Air conditioning system, control method, and program

Abstract

This invention provides a system, method, and program that can detect biometric information with high accuracy while respecting privacy, and that can control the operation of an air conditioning system based on that biometric information. [Solution] The air conditioning system is a system that controls the operation of an air conditioning device based on biological information, and includes an air conditioning device equipped with a plurality of indoor units 10, a plurality of devices 13 capable of acquiring the user's infrared image information and the user's biological information, and a control device 12 that selects one or more devices 13 from the plurality of devices 13 to acquire the user's biological information based on the location information of the user and the plurality of devices 13 and the plurality of infrared image information acquired by the plurality of devices 13, and controls the operation of one or more of the plurality of indoor units 10 based on the user's biological information acquired by the selected one or more devices 13.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system including a plurality of indoor units, a method for controlling the operation of the indoor units, and a program for executing the control.

Background Art

[0002] There are known systems that detect biological information non - contactlessly by a sensor and control the operation of an indoor unit based on the biological information (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). In these systems, microwave or millimeter - wave is used to detect biological information. However, the sensor is not always in an appropriate positional relationship with respect to the user, and there may be cases where biological information with low accuracy is detected.

[0003] As a method for measuring biological information with high accuracy, there has been proposed a technique of acquiring a plurality of imaging videos of a user by a plurality of cameras, extracting a biological signal including the user's biological information based on the plurality of imaging videos, calculating the reliability of the biological signal, and selecting and outputting an imaging video used for estimating the user's biological information based on the reliability (see, for example, Patent Document 4). In this technique, the position of the user's face shown in the captured video is detected, a region for measuring the color change of the face surface among the detected face positions is set, a time - series signal indicating the color change of the region is extracted, and based on the waveform of the time - series signal, the reliability for estimating the pulse measurement accuracy of the pulse data is calculated, and the biological information is estimated with high accuracy from the reliability.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 4 above cannot be applied when considering privacy, such as when using millimeter-wave sensors or microwave sensors, or when it is not possible to accurately determine the position and orientation of the face when taking images from above. For this reason, there has been a need for a system, method, and program that can detect biological information with high accuracy while considering privacy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an air conditioning system comprising a plurality of indoor units, Multiple information acquisition devices capable of acquiring the user's infrared image information and the user's biometric information, Based on the location information of the user and multiple information acquisition devices, and multiple infrared image information acquired by the multiple information acquisition devices, a control device selects one or more information acquisition devices from among the multiple information acquisition devices to acquire the user's biometric information, and controls the operation of one or more indoor units among the multiple indoor units based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices. An air conditioning system is provided, including the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a system, method, and program that can detect biometric information with high accuracy while taking privacy into consideration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of an air conditioning system configuration. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example configuration of indoor and outdoor units in an air conditioning system. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating an example of the process for selecting a device to acquire biometric information. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating the process of obtaining coordinate information. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of device performance information. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates how infrared image information of a user is acquired by multiple devices. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioning system. An air conditioning system includes an air conditioning device and circulates refrigerant within the system while changing its pressure and state, thereby continuously cooling or heating the indoor air to provide air conditioning.

[0010] The air conditioning system includes a plurality of indoor units 10 and at least one outdoor unit 11. In the example shown in Figure 1, there is one outdoor unit 11, but there may be two or more. The plurality of indoor units 10 are installed in the space where air conditioning is performed (indoors), and the outdoor unit 11 is installed outdoors. The air conditioning system has an operating unit that is operated by the user. The user operates the operating unit to start and stop the air conditioning system, change modes, change the set temperature, etc. The operating unit has, for example, buttons for changing modes and setting temperatures, and a screen for displaying the temperature, etc. The operating unit may also be equipped with a touch panel that enables user input and display of temperature, etc.

[0011] In an air conditioning system, the indoor units 10 and outdoor units 11 are connected by refrigerant piping to circulate the refrigerant between them.

[0012] Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) can be used as refrigerants. Examples of HFCs include R410A and R32. Examples of HFOs include R1234yf.

[0013] The plurality of indoor units 10 receive various signals such as operation commands, stop commands, set temperature change commands, operation mode change commands, etc. from the operation unit. The plurality of indoor units 10 and the operation unit may be connected by a cable and communicate wired, or may communicate wirelessly using infrared rays or the like. The operation unit can individually receive set temperatures and the like set for the plurality of indoor units 10. Therefore, for example, the set temperature can be set to 26°C for indoor unit A and 25°C for indoor unit B among the plurality of indoor units 10. Note that only some of the plurality of indoor units 10 may be operated. The plurality of indoor units 10 are connected to the outdoor unit 11 via a communication line and cooperate with the outdoor unit 11 to perform indoor air conditioning.

[0014] The plurality of indoor units 10 receive an operation command from the operation unit and start up, and instruct the outdoor unit 11 to start up. After starting up, the outdoor unit 11 adjusts the rotation speed of the compressor, the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve, etc. so that the ambient temperature of each indoor unit 10 (the temperature measured by the indoor temperature sensor provided in each indoor unit 10) becomes the set temperature, and controls the refrigerant circulation amount and the like.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit included in an air conditioning system. The air conditioning system includes a plurality of indoor units 10, but since all the plurality of indoor units 10 have the same configuration, only the configuration of one indoor unit 10 will be described here.

