Air conditioner and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of air conditioners, and particularly provides an air conditioner and a control method thereof. The control method comprises the following steps: in response to a received suspected voice instruction, determining a sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction; judging whether the sound source is located indoors or not; if yes, whether a person exists at the sound source position is determined; and according to the existence condition of the personnel, whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction or not is determined. The accuracy of voice instruction recognition of the air conditioner is improved, and then the use experience of a user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of air conditioners, and specifically provides an air conditioner and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development and progress of technology, existing air conditioners are becoming more and more intelligent. Some air conditioners have voice recognition functions, which can identify the user's voice to determine the operation the user wants the air conditioner to perform, and then control the air conditioner to perform the corresponding operation.

[0003] However, since not all family members (such as the elderly and children) are articulate and can speak standard Mandarin, the air conditioner cannot accurately recognize the voice commands of all family members, which in turn leads to a poor user experience. Summary of the invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to solve the problem that the existing air conditioner has poor accuracy in recognizing voice commands issued by users.

[0005] A further object of the present invention is to prevent the air conditioner from being accidentally triggered by outdoor sounds.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control method for an air conditioner in a first aspect, comprising:

[0007] In response to receiving a suspected voice command, determining a sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command;

[0008] Determining whether the sound source is located indoors;

[0009] If yes, determining whether there is a person at the location of the sound source;

[0010] According to the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command.

[0011] Optionally, the step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command according to the presence of a person includes:

[0012] If there is a person at the location of the sound source, it is determined that the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command.

[0013] Optionally, the step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command according to the presence of a person includes:

[0014] If there is no person at the location of the sound source, determining whether there is a person within a preset range centered on the location of the sound source;

[0015] If there is a person within the preset range, a confirmation message is sent to remind the user to confirm the suspected voice command;

[0016] In response to receiving the confirmation voice information, it is determined that the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command.

[0017] Optionally, the step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command according to the presence of a person further includes:

[0018] If there is no person within the preset range, it is determined that the air conditioner maintains the current operating parameters and the suspected voice command is not executed.

[0019] Optionally, before the step of determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction in response to receiving the suspected voice instruction, the control method further includes:

[0020] Detect voice information in real time;

[0021] When the detected voice information matches a portion of the instruction words of a certain voice instruction in the pre-stored voice instruction set, it is determined that the suspected voice instruction has been received.

[0022] Optionally, the control method further includes:

[0023] When the detected voice information matches all the instruction words of a certain voice instruction in the voice instruction set, it is determined that an accurate voice instruction is received, and it is determined that the air conditioner executes the accurate voice instruction.

[0024] Optionally, the step of determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command includes:

[0025] Determining the frequency of the sound corresponding to the suspected voice command;

[0026] The sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command is determined according to the sound of the frequency acquired by all microphones in the microphone array of the air conditioner.

[0027] Optionally, before the step of determining whether the sound source is located indoors, the control method further comprises: controlling the air conditioner to scan the room where it is located to obtain the outline of the room;

[0028] The step of determining whether the sound source position is located indoors includes: determining whether the sound source position is within the contour range.

[0029] Optionally, the control method further includes:

[0030] In response to receiving the accurate voice instruction, determining a sound source position corresponding to the accurate voice instruction and recording it as a calibration position;

[0031] Storing the calibrated position;

[0032] The step of determining whether the sound source is located indoors comprises:

[0033] Determine the one closest to the sound source position from all the pre-stored calibration positions;

[0034] Determining the distance between the one calibrated position and the sound source position;

[0035] It is determined whether the distance is less than a preset value, so as to determine that the sound source position is indoors when the distance is less than a preset value, and to determine that the sound source position is not indoors when the distance is greater than or equal to a preset value.

[0036] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an air conditioner, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein a machine executable program is stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the machine executable program, the control method described in any one of the first aspects can be implemented.

