air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of appropriately performing operation according to the life rhythm of a user.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes a detection unit, a prediction unit, a communication unit, and an illuminance sensor. The detection unit detects presence / absence of a human in an air-conditioning space. The prediction unit predicts bedtime of a user in the air-conditioning space with the usage of the detection result of the detection unit. The communication unit communicates with a terminal device provided in the air-conditioning space to be operated by the user. The illuminance sensor detects illuminance in the air-conditioning space. On the basis of the illuminance in the air-conditioning space detected by the illuminance sensor during a time period from the bedtime predicted by the prediction unit to a time point before a first prescribed time, the air conditioner determines that the user sleeps before the predicted bedtime.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, an air conditioner has been proposed that is equipped with a human detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of people in the air-conditioned space, and that uses the detection results of the human detection sensor to set a timer for the start time of air-conditioning operation (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the detection results of the human detection sensor over several days are compared with "rules for determining the presence or absence of a user," thereby predicting the time when a user will change from being absent to being present in the air-conditioned space, and the timer for the start time of air-conditioning operation is set based on this prediction result. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-14121 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, simply predicting the time when a user will change from being absent to being present in an air-conditioned space does not allow air conditioning to be operated at the appropriate timing in accordance with the user's lifestyle rhythm (for example, wake-up time, bedtime).For example, there are cases where the user does not act according to the predicted lifestyle rhythm, and even if bedtime and wake-up time are predicted, the reality is that air conditioning cannot always be operated at the appropriate timing.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide an air conditioner that can perform air conditioning operation at appropriate timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An air conditioner according to one embodiment includes a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a person in an air-conditioned space, a prediction unit that predicts a bedtime for a user in the air-conditioned space using the detection result of the detection unit, a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device installed in the air-conditioned space and operated by the user, and an illuminance sensor that detects illuminance in the air-conditioned space. The air conditioner determines that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime based on the illuminance in the air-conditioned space detected by the illuminance sensor during a first predetermined time period before the bedtime predicted by the prediction unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] One aspect is that air conditioning can be performed at an appropriate timing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an air conditioning system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an air conditioner. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote controller. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication adapter. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a prediction result of presence or absence. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the CPU of the server device related to the generation process for generating a presence / absence pattern. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the CPU of the server device related to the update processing for updating the presence / absence pattern. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the CPU of the communication adapter involved in the prediction process. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit of the indoor unit related to the prediction processing in the living room. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit of the indoor unit related to prediction processing in the bedroom. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit of the indoor unit related to the illuminance acquisition process. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit of the indoor unit related to the recommended processing in the bedroom. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the air conditioner disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosed technology is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, each embodiment described below may be modified as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Example]

[0010] <Air conditioning system configuration> 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment. The air conditioning system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an air conditioner 2, a communication adapter 3, a router 4, a server device 5, a relay device 6, a communication device 7, and a communication network 8.

[0011] <Air conditioner configuration> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 2. The air conditioner 2 shown in FIG. 2 includes an indoor unit 21, an outdoor unit 22, and a remote control 23. The indoor unit 21 is, for example, placed indoors and is part of the air conditioner 2 that heats or cools the air in the air-conditioned space. An indoor unit 21 is provided for each air-conditioned space, such as a living room or bedroom. The indoor unit 21 includes a main body 21A, a human presence sensor 21B, a communication unit 21C, a control unit 21D, and a memory 21E. The main body 21A is equipped with an indoor fan and an indoor heat exchanger (not shown). The indoor air exchanges heat with a refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit 22 in the indoor heat exchanger, and is then blown out by the indoor fan, thereby heating, cooling, dehumidifying, and so on. The human presence sensor 21B detects the presence or absence of a person in the air-conditioned space. The human presence sensor 21B is, for example, a pyroelectric sensor using infrared rays. The human presence sensor 21B starts detecting the presence or absence of a human when the air conditioner 2 is installed and connected to a commercial power source to receive power. Thereafter, unless the power supply is interrupted, the human presence sensor 21B continues to detect the presence or absence of a human in the air-conditioned space regardless of whether the air conditioner 2 is running or stopped. The communication unit 21C receives BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy: registered trademark) command signals from the remote control 23 and transmits the received command signals to the control unit 21D. The memory 21E is an area for storing various information such as indoor use. The indoor use is information that identifies the use of the air-conditioned space, such as a living room or a bedroom. The indoor use is information used to predict user behavior. The control unit 21D controls the entire indoor unit 21. The control unit 21D executes various commands based on the command signals. The outdoor unit 22 is equipped with, for example, an outdoor fan, a compressor, etc. The remote control 23 is a terminal device that remotely controls the indoor unit 21 in response to user operations.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote control 23. The remote control 23 shown in FIG. 3 is, for example, not a portable remote control but a remote control placed in the air-conditioned space. The remote control 23 includes an operation unit 23A, a communication unit 23B, a display unit 23C, an illuminance sensor 23D, a memory 23E, and a CPU 23F. The operation unit 23A is an input interface for inputting various commands. The communication unit 23B transmits a BLE command signal to the indoor unit 21 in response to a command input via the operation unit 23A. While the communication unit 23B transmits a BLE command signal in this example, it may transmit an infrared communication command signal. In this case, the communication unit 21C in the indoor unit 21 also receives the infrared communication command signal. The display unit 23C is an output interface for displaying various information. The illuminance sensor 23D is a sensor for detecting the illuminance of the air-conditioned space in which the remote control 23 is placed, for example, a bedroom. In this embodiment, the illuminance sensor 23D is described as being provided in the remote control 23, but this is not limited to this, and the illuminance sensor 23D may be separate from the remote control 23 and placed, for example, in the same room as the indoor unit 21 of the air conditioner 2.

[0013] The memory 23E stores various types of information. The CPU 23F controls the entire remote control 23. The illuminance sensor 23D sequentially detects the illuminance in the air-conditioned space every minute and transmits the detected illuminance to the indoor unit 21. In other words, the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 sequentially stores the illuminance in the air-conditioned space every minute received from the remote control 23. The control unit 21D also stores the illuminance for the most recent nine minutes.

[0014] The control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 has a behavior prediction unit 21D2, a recommendation unit 21D0, and a determination unit 21D1. The behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts the user's behavior based on a presence / absence prediction result that predicts the user's presence or absence in the air-conditioned space and indoor use information that identifies the indoor use of the air-conditioned space. The presence / absence prediction result is information that accumulates prediction results of the user's presence or absence in the air-conditioned space every 10 minutes for 24 hours, obtained from a presence / absence prediction unit 34E in the communication adapter 3 (described later). The behavior prediction unit 21D2 can predict the user's behavior, such as the user's wake-up time, return home time, time to go out, and time to go to bed.