[0016] The indoor unit 10 includes an indoor heat exchanger 20, an indoor fan 21, an indoor fan motor 22 as a power device, and an indoor expansion valve 23. The indoor fan 21 is driven by the indoor fan motor 22, takes in indoor air, and sends it to the indoor heat exchanger 20. The indoor heat exchanger 20 has a heat transfer tube through which refrigerant flows inside, and is configured such that the sent-in air contacts the surface of the heat transfer tube to perform heat exchange. The air heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 20 is discharged into the room. The indoor expansion valve 23 adjusts the pressure and flow rate of the refrigerant supplied to the indoor unit 10.

[0017] The indoor unit 10 can also be equipped with various sensors and the like for measuring the indoor temperature and the like around the indoor unit 10.

[0018] The outdoor unit 11 includes a compressor 30, an accumulator 31, a four-way valve 32, an outdoor expansion valve 33, an outdoor heat exchanger 34, an outdoor fan 35, and an outdoor fan motor 36 as a power device. The compressor 30 is driven by a compressor motor, compresses low-pressure gas refrigerant, and discharges it as high-pressure gas refrigerant. The accumulator 31 separates gas and liquid so that liquid does not enter the compressor 30.

[0019] The four-way valve 32 is a valve that switches the refrigerant flow path according to the operating state (operation mode) of the air conditioner. The operation modes include a cooling mode, a heating mode, a blowing mode, and the like. The outdoor expansion valve 33 is a valve that expands high-pressure refrigerant and adjusts the pressure and flow rate of the refrigerant. The outdoor fan 35 is driven by the outdoor fan motor 36, takes in outdoor air, and sends it to the outdoor heat exchanger 34. The outdoor heat exchanger 34, similar to the indoor heat exchanger 20, has heat transfer tubes through which refrigerant flows inside, and is configured such that the sent-in air contacts the surface of the heat transfer tubes to perform heat exchange. The air heat-exchanged by the outdoor heat exchanger 34 is discharged outdoors.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system includes a control device 12, and the control device 12 is connected to the indoor fan motor 22, the indoor expansion valve 23, the compressor 30, the four-way valve 32, the outdoor expansion valve 33, and the outdoor fan motor 36, and controls these. Specifically, the control device 12 adjusts the rotation speed of the indoor fan motor 22, the opening degree of the indoor expansion valve 23, the rotation speed of the compressor motor, the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve 33, the rotation speed of the outdoor fan motor 36, and the like. In order to control these, various sensors are also attached to the outdoor unit 11.

[0021] Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, the control device 12 may be provided separately from the outdoor unit 11 as a control panel on the side wall of the outdoor unit 11, may be provided inside the outdoor unit 11, or may be separated into two devices and provided in the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 11 respectively.

[0022] Referring again to Figure 2, during cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 20 is used as an evaporator and the outdoor heat exchanger 34 is used as a condenser. For this reason, the control device 12 circulates the refrigerant sealed in the system in the following order, as shown by the arrows: compressor 30, four-way valve 32, outdoor heat exchanger 34, outdoor expansion valve 33, indoor expansion valve 23 of each indoor unit 10, indoor heat exchanger 20 of each indoor unit 10, four-way valve 32, accumulator 31, and compressor 30.

[0023] The compressor 30 compresses the refrigerant (refrigerant gas) in a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous state and discharges it as a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. The outdoor heat exchanger 34 exchanges heat with the outside air, cooling and condensing the refrigerant gas. The outdoor expansion valve 33 expands the refrigerant and adjusts the pressure and flow rate of the refrigerant throughout the system. The indoor expansion valve 23 adjusts the pressure and flow rate of the refrigerant in the indoor unit 10 and maintains a constant superheating degree at the evaporator outlet. The superheating degree indicates how many degrees higher it is than the saturation temperature and is an indicator of the degree of superheating.

[0024] The indoor heat exchanger 20 exchanges heat with the indoor air and returns the refrigerant gas, heated to the above-mentioned superheat level, to the outdoor unit 11. The refrigerant gas returned from the indoor heat exchanger 20 merges with refrigerant gas from other indoor units 10, is sent through the four-way valve 32 to the accumulator 31, and then returned to the compressor 30.

[0025] During heating operation, the process is reversed compared to cooling operation. The indoor heat exchanger 20 is used as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 34 is used as an evaporator. The refrigerant sealed in the system is circulated in the following order: compressor 30, four-way valve 32, indoor heat exchanger 20 of each indoor unit 10, indoor expansion valve 23 of each indoor unit 10, outdoor expansion valve 33, outdoor heat exchanger 34, four-way valve 32, accumulator 31, and compressor 30.

[0026] The air conditioning system includes multiple information acquisition devices. Each information acquisition device, referred to as device 13 as shown in Figure 1, is capable of acquiring the user's infrared image information and the user's biometric information. Device 13 may include a means for capturing the user's infrared image information and a sensor as an acquisition means for acquiring the user's biometric information.