[0037] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can understand that, in the aforementioned technical solution of the present invention, when a suspected voice command is received, the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command is determined; and then it is determined whether the sound source position is located indoors, so as to avoid the air conditioner being accidentally triggered by outdoor sounds. When the sound source position is indoors, it is determined whether there is a person at the sound source position to ensure that the suspected voice command is indeed issued by the person indoors. Then, based on the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command, thereby improving the accuracy of the air conditioner in recognizing voice commands, thereby improving the user experience.

[0038] Furthermore, by determining the one closest to the sound source position from all pre-stored calibration positions, determining the distance between the calibration position and the sound source position, and judging whether the distance is less than a preset value, the sound source position is determined to be indoors when it is less than, and the sound source position is determined to be not indoors when it is greater than or equal to. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that after the user has used the air conditioner for a period of time, the air conditioner can have enough calibration positions to traverse most areas of the room, so that the air conditioner can accurately determine whether the sound source position is indoors according to the steps described in this paragraph. In other words, the longer the air conditioner is used, the higher the accuracy of the air conditioner in recognizing voice commands.

[0039] Other beneficial effects of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand the improved purposes, features and advantages of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, some embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the same reference numerals indicate the same or similar components or parts in different drawings; the drawings of the present invention are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0041] In the attached figure:

[0042] Figure 1 is a flow chart of the main steps of a method for controlling an air conditioner in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 is a flow chart of steps for determining the location of a sound source in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of an air conditioner provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 is a flowchart of steps for determining whether to execute a suspected voice command in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 5 is a partial step flow chart of a method for controlling an air conditioner in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 6 is a flowchart of steps of a method for controlling an air conditioner in some further embodiments of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 7 It is a schematic block diagram of air conditioning in other embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments of the present invention, and these embodiments are intended to explain the technical principles of the present invention, rather than to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Based on the embodiments provided by the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0050] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0051] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] In addition, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "cold" and "heat" are two descriptions of the same physical state. That is, the higher the "cold" of a certain target object (such as an evaporator, air, condenser, etc.), the lower the "heat" it has, and the lower the "cold" it has, the higher the "heat" it has. A certain target object will release "heat" while absorbing "cold", and will absorb "heat" while releasing "cold". A certain target object stores "cold" or "heat" to keep the current temperature of the target object. "Refrigeration" and "heat absorption" are two descriptions of the same physical phenomenon, that is, a certain target object (such as an evaporator) will absorb heat while cooling.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, each functional module can be a physical module composed of multiple structures, components or electronic components, or a virtual module composed of multiple programs; each functional module can be a module that exists independently of each other, or a module divided according to the function of an integral module. Those skilled in the art should understand that, under the premise of being able to implement the technical solution described in the present invention, no matter how the composition, implementation and positional relationship of each functional module change, they will not deviate from the technical principle of the present invention, and therefore should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air conditioner control method includes steps S110 to S140, and an optional step S150, which are as follows:

[0055] Step S110, in response to receiving the suspected voice command, determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command.

[0056] The suspected voice command represents a certain command that the suspected air conditioner 100 can execute.

[0057] In step S110, determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command may include: Figure 2 Steps S111 and S112 are shown as follows:

[0058] Step S111, determining the frequency of the sound corresponding to the suspected voice command.

[0059] It is understood by those skilled in the art that there may be multiple sound sources in the room (i.e., indoors) where the air conditioner 100 is located, such as the fan of the air conditioner 100, the user's voice, outdoor noise, etc. In general, there is often only one user who issues a voice command to the air conditioner 100. Since the timbre of different people is different, and the timbre is expressed as the frequency of the sound. Therefore, by determining the frequency of the sound corresponding to the suspected voice command, the timbre of the user who issued the suspected voice command can be identified.

[0060] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air conditioner 100 includes a microphone array 110, so as to obtain the sound emitted by the user (ie, the person in the room) and locate the sound source through the microphone array 110. For details, please refer to step S112.

[0061] Step S112, determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command according to the sounds of the frequencies acquired by all the microphones in the microphone array 110 of the air conditioner 100, that is, determining the position of the user who issued the suspected voice command.

[0062] It should be noted that since locating the sound source through the microphone array 110 is a conventional technical means in the art, it will not be described in detail here.

