditioner according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure includes all combinations of configurations that can be combined among the configurations shown in the following embodiments and modifications thereof. Further, in each figure, those having the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent thereof, which are common in the entire text of the specification. In each drawing, the relative dimensional relationship or shape of each component may differ from the actual one.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

<Configuration of air conditioner 1>
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 2, an indoor unit 3, a controller 4, and a sensor 5. The air conditioner 1 air-conditions the indoor space 100. The indoor unit 3 is installed in the indoor space 100. In the example of FIG. 1, the indoor unit 3 is installed on the wall 101 of the indoor space 100. The indoor unit 3 has a heat exchanger 3b and a fan 3c shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later. Indoor air is sent to the heat exchanger 3b by the fan 3c. The indoor unit 3 exchanges heat between the refrigerant passing inside the heat exchanger 3b and the indoor air. The heat exchanger 3b of the indoor unit 3 functions as an evaporator when the air conditioner 1 is in the cooling operation, and functions as a condenser when the air conditioner 1 is in the heating operation. The heat exchanger 3b of the indoor unit 3 is, for example, a fin-and-tube heat exchanger. The fan 3c is, for example, a propeller fan. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 3 includes a wind direction plate 3a. The wind direction plate 3a is installed at the air outlet 3d (see FIGS. 22 and 23) of the indoor unit 3. The angle of the wind direction plate 3a is changed by the control of the control device 30 shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later. The angle of the wind direction plate 3a can be changed in the left-right direction, but can also be changed in the up-down direction. Depending on the angle of the wind direction plate 3a, the wind direction of the blown air from the indoor unit 3 is changed up, down, left and right.

The outdoor unit 2 is installed outside the indoor space 100. The outdoor unit 2 is connected to the indoor unit 3 via a refrigerant pipe. Further, the outdoor unit 2 is communicably connected to the indoor unit 3 via a communication line. The outdoor unit 2 has a heat exchanger and a fan (not shown). Outside air is sent to the heat exchanger by a fan. The outdoor unit 2 exchanges heat between the refrigerant passing through the inside of the heat exchanger and the outside air. The heat exchanger of the outdoor unit 2 functions as a condenser when the air conditioner 1 is in the cooling operation, and functions as an evaporator when the air conditioner 1 is in the heating operation. The heat exchanger of the outdoor unit 2 is, for example, a fin-and-tube heat exchanger. The fan of the outdoor unit 2 is, for example, a propeller fan.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 5 is installed on the indoor unit 3, the outdoor unit 2, the wall of the indoor space 100, or the like. In the following, for the sake of clarity, the sensor 5 provided in the indoor unit 3 will be referred to as a first sensor 5a, and the sensor 5 provided in the outdoor unit 2 will be referred to as a second sensor 5b. Further, the sensor 5 provided on the wall 102 of the indoor space 100 is referred to as a third sensor 5c. The wall 102 is a wall different from the wall 101, as shown in FIG. 20 described later. It should be noted that it is not always necessary to provide all of these sensors 5, and only the first sensor 5a may be provided.

The first sensor 5a is an infrared sensor such as a thermopile sensor that can measure the temperature of an object in a non-contact manner. Therefore, the captured image captured by the first sensor 5a is a thermal image. The first sensor 5a images the entire indoor space 100, and it is desirable that the first sensor 5a can image a wide area. The first sensor 5a can acquire an image of the indoor space 100 at a time as long as it can capture a wide area. However, when the field of view of the first sensor 5a is wide, the lens is often expensive, and with an inexpensive lens, the peripheral portion of the captured image may be distorted or darkened. In that case, the first image processing unit 33 shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later, corrects the distortion and lightness and darkness of the captured image.

In general, as shown in FIG. 1, the installation position of the indoor unit 3 is often the upper part near the ceiling in the indoor space 100. Therefore, the target imaged by the first sensor 5a is located below the indoor unit 3. Therefore, it is desirable that the first sensor 5a is arranged in front of the indoor unit 3 in order to image the entire indoor space 100. Further, it is desirable that the imaging direction of the first sensor 5a is set so as to be downward from the horizontal direction. Further, it is further desirable that the imaging direction of the first sensor 5a can be appropriately adjusted up, down, left and right so that the imaging target is arranged in the center of the captured image. As a result, the first sensor 5a can clearly image the image pickup target.

Further, as the first sensor 5a, one that cannot image a wide area may be used. In that case, a motor is provided on the first sensor 5a to make it movable so that the first sensor 5a can rotate left and right. Further, the first sensor 5a may be able to rotate in the vertical direction as well. As a result, the first sensor 5a can scan the indoor space 100 up, down, left and right, and image the entire indoor space 100. Alternatively, if there is a portion in the indoor space that cannot be imaged by the first sensor 5a, the portion may be imaged by the third sensor 5c. In that case, the first image processing unit 33, which will be described later, generates an entire captured image of the indoor space 100 based on the captured image of the first sensor 5a and the captured image of the third sensor 5c. In this case, the third sensor 5c is an infrared sensor such as a thermopile sensor that can measure the temperature of an object in a non-contact manner, like the first sensor 5a.

The first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c are not limited to infrared sensors, and may be image sensors such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), for example. In this case, the images acquired by the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c are visible light images. Further, the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c may be other optical sensors. Further, the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c may have a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the room. Further, the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c may be composed of different types of sensors. That is, the first sensor 5a may be an infrared sensor and the third sensor 5c may be an image sensor.

Further, the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c may be position sensors that acquire the position information of one or more objects in the indoor space 100. As the position sensor, for example, an infrared distance sensor or an ultrasonic distance sensor can be used. Hereinafter, the position information and the distance visualization image acquired by the first sensor 5a will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 20 and 21. Since the position information and the distance visualization image of the third sensor 5c can be acquired by the same operation as that of the first sensor 5a, the description thereof is omitted here. 20 and 21 are diagrams showing a distance visualization image of the indoor space 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 20 shows an image when the indoor space 100 is viewed in a plane, and FIG. 21 shows an image when the indoor space 100 is viewed from the side.

The indoor space 100 is a three-dimensional space. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the width direction of the indoor space 100 is the X direction, the depth direction is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. The Z direction is, for example, the vertical direction. At this time, the XYZ coordinates of the position P0 of the first sensor 5a are set to (0,0,0), and the XYZ coordinates of the object 200 in the indoor space 100 are set to (X1, Y1, Z1). The object 200 is a user 10 existing in the indoor space 100, furniture such as a chair or sofa installed in the indoor space 100, or a heating element other than a person such as a television. For the sake of brevity, FIGS. 20 and 21 show the case where the object 200 is one.

