air conditioning equipment

Abstract

To provide an air-conditioning device capable of dynamically improving comfort of a living organism existing in a room.SOLUTION: An air-conditioning device comprises an indoor unit. The indoor unit has a wind direction plate, a radar, and a control section. The wind direction plate adjusts a wind direction of air-conditioning air blown into a room. The radar continuously detects a position of a living organism in the room. The control section controls the wind direction plate while tracking the detected position of the living organism so as to cause the same to perform, in a first control mode, either a first action to direct the wind direction plate toward the detected position of the living organism or a second action to direct the wind direction plate toward a position avoiding the detected position of the living organism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In an air conditioning system having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, the indoor unit performs air conditioning processes such as heat exchange on air drawn in from the room through an intake port, and then blows the conditioned air that has been air-conditioned into the room. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-207164 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Living organisms in a room may move around the room, and if the way in which conditioned air is blown out from the indoor unit is fixed, the living organisms in the room may feel uncomfortable.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides an air conditioning apparatus that can dynamically improve the comfort of living organisms present in a room. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An air conditioning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an indoor unit. The indoor unit includes a wind deflector, a radar, and a control unit. The wind deflector adjusts the direction of conditioned air blown into the room. The radar continuously detects the position of a living organism in the room. In a first control mode, the control unit tracks the position of the detected living organism and controls the wind deflector to perform either a first operation that faces the position of the detected living organism or a second operation that faces a direction that avoids the position of the detected living organism.

[0007] The indoor unit further includes a receiving unit that receives commands from an operation terminal, and in the first control mode, the control unit controls the airflow direction flap to perform the first operation when a command for a first operation mode is received, and controls the airflow direction flap to perform the second operation when a command for a second operation mode is received.

[0008] The indoor unit further includes an operation terminal for transmitting commands to the indoor unit, the operation terminal having a button for instructing the use of the radar to be on or off.

[0009] When the control unit receives a command to turn on the use of the radar in a second control mode in which the wind deflector is controlled without using the radar, the control unit transitions the control mode from the second control mode to the first control mode.

[0010] The radar detects the movement of a living body in the room, and the control unit transitions the control mode from the second control mode to the first control mode when the detected movement commands turning on the radar in a second control mode that controls the wind direction panel without using the radar.

[0011] When multiple living organisms are detected by the radar, the control unit identifies one of the multiple living organisms that meets predetermined conditions, and in the first control mode, controls the wind deflector to perform either the first operation of facing the location of the identified living organism or the second operation of facing in a direction that avoids the location of the identified living organism.

[0012] The predetermined condition includes at least one of being the closest to the indoor unit among the plurality of living organisms and being the living organism with the greatest amount of movement among the plurality of living organisms.

[0013] The indoor unit further includes an operation terminal that transmits commands to the indoor unit. The indoor unit further includes a receiving unit that receives the commands. The radar detects a living body operating the operation terminal. The predetermined condition includes being a living body that has operated the operation terminal.

[0014] The radar detects a living body making a gesture in the room and the gesture, and the predetermined condition includes that the detected gesture is a gesture commanding turning on the radar.

[0015] In the first control mode, when a first mode related to operation is instructed, the control unit controls the wind deflector to perform either the first operation or the second operation while tracking the position of the detected living body within a first position range, and when a second mode related to operation is instructed, the control unit controls the wind deflector to perform either the first operation or the second operation while tracking the position of the detected living body within a second position range narrower than the first position range.

[0016] The indoor unit further includes a ventilation member that is switchable between a closed position that is inserted into a portion of a flow path of conditioned air to be blown into the room and that changes the opening ratio of the portion of the flow path, and an open position that releases the insertion. The first mode does not include a windless mode in which the ventilation member is switched to the closed position to blow conditioned air into the room, and the second mode includes the windless mode.

[0017] The air conditioning device further includes a heat exchanger and a fan that sends conditioned air that has undergone heat exchange in the heat exchanger to an outlet, and the control unit changes the rotation speed of the fan depending on the distance to the living body detected by the radar.

[0018] According to the air conditioning device described above, for example, the radar continuously detects the position of a living organism in the room, and the control unit controls the air deflector in a first control mode to perform either a first operation or a second operation while tracking the detected position of the living organism. In the first operation, the air deflector is controlled so that the wind direction is toward the position of the detected living organism. In the second operation, the air deflector is controlled so that the wind direction is away from the position of the detected living organism. As a result, when a living organism in the room moves around the room, the way in which conditioned air is blown out from the indoor unit can be dynamically changed in accordance with the movement of the living organism, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism in the room. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the indoor unit in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration and operation of an indoor unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration and operation of the indoor unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration and operation of an indoor unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a ventilation member in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating the operation of the ventilation member in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of a radar in an air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing information detected by a radar of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an operation terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a state transition diagram showing control modes of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a top view showing wind control of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a side view showing wind control of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a top view showing wind deflection control of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a side view showing wind deflection control of the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a top view showing lock-on control using radar of an air conditioning apparatus according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a top view showing lock-on control using radar of an air conditioning apparatus according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning apparatus according to another modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air conditioning apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] (Embodiment) An air conditioner according to an embodiment can be configured as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioner.

[0022] The air conditioning apparatus 1 has an operation terminal 94a, an indoor unit 10, and an outdoor unit 100. The indoor unit 10 is disposed inside a room RM, and the outdoor unit 100 is disposed outside the room. The operation terminal 94a receives operation instructions from a living body CR present in the room RM, and transmits commands to the indoor unit 10 in accordance with the received operation instructions. The living body CR is, for example, a person. The operation terminal 94a is, for example, a remote controller.

[0023] The indoor unit 10 has a radar 2, a control unit 3, an air deflector 4, and an air deflector 5. The control unit 3 performs air conditioning processing and control using the radar 2 in response to commands received from the operation terminal 94a. The control unit 3 has two control modes: a radar control mode (first control mode) and a normal control mode (second control mode). The radar control mode is a mode for performing control using the radar 2. The normal control mode is a mode for performing normal control without using the radar 2.

[0024] In the radar control mode, the radar 2 continuously detects the position of a living organism CR in the room RM under the control of the control unit 3. The control unit 3 controls the vanes 4 and 5 to perform either a first operation to face in a direction toward the position of the living organism CR to be detected or a second operation to face in a direction away from the position of the living organism CR to be detected, while tracking the position of the living organism CR to be detected.

[0025] This allows the manner in which conditioned air is blown out from the indoor unit 10 to be dynamically changed in accordance with the movement of the living organism CR present in the room RM when the living organism CR moves within the room RM, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism CR present in the room RM.

[0026] Specifically, the indoor unit 10 performs air conditioning processing on air drawn into the room RM through an air intake port, and blows the conditioned air that has undergone the air conditioning processing toward the room RM. The air conditioning processing includes, for example, heat absorption processing, heating processing, dehumidification processing, humidification processing, air blowing processing, and air cleaning processing. The heat absorption processing, heating processing, dehumidification processing, humidification processing, air blowing processing, and air cleaning processing correspond to the cooling operation mode, heating operation mode, dehumidification operation mode, humidification operation mode, air blowing operation mode, and air cleaning operation mode, which are operation modes (main operation modes) of the air conditioner 1, respectively.

[0027] The main operation mode can be arbitrarily combined with the control modes (radar control mode, normal control mode). In radar control mode, the air conditioning device 1 can be in any of the cooling operation mode, heating operation mode, dehumidification operation mode, humidification operation mode, fan operation mode, and air purification operation mode. The same applies to the normal control mode.