[0015] The recommendation unit 21D0 selects an operation to be recommended to the user based on the behavior prediction result of the behavior prediction unit 21D2. The operation may be, for example, a normal air conditioning operation such as cooling operation or heating operation. The recommendation unit 21D0 sends, for example, a signal to the remote control 23 recommending the execution of the selected operation to the user.

[0016] The behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts the behavior of the user in the air-conditioned space based on the indoor use information and the presence / absence prediction result of the user in the air-conditioned space by the presence / absence prediction unit 34E, which will be described later. Then, the recommendation unit 21D0 transmits the details of air conditioning operation recommended to the user, such as the setting of the start time or stop time of air conditioning operation, to the remote control 23, based on the behavior prediction result of the behavior prediction unit 21D2. The recommended details of air conditioning operation include, for example, recommending the setting of the timer time for starting air conditioning operation according to the time of getting up, the time of coming home, the time of going out, and the time of going to bed.

[0017] The judgment unit 21D1 judges that the user will go to bed before the bedtime predicted by the behavior prediction unit 21D2, based on the illuminance of the air-conditioned space detected by an illuminance sensor 23D in the air-conditioned space installed in a bedroom, for example, during a first predetermined time, for example, two hours, before the bedtime predicted by the behavior prediction unit 21D2.

[0018] Specifically, the determination unit 21D1 sequentially acquires the illuminance in the air-conditioned space detected every minute by the illuminance sensor 23D and stores the illuminance for the most recent nine minutes, i.e., ten illuminance values. The determination unit 21D1 calculates the average of five illuminance values ​​for the most recent five minutes, from the current time to the most recent four minutes, as the current illuminance. Furthermore, the determination unit 21D1 calculates the average of five illuminance values ​​for the most recent five minutes, from the most recent five minutes to the most recent nine minutes, as the previous illuminance. The determination unit 21D1 then subtracts the current illuminance from the previous illuminance to calculate the amount of change in the illuminance of the air-conditioned space. The determination unit 21D1 then determines whether the amount of change in illuminance in the air-conditioned space is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The determination unit 21D1 determines that the occupant will go to sleep before the predicted bedtime if the change in illuminance in the air-conditioned space is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount is a threshold for determining that the occupant of the bedroom has gone to sleep, and is, for example, 250 lux. The reason for setting the predetermined amount to 250 lux is that, for example, the illuminance of an 8-tatami mat bedroom using two 30-watt fluorescent lamps is 300 lux, so if the illuminance in the bedroom drops from 300 lux to 10 lux, it can be assumed that the occupant of the bedroom has gone to sleep.

[0019] When the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime, the recommendation unit 21D0 sets a first recommendation flag to ON. When the first recommendation flag is ON, the recommendation unit 21D0 recommends to the remote control 23 a timer reservation related to the wake-up time. The timer reservation related to the wake-up time is a timer reservation for an operation suited to the weather forecast for the wake-up time. Examples of timer reservations include a timer reservation for starting cooling operation in the air-conditioned space 10 minutes before the wake-up time when the weather forecast for the wake-up time predicts a high temperature, and a timer reservation for starting heating operation in the air-conditioned space 10 minutes before the wake-up time when the weather forecast for the wake-up time predicts a low temperature. As a result, the user of the remote control 23 can set a timer reservation by looking at the recommended timer reservation related to the wake-up time displayed on the display unit 23C of the remote control 23.

[0020] The recommendation unit 21D0 determines whether the current time is a second predetermined time before the bedtime predicted by the behavior prediction unit 21D2, for example, one hour before. The second predetermined time is shorter than the first predetermined time. The recommendation unit 21D0 sets a second recommendation flag to ON when the current time is the second predetermined time before the bedtime. When the second recommendation flag is ON, the recommendation unit 21D0 recommends to the remote control 23 to set a timer reservation related to the wake-up time. As a result, the user of the remote control 23 can set a timer reservation by looking at the recommended content of the timer reservation related to the wake-up time displayed on the display unit 23C of the remote control 23.

[0021] When the current time is a second predetermined time before bedtime, recommendation unit 21D0 predicts the user's wake-up time, and determines that the user will go to bed, recommendation unit 21D0 recommends to remote control 23 that a timer reservation related to the wake-up time be made at a time that is the second predetermined time before bedtime. As a result, the user of remote control 23 can set a timer reservation by looking at the recommended content of the timer reservation related to the wake-up time that is being displayed on display unit 23C of remote control 23.

[0022] The communication adapter 3 has a communication function for wirelessly connecting the indoor units 21 in the air conditioner 2 with the router 4, and a control function for controlling the indoor units 21 using AI (Artificial Intelligence). A communication adapter 3 is provided for each indoor unit 21. The router 4 is an access point device that wirelessly connects the communication adapter 3 with a communication network 8 using, for example, a wireless local area network (WLAN), and also wirelessly connects the communication device 7 with the communication network 8. The communication network 8 is, for example, a communication network such as the Internet. The server device 5 has a function for generating presence / absence patterns to be applied to the indoor units 21, a database for storing operation history data, and the like. The server device 5 is, for example, provided in a data center. The communication device 7 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone carried by the user of the air conditioner 2. The relay device 6 is connected to the communication network 8 via communication and has a function for connecting to the server device 5 via communication. The relay device 6 transmits operation history data and the like used to generate or update a presence / absence pattern applied to the indoor units 21 from the communication adapter 3 to the server device 5 via the communication network 8. The relay device 6 also transmits the presence / absence pattern generated or updated by the server device 5 to the communication adapter 3 via the communication network 8. The relay device 6 is located, for example, in a data center or the like.

[0023] The relay device 6 has a first relay unit 6A, a second relay unit 6B, and a third relay unit 6C. The first relay unit 6A transmits various data related to presence / absence patterns (hereinafter referred to as operation history data) from the communication adapter 3 to the server device 5 via the communication network 8, and transmits the presence / absence patterns generated or updated by the server device 5 to the communication adapter 3 via the communication network 8. The second relay unit 6B acquires the operating conditions (such as the operating mode, e.g., cooling / heating, and the set temperature) of the indoor unit 21 set by the user using the communication device 7 while away from home, and transmits these to the indoor unit 21. The third relay unit 6C acquires external data, such as weather forecasts and calendar information (mainly holiday information), from the communication network 8, e.g., the Internet, and transmits the acquired external data to the server device 5. The third relay unit 6C also transmits the external data to the communication adapter 3 via the communication network 8.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication adapter 3. The communication adapter 3 shown in FIG. 4 has a first communication unit 31, a second communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 34. The first communication unit 31 is a communication IF (Interface) such as a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) that communicatively connects the control unit 21D in the indoor unit 21 and the CPU 34. The second communication unit 32 is a communication unit such as a communication IF such as a WLAN that communicatively connects the router 4 and the CPU 34. The storage unit 33 has, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores various information such as data and programs. The CPU 34 controls the entire communication adapter 3.

