JP6017207B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an air conditioner control method.

  There is known an air conditioner that detects a human body in an indoor unit in which an indoor unit is installed and reflects the detection result in air conditioning control.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 describes an air conditioner in which a room is divided into a predetermined number of areas and a human sensor is repeatedly rotated left and right. According to Patent Document 1, a wide range of viewing angles can be ensured even in a large-area room.

JP 2012-42184 A

  However, the air conditioner of Patent Literature 1 may detect a human body in the vicinity of an area boundary in two areas. Therefore, when the number of human bodies is detected by the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, the exact number of human bodies cannot be detected.

  Accordingly, an object of the air conditioner of the present invention is to prevent redundant detection of human bodies in the vicinity of an area boundary and to improve the detection accuracy of the number of human bodies.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an imaging unit that images a room in which an indoor unit is installed, a driving unit that drives the imaging unit in the left-right direction, and changes an indoor area imaged by the imaging unit; A human detection unit that detects human information including a person's position based on image information in a plurality of areas imaged by the imaging unit; and a control unit that performs air conditioning control based on the human information. The person information and the person information in which the person's position in the other area is within the first setting range are integrated, and the driving means takes an image at a position where the left area, the center area, and the right area in the room can be imaged. The imaging means alternately executes a first set that images the room in the order of the center area and the right area, and a second set that images the room in the order of the center area and the left area. The human detection means Human information including a person's position is detected based on imaging information in the right area of one set and imaging information in the center area and the left area of the second set executed after the first set. The person information including the position of the person based on the imaging information in the left area of the second set and the imaging information in the center area and the right area of the first set executed after the second set Is detected.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent detecting the human body which exists in the vicinity of the boundary of an area redundantly, and can improve the detection accuracy of the number of human bodies.

It is a front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention, an outdoor unit, and a remote control. It is a sectional side view of an indoor unit. It is a room view which shows the imaging area by an imaging means. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which a control means performs. It is a room view which shows the imaging area by an imaging means. It is a room view which shows the imaging area by an imaging means.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the common part in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, and a remote controller of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner A includes an indoor unit 100, an outdoor unit 200, and a remote controller Re. The indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 are connected by a refrigerant pipe (not shown), and air-conditions the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed by a known refrigerant cycle. The indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 transmit and receive information to and from each other via a communication cable (not shown).

  The remote controller Re is operated by the user and transmits an infrared signal to the remote control receiver Q of the indoor unit 100. The contents of the signal are commands such as an operation request, a change in set temperature, a timer, an operation mode change, and a stop request. The air conditioner A performs air conditioning operations such as a cooling mode, a heating mode, and a dehumidifying mode based on these signals.

  In addition, an imaging unit 110 is installed at the lower part of the center in the left-right direction of the front panel 106 of the indoor unit 100. Details of the imaging unit 110 will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the indoor unit. The housing base 101 houses internal structures such as the heat exchanger 102, the blower fan 103, and the filter 108.

  The heat exchanger 102 includes a plurality of heat transfer tubes 102a, and heats the air taken into the indoor unit 100 by the blower fan 103 with a refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tubes 102a to heat or cool the air. It is configured as follows. The heat transfer tube 102a communicates with the refrigerant pipe (not shown) and constitutes a part of a known refrigerant cycle (not shown).

  The left and right wind direction plates 104 are rotated by a left and right wind direction plate motor (not shown) using a rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the lower portion as a fulcrum according to an instruction from an indoor unit microcomputer (not shown). .

  The vertical wind direction plate 105 is rotated by a vertical wind direction plate motor (not shown) using pivot shafts (not shown) provided at both ends as fulcrums according to instructions from an indoor unit microcomputer (not shown). The

  The front panel 106 is installed so as to cover the front surface of the indoor unit 100, and is configured to be rotatable by a front panel motor (not shown) with the lower end as an axis. Incidentally, you may comprise the front panel 106 as what is fixed to a lower end.

  When the blower fan 103 shown in FIG. 2 rotates, the indoor air is taken in through the air suction port 107 and the filter 108, and the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 102 is guided to the blowout air passage 109a. Further, the air guided to the blowout air passage 109a is adjusted in air direction by the left and right airflow direction plates 104 and the vertical airflow direction plate 105, and is sent to the outside from the air blowing port 109b to air-condition the room.

  The imaging means 110 images the room where the indoor unit 100 is installed. The imaging means 110 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, and is installed at the lower part of the center of the front panel 106 in the left-right direction (see FIG. 1). The imaging unit 110 is installed such that the optical axis of the lens is directed downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal line, so that the room in which the indoor unit 100 is installed can be appropriately imaged.