[0028] In the air conditioning process, the humidification process may be omitted. In this case, the humidification operation mode may be omitted as an operation mode of the air conditioner 1.

[0029] The air conditioner 1 has auxiliary operation modes: windless mode on (first mode) and windless mode off (second mode). The auxiliary operation mode can be arbitrarily combined with the control mode (radar control mode, normal control mode), and can be arbitrarily combined with the main operation mode. When windless mode is on, winds of two different flow speeds are mixed when conditioned air is blown out from the indoor unit 10, generating turbulence that diffuses over a wide area, generating natural wind (so-called wind with a windless feel).

[0030] The air conditioner 1 may have an automatic operation mode as one of its operation modes. The air conditioner 1 detects the temperature of the room RM using a temperature sensor (not shown). In the automatic operation mode, the air conditioner 1 operates in a heating operation mode if the detected temperature is higher than a set temperature, and operates in a heating operation mode if the detected temperature is lower than the set temperature.

[0031] Various methods can be applied to the air purification process, and an electrostatic precipitator method or a fan method may be applied. In the electrostatic precipitator method, dust is removed from the air by passing electrically charged air through a filter and adsorbing the dust onto a filter charged with the opposite polarity. In the fan method, dust is removed from the air by passing the air through a fine filter such as a HEPA filter and filtering the dust through the filter. Alternatively, the air purification process may be a method of emitting ions into the air, or a method of sterilizing the inside of the housing of the air conditioner 1 by irradiating ultraviolet (UV) light.

[0032] In the air conditioner 1, the indoor unit 10 has a radar 2, a control unit 3, airflow deflectors 4 and 5, as well as a fan 23, a heat exchanger 22, a ventilation member 6, and a receiving device 94. The control unit 3 includes a control device 80, a drive circuit 81, a drive circuit 82, a drive circuit 83, a fan motor 84, an airflow deflector motor 85, an airflow deflector motor 86, and a switching motor 87. The outdoor unit 100 has a fan 123, a heat exchanger 122, a four-way valve 124, a compressor 125, and a control unit 103. The control unit 103 includes a control device 180, a drive circuit 181, a drive circuit 182, a drive circuit 183, a fan motor 184, a switching motor 185, and a motor 186.

[0033] In the indoor unit 10, the fan 23 is disposed near the heat exchanger 22. The fan 23 guides air drawn in from the room RM through the air inlet of the indoor unit 10 to the heat exchanger 22, and also guides the conditioned air that has undergone heat exchange in the heat exchanger 22 to the air outlet of the indoor unit 10. The control unit 3 drives the fan motor 84 using the drive circuit 81 to rotate the fan 23 around its rotation axis. The control unit 3 is capable of changing the rotation speed of the fan 23.

[0034] The heat exchanger 22 may have various configurations. For example, the heat exchanger 22 may include a plurality of fins and a refrigerant circuit (not shown) connected to the fins. The refrigerant circuit passes near the fins and is in thermal contact with the refrigerant circuit. The heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air drawn in from the room RM.

[0035] In the outdoor unit 100, the fan 123 is disposed near the heat exchanger 122. The fan 123 rotates in accordance with the control of the control unit 103. As a result, the fan 123 draws in outside air and guides it to the heat exchanger 122, and also discharges the outside air that has been heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 122 to the outside of the outdoor unit 100. The control unit 103 drives the fan motor 184 using the drive circuit 181, causing the fan 123 to rotate around its rotation axis. The control unit 103 can change the rotation speed of the fan 123 via the control unit 103.

[0036] The heat exchanger 122 may have various configurations. For example, the heat exchanger 122 may include a plurality of fins and a refrigerant circuit connected thereto. The refrigerant circuit passes near the plurality of fins and is in thermal contact with the refrigerant circuit. The heat exchanger 122 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air.

[0037] The four-way valve 124 is disposed in the refrigerant circuit. The four-way valve 124 can switch the refrigerant flow path in the refrigerant circuit between the cooling side and the heating side in accordance with control by the control unit 103. The control unit 103 drives the switching motor 185 using the drive circuit 182, and can switch the four-way valve 124 between the cooling side and the heating side. The control unit 103 can switch the four-way valve 124 between the cooling side and the heating side via the control unit 103.

[0038] The compressor 125 is disposed in the refrigerant circuit. The compressor 125 compresses the refrigerant and sends it into the refrigerant circuit in accordance with the control of the control unit 3. The control unit 103 drives the motor 186 using the drive circuit 183, causing the compressor 125 to perform a cycle operation of compressing the refrigerant. The control unit 3 can change the number of cycles of the compressor 125 (the number of compression cycles performed per unit time) via the control unit 103.

[0039] For example, in the air conditioning device 1, the control unit 3 and the control unit 103 switch the four-way valve 124 to the cooling side in the cooling operation mode. The heat exchanger 22 performs a heat absorption process, causing the refrigerant to absorb heat from the air in the room RM, and the conditioned air with the absorbed heat is blown out into the room RM. The heat exchanger 122 performs a heat release process, causing the heat absorbed by the refrigerant to be released into the outside air.

[0040] Alternatively, in the air conditioner 1, the control unit 3 and the control unit 103 switch the four-way valve 124 to the heating side in the heating operation mode. The heat exchanger 122 performs a heat absorption process, causing the refrigerant to absorb heat from the outside air. The heat exchanger 22 performs a heating process, heating the air in the room RM with the heat absorbed by the refrigerant, and blowing the heated conditioned air into the room RM.

[0041] The airflow direction vanes 4, 5 each adjust the direction of the conditioned air blown into the room RM. Airflow direction refers to the direction of the wind. In this specification, the control unit 3 directly controls the direction of the airflow vanes 4, 5, but the direction of the airflow vanes 4, 5 and the direction of the wind immediately after it is blown out of the air outlet of the indoor unit 10 are treated as roughly the same. That is, the airflow vanes 4, 5 can adjust the airflow direction by their orientation, and the control unit 3 can control the airflow direction by controlling the orientation of the airflow vanes 4, 5. Note that the orientation of each of the multiple airflow vanes 4, 5 can be controlled individually. This allows air to be blown out in a single direction from the entire air outlet of the indoor unit 10, or two or more airflows with different wind directions to be blown out from two or more areas of the air outlet of the indoor unit 10 partitioned by multiple airflow vanes 4, 5, etc.

[0042] The airflow direction vane 4 can be switched between a closed position and an open position. When switched to the closed position, the airflow direction vane 4 blocks the air outlet. When switched to the open position, the airflow direction vane 4 opens the air outlet. When the air outlet is open, the airflow direction vanes 4, 5 adjust the direction of the conditioned air blown into the room RM. The airflow direction vane 4 adjusts the direction of the conditioned air in the vertical direction. The airflow direction vane 5 adjusts the direction of the conditioned air in the horizontal direction.

[0043] For example, the airflow direction vanes 4, 5 can be configured as shown in Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the indoor unit 10, showing the airflow direction vane 4 in the closed position. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration and operation of the indoor unit 10, showing the airflow direction vane 4 in the open position. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration and operation of the indoor unit 10, showing the airflow direction vane 4 in the open position. Below, the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 10 is defined as the X direction, the height direction of the indoor unit 10 is defined as the Z direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X and Z directions is defined as the Y direction.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the indoor unit 10 further includes a housing 21 and a filter 24 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG.

[0045] The housing 21 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the X direction. However, the housing 21 may be formed in other shapes. The housing 21 is hung, for example, on a wall of the room RM. The housing 21 has an upper surface 21a and a lower surface 21b. The upper surface 21a is provided at or near the upper end of the housing 21 and faces substantially upward. The lower surface 21b is provided at or near the lower end of the housing 21 and faces substantially downward.

