Air conditioning device, abnormality notification method and program

Abstract

An air-conditioning system (1) that performs air conditioning of a space to be air-conditioned comprises an air-conditioning unit (80) that air-conditions the space to be air-conditioned, and a control device (50) that controls the air-conditioning unit (80). When the temperature of the space to be air-conditioned is not within a range that is predefined as a normal range, the control device (50) acquires bio-information of a user in the space to be air-conditioned, and reports an abnormality if the acquired bio-information meets predefined conditions and is determined to be abnormal.

Description

Air conditioning system, abnormality notification method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system, an abnormality notification method, and a program.

[0002] Warning systems that issue a warning when there is a risk of heatstroke have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a heatstroke occurrence warning system that places a temperature and humidity sensor in each room and determines that heatstroke has occurred and issues a warning if a heat index (Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature: WBGT) calculated from the obtained temperature and humidity remains above a threshold for a certain period of time.

[0003] JP 2016-66198 A

[0004] Because adaptability to heat varies from person to person and from time to time, the heatstroke assessment based on the heat index described in Patent Document 1 may not match the actual state of the user. In this case, the system may issue an alarm when heatstroke has not actually occurred, increasing the number of false alarms and reducing the reliability of the alarm system. Furthermore, even if the heat index indicates a low risk of heatstroke, heatstroke may still occur depending on the user's physical condition at the time, making it difficult to respond appropriately to such onset.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an air conditioning system, an abnormality notification method, and a program that can more appropriately notify a user of an abnormality in their health.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioning system according to the present disclosure is an air conditioning system that controls the air conditioning of a space to be air-conditioned, and includes an air conditioning unit and a control unit. The air conditioning unit conditions the space to be air-conditioned. The control unit controls the air conditioning unit. The control unit has a biometric information acquisition means that acquires biometric information of a user in the space to be air-conditioned when the temperature of the space to be air-conditioned is not within a predetermined normal range, and a notification means that notifies of an abnormality when the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means satisfies a predetermined condition and is determined to be abnormal.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, in an air conditioning system, biometric information of a user is acquired when a temperature abnormality occurs to detect the abnormality, making it possible to more appropriately notify the user of an abnormality in their health.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 2 is a schematic diagram showing the layout of an air-conditioned space in which indoor units of an air conditioning device according to an embodiment are arranged; 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment; 4 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormality determination condition stored in a memory unit of an indoor unit control unit; 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an outdoor unit control unit and an indoor unit control unit according to an embodiment; 6 is a flowchart of abnormality notification control executed by an air conditioning device according to an embodiment; 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining wind shield control and wind blow control; 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system according to a modified example;

[0009] An air conditioning system and an abnormality notification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment) [Configuration of Air Conditioning System 1] An air conditioning system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a system that air-conditions an indoor space 71, which is a space to be air-conditioned. Air conditioning refers to adjusting the temperature, humidity, cleanliness, airflow, etc. of the air in the space to be air-conditioned, and specifically includes all or some of heating, cooling, dehumidification, humidification, air purification, etc. The air conditioning system 1 has a function of detecting and notifying an abnormality in a user's health based on the user's biometric information. The user's biometric information is information based on or equivalent to physiological or medical information of a living organism, and includes, for example, information related to all or some of pulse or heart rate, breathing, body movement, and body temperature.

[0011] 1 , the air conditioning system 1 includes an air conditioning device 2, which is equipment that conditions the air of an indoor space 71, and an information device 90 that is connected to the air conditioning device 2 via a network NW. When the air conditioning device 2 detects an abnormality, the abnormality information is reported to the information device 90. It is also possible to remotely operate the air conditioning device 2 using the information device 90.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the air conditioning device 2 is installed in a house 3. The house 3 is, for example, a typical detached house. ２ It is a heat pump type air conditioning system that uses carbon dioxide or HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) as a refrigerant.

[0013] The air conditioning device 2 includes an outdoor unit 11 provided outside the house 3, an indoor unit 13 provided inside the house 3, and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as remote control) 55 operated by a user. The outdoor unit 11 and the indoor unit 13 are connected via refrigerant piping 61 through which a refrigerant flows and a communication line 63 through which various signals are transferred.