[0025] 4 includes a history memory 33A, a presence / absence pattern memory 33B, a prediction result memory 33C, and an external memory 33D. The history memory 33A temporarily stores operation history data acquired from the indoor unit 21. The operation history data is, for example, the detection results of the presence / absence of people in the indoor space detected by the human presence sensor 21B every 10 minutes. The presence / absence pattern memory 33B stores the presence / absence pattern acquired from the server device 5.

[0026] The presence / absence pattern is a pattern that the server device 5 indicates trends in the presence / absence of users in the air-conditioned space by using, for example, past detection results of the human presence sensor 21B, for example, detection results for the past 30 days. The reason why the detection results for the past 30 days of the human presence sensor 21B are used when generating the presence / absence pattern is as follows: When generating the presence / absence pattern, the more detection results of the human presence sensor 21B there are, the more accurate the prediction using the presence / absence pattern will be, so it is preferable to have as many detection results of the human presence sensor 21B as possible. On the other hand, if the presence / absence pattern is generated using detection results for the past 90 days, for example, to obtain as many detection results of the human presence sensor 21B as possible, if the air conditioner 2 is installed at the beginning of summer, when cooling operation is frequent, or at the beginning of winter, when heating operation is frequent, summer or winter will have passed by the time the presence / absence pattern is generated, making it impossible to predict user behavior or recommend air conditioning operation in summer or winter based on the predicted results of user presence / absence, as described below.

[0027] Therefore, in this embodiment, the presence / absence pattern is generated using the presence / absence detection results of the human presence sensor 21B over the past 30 days, with the aim of ensuring the accuracy of the presence / absence pattern and enabling user behavior predictions and air conditioning operation recommendations based on the predicted presence / absence results to be provided at the appropriate time. The presence / absence detection results over the past 30 days are information obtained by accumulating presence / absence detection results every 10 minutes for 30 days. While this embodiment illustrates the case where the presence / absence pattern is generated using the detection results of the human presence sensor 21B over the past 30 days, the present invention is not limited to this. The presence / absence detection results may be changed as appropriate depending on the period from when the air conditioner 2 was installed to when it was frequently used.

[0028] The prediction result memory 33C stores 24-hour presence / absence prediction results, which are prediction results of the presence / absence of a user in an air-conditioned space every 10 minutes for 24 hours, predicted using a presence / absence pattern, for each indoor use. The indoor use is information that identifies the use of the air-conditioned space, such as a living room or bedroom. The indoor use is information used when predicting user behavior using the presence / absence prediction results. The CPU 34 can recognize the 24-hour presence / absence prediction results for each air-conditioned space by referring to the prediction result memory 33C. The external memory 33D stores external data obtained from outside, such as weather forecasts.

[0029] The CPU 34 includes a collection unit 34A, a transmission unit 34B, a reception unit 34C, a setting unit 34D, and a presence / absence prediction unit 34E.

[0030] The collection unit 34A acquires detection results of the presence or absence of people in each air-conditioned space from the indoor unit 21 at a predetermined interval, for example, every 10 minutes. The air-conditioned spaces are, for example, living rooms, bedrooms, etc. The collection unit 34A collects the current detection results of the presence or absence of people by the human presence sensor 21B in the acquired air-conditioned spaces every 10 minutes. The presence or absence detection results include, for example, three types of variables: absent, present, and indeterminate. Of the presence or absence detection results, "absent" is a detection result when no person is detected in the air-conditioned space. Of the presence or absence detection results, "present" is a detection result when a person is detected in the air-conditioned space. Of the presence or absence detection results, "indeterminate" corresponds to neither presence nor absence. The collection unit 34A stores the presence or absence detection results of each air-conditioned space acquired every 10 minutes in the history memory 33A.

[0031] For example, when two days' worth of presence / absence detection results are stored in history memory 33A, transmission unit 34B transmits the two days' worth of presence / absence detection results stored in history memory 33A to server device 5 via communication network 8. Note that server device 5 generates a presence / absence pattern using the presence / absence detection results for the past 30 days received sequentially from communication adapter 3. Reception unit 34C receives a presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space from server device 5 via communication network 8, and stores the received presence / absence pattern in presence / absence pattern memory 33B. Setting unit 34D applies the stored presence / absence pattern to presence / absence prediction unit 34E.

[0032] The presence / absence prediction unit 34E selects a presence / absence pattern to be used for prediction from the multiple presence / absence patterns applied by the setting unit 34D using the current detection result of the human presence sensor 21B, i.e., the presence / absence detection result of the human presence sensor 21B from the time of predicting presence / absence until a predetermined time before. The presence / absence prediction unit 34E predicts the presence / absence of a user in the air-conditioned space using the selected presence / absence pattern and obtains presence / absence prediction results for 24 hours. The predetermined time is the time required to obtain a number of data points that can ensure accuracy when selecting the optimal presence / absence pattern from the multiple presence / absence patterns based on the most recent presence / absence detection result.

[0033] The presence / absence prediction unit 34E may predict the presence / absence of a user in the air-conditioned space for 24 hours from the predetermined time, for example, 8:00 and 20:00 every day. Specifically, the presence / absence prediction unit 34E obtains a 24-hour presence / absence prediction result, which is a prediction result of the user's presence / absence. The reason for setting 8:00 as the predetermined time is that the user's behavior pattern thereafter is likely to be out → out → home, so that additional functions can be operated when the user is out and that operation can be started when the user returns home. The reason for setting 20:00 as the predetermined time is that the user's behavior pattern thereafter is likely to be sleep → wake up, so that sleep operation can be started and that operation can be started when the user wakes up. The sleep operation is an air-conditioning operation that maintains a comfortable indoor temperature in the bedroom to provide a comfortable sleeping environment for the user. The presence / absence prediction unit 34E improves prediction accuracy by obtaining a 24-hour presence / absence prediction result from each of the predetermined times every half day. The 24-hour presence / absence prediction result is, for example, the result of predicting the presence or absence of a user in an air-conditioned space every 10 minutes. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the presence / absence prediction result for 24 hours. The presence / absence prediction result shown in Figure 5 is the presence / absence prediction result for each air-conditioned space every 10 minutes from a specified time until 24 hours later. The data indicating the presence / absence prediction result is "1" if the user is present and "0" if the user is absent.