[0046] The housing 21 is provided with an air passage 31, an intake port 32, and an outlet port 33. The air passage 31 is provided inside the housing 21. The intake port 32 opens, for example, to the top surface 21a of the housing 21. The outlet port 33 opens, for example, to the bottom surface 21b of the housing 21. The intake port 32 and the outlet port 33 may also open to other parts of the housing 21.

[0047] The indoor unit 10 can pass wind through the ventilation duct 31. Wind is a flow of gas such as air. The intake port 32 is provided at one end of the ventilation duct 31 and connects the ventilation duct 31 to the outside of the indoor unit 10. The outlet port 33 is provided at the other end of the ventilation duct 31 and connects the ventilation duct 31 to the outside of the indoor unit 10. In other words, the ventilation duct 31 is provided inside the housing 21, between the intake port 32 and the outlet port 33.

[0048] Heat exchanger 22 is provided in ventilation duct 31. Heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat with the surrounding gas in ventilation duct 31. As a result, heat exchanger 22 cools the air flowing through ventilation duct 31 during cooling operation, and heats the air flowing through ventilation duct 31 during heating operation.

[0049] The fan 23 is provided in the ventilation passage 31. The fan 23 rotates around a rotation axis Axf extending in the X direction, thereby sending air from the intake port 32 to the outlet port 33 in the ventilation passage 31. As a result, the indoor unit 10 draws indoor air into the ventilation passage 31 through the intake port 32 and blows out air (wind) in the ventilation passage 31 from the outlet port 33. For this reason, in this specification, the side of the ventilation passage 31 closer to the intake port 32 is referred to as the upstream side, and the side closer to the outlet port 33 is referred to as the downstream side.

[0050] The fan 23 is located downstream of the heat exchanger 22. Therefore, when the fan 23 generates airflow, the air drawn in through the air inlet 32 ​​passes through the fins of the heat exchanger 22. As a result, the air flowing through the ventilation passage 31 exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 22.

[0051] The filter 24 is provided at the air inlet 32 ​​or near the air inlet 32 ​​in the ventilation passage 31. The filter 24 is located upstream of the heat exchanger 22. The filter 24 covers the air inlet 32 ​​from inside the housing 21. The filter 24, for example, filters the air sucked in through the air inlet 32 ​​and captures dust in the air.

[0052] The airflow direction vane 4 may include multiple airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B. The multiple airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B are each components that adjust the direction of conditioned air in the vertical direction, and are also called up-and-down louvers. The airflow direction vane 25A forms a flow path C1 for the conditioned air, and the airflow direction vane 25B forms a flow path C2 for the conditioned air. Each of the multiple airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B has a shaft portion 41 and a plate portion 42.

[0053] The shaft portion 41 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the X direction. The shaft portion 41 is supported by the housing 21 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis Axl extending in the X direction. Each of the multiple airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B has its own individual rotation axis Axl. The plate portion 42 protrudes from the shaft portion 41 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis Axl. The plate portion 42 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape extending in the X direction.

[0054] Wind direction vane 25A is supported by a rotary shaft Axl, and wind direction vane motor 85 is controlled by a drive circuit 82, so that it can move between a closed position Pc1 and an open position Po1. Wind direction vane 25B is supported by a rotary shaft Axl, and wind direction vane motor 85 is controlled by a drive circuit 82, so that it can move between a closed position Pc2 and an open position Po2.

[0055] 2, when the airflow direction vane 25A is switched to the closed position Pc1, it blocks the ventilation opening C1, which is the outlet of the flow path C1. When the airflow direction vane 25B is switched to the closed position Pc1, it blocks the ventilation opening C2, which is the outlet of the second flow path. The ventilation openings C1 and C2 form the air outlet 33 of the indoor unit 10.

[0056] 3 and 4, when the airflow direction flap 25A is switched to the open position Po1, it opens the ventilation opening C1. When the airflow direction flap 25B is switched to the open position Po1, it opens the ventilation opening C2.

[0057] The open position Po1 includes various positions where the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B open a portion of the air outlet 33. For example, the open position Po1 includes a position where the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B face substantially horizontally, a position where the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B face downward, and a plurality of positions between these two positions, as shown in Fig. 3. In other words, the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B can rotate between a position where they face substantially horizontally and a position where they face downward.

[0058] The airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B positioned in the open position Po1 adjust the vertical direction (+Z direction and -Z direction) of the airflow emitted from the air outlet 33 depending on the orientation of the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B. That is, when the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B are oriented substantially horizontally as shown in Fig. 3, the indoor unit 10 emits airflow in a substantially horizontal direction. On the other hand, when the airflow direction vanes 25A, 25B are oriented downward, the indoor unit 10 emits airflow downward.

[0059] The wind direction vane 5 is supported by a rotation axis Ax2 (not shown), and a wind direction vane motor 86 is controlled by a drive circuit 82, so that the wind direction vane 5 can move between an open position at the -X side end and an open position at the +X side end.

[0060] The airflow direction vane 5 may include a plurality of airflow direction vanes 29-1 to 29-k, 29-(k+1) to 29-2k. The plurality of airflow direction vanes 29-1 to 29-k, 29-(k+1) to 29-2k are components that adjust the direction of conditioned air in the left-right direction (-X direction and +X direction), respectively, and are also called left-right louvers. Note that the directions of the -X side airflow direction vanes 29-1 to 29-k and the +X side airflow direction vanes 29-(k+1) to 29-2k may be independently controllable by the control unit 3.

[0061] The -X side wind direction vanes 29-1 to 29-k may be connected to a common rotation axis Ax2, and the wind direction vane motor 86 may be controlled by the drive circuit 82, so that they can move together between an open position at the -X side end and an open position at the +X side end. The +X side wind direction vanes 29-(k+1) to 29-2k may be connected to a common rotation axis Ax2, and the wind direction vane motor 86 may be controlled by the drive circuit 82, so that they can move together between an open position at the -X side end and an open position at the +X side end.

[0062] 1 can be switched between a closed position and an open position. When switched to the closed position, the ventilation member 6 is inserted into a part of the flow path of the conditioned air blown into the room RM, changing the opening ratio of that part of the flow path. When switched to the open position, the ventilation member 6 is released from the insertion into that part of the flow path (for example, retracted from that part of the flow path), and the opening ratio of that part of the flow path is restored to its original state.

[0063] In the air conditioning apparatus 1, when the windless mode as an auxiliary operation mode is turned on, the control unit 3 switches the ventilation member 6 to the closed position. With the ventilation member 6 switched to the closed position, it is selectively inserted into the first flow path to change the opening ratio of the first flow path. The opening ratio of the second flow path is maintained as it was. When the windless mode as an auxiliary operation mode is turned off (when the windless mode is turned off), the control unit 3 switches the ventilation member 6 to the open position. With the ventilation member 6 switched to the open position, it is retracted from the first flow path, and the opening ratio of the first flow path is restored to its original state.

[0064] For example, the ventilation member 6 can be configured as shown in Figures 3 to 6. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration and operation of the indoor unit 10, showing the ventilation member 6 in an open position. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration and operation of the indoor unit 10, showing the ventilation member 6 in an open position. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration and operation of the indoor unit 10, showing the ventilation member 6 in a closed position. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the ventilation member 6.