[0014] 2, the indoor unit 13 is installed in a location, for example, on the top of a wall, that allows it to supply conditioned air to the indoor space 71. The indoor space 71 is cooled or heated by the cold air and warm air blown out from the indoor unit 13. In this embodiment, when a health abnormality occurs in a user HM present in the indoor space 71, the air conditioning device 2 performs control to notify the user of the abnormality. Details will be described later.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 , the outdoor unit 11 includes, for example, a compressor 21 that compresses and circulates the refrigerant, a four-way valve 22 that switches the flow direction of the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 23 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant piping 61 and the air in the outdoor space 72, an expansion valve 24 that decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant piping 61, an outdoor blower 31 that sends air from the outdoor space 72 to the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and an outdoor unit control unit 51 that controls the operation of the outdoor unit 11.

[0016] The indoor unit 13 also includes, for example, an indoor heat exchanger 25 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant piping 61 and the air in the indoor space 71, an indoor blower 33 that sends the air in the indoor space 71 to the indoor heat exchanger 25, an air deflector 34 that adjusts the airflow direction, and an indoor unit control unit 53 that controls the operation of the indoor unit 13. Hereinafter, mechanisms for controlling the airflow direction, such as the up / down air deflector and the left / right air deflector, are collectively referred to as the air deflector 34. The air conditioner 2 has a refrigerant circuit that connects a compressor 21, a four-way valve 22, an outdoor heat exchanger 23, an expansion valve 24, and the indoor heat exchanger 25 via refrigerant piping 61. The refrigerant circuit circulates refrigerant to perform a refrigeration cycle. The four-way valve 22 is used to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant piping 61, thereby switching the operation of the air conditioner 2 between cooling / dehumidifying operation and heating operation.

[0017] In the indoor unit 13, air drawn in by the indoor blower 33 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 25, where it exchanges heat with the refrigerant pipe 61. After that, the air direction is adjusted by the air deflector 34, and the air is blown out as conditioned air into the indoor space 71. In this way, the indoor space 71 is conditioned.

[0018] Hereinafter, among the parts that air-condition the indoor space 71, the compressor 21, four-way valve 22, outdoor heat exchanger 23, expansion valve 24, and outdoor blower 31 arranged in the outdoor unit 11 will be referred to as the outdoor unit air-conditioning section 81, and the indoor heat exchanger 25, indoor blower 33, and air direction panel 34 arranged in the indoor unit 13 will be referred to as the indoor unit air-conditioning section 82. Furthermore, the outdoor unit air-conditioning section 81 and the indoor unit air-conditioning section 82 will collectively be referred to as the air-conditioning section 80 as the part that performs air-conditioning.

[0019] The indoor unit 13 further includes a temperature sensor 41 for detecting temperature, a humidity sensor 42 for detecting humidity, an infrared sensor 44 for detecting infrared rays emitted from people, objects, etc., a biometric information detection device 43 for detecting the user's biometric information, and an abnormality display unit 45 for displaying the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0020] The temperature sensor 41 includes a resistance temperature detector, a thermistor, a thermocouple, or the like, and detects the indoor temperature (hereinafter referred to as room temperature), which is the air temperature in the indoor space 71, which is the space to be air-conditioned. The humidity sensor 42 is an electrical resistance type, capacitance type, or the like sensor, and detects the indoor humidity, which is the air humidity in the indoor space 71. The temperature sensor 41 and the humidity sensor 42 are installed at the intake port of the indoor heat exchanger 25, and detect the temperature and humidity of air drawn into the indoor heat exchanger 25 by the indoor blower 33. By being installed at the intake port of the indoor heat exchanger 25, the temperature sensor 41 and the humidity sensor 42 can accurately detect the temperature and humidity of the air in the indoor space 71.

[0021] The infrared sensor 44 is a pyroelectric, thermopile, or other type of sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from objects such as people and objects. The infrared sensor 44 can identify the presence and location of objects such as people and objects by detecting infrared rays emitted from the objects in the indoor space 71. The infrared sensor 44 has a depression angle and rotates left and right around a vertical axis. A thermal image can be created by sequentially obtaining infrared information while rotating the infrared sensor 44. The infrared sensor 44 can also be pointed toward a human body in the indoor space 71 to detect the body temperature of the person.