As shown in the plan image of FIG. 20, when the XY coordinates of the position P0 of the first sensor 5a are set as the reference point (0,0), the position information acquired by the first sensor 5a is the reference point (0,0). It is the distance of the straight line L1 connecting the object 200 and the XY coordinates (X1, Y1) of the center of the object 200. Alternatively, as shown in the side image of FIG. 21, when the XZ coordinate of the position P0 of the first sensor 5a is set as the reference point (0,0), the position information acquired by the first sensor 5a is the reference point (0,0,). It is the distance of the straight line L2 connecting 0) and the XZ coordinates (X1, Z1) of the center of the object 200. Alternatively, the position information acquired by the first sensor 5a may be both the distance of the straight line L1 and the distance of the straight line L2.

Further, the position information acquired by the first sensor 5a may include the angle of the object 200. The angle is a horizontal angle, a vertical angle, or both. First, the horizontal angle will be described. As shown in the plan image of FIG. 20, when the XY coordinates of the position P0 of the first sensor 5a are set as the reference point (0,0), the straight line extending in the Y direction starting from the reference point (0,0) is the first. 1 Reference line A1. The angle α1 formed by the straight line L1 and the first reference line A1 is the horizontal angle of the object 200. Next, the vertical angle will be described. As shown in the side image of FIG. 21, when the XZ coordinate of the position P0 of the first sensor 5a is set as the reference point (0,0), a straight line extending in the −Z direction starting from the reference point (0,0) is drawn. Let it be the second reference line A2. The angle α2 formed by the straight line L2 and the second reference line A2 is the vertical angle. The position information acquired by the first sensor 5a may include at least one of the angle α1 and the angle α2.

When the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c are position sensors, the images generated by the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c are distance visualization images. In the distance visualization image, at least one of the distance of the straight line L1 and the distance of the straight line L2 of the object 200 obtained from the detected position information of the object 200 is visualized. The distance visualization image may be an image in which the indoor space 100 is viewed in a plane as shown in FIG. 20, or an image in which the indoor space 100 is viewed in a side view as shown in FIG. 21. Further, the user 10 may operate the controller 4 to switch between a plan view image and a side view image. Although the indoor unit 3 is shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 for easy understanding of the explanation, the indoor unit 3 may not be displayed in the actual distance visualization image.

Return to the explanation in Fig. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the second sensor 5b is installed in the outdoor unit 2. The second sensor 5b is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the outside air. The second sensor 5b may be installed as needed.

The controller 4 is operated by the user 10. The user 10 inputs to the controller 4 setting information such as a set temperature, a wind direction, and a wind speed for the air conditioner 1. The controller 4 has a display unit 43 shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later. The display unit 43 displays an image that visualizes the indoor space 100 obtained by the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c. The controller 4 may be a dedicated remote controller for the air conditioner 1 or a mobile terminal 11 carried by the user 10. The mobile terminal 11 is an information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, for example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 3 is communicably connected to the router 6 installed in the indoor space via a wireless LAN. The indoor unit 3 and the router 6 may be connected by other wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi instead of the wireless LAN. Further, the indoor unit 3 is communicably connected to the controller 4 via infrared communication, wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wireless LAN. Further, the controller 4 is communicably connected to the router 6 via a wireless LAN. The controller 4 and the router 6 may be connected by other wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi instead of the wireless LAN. The indoor unit 3 may directly communicate with the controller 4, but may also communicate with the controller 4 via the router 6. Further, the third sensor 5c is communicably connected to the indoor unit 3 via infrared communication, wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, or wireless LAN.

The router 6 is connected to a communication network 7 such as the Internet or another communication line. The communication network 7 is communicably connected to the cloud server 8. Further, the communication network 7 is communicably connected to the base station 9. The base station 9 wirelessly communicates with the mobile terminal 11 carried by the user 10. The communication method of the wireless communication is, for example, 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). The air conditioning device 1, the mobile terminal 11, and the cloud server 8 constitute an air conditioning system. Alternatively, not limited to this case, the air conditioner 1 and the cloud server 8 may form an air conditioner system, or the air conditioner 1 and the mobile terminal 11 may form an air conditioner system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the indoor unit 3 and the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 3 includes a control device 30, a storage unit 31, a first communication unit 36, a wind direction plate 3a, a heat exchanger 3b, and a fan 3c. The control device 30 includes an information acquisition unit 32, a first image processing unit 33, an air conditioning control unit 34, and an air conditioning execution unit 35. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the controller 4 includes an operation unit 40, a second communication unit 41, a second image processing unit 42, and a display unit 43.

Hereinafter, each component of the indoor unit 3 will be described.

The information acquisition unit 32 acquires any one of the thermal image, the visible light image, the distance visualization image, or a combination thereof generated by the first sensor 5a or the third sensor 5c. Further, when the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c have a temperature sensor, the information acquisition unit 32 acquires the temperature information of the object 200. The image acquired by the information acquisition unit 32 is hereinafter referred to as a first image.

The first image processing unit 33 performs image processing for extracting information necessary for grasping the indoor environment from the first image, and generates a second image. When generating the second image, the first image processing unit 33 performs processing for improving the image quality, extracting the feature amount, and removing noise on the first image, if necessary. At this time, if the first image acquired by the information acquisition unit 32 is a combination of at least two of a thermal image, a visible light image, and a distance visualization image, the first image processing unit 33 is included in the combination. An image obtained by superimposing a plurality of images may be generated and used as a second image. Specifically, for example, an image in which thermo information of a thermal image is mounted on a visible light image is referred to as a second image. Further, when the second image is generated, the first image processing unit 33 performs image processing for compositing and displaying the icon 44e, which will be described later, for specifying one position of the indoor space 100 on the first image.

Note that the image processing for compositing and displaying the icon 44e is not limited to being performed by the first image processing unit 33 of the indoor unit 3. That is, the image processing may be performed by the second image processing unit 42 of the controller 4. When the controller 4 is composed of the mobile terminal 11, since the second image processing unit 42 is provided in the mobile terminal 11, the mobile terminal 11 performs the image processing. Alternatively, the cloud server 8 may be provided with an image processing unit having the same function as the first image processing unit 33 or the second image processing unit 42, and the image processing may be performed by the image processing unit of the cloud server 8. good. Further, image processing such as image quality improvement, feature amount extraction, and noise removal may be performed by the first sensor 5a, the third sensor 5c, or the cloud server 8. It should be noted that where to perform these image processings may be appropriately determined according to the processing time, processing capacity, cost, and the like.

The first communication unit 36 transmits the second image generated by the first image processing unit 33 to the second communication unit 41 of the controller 4. Further, the first communication unit 36 receives the setting information input to the controller 4 and transmits it to the air conditioning control unit 34 and the outdoor unit 2. Further, the first communication unit 36 receives the information from the first sensor 5a, the second sensor 5b, and the third sensor 5c and transmits the information to the air conditioning control unit 34.

The air conditioning control unit 34 sets the air conditioning settings such as the set temperature, wind direction, and wind speed of the indoor unit 3 based on the setting information received by the first communication unit 36 and the second image received from the first image processing unit 33. Control. Further, the air conditioning control unit 34 acquires the temperature information of the outside air detected by the second sensor 5b as necessary and uses it for controlling the air conditioning setting.

