APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AIR CONDITIONING USING LiDAR

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling an air conditioner using LiDAR, the apparatus including: a state determination unit configured to: determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied; a passenger counting unit configured to determine whether a person gets on or off the vehicle, count the number of passengers, and output a count value based on the LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device when a passenger counting condition is satisfied; a correction unit configured to: correct a target control value in response to the number of passengers based on the count value, and output a target corrected control value; and a control unit configured to control the air conditioning system based on the target correction control value.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates to an apparatus and method of controlling an air conditioner using a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) that can be applied to a vehicle (e.g., a car, etc.). BACKGROUND

[0002] A vehicle (e.g., a car) can include an air conditioning system that controls the air conditioning system (e.g., a blower, a temperature control door, and an intake door) based on an indoor air state (e.g., temperature and humidity) to control the indoor air state.

[0003] An air conditioning control method can control the air conditioning system in response to a detected temperature. In some cases, the air conditioning control method can control the air conditioning system based on the number of passengers in the vehicle. In some cases, these methods can detect the number of passengers in the vehicle.

[0004] For example, an air conditioning control apparatus can sense the number of passengers using a seat belt sensor, a seat weight scale, a door opening sensor, or a face recognition camera.

[0005] In some cases in which the number of passengers is sensed using a physical sensor as described above, it can not be possible to sense everyone, including people who are standing rather than sitting in a seat. In some cases in which a face recognition camera is used, people who do not look at the camera can not be sensed.

[0006] As described above, it can not be possible to accurately sense all passengers. SUMMARY

[0007] The disclosure describes an apparatus and method of controlling an air conditioner using a LiDAR that can accurately sense the number of passengers using a LiDAR and accurately reflect the number of passengers in a load condition of an air conditioning system, thereby efficiently controlling the air conditioning system.

[0008] According to an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an apparatus of controlling an air conditioner using a LiDAR, the apparatus including: a state determination unit configured to determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operating state, a speed, and a door state of a vehicle equipped with a LiDAR device and an air conditioning system, and an operation mode of the air conditioning system; a passenger counting unit configured to, when the passenger counting condition is satisfied, determine whether a person gets on or off the vehicle based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device, count the number of passengers, and output a counted value; a correction unit configured to correct a target control value in response to the number of passengers based on the counted value, and output a target corrected control value; and a control unit configured to control the air conditioning system based on the target corrected control value.

[0009] The state determination unit is configured to determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied when a condition that the vehicle is in the running-on state, a condition that the air conditioning system is in the automatic mode, a condition that the speed of the vehicle is less than or equal to a reference speed, and a condition that the door of the vehicle is in the open state are all satisfied.

[0010] The passenger counting unit can include a person determination unit configured to determine whether an object entering and leaving a predetermined range of the vehicle is a person based on LiDAR information, a boarding / alighting determination unit configured to identify boarding when a person entering the predetermined range of the vehicle approaches the vehicle and to identify alighting when a person leaving the predetermined range of the vehicle moves away from the vehicle, in the case where the object entering and leaving the predetermined range of the vehicle is a person, and a passenger number calculation unit configured to increase the passenger number when the boarding / alighting determination unit identifies boarding and to decrease the passenger number when the boarding / alighting determination unit identifies alighting.

[0011] The correction unit can include a control value storage configured to store a predetermined target control value, and a control value correction unit configured to calculate a passenger number calculation weight based on the count value and the target control value, correct the target control value using the weight, and output a target correction control value.

[0012] The control value correction unit can include a passenger number increase / decrease determination unit configured to determine an increase or a decrease in the passenger number based on the passenger number, a first correction unit configured to calculate the target correction control value by applying a positive (+) weight to the target control value in response to an increase in the passenger number, and a second correction unit configured to calculate the target correction control value by applying a negative (-) weight to the target control value in response to a decrease in the passenger number.

[0013] The control value correction unit can be configured to reflect at least one piece of additional information about a person entering and leaving the predetermined range included in the LiDAR information in the weight when correcting the target control value.

[0014] The correction unit can be configured to determine the weight according to an application ratio of a predetermined correction function in response to an increase or a decrease in the passenger number. The correction function can be at least one of a linear function and a nonlinear function.

[0015] The correction function of the correction unit can be applied to at most a predetermined upper limit passenger number, and can be configured to maintain a weight corresponding to the upper limit passenger number when the passenger number is greater than the upper limit passenger number.

[0016] The correction unit can be configured to calculate target correction control values of the target air conditioning devices by applying different weights to different target control values of the target air conditioning devices in response to operating states of the target air conditioning devices.

[0017] The control unit can include an operating mode memory configured to store automatic mode target correction control values for the detected temperatures for an automatic mode of the air conditioning system and to store preset manual mode target control values for a manual mode of the air conditioning system, and a controller configured to control the air conditioning system using the automatic mode target correction control values for the detected temperatures stored in the memory in response to the detected temperatures when the air conditioning system is in the automatic mode.