[0022] The biometric information detection device 43 identifies and outputs biometric information related to pulse or heart rate, respiration, and body movement. The biometric information detection device 43 includes any sensor that detects a living body's pulse or heart rate, respiration, and body movement, such as a Doppler sensor using millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). These sensors are directional and their direction of direction can be controlled by a rotary drive mechanism. For example, a gimbal mechanism can be used to rotate a sensor with a narrowed field of view around two axes to freely detect biometric information in a room. The Doppler sensor irradiates a human body detected by the infrared sensor 44 with sinusoidal radio waves in the millimeter wave band or quasi-millimeter wave band, receives reflected waves from the human body, and detects the human pulse wave. The LiDAR irradiates a laser beam toward the human body detected by the infrared sensor 44 and detects the human pulse wave based on the reflected light from the human body. A pulse wave is a waveform that indicates changes in the movement of a person's body surface due to heartbeat, breathing, etc., and includes waveforms indicating changes in blood vessel movement and waveforms indicating changes in the body surface. The biological information detection device 43 obtains time-series data of heart rate fluctuations from the time-series data of the pulse wave and performs frequency analysis on the data to extract high-frequency fluctuation components (HF components) corresponding to respiratory fluctuations, low-frequency components (LF components) corresponding to Mayer waves, which are blood pressure fluctuations, and very-low-frequency components (VLF components) corresponding to low-frequency body movements. The biological information detection device 43 outputs frequency data, the ratio of the total power of each extracted component, and other data indicating breathing, pulse, and body movements.

[0023] The biological information detection device 43 may include other sensors. For example, it may include a sensor that measures pulse from changes in brightness on the body surface using a near-infrared camera, an optical sensor that measures pulse from the movement of hemoglobin in the blood, an electrical heart rate sensor that measures cardiac potential, etc. The biological information detection device 43 may be provided in the air conditioning apparatus 2 as shown in FIG. 1 , or may be configured to be located remotely from the air conditioning apparatus 2 and transmit biological information to the air conditioning apparatus 2 via any communication means. For example, biological information measured using a wearable terminal may be transmitted to the air conditioning apparatus 2 via short-range wireless or wireless LAN. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the biological information detection device 43 having a Doppler sensor is provided in the air conditioning apparatus 2 and detects biological information related to pulse or heart rate, breathing, and body movement.

[0024] Hereinafter, the temperature sensor 41, humidity sensor 42, infrared sensor 44, and biological information detection device 43 will be collectively referred to as the sensor group 40. Their outputs will be collectively referred to as the output group of the sensor group 40. The output group of the sensor group 40 will be supplied to the indoor unit control unit 53.

[0025] The indoor unit 13 is further equipped with an abnormality display unit 45 or a main body display unit 58. When an abnormality is found in the biological information detected by the biological information detection device 43, the abnormality display unit 45 or the main body display unit 58 notifies the user HM and people nearby of the abnormality. The abnormality display unit 45 may simply light up in red, yellow, etc., or may display the details of the abnormality. The main body display unit 58 is a display unit for notifying the user of any information such as the operating status and setting information of the air conditioning device 2, and may display a lit light under normal circumstances and flash when an abnormality occurs.

[0026] A user issues operational commands to the air conditioning apparatus 2 by operating the remote control 55, by voice input, or by remote control via various networks. In this embodiment, a case where a remote control 55 provided in the indoor space 71 is used will be described. The remote control 55 transmits and receives various signals to and from the indoor unit control unit 53. The remote control 55 includes push buttons, a touch screen, an LCD display, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and the like, and functions as a command receiving unit that receives various commands from the user and a display unit that displays various information to the user. The user inputs commands to the air conditioning apparatus 2 by operating the remote control 55. The commands include, for example, commands to switch between operation and stop, and commands to switch the operating mode, set temperature, set humidity, set airflow, set air direction, timer, and the like. Operational modes include manual modes such as cooling, heating, and dehumidification, as well as automatic modes. The air conditioning apparatus 2 operates according to the input commands.

[0027] The information device 90 is any device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, or server, and is owned by a natural person or legal entity that manages the health of the user HM of the air conditioning apparatus 2, as well as their family, acquaintances, a security company, or other such person. The information device 90 has a display unit 90a. Various information is displayed on the display unit 90a. By installing an application for the air conditioning apparatus 2 on the information device 90, it becomes possible to operate the air conditioning apparatus 2 via the network NW.

