JP2009186137A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of improving air conditioning efficiency and achieving comfortable air-conditioning by acquiring presence or absence, and a position of a person in a room, and supplying the airflow according to dweller's preference. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of horizontal blades disposed on a supply opening of an indoor unit are constituted to be independently controlled by each of a plurality of blocks, an air-conditioned area is divided into a plurality of areas by a plurality of human body detecting sensors, and a control device is disposed to independently control each of the plurality of horizontal blades by each block according to a result of the reaction of the plurality of human body detecting sensors. Further all of the plurality of horizontal blades are controlled toward the direction of an area where the person exists or an area where the person does not exist, so that an opening width of the supplied airflow from the supply opening is restricted according to the dweller's preference, when the plurality of human body detecting sensors detect one area where the person exists among the plurality of areas, or detect that persons exist in the plurality of areas excluding one area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with a human body detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person in an indoor unit, and in particular, detects the position of a person in the room and controls the left and right wind directions of the wind blown from the indoor unit. It relates to the floor-mounted air conditioner.

  A conventional air conditioner detects a region where a person is present from a plurality of regions by a human body detection sensor provided in the indoor unit, and controls a plurality of left and right outlet deflection units according to the detected regions. In some cases, the shortest distance is selected from a plurality of detected distances, and the upper and lower blowing directions are controlled with respect to the shortest distance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-103551

  However, as in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, it is not sufficient to simply control a plurality of left and right outlet deflecting units according to the left and right positions of a plurality of detected areas. There was still room for improvement in terms of comfort.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and grasps the presence / absence and position of a person in a room and realizes a blowout air flow suitable for the occupants' preference, thereby achieving air conditioning. It aims at providing the air conditioner which can improve efficiency and can achieve comfortable air conditioning.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is an air conditioner that controls the operation by detecting the presence or absence of a person with a plurality of human body detection sensors provided in the indoor unit. In addition, the plurality of left and right blades provided at the outlet of the indoor unit are configured to be independently controllable for each of a plurality of blocks, and the area to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of areas by the plurality of human body detection sensors, and A control device that controls the plurality of left and right blades independently for each block according to the reaction results of the plurality of human body detection sensors, wherein one of the plurality of regions is provided by the plurality of human body detection sensors. When detected, the control device controls all of the plurality of left and right blades in the direction of the one region so as to narrow the opening width of the air flow from the air outlet.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided windbreak selection means capable of selecting whether or not the blowing airflow is directed in the direction of the area where the person is present, and the control is performed when the windbreak selection means selects no windbreak. It is characterized by having performed.

  Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is an air conditioner that controls the operation by detecting the presence or absence of a person using a plurality of human body detection sensors provided in the indoor unit, and is provided at the outlet of the indoor unit. The plurality of left and right blades are configured to be independently controllable for each of a plurality of blocks, and an area to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of areas by the plurality of human body detection sensors, and according to a reaction result of the plurality of human body detection sensors. A control device that controls the plurality of left and right blades independently for each block; and when the plurality of human body detection sensors detect that a person is present in the plurality of regions except for one region, the control The apparatus controls all of the plurality of left and right blades toward one region where the person is not present so as to narrow an opening width of the air flow from the air outlet.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided windbreak selection means capable of selecting whether or not the blown airflow is directed in the direction of the area where the person is present, and when the presence of windbreak is selected by the windbreak selection means, the control is performed. It is characterized by having performed.

  According to the present invention, when one of the plurality of regions is detected by the plurality of human body detection sensors, the plurality of airflows in the direction of the one region where the person is present are narrowed. Since the left and right blades are controlled, the blown airflow can be concentrated in an area where people are present according to the occupant's preference, and a more efficient and comfortable air conditioning operation can be achieved.

  In addition, when a plurality of human body detection sensors detect that a person is present in a plurality of areas except for one area, a plurality of left and right Since the blades are controlled, the blown airflow can be concentrated in an area where no one is present according to the occupant's preference, and a more efficient and comfortable air conditioning operation can be achieved.

  Furthermore, a windshield selection means that can select whether or not to direct the blown airflow in the direction of the area where the person is present is provided. it can.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor-standing air conditioner according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view along a center line in a vertical direction. This floor-standing air conditioner is composed of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe, and FIGS. 1 and 2 particularly show the indoor unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the floor-standing air conditioner according to the present invention includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 1, and a horizontally long surface for sucking room air in the lower front portion of the housing 1. A vertical suction port 2b for sucking room air is similarly formed at the corners between the front surface and both side surfaces below the housing 1. In addition, a horizontally long air outlet 5 for blowing air sucked from the air inlets 2a and 2b into the room is formed in the upper front portion of the housing 1.

  A blower fan 3 is disposed below the inside of the housing 1, and a heat exchanger 4 is disposed above the blower fan 3, and indoor air is sucked by the blower fan 3 through the suction ports 2 a and 2 b. The heat is exchanged by the heat exchanger 4 and blown out into the room through the blowout port 5. Therefore, the heat exchanger 4 is located on the downstream side of the blower fan 3 when viewed from the air flow passing through the inside of the housing 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of upper and lower blades (first airflow blades) 6 extending in the lateral direction for blowing the blown air up and down are arranged behind the blowout port 5. In front of the upper and lower blades 6, a plurality of left and right blades (second wind direction blades) 8 extending in the vertical direction for blowing the blown air left and right are arranged. The upper and lower blades 6 are connected to a drive motor 7 and are driven by the drive motor 7 so that the plurality of upper and lower blades 6 integrally swing up and down. On the other hand, the left and right blades 8 are composed of, for example, nine pieces, and are divided into three blocks each having three pieces on the left side, three pieces on the center, and three pieces on the right side as one block. The three left and right blades 8 constituting each block are connected to each other by a connecting bar 9, and one of them is connected to the drive motor 10 to change the angle of the left and right blades 8 independently for each block. be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a front panel 11 is provided below the air outlet 5, and a plurality of (for example, three) sensor units 12 constituting a human body detection device are provided on the front panel 11. Is attached without protruding from the main plane of the front panel 11. These sensor units 12 are held by a sensor holder 13 attached to the housing 1 with the center sensor unit 12 facing the front and the sensor units 12 on both sides facing the left diagonally forward or right diagonally forward. A cover 14 is attached in front of the sensor units 12 so as to cover the front opening of the sensor holder 13. The cover 14 is attached to a horizontally long rectangular opening 11a formed on the front panel 11 to prevent dust from entering the apparatus and at the same time prevent a human hand from touching the sensor unit 12 directly. belongs to. The cover 14 is made of, for example, polyethylene, and is set to a thickness of about 0.5 millimeters in order to improve infrared transmittance.

  Each sensor unit 12 includes a circuit board 12a attached to the sensor holder 13 and electrically connected to an indoor unit control device (not shown), a Fresnel lens 12b attached to the circuit board 12a, and a Fresnel lens 12b. It is comprised with the human body detection element (not shown) mounted in the inside. Furthermore, the human body detection element is composed of an infrared element that detects the presence or absence of a person by detecting infrared rays radiated from the human body, for example, and a pulse that is output according to a change in the amount of infrared rays detected by the infrared element. The presence or absence of a person is determined by the circuit board 12a based on the signal.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B respectively show a plan view and a front view of the human body detection device having the above configuration, and reference numeral 12c indicates an infrared light receiving path that passes through a plurality of focal points of the Fresnel lens 12a. .

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a spacer 15 is provided between the sensor unit 12 and the cover 14. Since the cover 14 is relatively thin and may be deformed (dented) when pressurized from the outside, the spacer 15 is provided to reinforce the cover 14 and the infrared light receiving path 12c of the sensor unit 12 passes therethrough. Circular or elliptical through-holes 15a, 15b, and 15c are formed at positions where the infrared light receiving path 12c is not blocked at positions facing the plurality of sensor units 12 in the spacer 15.

  As another method for increasing the strength of the cover 14, the configuration of FIG. 6 is also possible. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cover 14 as seen from the back. The portion of the cover 14 that does not block the infrared light receiving path 12c is set thicker, and the portion that is blocked is set thinner than the thickness of the portion that is not blocked. By providing the grid-like ribs 14a projecting toward 12, the strength necessary for the cover 14 can be ensured. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the height of the rib 14a is set to be different depending on the position, and the reason will be described with reference to the graph of FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the infrared transmittance and the thickness of the cover 14, and the infrared transmittance gradually decreases as the thickness of the cover 14 increases. When the minimum allowable transmittance is set based on the sensitivity of the sensor unit 12, the maximum allowable thickness of the cover 14 is determined from the graph of FIG. 8 according to the minimum allowable transmittance. Here, the “thickness” of the cover 14 is the length that the infrared ray passes through the cover 14, and the thickness of the cover 14 along the infrared ray receiving path 12 c (corresponding to the infrared ray passing distance). .

