Air Conditioner Gesture Detection for Contactless Terminal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning systems lack an efficient method to detect user actions contactlessly and provide information to user terminals for controlling air conditioner operations without requiring voice input.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning system comprising an air conditioner with a detector, a transmitter, and a control unit that uses a camera and image recognizer to detect user actions and transmit relevant information to a mobile terminal, allowing for contactless detection and control of air conditioner operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If voice input is used to control air conditioner, then user can operate the device remotely, but user convenience deteriorates due to requiring voice input and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces voice recognition systems with a camera-based gesture recognition system. The camera captures images of user gestures (such as hand waving or pointing), and an image processing unit analyzes these images to control the air conditioner. This substitution eliminates the need for voice input while maintaining remote operation capability, thereby improving ease of operation without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a camera to capture visual copies (images) of user gestures instead of requiring voice input. The captured images are then processed to extract control information. This copying approach allows the system to interpret user intentions through visual representation rather than auditory input, simplifying the interaction model while reducing dependency on complex voice recognition algorithms.
2Ease of operation
If camera and image recognizer are added to detect user actions, then contactless detection is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the camera into the existing air conditioner unit, allowing it to serve dual purposes: capturing images for gesture recognition and potentially monitoring the room environment. The image processing unit is incorporated into the control unit of the air conditioner, enabling it to handle both traditional control functions and gesture-based control. This multi-functionality approach adds contactless operation capability while minimizing the increase in device complexity by reusing existing hardware resources.
3Ease of operation
If information is transmitted to user terminal for control, then user convenience is enhanced, but loss of information increases due to network transmission requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transmits only the essential control information (such as gesture type, direction, and basic control commands) from the captured images to the user terminal. The full image data and processing results are not transmitted, but rather a condensed set of control parameters that are sufficient for the terminal to execute the desired control actions. This extraction approach enables mobile terminal control while minimizing information transmission loss by sending only the necessary data.
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning system includes an air conditioner, a detector, a transmitter, and a control unit. The air conditioner includes an indoor unit. The detector detects a user action toward the indoor unit. The transmitter transmits first information on the indoor unit to a terminal of the user. The control unit causes the transmitter to transmit the first information to the terminal when the detector detects the user action.