Control system, control device, program, and control method

Abstract

To provide a control system capable of appropriately controlling an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed in an indoor space, a control device, a program, and a control method.SOLUTION: A control system includes: an indoor unit for an air conditioner installed in an indoor space; an image acquisition device disposed adjacent to the indoor unit to acquire an image of the indoor space; and a control device that receives a detection result when presence / absence of a person in the indoor space is detected in a person recognition region preset in any region of the indoor space on the basis of the image acquired by the image acquisition device, and generates a control signal for controlling the indoor unit on the basis of the received detection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, a control device, a program, and a control method, and more particularly to a control system, a control device, a program, and a control method for controlling an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed in an indoor space. [Background technology]

[0002] When an air conditioning unit installed to control the room temperature in an indoor space is operating, if people enter or exit the indoor space and the air conditioning unit continues to operate in the same mode even after the people have left the indoor space, there is a concern that the energy-saving effect will be reduced due to unnecessary operation of the air conditioning unit.

[0003] As a countermeasure for such cases, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that includes a camera that detects people in the indoor space, and if the camera detects a person, it directs the airflow of the air conditioning unit toward the person, and if the camera does not detect a person, it controls the operation of the air conditioning unit to thermo-off mode. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-21719 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with this type of technology, if the indoor space is large or if there are obstacles such as piles of documents, it may not be possible to properly detect whether or not there is someone in the indoor space, and it may not be possible to determine whether there is someone in the indoor space or whether there is no one left in the indoor space.

[0006] If this were to happen, it would be impossible to properly control the air conditioning system, which could potentially create an uncomfortable environment for the occupants and could potentially prevent the desired energy-saving effects from being achieved.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its objective is to provide a control system, a control device, a program, and a control method that can appropriately control the indoor unit of an air conditioning device installed in an indoor space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the control system of the present invention comprises an indoor unit of an air conditioning device installed in an indoor space, an image acquisition device arranged in close proximity to the indoor unit and acquiring images of the indoor space, and a control device that receives detection results when it detects the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space in a person recognition area that has been set in advance in any area of ​​the indoor space based on the images acquired by the image acquisition device, and generates a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the received detection results.

[0009] This allows the presence or absence of a person in the room to be detected in a pre-set occupancy recognition area, and a control signal to control the indoor unit based on the detection results to be generated. Therefore, if the occupancy recognition area is set to, for example, resemble the range in which the indoor unit blows air into the indoor space, the indoor unit can be controlled appropriately.

[0010] The occupant recognition area of ​​the image capture device of this control system is set in accordance with the range in which the indoor unit blows air into the indoor space.

[0011] In this control system, multiple indoor unit units each having an indoor unit and an image acquisition device are installed adjacent to each other in an indoor space, and the control device generates a control signal for controlling the indoor unit of another indoor unit adjacent to one indoor unit based on the detection results of the image acquisition device of one indoor unit as to whether or not there is anyone in the indoor space.

[0012] This control system includes an operating unit control device that is attached to an operating unit that can remotely operate the indoor unit and controls the operation of the indoor unit by the operating unit, and the operating unit control device controls the operating unit based on a control signal from the control device.

[0013] Furthermore, the operating device control device of this control system is equipped with a control image acquisition device that controls the operating device based on a control signal from the control device and acquires, as an image, the state in which the operating device control device controls the operating device.

[0014] The control device of this control system generates a control signal for controlling the indoor unit to raise or lower the room temperature in the indoor space when it detects whether or not a person is present in the indoor space.

[0015] The control device of this control system is equipped with a weather information reference means that references weather information, and when generating a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the weather information referenced by the weather information reference means, it does not generate a control signal based on the detection results of the image acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0016] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the control device of the present invention comprises a detection result receiving means for receiving a detection result when the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space is detected in a person recognition area that has been set in advance in any area of ​​the indoor space based on an image acquired by an image acquisition device that is positioned in close proximity to the indoor unit of an air conditioning device installed in the indoor space and acquires an image of the indoor space, and a control signal generating means for generating a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the detection result received by the detection result receiving means.