[0034] Next, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts the user's daily behavior in the living space (e.g., wake-up time, time to go out, time to come home, time to go to bed) based on the prediction result of the user's presence / absence in the air-conditioned space and the indoor use information of the air-conditioned space (living room or bedroom). The recommendation unit 21D0 then selects an operation to be recommended to the user based on the behavior predicted by the behavior prediction unit 21D2. Furthermore, the recommendation unit 21D0 recommends to the user the execution of the operation to be recommended to the user. Below, a method will be described in which, for example, when the indoor unit 21 of the air conditioner 2 is installed in a living room or a bedroom, the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 predicts the user's daily behavior in the living space (e.g., wake-up time, time to go out, time to come home, time to go to bed) using the prediction result of the user's presence / absence in the living room or the bedroom, selects an operation to be recommended, and recommends the user to execute the operation to be recommended.

[0035] For example, in the living room, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 of the control unit 21D in the indoor unit 21 predicts the wake-up time from the presence / absence prediction result using the user's wake-up time zone (hereinafter referred to as the "first time zone") and a period used as a criterion for determining whether the user is absent from the living room (hereinafter referred to as the "fourth predetermined period"). The first time zone is a time zone, for example, 0:00 to 10:50, that is set in advance assuming the time when the user wakes up, leaves the bedroom, enters the living room, and starts air conditioning operation. The fourth predetermined period is, for example, a continuous absence period of three hours or more that is used to determine that the user is asleep in the bedroom. If there is a timing in the first time zone in the presence / absence prediction result in the living room when the user changes from absence to presence for more than the fourth predetermined period, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the wake-up time.

[0036] The behavior prediction unit 21D2 uses a time period when the user leaves the living room (hereinafter referred to as a "fourth time period") or a period when the user enters the bedroom (hereinafter referred to as a "fifth predetermined period") to predict the bedtime from the presence / absence prediction result. The behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether there is a timing during the fourth time period in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being present in the living room to being absent for a fifth predetermined period or longer. The fourth time period is a time period that is set in advance assuming the time when the user turns off the air conditioning in the living room and leaves the living room at night, for example, from 17:00 to 23:50. The fifth predetermined period is, for example, a continuous absence period of three hours or longer, which is used to determine that the user is asleep. If there is a timing during the fourth time period in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being present in the living room to being absent for a fifth predetermined period or longer, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts the timing when the user leaves the living room as the bedtime.

[0037] Furthermore, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 uses the user's time period when the user returns home (hereinafter referred to as the "second time period") and a fourth predetermined period to predict the time of arrival from the presence / absence prediction result. The second time period is a time period, for example, 13:00 to 22:50, that is set in advance assuming the time when the user returns home, for example, enters the living room, and starts the air conditioning. If there is a timing during the second time period in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being absent for more than the fourth predetermined period to being present, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the time of arrival.

[0038] Furthermore, when predicting the time of leaving from the presence / absence prediction result, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 uses the time slot during which the user will leave (hereinafter referred to as the "third time slot") and a period used as a criterion for determining whether the user is out or not (hereinafter referred to as the "sixth predetermined period"). The third time slot is a time slot, for example, 8:00 to 16:50, that is set in advance assuming a time when the air conditioning operation will be stopped for a long period of time due to the user leaving. The sixth predetermined period is, for example, a continuous absence period of 5 hours or more that is used to determine that the user is out. If there is a timing during the third time slot in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being present to being absent for a period of time longer than the sixth predetermined period, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the time of leaving.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 of the indoor unit 21 in the bedroom uses a fourth time period, which is the time period when the user enters the bedroom, and a fifth predetermined period, which is the period during which the user enters the bedroom, to predict the bedtime from the presence / absence prediction result. The behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether there is a timing during the fourth time period in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being absent in the bedroom for more than the fifth predetermined period to being present in the bedroom. If there is a timing during the fourth time period in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being absent in the bedroom for more than the fifth predetermined period to being present in the bedroom, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that the timing when the user will be present in the bedroom is the bedtime.

[0040] Furthermore, for example, in predicting the departure time from the presence / absence prediction result, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 of the control unit 21D in the indoor unit 21 in the bedroom uses a third time period, which is the departure time period when the user will leave the bedroom, and a sixth predetermined period, which is a period used as a criterion for determining whether the user has left the bedroom. If there is a timing during the third time period in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being present in the bedroom to being absent for more than the sixth predetermined period, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts this timing as the departure time from the bedroom. Note that the departure time when the air-conditioned space is a bedroom corresponds to the departure time when the air-conditioned space is a living room.

[0041] <Server device configuration> Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 5. The server device 5 shown in Fig. 6 has a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a CPU 53. The communication unit 51 is a communication IF that communicatively connects the relay device 6 and the CPU 53. The storage unit 52 has, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), ROM, RAM, etc., and stores various information such as data and programs. The CPU 53 controls the entire server device 5.

[0042] 6 includes a history data memory 52A and a pattern memory 52B. The history data memory 52A stores operation history data such as two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for the air-conditioned space received from the communication adapter 3. The pattern memory 52B stores the presence / absence pattern generated by the server device 5, updates the generated presence / absence pattern using acquired data, and stores the updated presence / absence pattern.

[0043] The CPU 53 in the server device 5 includes a receiving unit 53A, an acquiring unit 53B, a generating unit 53C, and a transmitting unit 53D.

[0044] The receiving unit 53A is connected to the communication adapters 3 of multiple indoor units 21 and receives two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space from the communication adapter 3 via the router 4, communication network 8 and relay device 6, and stores the received two days' worth of presence / absence detection results in the history data memory 52A.

[0045] The generation unit 53C uses the presence / absence detection results for a first predetermined period stored in the history data memory 52A, for example, 30 days' worth of past detection results, to generate a presence / absence pattern of users in the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit 21. The generation unit 53C stores the generated presence / absence pattern in the pattern storage unit 52B. After storing the presence / absence pattern in the pattern storage unit 52B, the generation unit 53C updates the presence / absence pattern stored in the pattern storage unit 52B using the presence / absence detection results for, for example, 6 days' worth of data not yet used for generation in the history data memory 52A, and stores the updated presence / absence pattern in the pattern storage unit 52B.