[0027] In the following description, device 13 will be described as having a millimeter-wave sensor for acquiring biological information and a thermal camera for acquiring infrared image information, but it is not limited to these. The sensor for acquiring biological information may also be a microwave sensor or the like.

[0028] Millimeter-wave sensors transmit radio waves in the millimeter-wave band (wavelengths of 1 mm to 10 mm, frequencies of 30 GHz to 300 GHz). The distance from the millimeter-wave sensor to the user is calculated based on the time it takes for the reflected radio waves to be received by the user (the target of biometric data acquisition), and the difference between the frequency of the transmitted and received radio waves.

[0029] The millimeter-wave sensor can detect the movement of the user's chest (repeated temporal dips and dips) by continuously measuring distance over a predetermined period of time, and from this detection result, the user's respiratory rate, heart rate, and other biometric information can be obtained.

[0030] Microwave sensors differ from millimeter-wave sensors only in that they use microwaves (with frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz), and can acquire biological information in the same way as millimeter-wave sensors.

[0031] The millimeter-wave sensor can determine the reflection intensity distribution by changing the direction of radio wave transmission and reception, and the direction with the highest reflection intensity is determined as the direction of the user, and the angle relative to a predetermined direction can be obtained. The user's location information can be calculated from the distance and angle information obtained by the millimeter-wave sensor and the position information of the millimeter-wave sensor. The position information of the millimeter-wave sensor can be calculated from the position information of device 13, since the millimeter-wave sensor is attached to a predetermined position on device 13, and the positional relationship between the position representing the position information of device 13 and the predetermined position to which the millimeter-wave sensor is attached is known. Alternatively, the position information of the millimeter-wave sensor may be the position information of device 13.

[0032] The location information may be coordinate information relative to an arbitrary reference position (0,0,0), or it may be latitude, longitude, and height. The arbitrary reference position can be any position, but examples include the corners of the floor or ceiling of a room where multiple indoor units 10 are installed. If one of the four corners of a rectangular floor is used as the reference position, the direction of the side extending from that corner can be defined as the x-axis, the direction of the side extending perpendicular to the x-axis can be defined as the y-axis, and the direction extending from the floor of that corner towards the ceiling can be defined as the z-axis. When using latitude, longitude, and height as coordinates, the latitude direction can be defined as the x-axis, the longitude direction as the y-axis, and the height direction as the z-axis. Note that the x-axis may be the longitude direction and the y-axis as the latitude direction.

[0033] If the coordinate information of device 13 is known in advance when device 13 is installed, the user's coordinate information can be obtained from the distance and angle acquired by the millimeter-wave sensor based on the coordinate information of device 13.

[0034] The coordinate information of device 13 may be obtained based on the signal strength of a wireless signal called a beacon transmitted by a Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) tag, for example, which is used as a transmitting means by device 13. Since the signal strength of the beacon changes depending on the distance from the BLE tag and the angle with respect to the direction in which the BLE tag transmits the beacon, the coordinates of device 13 can be calculated based on that signal strength. In this case, the coordinates of device 13 can be calculated based on the signal strength of the beacon received by each of the multiple receiving means, which are each set at a location where the coordinates have been measured in advance and that coordinate information has been set. The coordinates of device 13 can be calculated using methods such as triplicate positioning.

[0035] Similarly, user coordinate information can also be obtained based on the strength of beacons emitted by a BLE tag, provided the user possesses a means of transmission (e.g., a BLE tag). Since the beacons emitted by the BLE tag include identification information for identifying the device 13 and the user, the coordinate information of each device 13 and user can be obtained along with the identification information.

[0036] Therefore, coordinate information of multiple devices 13 and the user may be obtained using BLE tags, or coordinate information of multiple devices 13 may be obtained using BLE tags, and the user's coordinate information may be obtained using the millimeter-wave sensor of device 13.

[0037] A thermal camera is a device that acquires information in the form of an image (infrared image) that visualizes the temperature distribution of an object. Humans are objects that emit heat, and they emit infrared radiation, the amount of infrared radiation being emitted is proportional to the temperature of the object. A thermal camera utilizes this principle to acquire information in an infrared image that shows high-temperature areas in red, low-temperature areas in blue, and the same temperature range in the same color. It should be noted that since a thermal camera only shows the temperature distribution of an object in a color-coded image, it is possible to identify a person from the characteristics of the temperature distribution, but it is not possible to identify who that person is, thus protecting privacy.

[0038] By the way, in order to acquire biological information with high accuracy using millimeter-wave sensors, it is necessary to use a millimeter-wave sensor that is close to the user, who is the target of the biological information acquisition, and within a range that can appropriately detect the movement of the user's chest.

[0039] Therefore, the control device 12 selects one or more devices 13 from among the multiple devices 13 that are appropriate for acquiring the user's biometric information, based on the multiple coordinate information as multiple location information of the multiple devices 13, the coordinate information as the user's location information, and the multiple infrared image information acquired by the thermal camera equipped on each of the multiple devices 13.

