Air conditioning device

Abstract

An air conditioning device capable of blowing air, said air conditioning device comprising: a first member extending along an airflow direction; a motor unit pivotably connected to the first member; and a second member pivotably connected to the motor unit and extending along the airflow direction, wherein the motor unit includes a first motor connected to the first member and pivotable about a first rotation axis intersecting the airflow direction, and a second motor connected to the second member and pivotable about a second rotation axis intersecting both the airflow direction and the first rotation axis.

Description

Air conditioner

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

[0002] In factories, offices, etc., spot air conditioning is used. Spot air conditioning emphasizes adjusting the temperature around the object to be air-conditioned (such as people, objects, etc.) rather than adjusting the room temperature of the entire room, and it is required to blow air locally to the object to be air-conditioned.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a spot air conditioner that rotates an air outlet toward a person detected by a human detection sensor.

[0004] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-50586

[0005] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the movable range of the air outlet is insufficient, and it may be difficult to blow air in a desired direction where the object exists.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner capable of blowing air in a desired direction.

[0007] An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object is an air conditioner capable of blowing air, and includes a first member extending along the air flow direction, a motor unit rotatably connected to the first member, and a second member rotatably connected to the motor unit and extending along the air flow direction. The motor unit includes a first motor connected to the first member and rotatable around a first rotation axis intersecting the air flow direction, and a second motor connected to the second member and rotatable around a second rotation axis intersecting the air flow direction and the first rotation axis.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of blowing air in a desired direction.

[0009] Other features and advantages of the technical ideas derived from this disclosure will become apparent from the following description with reference to the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar components are given the same reference numeral.

[0010] The attached drawings are included in the specification and constitute a part thereof, illustrating embodiments in this disclosure and used to explain the technical ideas derived from this disclosure together with their descriptions. This figure shows an example of the external configuration of an air conditioning system according to one embodiment. This figure shows an example of the external configuration of an air conditioning system according to one embodiment, with the bellows member removed. This is an enlarged view of the area around the motor unit according to one embodiment. This is an internal configuration diagram of the motor unit according to one embodiment. This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of an air conditioning system according to one embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by an air conditioning system according to one embodiment.

[0011] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any way. Furthermore, identical or similar configurations will be given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0012] <Configuration of Air Conditioning System and Discharge Device> Figure 1 shows an example of the external configuration of an air conditioning system according to one embodiment. The air conditioning system 10 comprises a deformable bellows member 20 that can blow air onto an object, and a discharge nozzle 30 that blows out air. The air conditioning system 10 is installed, for example, on the ceiling or wall surface of a room, and blows air into the room from the space above the ceiling or the space outside the wall surface. A detection device 31 is arranged on the discharge nozzle 30. The detection device 31 is, for example, a camera. The camera may be a general video camera, or a camera that can acquire temperature images or distance images.

[0013] Arrow 40 indicates the airflow direction, which is the direction in which air is blown. In the illustrated example, the airflow direction is from vertically upward to downward. However, the bellows member 20 can be freely deformed so that the orientation of the discharge nozzle 30 points in any direction between vertically downward and a direction parallel to a vertical plane perpendicular to that vertical downward. Furthermore, the bellows member 20 may be deformed so that the orientation of the discharge nozzle 30 points in any direction between vertically downward and a position even higher than the direction parallel to that vertical plane.

[0014] Next, an example of the internal configuration of an air conditioning system according to one embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the air conditioning system 10 according to one embodiment, with the bellows member 20 removed. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the area around the motor unit shown in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is an internal configuration diagram of the motor unit shown in Figure 3.

[0015] The air conditioning unit 10 includes a mounting member 200 for attachment to the ceiling or wall of a room. The air conditioning unit 10 may further include a fan (not shown) for generating airflow. The fan can be installed, for example, at any position in the space above the mounting member 200 (the space above the ceiling). The fan can generate airflow along the airflow direction indicated by the arrow.