[0018] According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of controlling an air conditioner using a LiDAR, the method including a state determination operation of determining whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operating state, a speed, and a door state of a vehicle equipped with a LiDAR device and an air conditioning system and an operating mode of the air conditioning system, a passenger counting operation of counting a number of passengers based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device and outputting a count value when the passenger counting condition is satisfied, a control value correction operation of correcting a target control value in response to the number of passengers based on the count value and outputting a target correction control value, and an air conditioner control operation of controlling the air conditioning system based on the target correction control value.

[0019] The state determination operation can include determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied when a condition that the vehicle is in an operating-on state, a condition that the air conditioning system is in an automatic mode, a condition that the speed of the vehicle is less than or equal to a reference speed, and a condition that the door of the vehicle is in an open state are all satisfied.

[0020] The passenger counting operation can include a person determination operation of determining whether objects entering and leaving a predetermined range of the vehicle are persons based on the LiDAR information, a boarding / alighting determination operation of identifying boarding when a person entering the predetermined range of the vehicle approaches the vehicle and identifying alighting when a person leaving the predetermined range of the vehicle moves away from the vehicle, in the case where the objects entering and leaving the predetermined range of the vehicle are the persons, and a passenger number calculation operation of increasing the number of passengers when boarding is identified in the boarding / alighting determination operation and decreasing the number of passengers when alighting is identified in the boarding / alighting determination operation.

[0021] The control value correction operation can include calculating a weight using the number of passengers based on the count value and the target control value, correcting the target control value using the weight, and outputting the target correction control value.

[0022] The control value correction unit can include a passenger number increase / decrease determination operation that determines an increase or decrease in the passenger number based on the passenger number, a first correction operation that calculates the target correction control value by applying a positive (+) weight to the target control value in response to the increase in the passenger number, and a second correction operation that calculates the target correction control value by applying a negative (-) weight to the target control value in response to the decrease in the passenger number.

[0023] The control value correction operation can include reflecting at least one piece of additional information about a person entering and leaving a preset range included in the LiDAR information in the weight when correcting the target control value.

[0024] The control value correction operation can include determining the weight according to an application ratio of a preset correction function in response to the increase or decrease in the passenger number. The correction function can be at least one of a linear function and a nonlinear function.

[0025] The correction function of the control value correction operation can be applied up to a preset upper limit passenger number, and can be configured to maintain a weight corresponding to the upper limit passenger number when the passenger number is greater than the upper limit passenger number.

[0026] The control value correction operation can include calculating target correction control values of target air conditioning devices among air conditioning devices included in the air conditioning system by differently applying weights to different target control values of the target air conditioning devices in response to operating states of the target air conditioning devices with respect to a preset target air conditioning device among the target air conditioning devices.

[0027] The control value correction operation can include controlling termination of the air conditioning system by initializing a weight that varies in response to a change in the passenger number.

[0028] Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the aspects listed herein, and other aspects can be additionally understood in the course of describing example embodiments below.

[0029] In some embodiments, the passenger number can be accurately sensed using the LiDAR sensor, and the sensed passenger number can be more accurately reflected in the load condition of the air conditioning system, thereby efficiently controlling the air conditioning system.

[0030] In some embodiments, the operation amount of the air conditioning system can be controlled based on the accurately sensed passenger number compared to the temperature control method according to the related art, and accordingly, preemptive air conditioning control can be performed, thereby providing a comfortable and power cost saving effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner control device.

[0033] Figure 2 is an example diagram of an air conditioner control device.

[0034] Figure 3 is an example diagram of a state determination unit.

[0035] Figure 4 is an example diagram of a passenger counting unit.

[0036] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the operation of a LiDAR sensor unit and a passenger counting unit.

[0037] Figure 6 is an example diagram of a correction unit.

[0038] Figure 7 is an example diagram of a control value correction unit.

[0039] Figure 8 is an example diagram of a control value correction unit.

[0040] Figure 9A is an example diagram of a linear curve of a linear function for determining an application ratio of a weight of a correction unit, and Figure 9B is an example diagram of a nonlinear curve of a nonlinear function for determining an application ratio of a weight of a correction unit.

[0041] Figure 10A is a schematic diagram of a target correction control value according to a weight of an indoor / outdoor air amount controller, Figure 10B is an explanatory diagram of a target correction control value according to a weight of a temperature control gate, and Figure 10C is an explanatory diagram of a target correction control value according to a weight of a blower control gate.

[0042] Figure 11 is an example diagram of a control unit.

[0043] Figure 12 is a flowchart of an air conditioner control method.

[0044] Figure 13 is an example diagram of a state determination operation.

[0045] Figure 14 is an example diagram of a passenger counting operation.

[0046] Figure 15 is an example diagram of a control value correction operation using a weight.

[0047] Figure 16is an example diagram of a control value correction operation that applies a weight differently in response to an increase or decrease in the number of passengers.