[0046] For example, if the air conditioner 2 is installed in the living room, the generation unit 53C extracts the presence / absence detection results for the living room stored in the history data memory 52A. Furthermore, the generation unit 53C extracts any presence / absence detection results other than "indeterminate" from the extracted presence / absence detection results, and generates a presence / absence pattern that predicts the presence / absence of a person in the living room based on the extracted presence / absence detection results for the living room. Furthermore, if the air conditioner 2 is installed in the bedroom, the generation unit 53C extracts any presence / absence detection results for the bedroom stored in the history data memory 52A. Furthermore, the generation unit 53C extracts any presence / absence detection results other than "indeterminate" from the extracted presence / absence detection results, and generates a presence / absence pattern that predicts the presence / absence of a person in the bedroom based on the extracted presence / absence detection results for the bedroom.

[0047] The generation unit 53C generates or updates a presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space based on the presence / absence detection result, and stores the generated or updated presence / absence pattern in the pattern storage unit 52B. The transmission unit 53D transmits the presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space stored in the pattern storage unit 52B to the communication adapter 3 via the relay device 6, the communication network 8, and the router 4.

[0048] <Generation of Occupancy Patterns in Air Conditioning Systems> Next, generation of a presence / absence pattern in the air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the CPU 53 of the server device 5 involved in the generation process for generating a presence / absence pattern. The generation process is a process for first generating a presence / absence pattern after the air conditioner 2 is later installed in the air-conditioned space. In FIG. 7, the receiving unit 53A in the CPU 53 of the server device 5 periodically communicates with the communication adapter 3, for example, at 0:00 every day, and determines whether two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space have been received from the communication adapter 3 (step S11). Note that the communication adapter 3 stores the presence / absence detection results for two days in the history memory 33A until they are obtained. If the receiving unit 53A receives two days' worth of presence / absence detection results (step S11: Yes), it stores the received two days' worth of presence / absence detection results in the history data memory 52A of the storage unit 52 (step S12). The generating unit 53C in the CPU 53 determines whether 30 days' worth of presence / absence detection results have already been stored in the history data memory 52A (step S13). If 30 days' worth of presence / absence detection results have been stored (step S13: Yes), the generation unit 53C generates a presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space based on the stored presence / absence detection results (step S14).

[0049] The generation unit 53C stores the generated presence / absence pattern in the pattern storage unit 52B (step S15). The transmission unit 53D in the CPU 53 transmits the presence / absence pattern stored in the pattern storage unit 52B to the communication adapter 3 (step S16), and the processing operation in FIG. 7 ends.

[0050] If the receiving unit 53A has not received two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space in the process of step S11 (step S11: No), the process returns to step S11. Also, if the receiving unit 53A has not stored 30 days' worth of presence / absence detection results in the process of step S13 (step S13: No), the process returns to step S11.

[0051] When the CPU 53 of the server device 5 stores 30 days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space from the communication adapter 3, it generates a presence / absence pattern for each day of the week that predicts the presence / absence of a user in the air-conditioned space based on the 30 days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space. Then, the CPU 53 transmits the generated presence / absence pattern to the communication adapter 3. As a result, the server device 5 can provide the communication adapter 3 with the presence / absence pattern to be used in the air-conditioned space.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the CPU 53 of the server device 5 related to the update process for updating an already generated presence / absence pattern. The update process is a process for updating the contents of the presence / absence pattern stored in the pattern storage unit 52B. In FIG. 8, the receiving unit 53A periodically communicates with the communication adapter 3, for example, at 0:00 every day, and determines whether or not it has received two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space from the communication adapter 3 (step S21). Note that the communication adapter 3 stores the presence / absence detection results for two days in the history memory 33A until they are obtained. When the receiving unit 53A receives two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space (step S21: Yes), it stores the received two days' worth of presence / absence detection results in the history data memory 52A of the storage unit 52 (step S22). The generating unit 53C determines whether or not six days' worth of presence / absence detection results unused for generation have already been stored in the history data memory 52A (step S23).

[0053] If the generation unit 53C has stored six days' worth of presence / absence detection results that have not been used for generation (step S23: Yes), it updates the presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space based on the stored presence / absence detection results (step S24). The generation unit 53C stores the updated presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space in the pattern storage unit 52B (step S25). The transmission unit 53D transmits the presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space that is stored in the pattern storage unit 52B to the communication adapter 3 (step S26). The reception unit 53A then returns to the processing of step S21 to determine whether two days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space have been received.

[0054] If the receiving unit 53A has not received two days' worth of presence / absence detection results in the process of step S21 (step S21: No), the process returns to step S21. If the receiving unit 53A has not yet stored six days' worth of presence / absence detection results that have not been used for generation in the process of step S23 (step S23: No), the process returns to step S21.

[0055] After generating the presence / absence pattern, the CPU 53 updates the presence / absence pattern for each air-conditioned space based on the six days' worth of presence / absence detection results for each air-conditioned space each time it receives six days' worth of presence / absence detection results from the communication adapter 3. The CPU 53 then transmits the updated presence / absence pattern to the communication adapter 3. As a result, the server device 5 can provide the communication adapter 3 with the latest presence / absence pattern to be used for the air-conditioned space.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the CPU 34 of the communication adapter 3 related to the prediction process. In FIG. 9, the presence / absence prediction unit 34E in the CPU 34 of the communication adapter 3 determines whether the current time is the predicted time (step S30). The predicted time is a predetermined time that is set in advance, such as 8:00 or 20:00 every day as described above. If the current time is the predicted time (step S30: Yes), the presence / absence prediction unit 34E determines whether presence / absence detection results for a predetermined time from the current predicted time, for example, up to 24 hours ago, have been acquired from the indoor unit 21 of the air conditioner 2 (step S31). For convenience of explanation, the predetermined time is set to 24 hours, but is not limited to this. For example, the predetermined time may be a time period from 21:00 the previous day to midnight on the current day, or from midnight on the current day to the predicted time, and can be changed as appropriate.

[0057] When the presence / absence prediction unit 34E has obtained presence / absence detection results for the past 24 hours from the current prediction time (step S31: Yes), it selects a presence / absence pattern to be used for presence / absence prediction in the air-conditioned space from multiple presence / absence patterns in the air-conditioned space using the obtained presence / absence detection results (step S32). The presence / absence prediction unit 34E predicts the presence / absence of the occupant 24 hours from now using the selected presence / absence pattern (step S33). The behavior prediction unit 21D2 of the control unit 21D in the indoor unit 21 determines whether the indoor unit 21 is installed in a bedroom based on the indoor purpose information (step S34).