[0063] Step S120, determining whether the sound source is located indoors.

[0064] Specifically, it may be determined whether the location of the sound source is within the outline of the room where the air conditioner 100 is located.

[0065] For this purpose, it is necessary to obtain in advance the outline range of the room where the air conditioner 100 is located.

[0066] For example, Figure 3 As shown, the air conditioner 100 further includes a radar 120, which scans the room where the air conditioner 100 is located to obtain the outline of the room. Since the technical means of scanning the room and mapping the environment by the radar 120 to obtain the outline of the room is a conventional technical means in the art, it will not be described here.

[0067] The radar 120 may be a laser radar, an ultrasonic radar, or any other feasible radar.

[0068] In addition, those skilled in the art may also adopt any other feasible technical means to obtain the outline range of the room where the air conditioner 100 is located as needed, such as obtaining images of the room through at least two cameras, and then determining the location of the room outline based on the difference in the images.

[0069] Step S130: If the sound source is located indoors, determine whether there is a person at the sound source.

[0070] Specifically, it can be determined whether there is a person at the sound source location through the image acquisition module or the radar 120 .

[0071] Exemplarily, an image at the location of the sound source is acquired through an image acquisition module, and then image recognition technology is used to identify whether there is a person in the image.

[0072] Step S140, determining whether the air conditioner 100 executes a suspected voice command according to the presence of a person, specifically includes steps S141 to S145.

[0073] Step S141: If there is a person at the sound source location, it is determined that the air conditioner 100 executes a suspected voice command, and the air conditioner 100 is controlled to execute the suspected voice command.

[0074] Step S142: If there is no person at the sound source location, determine whether there is a person within a preset range centered on the sound source location.

[0075] The preset range may be a three-dimensional spatial range, such as a spherical range. The preset range may also be a plane range parallel to the indoor floor. The preset range may be a range with a radius of any feasible value such as 0.5m, 0.8m, 1m, 1.5m, etc.

[0076] The size of the preset range can also be determined according to the size of the room and the rate at which the air conditioner 100 determines whether there is a person within the preset range. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the faster the rate at which the air conditioner 100 determines whether there is a person within the preset range, the smaller the preset range.

[0077] If the air conditioner 100 detects whether there is a person within a preset range through the image acquisition module, it then uses image recognition technology to identify whether there is a person in the area corresponding to the preset range in the image.

[0078] Step S143: If there is a person within the preset range, a confirmation message is sent to remind the user to confirm the suspected voice command.

[0079] Those skilled in the art can understand that if there is a person within the preset range, it means that the person may have moved from the sound source location to the current location during the time from when the air conditioner 100 receives the suspected voice command to when the person's presence is recognized.

[0080] Among them, the confirmation information may include specific instructions that the air conditioner 100 can execute, for example, the confirmation information may be "whether to lower the cooling temperature", "whether to increase the cooling temperature", "whether to cool", "whether to shut down", "whether to start", "whether to turn on the smart operation mode", etc.

[0081] Step S144 , in response to receiving the confirmation voice information, determining that the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice command.

[0082] The confirmation voice message is sent by the user.

[0083] The execution of the suspected voice command specifically refers to the execution of the command that is closest to or most similar to the suspected voice command, that is, the execution of the command included in the confirmation information sent by the air conditioner 100 .

[0084] For this purpose, the confirmation voice message sent by the user can be any feasible voice message such as "confirm", "yes", "execute" etc.

[0085] Step S145, if there is no person within the preset range, determine that the air conditioner 100 maintains the current operating parameters and does not execute the suspected voice command.

[0086] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that if there is no person within the preset range, it means that the suspected voice command received by the air conditioner 100 is an interference command. The reason may be that the suspected voice command recognized by the air conditioner 100 may be the sound emitted by an electronic device such as a TV or a speaker, or may be the sound synthesized by multiple sound sources.

[0087] Step S150: If the sound source is located outdoors, determine that the air conditioner 100 maintains the current operating parameters and does not execute the suspected voice command.

[0088] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that if the sound source is located outdoors, it means that the suspected voice command received by the air conditioner 100 is an interference command.