The air conditioning execution unit 35 operates an actuator such as a motor for moving the fan 3c and the wind direction plate 3a provided in the indoor unit 3 based on the air conditioning setting of the air conditioning control unit 34, and changes the air conditioning of the indoor space 100.

In the example of FIG. 2, the first communication unit 36 and the information acquisition unit 32 are provided independently of each other, but the present invention is not limited to this case. That is, the first communication unit 36 and the information acquisition unit 32 may be integrated.

Further, in the example of FIG. 2, the first sensor 5a and the indoor unit 3 are provided independently of each other, but the present invention is not limited to this case. That is, the first sensor 5a may be mounted on the indoor unit 3 as a function of a part of the indoor unit 3. Further, in that case, the first sensor 5a and the information acquisition unit 32 may be integrated.

The storage unit 31 stores the setting information, control information, and the like of the air conditioner 1.

Here, the hardware configuration of the control device 30 and the storage unit 31 will be described. The control device 30 is composed of a processing circuit. The processing circuit is composed of dedicated hardware or a processor. The dedicated hardware is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processor executes a program stored in memory. The storage unit 31 is composed of a memory. The memory is a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (RandomAccessMemory), ROM (ReadOnlyMemory), flash memory, EPROM (ErasableProgrammableROM), or a disk such as a magnetic disk, flexible disk, or optical disk. be.

Next, each component of the controller 4 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

The operation unit 40 has a plurality of buttons and receives input of setting information for the air conditioner 1 from the user. The setting information includes the operation mode, the set temperature, the wind direction, the wind speed, and the like. The operation mode includes a cooling operation mode and a heating operation mode.

The second communication unit 41 receives the second image transmitted from the first communication unit 36 and transmits it to the second image processing unit 42.

The second image processing unit 42 generates a display image to be displayed by the display unit 43 based on the second image received by the second communication unit 41 and the setting information input to the operation unit 40.

The display unit 43 has a display screen, and displays the display image generated by the second image processing unit 42 on the display screen. The display unit 43 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

In the example of FIG. 2, the operation unit 40 and the display unit 43 are provided independently of each other, but the present invention is not limited to this case. That is, the operation unit 40 and the display unit 43 may be integrated. In that case, the operation unit 40 and the display unit 43 are composed of, for example, a touch panel type operation panel. In this case, the plurality of buttons provided on the operation unit 40 are virtual buttons displayed on the screen of the operation panel. Further, even when the controller 4 is composed of an information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, the operation unit 40 and the display unit 43 are integrated. Even in that case, the plurality of buttons provided on the operation unit 40 are virtual buttons displayed on the screen of the operation panel.

<Operation of air conditioner 1>
Next, the operation of the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 19. 3 to 19 are views showing an example of a display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment. 3 to 19 show an example of the controller 4 when the operation unit 40 and the display unit 43 are integrated. Hereinafter, the one in which the operation unit 40 and the display unit 43 are integrated will be referred to as an operation panel 44. The operation panel 44 is a touch panel type.

<Screen switching operation of the operation panel 44>
As shown in FIG. 3, the display screen of the operation panel 44 displays the display image 44a generated by the second image processing unit 42, the display switching button 44b, and the operation screen 44c. Further, if necessary, the header 44h is displayed on the display screen of the operation panel 44. In the example of FIG. 3, the display image 44a is a thermal image that visualizes the entire indoor space 100. Even when the display image 44a is a visible light image that visualizes the entire indoor space 100, the imaging range is the same as that of the thermal image. However, since the visible light image has a higher resolution than the thermal image, each object in the indoor space 100 is captured more clearly than the thermal image. Further, the thermal image and the visible light image may be a moving image or a still image taken at a fixed cycle. In the display image 44a, the television 60 installed in the indoor space 100, the chair 61, the sofa 62, and the user 10 existing in the indoor space 100 are displayed.

Here, a case where the display image 44a is a thermal image will be briefly described. In this case, in the display image 44a, the temperature of each object in the room is classified into five stages, and each stage is displayed in a different color. Specifically, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue are assigned to each stage in descending order of temperature. Each object in the indoor space 100 is displayed in any one of those colors according to the temperature of the object. Therefore, heating elements such as the user 10 and the television 60 are often displayed in red, orange, or yellow. However, when the surface temperature of the user 10 and the television 60 is low, it is displayed in green or blue. Further, furniture such as chairs 61 and sofas 62 installed in the indoor space 100 is often displayed in green or blue because the temperature is lower than that of the heating element. Although an example of classifying the temperature into five stages has been described here, the number of stages is not limited to five and may be any number.

Return to the explanation in Fig. 3. In the example of FIG. 3, the user 10 lying on the floor is displayed in the central portion in front of the display image 44a. Further, on the left side of the display image 44a, the user 10 sitting on the chair 61 in front of the television 60 is displayed. Further, two users 10 sitting on the sofa 62 are displayed in the central portion on the back side of the display image 44a.

Further, in the example of FIG. 3, the imaging time, the temperature of the indoor space 100 at the time, and the temperature of the outside air are superimposed and displayed on the display image 44a by the processing of the second image processing unit 42. The temperature of the indoor space 100 is, for example, the temperature detected by the first sensor 5a or the third sensor 5c. The temperature of the outside air is the temperature detected by the second sensor 5b. These temperatures are received from the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3 by the second communication unit 41 of the controller 4.

Next, the display switching button 44b will be described. The display switching button 44b is displayed superimposed on the display image 44a. However, the display position of the display switching button 44b may be any place as long as it is in the display screen of the operation panel 44. When the user 10 taps the display switching button 44b, the operation unit 40 of the controller 4 accepts the operation. Based on the received operation, the second image processing unit 42 switches to a screen for enlarging the display image 44a as shown in FIG. That is, the display image 44a is enlarged and displayed on the entire display screen of the operation panel 44. Therefore, in FIG. 4, the display image 44a is displayed sideways on the screen of the operation panel 44. Therefore, the user 10 needs to rotate the controller 4 by 90 ° from the vertical orientation shown in FIG. 3 to bring it into the horizontal orientation. Further, in the state of FIG. 4, when the user 10 taps the display switching button 44b, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 returns to the state of FIG. 3 based on the received operation, and the display image 44a is reduced and displayed. The tap is an operation in which the user 10 taps the screen and touches the screen for a moment.

