Method for estimating thermal sensation, thermal sensation estimation apparatus, air conditioner, and recording medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal sensation estimation methods fail to accurately estimate thermal comfort in non-uniform thermal environments, such as those found in vehicles with air conditioning, as they assume a uniform thermal environment and require direct skin contact with temperature sensors.
Innovation Solution
A method using thermal cameras to capture images of a person's body surface areas exposed to different thermal environments, calculating heat loss from these areas, and estimating thermal sensation based on the total heat loss from the entire body, considering the area ratios and thermal characteristics of each environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a temperature sensor is directly attached to a person's skin to measure average skin temperature, then thermal sensation can be estimated with high correlation, but the method becomes impractical and invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces clothes as an intermediary medium between the thermal camera and the person's skin. The clothes act as a mediator that transmits thermal information from the skin to the camera without requiring direct contact, thus maintaining measurement accuracy while improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal camera captures thermal images that create a visual copy of the temperature distribution on the person's body surface. This optical copy allows for non-contact measurement of skin temperature through clothes, resolving the contradiction between accuracy and practicality
2Ease of operation
If a thermal camera measures body surface temperature to estimate thermal sensation, then the method becomes non-invasive and practical, but accuracy deteriorates in non-uniform thermal environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the body surface into multiple regions (first area exposed to first thermal environment, second area exposed to second thermal environment) and calculates heat loss for each region separately. This segmentation allows accurate estimation in non-uniform thermal environments by accounting for different thermal conditions across different body parts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different thermal characteristics and heat loss calculations to different regions of the body based on their specific thermal environments. Each body region is treated with local quality appropriate to its exposure conditions, improving overall measurement precision while maintaining non-invasive operation
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
This approach allows for accurate thermal sensation estimation even in non-uniform environments, enabling efficient control of air conditioners to maintain comfortable temperatures and reduce energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
obtaining a thermal image of an area including a person captured by a thermal camera, calculating, on the basis of the thermal image, a first temperature, which is a surface temperature of a first area
Implementation Method 2
calculating a first amount of heat lost, which is an amount of heat lost from the first area of the person in a unit area, on the basis of the first temperature and first information indicating thermal characteristics of the first thermal environment
Data Source
AI summary
A method for estimating thermal sensation calculates, on the basis of a thermal image, a first temperature, which is a surface temperature of a first area, and a second temperature, which is a surface temperature of a second area, calculates a first amount of heat lost on the basis of the first temperature and first information, calculating a second amount of heat lost on the basis of the second temperature and second information, obtains an area ratio of the first area to the second area, calculates a total amount of heat lost, which is an amount of heat lost from a whole body of a person in a unit area, on the basis of the first amount of heat lost, the second amount of heat lost, and the area ratio, and estimates thermal sensation, which indicates a degree of warmth or coldness of the person, on the basis of the total amount of heat lost.