[0048] Figure 17 is an example diagram of a control value correction operation using additional information.

[0049] Figure 18 is a block diagram of a computer device capable of fully or partially implementing the apparatus and method for controlling an air conditioner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Hereinafter, specific example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description is provided to help a full understanding of the method, apparatus, and / or system described in the specification. However, the detailed description is for illustrative purposes only, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner control apparatus.

[0052] In some embodiments, with reference to Figure 1 , the air conditioner control apparatus 50 can be installed on the vehicle 5 together with the LiDAR device 40 and the air conditioner system 60.

[0053] The LiDAR device 40 can measure a distance using a laser, can recognize a surrounding object (OBT), and can provide information on whether the recognized object (OBT) is a person, information on the speed and direction of the recognized object, and LiDAR information (RDI) including information on the distance from the recognized object.

[0054] The vehicle 5 can include various sensors including a temperature sensor and an electronic control unit (ECU) that comprehensively controls the overall operation of the vehicle 5, the ECU can provide the air conditioner control apparatus 50 with a state signal (STO1) including information on the running on state of the vehicle 5 and information on the opening state of the door, and a detected temperature (Temp).

[0055] The air conditioner system 60 can provide the air conditioner control apparatus 50 with a state signal (STO2) including automatic mode information.

[0056] The air conditioner control apparatus 50 can identify the number of passengers based on the LiDAR information (RDI) received from the LiDAR device 40, the state signal (STO1) of the vehicle 5, the detected temperature Temp, and the state signal (STO2) received from the air conditioner system 60, can correct the target control value based on the identified number of passengers, and can control the air conditioner system 60 using a control signal (SC) based on the target correction control value obtained by correcting the target control value, which will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 11 .

[0057] With regard to the drawings of the present disclosure, unnecessary repetitive descriptions of components having the same reference numerals and the same functions can be omitted, and possible differences between the drawings can be described.

[0058] Figure 2 is an example diagram of an air conditioning control apparatus.

[0059] Referring to Figure 2 , the air conditioning control apparatus 50 can include a state determination unit 100, a passenger counting unit 200, a correction unit 300, and a control unit 400.

[0060] The state determination unit 100 can determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on the operating state, speed, and door state of the vehicle 5 equipped with the LiDAR device 40 and the air conditioning system 60, and the operation mode of the air conditioning system 60, and can output a trigger signal (ST) for starting a counting operation when the passenger counting condition is satisfied.

[0061] When the passenger counting condition is satisfied, the passenger counting unit 200 can determine boarding and alighting of a person with respect to the vehicle 5 based on LiDAR information (RDI) received from the LiDAR device 40, can count the number of passengers (N), and can output a count value (CN) including information about the number of passengers (N).

[0062] The correction unit 300 can correct predetermined target control values (TD) in response to the number of passengers (N) based on the count value (CN), and can output target corrected control values (TDC) to the control unit 400. As an example, the correction unit 300 can correct target control values (e.g., TD1, TD2,..., see Figures 10A-10C ) corresponding to a plurality of air conditioning devices included in the air conditioning system 60, respectively, based on the number of passengers (N), and can output target corrected control values (e.g., TDC1, TDC2,..., see Figures 10A-10C and 11) to the control unit 400.

[0063] Further, the control unit 400 can control the air conditioning system 60 based on the target corrected control values (TDC) received from the correction unit 300. For example, in the air conditioning system 60, the control target can be an indoor / outdoor air amount controller, a temperature control door, or a blower control door, as explained in Figure 10A , 10B and 10C, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0064] In the present disclosure, the state determination unit 100, the passenger counting unit 200, the correction unit 300, and the control unit 400 can be implemented as separate processors, or the state determination unit 100, the passenger counting unit 200, the correction unit 300, and the control unit 400 can be implemented as a single processor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0065] Further, the state determination unit 100, the passenger counting unit 200, the correction unit 300, and the control unit 400 can be implemented as hardware or software embedded on at least one integrated circuit (IC) of the air conditioning control device 50 or a combination thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0066] Figure 3 is an example diagram of a state determination unit.

[0067] Reference Figure 3 When the conditions that the vehicle 5 is in the running-on state, the air conditioning system 60 is in the automatic mode, the speed of the vehicle 5 is less than or equal to the reference speed, and the door of the vehicle 5 is in the open state are all satisfied, the state determination unit 100 can determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied.

[0068] For example, the state determination unit 100 can include an AND gate 110, and the AND gate 110 can perform a logical product operation on a state signal (ST1) having a high (H) level in the condition that the vehicle 5 is in the running-on state, a state signal (ST2) having a high (H) level in the condition that the speed of the vehicle 5 is less than or equal to the reference speed, a state signal (ST3) having a high (H) level in the condition that the door of the vehicle 5 is in the open state, and a state signal (ST4) having a high (H) level in the condition that the air conditioning system 60 is in the automatic mode, to output a trigger signal (ST) having a high (H) level, for example, when all four state signals (ST1, ST2, ST3, and ST4) have a high (H) level.