[0028] Next, details of the outdoor unit control unit 51 and indoor unit control unit 53, which are responsible for the control functions of the air conditioner 2, will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The outdoor unit control unit 51 and indoor unit control unit 53 are control units that cooperate to control the entire air conditioning system 1 and perform air conditioning control, and hereinafter these two units will be collectively referred to as the control device 50.

[0029] The outdoor unit control unit 51 controls the operation of the outdoor unit 11. The outdoor unit control unit 51 includes a control unit 51a that controls the entire outdoor unit 11, a memory unit 51b that stores data necessary for control, a timer unit 51c that measures time, and a communication unit 51d that serves as a communication interface.

[0030] The control unit 51a receives control instruction signals from the indoor unit control unit 53 via the communication line 63, including power on / off, operating mode, set temperature, set humidity, set airflow, timer information, and detection data from various sensors. In response to the control instruction signals, the control unit 51a controls the entire outdoor unit 11, particularly the outdoor unit air conditioning unit 81, including, for example, control of the operating frequency of the compressor 21, control of switching of the four-way valve 22, control of the rotation speed of the outdoor blower 31, and control of the opening degree of the expansion valve 24. The storage unit 51b is composed of memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) and stores data necessary for control. The timer unit 51c measures time. The timer unit 51c is equipped with a real time clock (RTC) and is a timing device that continues to measure time even when the air conditioning apparatus 2 is powered off. The control unit 51a references the time measured by the timer unit 51c to start and stop the timer. The communication unit 51 d is an interface for the control unit 51 a to communicate with the indoor unit control unit 53 via the communication line 63 .

[0031] The indoor unit control unit 53 receives user instructions from the remote control 55, supplies control instruction information to the outdoor unit control unit 51 via the communication line 63, and controls the operation of the indoor unit 13. The indoor unit control unit 53 includes a control unit 53a that controls the entire indoor unit 13, a memory unit 53b that stores data necessary for control, a timing unit 53c that measures time, and a communication unit 53d that serves as a communication interface.

[0032] The control unit 53a receives control information including power on / off, operation mode, set temperature, set humidity, set air volume, timer information, detection data of various sensors, etc. from the remote control 55. The control unit 53a also receives outputs from the sensor group 40. Based on the received information, the control unit 53a transmits a control instruction signal to the outdoor unit control unit 51 and controls the air direction flap 34 and the indoor blower 33 to perform air conditioning processing.

[0033] The control unit 53a also acquires biometric information of the user HM and issues an alert when it determines that the user HM's health condition is abnormal based on the biometric information. The control unit 53a determines that the biometric information is abnormal if the acquired biometric information satisfies predetermined conditions. When the control unit 53a determines that the biometric information is abnormal, it displays the abnormality on the abnormality display unit 45 of the indoor unit 13 or the main body display unit 58, or transmits abnormality information to the information device 90. The information device 90 displays the abnormality information received from the air conditioning apparatus 2 on the display unit 90a. These displays have the effect of allowing a person managing the user HM's health to understand the abnormality in the user HM's health condition, or enabling the user HM to take measures to recover from the abnormality on their own. The control unit 53a corresponds to an example of a "biometric information acquisition means," "alert means," and "control means" in the present disclosure.

[0034] The storage unit 53b is composed of memories such as RAM and ROM, and stores programs and data necessary for control. Specifically, the storage unit 53b stores general air conditioning control programs such as for cooling control, heating control, and dehumidification control, as well as an abnormality notification control program 531 that determines abnormalities in the biological information of the user HM in the indoor space 71 and notifies the user of the abnormality when an abnormality is detected. The abnormality notification control program 531 functionally includes a biological information acquisition processing unit 531a that causes the control unit 53a to execute a process for acquiring biological information, a notification processing unit 531b that notifies the user of the abnormality when an abnormality is detected in the biological information, and a control processing unit 531c that causes the control unit 53a to execute an air conditioning control process when an abnormality is detected in the biological information.