[0017] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the program of the present invention causes a control device implemented by a computer to execute a detection result acceptance process that accepts the detection result when the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space is detected in a person recognition area that has been set in advance in any area of ​​the indoor space based on an image acquired by an image acquisition device that is placed in close proximity to the indoor unit of an air conditioning device installed in the indoor space and acquires images of the indoor space, and a control signal generation process that generates a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the detection result accepted in the detection result acceptance process.

[0018] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the control method of the present invention involves a control device implemented by a computer executing a detection result acceptance process in which a control device detects the presence or absence of a person in an indoor space in a resident recognition area that has been set in advance in any area of ​​the indoor space based on an image acquired by an image acquisition device that is positioned in close proximity to the indoor unit of an air conditioning device installed in the indoor space and acquires images of the indoor space, and a control signal generation process in which a control signal for controlling the indoor unit is generated based on the detection result accepted in the detection result acceptance process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, the indoor unit can be appropriately controlled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the arrangement of indoor units in the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the processing of the image acquisition device of the control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the configuration of a control device of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5]1 is a block diagram for explaining an outline of the functions of a control device of a control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the processing of the control device of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an operating device control device of the control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an operating device control device of the control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an operating device control device of the control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart outlining the processing of the control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart outlining the processing of the control system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Next, a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0022] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the configuration of a control system according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control system 10 mainly comprises a plurality of indoor units 20a to 20n, a relay 40, a control device 50, a controller 60 which is an operating device, and a control unit 70 which is an operating device control device attached to the controller 60.

[0023] In this embodiment, the indoor units 20a to 20n, the repeater 40, the controller 60 and the control unit 70 are placed in the indoor space of any building structure, such as an office building, and the control device 50 is managed by a business operator 1 that provides services using the control system 10 or uses the control system 10.

[0024] In this embodiment, a repeater 40 placed in an indoor space and a control device 50 managed by a business operator 1 are connected to each other via a network N such as the Internet so as to be accessible to each other.

[0025] Next, the specific configuration of each part of the control system 10 will be described.

[0026] In this embodiment, each of the indoor unit 20a to 20n is configured to include an indoor unit of an air conditioner and a first camera 22 that is an image acquisition device disposed in the vicinity of the indoor unit .

[0027] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the arrangement of indoor unit units 20a-20n in a control system. As shown in the figure, the indoor unit units 20a-20n are arranged adjacent to one another on the ceiling surface of the indoor space, and in this embodiment, eight indoor unit units 20a-20h are arranged in two rows, A and B, and columns 1-4.

[0028] In this embodiment, each of these indoor units 20a to 20n is controlled by a control device 50 independently of one another.

[0029] In this embodiment, the indoor unit 21 shown in FIG. 1 is a general-purpose device that manages the air conditioning of an indoor space by blowing air into the indoor space in various operation modes such as cooling operation or heating operation.

[0030] The first camera 22 captures an image of any object as a subject, and in this embodiment, if there is an occupant 2 in the room, it captures an image of the indoor space along with an image of the occupant 2.

[0031] In this embodiment, the images captured by first camera 22 include both moving images and still images.

[0032] 3 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the processing of first camera 22. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, first camera 22 acquires an image of the indoor space in an image acquisition range x according to the angle of view.

[0033] In this embodiment, the image of the indoor space acquired within the image acquisition range x includes an image of the occupant recognition area y, which is preset in an arbitrary area of ​​the indoor space. That is, the image acquisition range x includes an arbitrary area in the actual indoor space that is preset as the occupant recognition area y.

[0034] This occupant recognition area y can be set to any area of ​​the indoor space by the business operator 1 or the occupant 2, and in this embodiment, it is set to match the range over which the indoor unit 21 blows air into the indoor space.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the first camera 22 is connected to a repeater 40 via an information processor 30, and is connected to a control device 50 via the information processor 30, the repeater 40, and a network N.