Next, the operation screen 44c shown in FIG. 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation screen 44c displays the current operation mode 44c-1 and the set temperature 44c-2 of the air conditioner 1. Further, on the operation screen 44c, a power switch 44c-3 for switching ON / OFF of the power of the air conditioner 1 is displayed. Further, on the operation screen 44c, an operation mode switch 44c-4 for switching the operation mode is displayed. Further, the "+" button 44c-5 on the operation screen 44c is a button for raising the set temperature 44c-2. When the user taps the "+" button 44c-5, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second communication unit 41 transmits the received signal based on the operation to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 raises the set temperature of the indoor unit 3 by 1 ° C. At the same time, the set temperature 44c-2 displayed on the operation screen 44c is also changed from the current "27.5 ° C" to "28.5 ° C". Further, the "-" button 44c-6 on the operation screen 44c is a button for lowering the set temperature 44c-2. When the user taps the "-" button 44c-6, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second communication unit 41 transmits the received signal based on the operation to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 lowers the set temperature of the indoor unit 3 by 1 ° C. At the same time, the set temperature 44c-2 displayed on the operation screen 44c is also changed from the current "27.5 ° C" to "26.5 ° C".

Next, the display screen of the operation panel 44 in the state of FIG. 4 will be described. On the display screen of the operation panel 44 in the state of FIG. 4, the operation tab 44d is displayed on the upper part of the display image 44a. On the operation tab 44d, three tabs of "thermal image display", "one-touch airflow operation", and "two-touch airflow operation" are displayed.

FIG. 4 shows the state of "thermal image display". At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user 10 performs an operation of tapping the tab of "1 touch airflow operation", the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches to the screen in the state shown in FIG. 5 based on the received operation. In the state of FIG. 5, one icon 44e is displayed on the display image 44a by the processing of the second image processing unit 42. The display position of the icon 44e in the display image 44a is preset as a default position. The position indicated by the icon 44e specifies a corresponding position in the indoor space 100. Hereinafter, the corresponding position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e is referred to as a first position. Specifically, in the state of FIG. 5, the position of the icon 44e in the display image 44a is the upper right of the sofa 62. Therefore, the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e is the upper right position of the sofa 62 installed in the indoor space 100. Further, the character "medium" in the round frame 44e-1 of the icon 44e indicates that the wind speed at the first position of the indoor space 100 is at a medium level. As described above, the level of the wind speed at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e is displayed inside the frame 44e-1 of the icon 44e. Further, the protrusion 44e-2 provided so as to protrude from the frame 44e-1 of the icon 44e indicates the current wind direction at the first position of the indoor space 100. In the example of FIG. 5, since the four protrusions 44e-2 extending vertically and horizontally are displayed, it is shown that the wind is blowing vertically and horizontally at the first position of the indoor space 100. As described above, in the example of FIG. 5, at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e, it is displayed that the wind speed is at a medium level and the wind is blowing up, down, left and right. As described above, the icon 44e clearly indicates the current state of the first position of the indoor space 100, so that the user 10 can easily grasp the state of the entire indoor space 100.

When the display screen of the operation panel 44 is in the "thermal image display" of FIG. 3 or the "one-touch airflow operation" of FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the user 10 uses the "two-touch" of the operation tab 44d. When the operation of tapping the "air flow operation" tab is performed, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches to the screen in the state of "two-touch airflow operation" in FIG. 6 based on the received operation. In the state of FIG. 6, two icons 44e are displayed by the processing of the second image processing unit 42. The image processing for compositing and displaying the two icons 44e in the second image is performed by the first image processing unit 33 of the indoor unit 3, and the second image processing unit 42 generates the display image 44a and displays it on the screen. You may perform only the process of causing. Comparing FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, it can be seen that the icon 44eB has been added to the left side of the screen. In the following, as shown in FIG. 6, the icon 44e displayed in FIG. 5 is referred to as a first icon 44eA, and the added icon 44eB is referred to as a second icon 44eB. Since the first icon 44eA is the same as the icon 44e in FIG. 5, description thereof will be omitted here. Further, the position of the indoor space 100 specified by the second icon 44eB is referred to as a second position. The second position is the position on the right side of the chair 61 installed in front of the television 60 in the indoor space 100. Further, the character "strong" in the round frame 44e-1 of the second icon 44eB indicates that the wind speed at the second position of the indoor space 100 is at a strong level. Further, the four protrusions 44e-2 protruding vertically and horizontally from the second icon 44eB indicate the current wind direction at the second position of the indoor space 100. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 6, it is shown that the wind speed is at a strong level and the wind is blowing up, down, left, and right at the second position of the indoor space 100 specified by the second icon 44eB. Further, at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the first icon 44eA, it is shown that the wind speed is at a medium level and the wind is blowing up, down, left and right. In this way, the icons 44eA and the icons 44eB clearly indicate the current status of the first position and the second position of the indoor space 100, so that the user 10 can easily grasp the state of the entire indoor space 100. be able to.

Note that FIG. 7 shows a display image 44a of the operation panel 44 when AI (Artificial Intelligence) automatic operation is set in the air conditioner 1 by the user 10. In AI automatic operation, the air conditioner 1 is automatically operated by the AI provided in the control device 30. When the user 10 taps the "Cancel" button in the window 44g displayed on the display screen of the operation panel 44 in the state of FIG. 7, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches the display screen of the operation panel 44 to the state shown in FIG. 3 based on the received operation.

<Change operation of setting information>
Next, a method of changing the setting information in the "one-touch airflow operation" will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the display screen of the operation panel 44 is “one-touch airflow operation”. In the state of FIG. 8, one icon 44e is displayed by the processing of the second image processing unit 42. In the state of FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 9, when the user 10 performs a drag operation for moving the icon 44e, the operation unit 40 accepts the drag operation. The drag operation is an operation in which the user 10 specifies the icon 44e with a finger and moves the icon 44e on the screen to the arrival point desired by the user 10. The second image processing unit 42 moves the display position of the icon 44e to the position after dragging based on the drag operation received by the operation unit 40. As a result, the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e becomes the position after dragging. At the same time, the second communication unit 41 transmits the received signal based on the operation to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind direction with respect to the first position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change the direction of the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3. The air conditioning execution unit 35 changes the direction of the wind direction plate 3a based on the command. As a result, the wind direction of the wind direction plate 3a is changed so that the wind speed is at a medium level and the wind blows up, down, left, and right at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the dragged icon 44e shown in FIG. NS. As shown in FIG. 22, since one wind direction plate 3a is provided for the air outlet 3d of the indoor unit 3, the wind direction for the entire indoor space 100 can be changed at once. Note that FIG. 22 is a front view showing the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 of the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment.

Further, when the user 10 drags the icon 44e and then performs a drop operation of releasing the finger from the icon 44e, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The drop operation is an operation of dragging the icon 44e and releasing the finger from the icon 44e when the icon 44e arrives at the arrival point desired by the user 10. Based on the received operation, the second image processing unit 42 causes the wind speed change tab 44f to be displayed on the screen of the operation panel 44 as shown in FIG. On the wind speed change tab 44f, a "weak" button, a "medium" button, a "strong" button, and a "decision" button for setting the wind speed are displayed. As shown in FIG. 10, when the user 10 performs an operation of tapping the "decision" button after tapping the "middle" button, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches the screen of the operation panel 44 to the screen in the state of FIG. 11 based on the received operation. Further, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal based on the operation received by the operation unit 40 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind speed with respect to the first position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change the wind speed to a medium level. Based on the command, the air conditioner execution unit 35 changes the rotation speed of the fan 3c of the indoor unit 3 and also changes the wind speed of the blown air from the indoor unit 3. As a result, the wind speed at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e is changed to the medium level. Here, since the wind speed is changed from the medium level to the medium level, the wind speed is actually maintained in the state shown in FIG.