  Therefore, when the maximum allowable thickness corresponding to the minimum allowable transmittance is t, as shown in FIG. 7, the height of the rib 14a varies depending on the incident angle of infrared rays so that the infrared passing distance does not exceed t. In addition, by changing the height of the rib 14a according to the position of the rib 14a, the thickness of the cover 14 is set smaller than the maximum allowable thickness t in all of the plurality of infrared passage paths 12c.

  Further, instead of providing the ribs 14a, as shown in FIG. 9, the cover 14 is formed by gradually changing the thickness of the cover 14 in accordance with the incident angle of the infrared rays so that the infrared passing distance does not exceed the maximum allowable thickness t. Can be reinforced.

  FIGS. 10 and 11 show still another method for reinforcing the cover 14. The spacer 15 is formed in substantially the same direction through the space where the through holes 15a, 15b, and 15c are formed with the gap of the infrared light receiving path 12c. By providing the plurality of ribs 15d extending in the direction, the deflection of the cover 14 can be reduced.

  FIG. 12 shows the spacer 15 integrally formed with a cylindrical (conical) rib 15 e extending from the periphery of the through holes 15 a, 15 b, 15 c of the spacer 15 toward the outer periphery of the Fresnel lens 12 b of the sensor unit 12. The circuit board 12a is covered when viewed from the outside of the device. By configuring in this way, even if the cover 14 is pierced with a sharp object, the circuit board 12a is not touched by hands, so there is no risk of electric shock and the safety is improved. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the sensor unit 12 is attached at a center position in the vertical direction at a height of 100 to 120 centimeters from the bottom surface of the housing 1, that is, the indoor floor surface where the indoor unit is installed. Mounted at a height of 110 centimeters from the bottom of the body 1. Hereinafter, the reason will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 13A shows a range (shaded portion) where the sensor unit 12 can sense the presence of a person when the sensor unit 12 is arranged at a height of 110 centimeters from the bottom surface of the housing 1. The position of the head when a person sits on a chair is about 110 cm from the floor, and the height of furniture such as sofas and tables placed in the room is about 90 cm or less. If the upper limit of the visual field range in the vertical direction of the sensor unit 12 is set slightly above the horizontal direction when viewed from the sensor unit 12 when the sensor unit 12 is disposed at a position of 100 to 120 centimeters, the foot is slightly above the human head. Can be detected. The upper limit of the visual field range of the sensor unit 12 is preferably set, for example, approximately 3 degrees above the horizontal direction, and it has been confirmed that it is acceptable up to approximately 5 degrees above. By setting in this way, it is possible to sense the head of a person even if there is a fixture, and it is possible to minimize the blind spot portion where infrared rays cannot be sensed.

  FIG. 13B shows a range (hatched portion) in which the sensor unit 12 can sense the presence of a person when the sensor unit 12 is arranged on the top of the casing 1 having a height of 190 cm from the bottom surface of the casing 1. ing. In this case, the air outlet 5 is located below the sensor unit 12, and during heating, the warm air rises from the bottom to the top, and the surface temperature changes due to the flow of the air blowing on the surface of the sensor unit 12. The sensitivity of the sensor unit 12 may become unstable due to the influence of the change in the surface temperature. In addition, a blind spot where infrared rays cannot be detected is generated on the front side of the indoor unit (black part in FIG. 13B). In order to detect this blind spot part, a new sensor unit is provided, and FIG. As shown, blind spots must be reduced, increasing costs.

  That is, by disposing the sensor unit 12 at the position shown in FIG. 13A, the sensitivity of the sensor unit 12 is stabilized, and a system capable of detecting a person can be constructed with the blind spot being reduced as much as possible despite being inexpensive.

  Here, as an installation position of the indoor unit of the floor-standing type air conditioner, a form as shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C can be considered. FIG. 14 (a) shows a case where the indoor unit is arranged at approximately the center of one wall surface of the living room 99 surrounded by four wall surfaces, and FIG. 14 (b) shows the indoor unit at the corner of the two wall surfaces. The case where it arrange | positions so that a wind may be blown out toward the approximate center of the living room 99 is shown. FIG. 14C shows a case where the indoor unit is arranged along the back of the indoor unit main body at the end of one wall surface of the living room 99. The sectors 100a and 100b shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C indicate the human body position determination areas detected by the sensor unit 12.

  In the installation form of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 14 (a), the entire area of the living room 99 cannot be covered unless it is a human body position determination region having a fan-shaped 100a with a wide central angle, whereas in the form shown in FIG. 14 (b). In the human body position determination area of the sector 100a having a wide central angle, since both sides of the human body position determination area are blocked by the two wall surfaces of the living room 99, there are cases where effective human body position determination cannot be performed. The human body position discriminating area 100b is preferable. Further, in the form shown in FIG. 14C, in the human body position determination area having the fan-shaped 100a with a wide central angle, one side of the human body position determination area is blocked by one wall surface of the living room 99, so that effective human body position determination cannot be performed. In this embodiment, a human body position determination area in which the center angle is narrow and the center line of the sector 100b is displaced toward the center of the living room 99 is desirable.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the human body position determination region can be adjusted according to the installation position of the indoor unit by setting the sensor unit 12 to be movable with respect to the housing 1. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described.

FIG. 15 shows the movable mechanism of the sensor unit 12.
As shown in FIG. 15, the sensor unit 12 includes a circuit board 12a and a Fresnel lens 12b (including a human body detection element). The Fresnel lens 12b is provided with a pair of upper and lower rotating shafts 12b1 having a common axis. The Fresnel lens 12b is rotatably attached to the substantially U-shaped sensor unit support member 112 via the pair of rotating shafts 12b1. The sensor unit support member 112 is attached to the housing 1, and the sensor unit 12 is configured to be able to rotate in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the housing 1.

  FIG. 15 illustrates one of the plurality of sensor units 12. However, each of the plurality of sensor units 12 is provided with a similar mechanism, and each of the plurality of sensor units 12 is configured to move independently. Can be adjusted to be wide or narrow, and the center position of the sector can be shifted.

  Further, if a plurality of notches are formed in the attachment portion of the pair of rotating shafts 12b1 with respect to the sensor unit support portion 112 and the rotation angle for one notch of the rotating shaft 12b1 is set to a predetermined angle, the human body position determination region The fan-shaped center angle adjustment operation is easy.

  Further, although the movable mechanism in FIG. 15 is manually adjusted, one of the pair of rotating shafts 12b1 can be connected to a drive source such as an electric motor. In this case, a remote controller (remote control device) The sensor unit movable mechanism can also be driven by a drive source by operating.

  More specifically, buttons such as “center installation”, “left installation”, “right installation” or “corner installation” indicating the installation position of the indoor unit are provided on the remote control, and the indoor unit as shown in FIG. When the unit is installed, the “center installation” button is shown, and when the indoor unit is installed as shown in FIG. 14B, the “corner installation” button is shown in FIG. 14C. If the indoor unit is installed as described above, the center position and center angle of the sector shape of the human body position determination area can be automatically set by pressing the “right installation” button, respectively, and efficient air conditioning Driving can be performed easily.

  It is also possible to automatically set the fan-shaped center position or center angle of the human body position determination area without using a remote controller. The configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the indoor unit is installed as shown in FIG. 14C, the right area in FIG. 14 may be determined as a non-living area where no person lives based on the detection results of the plurality of sensor units 12. There is. In this case, since it is not necessary to air-condition the non-living area, each sensor unit 12 is automatically moved to the opposite side of the non-living area by the sensor moving mechanism to shift the fan-shaped center position of the human body position determination area and the center angle. By changing the above, it is possible to perform an efficient air conditioning operation according to the installation position of the indoor unit. The detection results of the plurality of sensor units 12 and the non-living areas where no people live will be described later.

FIG. 16 shows the viewing angle adjustment mechanism of the sensor unit 12.
As shown in FIG. 16, the viewing angle adjustment mechanism has a pair of substantially U-shaped shielding members 113a and 113b, and one end of each of the upper and lower arms 113a1 and 113b1 of each shielding member 113a and 113b is a Fresnel lens. A pair of support shafts 12b2 having a common axis provided above and below 12b are rotatably attached to each other. The lens shielding portions 113a2 and 113b2 of the pair of shielding members 113a and 113b are located on both sides of the front surface of the Fresnel lens 12b, and can shield a part of infrared rays entering the sensor unit 12.