[0036] The information processing device 30 controls the operation of the first camera 22, and in this embodiment, when an occupant 2 is detected in real time by performing arbitrary image processing on an image of the indoor space acquired by the first camera 22, it generates detection information indicating that the occupant 2 has been detected as a detection result, and performs a process to transmit the generated detection information to the control device 50.

[0037] In this embodiment, the detection of occupants 2 by this information processing device 30 is to detect occupants 2 present in the occupant recognition area y in the image acquisition range x of the image acquired by the first camera 22, and occupants 2 not present in the occupant recognition area y will not be detected even if they are present in the indoor space (or image acquisition range x).

[0038] Furthermore, if the information processing device 30 generates detection information indicating that a person 2 has been detected and then detects that the person 2 has disappeared from the person recognition area y, the information processing device 30 also generates detection information as a detection result.

[0039] The settings for detecting the presence or absence of a person 2 in this person recognition area y may be preset in the information processing device 30, or may be preset in the setting section of the control device 50 described later.

[0040] In this embodiment, the repeater 40 is implemented by a router that complies with a wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control device 50 is implemented by a computer, for example, a desktop or notebook computer.

[0042] 4 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the configuration of the control device 50. As shown in the figure, the control device 50 mainly comprises a processor 51, a memory 52, a storage 53, a transmitting / receiving unit 54, and an input / output unit 55, which are electrically connected to each other via a bus 56.

[0043] The processor 51 is a computing device that controls the operation of the control device 50, controls the transmission and reception of data between the elements, and performs processing required for executing application programs.

[0044] In this embodiment, the processor 51 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes application programs loaded in a memory 52 (described below) to perform various processes.

[0045] The memory 52 is implemented by a main storage device that is configured as a volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0046] This memory 52 is used as a work area for the processor 51, and also stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) that is executed when the control device 50 is started up, various setting information, and the like.

[0047] The storage 53 stores data and the like used for various processes by application programs and the like.

[0048] The transceiver 54 connects the control device 50 to the network N. The transceiver 54 may be compatible with a wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi, or may be equipped with a short-range communication interface such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

[0049] If necessary, information input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse and output devices such as a display are connected to the input / output unit 55. In this embodiment, a keyboard, a mouse, and a display are all connected.

[0050] The bus 56 transmits, for example, address signals, data signals, and various control signals between the processor 51, memory 52, storage 53, transmission / reception unit 54, and input / output unit 55 that are connected to it.

[0051] 5 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the functions of the control device 50 of the control system 10. As shown in the figure, the control device 50 includes a setting unit 50a, a detection information receiving unit 50b serving as a detection result receiving means, an operating state determination unit 50c, a weather information reference unit 50d serving as a weather information reference means, a control determination unit 50e, and a control signal generation unit 50f serving as a control signal generating means.

[0052] The setting unit 50a, the detection information receiving unit 50b, the operating state determination unit 50c, the weather information reference unit 50d, the control determination unit 50e, and the control signal generating unit 50f are realized by the processor 51 executing a program stored in the memory 52.

[0053] The setting section 50a performs various settings related to the control of the indoor units 21 of the indoor unit units 20a to 20n, and in this embodiment performs reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting.

[0054] The various settings in this setting section 50a, such as the reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting, are set individually and independently for each indoor unit 21 of each indoor unit 20a to 20n.

[0055] The reference temperature setting is a reference temperature that is the standard temperature for the indoor space that is adjusted by the operation of the indoor units 21 of the indoor unit units 20a to 20n, and in this embodiment, it is set for each season, for example, 20°C in summer and 25°C in winter.

[0056] In this embodiment, the temperature adjustment settings are settings related to temperature adjustment after the detection information receiving unit 50b, described below, receives detection information that indicates that a person 2 has been detected, and settings related to temperature adjustment after the detection information receiving unit 50b receives detection information that the person 2 is no longer detected (detection that the person 2 has left the room).