  The driving unit 114 drives the imaging unit 110 in the left-right direction, and changes the indoor area imaged by the imaging unit 110. For example, the imaging unit 110 is connected to a shaft of a stepping motor that is a driving unit 114, and reciprocates within a predetermined angle range by the operation of the motor.

  In this case, the motor stops for imaging for each area obtained by dividing the range of the predetermined angle into a plurality of areas, and after the imaging, the operation is resumed to direct the imaging means 110 to the next area. Note that if the time required for imaging is sufficiently short compared to the driving speed of the imaging means 110, the stepping motor may be operated continuously.

  In the present embodiment, the driving unit 114 directs the imaging unit 110 to a position where the indoor left area, the central area, and the right area can be imaged. As a result, even if the imaging means 110 with a narrow viewing angle is used, the room can be imaged over a wide range.

  Also, by changing the image processing such as noise removal, face detection, human body detection, etc. according to the illuminance and luminance for each area, face detection and human body detection with higher accuracy, position and activity estimation based on them Can be performed.

  FIG. 3 is a room view showing an imaging area by the imaging means. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the control means.

  The imaging means 110 images the air-conditioned room over time and outputs the captured image as image information to an A / D converter (not shown).

  The A / D converter (not shown) is an electronic circuit that converts image information input as an analog signal from the imaging unit 110 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the human body determination unit 111. An A / D converter (not shown) may be built in the imaging unit 110.

  The control means (not shown) includes human body information creation means 111, human body information integration means 112, and air conditioning control means 113.

  First, the driving unit 114 directs the imaging unit 110 to a position where the central area in the room can be imaged, and the imaging unit 110 images the central area. The human body information creating unit 111 creates human body information including the position of the human body based on the image information of the central area. The occupant B is included in the human body information in the central area.

  Next, the driving unit 114 directs the imaging unit 110 to a position where the right area can be imaged, and the imaging unit 110 images the left area in the room. The human body information creating unit 111 creates human body information including the position of the human body based on the image information of the right area. The human body information in the central area includes occupant A and occupant B.

  The human body information integration unit 112 integrates the human body information of the central area and the right area and the human body information of the left area created in the previous step stored in the storage unit (not shown), thereby integrating the human body. Create information.

  As shown in FIG. 3, since the central area and the right area partially overlap, the occupant B is imaged in both areas. Therefore, it is determined that there is one human body in the human body information in the central area and two human bodies in the human body information in the right area. The central area and the left area also partially overlap.

  Here, the occupant B included in the human body information in the right area and the occupant B included in the human body information in the central area have the same location (within the setting range) on the left and right direction X and the perspective direction Y axis. (Including).

  Therefore, the human body information integration unit 112 has the same location (the setting range is within the position of the occupant B included in the human body information in the central area and the position of the occupant B included in the human body information in the right area. In the case of being located, the occupants B detected in each are integrated. Accordingly, the human bodies detected by the human body information integration unit 112 are the resident person A and the resident person B. Thus, according to the present invention, the number of human bodies in the room can be accurately detected.

  The air conditioning control means 113 performs air conditioning control based on the human body integration information when the human body is detected P times in the same area. The air-conditioning control means 113, based on the detected position of the human body, is a motor for vertical wind direction plates (not shown) installed on the vertical wind direction plate 105, and a motor for left and right wind direction plates (not shown) installed on the left and right wind direction plates 104. Change the setting position (not shown). The area here may be set to a smaller area than when the room is divided into three areas.

  In addition, the air conditioning control unit 113 determines whether the power supply ON / OFF, the set temperature, the rotational speed of the compressor motor included in the outdoor unit, and the maximum amount of current supplied to the compressor motor according to the number of human bodies in the human body integrated information. At least one of the control information may be changed, and the air conditioning control may be changed using the changed control information as a target value.

  In the present embodiment, when the position of the human body in the human body information integration unit 112 is the same twice in succession, it is determined that a human body exists at the position, and the human body information is reflected in the control by the air conditioning control unit 113.

  By requiring that the human body be at the same place (including within the set range) for the determination of the presence or absence of the human body, frequent changes in control due to temporary leaving or entering the room and the associated indoor thermal environment Deterioration can be prevented.

