Air purifying device, air purifying method, and air purifying program

Abstract

To provide an air cleaner that can operate in accordance with a distance between other users to provide an air purified space.SOLUTION: An air cleaner comprises: an air cleaning mechanism which purifies surrounding air; a short-range radio unit which performs short-range radio communication with surrounding electronic apparatuses equipped with short-range radio communication function; and a communication control unit which controls communication of the short-range radio unit. Further, the cleaner comprises a distance detection unit which detects a separation distance to each of the surrounding electronic apparatuses on the basis of the intensity of a received radio wave of short-range radio communication with that electronic apparatus. The drive control unit controls the air cleaning mechanism to drive when the number of electronic apparatuses with which the separation distance is within a predetermined distance is equal to a predetermined number or more out of electronic apparatuses for which the separate distance was detected by the distance detection unit, and controls the air cleaning mechanism to stop when the number of electronic apparatuses with which the separation distance is within the predetermined distance is less than the predetermined number.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purifying device. , sky The present invention relates to an air purification method and an air purification program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Currently, air purifying devices are known that provide a space in which airborne contaminants, such as mold, airborne bacteria, viruses, pollen, and allergen mites, have been removed or inactivated.

[0003] For example, the air purifier disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2005-261713 A) is an air purifier that emits positive ions and negative ions and is attached to a user's hat. The air purifier attached to the hat communicates with a pedometer attached to the user's body. The air purifier controls the emission of positive ions and negative ions based on the user's motion state, such as a stopped state, a walking state, or a running state, detected by communicating with the pedometer.

[0004] This makes it possible to remove or inactivate allergen components such as mold, airborne bacteria, viruses, pollen, and mites that are present in the air near the user's face, for example while walking or jogging. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-261713 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Here, in recent years, there has been a demand to maintain "social distancing" in order to prevent the spread of viral infections.

[0007] However, in places where many people gather, such as on trains or in commercial facilities, it may be difficult to maintain social distance. In addition, a user may be close to other users without realizing it. Even in such cases, there is a demand for the development of an air purifying device that can provide a space with purified air.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides an air purifying device that operates according to the distance between other users and can provide a space with purified air. , sky The present invention aims to provide an air purification method and an air purification program. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an air purification mechanism that purifies the surrounding air, a short-range wireless unit that performs short-range wireless communication with surrounding electronic devices having short-range wireless communication functions, a communication control unit that controls communication of the short-range wireless unit, and a distance detection unit that detects the distance between each electronic device on the basis of the received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between each electronic device in the vicinity, a movement direction detection unit that detects a movement direction of each electronic device based on a received radio wave intensity; a drive control unit that drives and controls the air purifying mechanism when the number of electronic devices within a predetermined distance among the electronic devices whose distances are detected by the distance detection unit becomes a predetermined number or more, and that stops and controls the air purifying mechanism when the number of electronic devices within the predetermined distance becomes less than the predetermined number. The drive control unit predicts which electronic devices will be separated from each other by a predetermined distance within a predetermined time based on the moving direction of each electronic device detected by the moving direction detection unit, and counts the predicted electronic devices in the number of electronic devices whose separated distance is within the predetermined distance. . Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a space with purified air by operating according to the distance between other users. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an air purification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an air purifying device provided in the air purifying system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an air cleaning mechanism provided in the air cleaning device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the air purifying device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the air cleaning operation of the air cleaning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an air purification system according to an embodiment to which an air purification device, an air purification system, an air purification method, and an air purification program of the present invention are applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (System Configuration) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an air purifying system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the air purifying system according to the embodiment includes an air purifying device 1 that operates according to the distance (separation distance) between the air purifying device 2, a mobile terminal device 3, an electronic device 4, etc. owned by other nearby users, thereby forming a space with purified air according to the distance (separation distance) between the air purifying device 2, a mobile terminal device 3, an electronic device 4, etc. owned by other nearby users. The air purifying device 2, the mobile terminal device 3, and the electronic device 4 of the other users each have a short-range wireless communication function, and perform short-range wireless communication with the air purifying device 1.