[0035] The storage unit 53b further stores abnormality determination conditions 532, which are data used when executing the abnormality notification control program 531. The abnormality determination conditions 532 include, for example, a threshold value for determining that each piece of biological information is abnormal.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the abnormality determination condition 532. As shown in FIG. 4, the abnormality determination condition 532 is indicated by upper and lower limit values ​​at which biological information related to, for example, body temperature, pulse, respiration, body movement, etc. is determined to be normal. The upper and lower limit values ​​of the abnormality determination condition 532 may be predefined values. Alternatively, the abnormality determination condition 532 may be a condition specified by the average value and deviation when biological information of the user HM is continuously measured when the user HM is normal. That is, in the example of FIG. 4, the condition for determining abnormality in biological information acquired from the infrared sensor 44 or the biological information detection device 43 is that the biological information is outside the normal range from the upper limit value to the lower limit value.

[0037] Furthermore, a condition that the amount of change in the biological information per unit time is not within a predetermined range may be used as another abnormality determination condition 532. In this case, when the biological information changes beyond the predetermined range due to a transient change in the biological information, it can be determined that the physical condition of the user HM is deteriorating, and an abnormality can be detected.

[0038] The clock unit 53c shown in Fig. 3 is a part that measures time. The clock unit 53c is equipped with an RTC and is a timing device that continues to measure time even when the air conditioning apparatus 2 is powered off. The time measured by the clock unit 53c may be the time set by the initial setting of the remote control 55. The clock unit 53c may also have a function of periodically obtaining and correcting time information from an external source via the network NW.

[0039] The communication unit 53d communicates with the outdoor unit control unit 51, and also communicates with the information equipment 90 via the external network NW.

[0040] Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the outdoor unit control unit 51 and the indoor unit control unit 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B).

[0041] The outdoor unit control unit 51 is composed of a computer such as a microcontroller, and includes, for example, a processor 1001 that executes a control program for the outdoor unit 11, a memory 1002 that functions as a main storage area, a secondary storage device 1003 that stores the control program, an I / O (Input / Output) interface 1004 that inputs and outputs signals, and a communication module 1005 that performs communication, all of which are connected to each other via a bus 1000, as shown in FIG. 5(A).

[0042] The processor 1001 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and loads a control program stored in a secondary storage device 1003 into a memory 1002 and executes the program.

[0043] The memory 1002 is a main storage device, such as a RAM, and functions as a work memory for the processor 1001, and stores the control program that the processor 1001 reads from the secondary storage device 1003.

[0044] The secondary storage device 1003 is, for example, a ROM, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The secondary storage device 1003 stores the control program executed by the processor 1001, fixed data, etc.

[0045] The I / O interface 1004 is, for example, a serial port, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port interface, etc. The I / O interface 1004 transmits control signals to the outdoor unit air conditioning section 81 in the outdoor unit 11, such as the compressor 21, the four-way valve 22, the expansion valve 24, the outdoor blower 31, etc., to enable control by the processor 1001.

[0046] The communication module 1005 is a network interface that realizes communication between the processor 1001 and the indoor unit control unit 53 .

[0047] For example, the processor 1001 and the I / O interface 1004 function as the control unit 51a and the timer unit 51c, the memory 1002 and the secondary storage device 1003 function as the storage unit 51b, and the communication module 1005 functions as the communication unit 51d.

[0048] On the other hand, the indoor unit control unit 53 is composed of a computer such as a microcontroller, and includes, for example, a processor 1011 that executes a control program for the indoor unit 13, a memory 1012 that functions as a main storage area, a secondary storage device 1013 that stores the control program, an I / O interface 1014 that inputs and outputs signals, and a communication module 1015 that performs communications, all of which are connected to one another via a bus 1010, as shown in Fig. 5(B). The bus 1010, the processor 1011, the memory 1012, the secondary storage device 1013, the I / O interface 1014, and the communication module 1015 have the same configurations and functions as the bus 1000, the processor 1001, the memory 1002, the secondary storage device 1003, the I / O interface 1004, and the communication module 1005 that constitute the outdoor unit control unit 51 shown in Fig. 5(A). However, the secondary storage device 1013 also stores an abnormality notification control program 531 and an abnormality determination condition 532, and the I / O interface 1014 is connected to the sensor group 40, the abnormality display unit 45, the remote control 55, and the drive mechanisms of the indoor blower 33 and the air direction vane 34 of the indoor unit air conditioning unit 82. In addition, the communication module 1015 is connected to the outdoor unit control unit 51 and the network NW.