[0069] For example, the reference speed of the vehicle 5 can be differently set according to the type and characteristics of the vehicle (e.g., a passenger car, a bus, a subway, etc.), considering various factors (e.g., passenger safety, boarding and alighting, boarding and alighting sensing accuracy, etc.).

[0070] In the present disclosure, each of a high (H) level and a low (L) level can be a logic 1 or a logic 0, and the high level and the low level can be voltage levels, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the above example, a case where the air conditioning control device 50 is "active high" is described, but this case is merely an example for ease of description and understanding, and thus the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the present disclosure can be applied to a case where the air conditioning control device 50 is described as "active low", which can be applied to the following description.

[0071] Figure 4 is an example diagram of a passenger counting unit. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating operations of a LiDAR sensor unit and a passenger counting unit.

[0072] Referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the passenger counting unit 200 can include a person determination unit 210, a boarding / alighting determination unit 220, and a passenger quantity calculation unit 230.

[0073] The person determination unit 210 can determine whether an object entering and leaving a predetermined range (SA) of the vehicle 5 is a person based on LiDAR information (RDI). For example, referring to Figure 5 When the sensor of the LiDAR device 40 is installed at the upper end of the door of the vehicle 5, in a planar coordinate determined by the X-axis (the length direction of the vehicle 5) and the Y-axis (the width direction of the vehicle 5) with respect to the door, the LiDAR device 40 can recognize whether an object (OBT) entering and leaving the predetermined range (SA) is a person, the moving direction and speed of the object (OBT), and the distance from the object (OBT), and can provide the control unit 400 with LiDAR information (RDI) including the recognized information.

[0074] In the above-described example, a case in which the LiDAR device 40 is installed at the upper end of the door of the vehicle 5 is described, but this case is described only for convenience of description and understanding, and the sensor of the LiDAR device 40 can be installed at various positions according to the application environment, for example, at the top of the vehicle, the inner side of the car roof, etc., considering the arrangement purpose, use, etc. of the vehicle, and thus the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described example.

[0075] In a case where the object (OBT) entering and leaving the preset range (SA) of the vehicle 5 is a person, the boarding / alighting determination unit 220 can recognize boarding when the person entering the preset range (SA) of the vehicle 5 moves closer to the vehicle 5, and can recognize alighting when the person leaving the preset range (SA) of the vehicle 5 moves away from the vehicle 5. For example, the boarding / alighting determination unit 220 can recognize boarding based on the LiDAR information (RDI) when the moving speed (V_Y) of the person entering the preset range (SA) toward the vehicle 5 is greater than zero (V_Y > 0) in a case where the object (OBT) is a person. In addition, the boarding / alighting determination unit 220 can recognize alighting when the moving speed (V_Y) of the person leaving the preset range (SA) away from the vehicle 5 is greater than zero (V_Y < 0) in a case where the object (OBT) is a person. When the boarding / alighting determination unit 220 recognizes boarding, the passenger number calculating unit 230 can increase the passenger number by "1" (N = N + 1). In contrast, when the boarding / alighting determination unit 220 recognizes alighting, the passenger number calculating unit 230 can decrease the passenger number by "1" (N = N - 1).

[0076] Figure 6 is an example diagram of a correction unit.

[0077] Referring to Figure 6 , the correction unit 300 can include a control value storage 310 and a control value correction unit 320.

[0078] The control value storage 310 can store a predetermined target control value (TD). For example, the target control value (TD) can be a target control value of the air conditioning system 60. For example, when there are a plurality of target air conditioning devices to be controlled by the air conditioning system 60, the control value storage 310 can include different target control values (TD1, TD2, TD3,...) for the plurality of target air conditioning devices.

[0079] The control value correction unit 320 can calculate a weight (W = TD_N) using the passenger number (N) based on the count value (CN) and the target control value (TD), and can correct the target control value (TD) using the weight (W) to output a target corrected control value (TDC = TD ± W). For example, the weight can be determined as a function of an application ratio of the target control value (TD), which will be described with reference to Figure 9A and 9B .

[0080] Figure 7 is an example diagram of a control value correction unit.

[0081] Referring to Figure 7 , the control value correction unit 320 can include a passenger number increase / decrease determination unit 321, a first correction unit 322, and a second correction unit 323.

[0082] The passenger number increase / decrease determination unit 321 can determine an increase or decrease in the passenger number. For example, the passenger number increase / decrease determination unit 321 can determine an increase or decrease in the passenger number by comparing the previous passenger number with the current passenger number (N) with each other.

[0083] The first correction unit 322 can apply a positive weight (+W) to the target control value (TD) in response to an increase in the passenger number, to calculate a target correction control value (TDC = TD + W), as the passenger number increases.