[0014] (Configuration of air purifier) The air purifying device 1 may be a stationary type or a portable type. In the case of a portable type, it is preferable to carry the air purifying device 1 by positioning it near the user's face, for example, with a string around the neck. In the case of a stationary type, it may be placed in a desired location in a room, or may be fixed to a wall, ceiling, floor, or the like with adhesive tape, screws, or the like. In the following, as an example, the air purifying device 1 will be described as being a portable air purifying device.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the air purifier 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the air purifier 1 includes an air purification mechanism 11, a control unit 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit 14, a power supply unit 15, a short-range wireless unit 16, a power operation unit 17, and a speaker unit 18. The display unit 14 and the speaker unit 18 are examples of a notification unit.

[0016] As an example, a so-called photocatalytic air purification mechanism is provided as the air purification mechanism 11. The air purification mechanism 11 uses a photoreaction to decompose oxygen and moisture in the air that are adsorbed on the surface of a photocatalytic sheet irradiated with light from a light source such as a light-emitting diode, generating highly reactive superoxide anions (O2-) and OH radicals (·OH). The air purification mechanism 11 then uses these superoxide anions (O2-) and OH radicals (·OH) to decompose odorous components, remove germs, and so on.

[0017] As the air purification mechanism 11, an air purification mechanism other than a photocatalyst device, such as a corona discharge type, an ion or ozone generator, or the like, may be used.

[0018] The control unit 12 operates based on an air purification program stored in the memory unit 13 to drive the air purification mechanism 11 according to the distance between the user and other users. The display unit 14 displays a message indicating that the distance between the user and other users has become equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The power supply unit 15 is, for example, a button-type battery, and supplies power to each unit of the air purification device 1.

[0019] The short-range wireless unit 16 performs short-range wireless communication, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), between the air purifying device 2 to the electronic device 4 of other users. Note that, as an example, the following description will be given assuming that the short-range wireless unit 16 performs short-range wireless communication using a BLE communication method (BLE: Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), which enables communication with low power consumption.

[0020] The power operation unit 17 is a power on / off switch that is manually operated. When the control unit 12 detects an on operation of the power operation unit 17, the air purifier 1 is controlled to a state in which the air purifier 1 can perform an air purifying operation. When a predetermined number or more of electronic devices of other users are detected within a predetermined distance from the air purifier 1, the control unit 12 drives and controls the air purifier mechanism 11 to perform an air purifying operation. When the number of electronic devices of other users located within the predetermined distance from the air purifier 1 falls below the predetermined number, the control unit 12 controls the air purifier mechanism 11 to stop the air purifying operation. The speaker unit 18 outputs a voice message or a warning sound indicating that the distance between the air purifier 1 and the other users has fallen below a predetermined distance.

[0021] (Configuration and operation of air purification mechanism) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air purification mechanism 11. As shown in Fig. 3, the air purification mechanism 11 includes an air intake 21, an air supply fan 22, a photocatalyst sheet 23, a deodorizing filter 24, an air outlet 25, and a light source 26.

[0022] In such an air purification mechanism 11, air around the user is drawn in through the air inlet 21 by rotating the air supply fan 22. As the photocatalyst sheet 23, for example, one made of zinc oxide (ZnO), cadmium sulfide (CdS), tungsten trioxide (WO3), titanium dioxide (TiO2), etc. can be used.

[0023] The photocatalyst sheet 23 is formed in a mesh shape, and allows air sent by the air supply fan 22 to pass through. The photocatalyst sheet 23 functions by light irradiated from a light source 26, and decomposes the oxygen and moisture in the air adsorbed on the surface by a photoreaction, generating highly reactive superoxide anions (O2-) and OH radicals (·OH). These superoxide anions (O2-) and OH radicals (·OH) are deodorized by a deodorizing filter 24 formed of, for example, an oxidation catalyst, a low-temperature catalyst, or activated carbon, and are sent to the vicinity of the user's face through an outlet 25. This makes it possible to sterilize and deodorize the air around the user.

[0024] (Functional configuration of air purifier) Next, Fig. 4 shows a functional block diagram of each function realized by the control unit 12 of the air purifier 1 executing the air purification program stored in the storage unit 13. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 12 executes the air purification program to realize each function of a communication control unit 31, a distance detection unit 32, a movement direction detection unit 33, a power control unit 34, a drive determination unit 35, an air purification drive control unit 36, and a notification control unit 37. The drive determination unit 35 and the air purification drive control unit 36 ​​are examples of a drive control unit.

