JPH04194538A - Air conditioner control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically control an air conditioner to start or end its operation according to whether a person falls asleep or rises by providing an existence judging means for judging whether or not the person is in a room in response to a signal from a human body detecting means, an activity amount judging means for judging the activity amount of the person in response thereto, a judging means for judging whether it is morning or night and control means for controlling an air conditioner according to the results of the morning or night judgements by the judging means. CONSTITUTION:Whether it is morning or night is judged by a morning and night judging means 23. When there is no activity of a person in a room at night, it is assumed by an assuming means 24 that the person is in a condition of sleep and a signal is sent to a control means 9. In the control means 9, a temperature resetting means 10 sets room temperature at a value the most suitable for sleep and an operation starting and ending means 11 brings the operation of an air conditioner to a stop after the lapse of a predetermined time. When the person starts his activity in the morning, a signal indicating his rising is sent from the assuming means 24 to the control means 9, whereby the temperature resetting means 10 resets room temperature at a value the most suitable for the daytime activity and whereby the operation starting and ending means 11 is so controlled as to start automatically the operation of the air conditioner.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Fields] This invention is an air conditioner control system that automatically starts and ends operation and changes the set temperature by predicting when a person falls asleep and wakes up. It is related to the method.

[Prior Art] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional air conditioner control device, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of its operation. In the figure, (1) is the control unit of the air conditioner, (2) is the remote controller (hereinafter referred to as remote controller), (3) is the setting means for setting the timer etc. in the remote controller (2), and (4) is the remote controller (- Transmission means (5) converts the set value from 2) into an infrared signal and transmits it to the control unit (1); (5) receives the infrared signal from the remote control (2) in the control unit (1) and converts it into an electrical signal. Receiving means, (6) is a storage means for storing setting values sent from the remote control (2), (7) is a clock function that outputs the current time signal, and (8) is a storage means sent from the remote control (2). A comparison means for comparing the timer set value stored in the means (6) with the current time from the clock function (7), (9) a control means for main controlling the air conditioner, and (10) for changing the set temperature. The set temperature changing means (11) is the control means (9)
This is an operation start/stop means that starts or ends the operation of the air conditioner in response to a signal from the air conditioner.

Next, the operation will be explained. Input key of remote control (2)
The timer time is input by the setting means (3), and is set as a timer value by the setting means (3). This timer value is determined by the transmission means (
4) converts the electric signal into an infrared signal and transmits it to the air conditioner control unit (1). The infrared signal transmitted from the transmitting means (4) is received by the receiving means (5) in the control section (1) and converted from the infrared signal to an electrical signal.

The converted signal is sent to the storage means (6) through the comparison means (8) and stored therein. The comparison means (8) compares the timer value and clock function (7) stored in the storage means (6).
The current time from
9). Accordingly, the control means (9)
If it is a sleep timer, the set temperature changing means (10) changes the set room temperature to an appropriate temperature at the set time, and if it is a good morning timer, the operation start/stop means (11) stops the air conditioner after a certain period of time. , the operation start/stop means (11) starts the operation of the air conditioner a certain period of time before the set time;
Each room is controlled so that the room temperature is approximately the same at the set time.

The specific operation of the conventional air conditioner control device will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Remote controller(
The timer value input in step 2) (good night timer value is the wake-up time, good night timer value is the sleep time time) is the timer value input in step (12).
is set by the setting means (3), transmitted by the transmitting means (4), received by the receiving means (5), and stored by the storing means (6) in step (13).

It is determined whether the current time matches the predetermined time before the obayo timer value stored in step (14);
If it matches, the process proceeds to step (15), where automatic operation of the air conditioner is started by the control means (9) and the operation start/end means (11). If not, step (16)
At , the sleep timer value and the current time are compared.

