Air conditioner and control method thereof

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of air conditioners, and specifically provides an air conditioner and a control method thereof. The control method comprises the following steps: in response to receiving a suspected voice instruction, determining a sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction; judging whether the sound source position is located indoors; if yes, determining whether there is a person at the sound source position; and according to the presence of the person, determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction. The application improves the accuracy of voice instruction recognition of the air conditioner, and further improves the use experience of the user.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] With the continuous development and progress of technology, existing air conditioners are becoming more and more intelligent. Some air conditioners have a voice recognition function, which determines the operation that the user wants the air conditioner to perform by recognizing the user's voice, so as to control the air conditioner to perform the corresponding operation.

[0003] However, not all family members (such as the elderly and children) have clear pronunciation and can speak standard Mandarin, which causes the air conditioner to be unable to accurately recognize the voice instructions of all family members, thereby causing poor user experience. SUMMARY

[0004] One object of the present application is to solve the problem of poor accuracy of existing air conditioners in recognizing voice instructions from users.

[0005] A further object of the present application is to avoid the air conditioner being mistakenly touched by outdoor sound.

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

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

[0008] Judging whether the sound source position is located indoors;

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

[0010] According to the presence of the person, determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction.

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

[0012] If there is a person at the sound source position, determining that the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction.

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

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

[0015] If there is a person in the preset range, sending a confirmation information to remind the user to confirm the suspected voice instruction;

[0016] In response to receiving the confirmation voice information, determining that the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction.

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

[0018] If there is no person in the preset range, determining that the air conditioner keeps the current operating parameter and does not execute the suspected voice instruction.

[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 comprises:

[0020] Real-time detecting voice information;

[0021] When the detected voice information matches 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.

[0022] Optionally, the control method further comprises:

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

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

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

[0026] According to the frequency of the sound obtained by each microphone in the microphone array of the air conditioner, determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction.

[0027] Optionally, before the step of determining whether the sound source position 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 comprises: determining whether the sound source position is within the outline range.

[0029] Optionally, the control method further comprises:

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

[0031] store the calibration position;

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

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

[0034] determining the distance between the one calibration position and the sound source position;

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

[0036] The application provides an air conditioner in a second aspect, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory has a machine executable program stored thereon, and the processor can implement the control method of any one of the first aspect when executing the machine executable program.

[0037] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can understand that, in the foregoing technical solutions of the application, when a suspected voice instruction is received, the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction is determined; then it is determined whether the sound source position is located indoors, so as to avoid the air conditioner being mistakenly touched by outdoor sound. When the sound source position is located indoors, it is determined whether there is a person at the sound source position, so as to ensure that the suspected voice instruction is indeed issued by a person indoors. Then, according to the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction, which improves the accuracy of voice instruction recognition of the air conditioner, and further improves the user experience.

[0038] Further, one closest to the sound source position is determined from all the pre-stored calibration positions, the distance between the one calibration position and the sound source position is determined, it is determined whether the distance is less than a preset value, to determine that the sound source position is indoors when the distance is less than the preset value, and to determine that the sound source position is not indoors when the distance is greater than or equal to the preset value. Those skilled in the art can understand that, after the air conditioner is used for a period of time, the air conditioner can have enough calibration positions to traverse most areas of the indoor space, so that the air conditioner 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 is used, the higher the accuracy of voice instruction recognition of the air conditioner.

[0039] Other beneficial effects of the application will be described in detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand the improvement purposes, features and advantages of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, hereinafter, some embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the components or parts indicated by the same reference signs in different drawings are the same or similar; the drawings of the present application are not necessarily drawn to scale with respect to each other.