[0025] While the power control unit 17 of the air purifier 1 is turned on, the communication control unit 31 controls the short-range wireless unit 16 to detect received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator) in short-range wireless communication with surrounding electronic devices equipped with short-range wireless communication functions. The distance detection unit 32 detects the distance between each electronic device (= the distance between another user) based on the received signal strength in short-range wireless communication with the surrounding electronic devices detected by the communication control unit 31.

[0026] The movement direction detection unit 33 detects the movement direction of each electronic device based on the fluctuation of the received signal strength accompanying the movement of each electronic device. When the drive determination unit 35 determines that the air purification mechanism 11 is in the drive state while the power operation unit 17 is turned on, the power control unit 34 supplies power from the power supply unit 15 to each unit to drive the air purification mechanism 11. When the drive determination unit 35 determines that the air purification mechanism 11 is in the non-drive state and when the power operation unit 17 is turned off, the power control unit 34 stops the supply of power to each unit to drive the air purification mechanism 11.

[0027] The drive determination unit 35 detects that the distance between the user and the other users has become equal to or less than a predetermined distance based on the distance between the user and the electronic devices detected by the distance detection unit 32 and the direction of movement (direction) of the electronic devices detected by the movement direction detection unit 33, and determines whether or not to activate the air purification mechanism 11. The air purification drive control unit 36 ​​controls the drive and stop of the air purification mechanism 11 based on the determination result of the drive determination unit 35. The notification control unit 37 controls the display of a predetermined message or the like via the display unit 14 when the drive determination unit 35 detects that the distance between the user and the other users has become equal to or less than a predetermined distance. In addition, the notification control unit 37 controls the output of a predetermined voice message or the like via the speaker unit 18 when the drive determination unit 35 detects that the distance between the user and the other users has become equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

[0028] 4 are realized by software using an air purification program, but all or part of them may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (IC).

[0029] The air purifying program may be provided by recording it in the form of file information in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a flexible disk (FD). The air purifying program may be provided by recording it in the form of file information in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, or a semiconductor memory. The air purifying program may be provided by installing it via a network such as the Internet. The air purifying program may be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like in the device.

[0030] (Air purification operation) 5 is a flowchart of the air purification operation executed by the control unit 12 of the air purifying device 1 operating based on the air purification program stored in the storage unit 13. This flowchart starts when the power operation unit 17 is turned on, and processing begins from step S1. In step S1, the communication control unit 31 performs BLE communication with surrounding electronic devices. In step S2, the distance detection unit 32 detects the received signal strength (RSSI value) in BLE communication with each of the surrounding electronic devices.

[0031] The radio waves sent from each electronic device attenuate with distance. Therefore, there is a negative correlation between the RSSI value of each electronic device and the distance. The distance detection unit 32 RSSI: Measured RSSI value (dBm) RSSI0: RSSI value in dBm N: RSSI attenuation constant (ideally 20) Then, the distance D (m) between each electronic device is calculated based on the following formula: Note that it is preferable to use a value appropriate for each location as the RSSI attenuation constant N.

[0032] D=10 -(RSSI-RSSI0) / N

[0033] Next, in step S3, the movement direction detection unit 33 detects the movement direction (orientation) of each electronic device based on the change in the RSSI value of each electronic device due to movement. Specifically, when an electronic device moves in a direction away from the air purifying device 1, the RSSI value exhibits a different manner of attenuation depending on the direction of movement. Conversely, when an electronic device moves in a direction approaching the air purifying device 1, the RSSI value exhibits a different manner of increase depending on the direction of movement. The movement direction detection unit 33 detects the movement direction of each electronic device based on such increase and decrease in the RSSI value of each electronic device.

[0034] Alternatively, the movement direction detection unit 33 may detect the movement direction (orientation) of each electronic device based on the reception angle (Angle of Arrival: AoA) or the emission angle (Angle of Departure: AoD).

[0035] In the Angle of Arrival (AoA) direction detection method, each electronic device whose direction is to be determined emits a special direction detection signal from a single antenna, like a tag in a real-time location system (RTLS) solution. The moving direction detection unit 33 has multiple antennas, like a locator in an RTLS solution. The distance between the antennas on each electronic device side and the moving direction detection unit 33 side is different. Therefore, when the signal emitted from each electronic device reaches the multiple antennas of the moving direction detection unit 33, the moving direction detection unit 33 detects a signal with a different phase for each antenna. The moving direction detection unit 33 acquires in-phase and quadrature-phase (IQ) samples of the signal while switching between active antennas. Then, the moving direction detection unit 33 calculates the relative direction of each electronic device based on the acquired IQ samples.