<Modification example 1 of change operation of setting information>
Next, a method of changing the setting information in the "two-touch airflow operation" will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the display screen of the operation panel 44 is “two-touch airflow operation”. In the state of FIG. 12, the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB are displayed on the display image 44a. Further, here, a case where the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 is divided into two, a right side wind direction plate and a left side wind direction plate, will be described. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, the wind direction plate 3a is composed of a first wind direction plate 3a-1 and a second wind direction plate 3a-2. Note that FIG. 23 is a front view showing the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 of the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 23, the first wind direction plate 3a-1 and the second wind direction plate 3a-2 are provided at the air outlet 3d of the indoor unit 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 20, the indoor space 100 is divided into a first area facing the right side of the indoor unit 3 when the indoor unit 3 is viewed from the front and a second area facing the left side of the indoor unit 3. be able to. The first area and the second area do not overlap with each other. However, there is no shield such as a wall between the first area and the second area, and the indoor air in the two areas communicates with each other. The first wind direction plate 3a-1 mainly corresponds to the first area of the indoor space 100, and the second wind direction plate 3a-2 mainly corresponds to the second area of the indoor space 100. When the display screen of the operation panel 44 is in the state of FIG. 12, the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB are displayed on the display image 44a. The first icon 44eA identifies the first position in the first area of the indoor space 100. The second icon 44eB identifies a second position in the second area of the indoor space 100. The wind speed of the second icon 44eB is at the "strong" level, and the wind speed of the first icon 44eA is at the "medium" level. That is, under the control of the air conditioning control unit 34 of the indoor unit 3, the wind speed can be changed independently between the first position specified by the first icon 44eA and the second position specified by the second icon 44eB. can. Therefore, when there is a change input from the user 10, the air conditioning control unit 34 of the indoor unit 3 independently controls the wind speed for each of the first position and the second position of the indoor space 100 in response to the change. To do. Further, when the height of the first icon 44eA and the height of the second icon 44eB are compared, the first icon 44eA is displayed at a higher position than the second icon 44eB. This indicates that the wind direction at the first position and the wind direction at the second position may be different from each other. That is, the wind direction can be changed up, down, left, and right at each of the first position specified by the first icon 44eA and the second position specified by the second icon 44eB. Therefore, when there is a change input from the user 10, the air conditioning control unit 34 of the indoor unit 3 controls the wind direction for each of the first position and the second position of the indoor space 100 in response to the change. Do it independently, without depending on the other. As described above, in the examples of FIGS. 12 to 15, the wind speed and the wind direction can be set independently in the first area and the second area of the indoor space 100.

In the state of FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 13, when the user 10 drags the second icon 44eB, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 moves the display position of the second icon 44eB to the position after dragging in the display image 44a based on the received operation. As a result, the second position of the indoor space 100 specified by the second icon 44eB becomes the position after dragging. At the same time, the second communication unit 41 transmits the received signal based on the operation to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the wind direction has been changed from the user 10 to the second position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change the direction of the second wind direction plate 3a-2 of the indoor unit 3. The air conditioning execution unit 35 changes the direction of the second wind direction plate 3a-2 based on the command. As a result, at the second position of the indoor space 100 specified by the second icon 44eB after dragging shown in FIG. 13, the second wind direction plate 3a-is such that the wind speed is at a strong level and the wind blows vertically and horizontally. The wind direction of 2 is changed.

Further, when the user 10 drags the second icon 44eB and then releases the finger from the screen to perform a drop operation, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. Based on the received operation, the second image processing unit 42 causes the wind speed change tab 44f to be displayed on the screen of the operation panel 44 as shown in FIG. On the wind speed change tab 44f, a "weak" button, a "medium" button, a "strong" button, and a "decision" button for setting the wind speed are displayed. As shown in FIG. 14, when the user 10 performs an operation of tapping the "OK" button after tapping the "Strong" button, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches the screen of the operation panel 44 to the screen in the state of FIG. 15 based on the received operation. Further, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal based on the operation received by the operation unit 40 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind speed with respect to the second position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change the wind speed to a strong level. Based on the command, the air conditioner execution unit 35 changes the rotation speed of the fan 3c of the indoor unit 3 and changes the wind speed of the blown air of the indoor unit 3. As a result, the wind direction of the second wind direction plate 3a-2 is changed so that the wind speed is at a strong level and the wind blows up, down, left and right at the second position of the indoor space 100. Here, since the wind speed is changed from the strong level to the strong level, the wind speed is actually maintained in the state shown in FIG. Since the operation when dragging the first icon 44eA is the same as the operation when dragging the second icon 44eB, the description thereof will be omitted here. As described above, in the examples of FIGS. 12 to 15, the wind speed and the wind direction can be set independently in the first area and the second area of the indoor space 100.

<Modification example 2 of setting information change operation>
Next, another method of changing the setting information in the "two-touch airflow operation" will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19. Here, as shown in FIG. 23, a case where the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 is composed of the first wind direction plate 3a-1 and the second wind direction plate 3a-2 will be described. In the state of FIG. 16, the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB are displayed by the processing of the second image processing unit 42. The wind speeds of the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB are both at the "strong" level. That is, FIGS. 16 to 19 show an example in which the wind direction can be set independently in the first area and the second area of the indoor space 100, but the wind speed cannot be set independently. ing. In the state of FIG. 16, as shown in FIG. 17, when the user 10 drags the second icon 44eB, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 moves the display position of the second icon 44eB to the position after dragging based on the received operation. As a result, the second position of the indoor space 100 specified by the second icon 44eB becomes the position after dragging. At the same time, the second communication unit 41 transmits the received signal based on the operation to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind direction with respect to the second position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change the direction of the second wind direction plate 3a-2 of the indoor unit 3. The air conditioning execution unit 35 changes the direction of the second wind direction plate 3a-2 based on the command. As a result, the second wind direction plate 3a-2 so that the wind speed is at a strong level and the wind blows up, down, left and right at the second position of the indoor space 100 specified by the second icon 44eB after dragging shown in FIG. The wind direction is changed.