  Further, it is particularly effective to integrate the movable mechanism of the sensor unit 12 shown in FIG. 15 and the viewing angle adjustment mechanism of the sensor unit 12 shown in FIG. 16, and arbitrarily change the indoor area division detected by the sensor unit 12. can do. For example, when the fan-shaped central angle of the human body position determination region is set narrow, the human body position can be determined effectively within a narrow range by setting the viewing angle of the Fresnel lens 12b narrow with the shielding members 113a and 113b. . In this case, in the movable mechanism of the sensor unit 12 shown in FIG. 15, the pair of rotating shafts 12b1 can be used as the support shafts 12b2 of the shielding members 113a and 113b.

  In the present embodiment, the sensor unit 12 is disposed at a height of 100 to 120 centimeters, preferably 110 centimeters from the floor of the living room, so that it can be easily touched by a person and manually operated. Adjustment is possible.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 17A, when the shape of the living room 99 is a rectangle close to a square, the human body position determination region is preferably a sector 100a having a wide central angle, but is shown in FIG. 17B. Thus, when the living room 99 is a horizontally long rectangle and the indoor unit is installed on the wall having a short side, the human body position determination region is preferably the sector 100b having a narrow central angle rather than the sector 100a having a large central angle. It is preferable to determine the presence or absence of a person for each region divided in the distance direction on a substantially straight line from the front of the indoor unit.

  FIG. 18 shows a sensor unit rotation mechanism, in which a plurality of sensor units 12 each composed of a circuit board 12a and a Fresnel lens 12b are attached to a sensor mount 16 that is rotatably attached to a sensor holder 13. It is configured so as to be compatible with both the human body position determination area of the sector 100a having a wide central angle and a short depth and the human body position determination area of the sector 100b having a narrow central angle and a long depth.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 17 (a), the sensor unit 12 is used in the state shown in FIG. 18 (a) for the human body position determination region of the sector 100a having a wide central angle, while FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, for the human body position determination region having a fan-shaped 100 b with a narrow central angle, the sensor mounting base 16 is rotated 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. The human body position determination area is divided into a plurality of areas divided in the distance direction on a substantially straight line from the front of the indoor unit narrowly in the width direction from the fan shape 100a wide in the width direction when viewed from the indoor unit. The position can be determined.

  In practice, the sensor mounting base 16 is attached to the sensor holder 13 so that the front surface of each Fresnel lens 12b faces slightly downward in the state of FIG. In the state of FIG. 18 (b) rotated at a degree, the upper sensor unit 12 indicates the presence / absence of a person in an area farthest from the indoor unit as shown in FIG. The presence / absence of a person in the area is determined by the lower sensor unit 12 in the area closest to the indoor unit.

  Next, the human position determination method will be described with reference to an example of a fan shape in which the human body position determination area is wide in the width direction when viewed from the indoor unit as shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing divisions of the human body position determination area detected by the human body detection device constituted by the three sensor units 12, and the human body detection device can detect in which region a person is present. . In the following description, the sensor unit 12 disposed on the left side of the sensor unit 12 is referred to as sensor A, the sensor unit 12 disposed in the center is referred to as sensor B, and the sensor unit 12 disposed on the right side is referred to as sensor C. The areas where the presence / absence of a person is detected by the sensors A, B, and C are as follows.
Sensor A: Area A (area on the left side of the indoor unit)
Sensor B: Area B (center area facing the indoor unit)
Sensor C: Region C (region on the right side toward the indoor unit)

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart for setting region characteristics to be described later in each of the regions A to C using the sensors A, B, and C. FIG. 21 illustrates the region using the sensors A, B, and C. It is a flowchart which determines whether there exists a person in which area | region of AC.

In step S1, the presence or absence of a person in each region is determined based on Table 1 at a predetermined period T1 (for example, 5 seconds), and all sensor outputs are cleared in step S2.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 22, the presence / absence determination of a person in the areas A, B, and C will be described using outputs from the sensors A, B, and C.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when all of the sensors A, B, and C are OFF (no pulse) in the period T1 immediately before the time t1, it is determined that there is no person in the regions A, B, and C at the time t1 ( A = 0, B = 0, C = 0). Next, only the first sensor A outputs an ON signal between time t1 and time t2 after the period T1 (there is a pulse). When sensors B and C are OFF, there is a person in the region A at time t2. , It is determined that there are no people in the areas B and C (A = 1, B = 0, C = 0). Further, when the sensors A and C output ON signals from the time t2 to the time t3 after the period T1, and the sensor B is OFF, there are people in the areas A and C at the time t3, and people in the area B. (A = 1, B = 0, C = 1). Hereinafter, the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A, B, and C is similarly determined for each period T1.

  In the present embodiment, based on the determination result described above, each of the areas A to C is divided into a first area where people are good (a place where they are good) and a second area where people are short (a person simply passes through). And a third area (a non-living area where people hardly go, such as walls and windows). Hereinafter, the first region, the second region, and the third region are referred to as a life category I, a life category II, and a life category III, respectively, and the life category I, the life category II, and the life category III are respectively a region characteristic I. It can also be said that the region of region characteristic II, region of region characteristic II, region of region characteristic III. In addition, life category I (region characteristic I) and life category II (region characteristic II) are combined into a life region (region where people live), while life category III (region characteristic III) is defined as a non-living region (regional characteristic III). The area of life may be broadly classified according to the frequency of the presence or absence of a person.

  This determination is performed after step S3 in the flowchart of FIG. 20, and this determination method will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 23 shows a case where the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is installed in an LD of 1 LDK composed of one Japanese-style room, LD (living room / dining room) and kitchen, and is indicated by an ellipse in FIG. The area shows the well-placed place where the subject reported.

  As described above, the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A to C is determined for each period T1, and 1 (with a reaction) or 0 (without a reaction) is output as a reaction result (determination) in the period T1. Is repeated a plurality of times, and in step S3, it is determined whether or not the cumulative operation time of a predetermined air conditioner has elapsed. If it is determined in step S3 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, two reaction results accumulated in the predetermined time in each region A to C are obtained. Each area A to C is determined as one of the life categories I to III by comparing with the threshold value.

  In more detail with reference to FIG. 24 showing the long-term accumulation result, a first threshold value and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value are set, and in step S4, the long-term accumulation result of each region A to C is set. Is determined to be greater than the first threshold, and the region determined to be greater is determined to be the life category I in step S5. If it is determined in step S4 that the long-term cumulative result of each region A to C is less than the first threshold value, whether or not the long-term cumulative result of each region A to C is greater than the second threshold value in step S6. The region determined to be large is determined to be the life category II in step S7, while the region determined to be small is determined to be the life category III in step S8.

  In the example of FIG. 23, regions A and C are determined as life category I, and region B is determined as life category II.

  FIG. 25 shows a case where the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is installed in another LDK LD, and FIG. 26 discriminates each region A to C based on the long-term accumulation result in this case. Results are shown. In the example of FIG. 25, the region B is determined as the life category I, the region C is determined as the life category II, and the region A on the wall side is determined as the life category III.

  Note that the above-described determination of the region characteristics (life classification) is repeated every predetermined time, but the determination result hardly changes unless the sofa, the table, or the like arranged in the room to be determined is moved.

  Next, the final determination of the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A to C will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Steps S11 to S12 are the same as steps S1 to S2 in the flowchart of FIG. In step S13, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number M (for example, 15 times) of reaction results in the period T1 has been obtained. If it is determined that the period T1 has not reached the predetermined number M, the process returns to step S11. If it is determined that the period T1 has reached the predetermined number M, in step S14, the total number of reaction results in the period T1 × M is used as the cumulative reaction period number, and the cumulative reaction period number for one time is calculated. The calculation of the cumulative reaction period is repeated a plurality of times, and it is determined in step S15 whether or not the calculation result of the cumulative reaction period has been obtained for a predetermined number of times (for example, N = 4). If it is determined, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined number of times has been reached, in step S16, the person in each of the areas A to C is determined based on the already determined area characteristics and the predetermined number of accumulated reaction periods. Presence or absence of is estimated.

  In step S17, by subtracting 1 from the number of times (N) for calculating the cumulative reaction period and returning to step S11, the calculation of the cumulative reaction period number for a predetermined number of times is repeatedly performed.

Table 2 shows a history of reaction results for the latest one time (time T1 × M). In Table 2, for example, ΣA0 means the number of cumulative reaction periods for one time in the region A.