[0036] In contrast, in the angle of emission (AoD) direction detection method, the electronic device whose direction is to be identified emits a special signal from an array antenna in which multiple antennas are arranged, like a locator beacon in an indoor positioning system (IPS) solution. The moving direction detection unit 33 receives multiple signals emitted from each electronic device with a single antenna, like a mobile phone in an IPS solution, and obtains the above-mentioned IQ samples. Based on these IQ samples, the moving direction detection unit 33 calculates the relative direction between each electronic device.

[0037] Although several movement direction detection methods in the movement direction detection unit 33 have been described above, the movement direction detection unit 33 may use any method to detect the movement direction of each electronic device in the vicinity as long as the movement direction of each electronic device can be detected.

[0038] Next, in step S4, the drive determination unit 35 detects the number of electronic devices located within a predetermined distance (an example of a first distance), for example within 2 m from the air purifying device 1, based on the distance between each electronic device detected by the distance detection unit 32. Then, the drive determination unit 35 determines whether the number of electronic devices located within the predetermined distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, for example, three.

[0039] That is, in the air purifying system of the embodiment, the number of electronic devices around the air purifying device 1 is recognized as the number of users. Therefore, if the number of electronic devices located within a distance of 2 m from the air purifying device 1 is detected to be three, it is recognized that three other users are present within a radius of 2 m of the user who owns the air purifying device 1.

[0040] Here, even if an electronic device is currently at a predetermined distance from the air purifying device 1 or more, for example, an electronic device moving toward the air purifying device 1 may move to a position within 2 m of the air purifying device 1 within a short period of time. For this reason, the drive determination unit 35 calculates the moving speed and moving distance based on the amount of variation in the RSSI value over a certain period of time, and predicts the time when the electronic device will be within 2 m from the air purifying device 1. If this predicted time is within a predetermined period of time, for example, 10 seconds, the drive determination unit 35 counts the electronic device as one of the electronic devices located within a predetermined distance, such as within 2 m, from the air purifying device 1.

[0041] By detecting the number of surrounding electronic devices, including such predictions, it is possible to calculate the exact number of surrounding electronic devices in advance, including electronic devices that will increase in the future, and it becomes possible to control the operation of the air purification mechanism 11 at the required timing.

[0042] Next, if the drive determination unit 35 determines that there are a predetermined number or more of electronic devices (other users) within a predetermined range from the air purifying device 1 (step S4: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if the number of electronic devices around the air purifying device 1 is determined to be less than the predetermined number (step S4: No), the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the drive determination unit 35 determines whether or not there is at least one electronic device that is less than the predetermined number of electronic devices around the air purifying device 1 but is very close, for example, at a distance of 90 cm or less from the air purifying device 1 (an example of the second distance: first distance > second distance) (step S11). If it is determined that there is no electronic device very close (step S11: No), the process returns to step S1, and the above-mentioned operation of detecting the number of surrounding electronic devices is performed again.

[0043] On the other hand, if the drive determination unit 35 determines that the number of electronic devices around the air purifying device 1 is less than the predetermined number, but there is at least one electronic device located very close to the air purifying device 1 (step S11: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. That is, in this case, it indicates that another user is located very close, within a radius of 90 cm, from the user who owns the air purifying device 1. For this reason, it is preferable to purify the air around the user who owns the air purifying device 1. For this reason, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0044] In this way, when it is determined that a predetermined number or more of electronic devices (other users) are present within a predetermined range from the air purifying device 1 (step S4: Yes), and when it is determined that at least one electronic device (other users) is present in a very close range from the air purifying device 1 (step S11: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the notification control unit 37 controls the display unit 14 to display a message related to the air purifying operation, such as "A large number of users or a small number of users in close proximity have been confirmed in the vicinity. Please maintain social distance. Air purifying operation will start." In addition, the notification control unit 37 also controls the output, via the speaker unit 18, of a voice message or electronic sound related to the air purifying operation, such as "A large number of users or a small number of users in close proximity have been confirmed in the vicinity. Please maintain social distance. Air purifying operation will start."