[0089] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can understand that, in some embodiments of the present invention, when a suspected voice command is received, the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command is determined; and then it is determined whether the sound source position is located indoors, so as to prevent the air conditioner 100 from being accidentally triggered by outdoor sounds. When the sound source position is indoors, it is determined whether there is a person at the sound source position to ensure that the suspected voice command is indeed issued by the person indoors. Then, based on the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice command, thereby improving the accuracy of the air conditioner 100 in recognizing voice commands, thereby improving the user experience.

[0090] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention is only a basic embodiment of the present invention. In other embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art may also adjust, optimize and configure the schemes and steps in the above-mentioned embodiments as needed to achieve further technical effects. Other embodiments of the present invention different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings hereinafter. Of course, those skilled in the art may also make appropriate modifications to the execution order, operating conditions and quantity of the steps in the embodiments to be described hereinafter according to actual needs. The modified embodiments do not deviate from the technical concept and / or technical principle of the present invention and should still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0091] like Figure 5 As shown, in some other embodiments of the present invention, the control method of the air conditioner 100 further includes steps S210 to S230, wherein steps S210 and S220 are executed before step S110.

[0092] Step S210, detecting voice information in real time.

[0093] Step S220: When the detected voice information matches a part of the instruction words of a voice instruction in the pre-stored voice instruction set, it is determined that a suspected voice instruction has been received.

[0094] For example, the voice instruction set may include "lower temperature", "increase temperature", "turn off", "turn on", etc. When the suspected voice instruction is "turn on", and it matches the instruction word "turn on" in "turn on", it can be determined that the suspected voice instruction has been received.

[0095] Step S230, when the detected voice information matches all the instruction words of a certain voice instruction in the voice instruction set, it is determined that an accurate voice instruction is received, and it is determined that the air conditioner 100 executes the accurate voice instruction.

[0096] For example, the accurate voice instruction may be "shut down", which matches all instruction words in "shut down". At this time, it is determined that the accurate voice instruction is received, and it is determined that the air conditioner 100 executes the accurate voice instruction.

[0097] like Figure 6 As shown, in some further embodiments of the present invention, the control method of the air conditioner 100 includes:

[0098] Step S301, detecting voice information in real time.

[0099] Step S302, in response to receiving the accurate voice instruction, determining the sound source position corresponding to the accurate voice instruction and recording it as the calibration position.

[0100] Step S303, storing the calibrated position. The calibrated position can be stored in a memory near the air conditioner 100, or in a cloud service or backend server that is connected to the air conditioner 100.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, after the air conditioner 100 is used by the user for a period of time, it can have enough calibration positions to traverse most areas of the room. For example, when the user has used the air conditioner 100 for one year, and during this year, the user often uses voice to control the operation of the air conditioner 100, then each time the user controls the operation of the air conditioner 100, a calibration position will be stored, and thus the air conditioner 100 will store enough calibration positions.

[0102] Further, if the distances between the multiple calibration positions are relatively close, for example, the distance is less than 0.2 m, the multiple calibration positions are merged into one, and the one calibration position can be located in the middle of the multiple calibration positions.

[0103] Step S304: When the detected voice information matches a part of the command words of a voice command in the pre-stored voice command set, it is determined that a suspected voice command has been received. For details, please refer to the description of step S220 above.

[0104] Step S305: Determine the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command. Please refer to the description of step S110 above for details.

[0105] Step S306: determine the one closest to the sound source position from all pre-stored calibration positions.

[0106] Step S307, determining the distance between the one calibrated position and the sound source position.

[0107] Step S308, determining whether the distance is less than a preset value, so as to determine that the sound source position is indoors when the distance is less than a preset value, and determine that the sound source position is not indoors when the distance is greater than or equal to a preset value.

[0108] The preset value may be any feasible value, such as 0.1m, 0.2m, 0.5m, etc.

[0109] Step S309: If it is greater than, it is determined that there is no person at the sound source location, and the air conditioner 100 is determined not to execute the suspected voice command.