[0057] Specifically, for example, in the summer, when detection information is received by the detection information receiving unit 50b, the indoor unit 21 is set to operate at a temperature that is about 1°C lower than the reference temperature set in the reference temperature setting, in order to quickly cool the indoor space, and, for example, in the winter, when detection information is received by the detection information receiving unit 50b, the indoor unit 21 is set to operate at a temperature that is about 1°C higher than the reference temperature set in the reference temperature setting.

[0058] Furthermore, for example, in the summer, when the detection information receiving unit 50b receives detection information indicating that the person 2 has left the room, from the viewpoint of energy conservation, the indoor unit 21 is set to operate so that the temperature is about 1°C higher than the current temperature, for example, two minutes after the detection information is received, and further set to operate so that the temperature is about 2°C higher than the current temperature, for example, three minutes after the detection information is received.

[0059] In this embodiment, when the detection information receiving unit 50b receives detection information that the person 2 has left the room, the indoor unit 21 is not immediately stopped from operating, but rather an arbitrary time until the indoor unit 21 stops is set so that the indoor unit 21 stops, for example, 5 minutes after detection, taking into account the possibility that the person 2 may temporarily leave the room and return to the indoor space.

[0060] In this embodiment, various thresholds related to weather conditions are set, taking into account weather conditions that affect indoor spaces, such as severe cold waves and extremely hot days, such as a threshold determined based on the reference temperature set in the reference temperature setting (for example, ±7°C from the reference temperature), a threshold determined based on a comparison with the same day last year or the previous day, etc.

[0061] In this embodiment, the detection information receiving unit 50b executes a process of receiving the detection information generated by the information processing device 30 (detection result receiving process).

[0062] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the processing of the operating state determination unit 50c.

[0063] As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, when the operation status determination unit 50c detects a person 2 in the room, for example, near the boundary of the occupant recognition area y1 in the image acquisition range x1 of the first camera 22 of any one indoor unit 20a (for example, it is assumed that this is near the boundary with the occupant recognition area y2 in the image acquisition range x2 of the first camera 22 of another indoor unit 20b adjacent to the one indoor unit 20a), it executes a process to detect the operation status of the indoor unit 21 of the other indoor unit 20b.

[0064] Specifically, for example, when the detection information receiving unit 50b receives detection information that a person 2 has been detected near the boundary of the person recognition area y1 in the image acquisition range x1 of the first camera 22 of one indoor unit 20a, the operation status determination unit 50c determines whether the detection information receiving unit 50b has received detection information that a person 2 has been detected, based on an image acquired by the first camera 22 of another indoor unit 20b adjacent to the one indoor unit 20a.

[0065] If it is determined that the detection information receiving unit 50b has not received detection information that the first camera 22 of the other indoor unit 20b has detected an occupant 2 in the occupant recognition area y2, the operation status determination unit 50c generates a control signal generation command to generate a control signal for the other indoor unit 20b.

[0066] In this embodiment, the weather information reference section 50d shown in FIG. 5 executes a process of accessing an external database and referencing weather information including temperature.

[0067] In this embodiment, the control determination unit 50e determines whether the threshold set in the weather condition setting is exceeded based on the weather information referenced by the weather information reference unit 50d, and if it determines that the threshold is exceeded, executes a process to generate temperature control information.

[0068] Furthermore, the control determination unit 50e determines whether or not control of the indoor units 21 of the indoor unit units 20a to 20n is being executed in accordance with the various settings received by the setting unit 50a, based on a control image acquired by a second camera described below, and if it determines that control in accordance with the settings is not being executed, generates a control signal generation command to generate a control signal corrected to comply with the settings.

[0069] In this embodiment, when the detection information receiving unit 50b receives detection information and when the operation status determination unit 50c generates a control signal generation command, the control signal generating unit 50f executes a process to generate a control signal in accordance with the reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting set by the setting unit 50a based on the detection information or the control signal generation command (control signal generation process).