[0045] This allows the user to recognize that the air purification operation will be started when another user is located nearby. Also, it makes other users around the user who owns the air purification device 1 aware of the need to maintain social distance.

[0046] Furthermore, the air purifying device 1 may be provided with a vibrator, which may be driven to vibrate when there are many users in the vicinity or when there are a small number of users in close proximity. In this case, the presence of surrounding users can be recognized by the vibration of the vibrator. Therefore, even a user who is visually impaired, for example, can notice the presence of surrounding users and take appropriate measures, such as moving away from the location or asking a caregiver for assistance in moving away from the location.

[0047] It is possible to perform one or two of the display control, audio output control, and vibration control. Also, by performing lighting or blinking control of light-emitting diodes or the like alone or in combination with the above-mentioned display control and / or audio output control, the user of the air purifying device 1 can be made aware of the presence of other users nearby and that the air purifying operation has started.

[0048] Furthermore, both the display control and the audio output control may not be performed. In this case, the user who owns the air purifying device 1 can recognize that there are many users nearby when the air purifying operation starts. Therefore, the user who owns the air purifying device 1 can move to a less crowded place at his / her own discretion.

[0049] Next, when such notification control (step S5) is performed, the air purification drive control unit 36 ​​drives and controls the air purification mechanism 11 (step S6). As a result, highly reactive superoxide anions (O2-) and OH radicals (·OH) are generated by the photocatalyst sheet 23 and sent to the vicinity of the user's face. Then, the air around the user is sterilized and deodorized, and the air in the space around the user of the air purification device 1 is purified.

[0050] Next, the drive determination unit 35 determines whether the number of electronic devices around the air purifier 1 is less than a predetermined number based on the detection outputs of the distance detection unit 32 and the movement direction detection unit 33 (step S7). If the number of electronic devices around the air purifier 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (step S7: No), it is confirmed in step S12 that the power operation unit 17 has not been turned off (step S12: No), and the process returns to step S5. This allows the above-mentioned notification control and air purification operation to continue. Note that, if the control unit 12 detects the power operation unit 17 being turned off in step S12 (step S12: Yes), the air purification operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 ends as is.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of electronic devices around the air purifying device 1 is less than the predetermined number (step S7: Yes), the drive determination unit 35 further determines whether or not there is an electronic device (another user) within a very close distance of the air purifying device 1 that is less than a predetermined distance (step S8). If there is another user within a very close distance of the air purifying device 1 (step S8: Yes), the process returns to step S5, and the above-mentioned notification control and air purification operation are continued.

[0052] On the other hand, if there is no other user in close proximity to the air purifier 1 (step S8: No), in step S9, the notification control unit 37 stops the above-mentioned notification control, and the air purification drive control unit 36 ​​stops drive control of the air purification mechanism 11. Then, in step S10, the control unit 12 determines whether or not the power operation unit 17 has been turned off, and if the power operation unit 17 has been turned off (step S10: Yes), the air purification operation shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5 ends.

[0053] On the other hand, if the power supply operation unit 17 is not turned off (step S10: No), the process returns to step S1, and the air purification operation according to the number of surrounding users (electronic devices) described above is repeated until the power supply operation unit 17 is turned off.

[0054] The air purification drive control unit 36 ​​may control the rotation speed of the air supply fan 22 of the air purification mechanism 11 in accordance with the number of other surrounding users to change and control the volume of air sent out from the air purification mechanism 11. In this case, the air purification drive control unit 36 ​​controls the rotation speed of the air supply fan 22 of the air purification mechanism 11 so as to increase the volume of air as the number of other surrounding users increases. Furthermore, even if the number of other surrounding users is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the air purification drive control unit 36 ​​controls the rotation speed of the air supply fan 22 of the air purification mechanism 11 so as to increase the volume of air as the distance between the user and the user decreases. This allows the air purification operation to be performed with a volume of air according to the number of surrounding users and the distance between the other users.

[0055] (Effects of the embodiment) As is clear from the above description, the air purification system of the embodiment can provide the following effects.

[0056] 1. The air purifier 1 can automatically operate and purify the air depending on the distance of surrounding users. Therefore, even in places where it is difficult to maintain social distance, such as on a train or in a commercial facility, the air purifier 1 can purify the air around the user who owns the air purifier 1, preventing the user from being infected with a virus or the like.