[0049] For example, the processor 1011 and the I / O interface 1014 function as the control unit 53a and the timer unit 53c, the memory 1012 and the secondary storage device 1013 function as the storage unit 53b, and the communication module 1015 functions as the communication unit 53d.

[0050] So far, the configuration of the air conditioning system 1 has been described. Next, its operation will be described. The air conditioning device 2 is switched on and off by the user HM operating the remote control 55. When the power is on, air conditioning control in a general normal mode and abnormality notification control are performed in parallel, and when the power is off, air conditioning control is stopped and abnormality notification control is executed. Below, abnormality notification control in the usage environment illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described using the flowchart in FIG. 6.

[0051] First, the control unit 53a measures the room temperature using the temperature sensor 41 at predetermined time intervals, regardless of whether the power is on or off (step S101). Here, the time interval for measuring the room temperature may be different when the power is on and when the power is off. If the room temperature is within the normal range (step S102: Yes), the process ends and the control unit 53a waits until the next time to measure the room temperature. Here, the temperature range used to determine whether the room temperature is within the normal range may vary depending on the season or region, and may be changeable by the user.

[0052] When the room temperature is outside the normal range (step S102: No), the control unit 53a acquires the biometric information of the user HM detected by the biometric information detection device 43 and the infrared sensor 44 (step S103). The control unit 53a determines whether the biometric information is normal (step S104). Here, whether the biometric information is normal is determined by referring to the abnormality determination condition 532, for example, by determining whether the value indicating each piece of biometric information is within a range specified by an upper limit value and a lower limit value. Alternatively, whether the biometric information is normal is determined by determining whether the amount of change in the biometric information per unit time is within a predetermined range.

[0053] First, in step S104, if valid biological information cannot be detected (step S104: not detected), it is determined that no one is present in the air-conditioned space, and the process ends.

[0054] If the biological information is valid and normal (step S104: Yes), it can be said that there is nothing abnormal in the health condition of the user HM, but the room temperature is not appropriate. If the automatic on setting of the air conditioning unit 80 is not set (step S105: No), the process ends and the process waits for the next timing of room temperature measurement.

[0055] If the biological information is valid and normal (step S104: Yes) and the air conditioning unit 80 is set to automatically turn on (step S105: Yes), if the air conditioning unit 80 is not in operation (step S106: No), the air conditioning unit 80 starts operating (step S107). On the other hand, if the air conditioning unit 80 is in operation (step S106: Yes), it is considered that the settings of the air conditioning unit 80 are inappropriate, so for example, the cooling temperature and humidity settings are changed lower, or the heating temperature setting is changed higher (step S108).

[0056] If the biological information is valid but abnormal in step S104 (step S104: No), the control unit 53a determines that heatstroke, hypothermia, or the like may have occurred, and if the operation of the air conditioning unit 80 is stopped (step S109: No), starts operation (step S110). At this time, if the room temperature is too high and there is a possibility of heatstroke, the set temperature and set humidity may be set lower and air conditioning operation may be started (step S110). If the room temperature is too low and there is a possibility of hypothermia, the set temperature may be set higher and heating operation may be started (step S111). If the air conditioning unit 80 is in operation when the biological information is abnormal (step S109: Yes), it is considered that the settings of the air conditioning unit 80 are inappropriate, so for example, the set temperature and set humidity for air conditioning are changed lower, or the set temperature for heating is changed higher (step S111).

[0057] The airflow direction may be controlled in the operation of the air conditioning unit 80, which is started or the setting changed in steps S107, S108, S110, and S111. Specifically, the position of the user HM is identified by the infrared sensor 44, and wind protection or wind direction control is performed for the position of the user HM. Wind protection control is a method of controlling the wind direction so that the airflow does not directly hit the user HM, as schematically shown in FIG. 7A. Wind direction control is a method of controlling the wind direction so that the airflow directly hits the user HM, as schematically shown in FIG. 7B.

[0058] The wind direction or wind protection can be controlled by changing the angle of the wind direction vane 34. For example, as illustrated in Figures 7A and 7B, wind protection control may be performed by shifting a predetermined angle θ with respect to the direction toward the user HM. When it is desired to temporarily direct cool air toward the user HM in the event of heatstroke, wind direction control may be performed by directing the wind toward the user HM.