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the detection information receiving unit 50b does not receive detection information and the operation status determination unit 50c does not generate a control signal generation command, if the control determination unit 50e generates temperature control information, the control signal generating unit 50f executes a process to generate a control signal in accordance with the reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting based on the temperature control information (control signal generation process).

[0071] Furthermore, even when the control determination unit 50e generates a control signal generation command, the control signal generation unit 50f executes a process to generate a control signal in accordance with the reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting set by the setting unit 50a based on the control signal generation command (control signal generation process).

[0072] 1 is an operating device that can remotely operate the indoor units 21 of the indoor unit units 20a to 20n, and is attached to, for example, a wall surface of the indoor space. In this embodiment, the controller 60 is equipped with a control unit 70 that is an operating device control device.

[0073] 7 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a state in which the control unit 70 is attached to the controller 60. As shown in the figure, the control unit 70 is attached to the controller 60 so as to expose the operation screen 61 of the controller 60 and to cover an operation section (not shown) of the controller 60.

[0074] In this embodiment, this control unit 70 has built-in actuators that operate based on control signals sent from the control device 50 at positions corresponding to multiple push-button type switches (for temperature adjustment, wind direction, wind volume, etc.) on the operating section of the controller 60 when attached to the controller 60, and each switch is operated by the operation of the actuators.

[0075] In this embodiment, a plurality of push-button type operation switches 71 are provided on the surface of the control unit 70 in correspondence with the actuator, and the switches of the operation section of the controller 60 can be operated (depressed) by directly pressing the operation switches 71.

[0076] 8 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the control unit 70 as viewed from the back side. As shown in the figure, a plurality of actuators 72 are arranged on the back side of the control unit 70 at positions corresponding to a plurality of switches on the operation section of the controller 60, and the control unit 70 is attached to the back side of the control unit 70 so as to cover the operation section of the controller 60.

[0077] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in Fig. 8. As shown in the figure, the actuator 72 includes a first resistor 72a, a second resistor 72b, a plurality of shafts 72c, a pulley 72d attached to the operation switch 71 on the inside of the operation switch 71, a depression portion 72e, and a biometal 72f.

[0078] In this embodiment, the first resistor 72a, the second resistor 72b, the shaft 72c, and the pulley 72d are configured to energize the biometal 72f based on a control signal generated by the control device 50.

[0079] In this embodiment, the depression portion 72e is positioned inside the hollow operation switch 71 so as to engage with the operation switch 71 inside the hollow operation switch 71, and faces the switch of the operation portion of the controller 60 when the control unit 70 is attached to the controller 60.

[0080] The biometal 72f is a fibrous member that stretches and contracts when electricity is applied, and in this embodiment, it is stretched between the first resistor 72a and the second resistor 72b via multiple shafts 72c and pulleys 72d.

[0081] When electricity is applied to both ends of the biometal 72f via the first resistor 72a, the second resistor 72b, the shaft 72c, and the pulley 72d, the biometal 72f becomes tense due to heat generation, causing the pulley 72d to move toward the pressing portion 72e.

[0082] When the operation switch 71 moves to the push-down portion 72e side following the movement of the pulley 72d, the operation switch 71 engages with the push-down portion 72e, and the push-down portion 72e pushes down a switch of the operation portion of the controller 60 (not shown).

[0083] In this embodiment, such a control unit 70 is connected to a repeater 40 via a processing device 80, as shown in Figure 1, and is connected to a control device 50 via the processing device 80, the repeater 40, and the network N.

[0084] In this embodiment, the processing device 80 controls the control unit 70 based on the control signal generated by the control device 50, and also performs processing to recognize letters, numbers, symbols, etc. displayed on the operation screen 61 of the controller 60, for example, by OCR.

[0085] In this embodiment, the recognition results of characters, etc. recognized in this manner are compared in the control determination section 50e of the control device 50 with the various settings received by the setting section 50a, and it is determined whether or not control of the indoor units 21 of the indoor unit units 20a to 20n is being executed in accordance with the various settings received by the setting section 50a.