[0057] 2. The notification control unit 37 can make the user who owns the air purifying device 1 aware of the presence of other users in the vicinity and the start of the air purification operation. In addition, other users in the vicinity can be made aware of maintaining social distance. For this reason, for example, in the vicinity of a physically disabled user or child who has difficulty maintaining social distance from other users, other users who hear the voice message output by the notification control unit 37 can be expected to take action to maintain social distance on their own, making it easier for even physically disabled users or children to maintain social distance.

[0058] 3. When the surrounding users become closer, the air purification operation is performed, and when the surrounding users move away, the air purification operation is stopped. This allows the air purification operation to be performed only when necessary, and the power consumption of the power supply unit 15 can be reduced. In addition, since the short-distance wireless communication of the BLE communication method is used as the short-distance wireless communication method, the power consumption of the short-distance wireless communication can also be reduced. Therefore, sufficient power can be secured with a small and lightweight button battery as the power supply unit 15, and the air purification device 1 can be made small and lightweight. Therefore, the portability of the air purification device 1 can be improved.

[0059] 4. By using a photocatalytic air purification mechanism as the air purification mechanism 11, the air purification device 1 can be provided with high safety for the user.

[0060] Finally, the above-described embodiment is presented as an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0061] For example, in the above embodiment, the air purification mechanism 11 is controlled and driven when a plurality of electronic devices (other users) are detected within a first distance from the air purifying device 1. However, the air purification mechanism 11 may be controlled and driven when even one electronic device (other user) is detected within the first distance from the air purifying device 1.

[0062] Furthermore, the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Air purifier 2. Other users' air purifiers 3. Mobile terminal devices 4. Electronic devices with short-range wireless communication capabilities 11 Air Purification Mechanism 12 Control section 13 Storage section 14 Display section 15 Power supply section 16 Short-range radio section 17 Power control section 18 Speaker section 21 Air Intake 22 Ventilation fan 23 Photocatalyst sheet 24 Deodorizing filter 25 Air Outlet 26 light source 31 Communication control section 32 Distance detection unit 33 Movement direction detection unit 34 Power supply control unit 35 Drive determination unit 36 Air purifier drive control unit 37 Notification control section

Claims

1. An air purification mechanism that purifies the surrounding air; A short-range wireless unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a surrounding electronic device having a short-range wireless communication function; a communication control unit that controls communication of the short-range wireless unit; a distance detection unit that detects a distance between each of the surrounding electronic devices based on a received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between the electronic devices; a movement direction detection unit that detects a movement direction of each of the electronic devices based on the received radio wave intensity; a drive control unit that drives and controls the air purification mechanism when a number of electronic devices whose separation distances are detected by the distance detection unit and whose separation distances are within a predetermined distance reaches a predetermined number or more, and that stops and controls the air purification mechanism when the number of electronic devices whose separation distances are within the predetermined distance falls below the predetermined number; having The drive control unit predicts electronic devices whose separation distance will be within a predetermined distance within a predetermined time based on the movement direction of each of the electronic devices detected by the movement direction detection unit, and counts the predicted electronic devices in the number of electronic devices whose separation distance is within the predetermined distance. Air purifier.

2. An air purification mechanism for purifying the surrounding air; A short-range wireless unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a surrounding electronic device having a short-range wireless communication function; a communication control unit that controls communication of the short-range wireless unit; a distance detection unit that detects a distance between each of the surrounding electronic devices based on a received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between the electronic devices; a drive control unit that drives and controls the air purification mechanism when a number of electronic devices whose separation distances are detected by the distance detection unit and whose separation distances are within a predetermined distance reaches a predetermined number or more, and that stops and controls the air purification mechanism when the number of electronic devices whose separation distances are within the predetermined distance falls below the predetermined number; having The drive control unit drives and controls the air cleaning mechanism when the number of electronic devices within a first distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and also drives and controls the air cleaning mechanism when the number of electronic devices within the first distance is less than the predetermined number and at least one electronic device is located within a second distance that is shorter than the first distance. Air purifier.

3. a movement direction detection unit that detects a movement direction of each of the electronic devices based on the received radio wave intensity, The drive control unit predicts electronic devices whose separation distance will be within a predetermined distance within a predetermined time based on the movement direction of each of the electronic devices detected by the movement direction detection unit, and counts the predicted electronic devices in the number of electronic devices whose separation distance is within the predetermined distance.