[0041] In the drawings:

[0042] Figure 1 is a main step flowchart of a control method of an air conditioner in some embodiments of the present application;

[0043] Figure 2 is a step flowchart of determining a sound source position in some embodiments of the present application;

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

[0045] Figure 4 is a step flowchart of determining whether to execute a suspected voice instruction in some embodiments of the present application;

[0046] Figure 5 is a part step flowchart of a control method of an air conditioner in yet some embodiments of the present application;

[0047] Figure 6 is a step flowchart of a control method of an air conditioner in further some embodiments of the present application;

[0048] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of an air conditioner in still some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described hereinafter are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments of the present application, and the part of the embodiments are intended to explain the technical principles of the present application, but not to limit the protection scope of the present application. Based on the embodiments provided by the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor should fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0050] It should be noted that, in the description of the present application, the terms indicating the direction or position relationship such as "center", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the direction or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0051] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can also refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0052] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "coldness" and "heat" are two descriptions of the same physical state. That is, the higher the "coldness" of a target object (e.g., evaporator, air, condenser, etc.), the lower its "heat," and vice versa. A target object absorbs "coldness" while releasing "heat," and releases "coldness" while absorbing "heat." A target object retains "coldness" or "heat" to maintain its current temperature. "Refrigeration" and "heat absorption" are two descriptions of the same physical phenomenon; that is, a target object (e.g., an evaporator) absorbs heat while refrigerating.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that in the description of this invention, each functional module can be a physical module composed of multiple structures, components, or electronic devices, or a virtual module composed of multiple programs; each functional module can be an independent module or a module divided from a whole module according to its function. Those skilled in the art should understand that, provided the technical solution described in this invention can be implemented, any changes in the configuration, implementation, or positional relationship of the functional modules will not deviate from the technical principles of this invention, and therefore should all fall within the protection scope of this 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, as detailed below:

[0055] Step S110: In response to receiving a suspected voice command, determine the location of the sound source corresponding to the suspected voice command.

[0056] Among them, the suspected voice command represents a command that the suspected air conditioner 100 can execute.

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

[0058] Step S111, determine the frequency of the sound corresponding to the suspected voice instruction.

[0059] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, there can be multiple sound sources in the room where the air conditioner 100 is located (i.e. indoors), such as the fan of the air conditioner 100, the user's speaking sound, outdoor noise, etc. Generally, there is usually only one user giving voice instructions to the air conditioner 100. Since there are differences in the timbre between different people, and the timbre is manifested as the frequency of the sound. Therefore, by determining the frequency of the sound corresponding to the suspected voice instruction, the timbre of the user giving the suspected voice instruction can be identified.

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

[0061] Step S112, according to the frequency of the sound obtained by each microphone in the microphone array 110 of the air conditioner 100, determine the position of the sound source corresponding to the suspected voice instruction, i.e. determine the position of the user giving the suspected voice instruction.

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

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

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

[0065] For this purpose, the outline range of the room where the air conditioner 100 is located needs to be obtained in advance.

[0066] For example, as shown in Figure 3 The air conditioner 100 further includes a radar 120 to scan the room where the air conditioner 100 is located to obtain the outline of the room. Since the technical means of scanning the room by the radar 120 and mapping the environment 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 can be a laser radar, an ultrasonic radar, or any other feasible radar.

[0068] In addition, the skilled person in the art can also obtain the contour range of the room where the air conditioner 100 is located according to the needs by using any other feasible technical means, for example, by at least two cameras to obtain the image of the room, and then according to the difference of the image, to determine the position where the contour of the room is located.

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

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

[0071] Illustratively, the image at the sound source position is obtained by the image acquisition module, and then whether there is a person in the image is identified by image recognition technology.

[0072] Step S140, according to the presence of the person, determine whether the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice instruction. Specifically, it includes steps S141 to S145.

[0073] Step S141, if there is a person at the sound source position, determine that the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice instruction. And control the air conditioner 100 to execute the suspected voice instruction.

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

[0075] The preset range can be a three-dimensional spatial range, such as a spherical range. The preset range can also be a planar range parallel to the floor of the room. The preset range can be a range with a radius of 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. The skilled person in the art should understand 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 the preset range by the image acquisition module, whether there is a person in the region corresponding to the preset range in the image is identified by image recognition technology.

[0078] Step S143, if there is a person within the preset range, issue a confirmation information to remind the user to confirm the suspected voice instruction.

[0079] The skilled person 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 position to the current position within the time period from receiving the suspected voice instruction from the air conditioner 100 to identifying the presence of the person.

[0080] The confirmation information can include specific instructions that the air conditioner 100 can execute, for example, the confirmation information can be "whether to lower the cooling temperature", "whether to raise the cooling temperature", "whether to cool", "whether to stop", "whether to start", "whether to start the intelligent operation mode", and the like.