[0065] 3 and 4, when the ventilation member 6 is switched to the open position Po2, it is housed in a recess 21c of the housing 21 provided near the air outlet 33. The recess 21c is recessed from the inner surface 21d of the housing 21 that forms part of the ventilation passage 31. When the ventilation member 6 is located in the open position Po2, being housed in the recess 21c prevents it from obstructing the air flowing through the ventilation passage C1.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, when the ventilation member 6 is switched to the closed position Pc2, it is selectively inserted into the flow path C1 to change the aperture ratio of the flow path C1. The aperture ratio of the flow path C1 becomes smaller than before the ventilation member 6 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 6, the ventilation member 6 includes a ventilation member 26A in which a plurality of ventilation openings 56 are arranged. The ventilation member 26A is supported by a shaft portion 51, and a switching motor 87 is controlled by a drive circuit 83, so that the ventilation member 26A can move between the closed position Pc2 and the open position Po2. When the ventilation member 26A is moved to the closed position Pc2, as shown in FIG. 7, the air moved within the ventilation passage 31 by the fan 23 passes through the ventilation openings 56 and changes into air W2a.

[0067] On the other hand, no ventilation member is provided at the outlet 33 that forms the flow path C2. The aperture ratio of the flow path C2 is maintained as it is. In other words, the wind discharged from the flow path C2 becomes wind W1a (laminar flow) that does not pass through any ventilation member. As a result, wind W2a passing through the ventilation member 26A provided in the flow path C1 and wind W1a passing through the flow path C2 where no ventilation member is provided are formed adjacent to each other.

[0068] In this case, the flow velocity of the wind W2a is high in response to the reduced opening ratio of the flow path C1. Therefore, the wind W2a draws in the wind W1a. As a result, the wind W1a hits the wind W2a. Furthermore, the wind W2a that has transitioned to turbulent flow diffuses and hits the wind W1a flowing adjacent to the wind W2a. In this way, the winds W1a and W2a, which have different flow velocities and states (laminar flow or turbulent flow), flow next to each other and hit each other. In other words, the wind W1a that does not pass through the ventilation member and the wind W2a that has passed through the ventilation member 26A (ventilation opening 56) interfere with each other.

[0069] When the wind W1a and the wind W2a collide with each other, for example, the masses of the wind W1a and the wind W2a are broken up, and the turbulent wind W2a is carried by the wind W1a. The wind W1a and the wind W2a interact in various ways like this, generating a turbulent flow Ws that diffuses over a wide area. As a result, the turbulent flow Ws released from the indoor unit 10 becomes closer to natural wind (so-called calm wind) than wind immediately after being released from the air outlet 33.

[0070] The radar 2 shown in FIG. 1 can detect the position and speed of a living body CR in the room RM. The radar 2 is a Doppler radar such as a millimeter wave radar or a microwave radar. The radar 2 has a transmitter 2a, a receiver 2b, and a signal processor 2c. The radar 2 generates radio waves such as millimeter waves or microwaves in the signal processor 2c and transmits them from the transmitter 2a to the living body CR. The receiver 2b receives the reflected waves and passes them to the signal processor 2c. The radar 2 can be installed at any position in the indoor unit 10, but it is desirable to install it at a position that makes it easy to detect the position and speed of the living body CR in the room RM. The radar 2 may be embedded in a position near the center in the X direction in the +Y side part of the housing 21, as shown by the dashed lines in FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0071] The radar 2 can detect the position of the living body CR from the phase difference between the transmitted wave and the received wave in the signal processing unit 2c, as shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the radar. In Fig. 8, the position of the detected living body CR is indicated by a dot.

[0072] The radar 2 detects the target space and the position of the living body CR within the target space in accordance with the control of the control unit 3. The radar 2 continuously transmits and receives radio waves to the living body CR, continuously detects the position of the living body CR, and continuously supplies the detection results to the control unit 3.

[0073] For example, radar 2 detects a room RM having a length L1, a width W1, and an area L1×W1. Based on the detection result of radar 2, control unit 3 identifies room RM having a length L1, a width W1, and an area L1×W1 as a target space and assigns a space identifier SP1, as shown in Fig. 9(a). Fig. 9 is a diagram showing information detected by radar 2, where Fig. 9(a) shows information about the space detected by radar 2, and Fig. 9(b) shows information about a living body CR detected by radar 2.

[0074] The control unit 3 sets coordinates within the target space SP1. The radar 2 may detect the target space in a form that further includes the height of the space. In this case, the volume of the target space can also be detected. In FIG. 8, the identified target space is shown as a rectangle, and horizontal and vertical coordinates are indicated. The radar 2 detects the position of the living body CR within the target space SP1 in accordance with the control of the control unit 3. The radar 2 detects the distance, horizontal angle, and vertical angle for each of the two living body CRs.

[0075] 9(b), the control unit 3 assigns biometric identifiers ID1 and ID2 to the two biometric CRs, respectively, according to the detection results of the radar 2. According to the detection results of the radar 2, the control unit 3 identifies the distance D1, horizontal angle θ1, and vertical angle α1 of the biometric CR of ID1, and identifies the distance D2, horizontal angle θ2, and vertical angle α2 of the biometric CR of ID2.

[0076] The control unit 3 converts the distance, horizontal angle, and vertical angle of the two living body CRs into coordinates (horizontal and vertical coordinates) in the target space. The control unit 3 recognizes that the two living body CRs exist at those coordinates, as shown by the dots in Fig. 8. For each of the two living body CRs, even if they have moved, the control unit 3 determines that spatially close coordinates in the temporally consecutive detection results correspond to the same identifier.

[0077] When one living organism CR is detected by the radar 2, the control unit 3 locks onto the detected living organism CR. When multiple living organism CRs are detected by the radar 2, the control unit 3 selects one living organism CR from the multiple living organism CRs according to predetermined conditions and locks onto the selected living organism CR. The control unit 3 can continuously recognize the position of the locked-on living organism CR according to the continuous detection results of the radar 2. This allows the control unit 3 to track the locked-on living organism CR.

[0078] Furthermore, the radar 2 can detect the positions of multiple locations on the living body CR. The control unit 3 may assign a living body identifier to each group of multiple spatially adjacent detection positions according to the detection results of the radar 2. In the case of FIG. 8, the control unit 3 identifies the positional relationship between the multiple detection positions in the group of multiple detection positions for each of the two living body CRs. This allows the control unit 3 to grasp the posture (for example, posture sitting on the floor, posture sitting in a chair, posture standing, posture lying down, posture crouched, etc.) of each of the two living body CRs.

[0079] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the radar 2 can detect the velocity of the living body CR by the Doppler effect from the frequency difference (or wavelength difference) between the transmitted wave and the received wave in the signal processing unit 2c.

[0080] In the case of Fig. 8, the radar 2 further detects the speed of each of the two living body CRs. The control unit 3 determines the speed v1 of the living body CR of ID1 and the speed v2 of the living body CR of D1 according to the detection result of the radar 2, as shown in Fig. 9(b). In Fig. 8, the speed of each living body CR determined by the control unit 3 is indicated by the length of the line.

[0081] The receiving device 94 shown in Fig. 1 receives a command from an operation terminal 94a. The receiving device 94 supplies the received command to the control unit 3. For example, the operation terminal 94a may have a button for instructing the use of the radar to be on or off, as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the operation terminal 94a, and illustrates the configuration when the operation terminal 94a is a remote controller.

[0082] The operation terminal 94a has a shape and dimensions suitable for operation by a living body CR, and has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped appearance. The operation terminal 94a has a plurality of buttons and a screen 949 on its operation surface. The plurality of buttons include, for example, a radar button 941, a cooling button 942, a heating button 943, an air purification button 944, a temperature setting button 945, a dehumidification button 946, a windless feeling button 947, and a stop button 948.

