1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an air-conditioning control apparatus for controlling air-conditioning in a cabin, an air-conditioning apparatus, an air-conditioning control method, an air-conditioning control system, and a non-transitory recording medium (non-transitory storage medium) storing an air-conditioning control program.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recently proposed vehicle air-conditioning system recognizes a gesture input of a user and adjusts a set temperature or a flow rate in an air-conditioning apparatus (e.g., an air-conditioner) based on a result of the recognition (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-191780).
To avoid misrecognition in which an unintentional gesture of a user is erroneously recognized as an operation, proposed is a method of specifying operation target equipment by an operation of a user before a gesture input and notifying the user that the operation target equipment is specified (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-109994). In this manner, after the operation target equipment has been specified, a gesture input operation of the user is performed so that the operation can be further ensured. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-109994 also discloses a method in which the user is notified by sound (voice) or display that the operation target equipment is specified.
In the case of notification by sound, however, the user needs to previously recognize a difference between the sound and sound (e.g., alarm) generated by another vehicle-mounted equipment. In the case of notification by voice, it takes time for the user to understand what the voice indicates. In the case of notification by display, the user needs to recognize by closely watching a displayed part, which hinders concentration of driving and causes the feeling of inconvenience.
With such notification by sound or display, the user cannot be promptly and intuitively notified that operation target equipment is notified (i.e., an input operation for the operation target equipment is accepted).
In an aspect of the present disclosure, provided are an air-conditioning control apparatus, an air-conditioning apparatus, an air-conditioning control method, an air-conditioning control system, an air-conditioning control program, and a recording medium that can notify a user promptly and intuitively that operation target equipment is specified.
In one general aspect, the techniques disclosed here feature an air-conditioning control apparatus including: an input unit that receives a detection signal from a sensor for detecting a presence of an object at an air-supply port of an air-conditioning apparatus and that receives a recognition result from a recognition device for recognizing a change request for changing setting of the air-conditioning apparatus by a user; and a control unit that controls the air-conditioning apparatus based on the detection signal. In a case where wind from the air-supply port is set at a first flow rate and the input unit receives the detection signal, the control unit outputs a first control signal for causing the air-conditioning apparatus to change the first flow rate to a second flow rate different from the first flow rate for a predetermined time and then set the wind from the air-supply port at the first flow rate again. In a case where the change request is issued, the control unit outputs a second control signal for causing the air-conditioning apparatus to adjust a property of wind from the air-supply port, based on the recognition result received by the input unit.
In one non-limiting and exemplary embodiment, a user can be promptly and intuitively notified that operation target equipment is specified.
It should be noted that general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any selective combination thereof.
Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings. The benefits and/or advantages may be individually obtained by the various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, which need not all be provided in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and/or advantages.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
In
The air-conditioning system 1 is, for example, a system used in a movable body such as a vehicle. In the embodiment, a user is a passenger of a vehicle.
The air-conditioning system 1 recognizes a change request for changing air-conditioning setting by a gesture input operation of the user and adjusts air supply in response to the change request.
Before the gesture input operation of the user, the air-conditioning system 1 notifies the user, by using air supply, of acceptability of a gesture operation (that the system 1 can accept a request). That is, in the air-conditioning system 1, the user first performs an operation of making the air-conditioning system 1 in an acceptance state (i.e., specifies operation target equipment), and then performs an operation for issuing a change request for changing air-conditioning setting to the air-conditioning system 1 (gesture operation).
Examples of the “gesture operation” include an operation of moving a user's hand away from the air-supply port 402 in order to increase the flow rate of wind from the air-supply port 402, and an operation of moving the user's hand toward the air-supply port 402 in order to reduce the flow rate of wind from the air-supply port 402. The gesture operations are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.
Examples of the “operation for making the air-conditioning system 1 in an acceptance state” include an operation of moving the user's hand toward (causing the user's hand to be near) a location near the air-supply port 402 so that the user's hand is detected by the sensor 10. This operation is merely an example, and the present disclosure is not limited to this example.
Components of the air-conditioning system 1 illustrated in
The sensor 10 is disposed near the air-supply port 402, for example. Examples of the sensor 10 include a time of flight (TOF) sensor. The sensor 10 detects the presence of an object (e.g., a user's hand) near the air-supply port 402. The sensor 10 outputs, to the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 (input unit 301), a detection signal indicating the presence of the user's hand near the air-supply port 402.
The sensor 10 is an image sensor that acquires a gesture image indicating a gesture input operation of the user and outputs the gesture image to the recognition device 20.
The sensor 10 may be a single sensor or constituted by a plurality of sensors.