[0016] The air conditioning unit 10 comprises a motor unit 100, a first member 110, and a second member 120. The bellows member 20 shown in Figure 1 is arranged to enclose the motor unit 100. Furthermore, the bellows member 20 is arranged to enclose at least a portion of the first member 110 and at least a portion of the second member 120.

[0017] The first member 110 is, for example, a metal member, at least a portion of which extends along the airflow direction, and one end is fixedly installed to the mounting member 200. The motor unit 100 is rotatably connected to the vicinity of the other end of the first member 110 around a first rotation shaft 130. The second member 120 is rotatably connected to the motor unit 100 around a second rotation shaft 140, and at least a portion of which extends along the airflow direction. The airflow direction is the direction passing through the interior of the bellows member 20, from the first member 110 toward the motor unit 100, and further toward the second member 120 toward the motor unit 100. In the illustrated example, the first member 110 and the second member 120 include U-shaped members, but the invention is not limited to this example, and the first member 110 and the second member 120 may each have a shape in which the entirety extends along the airflow direction.

[0018] The second member 120 is, for example, a metal member, and is connected to the rod-shaped member 150 via a screw 160 at its end. The rod-shaped member 150 extends along the airflow direction and is connected to a cross-shaped support member 170. The support member 170 is fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30 at each of its four ends 180. However, the shape of the support member 170 is not limited to a cross shape, and the number of ends 180 is four in the illustrated example, but is not limited to four. As shown in Figure 1, the rod-shaped member 150 extends to the vicinity of the discharge outlet of the discharge nozzle 30. A second support member is also positioned near the discharge outlet, and each of the four ends of this second support member is also fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30. In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the rod-shaped member 150 is fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30 via two support members, but the embodiment is not limited to this example. A third support member of a similar shape, or even more support members, may be further positioned between the two support members. In this way, the second member 120 can be fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30 via the rod-shaped member 150 and the support member 170.

[0019] The motor unit 100 is a housing structure that includes a first motor 1010 and a second motor 1020. The first motor 1010 includes a first drive motor 1011 and a first transmission 1012, which are rotatably arranged on a first rotation axis 130 that intersects the airflow direction and connected to a first member 110. The second motor 1020 includes a second drive motor 1021 and a second transmission 1022, which are rotatably arranged on a second rotation axis 140 that intersects the airflow direction and the first rotation axis 130 and connected to a second member 120.

[0020] In the illustrated example, the first rotation axis 130 is parallel to the x-axis, and the second rotation axis 140 is parallel to the y-axis. As a result, the discharge nozzle 30 moves in a plane parallel to the yz-plane in response to rotation around the first rotation axis 130, and moves in a plane parallel to the xz-plane in response to rotation around the second rotation axis 140. These combinations make it possible to control the orientation of the discharge nozzle 30 so that it faces any direction.

[0021] <Functional Configuration> Next, with reference to Figure 5, an example of the functional configuration of an air conditioning system 10 according to one embodiment will be described. The air conditioning system 10 includes a detection unit 501 and a drive control unit 502.

[0022] The detection unit 501 detects objects (for example, factory workers) that are in the direction the discharge nozzle 30 is pointing. For example, it can detect people from captured images.

[0023] The drive control unit 502 controls the direction of the air outlet nozzle 30 by controlling the operation of the air conditioning system 10, particularly the operation of the motor unit. The drive control unit 502 is a control computer and can control various operations of the air conditioning system 10 by executing a computer program.

[0024] The drive control unit 502 controls the driving of the first motor 1010 and the second motor 1020 respectively so as to blow air towards the position of the object detected by the detection unit 501. More specifically, it controls the driving of the first motor 1010 and the second motor 1020 so as to track the object as it moves within the room.

[0025] <Processing> Referring to the flowchart in Figure 6, the procedure for processing performed by the air conditioning system 10 according to one embodiment will be explained. In S601, the detection unit 501 detects an object present in the indoor space. An object is detected when a person or a person wearing a specific marker (such as a hat of a specified color) is detected in the captured image.