[0083] When the radar button 941, the cooling button 942, the heating button 943, the air purification button 944, the dehumidification button 946, the windless button 947, or the stop button 948 is pressed, the operation terminal 94a detects the pressing. The operation terminal 94a detects that the △ button or the ▽ button has been pressed for the temperature setting button 945. When the operation terminal 94a detects the pressing, it displays command information corresponding to the pressed button on a screen 949, and transmits a signal (for example, an infrared signal or a wireless signal) indicating the command corresponding to the pressed button from its end.

[0084] When the operation terminal 94a detects that a button for commanding to turn on the use of the radar 2 has been pressed (for example, pressing the radar button 941), the command to turn on the use of the radar 2 is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. When the receiving device 94 receives the command to turn on the use of the radar 2, it supplies the command to the control unit 3.

[0085] When the operation terminal 94a detects that a button has been pressed to command the use of the radar 2 to be turned off (for example, pressing the stop button 948 or pressing the radar button 941 again), a command to turn off the use of the radar 2 is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. When the receiving device 94 receives the command to turn off the use of the radar 2, it supplies the command to the control unit 3.

[0086] The control unit 3 comprehensively controls the indoor units 10. The control unit 3 has a radar control mode and a normal control mode as control modes, as shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a state transition diagram showing the control modes of the air conditioner 1.

[0087] When the air conditioning apparatus 1 is stopped, if the operation terminal 94a detects that a button for commanding the use of radar 2 to be turned on (for example, pressing the radar button 941), the command to turn on the use of radar 2 is sent from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. Upon receiving the command to turn on the use of radar 2, the control unit 3 transitions the control mode from "stop" to radar control mode in response to the command to turn on the use of radar 2.

[0088] When the air conditioning apparatus 1 is stopped, if the operation terminal 94a detects that a normal operation button (for example, the cooling button 942, the heating button 943, the air purification button 944, or the dehumidification button 946) has been pressed, a normal operation command is sent from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. Upon receiving the normal operation command, the control unit 3 transitions the control mode from "stop" to the normal control mode in accordance with the normal operation command.

[0089] In the normal control mode, when the operation terminal 94a detects pressing of a button that commands turning on the use of the radar 2 (for example, pressing of the radar button 941), the command to turn on the use of the radar 2 is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. Upon receiving the command to turn on the use of the radar 2, the control unit 3 transitions the control mode from the normal control mode to the radar control mode in response to the command to turn on the use of the radar 2.

[0090] In the radar control mode, when the operation terminal 94a detects pressing of a button that commands turning off the use of radar 2 and turning on normal operation (for example, pressing the radar button 941 again), a command to turn off the use of radar 2 and turn on normal operation is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. When the control unit 3 receives the command to turn off the use of radar 2 and turn on normal operation, it transitions the control mode from the radar control mode to the normal control mode in response to the command to turn off the use of radar 2 and turn on normal operation.

[0091] In the radar control mode, when the operation terminal 94a detects that a button for turning off the use of the radar 2 and stopping operation has been pressed (for example, pressing the stop button 948), a command for turning off the use of the radar 2 and stopping operation is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. In response to the command for turning off the use of the radar 2 and stopping operation, the control unit 3 transitions the control mode from the radar control mode to "stop."

[0092] In the normal control mode, when the operation terminal 94a detects that an operation stop button has been pressed (for example, pressing the stop button 948), an operation stop command is sent from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. In response to the operation stop command, the control unit 3 transitions the control mode from the normal control mode to "stop."

[0093] In the radar control mode, the control unit 3 continuously receives detection results from the radar 2. In the radar control mode, the control unit 3 controls the air deflectors 4, 5 to perform either a first operation or a second operation while tracking the position of the living organism CR in the room RM. The first operation is an operation in which the air deflectors 4, 5 face in a direction toward the position of the living organism CR. The control by the control unit 3 to cause the air deflectors 4, 5 to perform the first operation is also called wind deflection control. The second operation is an operation in which the air deflectors 4, 5 face in a direction that avoids the position of the living organism CR. The control by the control unit 3 to cause the air deflectors 4, 5 to perform the second operation is also called wind avoidance control.

[0094] Whether the control unit 3 controls the wind direction vanes 4 and 5 to perform the first operation or the second operation in the radar control mode may be set in advance in the control unit 3 via the operation terminal 94a.

[0095] The control by the control unit 3 to cause the air direction vanes 4, 5 to perform the first operation (wind blow control) is performed, for example, as shown in Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is a top view showing the wind blow control of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, and Figure 13 is a side view showing the wind blow control of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. Figures 12(a) to 12(d) illustrate the temporal progression of the wind blow control in an XY top view. Figures 13(a) to 13(d) illustrate the temporal progression of the wind blow control in a YZ side view.

[0096] As shown in Figures 12(a) and 13(a), the operating terminal 94a is operated by the living body CR, and for example, the radar button 941 is pressed. In response to this, a command to turn on the use of the radar 2 is transmitted from the operating terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10, and is received by the receiving device 94 of the indoor unit 10. The control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 changes the control mode to radar control mode.

[0097] The cooling button 942 may also be pressed. In response to this, a command for cooling operation is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10 and received by the receiving device 94 of the indoor unit 10. The control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 changes the operation mode to cooling operation mode while maintaining the radar control mode.

[0098] As shown in FIGS. 12(b) and 13(b), the control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 detects the position of a living organism CR in the room RM using the radar 2 in response to the control mode being changed to radar control mode. The control unit 3 recognizes that the radar 2 has detected one living organism CR in the room RM and locks onto the living organism CR as a tracking target. As shown in FIG. 12(b), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is at planar position P12b on the -X side of the room RM and near the center in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 13(b), the radar 2 also detects that the living organism CR is sitting on the floor. The radar 2 supplies the detection result to the control unit 3. As shown in FIG. 12(b), in response to the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 5 to face toward planar position P12b in an XY top view and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed arrow. As shown in FIG. 13(b), the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 4 to face a height position P13b (for example, the position of the face of the living body CR) corresponding to the posture of the living body CR in a YZ side view in response to the detection results of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow. The height position from which conditioned air is blown out can be set to any position, such as the torso or feet. The dashed-dotted arrow indicates the main flow of conditioned air. This allows the direction of the air blown out from the indoor unit 10 to be controlled so that the air blown out hits the living body CR.

[0099] As shown in Figures 12(c) and 13(c), following on from Figures 12(b) and 13(b), the control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 uses radar 2 to detect the position of a living organism CR in the room RM. As shown in Figure 12(c), radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is at planar position P12c near the center of the room RM in the X direction and the center of the Y direction. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 13(c), radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is sitting in a chair. The radar 2 supplies the detection result to the control unit 3. As shown in Figure 12(c), in accordance with the detection result of radar 2, the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 5 to face the direction toward planar position P12c in an XY top view, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow. 13(c), the control unit 3 controls the air direction vane 4 to face a height position P13c (for example, the position of the face of the living body CR) corresponding to the posture of the living body CR in the YZ side view in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as shown by the dashed-dotted arrow. In this way, the air direction can be controlled so that the air blown out from the indoor unit 10 hits the living body CR while tracking the locked-on living body CR.

[0100] As shown in Figures 12(d) and 13(d), following on from Figures 12(c) and 13(c), the control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 uses the radar 2 to detect the position of the living organism CR in the room RM. As shown in Figure 12(d), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is at planar position P12d on the +X and +Y sides of the room RM. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 13(d), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is standing. The radar 2 supplies the detection result to the control unit 3. As shown in Figure 12(d), in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 5 to face in a direction toward planar position P12d in the XY top view, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow. 13(d), the control unit 3 controls the air direction vane 4 to face a height position P13d (for example, the position of the face of the living body CR) corresponding to the posture of the living body CR in the YZ side view in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as shown by the dashed-dotted arrow. In this way, the air direction can be controlled so that the air blown out from the indoor unit 10 hits the living body CR while tracking the locked-on living body CR.