3. The air purifying device according to claim 2 .

4. The electronic device further includes an alarm control unit that controls an alarm unit to perform a predetermined alarm operation when the number of electronic devices whose distances are detected by the distance detection unit and whose distances are within a predetermined distance reaches or exceeds a predetermined number, and that controls the alarm unit to stop the alarm operation when the number of electronic devices whose distances are within the predetermined distance falls below the predetermined number.

3. The air purifying device according to claim 1 or 2,

5. An air purification method carried out by an air purification device, comprising: a communication control step in which the communication control unit controls the short-range wireless unit to perform short-range wireless communication with a surrounding electronic device having a short-range wireless communication function; a distance detection step in which a distance detection unit detects a distance between each of the surrounding electronic devices based on a received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between the electronic devices; a movement direction detection step in which a movement direction detection unit detects a movement direction of each of the electronic devices based on the received radio wave intensity; a drive control step in which a drive control unit drives and controls an air purification mechanism that purifies surrounding air when the number of electronic devices within a predetermined distance among the electronic devices whose separation distances have been detected by the distance detection unit becomes a predetermined number or more, and stops and controls the air purification mechanism when the number of electronic devices within the predetermined distance becomes less than the predetermined number; Including, The drive control step predicts electronic devices whose separation distance will be within a predetermined distance within a predetermined time based on the movement direction of each of the electronic devices detected in the movement direction detection step, and counts the predicted electronic devices in the number of electronic devices whose separation distance is within the predetermined distance. Air purification methods.

6. An air purification method carried out by an air purification device, comprising: a communication control step in which the communication control unit controls the short-range wireless unit to perform short-range wireless communication with a surrounding electronic device having a short-range wireless communication function; a distance detection step in which a distance detection unit detects a distance between each of the surrounding electronic devices based on a received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between the electronic devices; a drive control step in which a drive control unit drives and controls an air purification mechanism that purifies surrounding air when the number of electronic devices within a predetermined distance among the electronic devices whose separation distances have been detected by the distance detection unit becomes a predetermined number or more, and stops and controls the air purification mechanism when the number of electronic devices within the predetermined distance becomes less than the predetermined number; Including, The drive control step drives and controls the air cleaning mechanism when the number of electronic devices within a first distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and also drives and controls the air cleaning mechanism when the number of electronic devices within the first distance is less than the predetermined number and at least one electronic device is located within a second distance that is shorter than the first distance. Air purification methods.

7. Computer, a communication control unit that controls the short-range wireless unit to perform short-range wireless communication with a surrounding electronic device having a short-range wireless communication function; a distance detection unit that detects a distance between each of the surrounding electronic devices based on a received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between the electronic devices; a movement direction detection unit that detects a movement direction of each of the electronic devices based on the received radio wave intensity; a drive control unit that drives and controls an air purification mechanism that purifies surrounding air when a number of electronic devices whose separation distances are detected by the distance detection unit and whose separation distances are within a predetermined distance reaches a predetermined number or more, and that stops and controls the air purification mechanism when the number of electronic devices whose separation distances are within the predetermined distance falls below the predetermined number; Function as a The drive control unit predicts electronic devices whose separation distance will be within a predetermined distance within a predetermined time based on the movement direction of each of the electronic devices detected by the movement direction detection unit, and counts the predicted electronic devices in the number of electronic devices whose separation distance is within the predetermined distance. An air purification program that features:

8. A computer comprising: a communication control unit that controls the short-range wireless unit to perform short-range wireless communication with a surrounding electronic device having a short-range wireless communication function; a distance detection unit that detects a distance between each of the surrounding electronic devices based on a received radio wave intensity of the short-range wireless communication between the electronic devices; a drive control unit that drives and controls an air purification mechanism that purifies surrounding air when a number of electronic devices whose separation distances are detected by the distance detection unit and whose separation distances are within a predetermined distance reaches a predetermined number or more, and that stops and controls the air purification mechanism when the number of electronic devices whose separation distances are within the predetermined distance falls below the predetermined number; Function as a The drive control unit drives and controls the air cleaning mechanism when the number of electronic devices within a first distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and also drives and controls the air cleaning mechanism when the number of electronic devices within the first distance is less than the predetermined number and at least one electronic device is located within a second distance that is shorter than the first distance. An air purification program that features:

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