  Thereafter, the driving unit 114 directs the imaging unit 110 to a position where the central area can be imaged, and the imaging unit 110 captures the indoor central area. Then, the driving unit 114 directs the imaging unit 110 to a position where the left area can be imaged, and the imaging unit 110 images the left area in the room.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the imaging of the central area and the left area and the imaging of the central area and the right area are executed alternately. Since the imaging means 110 images the room both counterclockwise and clockwise, the overall detection speed can be improved.

  FIG. 5 is a room view showing an imaging area by the imaging means. In the room in FIG. 5, there are a resident A in the right area, a resident B in the central area, and a resident C in the left area.

  At this time, the occupant A may stay in the right area or move to the central area or the left area. Resident B may stay in the central area or move to the left or right area. The occupant C may move to the center area or the right area, staying in the left area.

  Here, when the resident A in the right area moves to the left area, it crosses the central area. Further, when the occupant C in the left area moves to the right area, it crosses the central area. That is, when the central area moves to another area, the central area may only be crossed but may be erroneously detected as being in the central area.

  On the other hand, when the occupant B in the center moves to the left area and the right area, it does not cross other areas.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, since the imaging of the central area and the left area and the imaging of the central area and the right area are executed alternately, the central area is imaged more than the left area and the right area. Therefore, more image information in the central area is reflected in the processing in the human body information integration unit 112. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to intensively image the central area where there is a high possibility of erroneous detection, and to achieve both reduction of false detection and improvement of processing speed.

  In addition, when the operation | movement to which a wind is applied previously is selected, the up-and-down wind direction board 105 and the right-and-left wind direction board 104 are turned so that a wind may reach the said position. On the other hand, when the operation for avoiding wind is selected in advance, the up / down wind direction plate 105 and the left / right wind direction plate 104 are controlled so that the wind does not reach the position.

  When two or more human bodies are detected, in the wind blowing operation, the left and right wind direction plates 104 are swung between the rightmost area and the leftmost area where people are located, and the vertical wind direction plate 105 is located the farthest area where people are present. Swing between and the nearest area. In wind-avoidance driving, it blows in the wide direction of both sides in the area next to the area where people are present in both the left and right directions. In the absence, the wind direction is not changed.

  The storage means (not shown) includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and stores processing performed by the control means 130. Then, the program stored in the ROM is read out by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the control means 130, expanded in the RAM, and executed.

  The horizontal position of the human body is calculated based on the angle of the imaging unit 110 and the center position of the human face in the image information.

  Further, the position of the human body in the perspective direction is calculated according to Equation 1. Reference sign D is the distance from the human body to the lens g, reference sign P is the lateral width of the face image on the imaging surface p, and reference sign F is the distance from the lens g to the imaging surface p. Symbol H is the width of the human body's face (or head), and is stored in the storage means 140 in advance as a predetermined value.

  As described above, the human body determination unit 111 can accurately calculate the position of the human body by determining the position of the human body in the left-right direction and the position in the perspective direction.

  Then, when the position of the human body in the left-right direction and the position in the perspective direction are each divided into three, it is determined at which position the human body is in the area, and the drive control means 113 determines the vertical wind direction plate 105 and the left and right wind direction plate 104. Change the setting position.

  In addition, the floor plan may be detected by the imaging unit 110 and may not be blown toward the wall during windbreak to prevent the wall from cooling and condensing on the wall surface or inside the wall. Further, from the installation position setting at the time of installation, it may be prevented from blowing toward the wall at the time of windbreak.

Further, from the output of the CO ₂ sensor, it may be determined that the number of people is large when the concentration is high, and the number determination of the human body determination unit 111 may be corrected.

  Further, if the human body exists at the same position for a predetermined period (for example, 1 hour), the human body is determined as an element other than a human body having a feature that is detected as a human body such as a poster or a doll, and is not treated as a human body. It should be noted that elements other than the human body having characteristics detected with the human body, such as posters and dolls, may be stored and excluded from the detection result.

  By such processing, it is possible to prevent a malfunction in which an element having a feature detected as a human body is determined as a human body.

  Moreover, although the case where one imaging means 110 was installed in the lower part of the center of the left-right direction of the front panel 106 of the indoor unit 100 was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this. For example, the imaging unit 110 may be installed on the right side or the left side of the front panel 106.

  Further, a plurality of image pickup means 110 may be installed on the front panel 106.

  In addition, by displaying the number of human bodies on the human body information display means (not shown), the human body can know the contents of the control, and it is less worried about the control than when the control is not shown. I can do it. The same is true for displaying the position of the human body.