[0084] The second correction unit 323 can apply a negative weight (-W) to the target control value (TD) in response to a decrease in the passenger number, to calculate a target correction control value (TDC = TD - W).

[0085] Figure 8 is an example graph of a linear curve of a linear function for determining an application ratio of a weight of a correction unit, and

[0086] Referring to Figure 8 When the target control value (TD) is corrected, the control value correction unit 320 can reflect at least one of a plurality of additional information (e.g., height (H), gender (G), and body information (B)) in the weight (W). For example, among the plurality of additional information, the height (H) and the body information (B) can be compared with a reference height (H) and a reference body information (B), and a reflection ratio can be applied differently according to a comparison result. As for the gender (G), different reflection ratios can be applied to men and women.

[0087] Figure 9A is an example graph of a linear curve of a linear function for determining an application ratio of a weight of a correction unit, and Figure 9B is an example graph of a non-linear curve of a non-linear function for determining an application ratio of a weight of a correction unit.

[0088] Referring to Figure 9A and 9B In response to an increase or decrease in the passenger number (N), the correction unit 300 can determine a weight (W = TD - K) according to an application ratio of a preset correction function, and the correction function can be at least one of Figure 9A a linear function (f1) as shown in Figure 9B a non-linear function (f2 or f3) as shown in

[0089] In addition, the correction function of the correction unit 300 can be applied up to a preset upper limit passenger number (N_limit). When the passenger number (N) is greater than the upper limit passenger number (N_limit), a weight corresponding to the upper limit passenger number (N_limit) can be maintained.

[0090] Figure 10A is a graph of a target correction control value according to a weight of an indoor / outdoor air amount controller, Figure 10B is a graph of a target correction control value according to a weight of a temperature control door, and Figure 10C is a graph of a target correction control value according to a weight of a blower control door.

[0091] Referring to Figure 10A , 10B and 10C, with respect to a preset target air conditioning device among the air conditioning devices included in the air conditioning system 60, the correction unit 300 can calculate a target correction control value (TDC_1, TDC_2, and TDC_3) of the target air conditioning device by applying a weight (W) differently to different target control values (TD_1, TD_2, and TD_3) of the target air conditioning device in response to an operation state of each target air conditioning device.

[0092] For example, referring to the left side of the graph shown in Figure 10A , Figure 10A indicates a case in which indoor air amount is selected using a high control voltage, the right side of the graph indicates a case in which outdoor air amount is selected using a low control voltage, and a space between the indoor air and the outdoor air indicates a case in which indoor air amount and outdoor air amount are mixed using an intermediate control voltage between the high control voltage and the low control voltage. In Figure 10A , with respect to the indoor / outdoor air amount controller, when the number of passengers (N) increases, the correction unit 300 can add the weight (W) to the target control value (TD_1) of the indoor / outdoor air amount controller to obtain a target correction control value (TDC_1) of the indoor / outdoor air amount controller, so that the outdoor air amount can increase.

[0093] Referring to Figure 10B , Figure 10B indicates a case in which low temperature is selected using a low control voltage (TEMP_F / BACK_LOW), Figure 10B indicates a case in which high temperature is selected using a high control voltage (TEMP_F / BACK_HIGH), and a space between the low temperature and the high temperature indicates a case in which intermediate temperature is selected using an intermediate control voltage between the low control voltage and the high control voltage. In Figure 10B , with respect to the temperature control door, when the number of passengers (N) increases, the correction unit 300 can subtract the weight (W) from the target control value (TD_2) of the temperature control door to obtain a target correction control value (TDC_2) of the temperature control door, so that the temperature can decrease.

[0094] Referring to Figure 10C , Figure 10CThe left side of the illustrated curve indicates a case where maximum cooling and high air volume are selected using a maximum cooling control voltage (V_BLOWER_MAX_COOL) and a high blower voltage, and the right side of the curve indicates a case where maximum heating and high air volume are selected using a maximum heating control voltage (V_BLOWER_MAX_HOT) and a high blower voltage. In Figure 10C In the case of the blower control door, when the number of passengers (N) increases, in the case where the current is in a cooling state, the correction unit 300 can subtract the weight (W) from the target control value (TD_3) of the blower control door to obtain a target correction control value (TDC_3) of the blower control door, so that the amount of cooling air can be increased.

[0095] Figure 11 is an example diagram of a control unit.

[0096] Referring to Figure 11 , the control unit 400 can include an operation mode memory 410 and a controller 420.

[0097] With respect to one target air conditioning device, the operation mode memory 410 can store different automatic mode target correction control values (TDC1, TDC2,...) for the detected temperatures (Temp1, Temp2,...) of the automatic mode (e.g., ST4 = "H") of the air conditioning system 60, and can store a preset manual mode target control value (TD-M) for the manual mode (e.g., ST4 = "L") of the air conditioning system 60.