  Here, the cumulative reaction period number of one time immediately before ΣA0 is ΣA1, and the previous cumulative reaction period number of ΣA0 is ΣA2,... , .SIGMA.A2, .SIGMA.A1), for life category I, it is determined that there is a person if the cumulative reaction period is one or more. In addition, for life category II, if there are two or more cumulative reaction periods in the past four histories, it is determined that there is a person, and for life category III, the past four histories Among them, if the cumulative reaction period number of 2 times or more is 3 times or more, it is determined that there is a person.

  Next, after the time T1 × M from the above-described determination of the presence / absence of the person, the presence / absence determination of the person is performed based on the next four history (ΣA3, ΣA2, ΣA1, ΣA0).

  That is, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the region characteristics obtained by accumulating the region determination results for each predetermined period for a long period of time and the region determination results for each predetermined cycle are accumulated N times, and the cumulative reaction of each region obtained is obtained. By estimating the location of a person from the past history of the number of periods, a position estimation result of a person with high probability is obtained.

Table 3 shows the time required for the presence estimation and the time required for the absence estimation when the presence / absence of the person is determined as described above and T1 = 5 seconds and M = 12.

  Thus, after the area to be air-conditioned by the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is divided into a plurality of areas A to C by the sensors A, B and C, the area characteristics (life classification) of each area A to C are divided. I to III) are determined, and the time required for the presence estimation and the time required for the absence estimation are changed according to the region characteristics of the regions A to C.

  In other words, since it takes about 1 minute for the wind to reach after changing the air conditioning setting, changing the air conditioning setting in a short time (for example, a few seconds) will not only impair comfort, but will also make people short. For such a place, it is preferable not to perform air conditioning so much from the viewpoint of energy saving. Therefore, the presence / absence of a person in each of the areas A to C is first detected, and the air conditioning setting in the area where the person is present is optimized.

  More specifically, with the time required to estimate the presence / absence of an area determined as life category II as a standard, in the area determined as life category I, there is a person at a shorter time interval than the area determined as life category II. In contrast, when there are no more people in the area, the absence of the person is estimated at a longer time interval than the area identified as Living Category II, thereby shortening the time required for the presence estimation. The time required for estimation is set to be long. On the other hand, in the area determined to be life category III, the presence of a person is estimated at a longer time interval than the area determined to be life category II. By estimating the absence of a person at a time interval shorter than the area determined as II, the time required for the presence estimation is set longer, and the time required for the absence estimation is set shorter. Furthermore, as described above, the life division of each region changes depending on the long-term accumulation result, and accordingly, the time required for the presence estimation and the time required for the absence estimation are variably set.

  Further, by using the sensors A, B, and C, not only the presence / absence of the person but also the “activity amount” of the person in the areas A to C can be determined.

  A person's activity level is a concept that indicates the degree of human movement, and is classified into multiple activity level levels. For example, “rest”, “high activity level”, “active level”, “low activity level” are categorized.

  “Relax” refers to a situation where a person is still in the same place, such as relaxing on the sofa, watching TV, or operating a computer. If it persists, it will feel cold with decreased metabolic rate. The amount of activity “Large” means that the person is active in a wide area such as indoor cleaning, and feels hot due to increased metabolic rate. The activity amount “medium” means that it is active in a narrow area such as cooking, and it feels a little hot due to an increase in metabolic rate. The activity amount “small” means that the activity is somewhat in the same place such as a meal, and no significant change in the metabolic rate is observed.

Next, a method for classifying human activity will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S21, the reaction frequency (with output pulse) of each sensor A, B, C is measured every predetermined time T1, and in step S22, it is determined whether or not the number of times of measurement has reached a predetermined number. The predetermined time T1 is the same as the predetermined period T1 in the above-described presence / absence determination of a person, but here, for example, it is set to 2 seconds, for example, and the predetermined number of measurement times is set to 15 times, for example. It is assumed that 15 measurements are collectively referred to as 1 unit measurement (measurement for 30 seconds). In addition, the “number of times of measurement” here is the number of times of measurement in any one of the regions A to C, and the same measurement is performed for all the regions A to C.

  If it is determined in step S22 that the number of measurements has not reached the predetermined number of times, the process returns to step S21. If it is determined that the number of times of measurement has reached the predetermined number of times and one unit measurement has been completed, four unit measurements ( It is determined whether the measurement for 2 minutes has been completed. In step S23, if 4-unit measurement is not completed, the process returns to step S21. If 4-unit measurement is completed, the process proceeds to step S24.

  In step S24, it is determined whether or not the total reaction frequency of the sensor for four unit measurement (the last four unit measurements including the current one unit measurement) has reached a predetermined number (for example, five times). If it has reached, the total unit count (p, which will be described in detail later) after being determined as “active amount small” is cleared in step S25, and then the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S26, it is determined whether or not the total reaction frequency of the sensors in all the areas A to C has reached a predetermined number (for example, 40 times). All regions determined to be present except for the region determined to be “high activity amount” are determined to be “high activity amount”, but if the predetermined number has not been reached, the total response frequency of the 4-unit measurement sensor is determined in step S28. Is determined to be “medium amount of activity”. After the activity amount determination in step S27 or step S28, 1 is subtracted from the unit measurement number (q) in step S29, and the process returns to step S21. That is, the area in which the total response frequency of each sensor exceeds a predetermined number and is determined to be “high activity amount” or “medium activity amount” in four consecutive unit measurements is the next four units after the next one unit measurement. When the total response frequency of measurement exceeds a predetermined number, it is determined that the activity level is “high” or “medium”.

  If it is determined in step S24 that the total response frequency of the sensor is less than the predetermined number in the 4-unit measurement, it is determined in step S30 whether or not the area is “rest”. It is determined that “activity is small”. In the next step S32, the total number of unit measurements (p) after being determined as “small amount of activity” is counted, and in step S33, 60 units are measured after being determined as “low amount of activity” (measurement for 30 minutes). ) Is finished.

  If it is determined in step S33 that the 60 unit measurement has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S29. On the other hand, if it is determined that the 60 unit measurement has been completed, all of the 60 unit measurements are determined to be “active amount small”. After the determined area is determined to be “rest” in step S34, the process proceeds to step S29. That is, by shifting to step S29, each of the areas A to C becomes “active mass”, “active mass” according to the total response frequency of each sensor in the past four unit measurements including the next one unit measurement. ”,“ Low activity ”or“ rest ”.

  At the beginning of activity amount measurement after the air conditioner is turned on, the activity amount in any region is unknown. However, according to this flowchart, each region A to C is not detected until 4 units have been measured from the start of measurement. In “No activity amount”, “Medium activity amount”, or “Activity amount small” are determined, and the determination of “rest” is made only after the 60 unit measurement is completed. Therefore, since there is no “rest” area for a while after the start of measurement, NO is determined in step S30, and “small amount of activity” is determined in step S31. After that, the area continuously determined as “low activity amount” is determined as “rest” in step S34 after the end of the measurement of 60 units, and if the total response frequency of the 4-unit measurement sensor is less than the predetermined number after that, Subsequently, it is determined as “rest”.

  Note that the reason for clearing the total unit count (p) after it is determined that “activity is small” in step S25 is that the determination of “rest” starts from the determination of “activity is small”. It is.

In summary, each of the sensors A, B, and C functions as an activity amount detection means in addition to a function as a human body detection means, and each region A to C is determined as follows, for example, by the flowchart of FIG. The
(1) Rest Area where the sensor response frequency is less than 5 times / 2 minutes lasts for 30 minutes or more (2) Large amount of activity The sum of the sensor response frequencies for all areas A to C is 40 times / 2 minutes, and at least one When the sensor response frequency in the region lasts 5 times or more in 2 minutes, all regions except the region determined to be “rest” (3) Activity amount The sum of the sensor response frequencies of all regions A to C is 40 times Area where sensor response frequency continued 5 times or more in 2 minutes when less than / 2 minutes (4) Activity level small Area where activity level was low, activity level was not determined as active

  Moreover, according to the air-conditioning setting in each area | region AC, the wind direction control of the up-and-down blade | wing 6 and the right-and-left blade | wing 8 and the rotation speed control of the ventilation fan 3 are performed, but these control is demonstrated below.

  The wind direction control is based on the selection of whether or not the resident wants to directly hit the wind by providing a windshield selection means on the remote control or the like that can select whether or not to direct the wind to the area determined to have a person. It is possible to change a wind direction setting that directs the wind to an area determined to have a person and a wind direction setting that directs the wind to an area determined to have no person. An output signal from the remote controller is input to a control device of the indoor unit, and the air direction control of the upper and lower blades 6 and the left and right blades 8 and the rotation speed control of the blower fan 3 are performed by this control device.