[0040] The control device 12 uses the coordinate information of each device 13 and the user's coordinate information to calculate the distance between each device 13 and the user, and the angle formed by the straight line connecting each device 13 and the user in a predetermined direction. The predetermined direction is, for example, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions mentioned above.

[0041] Each device 13 may be installed on each indoor unit 10, or it may be installed on the walls, ceilings, shelves, etc., of rooms other than the indoor unit 10. Each device 13 may be installed only on each indoor unit 10, but in order to acquire biological information with higher accuracy, it is desirable to install devices 13 in locations other than the indoor unit 10 as well.

[0042] In the example shown in Figure 1, each of the two indoor units 10 installed on the ceiling of the room is equipped with a device 13, and an additional device 13 is installed on a wall or the like.

[0043] The control device 12 can acquire biometric information using a device 13 placed at a location where known accuracy can be achieved by selecting a device 13 at an appropriate distance and angle. The device 13 placed at a location where known accuracy can be achieved is a device located at a recommended location, but if the distance and angle are not appropriate, such as if the device is far from the user or in an unrecommended location such as behind or above the user, it will not be able to properly detect the movement of the user's chest.

[0044] Therefore, the control device 12 uses infrared image information acquired from each device 13 to determine whether or not a device is located in front of the user and can appropriately detect the movement of the user's chest.

[0045] In this way, the control device 12 selects one or more devices 13 located at a recommended point in front of the user as devices to acquire the user's biometric information. There may be one or more devices to acquire the user's biometric information. The selected devices 13 receive instructions from the control device 12 to acquire the user's biometric information and acquire it. The selected devices 13 use millimeter-wave sensors to detect the movement of the user's chest and acquire biometric information such as respiratory rate and heart rate. The selected devices 13 transmit the acquired biometric information to the control device 12.

[0046] The control device 12 controls the operation of one or more of the multiple indoor units 10 based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected device 13. For example, if the respiratory rate and heart rate increase, it is assumed that the user's body temperature is rising, and the control device can control the operation of the indoor units 10 to lower the current set temperature and reduce the temperature around the user. In this case, the control device can control the operation of the indoor unit 10 closest to the user's location.

[0047] When each of the multiple indoor units 10 implements a device 13, the coordinate information of each indoor unit 10 can be calculated from the coordinate information of each device 13, since the positional relationship between the position indicated by the coordinate information of each indoor unit 10 and the position indicated by the coordinate information of each device 13 implemented on each indoor unit 10 is known. Alternatively, the coordinate information of each indoor unit 10 may be measured and pre-set when each indoor unit 10 is installed. Furthermore, the coordinate information of each indoor unit 10 may be acquired using a BLE tag as the transmission means described above.

[0048] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for selecting a device 13 to acquire biometric information. The process starts from step 100, one of the devices 13 is selected, and in step 101, coordinate information for each indoor unit 10, the user, and the device 13 is acquired. As described above, coordinate information for both the device 13 and the user may be acquired using a BLE tag or the like, or the user's coordinate information may be acquired using the millimeter-wave sensor provided by the device 13. The coordinate information for each indoor unit 10 and the device 13 may be pre-set when each indoor unit 10 and the device 13 are installed, or it may be acquired using a BLE tag or the like.

[0049] In step 102, it is determined whether device 13 is located in a non-recommended location. That is, it is determined whether device 13 is located in a location where the known accuracy cannot be obtained when acquiring the user's biometric information. If it is determined in step 102 that device 13 is located in a non-recommended location, the process proceeds to step 104 and terminates. On the other hand, if it is determined that device 13 is not located in a non-recommended location, it is located in a recommended location, so the process proceeds to step 103 and adds it as a candidate sensor (available sensor) for acquiring biometric information. Then, the process proceeds to step 104 and terminates.

[0050] If processing has not been completed for all of the devices 13, the process starts from step 100, another device 13 is selected, and the processes from steps 101 to 104 are executed. Note that the coordinate information for each indoor unit 10 and the user was obtained when processing was performed on the first device 13, so it does not need to be obtained again. The processes from steps 100 to 104 are repeated to perform processing on all of the multiple devices 13 installed in the room. Such processing can be achieved by a processor implemented in the control device 12 executing a program stored in the memory implemented in the control device 12. Note that this is not limited to being achieved by a program; it may also be achieved by hardware such as a dedicated circuit, or by both a dedicated circuit and a program.

[0051] Referring to Figure 4, the process of acquiring coordinate information will be explained in detail. Each device 13 has its coordinate information set in advance. Note that the coordinate information may also be acquired using BLE tags, etc. The coordinates of device 1 are acquired as (x1, y1, z1), the coordinates of device 2 as (x2, y2, z2), and the coordinates of device 3 as (x3, y3, z3).