[0026] In S602, the drive control unit 502 controls the driving of the first motor 1010 and the second motor 1020 respectively so as to blow air towards the position of the object detected by the detection unit 501. The bellows member 20 deforms in accordance with the driving of the first motor 1010 and the second motor 1020.

[0027] In S603, the drive control unit 502 determines whether or not the object has moved based on the detection result of the detection unit 501. For example, if the position of the object detected in the captured image changes, it can be determined that the object has moved. If this step is Yes, the process proceeds to S604. On the other hand, if this step is No, the process waits.

[0028] In S604, the drive control unit 502 controls the driving of the first motor 1010 and the second motor 1020 to track the object based on the detection result of the detection unit 501. In S605, the drive control unit 502 determines whether or not the object has been lost. That is, the drive control unit 502 determines whether or not it can no longer detect the object. If this step is Yes, the process ends. On the other hand, if this step is No, the process returns to S603. The above is the series of processes shown in Figure 6.

[0029] As described above, according to this embodiment, by arranging a motor unit including two motors with different rotation axes inside the bellows member, it becomes possible to blow air in any direction. Therefore, it becomes possible to achieve airflow control with good tracking ability to the target object.

[0030] [Modification] The detection device 31 may be configured to acquire distance information from the camera image to the object. In that case, the drive control unit 502 may further adjust the airflow by controlling the air pump (not shown) according to the distance to the object. For example, the airflow may be controlled to be stronger the further the distance, and weaker the closer the distance.

[0031] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes an example in which the rod-shaped member 150 is fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30 via the support member 170, the invention is not limited to this example. The rod-shaped member 150 may be extended diagonally and directly fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30 by screws, welding, or the like. In addition, the second member 120 may be fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle 30 via another member of any shape, not limited to the rod-shaped member 150.

[0032] <Other Embodiments> Furthermore, a program that implements one or more functions described in each embodiment may be supplied to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and the control computer of the system or device may read and execute this program. The present invention can also be realized in such a manner.

[0033] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0034] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-016970, filed on February 4, 2025, and all of its contents are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. An air conditioning device capable of blowing air, comprising: a first member extending in the direction of airflow; a motor unit rotatably connected to the first member; and a second member rotatably connected to the motor unit and extending in the direction of airflow, wherein the motor unit comprises: a first motor connected to the first member and rotatable around a first axis of rotation intersecting the direction of airflow; and a second motor connected to the second member and rotatable around a second axis of rotation intersecting the direction of airflow and the first axis of rotation.

2. The air conditioning device according to claim 1, further comprising an air outlet nozzle for blowing out the air, wherein the second member is fixed to the air outlet nozzle.

3. The air conditioning device according to claim 1, further comprising an air outlet nozzle for blowing out the air, wherein the second member is fixed to the air outlet nozzle via another member.

4. The air conditioning device according to claim 3, further comprising a rod-shaped member connected to the second member and extending along the airflow direction, and a support member supporting the rod-shaped member, wherein the second member is fixed to the inner wall of the discharge nozzle via the rod-shaped member and the support member.

5. The air conditioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a detection unit for detecting an object to which air is blown; and a drive control unit for controlling the driving of the first motor and the second motor so as to blow the air to the position of the object detected by the detection unit.

6. The air conditioning device according to claim 1, further comprising a deformable bellows member, wherein the bellows member encloses the motor unit.

7. The air conditioning device according to claim 6, characterized in that the bellows member further encloses at least a portion of the first member and at least a portion of the second member.

8. The air conditioning device according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a blowing nozzle fixed to the bellows member for blowing out the air.

9. The air conditioning device according to claim 8, further comprising a detection unit disposed in the blowing nozzle for detecting an object to which the air is blown.

10. The air conditioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the airflow direction is from the first member toward the motor unit and further toward the second member toward the motor unit.

11. An air conditioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a fan-generating section for generating airflow.

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