[0110] Step S310: If less than, determine whether there is a person at the sound source location.

[0111] Step S311, based on the presence of the person, determining whether the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice command. For details, please refer to the description of step S140 above.

[0112] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art will understand that, in some further embodiments of the present invention, by determining the one closest to the sound source position from all pre-stored calibration positions, determining the distance between the calibration position and the sound source position, and judging whether the distance is less than a preset value, so as to determine that the sound source position is indoors when it is less than, and determine that the sound source position is not indoors when it is greater than or equal to. Those skilled in the art will understand that after the user has used the air conditioner 100 for a period of time, the air conditioner 100 can have enough calibration positions to traverse most areas of the room, so that the air conditioner 100 can accurately determine whether the sound source position is located indoors according to the steps described in this paragraph. That is, the longer the air conditioner 100 is used, the higher the accuracy of the air conditioner 100 in recognizing voice commands.

[0113] like Figure 7 As shown, in other embodiments of the present invention, the air conditioner 100 also includes a processor 130 and a memory 140, and the memory 140 stores a machine executable program 141. When the processor 130 executes the machine executable program 141, the control method described in any of the above embodiments can be implemented.

[0114] In this embodiment, the memory 140 may include a memory and a non-volatile memory, and provide execution instructions and data to the processor 130. Exemplarily, the memory may be a high-speed random access memory (RAM), and the non-volatile memory may be at least one disk storage.

[0115] In this embodiment, the processor 130 is an integrated circuit chip that has the ability to process signals. The processor 130 can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, microprocessors, and any other conventional processors.

[0116] So far, the technical solution of the present invention has been described in combination with the above multiple embodiments, but it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can split and combine the technical solutions in the above embodiments, and can also make equivalent changes or replacements to the relevant technical features. Any changes, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the technical concept and / or technical principles of the present invention will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an air conditioner, comprising: In response to receiving a suspected voice command, determining a sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command; Determining whether the sound source is located indoors; If yes, determining whether there is a person at the location of the sound source; According to the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command according to the presence of a person includes: If there is a person at the location of the sound source, it is determined that the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command according to the presence of a person includes: If there is no person at the location of the sound source, determining whether there is a person within a preset range centered on the location of the sound source; If there is a person within the preset range, a confirmation message is sent to remind the user to confirm the suspected voice command; In response to receiving the confirmation voice information, it is determined that the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein: The step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice command according to the presence of a person further includes: If there is no person within the preset range, it is determined that the air conditioner maintains the current operating parameters and the suspected voice command is not executed.

5. The control method according to claim 1, before the step of determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction in response to receiving the suspected voice instruction, the control method further comprises: Detect voice information in real time; When the detected voice information matches a part of the instruction words of a certain voice instruction in the pre-stored voice instruction set, it is determined that the suspected voice instruction is received.

6. The control method according to claim 5, further comprising: When the detected voice information matches all the instruction words of a certain voice instruction in the voice instruction set, it is determined that an accurate voice instruction is received, and it is determined that the air conditioner executes the accurate voice instruction.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command includes: Determining the frequency of the sound corresponding to the suspected voice command; The sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice command is determined according to the sound of the frequency acquired by all microphones in the microphone array of the air conditioner.

8. The control method according to claim 1, before the step of determining whether the sound source is located indoors, the control method further comprises: Controlling the air conditioner to scan the room where it is located to obtain the outline of the room; The step of determining whether the sound source position is located indoors includes: determining whether the sound source position is within the contour range.

9. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to receiving the accurate voice instruction, determining a sound source position corresponding to the accurate voice instruction and recording it as a calibration position; Storing the calibrated position; The step of determining whether the sound source is located indoors comprises: Determine the one closest to the sound source position from all the pre-stored calibration positions; Determining the distance between the one calibrated position and the sound source position; It is determined whether the distance is less than a preset value, so as to determine that the sound source position is indoors when the distance is less than a preset value, and to determine that the sound source position is not indoors when the distance is greater than or equal to a preset value.

10. An air conditioner, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein a machine executable program is stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the machine executable program, the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 can be implemented.

Images