[0098] When one target air conditioning device of the air conditioning system 60 is in the automatic mode, the controller 420 can control the target air conditioning device of the air conditioning system 60 using the different automatic mode target correction control values (TDC1, TDC2,...) for the detected temperatures (Temp1, Temp2,...) stored in the memory 410.

[0099] Subsequently, an air conditioning control method will be described with reference to Figures 12 to 17 In the present disclosure, the description of the air conditioning control method and the description of the air conditioning control device can complement each other or can be commonly applied, unless the descriptions exclude each other. Therefore, repeated descriptions can be omitted. Hereinafter, the main process of the air conditioning control method will be described.

[0100] Figure 12 is a flowchart of an air conditioning control method.

[0101] Referring to Figure 12 , the air conditioning control method can be performed by Figures 1 to 11The illustrated air conditioning control apparatus 50 implements, and the air conditioning control method can include a state determination operation (S100), a passenger counting operation (S200), a control value correction operation (S300), and an air conditioning control operation (S400).

[0102] In the state determination operation (S100), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operating state, a speed, and a door state of the vehicle 5 equipped with the LiDAR device 40 and the air conditioning system 60, and an operation mode of the air conditioning system 60.

[0103] In the passenger counting operation (S200), when the passenger counting condition is satisfied, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can determine that a person gets on and off the vehicle 5 based on LiDAR information (RDI) received from the LiDAR device 40, can count the number of passengers (N), and can output a count value (CN).

[0104] In the control value correction operation (S300), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can correct a target control value (TD) in response to the number of passengers (N) based on the count value (CN), and can output a target corrected control value (TDC).

[0105] In the air conditioning control operation (S400), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can control the air conditioning system 60 based on the target corrected control value (TDC). With regard to Figure 12 , a description thereof can be referred to a description of Figure 2 .

[0106] Figure 13 is an example diagram of the state determination operation.

[0107] Referring to Figure 13 , in the state determination operation (S100), when the conditions (S110) that the vehicle 5 is in an operating-on state, (S120) that the air conditioning system 60 is in an automatic mode, (S130) that the speed of the vehicle 5 is less than or equal to a reference speed, and (S140) that the door of the vehicle 5 is in an open state are all satisfied, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied.

[0108] For example, in the state determination operation (S100), when the condition 1 that the vehicle 5 is in an operating-on state, the condition 2 that the speed of the vehicle 5 is less than or equal to a reference speed, the condition 3 that the door of the vehicle 5 is in an open state, and the condition 4 that the air conditioning system 60 is in an automatic mode are all satisfied, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (seeFigure 1 ) can output a trigger signal (ST) for starting an operation of counting the number of passengers. Regarding Figure 13 , reference can be made to the description of Figure 3 .

[0109] Figure 14 is an example diagram of a passenger counting operation.

[0110] Referring to Figure 14 , the passenger counting operation (S200) can include a person determination operation (S210), a boarding / alighting determination operation (S220), and a passenger number calculation operation (S230).

[0111] In the person determination operation (S210), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can determine whether an object that enters and exits a predetermined range (SA) of the vehicle 5 is a person, based on LiDAR information (RDI).

[0112] In the boarding / alighting determination operation (S220), in the case where the object that enters and exits the predetermined range (SA) of the vehicle 5 is a person, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can recognize boarding when the person who enters the predetermined range of the vehicle 5 moves close to the vehicle 5, and can recognize alighting when the person who exits the predetermined range of the vehicle 5 moves away from the vehicle 5.

[0113] In the passenger number calculation operation (S230), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can increase the number of passengers when the air conditioning control apparatus 50 recognizes boarding in the boarding / alighting determination operation (S220), and can decrease the number of passengers when the air conditioning control apparatus 50 recognizes alighting in the boarding / alighting determination operation (S220). Regarding Figure 14 , reference can be made to the description of Figure 4 .

[0114] Figure 15 is an example diagram of a control value correction operation using a weight.

[0115] Referring to Figure 15 , in the control value correction operation (S300), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can calculate a weight (W) using the number of passengers (N) based on the count value (CN) and the target control value (TD), and can correct the target control value (TD) to generate a target corrected control value (TDC). Regarding Figure 15 , reference can be made to the description of Figure 6 .

[0116] Figure 16is an example diagram of a control value correction operation that differently applies a weight in response to an increase or decrease in the number of passengers.

[0117] Referring to Figure 16 , the control value correction operation (S300) can include a passenger number increase / decrease determination operation (S310), a first correction operation (S320), and a second correction operation (S330).

[0118] In the passenger number increase / decrease determination operation (S310), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can determine an increase or decrease in the number of passengers.

[0119] In the first correction operation (S320), in response to an increase in the number of passengers, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can apply a positive weight (+W) to the target control value (TD) to calculate a target corrected control value (TDC).

[0120] In the second correction operation (S330), in response to a decrease in the number of passengers, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can apply a negative weight (-W) to the target control value (TD) to calculate a target corrected control value (TDC). With regard to the description of Figure 16 , reference can be made to the description of Figure 7 .