[0081] In step S144, in response to receiving the confirmation voice information, it is determined that the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice instruction.

[0082] The confirmation voice information is issued by the user.

[0083] The suspected voice instruction is executed, specifically, the instruction closest to or most similar to the suspected voice instruction is executed, that is, the instruction included in the confirmation information issued by the air conditioner 100 is executed.

[0084] For this purpose, the confirmation voice information issued by the user can be "confirmation", "yes", "execute", and the like.

[0085] In step S145, if there is no person in the preset range, it is determined that the air conditioner 100 maintains the current operating parameter and does not execute the suspected voice instruction.

[0086] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, if there is no person in the preset range, it indicates that the suspected voice instruction received by the air conditioner 100 is an interference instruction. The reason can be that the suspected voice instruction recognized by the air conditioner 100 can be a sound emitted by a television, a sound box or the like, or a sound synthesized by multiple sound sources.

[0087] In step S150, if the sound source position is located outdoors, it is determined that the air conditioner 100 maintains the current operating parameter and does not execute the suspected voice instruction.

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

[0089] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can understand that in some embodiments of the present application, when the suspected voice instruction is received, the position of the sound source corresponding to the suspected voice instruction is determined; then it is judged whether the sound source position is located indoors to avoid the air conditioner 100 being mistakenly touched by outdoor sound. When the sound source position is located indoors, it is determined whether there is a person at the sound source position to ensure that the suspected voice instruction is indeed issued by the person indoors. Then, according to the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice instruction, which improves the accuracy of voice instruction recognition of the air conditioner 100 and further improves the user's experience.

[0090] It should be noted that the above embodiments of the present application are only a basic embodiment of the present application. In other embodiments of the present application, those skilled in the art can adjust, optimize and configure the schemes and steps in the above embodiments as needed to achieve further technical effects. Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present application different from the above embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Of course, those skilled in the art can also appropriately modify the execution order, running conditions and number of steps in the embodiments to be described hereinafter according to actual needs. The modified embodiments will not deviate from the technical concept and / or technical principles of the present application, and still fall within the protection scope of the present application.

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

[0092] Step S210, real-time detection of voice information.

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

[0094] For example, the voice instruction set can include "lower the temperature", "raise the temperature", "turn off", "turn on", etc. When the suspected voice instruction is "turn on", and matches the instruction word "on" in "turn on". At this time, it can be determined that a suspected voice instruction is received.

[0095] Step S230, when the detected voice information matches all 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 can be "turn off", which matches all instruction words in "turn off". At this time, it is determined that an accurate voice instruction is received, and it is determined that the air conditioner 100 executes the accurate voice instruction.

[0097] As shown in the above embodiments of the present application, in some embodiments of the present application, the control method of the air conditioner 100 further includes steps S210 to S230, wherein steps S210 and S220 are executed before step S110. Figure 6

[0098] Step S301, real-time detection of voice information.

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

[0100] ​​Step S303, the calibration position is stored. The calibration position can be stored in the memory around the air conditioner 100, or stored in the cloud service or background server in communication connection with the air conditioner 100.

[0101] Those skilled in the art can understand that when the air conditioner 100 is used by the user for a period of time, enough calibration positions can be obtained to traverse most of the area in the room. For example, when the user uses the air conditioner 100 for one year, and in this year, the user often uses voice to control the air conditioner 100 to run, then each time the user controls the air conditioner 100 to run, a calibration position is stored, and thus the air conditioner 100 stores enough calibration positions.

[0102] Further, if multiple calibration positions are close to each other, for example, the distance is less than 0.2m, the multiple calibration positions are combined 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 part of the instruction words of a voice instruction in the pre-stored voice instruction set, it is determined that a suspected voice instruction is received. For details, please refer to the description of step S220.

[0104] Step S305, the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction is determined. For details, please refer to the description of step S110.

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

[0106] Step S307, the distance between the one calibration position and the sound source position is determined.

[0107] Step S308, it is judged whether the distance is less than a preset value, to determine that the sound source position is in the room when it is less than, and determine that the sound source position is not in the room when it is greater than or equal to.