[0086] The second camera 90, which is a control image acquisition device, captures an image by capturing any object as a subject, and in this embodiment, is placed in a position where it can capture an image of the operation screen 61 of the controller 60, and by capturing an image of the operation screen 61 of the controller 60, the state in which the control unit 70 controls the controller 60 is acquired as a control image.

[0087] In this embodiment, the processing device 80 recognizes characters and the like displayed on the operation screen of the controller 60 based on this control image.

[0088] Next, an outline of the processing of the control system 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0089] The control system 10 according to this embodiment executes first control and second control. FIG. 10 is a flowchart outlining the processing of the first control, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart outlining the processing of the second control.

[0090] As shown in Figure 10, in step S1, when the first camera 22 of one indoor unit 20a shown in Figure 2, for example, acquires an image of the indoor space, in step S2, the information processing device 30 detects a person 2 in the person recognition area y in the image of the indoor space, and generates detection information to the effect that the person 2 has been detected.

[0091] When the detection information is generated and the control device 50 receives the detection information (detection result reception process), in step S3, a control signal is generated in accordance with the preset reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting based on the received detection information (control signal generation process).

[0092] On the other hand, in step S4, if the occupant 2 detected based on the image of the first camera 22 of one indoor unit 20a is present near the boundary of the occupant recognition area y1 in the image acquisition range x1 of the first camera 22 of one indoor unit 20a (for example, near the boundary with the occupant recognition area y2 in the image acquisition range x2 of the first camera 22 of another indoor unit 20b adjacent to the one indoor unit 20a), it is determined whether the occupant 2 has been detected based on the image acquired by the first camera 22 of the other indoor unit 20b.

[0093] If it is determined that no occupant 2 is detected based on the image acquired by the first camera 22 of the other indoor unit 20b, a control signal generation command is generated to generate a control signal for the other indoor unit 20b.

[0094] Once the control signal generation command is generated, in step S5, a control signal is generated in accordance with the preset reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting based on the control signal generation command (control signal generation process).

[0095] In step S6, the controller 60 is operated by the control unit 70 by executing the control of the control unit 70 based on the control signals generated in steps S3 and S5.

[0096] Next, in step S7, when the second camera 90 acquires the operation screen 61 of the controller 60 as a control image, it executes a process to recognize the letters, numbers, symbols, etc. displayed on the operation screen 61. In this way, by executing the process to recognize the letters, etc., it can be determined whether the control of the indoor unit 21 is being executed appropriately.

[0097] Next, the second control will be described.

[0098] In this embodiment, the second control is performed in such a way that, for example, when the indoor environment at the location where the indoor unit 20e shown in FIG. 2 is located is significantly affected by the external environment (for example, when the room temperature at this location drops significantly compared to other locations during a severe cold wave), the indoor unit 20e does not undergo control based on detection by the detection unit 50b if the threshold set in the weather condition settings is exceeded.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 11, in step S10, the second control accesses an external database to refer to weather information, and in step S11, if the temperature exceeds a threshold value (for example, ±7°C relative to the reference temperature), generates temperature control information.

[0100] Once the temperature control information is generated, in step S12, a control signal is generated based on the temperature control information in accordance with a preset reference temperature setting, temperature adjustment setting, indoor unit stop setting, and weather condition setting (control signal generation process).

[0101] In step S13, the controller 60 is operated by the control unit 70 by executing the control of the control unit 70 based on the control signal generated in step S12.

[0102] Subsequently, in step S14, when the second camera 90 acquires the operation screen 61 of the controller 60 as a control image, a process of recognizing letters, numbers, symbols, etc. displayed on the operation screen 61 is executed.

[0103] On the other hand, if the temperature does not exceed the threshold value in step S11, the first control is executed in step S15.

[0104] In this way, the presence or absence of a person 2 in the room is detected in the pre-set person recognition area y, and a control signal for controlling the indoor unit 21 is generated based on the detection result. Therefore, if the person recognition area y is set, for example, to match the range in which the indoor unit 21 blows air into the indoor space, the indoor unit 21 can be appropriately controlled.