[0052] Device 13 uses a millimeter-wave sensor to measure the distance and angle to the target person (user), and uses the acquired coordinate information of Device 13 to calculate the user's coordinates (x, y, z). For example, the measured distance can be decomposed into components of the xy-plane, xz-plane, and yz-plane, and the x, y, and z coordinates can be calculated using trigonometric functions with respect to the measured angles relative to the x, y, and z axes. The user's coordinates can be calculated using the coordinate information of each device 13, but the average of the calculated x, y, and z coordinates can also be taken, and the average values ​​of the x, y, and y coordinates can be used as the user's coordinates.

[0053] In the process shown in Figure 3, it is determined whether a device 13 is located in a non-recommended location, and devices 13 located in non-recommended locations are excluded from the list of candidates for devices 13 that acquire biometric information. Whether a device is located in a non-recommended location can be determined using the device performance information shown in Figure 5. The device performance information shown in Figure 5 includes the device number (No.) as identification information assigned to each device 13, and the maximum measurement distance (m) and angle range (°) as device performance. The device performance information defines the recommended distance between each device 13 and the user from whom biometric information is to be acquired, and the recommended angle range as the angle between the line connecting each device 13 and the user with respect to the orientation of each device 13, which is the direction in which infrared images are taken to acquire infrared image information and biometric information, and radio waves are transmitted, as the field of view.

[0054] If the distance from device 13 to the user exceeds the measurement distance included in the device performance information, device 13 is determined to be located in a non-recommended location. Also, if the angle formed by the straight line connecting device 13 and the user with respect to the orientation of device 13 is outside the field of view, device 13 is determined to be located in a non-recommended location. In other words, if either the measurement distance is exceeded or the field of view is outside the field of view, the device is determined to be located in a non-recommended location.

[0055] In addition to excluding devices located in undesirable locations from the list of available devices 13, another method may be used to assign a score to each device 13 based on its positional relationship with the user, such as the distance from the device 13 to the user and the angle formed by the straight line connecting the device 13 and the user relative to the orientation of the device 13. Only devices with a score above a predetermined level may be selected.

[0056] If the device performance of device 1 is such that the measurement distance is 5m and the field of view is ±45°, then for example, a distance greater than 5m can be scored 0 points, 2m to 5m can be scored 1 point, and less than 2m can be scored 2 points. Similarly, a field of view greater than ±45° can be scored 0 points, ±20° to ±45° can be scored 1 point, and less than ±20° can be scored 2 points. In this case, when the distance is measured at 2.5m and the angle at 25°, an evaluation score of 1+1=2 points can be assigned. If it is set that only devices with an evaluation score of 3 points or higher will be adopted, then device 1, which was evaluated as 2 points as described above, can be excluded from the candidates as it is not an available device 13.

[0057] Based on the user's coordinate information and the coordinate information of each device 13, candidate devices 13 are extracted. Then, the user's orientation is estimated from the temperature distribution characteristics in the infrared image information acquired by each device 13. Based on the estimated user orientation, one or more devices 13 can be selected from the candidate devices 13. One method for selecting one or more devices 13 is to select the device 13 closest to the user's front.

[0058] Infrared images are images that show temperature distribution using different colors. Even when covered by hair or clothing, people emit heat, so they are represented by colors that indicate a higher temperature range than walls, floors, furniture, etc., which do not emit any heat. Furthermore, people have areas of skin that are exposed and areas that are covered by hair or clothing, and a temperature difference occurs between these areas. Since the exposed areas of skin are hotter, these areas are represented by colors that indicate an even higher temperature range. In this way, parts of a person are represented by colors that indicate a higher temperature range than their surroundings, so it is possible to detect that it is a person from the contours represented by the boundaries of the human body.

[0059] Furthermore, since people wear clothes, the parts of the skin that are exposed are the face, hands, neck, arms, etc. As the face accounts for a large portion of the exposed skin, the device 13 with the thermal camera that captured the image with the largest amount of exposed skin can be determined to be the device 13 closest to the user's front.

[0060] An infrared image is an image consisting of multiple pixels, each of which has a value indicating color. Areas of exposed skin have values ​​indicating a darker color, representing high-temperature regions. Therefore, the device 13 having a thermal camera that captures an infrared image with the largest number of pixels indicating high-temperature regions can be selected as the device 13 for acquiring biological information.

[0061] Figure 6 illustrates how infrared image information of a subject (user) is acquired by multiple devices 13. Device 1 (indicated as "1" inside a circle in Figure 6) is installed inside the indoor unit 10a, which is mounted on the ceiling in front of the user, and has a thermal camera. Device 2 (indicated as "2" inside a circle in Figure 6) is installed inside the indoor unit 10b, which is mounted on the ceiling above the user's head, and has a thermal camera. Device 3 (indicated as "3" inside a circle in Figure 6) is installed separately from the indoor unit 10 to the side of the user and has a thermal camera.

[0062] Infrared images captured by a thermal camera show areas surrounding heat-emitting objects such as PCs and users as white pixels, indicating the lowest temperature. Areas containing heat-emitting objects such as PCs and users show varying pixel colors depending on the temperature range. Darker colors indicate higher temperatures.