[0121] Figure 17 is an example diagram of a control value correction operation using additional information.

[0122] Referring to Figure 17 , in the control value correction operation (S300), when correcting the target control value (TD), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can reflect at least one of a plurality of pieces of additional information (e.g., height (H), gender (G), and body information (B)) in the weight (W). With regard to the description of Figure 17 , reference can be made to the description of Figure 8 .

[0123] Referring to Figure 9A and 9B , in the control value correction operation (S300), in response to an increase or decrease in the number of passengers (N), the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can determine a weight (W=TD_K) according to an application ratio of a preset correction function, and the correction function can be at least one of a linear function (f1) as shown in Figure 9A and a nonlinear function (f2 and f3) as shown in Figure 9B .

[0124] Further, the correction function of the control value correction operation (S300) can be applied to at most a preset upper limit passenger number (N_limit). When the passenger number (N) is greater than the upper limit passenger number (N_limit), a weight corresponding to the upper limit passenger number (N_limit) can be maintained.

[0125] Referring to Figure 10A , 10B and 10C, in the control value correction operation (S300), with respect to preset target air conditioning devices among the air conditioning devices included in the air conditioning system 60, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can calculate target correction control values (TDC-1, TDC-2, and TDC-3) of the target air conditioning devices by differently applying weights (W) to different target control values (TD1, TD2, and TD3) of the target air conditioning devices in response to operating states of the target air conditioning devices.

[0126] In the control value correction operation, when the vehicle is in the running-off condition, the air conditioning control apparatus 50 (see Figure 1 ) can control termination of the air conditioning system by initializing the weight that varies in response to the passenger number variation.

[0127] Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device 1000 capable of implementing, in whole or in part, an apparatus and a method for controlling an air conditioner.

[0128] As shown in Figure 18 , the computing device 1000 can include at least one processor 1100, a computer-readable storage medium 1200, and a communication bus 1300.

[0129] The processor 1100 can operate the computing device 1000. For example, the processor 1100 can execute one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1200. The one or more programs can include one or more computer-executable instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor 1100, the one or more computer-executable instructions can be configured to cause the computing device 1000 to perform operations.

[0130] The computer-readable storage medium 1200 can be configured to store computer-executable instructions or program code, program data, and / or other suitable forms of information. The program 1210 stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1200 can include a set of instructions executable by the processor 1100. In example implementations, the computer-readable storage medium 1200 can be a memory (volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or any suitable combination thereof), one or more disk storage devices, optical storage devices, flash memory devices, other types of storage media suitable for accessing by the computing device 1000, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0131] The communication bus 1300 can interconnect various other components of the computing device 1000 including the processor 1100 and the computer-readable storage medium 1200.

[0132] The computing device 1000 can also include one or more input / output interfaces 1500 that provide interfaces for one or more input / output devices 1400, and one or more network communication interfaces 1600. The input / output interfaces 1500 and the network communication interfaces 1600 can be connected to the communication bus 1300. The network can be one of a cellular network, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division-CDMA (TD-CDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), or Long Term Evolution (LTE), or another cellular network.

[0133] The input / output devices 1400 can be connected to other components of the computing device 1000 through the input / output interfaces 1500. Exemplary input / output devices 1400 can include a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackpad), a keyboard, a touch input device (e.g., a touchpad or touchscreen), a voice or sound input device, an input device (e.g., various types of sensor devices and / or photographic devices), and / or an output device (e.g., a display device, a printer, a speaker, and / or a network card). Exemplary input / output devices 1400 can be included in the computing device 1000 as components included in the computing device 1000, or can be connected to the computing device 1000 as devices separate from the computing device 1000.

[0134] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can include a program for executing the methods described herein on a computer, and a computer-readable recording medium including the program. The computer-readable recording medium can include local data files, local data structures, etc., alone or in combination with program instructions. The medium can be specially designed and constructed for the purpose of the example embodiments, or can be of a well-known type and available to those skilled in the computer software art. Examples of the computer-readable medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD ROM disks and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, etc. Examples of the program can include machine code, e.g., produced by a compiler, and high-level code executable by a computer using an interpreter.