[0101] The control by the control unit 3 to cause the airflow direction vanes 4, 5 to perform the second operation (wind deflection control) is performed, for example, as shown in Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 is a top view showing the wind deflection control of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, and Figure 15 is a side view showing the wind deflection control of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. Figures 14(a) to 14(d) illustrate the temporal progression of the wind deflection control in an XY top view. Figures 15(a) to 15(d) illustrate the temporal progression of the wind deflection control in a YZ side view.

[0102] As shown in Figures 14(a) and 15(a), the operating terminal 94a is operated by the living body CR, and for example, the radar button 941 is pressed. In response to this, a command to turn on the use of the radar 2 is transmitted from the operating terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10, and is received by the receiving device 94 of the indoor unit 10. The control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 changes the control mode to radar control mode.

[0103] The cooling button 942 may also be pressed. In response to this, a command for cooling operation is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10 and received by the receiving device 94 of the indoor unit 10. The control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 changes the operation mode to cooling operation mode while maintaining the radar control mode.

[0104] As shown in FIGS. 14(b) and 15(b), the control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 detects the position of a living organism CR in the room RM using the radar 2 in response to the control mode being switched to radar control mode. The control unit 3 recognizes that the radar 2 has detected one living organism CR in the room RM and locks onto the living organism CR as a tracking target. As shown in FIG. 14(b), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is at planar position P12b on the -X side of the room RM and near the center in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 15(b), the radar 2 also detects that the living organism CR is sitting on the floor. The radar 2 supplies the detection result to the control unit 3. As shown in FIG. 14(b), in response to the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 5 to face in a direction away from planar position P12b (for example, in the +X direction) in an XY top view, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed arrow. 15(b), the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 4 in a direction (e.g., toward the +Z side) that avoids a height position P13b (e.g., the position of the face of the living body CR) corresponding to the posture of the living body CR in a YZ side view in response to the detection result of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrows. The dashed-dotted arrows indicate the main flow of conditioned air. This allows the direction of the air blown out from the indoor unit 10 to be controlled so that the air does not blow onto the living body CR.

[0105] As shown in FIGS. 14(c) and 15(c), following on from FIGS. 14(b) and 15(b), the control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 uses the radar 2 to detect the position of the living organism CR in the room RM. As shown in FIG. 14(c), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is at planar position P12c near the center of the room RM in the X direction and the center of the room RM in the Y direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15(c), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is sitting in a chair. The radar 2 supplies the detection result to the control unit 3. As shown in FIG. 14(c), the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vanes 5 to face in a direction that avoids planar position P12c in the XY top view (for example, so that the airflow direction vane 5 on the +X side faces the +X direction and the airflow direction vane 5 on the -X side faces the -X direction) in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed arrows. 15(c), the control unit 3 controls the air direction vane 4 to face in a direction (for example, toward the +Z side) that avoids a height position P13c (for example, the position of the face of the living body CR) corresponding to the posture of the living body CR in a YZ side view in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as shown by the dashed-dotted arrow. In this way, while tracking the locked-on living body CR, the air direction blown out from the indoor unit 10 can be controlled so that the air does not hit the living body CR.

[0106] As shown in FIGS. 14(d) and 15(d), following on from FIGS. 14(c) and 15(c), the control unit 3 of the indoor unit 10 uses the radar 2 to detect the position of the living organism CR in the room RM. As shown in FIG. 14(d), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is at planar position P12d on the +X and +Y sides of the room RM. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15(d), the radar 2 detects that the living organism CR is standing. The radar 2 supplies the detection result to the control unit 3. As shown in FIG. 14(d), in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction vane 5 to face in a direction that avoids planar position P12d (for example, the -X direction) in the XY top view, and blows out conditioned air as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow. 15(d), the control unit 3 controls the air direction vane 4 to face in a direction (-Z direction) that avoids a height position P13d (for example, the position of the face of the living body CR) corresponding to the posture of the living body CR in a YZ side view in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, and blows out conditioned air as shown by the dashed-dotted arrow. In this way, while tracking the locked-on living body CR, the air direction blown out from the indoor unit 10 can be controlled so that the air does not hit the living body CR.

[0107] The direction of avoidance in the wind avoidance control can be arbitrarily set in the control unit 3. The wind avoidance control may be control such that the wind direction avoids the position of the living body CR in the left and right directions, or may be control such that the wind direction avoids the position of the living body CR in the up and down directions, or may be control such that the wind direction avoids the position of the living body CR in the up, down, left and right directions.

[0108] As described above, in the air conditioning apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the radar 2 continuously detects the position of the living organism CR in the room RM. In the radar control mode, the control unit 3 controls the airflow direction plates 4, 5 to perform either the first operation or the second operation while tracking the position of the detected living organism CR. That is, even if the living organism CR moves, the airflow direction plates 4, 5 are controlled according to the current position of the living organism CR. In the first operation, the airflow direction plates 4, 5 are controlled so that the wind direction is toward the position of the detected living organism CR. In the second operation, the airflow direction plates 4, 5 are controlled so that the wind direction is away from the position of the detected living organism. As a result, when a living organism CR present in the room RM moves within the room RM, the way in which conditioned air is blown out from the indoor unit 10 can be dynamically changed in accordance with the movement of the living organism CR, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism CR present in the room RM.

[0109] In the embodiment, the indoor unit 10 has one radar 2, but the indoor unit 10 may have multiple radars. In this case, the indoor unit 10 detects the position of the living organism CR using multiple radars, which makes it possible to easily improve the accuracy of position detection.

[0110] Note that whether the control unit 3 controls the wind direction vanes 4, 5 to perform the first operation or the second operation in the radar control mode may be specified by the operation terminal 94a. The operation terminal 94a may be provided with a button for selecting wind deflection control or wind shielding control, and when the operation terminal 94a detects that the button has been pressed, a command for wind deflection control or wind shielding control may be sent from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. Alternatively, the operation terminal 94a may be provided with a button operation method (e.g., simultaneous pressing of multiple buttons) for selecting wind deflection control or wind shielding control, and when the operation terminal 94a detects that the button operation method has been executed, a command for wind deflection control or wind shielding control may be sent from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. The control unit 3 can determine whether to control the wind direction vanes 4, 5 to perform the first operation or the second operation, depending on the command for wind deflection control or the command for wind shielding control that has been received. This allows the radar control mode to track the position of the detected living organism CR while controlling the wind direction specified by the living organism CR, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism CR present in the room RM.

[0111] Alternatively, whether the control unit 3 controls the wind direction vanes 4, 5 to perform the first operation or the second operation in the radar control mode may be determined according to the moving speed and moving direction of the living organism CR. For example, the control unit 3 may turn on the wind deflection control when the living organism CR approaches the radar 2 at a predetermined speed or faster, according to the detection result of the radar 2, or may turn on the wind shielding control when the living organism CR moves away from the radar 2 at a predetermined speed or faster. In this way, in the radar control mode, the wind direction can be controlled according to the movement of the living organism CR while tracking the position of the detected living organism CR, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism CR present in the room RM.

[0112] Alternatively, whether the control unit 3 controls the wind direction vanes 4 and 5 to perform the first operation or the second operation in the radar control mode may be determined in advance for each operation mode.