Further, when the user 10 drags the icon 44e and then performs a drop operation of releasing the finger from the screen, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. Based on the received operation, the second image processing unit 42 causes the wind speed change tab 44f to be displayed on the screen of the operation panel 44 as shown in FIG. On the wind speed change tab 44f, a "weak" button, a "medium" button, a "strong" button, and a "decision" button for setting the wind speed are displayed. As shown in FIG. 18, when the user 10 performs an operation of tapping the "decision" button after tapping the "middle" button, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches the screen of the operation panel 44 to the screen in the state of FIG. 19 based on the received operation. Further, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal based on the operation received by the operation unit 40 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind speed with respect to the second position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change both the wind speeds of the first area and the second area of the indoor space 100 to the medium level. Based on the command, the air conditioner execution unit 35 changes the rotation speed of the fan 3c of the indoor unit 3 and changes the wind speed of the blown air of the indoor unit 3 to a medium level. Since the operation when dragging the first icon 44eA is the same as the operation when dragging the second icon 44eB, the description thereof will be omitted here.

Note that, in FIG. 17, when the user 10 drags the second icon 44eB, it is assumed that the moving distance of the second icon 44eB is long. As a result, the case where the second icon 44eB is on the right side of the first icon 44eA in the display image 44a will be described. In this case, the first icon 44eA identifies the second position in the second area of the indoor space 100, and the second icon 44eB identifies the first position in the first area of the indoor space 100. It has been changed. However, the first icon 44eA corresponds to the first wind direction plate 3a-1 of the air outlet 3d of the indoor unit 3, and the second icon 44eB corresponds to the second wind direction plate 3a-2 of the air outlet 3d of the indoor unit 3. It corresponds to. In that state, when the user 10 sets the wind directions of the first position and the second position, the left and right wind directions intersect. Therefore, in such a case, the operation unit 40 re-recognizes the second icon 44eB on the right side in the display image 44a as the new first icon 44eA. Similarly, the operation unit 40 re-recognizes the first icon 44eA on the left side in the display image 44a as a new second icon 44eB. That is, the operation unit 40 re-recognizes the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB before the movement as the new second icon 44eB and the first icon 44eA, respectively. Then, the operation unit 40 accepts the change of the setting information for the first position specified by the first icon 44eA, and accepts the change of the setting information for the second position specified by the second icon 44eB. By doing so, even when the left and right positions of the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB are exchanged, it is possible to prevent the left and right wind directions from intersecting. As a result, the wind from the first wind direction plate 3a-1 (see FIG. 23) and the wind from the second wind direction plate 3a-2 (see FIG. 23) of the air outlet 3d of the indoor unit 3 collide with each other. It is possible to prevent interference.

In the first embodiment, when the controller 4 is the mobile terminal 11 carried by the user 10, the mobile terminal 11 and the indoor unit 3 are the base station 9, the communication network 7, and the communication network 7, as shown in FIG. And, it is connected to be communicable via the router 6. Therefore, the user 10 can remotely perform the above-mentioned operation described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 19 by using the mobile terminal 11. In that case, on the display screen of the operation panel 44 shown in FIG. 3, "out-of-home mode" is displayed instead of the "home mode" of the header 3h.

Further, in the above operation described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 19, an example in which the operation unit 40 accepts a change in the setting information of the wind direction and the wind speed at the position specified by the icon 44e has been described, but the present invention is not limited to that case. .. The operation unit 40 may accept changes in the setting information of the wind direction, the wind speed, the temperature, and the humidity at the position specified by the icon 44e.

<Operation of indoor unit 3>
FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the indoor unit 3 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 24, in the indoor unit 3, first, in step S1, the information acquisition unit 32 acquires the first image from at least one of the first sensor 5a and the third sensor 5c.

Next, in step S2, the first image processing unit 33 performs image processing for compositing and displaying the icon 44e that specifies the first position of the indoor space 100 on the first image to generate the second image. ..

Next, in step S3, the first communication unit 36 transmits the second image to the second communication unit 41 of the controller 4.

<Operation of controller 4>
FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the controller 4 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 25, in the controller 4, first, in step S10, the second communication unit 41 receives the second image from the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3.

Next, in step S11, the second image processing unit 42 generates a display image based on the second image, and the display unit 43 displays the display image on the display screen of the operation panel 44.

Next, in step S12, the operation unit 40 detects the presence or absence of the drag operation of the icon 44e. If the operation unit 40 does not detect the drag operation, the controller 4 stands by as it is. On the other hand, when the operation unit 40 detects the drag operation, the controller 4 proceeds to the process of step S13.

In step S13, the second image processing unit 42 moves the icon 44e on the display screen of the operation panel 44 according to the drag operation detected in step S12.

Next, in step S14, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal notifying the drag operation detected in step S12 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. As a result, the air conditioner control unit 34 of the indoor unit 3 changes the angle of the wind direction plate 3a of the indoor unit 3 to change the wind direction of the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e.

Next, in step S15, the operation unit 40 detects the presence or absence of the drop operation of the icon 44e. If the operation unit 40 does not detect the drop operation, the controller 4 stands by as it is. On the other hand, when the operation unit 40 detects the drop operation, the controller 4 proceeds to the process of step S16.

In step S16, the operation unit 40 detects whether or not the user 10 has input a change in the wind speed. If the operation unit 40 does not detect the change input of the wind speed, the controller 4 stands by as it is. On the other hand, when the operation unit 40 detects the change input of the wind speed, the controller 4 proceeds to the process of step S17.

In step S17, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal for notifying the change input of the wind speed detected in step S16 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. As a result, the air conditioner control unit 34 of the indoor unit 3 changes the rotation speed of the fan 3c of the indoor unit 3 and the wind speed of the blown air of the indoor unit 3 to change the wind speed of the blown air of the indoor unit 3 so that the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e Change the wind speed at the first position.

Note that, in steps S12, S15, and S16 of FIG. 25, the flow of FIG. 25 may be terminated as it is after a certain period of time has elapsed while the operation unit 40 is on standby. Specifically, to explain with reference to the examples of FIGS. 8 to 11, when a certain period of time elapses while the operation unit 40 is on standby in step S12 or step S15, the state returns to the “thermal image display” state of FIG. May be good. Further, in step S16, when a certain time elapses while the operation unit 40 is on standby, the state of "thermal image display" in FIG. 4 is returned, or the state of "one-touch airflow operation" in FIG. 8 is returned. You may. Note that the cases of FIGS. 12 to 15 and the cases of FIGS. 16 to 19 may be the same as those of FIGS. 8 to 11, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

Further, in the first embodiment, it has been explained that the wind speed change tab 44f shown in FIGS. 10, 14 and 18 is displayed by the drag-and-drop operation of the user 10. However, it is not limited to this case. The wind speed change tab 44f shown in FIGS. 10, 14 and 18 may be displayed by the touch-and-drop operation of the user 10. That is, when the user 10 touches the icon 44e, 44eA or 44eB and then releases the finger from the icon, the wind speed change tab 44f shown in FIGS. 10, 14 and 18 may be displayed.