[0058] If the installation location of the indoor unit 21 is not a bedroom (step S34: No), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 executes prediction processing for the living room (step S35) and returns to the processing of step S30. If the installation location of the indoor unit 21 is a bedroom (step S34: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 executes prediction processing for the bedroom (step S36) and returns to the processing of step S30. If the current time is not the prediction time (step S30: No), the presence / absence prediction unit 34E returns to the processing of step S30. If the presence / absence prediction unit 34E has not acquired presence / absence detection results for the past 24 hours from the current prediction time (step S31: No), the processing returns to the processing of step S31.

[0059] The communication adapter 3 predicts the presence or absence of the user for 24 hours from the prediction time using the presence / absence pattern selected using the current detection result of the human presence sensor 21B, and then performs prediction processing in the bedroom if the indoor unit 21 is installed in a bedroom. Furthermore, the communication adapter 3 performs prediction processing in the living room if the indoor unit 21 is not installed in a bedroom. As a result, it is possible to obtain the user behavior prediction results described later using Figures 10 and 11.

[0060] Next, the prediction process in the living room in step S35 of Fig. 9 will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 related to the prediction process in the living room. The indoor unit 21 described in Fig. 10 is an indoor unit installed in the living room. In Fig. 10, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 in the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 determines whether there is a timing during the first time slot (0:00 to 10:50) in the presence / absence prediction result where there is a change from absence in the living room to presence for a fourth predetermined period, for example, three hours or more (step S41). As described above, the first time slot is a time slot during which it is expected that the user will wake up, for example, leave the bedroom, enter the living room, and start air conditioning operation.

[0061] If there is a timing within the first time slot where the user changes from being absent for a fourth predetermined period or more to being present in the room (step S41: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the wake-up time (step S42). Next, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether there is a timing within the fourth time slot (17:00 to 23:50) in the presence / absence prediction result where the user changes from being present in the living room for a fifth predetermined period, for example, three hours or more, to being absent (step S43). The fourth time slot is a time slot during which the user is expected to stop the air conditioning in the living room and leave the living room at night, for example, 17:00 to 23:50, or a time slot during which the user is expected to start the air conditioning in the bedroom at night and enter the bedroom, for example, 17:00 to 23:50.

[0062] If there is a timing in the fourth time slot when the absence will change to a period of absence longer than the fifth predetermined period (step S43: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as bedtime (step S44). Then, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the living room shown in Fig. 10. If there is no timing in the fourth time slot when the absence will change to a period of absence longer than the fifth predetermined period (step S43: No), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the living room shown in Fig. 10.

[0063] If there is no timing in the first time period when the user changes from being absent for a fourth predetermined period or more to being present in the room (step S41: No), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether there is a timing in the second time period (13:00 to 22:50) in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being absent in the living room for a fourth predetermined period, for example, three hours or more, to being present in the room (step S45). Note that, as described above, the second time period is the time period when the user is expected to return home, for example, enter the living room, and start the air conditioning.

[0064] If there is a timing in the second time period when the user changes from being absent in the living room to being present for a fourth predetermined period or more (step S45: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the time of returning home (step S46). Then, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the living room shown in FIG.

[0065] If there is no timing in the second time period when the user changes from being absent for a fourth predetermined period or more to being present in the room (step S45: No), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether there is a timing in the third time period (8:00 to 16:50) in the presence / absence prediction result when the user changes from being present in the living room to being absent for a sixth predetermined period, for example, five hours or more (step S47). Note that the third time period is a time period when the air conditioning operation is expected to be stopped for a long period of time due to the user leaving the home. If there is a timing in the third time period when the user changes from being present in the living room to being absent for a sixth predetermined period or more (step S47: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the time of leaving the home (step S48). Then, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the living room shown in FIG. 10.

[0066] If there is no timing during the third time period when the presence in the living room changes to absence for a sixth predetermined period or longer (step S47: No), behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the living room shown in FIG.

[0067] Next, the prediction process in the bedroom in step S36 of Fig. 9 will be described. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 related to the prediction process in the bedroom. The indoor unit 21 described in Fig. 11 is an indoor unit installed in a bedroom. In Fig. 11, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 in the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 determines whether there is a timing during a fourth time slot (17:00 to 23:50) in the presence / absence prediction result where there is a change from absence in the bedroom to presence for a fifth predetermined period, for example, three hours or more (step S51). As mentioned above, the fourth time slot is a time slot during which the user is expected to enter the bedroom after starting the air conditioning operation in the bedroom at night, for example, from 17:00 to 23:50.

[0068] If there is a timing in the fourth time period when the user changes from being absent for a fifth predetermined period or more to being present in the room (step S51: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that the timing when the user enters the bedroom is bedtime (step S52).

[0069] If there is no timing in the fourth time slot where the user changes from being absent for a fifth predetermined period or more to being present in the bedroom (step S51: No), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether there is a timing in the third time slot (8:00 to 16:50) in the presence / absence prediction result where the user changes from being present in the bedroom to being absent for a sixth predetermined period, for example, five hours or more (step S53). If there is a timing in the third time slot where the user changes from being present in the bedroom to being absent for a sixth predetermined period or more (step S53: Yes), the behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts that timing as the time to leave the bedroom (step S54). Then, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the bedroom shown in FIG. 11.

[0070] If there is no timing in the third time period when the presence in the bedroom changes to absence for a sixth predetermined period or longer (step S53: No), behavior prediction unit 21D2 ends the prediction process for the bedroom shown in FIG.

[0071] Next, we will explain the illuminance in the bedroom used when determining whether the user is asleep before bedtime. The illuminance in the bedroom is detected by the illuminance sensor 23D in the remote control 23 installed in the air-conditioned space of the bedroom. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 related to the illuminance acquisition process. The control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 sequentially acquires the current illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 23D at one-minute intervals.

[0072] 12, the determination unit 21D1 in the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 determines whether one minute has passed since the last illuminance was acquired by the illuminance sensor 23D (step S81). If one minute has passed since the last illuminance was acquired (step S81: Yes), the determination unit 21D1 acquires the current illuminance from the illuminance sensor 23D (step S82). The determination unit 21D1 stores the current illuminance acquired from the illuminance sensor 23D (step S83). Note that the determination unit 21D1 only stores the illuminance for the most recent nine minutes, and each time it acquires a new current illuminance, it sequentially deletes the oldest illuminance acquired 10 minutes prior.