  In the case of the human body position determination region shown in FIG. 19, for the airflow direction control of the upper and lower blades 6, when heating is selected, the angle of the upper and lower blades 6 is set downward to aim at the floor direction in order to warm the feet when selecting no windbreak, When windbreak is selected, set upward so that warm air does not directly hit the body. During cooling, the angle of the upper and lower blades 6 is controlled slightly downward from the horizontal aiming at the upper body of the person when no windbreak is selected, and is set upward so that the cold wind does not directly hit the body when the windshield is selected.

Next, the wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 will be described.
The left and right blades 8 are connected to one stepping motor on the left three sides constituting one block, and the three left and right blades 8 rotate at the same angle in the same direction according to the rotation angle of the stepping motor, It is configured so that it can be variably set to a predetermined angle. Similarly, the central three sheets and the right three sheets are each connected to a stepping motor and controlled in rotation, and the nine left and right blades 8 are separated into blocks, three for each of left, center and right. The angle is set independently.

When there is one region determined to have a person, the left and right blades 8 are basically controlled as follows.
(1) When “No windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means • All the left and right blades 8 are controlled toward a region where a person is present.
(2) When “Wind Shield Existence” is selected by the Wind Shield Selection Unit The left and right blades 8 are controlled toward each area where there is no person. In this case, the control is performed based on the degree of adjacency of the area where there is no person ( This is performed according to the degree of adjacency) or the area characteristics of the area where no person is present. The degree of adjacency means the distance of the area where there is no person to the area where the person is present. When there is a person in the area B and there are no persons in the areas A and C, the area A and the area C are compared with the area B. If the region A has a person and the regions B and C have no people, the region B has a higher degree of adjacency than the region C.
(I) When the degree of adjacency of two areas where there is no person to the area where there is a person is the same ・ Control the left and right blades 8 so that the air volume in the area where the person is high is larger than the air volume in the area where the frequency is low To do.
When the frequency of people is the same, the left and right blades 8 are controlled so that the air volumes in the plurality of regions are the same.
(Ii) When the degree of adjacency of two areas where there is no person with respect to the area where people are present is different.
When the area with a low degree of adjacency is a non-living area, all the left and right blades 8 are controlled to face the area with a high degree of adjacency.

Next, a specific example will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 28 shows an example of the setting of the wind direction angle of the left and right blades 8 when there is no windshield and when there is a windshield when there is one area determined to have a person. (A1) and (a2) in FIG. 28 are when the person is in the front area B, (b) is when the person is in the left area A, and (c) is when the person is in the right area C. .

  The setting of the left and right wind directions when no windbreak is selected sets the angles of the left and right blades 8 so that the blown airflow is directed toward the area where the person is present.

  For example, in the case of (a1) or (a2) where there is a person in the front area B, the left and right left and right blades 8 and the right and left three left and right blades 8 are set at an inward angle of 35 degrees, The left and right blades 8 are set to 0 degrees facing the front. As a result, the opening width of the blown airflow in the front direction of the region B can be reduced, and the blown airflow can be concentrated in the region B where people are present, and the air conditioning range is limited to the region where people are present. Air conditioning can be performed.

  When there is a person in the area A of (b), the left and right three blades 8 and the central three left and right blades 8 are set at an angle of 35 degrees to the left, and the right and left three blades 8 are set to the left 50. Set to degrees. As a result, the opening width of the blown airflow toward the left direction toward the region A is narrowed, and the blown airflow can be concentrated in the region A where the person is present, and the air conditioning range is limited to the region where the person is present. Good air conditioning can be done.

  In addition, when there is a person in the area C of (c), since the area where the person is located is the same as that in the case of (b), the description is omitted.

  On the other hand, the setting of the left and right wind directions when the windshield is selected is performed by setting the angles of the left and right blades 8 so as to direct the blown airflow in the direction of each region where there is no person.

  For example, as in (a1), when there is a person in the front area B and there are no persons in the two areas A and C adjacent to the area B where there is a person, the area characteristics of the area A where there is no person are The area characteristics of the life section I and the area C where there is no person will be described for the life section II. In this case, the life divisions in the two areas A and C where no person is adjacent to the area B where the person is present are compared, and the blowing airflow toward the area A where the frequency of the person is higher is more frequent. The left three left and right blades 8 and the three central left and right blades 8 are set at an angle of 35 degrees to the left so that the opening ratio of the air outlet is larger than the blowout airflow in the direction of the lower region C, and the right three The left and right blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the right. This makes it possible to distribute the ratio of the airflow of the blown airflow to the area A and the area C to about 2: 1. By preferentially air-conditioning the area where there is a high frequency among the areas where there are no people. In addition to performing windbreak for people, it is possible to perform more efficient air conditioning by reducing useless air conditioning for areas where there is a low possibility of people being present.

  Further, as in (a2), when there is a person in the front area B and there are no persons in the two areas A and C adjacent to the area B where there is a person, there are further two areas A and C where there is no person. The left and right left and right blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the left, the right and left three blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the right, and the three right and left blades 8 are The swinging (swinging) operation is set between an angle of 35 degrees leftward and an angle of 35 degrees rightward. In this case, the three left and right blades 8 in the center are fixed in the region A for a predetermined time, then swing in the direction of the region C and fixed in the region C for a predetermined time, and then swing in the direction of the region A The operation of fixing to A for a predetermined time is repeated. In addition, when the wind direction is moved, the wind direction of the upper and lower blades 6 is set to be slightly higher or lower so as not to hit the person in the front area B. This makes it possible to distribute the ratio of the air flow rate of the blown airflow to the area A and the area C to about 1: 1, and to perform windbreak for the person so as not to impair the comfort of the area B where the person is present as much as possible. it can.

  Further, for example, as shown in (b), there is a person in the left area A, and there is no person in the area C adjacent to the area A where the person is present (the degree of adjacency is high) and not adjacent to the area B (the degree of adjacency is low). Further, a case where the region characteristic of the region B where there is no person is the life category II and the region characteristic of the region C where there is no person is the life category I will be described. In this case, priority is given to the comfort of the area A where people are present, and the area B adjacent to the area A where people are present is preferentially air-conditioned among the areas B and C where there are no people. . The left and right blades 8 on the left and the three on the center are such that the blowout airflow to the region B adjacent to the region A where the person is present is larger than the blown airflow toward the region C not adjacent to the airflow. The left and right blades 8 are set to an angle of 0 degrees facing the front, and the three right and left blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the right. This makes it possible to distribute the ratio of the air flow rate of the blown airflow to the region B and the region C to about 2: 1, giving priority to the region B adjacent to the region A where the person is present among the regions B and C where there is no person. By air-conditioning, it is possible to avoid wind damage to the person so as not to impair the comfort of the area A in which people are present as much as possible, and to reduce wasteful air-conditioning to the area C away from the area A in which people are present. Air conditioning can be performed. The distribution of the air volume ratio is the same when the area B is a non-living area (living category III).

  In addition, for example, as in (c), when there is a person in the right area C and there is no person in the area A adjacent to the area C where the person is present and in the area A that is not adjacent, the area B A case will be described in which the characteristic is the life category II and the region characteristic of the region A where there is no person is the life category III. In this case, the region A is not adjacent to the region C where the person is present, and is adjacent to the region C where the person is present without directing the blowing airflow to the region A because of the living section III (= non-living region). In addition, the angles of the left and right blades 8 are set so as to distribute 100% of the air volume to the area B which is a living area. As a result, it is possible to carry out windbreaks for people and reduce air-conditioning to non-living areas, thereby performing more efficient air conditioning.

  It should be noted that the area to be air-conditioned is divided into four or more areas, and the control is performed in the same manner when there is one area determined to have a person. The wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 is performed paying attention to two regions having different degrees of adjacency with respect to a region where a person is present.

