Air Conditioner Vision-Based Control for Automatic Thermal Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users in a room controlled by an air conditioner need to physically move to adjust the temperature settings using a remote controller, which is inconvenient and not user-friendly.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning control apparatus that uses an imaging unit to estimate the thermal sensation of users based on their motion and state, allowing the air conditioner to automatically adjust its operation to maintain a comfortable temperature without user intervention, incorporating sensors for room environment information and a model updating unit to improve estimation accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user manually adjusts the air conditioner temperature using a remote controller, then the temperature control is simple and direct, but the user convenience deteriorates because the user must physically move to the remote controller position
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner system automatically detects user presence, estimates thermal sensation from video images, and adjusts temperature without user intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously making temperature adjustments based on detected user states, eliminating the need for manual remote controller operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical interaction of physically moving to and operating a remote controller with an automated vision-based system. The imaging unit captures video images, the estimation unit processes these images to determine thermal sensation, and the control unit automatically adjusts temperature, substituting mechanical user action with automated optical and computational processes.
2Ease of operation
If the air conditioner automatically controls temperature based on user thermal sensation estimation, then user convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional imaging and estimation units
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging unit serves multiple functions: detecting user presence, capturing video images for thermal sensation estimation, and potentially monitoring user behavior patterns. The control unit integrates both manual remote controller operations and automated thermal sensation-based control, making it a multi-functional control system that handles different operating modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the imaging unit, estimation unit, and control unit into an integrated system. The control unit combines both the automated thermal sensation control function and the traditional remote controller reception function, creating a unified control architecture that reduces overall system complexity despite adding automation capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If the system uses video image analysis to estimate thermal sensation, then automatic control accuracy is improved, but the measurement precision requirements increase for accurate motion and state extraction
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from video image analysis to continuously refine thermal sensation estimation. The control unit adjusts temperature based on estimated thermal sensation, and the system can monitor changes in user motion and state in response to temperature adjustments, using this feedback to improve the accuracy of future thermal sensation predictions.
Solution Approach 2:
The estimation unit acts as an intermediary that processes raw video image data and converts it into meaningful thermal sensation estimates. This intermediary layer translates complex image data into simplified control parameters that the control unit can use for temperature adjustment, making the measurement process more manageable and accurate.
Data Source
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AI summary
An estimation unit (66) estimates a thermal sensation representing how hot or cold a user (U1, U2, U3) feels based on an image of the user (U1, U2, U3) taken by a camera (26). A control unit (14) controls an air-conditioning operation of an air conditioner (10) based on an estimation result of the estimation unit (66) so that the thermal sensation falls within a target range, the air conditioner (10) targeting a room in which the user (U1, U2, U3) is present. The image shows a motion and/or state of the user (U1, U2, U3) representing a hot or cold sensation of the user (U1, U2, U3), and the estimation unit (66) extracts the motion and/or state of the user (U1, U2, U3) from the image to estimate the thermal sensation.