<Effect of Embodiment 1>
As described above, in the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, the controller 4 has a display unit 43 that displays a display image 44a based on the second image generated by the first image processing unit 33, and an icon 44e. It has an operation unit 40 that accepts a drag operation for moving the display image 44a. The operation unit 40 accepts a change in the setting information for the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e. In this way, the user 10 can easily identify one position of the indoor space 100 by moving the icon 44e while looking at the display image 44a displayed on the display unit 43. In addition, the user 10 can set the wind speed and the wind direction at the position specified by the icon 44e. Therefore, as expected by the user 10, it is possible to easily obtain the state change of the indoor space 100 desired by the user. That is, the user 10 can easily control the air conditioner by blowing or not blowing the wind from the indoor unit 3 to a specific person in the indoor space 100.

In the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, the information acquisition unit 32 acquires a thermal image, a visible light image, a distance visualization image, or a combination thereof showing the state of the indoor space 100. Further, the first image processing unit 33 performs image processing of the first image acquired by the information acquisition unit 32 to generate a second image. The second image is transmitted to the controller 4. The display unit 43 of the controller 4 displays the display image 44a based on the second image. As a result, the user 10 can grasp the entire state of the indoor space 100 at a glance.

Generally, when the user operates the air conditioner, the setting information is input to the remote controller while predicting how the air conditioner will operate. As a result, users cannot accurately predict how the air conditioner will work and how the environment around them will change.

On the other hand, the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment can visualize the current state of the indoor space 100 to the user 10 based on the information from the information acquisition unit 32. Further, the user 10 can specify one position in the indoor space 100 with the icon 44e based on the visualized image. Further, the user 10 can instruct the wind speed, the wind direction, the temperature, the humidity, and the like at the position specified by the icon 44e. In this way, since the user 10 can directly instruct changes in the environment around him / her, he / she can accurately predict how his / her surrounding state will change due to the change in the setting information of the air conditioner 1. As described above, in the first embodiment, the user 10 can obtain the optimum environment by instructing each or any of the temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction at the desired position.

When the controller 4 is a touch panel type operation panel 44, the user 10 can easily change the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction at an arbitrary position in the indoor space 100 by simply tapping or dragging the screen of the operation panel 44. can do.

For example, when it is desired to set the wind direction, the user 10 can specify the wind direction simply by dragging the icon 44e displayed on the operation panel 44. Similarly, since the surrounding environment of the user 10 can be directly specified and operated, such as specifying the wind speed or the temperature of the arrival point of the wind, the environment as expected by the user 10 can be constructed.

In the past, when setting the wind, temperature, and humidity, if it was not possible to clearly grasp what the current settings were, it was sometimes unclear how to change these settings. However, in the first embodiment, since the wind speed level and the wind direction are displayed by the frame 44e-1 and the protrusion 44e-2 of the icon 44e, the user 10 can clearly grasp the current setting.

Further, when the current setting is known, the user 10 can apply the setting information of the position before dragging the icon 44e to the position after dragging as it is by simply dragging the icon 44e. As a result, the user 10 can set the setting information in detail at the arrival point of the drag of the icon 44e without performing a troublesome operation. As a result, the user 10 can not only change the setting information of the position specified by the icon 44e, but also easily apply the installation information of the position specified by the icon 44e to another position.

Embodiment 2.
In the first embodiment described above, the operation in which the user 10 touches at least one of the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB displayed on the display image 44a has been described. In the second embodiment, a case where the user 10 touches the vicinity of the first icon 44eA or the second icon 44eB will be described.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 26 shows a case where the user 10 performs a touch operation of touching one part of the display image 44a in the state of FIG. 12 described above. When the user 10 touches the display image 44a, the operation unit 40 accepts the touch operation. The operation unit 40 determines whether the touched position corresponds to either the first icon 44eA or the second icon 44eB. As a result of the determination, if the operation unit 40 is not in any position, the operation unit 40 selects the icon closest to the position touched by the touch operation from the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB. In the example of FIG. 26, since the second icon 44eB is closest to the position touched by the user 10, the operation unit 40 selects the second icon 44eB. The operation unit 40 accepts a change in the setting information for the first position or the second position of the indoor space 100 specified by the selected icon. In the example of FIG. 26, since the second icon 44eB is selected, the operation unit 40 accepts the change of the setting information for the second position specified by the second icon 44eB.

Since other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted here.

As described above, since the air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, in the second embodiment, when the user 10 touches the display image 44a, the operation unit 40 also touches the position deviated from the first icon 44eA or the second icon 44eB. Accept operations. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the effect that the operation of the user 10 becomes easier can be obtained.

Embodiment 3.
In the first embodiment described above, an example in which at least one of the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB is displayed on the display image 44a has been described. In the third embodiment, an embodiment in which the first icon 44eA and the second icon 44eB are not used will be described. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the first image processing unit 33 does not perform image processing for compositing and displaying the icon 44e on the first image when the second image is generated. This point is different from the first embodiment. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted here.

The operation of changing the setting information in the third embodiment is the same as the case of the "one-touch airflow operation" described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11 above. Hereinafter, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.

27 and 28 are diagrams showing an example of the display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment.

In FIG. 27, neither the first icon 44eA nor the second icon 44eB is displayed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 27, when the user 10 performs a touch operation of touching one place of the display image 44a or a drag operation of moving the touched position, the operation unit 40 performs the touch operation or the drag. Accept operations. As a result, the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the touch operation or the drag operation is determined. At the same time, the second communication unit 41 transmits the received signal based on the operation to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind direction with respect to the first position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to change the direction of the wind direction plate 3a (see FIG. 22) of the indoor unit 3. The air conditioning execution unit 35 changes the direction of the wind direction plate 3a based on the command. As a result, the wind direction is changed at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the touch operation or the drag operation. As shown in FIG. 22, since one wind direction plate 3a is provided for the air outlet 3d of the indoor unit 3, the wind direction for the entire indoor space 100 can be changed at once.

Further, when the user 10 performs a drop operation of releasing the finger from the display image 44a after the touch operation or the drag operation, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. Based on the received operation, the second image processing unit 42 displays the wind speed change tab 44f on the screen of the operation panel 44 as shown in FIG. 28. On the wind speed change tab 44f, a "weak" button, a "medium" button, a "strong" button, and a "decision" button for setting the wind speed are displayed. As shown in FIG. 28, when the user 10 performs an operation of tapping the "decision" button after tapping the "middle" button, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches the screen of the operation panel 44 to the screen in the state of FIG. 11 based on the received operation. Further, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal based on the operation received by the operation unit 40 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the wind speed with respect to the first position. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to change the wind speed to the air conditioning execution unit 35. Based on the command, the air conditioner execution unit 35 changes the rotation speed of the fan 3c of the indoor unit 3 and also changes the wind speed of the blown air from the indoor unit 3. As a result, the wind speed at the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the touch operation or the drag operation is changed.

As described above, since the air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, in the third embodiment, when the first image processing unit 33 generates the second image, it is not necessary to perform image processing for compositing and displaying the icon 44e on the first image. Therefore, the effect that the calculation processing amount of the first image processing unit 33 is reduced can be obtained.