Next, when there are two regions determined to have people, the left and right blades 8 are basically controlled as follows.
(1) When “No windbreak” is selected by the windscreen selection means In this case, the wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 sets the angle of each left and right blade 8 so as to direct the blown airflow in the direction of each region where a person is present. . The air volume ratio of the blown airflow is performed according to the region characteristics or activity amount of each region where a person is present.
(I) When the amount of human activity in the two areas is the same-The left and right blades 8 are controlled so that the air volume in the area where the frequency of human presence is higher than the air volume in the area where the frequency of human activity is low.
When the frequency of people is the same, the left and right blades 8 are controlled so that the air volumes in the plurality of regions are the same.
(Ii) When the amount of human activity in the two areas is different • During cooling: The left and right blades 8 are controlled so that the air volume in the area with a large amount of activity is greater than the air volume in the area with a small amount of activity.
During heating: The left and right blades 8 are controlled so that the air volume in the region with a large amount of activity is less than the air volume in the region with a small amount of activity.
(Iii) When the amount of human activity and the region characteristics in the two areas are different from each other. The left and right blades 8 are controlled as in (ii) with priority given to the amount of activity.
(2) When “Wind Shield” is selected by the Wind Shield Selector • All the left and right blades 8 are controlled to face an area where no people are present.

Next, a specific example will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 show an example of setting the wind direction angle of the left and right blades 8 when there is no wind protection and when there is wind protection when there are two regions determined to have people. 29 (d1) and (d2) have a person in the left area A and the right area C. FIGS. 30 (e1) and (e2) have a person in the front area B and the right area C. In the case (f), a person is present in the left area A and the front area B.

  When no windbreak is selected, for example, as shown in (d1), when there are people in the left area A and the right area C and there are no people in the front area B, there are two areas A and C where there are people. The case where the activity amount is the same and the region characteristics are different (the region characteristic of the region A where the person is present is the life category I, and the region characteristic of the region C where the person is located is the life category II) will be described. In this case, the region characteristics in the two regions A and C where the person is present are compared, and the blowout airflow in the direction of the region A where the numerical value of the region characteristic is smaller (= the frequency of the presence of people is high) The left three left and right blades 8 and the three central left and right blades 8 face left so that the opening ratio of the air outlet becomes larger than the blown airflow in the direction of the larger area C (the frequency of people being low). The angle is set to 35 degrees, and the right and left three blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the right. Thereby, it becomes possible to distribute the ratio of the air flow rate of the blown airflow to the area A and the area C to about 2: 1, and preferentially air-condition the area A having a high frequency among the areas A and C where people are present. Therefore, by increasing the air conditioning distribution for those who are estimated to have a long stay and conversely reducing the air conditioning distribution for those who are estimated to have a short stay, it is possible to adjust to the time spent in each area. It is possible to perform comfortable air conditioning without waste.

  Also, for example, as shown in (d2), when the activity amount and area characteristics of the two areas A and C where the person is present are the same, the left and right left and right blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the left and the right three The left and right blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the right, and the central three left and right blades 8 are set to swing (oscillate) between an angle of 35 degrees to the left and an angle of 35 degrees to the right. . In this case, the three left and right blades 8 in the center are fixed in the region A for a predetermined time, then swing in the direction of the region C and fixed in the region C for a predetermined time, and then swing in the direction of the region A The operation of fixing to A for a predetermined time is repeated. This makes it possible to distribute the ratio of the air flow rate of the blown airflow to the area A and the area C to about 1: 1, so that the comfort of the areas A and C in which people are present is comfortable without waste. Air conditioning can be performed.

  In addition, as shown in (e2), when the two areas B and C in which people are present are adjacent and the activity amount and the area characteristics are the same, the left and right blades 8 are similarly controlled, and the left and right three left and right blades 8 are in front. The angle is set to 0 degree, the right and left three right and left blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the right, and the center three left and right blades 8 are set to a front angle of 0 degrees and a right angle of 35 degrees. Set to swing between them.

  Also, for example, as in (e1), when there are people in the front area B and the right area C and there are no people in the left area A, the area characteristics of the two areas B and C where there are persons are A case where the amount of activity is the same and the amount of activity is different (the amount of activity in the region B where the person is present is resting and the amount of activity in the region C where the person is present is medium) will be described. In this case, the amount of activity in the two regions B and C where the person is present is compared. During cooling, the air flow in the direction of the region C where the amount of activity is larger is blown out in the direction of the region B where the amount of activity is smaller. The left and right three left and right blades 8 are set at an angle of 0 degrees toward the front so that the opening ratio of the outlet is larger than the air flow, and the three left and right blades 8 at the center and the right are each an angle of 35 degrees toward the right. Set to. This makes it possible to distribute the ratio of the air flow rate of the blown airflow to the area B and the area C to about 1: 2, and preferentially air-condition the area C having a larger activity amount among the areas B and C where people are present. By increasing the amount of air conditioning for those who feel more active and hotter, and by reducing the amount of air conditioning for those who feel less active and cooler, More comfortable air conditioning can be performed according to the activity state.

  During heating, the air flow in the direction of the region C where the amount of activity is larger is opposite to that during cooling, and the opening ratio of the air outlet is larger than the air flow in the direction of the region B where the amount of activity is smaller. In order to reduce the size, the left and right three left and right blades 8 are set at an angle of 0 degrees in the front direction, and the right and left three blades 8 are set at an angle of 35 degrees in the right direction. By distributing the ratio of the air volume of the blown airflow to C to about 2: 1, the area B where the amount of activity is smaller is preferentially air-conditioned among the areas B and C where people are present.

  For example, as in (f), when there are people in the left region A and the front region B and there are no people in the right region C, the region characteristics of the two regions A and B where there are people A case will be described where the amount of activity is different (when the amount of activity in the region A where the person is present is small and the region characteristic is I, and the amount of activity in the region B where the person is present is medium and the region characteristic is II). In this case, region B has a larger amount of activity and region properties are smaller than region A. That is, region B has a higher priority in the priority order based on the amount of activity, and region A has a higher priority in the priority order in the region characteristics. In this way, when the priority order differs between the activity amount and the region characteristics, the air volume distribution of the blown airflow is determined giving priority to the activity amount reflecting the current heat and coldness. During cooling, the three airflows on the left side of the blowout airflow toward the region B where the activity amount is larger are larger than the airflow flow toward the region A where the activity amount is smaller. The left and right blades 8 are set at an angle of 35 degrees leftward, and the three left and right blades 8 at the center and the right side are set at an angle of 0 degrees facing the front. Thereby, it becomes possible to distribute the ratio of the air flow rate of the blown airflow to the area A and the area B to about 1: 2, and it is possible to perform more comfortable air conditioning according to the activity state of each person in each area. .

  During heating, as in the case of (e1), the area A having a smaller amount of activity is preferentially air-conditioned among the areas A and B where people are present.

  Next, the wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 when there are two areas determined to have people and windbreaks are set is to set the angles of the left and right blades 8 so that the blown airflow is directed toward the areas where there are no people To do.

  The wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 in this case will be described by taking, as an example, a case where there is a person in the front area B and the right area C and no person in the left area A as shown in (e1). In the case of (e1), the left and right left and right blades 8 and the central three left and right blades 8 are set to an angle of 35 degrees to the left, and the right and left three blades 8 are set to 50 degrees to the left. As a result, the opening width of the blown airflow toward the left direction toward the region A is reduced, and the blown airflow can be concentrated in the region A where no person is present. The windbreak can be surely performed, and more comfortable air conditioning operation can be achieved.

  Similarly, in the cases of (d1), (d2), (e2), and (f), the left and right blades 8 are set so that the blown airflow is concentrated in an area where no person is present.

  When the area to be air-conditioned is divided into four or more areas and there are two areas determined to have people, the control is performed in substantially the same manner. That is, when two regions where people are adjacent to each other, for example, the wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 is performed focusing on two regions where people are present and one region adjacent to these regions. When two areas are not adjacent to each other, for example, the wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 is performed by paying attention to two areas where people are present and one area located between these areas.

  In addition, when there are three areas determined to have people, when there is no windbreak, the left and right blades 8 of each block separated to the left, center, and right are controlled toward each area, respectively, while when windbreak is present With the left and right blades 8 of each block facing each region, the upper and lower blades 6 are set upward. In addition, when the area to be air-conditioned is divided into four or more areas and there are three areas determined to have people, the left and right blades 8 of each block separated into left, center, and right when there is no windbreak, On the other hand, when the wind shield is present, the left and right blades 8 of each block are angled so that the blown airflow is concentrated on an area where no person is present.

Next, for the rotational speed control of the blower fan 3, for example, the rotational speed of each area is set according to each of the areas A to C where air conditioning is performed as follows.
Area B: 400 rpm (during heating), 300 rpm (during cooling)
Area A, C: 450 rpm (during heating), 350 rpm (during cooling)

  Here, the expression “relative position” is introduced as an expression representing the positional relationship with the indoor unit, such as the distance from the indoor unit in each region, the angle from the front of the indoor unit, and the height difference.