[0063] The infrared image captured by the thermal camera on device 1 was taken from the front of the user, so there are many pixels indicating high-temperature regions (for example, pixels showing the darkest color). The infrared image captured by the thermal camera on device 2 was taken from above the user's head, and since the skin is covered by hair, there are no pixels showing the darkest color, but there are pixels showing lighter colors. The infrared image captured by the thermal camera on device 3 was taken from the side of the user, and since half of the face is exposed, there are fewer pixels showing the darkest color than in device 1.

[0064] Note that pixels indicating high-temperature regions are not limited to pixels showing the darkest color. In the example shown in Figure 6, since the temperature distribution is shown using four shades of color, pixels indicating high-temperature regions may include, for example, the pixel showing the second darkest color. When the temperature distribution is shown using five or more shades of color, pixels indicating high-temperature regions may include, for example, pixels showing temperatures above a predetermined temperature, such as the first to second darkest colors or the first to third darkest colors.

[0065] Thus, since infrared images taken from the front of the user have a large number of pixels indicating high-temperature regions, the device 13 having a thermal camera that takes the infrared image with the largest number of pixels indicating high-temperature regions can be selected as the device 13 for acquiring biological information.

[0066] The method for selecting the device 13 closest to the user's front is not limited to this. The estimated orientation result is quantified, and the device 13 may be selected based on a score obtained by adding or multiplying the results of the positional relationships such as distance and angle from each of the above devices 13 to the user. Specifically, the device with the largest score obtained by adding or multiplying the two scores can be selected as the device 13 closest to the user's front.

[0067] Alternatively, the installation position of device 13 may be changed to measure the distance and angle to a specific user, an infrared image may be acquired, and an algorithm for estimating the user's orientation may be created using the measured distance, angle, and acquired infrared image as training data, and the user's orientation may be estimated using the created algorithm.

[0068] There may be heat-generating objects (such as PCs, lights, or cups containing hot beverages) near the user's location. Since these objects have a temperature above a certain level, a temperature threshold can be set, and the presence of heat-generating objects can be detected in infrared images captured by a thermal camera. Because heat-generating objects are often positioned in front of the user, if the temperature region corresponding to the heat-generating object is included within the temperature region corresponding to the user's location, it can be determined that the object is in a direction close to the front.

[0069] Device 13 is connected via a mounting fixture that is rotatable in the vertical and horizontal directions, and may be configured to change the orientation of the millimeter-wave sensor or thermal camera. This allows the user's orientation to be estimated from the infrared image captured by the thermal camera, and one or more of the multiple devices 13 to be adjusted to a more appropriate angle relative to the user. In other words, it is possible to adjust the angle of one or more devices 13 to face the user, enabling the acquisition of biometric information with higher accuracy.

[0070] Infrared images captured by a thermal camera represent temperature distribution through color coding, and the position of a person's face can be estimated from the characteristics of this temperature distribution. Furthermore, since the chest is located a predetermined distance below the position of the face, the position of the chest can be estimated from the relative positions of the estimated face and chest. By directing a millimeter-wave sensor towards the estimated chest position, the movement of the chest can be measured, and biological information such as respiratory rate and heart rate can be acquired.

[0071] The control device 12 controls the operation of one or more of the multiple indoor units 10 based on the acquired biometric information. The control device 12 can control the operation of the indoor unit 10 closest to the user using the user's coordinate information acquired by the millimeter-wave sensor of device 13 and the coordinate information of each indoor unit 10. The coordinate information of each indoor unit 10 may be pre-set or may be acquired using the BLE tag described above. Each of the multiple indoor units 10 also has identification information to identify itself. Therefore, when the control device 12 acquires coordinate information using the BLE tag, it can also acquire the identification information of each indoor unit 10.

[0072] As described above, by using multiple devices 13 that make it difficult to identify the user, such as millimeter-wave sensors and thermal cameras, and by selecting the device 13 closest to the user's front, biometric information can be acquired, thereby enabling high-precision detection of biometric information while considering privacy. Therefore, a system, method, and program can be provided that can control the operation of one or more indoor units among multiple indoor units based on the high-precision detected biometric information.

[0073] Although the air conditioning system, control method, and program of the present invention have been described in detail using the embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Other embodiments, additions, modifications, and deletions can be made within the scope that a person skilled in the art can conceive, and any embodiment that achieves the operation and effects of the present invention is included within the scope of the present invention.

[0074] Accordingly, the present invention provides an air conditioning system comprising: (1) an air conditioning system having a plurality of indoor units, wherein a plurality of information acquisition devices capable of acquiring infrared image information of a user and biometric information of the user, and a control device that selects one or more information acquisition devices from the plurality of information acquisition devices to acquire the user's biometric information based on the location information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices and the plurality of infrared image information acquired by the plurality of information acquisition devices, and controls the operation of one or more of the plurality of indoor units based on the biometric information of the user acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices.

[0075] According to the present invention, (2) the control device estimates the orientation of the user from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image of the infrared image information corresponding to the position information, and selects one or more information acquisition devices based on the estimated orientation of the user, thereby providing the air conditioning system described in (1) above.