  Also, by displaying the number of human bodies on the human body information display means, if the actual number of human bodies and the number of human bodies displayed on the human body information display means are different, the human body is the characteristic of the human body information integration means 112 (what kind of human body is detected It is possible to know what kind of human body cannot be detected), and it is possible to relieve anxiety about the control compared to the case where the control is not shown. The same is true for displaying the position of the human body.

  FIG. 6 is an indoor view showing an imaging area by the imaging means 110. Instead of specifying the location of the human body according to the position on the X axis and Y axis, the location of the human body is specified by dividing the room into a plurality of areas and determining in which area the human body is located Also good.

  In FIG. 6, the right area is divided into four, the central area is divided into four, and the left area is divided into four. It is determined that the human bodies measured in the area right 1 of the right area and the area center 4 of the central area are the same person. Similarly, the human body measured in the central area 1 and the right area 1 is also determined to be the same person.

  The occupant A is determined to be the same person because it is measured at the area right 1 in the right area and the area center 4 in the central area. Thus, according to the present invention, the number of human bodies in the room can be accurately detected.

  Although the case where the area is divided in the left-right direction has been described, the position of the human body in the perspective direction may be measured by dividing the area in the perspective direction and determining which area the human body is in.

  Moreover, although the room was divided | segmented into several areas and the case where a part of each area overlapped was demonstrated, you may divide | segment a room so that each area may not overlap. Even in such a case, when the human body is in a position straddling both areas or when the human body moves a little, there is a possibility that both areas are detected redundantly. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent detecting a human body redundantly and can improve the detection accuracy of the number of human bodies.

  As described above, the air conditioner of the present invention has an imaging unit 110 that images a room in which the indoor unit 100 is installed, and an indoor area that is imaged by the imaging unit 110 by driving the imaging unit 110 in the left-right direction. A driving unit 114 for changing the image, and a control unit for detecting a human body based on image information in a plurality of areas imaged by the imaging unit 110 and performing air-conditioning control according to the detection result. Based on the human body information creating unit 111 that creates human body information including the position of the human body based on the human body information in one area and the human body information in another area, the human body information integrating unit 112 creates the human body integrated information. And air conditioning control means 113 for performing air conditioning control based on the human body integrated information, and the human body information integrating means 112 is a human body included in the human body information in one area. Position, the body position included in the human-body information in other areas, but to integrate the human body within a first set range.

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, the control means performs air conditioning control based on the human body integration information when the position of the human body included in the human body integration information is within the second setting range for the set number of times. .

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, the driving unit 114 directs the imaging unit 110 to a position where the left area, the central area, and the right area of the room can be imaged, and the imaging unit 110 includes the central area and the right area. The human body information integration unit 112 performs alternately the first set that images the room in the order of the areas and the second set that images the room in the order of the center area and the left area. The human body information in the right area and the human body information in the center area and the left area in the second set executed after the first set are integrated to create human body integrated information, and the second set The human body integrated information is created by integrating the human body information of the left area of the human body information and the human body information of the center area and the right area of the first set executed after the second set.

A Air conditioner Re Remote controller 100 Indoor unit 200 Outdoor unit 104 Left and right wind direction plate 105 Vertical wind direction plate 110 Imaging means 111 Human body information creation means 112 Human body information integration means 113 Air conditioning control means 114 Driving means

Claims (4)

Imaging means for imaging the room in which the indoor unit is installed;
Driving means for driving the imaging means in the left-right direction and changing an indoor area imaged by the imaging means;
Human detection means for detecting human information including the position of a person based on image information in a plurality of areas imaged by the imaging means;
Control means for performing air conditioning control based on the person information,
Integrating the person information in which the position of the person in one area and the position of the person in another area are within a first set range ;
The driving means directs the imaging means to a position where the left area, the center area and the right area of the room can be imaged,
The imaging means includes
A first set for imaging a room in the order of the central area and the right area;
A second set for imaging a room in the order of the central area and the left area;
Alternately
The person detecting means is
Based on the imaging information in the right area of the first set and the imaging information in the central area and the left area of the second set executed after the first set Detect human information including the location of
Based on the imaging information in the left area of the second set and the imaging information in the center area and the right area of the first set executed after the second set An air conditioner that detects human information including the position of a person .   2. The air conditioning according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs air-conditioning control based on the position of the person when the position of the person is within a second set range continuously for a set number of times. Machine. The person detecting means detects human information including the number of persons,
The control means controls at least one of a set temperature, a rotation speed of a compressor motor, or a current supplied to the compressor motor based on the number of persons detected by the person detection means. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 . The person detecting means detects human information including the number of persons,
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising human information display means for displaying the number of persons detected by the human detection means.