[0113] In the radar control mode, when the operation terminal 94a detects that a button for instructing a first operation mode has been pressed, a command for the first operation mode is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. When the receiving device 94 receives the command for the first operation mode, it supplies the command to the control unit 3. The first operation mode is, for example, cooling operation, heating operation, or fan operation. In the radar control mode, when the operation terminal 94a detects that a button for instructing a second operation mode has been pressed, a command for the second operation mode is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. When the receiving device 94 receives the command for the second operation mode, it supplies the command to the control unit 3. The second operation mode is, for example, dehumidifying operation, humidifying operation, or air purifying operation. When the control unit 3 receives a command for the first operation mode in the radar control mode, it controls the air deflectors 4 and 5 to perform a first operation. When a command for the second operation mode is received in the radar control mode, the control unit 3 controls the wind direction vanes 4 and 5 to perform the second operation. This allows the wind direction to be controlled according to the operation mode while tracking the position of the detected living organism CR in the radar control mode, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism CR present in the room RM.

[0114] Alternatively, in the radar control mode, the control unit 3 may change the position range tracked by the radar 2 according to the auxiliary operation mode. In the radar control mode, when the control unit 3 has not received a command to turn on the windless mode as the auxiliary operation mode, the control unit 3 sets the indoor space RM (first position range) as the target space SP1 and detects the position (and speed) of the living organism CR within the target space SP1, as in the embodiment. This allows the control unit 3 to perform control such as wind protection control or wind avoidance control while locking on to and tracking the living organism CR within the target space SP1.

[0115] On the one hand, when the operation terminal 94a detects the pressing of the draft-free button 947, a command to turn on the draft-free mode is transmitted from the operation terminal 94a to the indoor unit 10. When receiving the command to turn on the draft-free mode as an auxiliary operation mode in the radar control mode, the control unit 3 specifies, as a target space, the space (second position range) in the indoor RM that is close to the indoor unit 10. Considering that the wind blown out from the indoor unit 10 is unlikely to reach far in the draft-free mode on, it is appropriate to set the space close to the indoor unit 10 as the target space. For example, the control unit 3 specifies the partial area on the -Y side half of the indoor RM in Fig. 12(a) as the target space, and as shown in Fig. 9(a), assigns an identifier SP2 to a space having a length L2 (<L1), a width W2 (<W1), and an area L2×W2 (<L1×W1). Then, the control unit 3 continuously detects the position (and speed) of the living body CR within the target space SP2 as in the embodiment. Thereby, considering that the draft-free mode is on, the control unit 3 can perform control such as wind hitting control or wind avoidance control while locking on to and tracking the living body CR within the narrower target space SP2.

[0116] Also, in the radar control mode, the control unit 3 may change the rotation speed of the fan 23 according to the distance to the living body CR detected by the radar 2. The control unit 3 may increase the rotation speed of the fan 23 so as to make the wind stronger as the living body CR is farther away according to the detection result of the radar 2.

[0117] For example, regarding the wind hitting control, in the cases shown in Figs. 12(b) and 13(b), the control unit 3 determines the distance to the living body CR according to the XY distance from the radar 2 to the horizontal position P12b and the difference in the position P of the radar 2 from the Z height. The control unit 3 rotates the fan 23 at a rotation speed corresponding to the obtained distance, and blows out the air-conditioning air with an air volume as shown by the length of the dashed arrow. The same applies to the cases shown in Figs. 12(c), 13(c), 12(d), and 13(d).

[0118] Alternatively, in the case of wind shielding control shown in Fig. 14(b), the control unit 3 calculates the distance to the living body CR based on the detection result of the radar 2, and the difference between the XY distance from the radar 2 to horizontal position P12b and position P13b from the Z height of the radar 2. The control unit 3 rotates the fan 23 at a rotation speed according to the calculated distance, and blows out conditioned air at a volume indicated by the length of the dashed arrow. The same applies to the cases shown in Fig. 14(c), and 14(c) and 14(d).

[0119] This allows the position of the detected living organism CR to be tracked in the radar control mode while controlling the airflow volume according to the distance to the living organism CR, thereby dynamically improving the comfort of the living organism CR present in the room RM.

[0120] Furthermore, in the radar control mode, when multiple living organisms CR are detected by the radar 2, the control unit 3 may identify a living organism CR that satisfies a predetermined condition from among the multiple living organisms CR, lock on to the identified living organism CR, and perform control such as wind protection control or wind avoidance control. In this case, the predetermined condition may be a condition such as that shown in Fig. 16 or 17. Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 are each top views showing lock-on control using the radar 2 of an air conditioning apparatus 1 according to a modified example of the embodiment.

[0121] 16(a), when a command to turn on the radar 2 is received by the receiving device 94 from the operation terminal 94a, the control unit 3 detects the positions of multiple living organisms CR1-CR3 in the room RM and the position of the operation terminal 94a using the radar 2. According to the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 identifies the living organism CR1 as the living organism that is spatially closest to the operation terminal 94a among the multiple living organisms CR1-CR3, and locks onto the living organism CR1. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the control unit 3 performs control such as wind protection control while tracking the living organism CR1.

[0122] In the case of Fig. 16(c), when a command to turn on the radar 2 is received from the operation terminal 94a at the receiving device 94, the control unit 3 detects the positions of multiple living organisms CR1-CR3 in the room RM and the distances to the multiple living organisms CR1-CR3 using the radar 2. Based on the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 identifies the living organism CR2 as the living organism that is spatially closest to the radar 2 (or the indoor unit 10) among the multiple living organisms CR1-CR3, and locks onto the living organism CR2. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 16(d), the control unit 3 performs control such as wind exposure control while tracking the living organism CR2.

[0123] Alternatively, the control unit 3 has pre-registered a predetermined detection pattern for the radar 2 that corresponds to a command to turn on the radar 2. The control unit 3 detects a gesture of a living body in the room with the radar 2, determines whether the pattern of the detected gesture matches the predetermined detection pattern, and if so, determines that a command to turn on the radar 2 has been issued. In response to this, the control unit 3 can transition the control mode to the radar control mode. This allows the living body CR to issue a command to turn on the radar 2 even if the living body CR is unfamiliar with operating the operation terminal 94a.

[0124] In the case of Fig. 17(a), when the radar 2 detects a command by a gesture to turn on the use of the radar 2, the control unit 3 detects the position of the living body CR1 that made the gesture by the radar 2. The control unit 3 locks onto the living body CR1 that made the gesture according to the detection result of the radar 2. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 17(b), the control unit 3 performs control such as wind protection control while tracking the living body CR1.

[0125] In the case of FIG. 17(c), when a command to turn on the radar 2 is received from the operation terminal 94a via the receiver 94, the control unit 3 detects the positions of multiple living organisms CR1-CR3 in the room RM and the amounts of movement of the multiple living organisms CR1-CR3 using the radar 2. The amount of movement may be the amount of movement per unit time or the movement speed at the moment of detection. In FIG. 17(c), the amount of movement of each living organism CR1-CR3 is indicated by the distance from the position indicated by the dashed line to the position indicated by the solid line (the distance moved in a predetermined time as indicated by the dashed arrow). Based on the detection result of the radar 2, the control unit 3 identifies the living organism CR3 as the organism with the greatest amount of movement among the multiple living organisms CR1-CR3 and locks onto the living organism CR3. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 17(d), the control unit 3 performs control such as wind protection control while tracking the living organism CR3. In addition to the control illustrated in FIG. 17(c), the control unit 3 may perform control such that, in accordance with the detection result of the radar 2, it locks onto the living organism with the most movement among the living organisms approaching the radar 2.

[0126] In addition, in the radar control mode, the control unit 3 may change the number of cycles of the compressor 125 (see FIG. 1) in accordance with the number of living organisms CR detected by the radar 2.