[0105] As a result of being able to appropriately control the indoor unit 21, it is expected that a comfortable indoor environment can be provided for the occupants 2, while also achieving the desired energy-saving effect.

[0106] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the indoor unit 21 can be appropriately controlled by a simple configuration in which the control unit 70 is attached to a general-purpose controller 60 that can remotely operate the indoor unit 21, so that the control system 10 can be easily introduced.

[0107] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the actuator 72 of the control unit 70 is described as being configured to include a first resistor 72a, a second resistor 72b, multiple shafts 72c, a pulley 72d attached to the operation switch 71, a push-down portion 72e, and a biometal 72f, but the type and number of components can be changed as appropriate depending on the design of these components.

[0109] Furthermore, the actuator 72 is not limited to one that uses biometal 72f, but may be one that is configured using various driving devices such as a small servo motor.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the case where the control device 50 is implemented as a computer managed by the business operator 1 has been described, but the control device 50 may also be implemented as a computer in a cloud environment, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 10. Control System 20a~20n indoor unit 21 Indoor unit 22 First camera (image acquisition device) 50 Control device 60 Controller (operating device) 70 Control unit (operation device control device) 90 Second camera (control image acquisition device)

Claims

1. an indoor unit of an air conditioning device installed in the indoor space; an image capture device disposed adjacent to the indoor unit to capture an image of the indoor space; a control device that receives a detection result when it is detected that a person is present in the indoor space in a person recognition area that is set in advance in an arbitrary area of ​​the indoor space based on the image acquired by the image acquisition device, and generates a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the received detection result; A control system comprising:

2. The occupant recognition area is It is set according to the range in which the indoor unit blows air into the indoor space. The control system of claim 1 .

3. a plurality of indoor units each having the indoor unit and the image acquisition device are installed adjacent to each other in the indoor space; The control device generating a control signal for controlling an indoor unit of another indoor unit adjacent to the one indoor unit based on a detection result of the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space by an image acquisition device of the one indoor unit; 3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an operating device control device attached to an operating device that can remotely operate the indoor unit and controls operation of the indoor unit by the operating device; The operating device control device Controlling the operating device based on the control signal from the control device.

3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. an operating device control device attached to an operating device that can remotely operate the indoor unit and controls operation of the indoor unit by the operating device; The operating device control device Controlling the operating device based on the control signal from the control device; a control image acquisition device that acquires an image of a state in which the operating device control device controls the operating device; 3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The control device generating the control signal for controlling the indoor unit to increase or decrease the room temperature of the indoor space when detecting the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space; 3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The control device A weather information reference means for referencing weather information is provided, When a control signal for controlling the indoor unit is generated based on the weather information referenced by the weather information reference means, the control signal is not generated based on the detection result of the image acquired by the image acquisition device.

3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. a detection result receiving means for receiving a detection result when detecting the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space in a person recognition area set in advance in an arbitrary area of ​​the indoor space, based on an image acquired by an image acquisition device that is disposed in proximity to an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed in the indoor space and acquires an image of the indoor space; a control signal generating means for generating a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the detection result received by the detection result receiving means; A control device comprising:

9. A computer-implemented control device, a detection result receiving process for receiving a detection result when the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space is detected in a person recognition area set in advance in an arbitrary area of ​​the indoor space, based on an image acquired by an image acquisition device that is disposed in proximity to an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed in the indoor space and acquires an image of the indoor space; a control signal generation process for generating a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the detection result received in the detection result reception process; A program that executes the following.

10. a computer-implemented control device, a detection result receiving process for receiving a detection result when the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space is detected within a person recognition range set in advance in an arbitrary area of ​​the indoor space, based on an image acquired by an image acquisition device that is disposed in proximity to an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed in the indoor space and acquires an image of the indoor space; a control signal generation process for generating a control signal for controlling the indoor unit based on the detection result received in the detection result reception process; A control method for performing the above.

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