[0059] Returning to FIG. 6 , the control unit 53a notifies the user of an abnormality simultaneously with the start of operation or the change of settings in steps S107, S108, S110, and S111, or promptly before or after the start of operation or the change of settings (step S112). Specifically, the control unit 53a displays an abnormality notification on the abnormality display unit 45 or the main body display unit 58, or transmits the abnormality information to the information device 90 via the network NW. Alternatively, the control unit 53a may notify the user of the abnormality information by voice. For example, the control unit 53a may notify the user of the abnormality information by a speaker provided in the indoor unit 13. Here, the abnormality information may include the user's biological information, the room temperature, and the operating status of the air conditioning device 2. Then, the process ends.

[0060] In this way, by executing the abnormality notification control, when an abnormality is detected based on the user's biological information, control is performed to operate the air conditioning unit 80 and notify the abnormality. Note that, if the control unit 53a determines that the biological information of the user HM has improved and the abnormality has subsided as a result of starting operation or changing settings in steps S107, S108, S110, and S111, the control unit 53a may perform control to stop operation or return settings to their original state.

[0061] As described above, the air conditioning system 1 according to the embodiment acquires biometric information of a user in an air-conditioned space when the temperature in the air-conditioned space is outside the normal range, and if the biometric information is abnormal, issues an alert. This allows the system to appropriately determine and alert the user when an abnormality occurs in the user's health condition. Furthermore, by starting operation of the air conditioning unit 80 upon issuing an alert, the environment in the space where the abnormality occurred can be improved.

[0062] (Modifications) The above embodiment can be modified in various ways.

[0063] In the above embodiment, biological information is acquired when the temperature of the air-conditioned space is outside the normal range, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, as a preliminary step to acquiring biological information, an infrared sensor 44, which is a human presence sensor, may be used to determine whether or not a person is present in the air-conditioned space, and when a person is detected, biological information may be acquired. Furthermore, if the biological information detection device 43 has directionality, the infrared sensor 44 may be used to identify the location where a person is present, and the biological information may be detected by the biological information detection device 43 directed toward the location where the person is present. Furthermore, other human presence sensors may be used, such as a CO ２ The presence of a person in the space to be air-conditioned may be detected by a sensor.

[0064] CO ２ The sensor measures CO in the air ２ This sensor detects the presence of a person by detecting an increase in CO ２ If there is no human presence for a long period of time, the sensor output will be approximately 400 ppm, the same as the outside air, due to the ventilation function or gaps in the house. When a person enters the room, the CO concentration will be higher than the outside air, although this will vary depending on the number of people at the time and the size of the room. ２ A high proportion of exhaled air is expelled from the human body, so CO ２ On the other hand, since the capacity range of the air conditioning device 2 is determined to some extent mainly by the size of the room, the CO ２ It is possible to set an increase threshold value and determine that a human body is present when the change exceeds the threshold value.

[0065] In the above embodiment, biological information is acquired when the temperature of the air-conditioned space is outside the normal range, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, biological information may be acquired when the combination of temperature and humidity in the air-conditioned space is not within a predetermined normal temperature and humidity range. This allows the biological information to be acquired based on a heat index that more accurately represents the risk of heatstroke, making it possible to acquire biological information at a more appropriate time and detect abnormalities in the user HM's health.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, biological information is acquired when the temperature or humidity of the air-conditioned space is outside the normal range, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, even when the temperature or humidity of the air-conditioned space is within the normal range, biological information may be acquired every time or once every few times. If there is an abnormality in the acquired biological information, the abnormality is reported along with the temperature or humidity information, as in the above embodiment.

[0067] The hardware configurations and flowcharts shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples and can be modified or adapted as desired. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the air conditioning apparatus 2 includes the control device 50 internally. However, the control device 50 may be located externally to the air conditioning apparatus 2. In this case, the control device 50 of the air conditioning system 4 is connected to the air conditioning apparatus 2 via a network NW, as shown in FIG. 8 , for example, and the air conditioning apparatus 2 includes a communication device 56 that communicates with external devices. The communication device 56 enables communication between the outdoor unit control unit 51 of the externally located control device 50 and the outdoor unit air conditioning unit 81, and enables communication between the indoor unit control unit 53 of the externally located control device 50 and the sensor group 40, the remote control 55, and the indoor unit air conditioning unit 82.