The recognition device 20 performs an image recognition process on the gesture image received from the sensor 10, and recognizes a gesture operation such as movement of the user's hand away from or toward the air-supply port 402 or an upward or downward orientation of the palm. After the recognition of the gesture operation, the recognition device 20 refers to a database storing correspondences between gesture operations and change requests for changing air-conditioning setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40, and recognizes (specifies) a change request corresponding to the gesture operation recognized based on the gesture image received from the sensor 10. The recognition device 20 outputs the recognition results (i.e., change request) to the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 (input unit 301).
Here, examples of air-conditioning setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40 include a flow rate, a direction, a humidity, and a temperature of wind from the air-supply port 402. The “change request” herein is a change request for changing at least one of these properties of wind.
The database referred to by the recognition device 20 may be held in the recognition device 20, other equipment (not shown) in the air-conditioning system 1, or a server (e.g., unillustrated cloud server) connected through a network (including the Internet).
The air-conditioning control apparatus 30 outputs, to the air-conditioning apparatus 40, a control signal for notifying the user that the air-conditioning system 1 was specified as operation target equipment of the user by using a change in the flow rate of wind from the air-supply port 402. Then, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 controls the wind from the air-supply port 402, based on a change request for changing air-conditioning setting corresponding to the gesture input operation of the user.
Specifically, the input unit 301 of the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 receives, from the sensor 10, a detection signal indicating the presence of a user's hand near the air-supply port 402 of the air-conditioning apparatus 40. The input unit 301 receives, from the recognition device 20, a detection result of the change request for changing air-conditioning setting. The input unit 301 outputs the received detection signal or the recognition result to the control unit 302.
The control unit 302 controls the air-conditioning apparatus 40 based on the detection signal output from the input unit 301. Specifically, in a case where wind from the air-supply port 402 is set at the first flow rate and the input unit 301 receives the detection signal, the control unit 302 outputs a control signal to the air-conditioning apparatus 40 (air-conditioning unit 401). The control signal includes a signal that changes wind from the air-supply port 402 to a second flow rate different from the first flow rate, continues the second flow rate for a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as a “duration time”), and then setting the wind from the air-supply port 402 at the first flow rate again.
The air-conditioning control apparatus 30 notifies the user that the air-conditioning system 1 is specified as operation target equipment of the user by changing wind from the air-supply port 402 from the first flow rate to the second flow rate. That is, the user recognizes that the air-conditioning system 1 is in an acceptance state by detecting a change of the flow rate. Then the user performs a gesture operation near the air-supply port 402 (sensor 10), thereby issuing a change request for changing air-conditioning setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40.
In a case where the user issues the change request for changing air-conditioning setting, the control unit 302 causes the air-conditioning unit 401 to adjust properties of wind from the air-supply port 402, based on a detection result received by the input unit 301 from the recognition device 20.
Based on the control signal received from the air-conditioning control apparatus 30, the air-conditioning unit 401 of the air-conditioning apparatus 40 adjusts properties of wind from the air-supply port 402.
The air-supply port 402 supplies air conditioned in the air-conditioning unit 401 to a cabin.
In the air-conditioning system 1 illustrated in
The foregoing description is directed to the example configuration of the air-conditioning system 1 according to the embodiment.
Next, an example operation of the air-conditioning system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to
In
At ST102, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 determines whether a detection signal is input from the sensor 10 disposed near the air-supply port 402 or not. That is, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 determines whether a hand of the user is present in a predetermined range near the air-supply port 402.
If the detection signal is not input (No at ST102), the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 returns to the process at ST101.
On the other hand, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the case of
If the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 receives a detection signal at ST102 (Yes at ST102), the change request for changing air-conditioning setting by a gesture input operation of the user is accepted.
That is, if the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 receives the detection signal at ST102, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 changes the flow rate of wind from the air-supply port 402 at ST103 to notify the user that the air-conditioning system 1 can accept the change request for changing air-conditioning setting by the user. In this manner, the user whose hand is near the air-supply port 402 recognizes that the air-conditioning system 1 is in an acceptance state when detecting the second flow rate different from the currently set first flow rate.
Alternatively, for example, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 may set an acceptable state from the start of accepting the change request for changing setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40 for a predetermined time. The time when the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 starts acceptance of the change request for changing air-conditioning setting by a gesture input operation of the user may be the time when the change from the first flow rate to the second flow rate starts, a time after the change to the second flow rate, or a time after the resetting from the second flow rate to the first flow rate.