[0108] The preset value can be any feasible value, for example, 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 position, and it is determined that the air conditioner 100 does not execute the suspected voice instruction.

[0110] Step S310, if it is less than, it is determined whether there is a person at the sound source position.

[0111] Step S311, according to the presence of the person, it is determined whether the air conditioner 100 executes the suspected voice instruction. For details, please refer to the description of step S140.

[0112] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can understand that, in still other embodiments of the present application, the air conditioner 100 determines the distance between the one of the pre-stored calibration positions closest to the sound source position and the sound source position, judges whether the distance is less than a preset value, and determines that the sound source position is in the room when the distance is less than the preset value, and determines that the sound source position is not in the room when the distance is greater than or equal to the preset value. Those skilled in the art can understand that, after the air conditioner 100 is used for a period of time, the air conditioner 100 can have enough calibration positions to traverse most of the area in the room, so that the air conditioner 100 can accurately determine whether the sound source position is in the room 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 instructions.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 13, in some embodiments of the present application, the air conditioner 100 further includes a processor 130 and a memory 140, the memory 140 having stored thereon a machine executable program 141, the processor 130 implementing the control method described in any of the foregoing embodiments when executing the machine executable program 141. Figure 7

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

[0115] In this embodiment, the processor 130 is an integrated circuit chip having 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 device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, a microprocessor, and any other conventional processor.

[0116] ​So far, the technical solutions of the present application have been described in combination with the foregoing embodiments, but those skilled in the art can easily understand that the protection scope of the present application is not limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can split and combine the technical solutions in the above-mentioned embodiments, or make equivalent changes or replacements to the related technical features, without departing from the technical principles of the present application. Any changes, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the technical concept and / or technical principles of the present application will fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method of an air conditioner, comprising: determining a sound source position corresponding to a suspected voice instruction in response to receiving the suspected voice instruction; judging whether the sound source position is located indoors; if yes, determining whether there is a person at the sound source position; if there is no person at the sound source position, determining whether there is a person within a preset range centered on the sound source position; if there is a person within the preset range, issuing a confirmation information to remind a user to confirm the suspected voice instruction; determining the air conditioner to execute the suspected voice instruction in response to receiving a confirmation voice information; if there is no person within the preset range, determining the air conditioner to keep a current operating parameter and not to execute the suspected voice instruction. 2.The control method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the air conditioner executes the suspected voice instruction according to the presence of the person comprises: if there is a person at the sound source position, determining the air conditioner to execute the suspected voice instruction. 3.The control method of claim 1, before the step of determining a sound source position corresponding to a suspected voice instruction in response to receiving the suspected voice instruction, the control method further comprises: detecting a voice information in real time; when the detected voice information matches part of instruction words of a certain voice instruction in a pre-stored voice instruction set, determining that the suspected voice instruction is received. 4.The control method of claim 3, further comprising: when the detected voice information matches all of the instruction words of the certain voice instruction in the voice instruction set, determining that an accurate voice instruction is received, and determining the air conditioner to execute the accurate voice instruction. 5.The control method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a sound source position corresponding to a suspected voice instruction comprises: determining a frequency of a sound corresponding to the suspected voice instruction; determining the sound source position corresponding to the suspected voice instruction according to the sound of the frequency acquired by each microphone in a microphone array of the air conditioner.

6. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising, before the step of judging whether the sound source position is located in the room, determining whether the sound source position is located in the room. controlling the air conditioner to scan a room where the air conditioner is located to acquire a contour of the room; the step of judging whether the sound source position is located indoors comprises: judging whether the sound source position is within the contour range. 7.The control method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a sound source position corresponding to an accurate voice instruction and recording the sound source position as a calibration position in response to receiving the accurate voice instruction; storing the calibration position; the step of judging whether the sound source position is located indoors comprises: determining one calibration position closest to the sound source position from all pre-stored calibration positions; determining a distance between the one calibration position and the sound source position; judging whether the distance is less than a preset value to determine that the sound source position is indoors when the distance is less than the preset value, and to determine that the sound source position is not indoors when the distance is greater than or equal to the preset value. 8.An air conditioner comprising a processor and a memory, the memory having stored thereon a machine executable program, the processor being capable of implementing the control method of any one of claims 1 to 7 when executing the machine executable program.

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