[0076] According to the present invention, (3) the control device holds performance information that defines a recommended distance between each information acquisition device and the target from which to acquire the biological information, and a recommended angle as the angle between the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the target with respect to the orientation of each information acquisition device, which is the direction in which an infrared image is taken to acquire the infrared image information and the biological information and to transmit radio waves, and extracts candidates for available information acquisition devices based on the position information and performance information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, and selects one or more information acquisition devices from the extracted candidates based on the estimated orientation of the user, thereby providing the air conditioning system described in (2) above.

[0077] According to the present invention, (4) the control device calculates the distance between each information acquisition device and the user and the angle formed by the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the user in a predetermined direction using the position information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, derives an evaluation point for each information acquisition device based on the calculated distance, the angle formed and the estimated orientation of the user, and selects one or more information acquisition devices based on the derived evaluation point, thereby providing the air conditioning system described in (2) or (3) above.

[0078] According to the present invention, (5) each of the plurality of information acquisition devices is capable of changing the orientation of the information acquisition device, which is the direction in which it takes an infrared image for acquiring the infrared image information and the biological information and transmits radio waves, and the control device adjusts the orientation of the selected one or more information acquisition devices according to the estimated orientation of the user, thereby providing an air conditioning system according to any one of (2) to (4) above.

[0079] According to the present invention, (6) the control device estimates the position of the user's face from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image, and estimates the position of the chest, which is the region for acquiring the user's biological information, based on the estimated position of the face, thereby providing an air conditioning system according to any of (2) to (5) above.

[0080] According to the present invention, (7) the control device identifies the indoor unit closest to the user among the plurality of indoor units using the location information of the user and the plurality of indoor units, and controls the operation of the identified indoor unit as one or more of the plurality of indoor units based on the biometric information of the user acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices, thereby providing an air conditioning system according to any one of (1) to (6) above.

[0081] According to the present invention, (8) each of the plurality of information acquisition devices comprises an imaging means for acquiring infrared image information and a sensor for acquiring biological information, and the user's location information is acquired by the sensor, thereby providing an air conditioning system according to any of (1) to (7) above.

[0082] Furthermore, according to the present invention, (9) a control method can be provided which is performed by an air conditioning system comprising a plurality of indoor units, and which includes the steps of selecting one or more information acquisition devices from among the plurality of information acquisition devices for acquiring the user's biometric information, based on a plurality of information acquisition devices capable of acquiring the user's infrared image information and the user's biometric information, the user's location information, and a plurality of the infrared image information acquired by the plurality of information acquisition devices, and controlling the operation of one or more of the plurality of indoor units based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices.

[0083] According to the present invention, (10) in the selection step, the user's orientation is estimated from the temperature distribution characteristics in the infrared image of the infrared image information corresponding to the position information, and one or more information acquisition devices are selected based on the estimated user's orientation, thereby providing the control method described in (9) above.

[0084] According to the present invention, (11) the air conditioning system maintains performance information that defines a recommended distance between each information acquisition device and the target from which to acquire the biological information, and a recommended angle as the angle between the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the target with respect to the orientation of each information acquisition device, which is the direction in which an infrared image is taken to acquire the biological information and the infrared image, and radio waves are transmitted. In the selection step, based on the position information and performance information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, candidates for available information acquisition devices are extracted, and based on the estimated orientation of the user, one or more information acquisition devices are selected from the extracted candidates.

[0085] According to the present invention, (12) in the selection step, the control method described in (10) above is provided, which involves using the position information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices to calculate the distance between each information acquisition device and the user, and the angle made by the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the user in a predetermined direction, deriving an evaluation point for each information acquisition device based on the calculated distance, the angle, and the estimated orientation of the user, and selecting one or more information acquisition devices based on the derived evaluation point.

[0086] According to the present invention, (13) each of the plurality of information acquisition devices is capable of changing the orientation of the information acquisition device, which is the direction in which it takes an infrared image for acquiring the infrared image information and the biological information and transmits radio waves, and the control method can be provided as described in any of (10) to (12) above, which includes the step of adjusting the orientation of the selected one or more information acquisition devices according to the estimated orientation of the user.

[0087] According to the present invention, (14) the control method can be described in any of (10) to (12) above, which includes the step of estimating the position of the user's face from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image, and estimating the position of the chest, which is the region for acquiring the user's biological information, based on the estimated position of the face.

[0088] According to the present invention, (15) in the control step, the control method described in any of (9) to (14) above is provided, which involves using the location information of the user and the plurality of indoor units to identify the indoor unit closest to the user among the plurality of indoor units, and controlling the operation of the identified indoor unit as one or more indoor units among the plurality of indoor units based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices.

[0089] According to the present invention, (16) each of the plurality of information acquisition devices comprises an imaging means for acquiring infrared image information and a sensor for acquiring biological information, and the control method includes the step of acquiring the user's location information using the sensor, thereby providing the control method described in (9) to (15) above.