  Further, the degree of air conditioning that is easy to air-condition in each region is expressed by an expression of air conditioning requirement level. It is assumed that the higher the air conditioning requirement level, the more difficult the air conditioning is, and the lower the air conditioning requirement level, the easier the air conditioning. For example, as the distance from the indoor unit increases, the blown air is difficult to reach and air conditioning is difficult, so the degree of air conditioning requirement increases. That is, the air conditioning requirement level and the relative position from the indoor unit are closely related, and in this embodiment, the air conditioning requirement level is determined according to the relative position related to the left-right angle from the indoor unit.

  That is, the set rotational speed of the blower fan 3 when air conditioning is performed in each of the areas A to C is set higher as the air conditioning requirement level is higher. That is, the set rotational speed of the blower fan 3 is set higher in a region shifted to the left and right from the front. Further, when there is one area to be air-conditioned, it is set to the set rotation speed (air volume) of that area, and when there are a plurality of areas to be air-conditioned, it is set to the set rotation speed of the area where the degree of air conditioning requirement is high.

  The wind direction control of the left and right blades 8 and the rotation speed control of the blower fan 3 have been described above. As shown in FIG. 17B, the living room 99 is a horizontally long rectangle, and the indoor unit is installed on the wall with the short side. When the sensor unit 12 is rotated 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 18A to the state shown in FIG. 18B, the air direction control of the upper and lower blades 6 and the rotational speed control of the blower fan 3 are performed. explain.

  When the sensor unit rotation mechanism of FIG. 18 is provided, two control programs for controlling the wind direction control of the upper and lower blades 6 and 8 and the rotation speed control of the blower fan 3 are prepared. In the state of FIG. In the state of FIG. 18B in which the first control program for performing the above-described control is operated and rotated 90 degrees from the state of FIG. 18A, the first control program is rotated by rotating the sensor mounting base 16. Is switched to the second control program that controls the control described below.

  Regarding the wind direction control of the upper and lower blades 6 in this case, when no windbreak is selected during heating, the angle of the upper and lower blades 6 is set aiming at the front edge (the edge on the indoor unit side) of the area where people are present in order to warm the feet. However, when windbreak protection is selected, set upward so that warm air does not directly hit the body. When selecting no windbreak during cooling, the angle of the upper and lower blades 6 is set slightly downward from the horizontal aiming at the upper body of the person, and when selecting with windbreak, it is set upward so that the cold wind does not directly hit the body.

  Further, all the left and right blades 8 are controlled so as to face an area where a person is present.

  In the case of the upper and lower blades 6, a plurality of upper and lower blades 6 may be integrally swung up and down, and the upper and lower blades 6 are composed of three upper and lower blades 6, the upper upper and lower blades 6, and the lower upper and lower blades 6. It is also possible to swing the blades 6 independently.

  First, wind direction control in the case where the plurality of upper and lower blades 6 are integrally swung up and down will be described.

When there is one region determined to have a person, the upper and lower blades 6 are controlled as follows.
(1) When “No windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means • During cooling: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled slightly downward from the horizontal.
-During heating: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled aiming at the leading edge of the area where people are present.
(2) When “With windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means • The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled upward regardless of the area where the person is present and the air conditioning.

Further, when there are two or more regions determined to have a person, the upper and lower blades 6 are controlled as follows.
(1) When “No windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means • During heating: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled aiming at the leading edge of the area close to the indoor unit among two or more areas where people are present.
-During cooling: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled slightly downward from the horizontal.
(2) When “With windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means • The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled upward regardless of the area where the person is present and the air conditioning.

  Next, the wind direction control in the case where the upper and lower blades 6 are constituted by three upper and lower blades 6 and the upper upper and lower blades 6, the central upper and lower blades 6, and the lower upper and lower blades 6 are independently swung will be described. .

  When there is one region determined to have a person, each of the upper and lower blades 6 is controlled in the same manner as the configuration in which the plurality of upper and lower blades 6 are integrally swung up and down.

When there are two areas determined to have a person, the upper and lower blades 6 are controlled as follows.
(1) When “No windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means In this case, the angle of the wind direction control of the upper and lower blades 6 is set so that the blown airflow is directed toward each region where a person is present. The air volume ratio of the blown airflow is performed according to the region characteristics or activity amount of each region where a person is present.
(I) When the amount of human activity in the two areas is the same: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled so that the air volume in the area where the frequency of human presence is higher than the air volume in the area where the frequency of human activity is low.
・ When the frequency of people in the two areas is the same, control the upper and lower upper and lower blades 6 in the area close to the indoor unit, and control the upper upper and lower blades 6 in the area far from the indoor unit To do.
(Ii) When the amount of human activity in the two areas is different • During cooling: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled so that the air volume in the area with a large amount of activity is greater than the air volume in the area with a small amount of activity.
During heating: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled so that the air volume in the area with a large amount of activity is less than the air volume in the area with a small amount of activity.
(Iii) When the amount of human activity and the region characteristics in the two areas are different from each other. The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled as described in (ii) with priority given to the amount of activity.
(2) When “With windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means • The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled upward regardless of the area where the person is present and the air conditioning.
When there are three regions determined to have people, the upper and lower blades 6 are controlled as follows.
(1) When “No windbreak” is selected by the windbreak selection means In this case, the angle of the wind direction control of the upper and lower blades 6 is set so that the blown airflow is directed toward each region where a person is present. That is, the lower upper and lower blades 6 are controlled aiming at a region close to the indoor unit, the central upper and lower blades 6 are controlled aiming at the central region, and the upper upper and lower blades 6 are controlled aiming at a region far from the indoor unit. To do.
(2) When “Wind shield is present” is selected by the wind shield selection means: The upper and lower blades 6 are controlled upward.

Next, regarding the rotation speed control of the blower fan 3, for example, as described below, the rotation speed of each area is set according to each area where air conditioning is performed.
Area close to indoor unit: 800 rpm (during heating), 600 rpm (during cooling)
Central area: 1000 rpm (during heating), 720 rpm (during cooling)
Area far from indoor unit: 1200 rpm (during heating), 850 rpm (during cooling)

  Moreover, the indoor unit is provided with a timer, and the absence detection energy saving control and the forgetting-off prevention control are performed using the timer. The absence detection energy-saving control and the forgetting-off prevention control will be described below.

First, control during heating will be described with reference to Table 4 and FIG.

  FIG. 31 shows an example of the temperature shift. Here, a case where the set temperature Tset is 28 ° C. and the target temperature (limit value) is 20 ° C. will be described. ΔT is a temperature difference between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature.

  When the sensors A, B, and C detect that no person is present in all the areas A to C, the timer starts counting. After the timer starts counting, there is no person at time t1 (for example, 10 minutes). If confirmed, the set temperature Tset is automatically reduced by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Further, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t2 (for example, 30 minutes after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is automatically further reduced by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Similarly, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t3 (eg, 1 hour after the start of counting) and time t4 (eg, 2 hours after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is set to 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT), respectively. Reduce automatically.

  At time t4, the total temperature is reduced by 8 ° C. from the set temperature Tset to 20 ° C., which is equal to the target temperature. Therefore, the set temperature Tset is maintained at the target temperature until time t5 (for example, 4 hours after the start of counting). However, when the absence of a person is still confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to prevent forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

  When the presence of a person is detected between time t1 and time t5, the temperature is returned to the set temperature Tset before time t1.

  The temperature shift width (reduced temperature) is set as shown in Table 4 according to the temperature difference ΔT between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature, and the temperature shift width is smaller as the temperature difference ΔT is smaller. When the set temperature Tset is lower than the target temperature, the current temperature is maintained. However, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped in the same manner as in the example of FIG. is there.

Next, control during cooling will be described with reference to Table 5 and FIG.

  FIG. 32 shows an example of the temperature shift. Here, a case where the set temperature Tset is 20 ° C. and the target temperature (limit value) is 28 ° C. will be described. ΔT is a temperature difference between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature.

  When the sensors A, B, and C detect that no person is present in all the areas A to C, the timer starts counting. After the timer starts counting, there is no person at time t1 (for example, 10 minutes). If confirmed, the set temperature Tset is automatically increased by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Further, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t2 (for example, 30 minutes after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is automatically further increased by 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT). Similarly, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t3 (eg, 1 hour after the start of counting) and time t4 (eg, 2 hours after the start of counting), the set temperature Tset is set to 2 ° C. (1 / 4ΔT), respectively. Increases automatically.