Embodiment 4.
In the above-described first to third embodiments, an example of changing the setting information of the wind direction and the wind speed has been described. In the fourth embodiment, an example in which the setting information of the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3 can be changed will be further described.

In the fourth embodiment, after setting the wind speed on the screen of FIG. 10 above, the screen is switched to the screen of the state of FIG. 29 without switching to the screen of the state of FIG. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the controller 4 of the air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 29, the second image processing unit 42 displays the blowout temperature changing tab 44i on the screen of the operation panel 44. On the blowout temperature change tab 44i, the current temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3, a "+" button for changing the temperature, a "-" button, and a "OK" button are displayed. There is. When the "+" button is pressed once, the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3 rises by 1 ° C. On the other hand, when the "-" button is pressed once, the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3 is lowered by 1 ° C. The range of increase / decrease in temperature is not limited to 1 ° C, and may be set to any range of increase / decrease such as 0.5 ° C. For example, as shown in FIG. 29, when the user 10 taps the "+" button once and then taps the "OK" button, the operation unit 40 accepts the operation. The second image processing unit 42 switches the screen of the operation panel 44 to the screen in the state of FIG. 11 based on the received operation. Further, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal based on the operation received by the operation unit 40 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. When the first communication unit 36 receives the signal, the air conditioning control unit 34 recognizes that the user 10 has input a change in the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3. The air conditioning control unit 34 outputs a command to the air conditioning execution unit 35 to raise the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3 by 1 ° C. The air conditioning execution unit 35 changes the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3 based on the command. As a result, the temperature of the blown air blown out toward the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the icon 44e is set to the changed temperature.

<Operation of controller 4>
FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the controller 4 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 30 is different from the flowchart of FIG. 25 in that step S20 and step S21 are added. As shown in FIG. 30, in the controller 4, first, the processes of steps S10 to S17 are performed. Since the contents of the processing of these steps are the same as the contents described with reference to FIG. 25 of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted here.

In step S20, the operation unit 40 detects whether or not the user 10 has input a change in the temperature of the blown air from the indoor unit 3. If the operation unit 40 does not detect the temperature change input, the controller 4 stands by as it is. On the other hand, when the operation unit 40 detects the temperature change input, the controller 4 proceeds to the process of step S21.

In step S21, the second communication unit 41 transmits a signal notifying the temperature change input detected in step S20 to the first communication unit 36 of the indoor unit 3. As a result, the air conditioning control unit 34 of the indoor unit 3 changes the temperature of the blown air of the indoor unit 3 to change the temperature of the blown air blown toward the first position of the indoor space 100 specified by the user 10. change.

Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of any of the first to third embodiments, the description thereof will be omitted here.

In the fourth embodiment, an example of changing the setting information of the wind direction, the wind speed, and the temperature of the blown air has been described, but the setting information of the wind direction, the wind speed, and the temperature of the blown air is not necessarily changed. No need. That is, only one of the setting information of the wind direction, the wind speed, and the temperature of the blown air may be changed.

Further, in the fourth embodiment, the first sensor 5a provided in the indoor unit 3 may have a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the blown air blown out from the indoor unit 3. In that case, the controller 4 may perform feedback control so that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor approaches the temperature set by the user 10.

As described above, since the air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, in the fourth embodiment, the user 10 can change the setting information including any one of the wind speed, the wind direction, and the temperature of the blown air of the indoor unit 3, or a combination thereof. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the user 10 can set the wind speed, the wind direction, and the temperature of the blown air at the position specified by the touch operation. Therefore, as expected by the user 10, it is possible to easily obtain the state change of the indoor space 100 desired by the user 10. That is, the user 10 can easily control the air conditioning by blowing or not blowing the wind of a desired temperature to a specific person in the indoor space 100.

1 air conditioner, 2 outdoor unit, 3 indoor unit, 3a wind direction plate, 3a-1 first wind direction plate, 3a-2 second wind direction plate, 3b heat exchanger, 3c fan, 3d air outlet, 3h header, 4 Controller, 5 sensor, 5a 1st sensor, 5b 2nd sensor, 5c 3rd sensor, 6 router, 7 communication network, 8 cloud server, 9 base station, 10 users, 11 mobile terminals, 30 control device, 31 storage unit, 32 Information acquisition unit, 33 1st image processing unit, 34 air conditioning control unit, 35 air conditioning execution unit, 36 1st communication unit, 40 operation unit, 41 2nd communication unit, 42 2nd image processing unit, 43 display unit, 44 Operation panel, 44a display image, 44b display switching button, 44c operation screen, 44c-1 operation mode, 44c-2 set temperature, 44c-3 power switch, 44c-4 operation mode switch, 44c-5 button, 44c-6 button , 44d operation tab, 44e icon, 44e-1 frame, 44e-2 protrusion, 44eA 1st icon, 44eB 2nd icon, 44f wind speed change tab, 44g window, 44h header, 44i blowout temperature change tab, 60 TV, 61 Chair, 62 sofa, 100 indoor space, 101 wall, 102 wall, 200 object, A1 1st reference line, A2 2nd reference line, L1 straight line, L2 straight line, P0 position, α1 angle, α2 angle.

Claims

A controller that inputs setting information including the wind speed, direction, and temperature of the blown air, or a combination thereof, of the indoor unit installed in the indoor space.
An air conditioning control unit that controls the air conditioning setting of the indoor unit based on the setting information input to the controller.
A sensor provided in the indoor space or the indoor unit to generate a first image showing the indoor space.
An information acquisition unit that acquires the first image from the sensor, and
An image processing unit that performs image processing on the first image acquired by the information acquisition unit to generate a second image is provided.
The controller
A display unit that displays a display image based on the second image generated by the image processing unit, and a display unit that displays a display image.
It has an operation unit that receives a touch operation in which the setting information is input and touches the display image.
The operation unit accepts a change in the setting information with respect to the first position of the indoor space specified by the touch operation.
Air conditioner.
When the operation unit receives a drag operation of dragging and moving the touched position after receiving the touch operation,
The air conditioning control unit recognizes that there is an input for changing the wind direction with respect to the first position in the indoor space.
The air conditioner according to claim 1.
The display unit and the operation unit of the controller are integrated.
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.
The controller is an information terminal having a structure in which the display unit and the operation unit are integrated.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The image processing unit is a first image processing unit provided in the indoor unit.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The image processing unit is a second image processing unit provided on the controller.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The sensor is an infrared sensor.
The first image is a thermal image of the indoor space.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The sensor is an image sensor and
The first image is a visible light image of the indoor space.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The sensor is a position sensor that detects the position of an object existing in the indoor space.
The first image is a distance visualization image that visualizes the distance from the position sensor to the object.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The sensor includes at least two of an infrared sensor, an image sensor, and a position sensor that detects the position of an object existing in the indoor space.
The first image is at least two images of a thermal image of the indoor space, a visible light image of the indoor space, and a distance visualization image of the distance from the sensor to the object. It is an image displayed by superimposing,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6.