At ST104, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 determines whether a recognition result is input from the recognition device 20 or not. That is, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 determines whether there is a change request for changing air-conditioning setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40 by a gesture input operation of the user or not.
If the change request is not issued after a lapse of a predetermined time (No at ST104), the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 returns to the process at ST101. That is, the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 finishes acceptance of the gesture input operation.
On the other hand, if the change request is issued (Yes at ST104), the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 causes the air-conditioning unit 40 to adjust properties of wind from the air-supply port 402 of the air-conditioning unit 40, based on a detection result received from the recognition device 20 at ST105.
The foregoing description is directed to the example operation of the air-conditioning system 1 according to the embodiment.
As described above, in the embodiment, the air-conditioning system 1 notifies the user that the air-conditioning system 1 is operation target equipment of the user (i.e., the air-conditioning system 1 is in an acceptance state), by using a change in the flow rate of wind from the air-supply port 402.
That is, the air-conditioning system 1 can intuitively notify the user that the air-conditioning system 1 is in an acceptance state, by using an air-supply process that is specific to the air-conditioning system 1. For example, in the cabin illustrated in
Unlike conventional techniques, this eliminates the need for the user to see information (visual information) displayed on a display device so that concentration on driving is not disturbed. In addition, since the user can recognize that the air-conditioning system 1 is in an acceptance state based on a change in the flow rate, the time necessary for recognizing the acceptance state is recognized can be shortened, as compared to a conventional case where the recognition is based on sound or audio information.
Thus, in the embodiment, the user can be promptly and intuitively notified that operation target equipment is specified.
The foregoing description is directed to the embodiment of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment, and various changes and modifications may be made. Variations of the embodiment will now be described.
In the case of the above embodiment, the sensor 10 detects a hand of the user and acquires a gesture image by a gesture input operation of the user. Alternatively, sensors may be individually provided for the detection of a hand of the user and acquisition of a gesture image.
The air-conditioning system 1a illustrated in
The sensor 50 detects the presence of an object (e.g., a hand of the user) near the air-supply port 402, and outputs, to the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 (input unit 301), a detection signal indicating the presence of the user's hand near the air-supply port 402. On the other hand, the sensor 51 acquires a gesture image indicating a gesture input operation of the user and outputs the gesture image to the recognition device 20.
As described above, in the case where the detection of a hand of the user and the acquisition of a gesture image are performed by the different sensors 50 and 51, advantages similar to those in the embodiment can be obtained.
In the case of the embodiment described above, a change request for changing air-conditioning setting is issued by a gesture input operation of the user. The request for changing air-conditioning setting, however, is not necessarily issued by the gesture input operation. In a second variation, specific examples in which a change request for changing air-conditioning setting is issued by an operation except a gesture input operation will be described.
In a first specific example, a change request for changing air-conditioning setting is issued by “voice.”
In
The microphone 60 acquires voice data of the user, and outputs the voice data to the recognition device 21.
The recognition device 21 is a voice recognition device, performs voice recognition on voice data received from the microphone 60, and converts the voice data to text data. The recognition device 21 refers to a database storing correspondences between text data and requests for changing air-conditioning setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40, and recognizes a change request corresponding to the text data converted from voice data. The recognition device 21 outputs the recognition results to the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 (input unit 301).
In a second specific example, a change request for changing air-conditioning setting is issued by using an “input device” will be described.
In a manner similar to the above embodiment, when the input unit 301 receives a detection signal from the sensor 11, the control unit 303 of the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 controls the air-conditioning apparatus 40 so that the control unit 303 notifies the user that the air-conditioning system 1c can accept the change request for changing air-conditioning setting. The control unit 303 causes the air-conditioning apparatus 40 to accept the change request for changing setting of the air-conditioning apparatus 40 when the user issues the request. In this manner, the air-conditioning system 1c comes to be in a state of accepting the change request.
The input device 70 outputs, to the air-conditioning unit 401, operation information indicating an operation by the user. The input device 70 is a plurality of operation buttons on a steering wheel, for example. These operation buttons are allocated with functions associated with operation target equipment. For example, in a case where the operation target equipment is the air-conditioning system 1c, the operation buttons are allocated with functions for changing setting of properties of wind, such as changes in flow rate, temperature, and direction. That is, in a case where the air-conditioning system 1c is in a state of accepting a change request (e.g., in an air-conditioning setting mode), the input device 70 operates as an input device for receiving the change request for changing air-conditioning setting.
In the acceptance state, the air-conditioning unit 401 supplies air obtained by adjusting properties of wind from the air-supply port 402 into the cabin, based on operation information output from the input device 70.
