Air conditioner indoor unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning indoor units fail to provide personalized comfort for individuals with different temperature sensitivities and require cumbersome remote control operation, especially after entering from extreme outdoor environments.
Innovation Solution
An indoor air-conditioning unit with a main body, fan, heat exchanger, wind-direction adjusting device, image pickup device, and controller that recognizes and tracks users to direct conditioned air specifically towards their position, eliminating the need for remote control operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If normal air sending is provided to all users, then the system is simple to operate, but users with different temperature sensitivities cannot achieve personalized comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects user presence and tracks user movement without requiring manual operation. The controller autonomously adjusts air blowing direction based on image pickup device data, enabling the system to serve itself and adapt to user needs without increasing operational complexity for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The wind-direction adjusting device dynamically changes air blowing direction in real-time based on detected user position. The system transitions from static normal air sending to dynamic personalized air direction control, adapting to user movement and maintaining comfort without requiring complex manual adjustments.
2Ease of operation
If the system requires remote control operation for activation, then the control is precise, but the operation becomes cumbersome especially after entering from extreme outdoor environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically activates and adjusts air conditioning based on detected user presence through the image pickup device. Users simply need to enter the room and be detected; no remote control operation is required. The controller autonomously initiates cooling or heating based on environmental conditions and user position.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of user presence and automatically initiates air conditioning adjustment before the user would need to operate the remote control. The image pickup device continuously monitors for user entry, and the controller pre-activates appropriate cooling or heating functions upon detection.
3Productivity
If the system provides rapid cooling/heating immediately upon entry, then user comfort is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors for user presence using the image pickup device before full air conditioning activation is needed. Upon detecting user entry, the controller immediately initiates rapid cooling or heating, providing preliminary response that eliminates the delay associated with manual remote control operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses real-time feedback from the image pickup device to detect user presence and continuously track user position. This feedback loop enables the controller to automatically adjust air blowing direction and intensity for rapid response to user entry and movement, achieving fast cooling/heating through automated closed-loop control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user comfort by providing personalized temperature control and increases convenience by automatically directing conditioned air to the user's location, reducing the need for manual operation and ensuring rapid cooling or heating upon entry.
Implementation Method 1
an image pickup device configured to capture an image of the inside of the room
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger arranged in the air path and executes part of a refrigeration cycle
Implementation Method 3
a fan configured to suck indoor air from the air inlet and form an air path to the air outlet
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
In an indoor unit 100 of an air-conditioning apparatus, a controller that controls a wind-direction adjusting device, based on information of a user U1 whose image has been captured by an image pickup device 50 that captures an image in a room 90, recognizes a face F1 of the user U1 if the face F1 is within a face recognition range 52 of the image pickup device 50, and tracks the user U1 and specifies a user position P1 which is a destination position of the user 1 when the user U1 moves. The controller controls the wind-direction adjusting device so that conditioned air is sent toward the tracked and specified user position P1.