[0073] The determination unit 21D1 determines whether the illuminance for the last 9 minutes has been stored (step S84). If the illuminance for the last 9 minutes has been stored (step S84: Yes), the determination unit 21D1 calculates, as the current illuminance, the average value of five illuminances from the current time to the last 4 minutes ago, among the illuminances for the last 9 minutes. Furthermore, the determination unit 21D1 calculates, as the previous illuminance, the average value of five illuminances from the last 5 minutes ago to the last 9 minutes ago, among the illuminances for the last 9 minutes (step S86), and ends the illuminance acquisition process shown in Fig. 12. As a result, the determination unit 21D1 can sequentially calculate the previous illuminance and the current illuminance each time it acquires the illuminance for each minute from the illuminance sensor 23D.

[0074] If one minute has not passed since the last acquisition of the illuminance (step S81: No), or if the illuminance for the most recent nine minutes has not been stored (step S84: No), the judgment unit 21D1 ends the illuminance acquisition process shown in FIG. 12.

[0075] Since users of the air-conditioned space turn on the lighting fixtures when they enter their bedrooms and turn them off or dim them when they go to sleep, the illuminance detected by illuminance sensor 23D decreases when they go to sleep. Moreover, rather than simply using whether the illuminance drops below a certain threshold as the criterion for judgment, the system determines that the bedroom occupant has gone to sleep if the change in illuminance over the past nine minutes is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. As a result, it is possible to accurately determine when the occupant will go to sleep.

[0076] Specifically, the system determines the current illuminance by taking the average illuminance from the current to the last four minutes of the illuminance at one-minute intervals over the last ten minutes, and the previous illuminance by taking the average illuminance from the last five minutes to the last nine minutes. If the amount of change in illuminance obtained by subtracting the current illuminance from the previous illuminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, it determines that the user has gone to sleep. As a result, it can avoid situations where a temporary drop in illuminance leads to a false determination that the user is asleep. Furthermore, it can accurately determine whether the user has gone to sleep in a bedroom where lighting fixtures that gradually turn off are used.

[0077] Next, a description will be given of the recommendation process for recommending timer reservation of a wake-up time in the bedroom to the remote control 23. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control unit 21D of the indoor unit 21 relating to the recommendation process in the bedroom.

[0078] The determination unit 21D1 determines whether the user's wake-up time and bedtime have been acquired from the behavior prediction unit 21D2 (step S61). The behavior prediction unit 21D2 predicts the user's wake-up time and bedtime at each predetermined time, and if the user's wake-up time and bedtime have been predicted, notifies the control unit 21D of the user's wake-up time and bedtime.

[0079] When the determination unit 21D1 acquires the user's wake-up time and bedtime (step S61: Yes), it executes the illuminance acquisition process shown in Fig. 12 (step S61A) and acquires the current illuminance and the previous illuminance (step S62). After acquiring the current illuminance and the previous illuminance, the determination unit 21D1 determines whether the current time is between the bedtime and a first predetermined time (e.g., two hours) before the bedtime (step S63). The first predetermined time before the bedtime is the time two hours before the user's bedtime acquired in step S61.

[0080] If the current time is between bedtime and two hours before bedtime (step S63: Yes), the determination unit 21D1 calculates the amount of change in illuminance by subtracting the current illuminance from the previous illuminance (step S64). The amount of change in illuminance is the amount of change by which the illuminance decreases.

[0081] After calculating the amount of change in illuminance, determination unit 21D1 determines whether the amount of change in illuminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (step S65). The predetermined amount is, for example, 250 lux. If the amount of change in illuminance is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount (step S65: Yes), determination unit 21D1 determines that the illuminance in the bedroom will decrease and the user will go to bed before bedtime (step S66).

[0082] If the determination unit 21D1 determines that the user will go to bed before the bedtime, it turns on the first recommendation flag (step S67) and determines whether the current time is between the bedtime and a second predetermined time (e.g., one hour) before the bedtime (step S68). The second predetermined time before the bedtime is one hour before the user's bedtime acquired in step S68.

[0083] If the current time is between the bedtime and the time one hour before the bedtime (step S68: Yes), determination unit 21D1 turns on the second recommendation flag (step S69).

[0084] The recommendation unit 21D0 in the control unit 21D determines whether at least one of the first recommendation flag and the second recommendation flag is ON (step S70). If at least one of the first recommendation flag and the second recommendation flag is ON (step S70: Yes), the recommendation unit 21D0 acquires weather information for the user's wake-up time from the external memory 33D (step S71). The user's wake-up time is the user's wake-up time acquired in step S61.

[0085] After acquiring the weather information for the wake-up time, the recommendation unit 21D0 determines whether the outside temperature at the wake-up time is high or low based on the weather information for the wake-up time (step S72). If the outside temperature at the wake-up time is high or low (step S72: Yes), the recommendation unit 21D0 generates a signal recommending driving according to the weather information (step S73).

[0086] Furthermore, after generating a signal recommending driving according to the weather information, recommendation unit 21D0 transmits a recommendation for timer reservation related to the wake-up time to remote control 23 (step S74), and ends the recommendation processing in the bedroom shown in Figure 13.

[0087] If the wake-up time and bedtime have not been acquired (step S61: No), control unit 21D repeats the process of step S61.

[0088] If the current time is not between the bedtime and two hours before the bedtime (step S63: No), control unit 21D proceeds to step S68 to determine whether the current time is between the bedtime and one hour before the bedtime. If the amount of change in illuminance is not equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (step S65: No), recommendation unit 21D0 proceeds to step S68 to determine whether the current time is between the bedtime and one hour before the bedtime.

[0089] If the current time is not between the bedtime and the time one hour before the bedtime (step S68: No), recommendation unit 21D0 proceeds to the process of step S70 to determine whether at least one of the first recommendation flag and the second recommendation flag is ON. If neither the first recommendation flag nor the second recommendation flag is ON (step S70: No), control unit 21D returns to the process of step S61. If the wake-up time is not forecast to be a high or low temperature (step S72: No), control unit 21D ends the recommendation process for the bedroom shown in FIG.

[0090] The determination unit 21D1 determines whether the amount of change in illuminance in the bedroom between the bedtime predicted by the behavior prediction unit 21D2 and a first predetermined time before (for example, two hours before) the bedtime is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. If the amount of change in illuminance in the bedroom is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the determination unit 21D1 determines that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime. If the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime, the recommendation unit 21D0 sets a first recommendation flag to ON. If the first recommendation flag is ON, the recommendation unit 21D0 recommends to the remote control 23 to set a timer reservation related to the wake-up time. As a result, the user of the remote control 23 can set a timer reservation by looking at the recommended content of the timer reservation related to the wake-up time displayed on the display unit 23C of the remote control 23.