The foregoing description is directed to the first and second specific examples of a method for inputting a change request for changing air-conditioning setting.
As described above, in the second variation, in a manner similar to the first embodiment, each of the air-conditioning systems 1b and 1c notifies the user of the acceptance state in which the change request for changing air-conditioning setting is acceptable by changing the flow rate of wind from the air-supply port 402, depending on the presence of a hand of the user detected by the sensor 11. In this manner, similar advantages as those in the above embodiment can be obtained in the second variation.
Each of the air-conditioning systems 1b and 1c accepts the change request for changing air-conditioning setting by a voice input or an operation input of the input device to adjust the flow rate and other properties. In this manner, in the second variation, the user can change air-conditioning setting by using voice or the input device.
In a third variation, a case where an air supply pattern in notifying the user of an acceptance state of a change request for changing air-conditioning setting is changed will be described.
By using a gesture image received from the sensor 10, the hand speed measuring unit 201 measures the speed of approach of a hand of the user included in the gesture image to the sensor (i.e., the speed of approach of a user's hand to the air-supply port 402, i.e., the sensor 10). The hand speed measuring unit 201 outputs, to the air-conditioning control apparatus 30, speed information indicating the measured speed of approach.
Based on the speed information received by the input unit 301 from the hand speed measuring unit 201, the control unit 304 of the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 changes the flow rate from the first flow rate to the second flow rate, and after a lapse of a duration time, sets an air supply pattern in setting the first flow rate again.
For example, as the air supply pattern, the value of the second flow rate and the length of the duration time of the second flow rate are set.
For example, in a case where the approach speed measured by the hand speed measuring unit 201 is less than a threshold (in a case where a hand approaches the air-supply port 402 slowly), for example, as indicated by the solid line in
For example, in a case where the approach speed measured by the hand speed measuring unit 201 is greater than or equal to a threshold (in a case where a hand approaches the air-supply port 402 quickly), as indicated by the broken line in
That is, in the case where the user's hand approaches the air-supply port 402 quickly, strong wind is supplied from the air-supply port 402 for a short time, whereas in the case where the user's hand approaches the air-supply port 402 slowly, mild wind is supplied from the air-supply port 402 for a long time. That is, the air supply pattern of wind supplied from the air-supply port 402 in order to notify the user that the air-conditioning system 1d is in the acceptance state is adjusted in accordance with the speed at which the user's hand approaches the air-supply port 402.
In this manner, the air-conditioning system 1d can notify the user without surprise that the air-conditioning system 1d is in the acceptance state by using gentle wind, in a normal situation (i.e., in the case where the speed described above is less than the threshold). On the other hand, in a case where the user wishes to operate quickly (i.e., the above-described speed is greater than or equal to the threshold), the air-conditioning system 1 d can notify the user without surprise that the air-conditioning system 1d is in the acceptance state by using strong wind.
In the case of the embodiment described above, the flow rate (second flow rate) for notifying the user of the acceptance state is higher than the currently set flow rate (first flow rate). On the other hand, in the fourth variation, a case where the flow rate for notifying the use of the acceptance state is set in accordance with the currently set flow rate (first flow rate).
An air-conditioning system according to the fourth variation has a basic structure shared by the air-conditioning system 1 according to the embodiment above, and thus, description will also refers to
The control unit 302 of the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 compares the first flow rate with a predetermined threshold. If the first flow rate is less than the threshold, the control unit 302 sets the second flow rate higher than the first flow rate, whereas if the first flow rate is greater than or equal to the threshold, the control unit 302 sets the second flow rate lower than the first flow rate.
As illustrated in
In the case of
Similarly, as illustrated in
The variations have been described above.
The variations of the embodiment described above may be combined in any manner in application.
Functions of units of the air-conditioning system 1 and the air-conditioning control apparatus 30 can be implemented by a computer program.
The reader 1007 reads a program for implementing functions of the above-described devices from the recording medium that stores the program, and causes the memory device 1006 to store the read-out program. Alternatively, the transmission/reception device 1008 communicates with a server device connected to the network and causes the memory device 1006 to store a program for implementing functions of the above-described devices downloaded from the server device.
Then, the CPU 1003 copies the program stored in the memory device 1006 into the RAM 1005, and sequentially reads instructions included in the program from the RAM 1005 to execute the instructions, thereby implementing the functions of the devices. In executing the program, information obtained in the processes described in the above embodiment is stored in the RAM 1005 or the memory device 1006, and is suitably used.
The present disclosure is useful for an air-conditioning system that controls air supply into a vehicle.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2015-145758 | Jul 2015 | JP | national |