If the sleep timer value matches the current time, the process proceeds to step 17), and the set temperature is adjusted by the control means (9) and set temperature changing means (10) so that the room temperature gradually approaches the outside temperature. Ru. And step (18
), it is determined whether a certain period of time has elapsed since the sleep timer was set, and when the certain period of time has elapsed, in step (19), the control means (9) and the operation start
The operation of the air conditioner is terminated by the termination means (11). In step (16) and step (18), if the current time does not match either the good-night timer value or the good-night timer value, the comparison and determination operation is repeated until they match.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Since the conventional air conditioner control device is configured as described above, when setting the operation end time and operation start time of the air conditioner, it is necessary to set the operation end time and operation start time of the air conditioner. It was necessary to make predictions and perform cumbersome timer setting operations using a remote control or the like. Also, once the air conditioner starts or stops operating, unless you operate a separate switch at the set timer time, even if there is a major change in the situation, such as someone waking up before the set time or disappearing, etc. There were problems such as the operating status of the air conditioner did not change even if this occurred.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and automatically adjusts the air conditioner according to the movements of a person, such as falling asleep or waking up, without having to perform cumbersome and difficult timer setting operations. The purpose of this invention is to obtain an air conditioner control method that can control the start and end of operation of the machine.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An air conditioner control method according to the present invention includes a presence determining means for determining the presence or absence of a person in a room according to a signal from a human body detecting means that detects infrared rays radiated by a human body, and a human body detecting means as described above. Activity amount determination means for determining the amount of activity of a person according to a change in a signal from the means; morning/night determination means for determining whether it is morning or night according to the time or daylight detection signal; and according to the determination results of these determination means. The air conditioner is equipped with a control means for controlling the air conditioner to start and end operation and change the set temperature.

[Function] The air conditioner control method according to the present invention detects a person at night when the air conditioner is operated in accordance with the determination that a person is in the room by the presence determining means based on the signal from the human body detecting means. When the person enters a sleep state, in response to the judgment by the morning/night judgment means that it is night and the judgment by the activity amount judgment means that the person is in a resting state,
The control means automatically ends the operation of the air conditioner, and when the person wakes up the next morning, the first night determination means determines that it is morning, and the activity amount determination means determines that the person is in an active state,
The control means automatically adjusts the set temperature and starts operating the air conditioner.

[Example 1] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of its operation.
) is a storage means, (7) is a clock function, (9) is an air conditioner control means, (10) is a set temperature changing means, and (11) is an operation start/stop means. The above is the conventional example shown in FIG. It is similar to (20) is a human body detection means that detects infrared rays radiated by a human body; (21) is a presence determination means that determines whether a person is present in the room from the signal detected by the human body detection means (20); and (22) is a human body detection means. Activity amount determination means+ for determining the amount of human activity based on changes in the signal from the detection means (20)
(23) is the first night determination means for determining morning and night based on the current time signal from the clock function (7); (24) is the determination means (21);
) (22) This is an estimation means for estimating whether a person has fallen asleep or woken up from the determination result of (23).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. If there is a person in the room, the infrared rays radiated from the human body will be detected by the human body detection means (2).
0) is detected. This detection data is sent to the presence determining means (21) and the activity amount determining means (22). Presence determination means (
In step 21), it is determined whether there is a person in the room. Further, based on the change in data from the human body detection means (20), the amount of activity of the person in the room is estimated by the amount of activity determination means (22), which indicates how active the person in the room is during a certain period of time. In addition, the clock function (7
), the first night determining means (23) determines whether it is currently morning or night. The data from these determining means (21), (22), and (23) are sent together to the estimating means (24).

The estimation means (24) uses the presence data from the presence determination means (21), the activity amount data from the activity amount determination means (22), and the morning or night data from the first night determination means (23) to determine whether the person is present. It is inferred whether he fell asleep or woke up.

At night, when there is a person in the room and there is almost no activity, the estimation means (24) infers that the person is in a sleeping state,
A signal is sent to the control means (9) that the person has fallen asleep.

In response to this sleep onset signal, in the control means (9), the set temperature changing means (10) changes the setting of the room temperature to the optimum temperature for sleep,
The operation start/end means (11) performs control to end the operation of the air conditioner after a certain period of time.

When a person wakes up in the morning and starts activities, the estimation means (24) infers that the person is in an active state, and a signal that the person has woken up is sent to the control means (9), and the control means responds to this wake-up signal. In (9), the set temperature changing means (10) changes the setting of the room temperature to the optimum temperature, and the operation start/termination means (11)
Control is performed so that the air conditioner starts automatic operation.

Also, when one person leaves the room and no one is left, the presence determination means (21) detects this, the estimation means (24) infers that the person has left the room, and the control means (9) in response to future signals.
), the operation start/end means (11) performs control such that the operation of the air conditioner is stopped.

When a person wakes up in the middle of the night and starts to be active again, the activity amount determination means (
22) detects this, the inference means (24) infers that the person has left the bed, and in response to the upcoming signal, the control means (9) causes the operation start/end means (11) to restart the operation of the air conditioner. Such control is performed.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained in more detail along the flowchart of FIG. In step (25), infrared rays radiated from the human body are detected by the human body detection means (20), and in step (26), presence determination means (21) determines whether a person is present in the room based on the detected signal. If no one is in the room, proceed to step (27), and if the air conditioner is out of operation, the outage is continued, and if it is in operation, the air conditioner is started by the operation start/stop means (11). is terminated.