[0068] Furthermore, a computer capable of realizing each function may be configured by distributing a program for executing the operations of the above-described embodiments on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto Optical Disc), or a memory card, and installing the program on the computer. When each function is realized by sharing the work between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and an application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the recording medium.

[0069] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] 1, 4 Air conditioning system, 2 Air conditioner, 3 House, 11 Outdoor unit, 13 Indoor unit, 21 Compressor, 22 Four-way valve, 23 Outdoor heat exchanger, 24 Expansion valve, 25 Indoor heat exchanger, 31 Outdoor blower, 33 Indoor blower, 34 Wind direction vane, 40 Sensor group, 41 Temperature sensor, 42 Humidity sensor, 43 Biometric information detection device, 44 Infrared sensor, 45 Abnormality display unit, 50 Control device, 51 Outdoor unit control unit, 51a Control unit, 51b Memory unit, 51c Timekeeping unit, 51d Communication unit, 53 Indoor unit control unit, 53a Control unit, 53b Memory unit, 53c Timekeeping unit, 53d Communication unit, 55 Remote control, 56 Communication device, 58 Main unit display unit, 61 Refrigerant piping, 63 Communication line, 71 Indoor space, 72 Outdoor space, 80 air conditioning unit, 81 outdoor unit air conditioning unit, 82 indoor unit air conditioning unit, 90 information device, 90a display unit, 531 abnormality notification control program, 531a biological information acquisition processing unit, 531b notification processing unit, 531c control processing unit, 532 abnormality determination condition, 1000, 1010 bus, 1001, 1011 processor, 1002, 1012 memory, 1003, 1013 secondary storage device, 1004, 1014 I / O interface, 1005, 1015 communication module, NW network, HM user

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus that controls air conditioning of an air-conditioned space, An air conditioning unit that conditions the air-conditioned space; A control device for controlling the air conditioning unit; a biological information sensor that is directed to a position of a user in the air-conditioned space to detect biological information of the user when the temperature of the air-conditioned space is not within a predetermined range as a normal range; and and a notification means for notifying an abnormality when the biological information detected by the biological information sensor satisfies a predetermined condition and is determined to be abnormal. Air conditioning units.

2. The biological information includes at least one of the user's pulse, breathing, body movement, and body temperature. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control device has a control means for starting operation of the air conditioning unit or changing settings of the air conditioning unit when the biological information is determined to be abnormal. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.

4. When the biological information is determined to be abnormal, the notification means notifies temperature information or information that the control means has started an operation or changed a setting together with the abnormality. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3.

5. the biological information sensor detects the biological information when a combination of temperature and humidity in the air-conditioned space is not within a predetermined temperature and humidity range as a normal range; The notification means notifies the abnormality when the biological information is determined to be abnormal. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Further comprising a human presence sensor for detecting a person in the air-conditioned space, When the temperature or humidity of the air-conditioned space is not within a predetermined normal range and the human presence sensor detects a person, the biological information sensor is directed to a position of the person detected by the human presence sensor and detects the biological information; The notification means notifies the abnormality when the biological information is determined to be abnormal. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. Further comprising a human presence sensor for detecting the position of a person in the air-conditioned space, The control means controls the wind shield or the wind direction in the direction of the person detected by the human presence sensor. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3 or 4.

8. The control means starts operation of the air conditioning unit or changes a setting of the air conditioning unit, and then when the biological information is determined to be normal, stops operation of the air conditioning unit or returns the setting of the air conditioning unit to an original setting. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3 or 4.

9. The biological information sensor detects the biological information even when the temperature or humidity of the air-conditioned space is within a predetermined normal range, When the biological information is determined to be abnormal, the notification means notifies the abnormality together with information on temperature or humidity. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A biological information sensor provided in an air conditioning device is directed to a position of a user in an air-conditioned space to detect biological information of the user when the temperature of the air-conditioned space is not within a predetermined temperature range, When the biological information satisfies a predetermined condition and is determined to be abnormal, the abnormality is notified. Anomaly reporting method.

11. On the computer, When the temperature of a space to be air-conditioned is not within a predetermined temperature range, a biological information sensor provided in an air conditioning apparatus is directed to a position of a user in the space to be air-conditioned, and the biological information sensor detects biological information of the user; a process of notifying an abnormality when the biological information satisfies a predetermined condition and is determined to be abnormal; A program that executes the following.