[0127] For example, in the case of wind control shown in Fig. 12(a), when a command to turn on radar 2 is received by the receiver 94 from the operation terminal 94a, the control unit 3 detects that there is one living organism CR in the room RM using radar 2 and identifies the air conditioning load as LD1. In response to the air conditioning load being LD1, the control unit 3 controls the compressor 125 via the control unit 103 so that the cycle number of the compressor 125 becomes CY1. The control unit 3 also changes the control mode to radar control mode, and thereafter performs control similar to that of the embodiment.

[0128] The air conditioner 1 has the following modes: main operation mode (cooling operation mode, heating operation mode, dehumidification operation mode, humidification operation mode, fan operation mode, air purification operation mode), control mode (radar control mode, normal control mode), auxiliary operation mode (windless mode on, windless mode off), and rapid mode (a mode that increases either the fan rotation speed or the compressor cycle number, or both). The air conditioner 1 can arbitrarily combine the rapid mode with the control mode, main operation mode, and auxiliary operation mode. For example, in the case of cooling operation mode × radar control mode (wind avoidance control on) × windless mode off × rapid mode on, the air conditioner 1 controls the temperature of the indoor RM to increase at a faster rate than normal while avoiding wind. Furthermore, in the case of cooling operation mode × radar control mode (wind deflection control on) × windless mode off × rapid mode on, the air conditioner 1 controls the locked-on living organism CR to selectively cool.

[0129] 16(a), when a command to turn on radar 2 is received by receiver 94 from operation terminal 94a, controller 3 detects the presence of three living organisms CR1 to CR3 in room RM by radar 2 and identifies the air conditioning load as LD2 (>LD1). In response to the air conditioning load being LD2, controller 3 controls compressor 125 via controller 103 so that the cycle number of compressor 125 becomes CY2 (>CY1). Furthermore, controller 3 switches the control mode to radar control mode, and thereafter performs the same control as above.

[0130] In the lock-on control as exemplified in FIGS. 16 and 17, when a small animal such as a baby is detected, the control unit 3 may exclude the small animal from the lock-on targets.

[0131] The operation terminal 194a that sends commands to the indoor unit 10 may also be a mobile information terminal as shown in FIG. 18. The mobile information terminal is, for example, a smartphone or a personal computer. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning apparatus 201 according to another modified example of the embodiment. The air conditioning apparatus 201 has an operation terminal 194a instead of the operation terminal 94a (see FIG. 1), and further has an access point 200, a network NT, and a server SV. The indoor unit 10, the access point 200, and the server SV are communicatively connected to each other via the network NT. The network NT is a communication line capable of wide-area communication, and can use a wired communication line and / or a wireless communication line. The operation terminal 194a and the access point 200 are communicatively connected to each other via a wireless communication line such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0132] An application program AP for generating commands corresponding to the operation terminal 94a has been downloaded from the server SV via the network NT and installed in the operation terminal 194a in advance. When the operation terminal 194a receives a command to start the application program AP from the living body CR, the operation terminal 194a starts the application program AP and displays on the screen a plurality of button objects corresponding to the plurality of buttons on the operation terminal 94a. Although not shown, the plurality of button objects include, for example, a radar button object, a cooling button object, a heating button object, an air purification button object, a temperature setting button object, a dehumidification button object, a windless button object, and a stop button object.

[0133] When the operation terminal 194a detects that a button for commanding to turn on the use of radar 2 has been pressed (for example, pressing a radar button object), the command to turn on the use of radar 2 is transmitted from the operation terminal 194a to the server SV via the access point 200 and the network NT. The server SV transmits the command to turn on the use of radar 2 to the indoor unit 10 via the network NT. When the indoor unit 10 receives the command to turn on the use of radar 2, it supplies the command to the control unit 3. In response to this, the control unit 3 transitions the control mode to radar control mode.

[0134] When the operation terminal 194a detects that a button has been pressed to command the use of radar 2 to be turned off (for example, pressing the stop button object or pressing the radar button object again), the command to turn off the use of radar 2 is sent from the operation terminal 194a to the server SV via the access point 200 and the network NT. The server SV sends the command to turn off the use of radar 2 to the indoor unit 10 via the network NT. When the indoor unit 10 receives the command to turn off the use of radar 2, it supplies the command to the control unit 3. In response to this, the control unit 3 can transition the control mode from radar control mode to normal control mode.

[0135] In this air conditioning apparatus 201, commands can be sent from the operation terminal 194a even when the access point 200 is located outdoors. For example, the control mode of the indoor unit 10 can be remotely switched to radar control mode or from radar control mode to normal control mode.

[0136] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1,201 Air conditioning device, 2 Radar, 3 Control unit, 4,5 Wind direction plate, 6 Ventilation member, 10 Indoor unit, 22 Heat exchanger, 23 Fan, 94a,194a Operation terminal, 125 Compressor

Claims

1. The indoor unit and an operation terminal that transmits commands to the indoor units; Equipped with The indoor unit is A wind direction plate that adjusts the direction of the conditioned air blown into the room; a radar for detecting the current position of the living body in the room; a control unit that controls the wind direction vane to perform at least one of a first operation of turning in a direction toward the current position of the detected living body or a second operation of turning in a direction away from the current position of the detected living body while tracking the current position of the detected living body by the radar in a first control mode; and The living body detected during at least one of the first operation and the second operation is tracked, and the current position of the tracked living body includes a current distance from the indoor unit to the living body; The operation terminal has a button for commanding on / off of the use of the radar. Air conditioning equipment.

2. The indoor unit further includes a receiving unit that receives commands from the operation terminal, In the first control mode, when a command for a first operation mode is received, the control unit controls the wind direction flap to perform the first operation, and when a command for a second operation mode is received, the control unit controls the wind direction flap to perform the second operation. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

3. When a command to turn on the use of the radar is received in a second control mode in which the wind direction plate is controlled without using the radar, the control unit transitions the control mode from the second control mode to the first control mode. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The radar detects the movement of a living organism in the room, The control unit, in a second control mode in which the wind direction plate is controlled without using the radar, transitions the control mode from the second control mode to the first control mode when the detected motion is a motion that commands turning on the use of the radar. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

5. When a plurality of living organisms are detected by the radar, the control unit identifies a living organism among the plurality of living organisms that satisfies a predetermined condition, and controls the wind direction vane in the first control mode to perform either the first operation of turning in a direction toward the position of the identified living organism or the second operation of turning in a direction avoiding the position of the identified living organism. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The predetermined condition includes at least one of being the closest to the indoor unit among the plurality of living bodies and being the living body with the greatest amount of exercise among the plurality of living bodies. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The indoor unit further has a receiving unit that receives the command, the radar detects a living body operating the operation terminal, The predetermined condition includes that the person who operated the operation terminal is a living organism. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5.

8. When a first mode related to operation is instructed in the first control mode, the control unit controls the wind direction vane to perform either the first operation or the second operation while tracking the position of the detected living body within a first position range, and when a second mode related to operation is instructed, the control unit controls the wind direction vane to perform either the first operation or the second operation while tracking the position of the detected living body within a second position range narrower than the first position range. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The indoor unit is The air conditioner further includes a ventilation member that is inserted into a part of a flow path of the conditioned air blown into the room and is switchable between a closed position that changes the opening ratio of the part of the flow path and an open position that releases the insertion, The first mode does not include a windless mode in which the ventilation member is switched to the closed position to blow conditioned air into the room, The second mode includes the no-wind mode. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 8.

10. A heat exchanger; a fan that sends the conditioned air that has been heat exchanged in the heat exchanger to an outlet; Furthermore, The control unit changes the rotation speed of the fan in accordance with the distance to the living body detected by the radar. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images