  At time t4, the total temperature is increased by 8 ° C. from the set temperature Tset to 28 ° C., which is equal to the target temperature. Therefore, the set temperature Tset is maintained at the target temperature until time t5 (for example, 4 hours after the start of counting). However, when the absence of a person is still confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to prevent forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

  When the presence of a person is detected between time t1 and time t5, the temperature is returned to the set temperature Tset before time t1.

  Further, the temperature shift width (increased temperature) is set as shown in Table 5 according to the temperature difference ΔT between the set temperature Tset and the target temperature. The smaller the temperature difference ΔT, the smaller the temperature shift width. When the set temperature Tset is higher than the target temperature, the current temperature is maintained. However, when the absence of a person is confirmed at time t5, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped in the same manner as in the example of FIG. is there.

  FIG. 33 shows an example in which the power saving operation is achieved by controlling the air volume (rotation speed) of the blower fan 3 and the capacity of the compressor provided in the outdoor unit.

  That is, when the air volume of the blower fan 3 is increased, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 6 is improved, and when the frequency of the compressor is the same, the cooling or heating capacity is increased, so that the room temperature is kept at the same set temperature. In this case, the frequency of the compressor can be reduced, and the required power consumption is reduced. Further, even when the air volume of the blower fan 3 is increased in the absence, there is no problem of discomfort due to the airflow being too strong and comfort problems due to increased noise of the blower fan 3.

  As shown in FIG. 33A, when the sensors A, B, and C detect that no person is present in all the areas A to C, the timer starts counting, and after the timer starts counting, the time t1 When the absence of a person is confirmed at (for example, 10 minutes), the air volume of the blower fan 3 is increased as shown in FIG. 33 (b) and the compressor as shown in FIG. 33 (c). Are gradually reduced to time t2 (for example, 30 minutes after the start of counting). After the time t1, the air volume of the blower fan 3 is kept constant (limit value), and after the time t2, the compressor frequency is kept constant (limit value), but the time t2, time t3 (for example, count) When the absence of a person is continuously confirmed at time t4 (for example, 2 hours after the start of counting) and time t5 (for example, 4 hours after the start of counting), the air conditioner is operated at time t5. To prevent forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

  When the presence of a person is detected between time t1 and time t5, the setting air volume and the setting frequency before time t1 are restored.

  In addition, in all the examples of FIGS. 31 to 33 described above, when there is no person for a predetermined time during the normal operation, the power saving operation is performed with less power consumption than during the normal operation, and after that, the person is further operated for a predetermined time. When there is no air conditioner, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to achieve energy saving (“normal operation” is “operation instructed by the user”).

  In addition, even if the absence continues for a long time, if the human body sensor misdetects a disturbance other than a person such as a curtain that may cause a temperature change, normal operation will continue in the absence (unmanned) state forever Since it is also possible to continue, when a predetermined time t6 (for example, 24 hours) longer than the time t5 has elapsed, the operation is stopped and the forgetting to cut can be surely prevented. Moreover, it is preferable to make an audible or visual notification to the main body or the remote controller by voice or an LED lamp or to display characters on the screen immediately before the stop of the operation after the elapse of a predetermined time t6 longer than the time t5 or the time t5. Furthermore, if the remote control or the like is provided with automatic stop selection means that can select whether or not to perform automatic operation stop after elapse of a predetermined time t6 that is longer than time t5 or time t5, the usability is improved.

  If the above-described absence detection energy saving control and forgetting prevention control are air conditioners provided with at least one human body detection sensor in the indoor unit, absence detection energy saving control and forgetting prevention control are performed according to the output from one human body detection sensor. It can be performed.

  The air conditioner according to the present invention recognizes the presence and position of a person in the room and realizes a blown airflow suitable for the resident's preference, thereby improving air conditioning efficiency and achieving comfortable air conditioning. Therefore, it is particularly useful as a floor-standing air conditioner for general households.

The perspective view of the indoor unit of the floor-standing type air conditioner according to the present invention Partial sectional view of the indoor unit of FIG. 1 viewed from the side The partial exploded perspective view of the indoor unit of FIG. The partial exploded perspective view of the sensor unit provided in the indoor unit of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the light reception range of the sensor unit of FIG. 4, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. The perspective view at the time of reinforcing the cover which comprises the sensor unit of FIG. 4 with a rib Sectional view of the cover of FIG. Graph showing the relationship between infrared transmittance and cover thickness Sectional view when cover is reinforced by changing thickness Perspective view of spacer when cover is reinforced with spacer Sectional view along line AA in FIG. The structure which protects the circuit board of a sensor unit with a spacer is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a sectional view. The range in which the sensor unit senses infrared rays is shown. (A) shows the case where the height of the sensor unit is set to 110 cm, and (b) shows the case where the height of the sensor unit is set to 190 cm. , (C) is a schematic diagram showing a case where another sensor unit is added to (b). Schematic showing the human body position determination area by the arrangement of indoor units The perspective view which shows the movable mechanism of a sensor unit The perspective view which shows the viewing angle adjustment mechanism of a sensor unit Schematic showing the human body position discrimination area by the shape of the room The perspective view which shows the rotation mechanism of a sensor unit Schematic showing the human body position determination area detected by each sensor unit provided in the human body detection device Flowchart for setting region characteristics for each region shown in FIG. The flowchart which finally determines the presence or absence of the person in each area | region shown by FIG. Timing chart showing the presence / absence determination of people by each sensor unit Schematic plan view of a residence where the indoor unit of FIG. 1 is installed The graph which shows the long-term accumulation result of each sensor unit in the residence of FIG. Schematic plan view of another residence where the indoor unit of FIG. 1 is installed The graph which shows the long-term accumulation result of each sensor unit in the residence of FIG. Flow chart showing how to classify human activity Schematic of the air outlet showing the operating state and set angle of the left and right blades provided in the indoor unit of FIG. 1 (when the area is one area) Schematic of the air outlet showing the operating state and set angle of the left and right blades provided in the indoor unit of FIG. 1 (when the area is two areas) Schematic of the air outlet showing the operating state and set angle of the left and right blades provided in the indoor unit of FIG. 1 (when the area is two areas) Timing chart showing temperature control during heating Timing chart showing temperature control during cooling Timing chart for achieving power saving operation by controlling the air volume of the blower fan and the capacity of the compressor installed in the outdoor unit

Explanation of symbols

1 housing, 2a, 2b inlet, 3 blower fan, 4 heat exchanger, 5 outlet,
6 upper and lower blades, 7 drive motor, 8 left and right blades, 9 connecting bar,
10 drive motor, 11 front panel, 11a rectangular opening,
12 sensor unit, 12a circuit board, 12b Fresnel lens,
12b1 rotating shaft, 12b2 support shaft, 12c infrared light receiving path,
13 Sensor holder, 14 Cover, 14a Rib, 15 Spacer,
15a through hole, 15b through hole, 15c through hole, 15d rib,
15e conical rib, 16 sensor mount, 99 living room,
100a human body position determination area, 100b human body position determination area,
112 sensor unit support members, 113a and 113b, viewing angle adjustment mechanisms,
113a1, 113b1 arm, 113a2, 113b2 shielding part.

Claims (4)

An air conditioner that controls the operation by detecting the presence or absence of a human by a plurality of human body detection sensors provided in the indoor unit,
The plurality of left and right blades provided at the outlet of the indoor unit are configured to be independently controllable for each of a plurality of blocks, and an area to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of areas by the plurality of human body detection sensors, and A control device that independently controls the left and right blades for each block according to the reaction result of the detection sensor,
When one of the plurality of regions is detected by the plurality of human body detection sensors, the control device causes the plurality of left and right blades to narrow the opening width of the air flow from the outlet. Is controlled in the direction of the one region. A windshield selection unit that can select whether or not to direct the blown airflow in the direction of the area where the person is present is provided, and the control is performed when no windbreak is selected by the windshield selection unit. Item 2. The air conditioner according to Item 1. An air conditioner that controls the operation by detecting the presence or absence of a human by a plurality of human body detection sensors provided in the indoor unit,
The plurality of left and right blades provided at the outlet of the indoor unit are configured to be independently controllable for each of a plurality of blocks, and an area to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of areas by the plurality of human body detection sensors, and A control device that independently controls the left and right blades for each block according to the reaction result of the detection sensor,
When it is detected by the plurality of human body detection sensors that a person is present in the plurality of regions except for one region, the control device is configured to reduce the opening width of the air flow from the outlet. An air conditioner that controls all of the left and right blades toward one area where the person is not present. A windshield selection means that can select whether or not to direct the blown airflow in the direction of the area where the person is present is provided, and the control is performed when the windshield selection means selects the presence of windshield. Item 4. The air conditioner according to Item 3.

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