If a person is present in the room, in step (28), the first night determining means (23) determines whether it is currently night. If it is currently night, go to step (29).

The activity amount of the person is determined by the activity amount determination means (22),
If the amount of activity is less than a certain value, it is assumed that the person is stationary, and in step (30), the air conditioner is set to operate during sleep. If the judgment result in step (29) is that a person is active, the process proceeds to step (31), and if the air conditioner is in operation, the operation is continued; if the air conditioner is not in operation, the operation start/stop means ( 11)
The operation will start. When the air conditioner is set to operate during sleep in step (30).

In step (32), 5 set temperature changing means (lO)
The set temperature is adjusted so that the room temperature gradually approaches the outside temperature, and in step (33) it is determined whether a certain period of time has elapsed.The above operation is repeated until the certain period of time has elapsed. Step (27)
Then, the operation of the air conditioner is ended by the operation start/end means (11).

If it is determined in step (28) that it is not night, the process proceeds to step (34), where it is determined whether it is currently morning. If it is currently morning, step (35)
), the activity status of the person is determined, and if the person is active, the air conditioner is set to operate at wake up in step (36), and the set temperature is changed by the set temperature changing means (10) in step (37). The automatic operation of the air conditioner is started by the operation start/end means (11) in step (31).

If it is determined in step (34) that it is not morning, or if it is morning but that no person is active in step (35), the process returns to step (25) and the above-described operations are repeated from human body detection.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, (6) (9) (10) (11) (2
0) (21) (22) and (24) are similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. The light detection means (39) is a first night determination means for determining morning and night based on the daylight signal from the daylight detection means (38).

In this embodiment, unlike the embodiment in FIG.
The only difference is that morning and night are determined based on a daylight signal from a daylight detection means (38) such as a cell, and the rest is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electric circuit configuration of the above embodiment. In the figure, (40) is a room temperature sensor, (41) is an infrared sensor constituting the human body detection means (20), and (42) is a room temperature sensor.
(43) is a CDS cell constituting the daylight detection means (38);
) is the compressor motor, (44) is the fan motor, (45)
(46) is the four-way valve for switching between heating and cooling, and (46) is each of the above means (9) (10) (11) (20) to (24) (
39) is a CPU of a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as microcomputer), (47) is a timer of the microcomputer that constitutes the clock function (7), and (48) is a storage means for storing input data and the program of the flowchart shown in Fig. 2. (6)
The memory of the microcomputer (49) that constitutes each sensor (4
0) An input circuit that converts the detection signals of (41) and (42) into digital signals and inputs them, (50) is a CPU (46
), on/off and speed control of the compressor motor (43) and fan motor (44), and four-way valve (4)
This is an output circuit that performs switching, etc. of 5). Although not shown in the figure, human operation switch signals 1 frost detection signals, other sensor signals, etc. are input to the input circuit (49), and display signals, alarm signals, etc. are input from the output circuit (50). Output.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a presence determination means for determining the presence or absence of a person in a room according to a signal from a human body detection means that detects infrared rays radiated by a human body, and a Activity amount determining means for determining the amount of human activity according to changes in signals; first night determining means for determining whether it is morning or night according to the time or daylight detection signal; Equipped with a control means to start and end operation and change the set temperature, the air conditioner can automatically operate according to the movement of the person without having to perform cumbersome operations such as setting a timer. This has the effect of providing an air conditioner control system that is comfortable, efficient, and consumes little power.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of its operation, Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of this invention, and Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing this invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical circuit configuration of the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional air conditioner control device, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of its operation. In the figure, (7) is a clock function, (9) is a control means, (
10) is a set temperature change means, (11) is an operation start/end means, (20) is a human body detection means, (21) is a presence determination means, (22) is an activity amount determination means, (23) (39)
is the first night determination means, (24) is the estimation means, and (38) is the daylight detection means. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an air conditioner control system that controls the air conditioner to stop operating when you sleep and start operating when you wake up, it determines whether there is a person in the room based on the signal from the human body detection means that detects the infrared rays radiated by the human body. determination means, activity amount determination means for determining the amount of human activity according to a change in the signal from the human body detection means, morning/night determination means for determining whether it is morning or night according to the time or the daylight detection signal, and these determinations. An air conditioner control method characterized by comprising a control means for controlling the air conditioner to start and end operation and change the set temperature according to the determination result of the means.