[0091] Recommendation unit 21D0 determines whether the current time is between the bedtime predicted by behavior prediction unit 21D2 and a second predetermined time before (e.g., one hour before) the bedtime. If the current time is between the bedtime and the second predetermined time before (e.g., one hour before) the bedtime, recommendation unit 21D0 sets a second recommendation flag to ON. If the second recommendation flag is ON, recommendation unit 21D0 recommends to remote control 23 timer reservation related to wake-up time. As a result, the user of remote control 23 can set a timer reservation by looking at the recommended content of the timer reservation related to wake-up time displayed on display unit 23C of remote control 23.

[0092] Recommendation unit 21D0 recommends timer reservation for a wake-up time that is a second predetermined time before the current bedtime, and even when the first recommendation flag is ON and the second recommendation flag is ON, recommends to remote control 23 timer reservation for a wake-up time that is a second predetermined time before the current bedtime. As a result, the user of remote control 23 can set a timer reservation by looking at the recommended content of the timer reservation for the wake-up time that is displayed on display unit 23C of remote control 23.

[0093] <Effects of the Example> In the indoor unit 21 of this embodiment, the behavior prediction unit 21D2 determines whether the amount of change in illuminance in the air-conditioned space between the predicted bedtime and a first predetermined time before the predicted bedtime is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. If the amount of change in the decrease in illuminance in the air-conditioned space is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the indoor unit 21 determines that the user will fall asleep before the predicted bedtime. As a result, since it can be determined that the user will fall asleep before the predicted bedtime, it can recommend, for example, timer-programming a wake-up time before the user falls asleep. This can avoid the conventional situation where the user falls asleep before the recommendation and is unable to receive the recommendation. As a result, air conditioning operation can be performed at the appropriate timing.

[0094] <Modification of Example 1> In the air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment, the indoor unit 21 of the air conditioner 2 transmits a recommendation signal to the remote control 23 using the BLE system, but the recommendation signal may also be transmitted to the user's communication device 7 via the communication adapter 3, and this can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the indoor unit 21 may transmit a recommendation signal to the remote control 23 using an infrared system instead of the BLE system.

[0095] In this embodiment, the control unit 21D uses the illuminance for the most recent nine minutes, but this is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, in order to increase the accuracy of the illuminance, the control unit 21D uses the illuminance for the most recent nine minutes. However, if the accuracy of the illuminance is high, the current illuminance may be used, or if the current illuminance is a predetermined value, for example, 10 lux or less, it may be determined that the user in the air-conditioned space will go to bed before their bedtime. This can be changed as appropriate. Note that 10 lux is, for example, the illuminance at a distance of about 20 cm from a lit candle, and is considered the illuminance at which people go to bed.

[0096] Furthermore, the air conditioning system 1 uses the air conditioner 2, the communication adapter 3, and the server device 5, and the generation of the presence / absence pattern is handled by the server device 5, the prediction of presence / absence by the communication adapter 3, and the transmission of the signal recommending the start of air conditioning operation by the indoor unit 21 of the air conditioner 2. However, the prediction of presence / absence and the transmission of the signal recommending the start of air conditioning operation may be carried out by the communication adapter 3, that is, all of the processing in Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 may be carried out by the communication adapter 3, and modifications can be made as appropriate.

[0097] For the sake of convenience, a user who works during the day is used as an example, and when there is a timing during the first time period when the user changes from being absent for three or more consecutive hours to being present, the timing is predicted as the time to wake up. However, in the case of a user who works at night, the timing may be predicted as the time to return home, and this can be changed as appropriate.

[0098] For the sake of convenience, the indoor unit 21 is installed in a bedroom, but it may be installed in a living room instead of a bedroom, and this can be changed as appropriate.

[0099] The first, fourth, fifth, and sixth predetermined periods in Examples 1 and 2 can be changed as needed. The first, second, third, and fourth time periods can be changed as needed. The first, second, and predetermined amounts can also be changed as needed.

[0100] Furthermore, the components of each unit shown in the figure do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each unit is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0101] Furthermore, the various processing functions performed by each device may be executed in whole or in part on a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (or a microcomputer such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or MCU (Micro Controller Unit)). Needless to say, the various processing functions may be executed in whole or in part on a program analyzed and executed by a CPU (or a microcomputer such as an MPU or MCU), or on hardware using wired logic. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1. Air conditioning system 2. Air conditioners 21 Indoor unit 21B Human Sensor 21D Control Unit 21D0 Recommended section 21D1 Judgment section 21D2 Behavior Prediction Department 23 Remote Control 23D Ambient Light Sensor

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a person in the air-conditioned space; a prediction unit that predicts the bedtime of a user in the air-conditioned space using a detection result of the detection unit, which is a result of predicting the presence or absence of the user in the air-conditioned space using a presence / absence pattern that indicates a tendency of the user to be present or absent in the air-conditioned space; a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device that is operated by the user and is provided in the air-conditioned space; an illuminance sensor that detects illuminance in the air-conditioned space, An air conditioner characterized in that the prediction unit determines whether the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime based on the illuminance in the air-conditioned space detected by the illuminance sensor during a first predetermined time before the predicted bedtime.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1, characterized in that if the amount of change in the decrease in illuminance in the air-conditioned space detected by the illuminance sensor between the bedtime predicted by the prediction unit and the time before the first specified time period is greater than or equal to a specified amount from the present to the most recent first time period, the air conditioner determines that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime.

3. The air conditioner described in claim 1, characterized in that, of the illuminance in the air-conditioned space detected by the illuminance sensor between the bedtime predicted by the prediction unit and the time before the first specified time, the average value of the illuminance from the present to the most recent first time is taken as the current illuminance, and the average value of the illuminance from the most recent first time to the time before a second time is taken as the previous illuminance, and if the amount of change in illuminance obtained by subtracting the current illuminance from the previous illuminance is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, it is determined that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime.

4. a recommendation unit that recommends timer reservation to the terminal device; The recommendation unit An air conditioner as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that if the prediction unit determines that the user will go to bed before the predicted bedtime, it recommends that the terminal device execute a timer reservation related to the wake-up time before the predicted bedtime.

5. The recommendation unit The air conditioner of claim 4, characterized in that the prediction unit recommends that the terminal device make a timer reservation for the wake-up time at a second predetermined time before the predicted bedtime, which is shorter than the first predetermined time, and when the prediction unit predicts the user's wake-up time and the air conditioner determines that the user will go to bed, the prediction unit recommends that the terminal device make a timer reservation for the wake-up time before the second predetermined time.

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