[0135] While example embodiments have been illustrated and described above, modifications and changes can be made thereunto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to control an air conditioning system of a vehicle using a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) device of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to: determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operation state of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a door state, and an operation mode of the air conditioning system of the vehicle; determine whether one or more persons are getting on or off the vehicle based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device to count a number of passengers in the vehicle based on a determination that the passenger counting condition is satisfied; determine a target correction control value corresponding to the number of passengers in the vehicle based on a counted value of the number of passengers in the vehicle, and output the target correction control value; and control the air conditioning system based on the target correction control value. The one or more processors are configured to determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on (i) the vehicle being in an operation-on state, (ii) the air conditioning system being in an automatic mode, (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed, and (iv) the door being in an open state. The one or more processors are configured to: determine whether an object entering and leaving a predetermined range of the vehicle is a person based on the LiDAR information; identify that a person is getting on the vehicle based on a determination that the object is a person, enters the predetermined range of the vehicle, and moves toward the vehicle; identify that a person is getting off the vehicle based on a determination that the object is a person, leaves the predetermined range of the vehicle, and moves away from the vehicle; increase the number of passengers based on identification that the person is getting on the vehicle; and decrease the number of passengers based on identification that the person is getting off the vehicle. 4.The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: a control value storage configured to store a predetermined target control value, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: calculate a weight of the number of passengers based on the counted value and the predetermined target control value; correct the target control value based on the weight; and output the target correction control value corrected based on the weight. The one or more processors are configured to: determine that the number of passengers is increased or the number of passengers is decreased; calculate the target correction control value by applying a positive (+) weight to the target control value based on a determination that the number of passengers is increased; and calculate the target correction control value by applying a negative (-) weight to the target control value based on a determination that the number of passengers is decreased. The one or more processors are configured to: reflect at least one additional information about a person entering and leaving the predetermined range included in the LiDAR information in the weight based on correction of the target control value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are configured to: determine an application ratio of the weight according to a predetermined correction function based on the number of passengers being increased or the number of passengers being decreased, and wherein the predetermined correction function includes at least one of a linear function and a non-linear function. The one or more processors are configured to: apply the application ratio of the weight according to the predetermined correction function based on the number of passengers in the vehicle being less than or equal to a predetermined upper limit number of passengers; and 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, ​ ​ 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, ​ ​ ​ 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, ​ ​ maintaining a weight corresponding to the upper limit number of passengers based on the number of passengers in the vehicle being greater than the upper limit number of passengers.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein, The air conditioning system includes an air conditioning device, the air conditioning device includes a preset target air conditioning device, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: calculate a target correction control value of the target air conditioning device by applying different weights to different target control values of the target air conditioning device based on an operating state of each target air conditioning device.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: an operation mode memory configured to store (i) an automatic mode target correction control value for each detection temperature for an automatic mode of the air conditioning system and (ii) a preset manual mode target control value for a manual mode of the air conditioning system, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: control the air conditioning system using the detected temperature in the vehicle and the automatic mode target correction control value based on the air conditioning system operating in the automatic mode.

11. A method for controlling an air conditioning system of a vehicle using a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) device, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operation state of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a door state, and an operation mode of the air conditioning system; based on a determination that the passenger counting condition is satisfied, determining whether one or more persons are getting on or off the vehicle based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device, thereby counting a number of passengers in the vehicle; based on a counted value of the number of passengers in the vehicle, determining a target control value corresponding to the number of passengers and outputting a target correction control value; and controlling the air conditioning system based on the target correction control value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of: determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on (i) the vehicle being in an operation-on state, (ii) the air conditioning system being in an automatic mode, (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed, and (iv) the door being in an open state.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of: based on the LiDAR information, determining whether an object entering and leaving a preset range of the vehicle is a person; based on a determination that the object is a person, enters the preset range of the vehicle, and moves toward the vehicle, identifying that a person is getting on the vehicle; based on a determination that the object is a person, leaves the preset range of the vehicle, and moves away from the vehicle, identifying that a person is getting off the vehicle; based on identifying that a person is getting on the vehicle, increasing the number of passengers; and based on identifying that a person is getting off the vehicle, decreasing the number of passengers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, the step of determining the target control value includes: based on the counted value, calculating a weight corresponding to the number of passengers; based on the weight, correcting the target control value; and outputting the target correction control value corrected based on the weight.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of: determining that the number of passengers is increasing or the number of passengers is decreasing; based on a determination that the number of passengers is increasing, calculating the target correction control value by applying a positive (+) weight to the target control value; and The target correction control value is calculated by applying a negative (-) weight to the target control value based on the determination of the decrease in the number of passengers.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, The step of determining the target control value includes: Reflecting at least one piece of additional information about people entering and leaving a preset range included in the LiDAR information in the weight based on correcting the target control value.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein, The step of determining the target control value includes: Determining an application ratio of the weight according to a preset correction function based on an increase in the number of passengers or a decrease in the number of passengers, and The preset correction function includes at least one of a linear function and a nonlinear function.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of: Applying the application ratio of the weight according to the preset correction function based on the number of passengers in the vehicle being less than or equal to a preset upper limit number of passengers; And Maintaining the weight corresponding to the upper limit number of passengers based on the number of passengers in the vehicle being greater than the upper limit number of passengers.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein, The air conditioning system includes an air conditioning device including a preset target air conditioning device, The method further includes the steps of: Calculating a target correction control value of the target air conditioning device by applying different weights to different target control values of the target air conditioning device based on an operating state of each target air conditioning device.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of: Terminating the operation of the air conditioning system by initializing a weight that varies in response to a change in the number of passengers.

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