[0090] Furthermore, according to the present invention, (17) a computer-readable program for performing each step included in any of the control methods described in (9) to (16) above can be provided. The present invention can also provide a recording medium on which this program is recorded. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 10, 10a, 10b…indoor unit 11…Outdoor unit 12...Control device 13…Device 20…Indoor heat exchanger 21…Indoor fan 22... Indoor fan motor 23... Indoor expansion valve 30... Compressor 31... Accumulator 32... Four-way valve 33... Outdoor expansion valve 34...Outdoor heat exchanger 35…Outdoor fan 36... Outdoor fan motor

Claims

1. An air conditioning system comprising multiple indoor units, Multiple information acquisition devices capable of acquiring the user's infrared image information and the user's biometric information, Based on the location information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, and the plurality of infrared image information acquired by the plurality of information acquisition devices, a control device is selected from the plurality of information acquisition devices to acquire the user's biometric information, and based on the biometric information of the user acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices, the control device controls the operation of one or more of the plurality of indoor units. An air conditioning system, including an air conditioning system.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the control device estimates the orientation of the user from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image of the infrared image information corresponding to the position information, and selects one or more information acquisition devices based on the estimated orientation of the user.

3. The control device maintains performance information that defines a recommended distance between each information acquisition device and the target from which to acquire the biological information, and a recommended angle as the angle between the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the target with respect to the orientation of each information acquisition device, which is the direction in which an infrared image is taken to acquire the biological information and the infrared image, and radio waves are transmitted. Based on the position information and performance information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, the control device extracts candidates for available information acquisition devices, and based on the estimated orientation of the user, selects one or more information acquisition devices from the extracted candidates, as described in claim 2.

4. The control device uses the position information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices to calculate the distance between each information acquisition device and the user, and the angle formed by the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the user in a predetermined direction, derives an evaluation point for each information acquisition device based on the calculated distance, the angle, and the estimated orientation of the user, and selects one or more information acquisition devices based on the derived evaluation points, the air conditioning system according to claim 2.

5. Each of the aforementioned plurality of information acquisition devices is capable of changing the orientation of the information acquisition device, which is the direction in which it captures an infrared image for acquiring the infrared image information and the biological information and transmits radio waves. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control device adjusts the orientation of the selected one or more information acquisition devices according to the estimated orientation of the user.

6. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control device estimates the position of the user's face from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image, and estimates the position of the chest, which is the region for acquiring the user's biological information, based on the estimated position of the face.

7. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the control device uses the location information of the user and the plurality of indoor units to identify the indoor unit closest to the user among the plurality of indoor units, and controls the operation of the identified indoor unit as one or more of the plurality of indoor units based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices.

8. Each of the aforementioned plurality of information acquisition devices comprises a shooting means for acquiring the infrared image information and a sensor for acquiring the biological information, The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the user's location information is acquired by the sensor.

9. A method performed by an air conditioning system comprising multiple indoor units, A step of selecting one or more information acquisition devices from among the multiple information acquisition devices to acquire the user's biometric information, based on the user's location information and the multiple infrared image information acquired by the multiple information acquisition devices, A step of controlling the operation of one or more of the multiple indoor units based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices. A control method including

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein in the selection step, the orientation of the user is estimated from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image of the infrared image information corresponding to the position information, and one or more information acquisition devices are selected based on the estimated orientation of the user.

11. The air conditioning system maintains performance information that defines the recommended distance between each information acquisition device and the target from which the biological information is acquired, and the recommended angle as the angle between the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the target with respect to the orientation of each information acquisition device, which is the direction in which the infrared image for acquiring the biological information is taken and radio waves are transmitted. The control method according to claim 10, wherein in the selection step, based on the position information and performance information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, candidates for available information acquisition devices are extracted, and based on the estimated orientation of the user, one or more information acquisition devices are selected from the extracted candidates.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein in the selection step, the distance between each information acquisition device and the user and the angle formed by the straight line connecting each information acquisition device and the user in a predetermined direction are calculated using the position information of the user and the plurality of information acquisition devices, an evaluation point for each information acquisition device is derived based on the calculated distance, the angle formed and the estimated orientation of the user, and one or more information acquisition devices are selected based on the derived evaluation point.

13. Each of the aforementioned plurality of information acquisition devices is capable of changing the orientation of the information acquisition device, which is the direction in which it captures an infrared image for acquiring the infrared image information and the biological information and transmits radio waves. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of adjusting the orientation of the selected one or more information acquisition devices according to the estimated orientation of the user.

14. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of: estimating the position of the user's face from the characteristics of the temperature distribution in the infrared image; and estimating the position of the chest, which is a region for acquiring the user's biological information, based on the estimated position of the face.

15. The control method according to claim 9, wherein in the control step, the location information of the user and the plurality of indoor units is used to identify the indoor unit closest to the user among the plurality of indoor units, and the operation of the identified indoor unit is controlled as one or more indoor units among the plurality of indoor units based on the user's biometric information acquired by the selected one or more information acquisition devices.

16. Each of the aforementioned plurality of information acquisition devices comprises a shooting means for acquiring the infrared image information and a sensor for acquiring the biological information, The control method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of acquiring the user's location information using the sensor.

17. A program for causing a computer to perform each step included in the control method described in any one of claims 9 to 16.

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