JP2011021858A - Air-conditioning control device - Google Patents

Abstract

An air-conditioning control apparatus capable of obtaining a high-quality sleep environment in accordance with changes in a user's sleep pattern and deep body temperature is provided.
A sleep pattern estimator 3 for estimating a sleep pattern of a user C from a time series distribution of a turnover frequency, a deep body temperature estimator 4 for estimating a change in a deep body temperature of the user C, and a room temperature for detecting a room temperature The first threshold that is the upper limit of the room temperature and the lower limit of the room temperature based on the sleep pattern estimated by the detection unit 5, the sleep pattern estimation unit 3, and the change in the deep body temperature estimated by the deep body temperature estimation unit 4 When the room temperature detected by the threshold setting unit 6 that sets the threshold of 2 for each sleep pattern and the room temperature detection unit 5 exceeds the first threshold set by the threshold setting unit 6, the operation of the air conditioner D is started. And an operation control unit 7 that stops the operation of the air conditioner D when it falls below the second threshold.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning control device that controls the operation of air conditioning equipment to control room temperature and the like.

  Conventionally, in sleep in summer, air conditioning equipment such as cooling is often operated so as to eliminate the heat and easily fall asleep. In this case, if the air-conditioning equipment is operated at all times until the wake-up time, the sleep environment of the sleeper may be impaired by waking up at dawn or becoming heavy when waking up. In many cases, the air conditioning is stopped after a predetermined time by setting an off timer. However, in the summer, when the air conditioning is stopped, the room temperature rises in a short time. In this case, it seems that it is sufficient to set the off timer and go to sleep again, but when the off timer expires after re-sleeping and the air conditioning stops, the temperature in the room rises, and there are very many cases that awaken halfway again .

  As a means for solving the above problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, in the “sleeping cooling operation mode” at the time of going to bed, the air conditioner is not maintained at a constant temperature throughout the sleep period but is maintained during the sleep period. A means for intermittently raising the set temperature of 1 to 4 ° C. and a means for setting the period of operation at a temperature higher than the set temperature to the operation period of the air conditioning apparatus for 10 to 70 minutes to about 10 to 40 minutes are disclosed. Has been. That is, by alternately repeating the section in which the air conditioner is operated at the set temperature and the section in which the air conditioner is operated at a temperature higher than the set temperature, it is possible to prevent awakening midway due to heat, coldness, or the like.

JP-A-5-187679

  By the way, human deep body temperature shows a circadian rhythm with a cycle of 24 hours. Although there are individual differences, the deep body temperature is generally the lowest at around 4-5 am and the highest at around 7-8 pm. In addition, changes in deep body temperature are strongly related to the onset of sleep, and the degree of arousal is high near the maximum body temperature, so that even if you try to sleep, you can hardly sleep. After 9 pm, the deep body temperature gradually decreases and decreases more rapidly with the start of sleep. Moreover, human sleep repeats the sleep pattern which consists of a shallow sleep state and a deep sleep state, and there exists a tendency for a thermal sensation to be sharp in a shallow sleep state and to become dull in a deep sleep state.

  However, in the above conventional example, since the set temperature of the air conditioner is changed regardless of the sleep pattern described above, for example, the air conditioner is operated at a temperature higher than the set temperature in a shallow sleep state where the thermal sensation is sharp, and the user suffers. Then there was a risk of awakening. In addition, the body temperature may not be adjusted due to the influence of the set temperature of the air conditioner during the period when the deep body temperature is low or high. For example, at around 4-5 am when the deep body temperature is the lowest, it is desirable that the set temperature of the air conditioner is not too low in order to prevent falling asleep, but in the conventional example, the set temperature of the air conditioner is low during this period. There is a fear. Therefore, there has been a problem that it is not possible to obtain a good sleep environment according to changes in the user's sleep pattern and deep body temperature.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning control device capable of obtaining a high-quality sleep environment according to changes in a user's sleep pattern and deep body temperature.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is an air conditioning control device for controlling an air conditioner installed in a room, and is a mode input for receiving an input for setting a sleep mode in which a user goes to sleep. A vibration sensor that is disposed between the reception unit and the bed table and the mattress placed on the bed table and outputs a signal corresponding to vibration caused by the user turning over on the mattress, and is output from the vibration sensor A turnover frequency detection unit that detects a time series distribution of a user's turnover frequency according to a received signal, and a sleep pattern estimation unit that estimates a user's sleep pattern from the timeline distribution of the turnover frequency detected by the turnover frequency detection unit And a depth body temperature estimation unit that detects a time when an input for setting the sleep mode is received by the mode input reception unit and estimates a change in the user's deep body temperature from the detected time, The first threshold value of the room temperature that is the upper limit and the room temperature that is the lower limit based on the change in the room temperature detector that detects the temperature, the sleep pattern estimated by the sleep pattern estimator, and the deep body temperature estimated by the deep body temperature estimator The second threshold value is set for each sleep pattern, and when the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit exceeds the first threshold value set by the threshold value setting unit, the operation of the air conditioner is started. And an operation control unit that stops the operation of the air conditioner when the threshold value is below 2.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the operation control unit detects the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit above the first threshold set by the threshold setting unit and is detected by the turnover frequency detection unit. The operation of the air conditioner is started when a state where the turnover frequency is a predetermined value or more continues for a certain period.

  According to the invention of claim 1, since the room temperature threshold can be changed in consideration of changes in the user's sleep pattern and deep body temperature, sleep such as increasing the set temperature of the air conditioner in a shallow sleep state, for example. Control of room temperature ignoring the pattern, or control of room temperature ignoring changes in the deep body temperature, such as lowering the set temperature of the air conditioner during a period when the deep body temperature is low, is not performed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good sleep environment according to the user's sleep pattern and changes in deep body temperature.

  According to the invention of claim 2, even if the room temperature exceeds the first threshold value set by the threshold value setting unit, it is determined that the user does not feel hot when the user turns over less frequently. Thus, the operation of the air conditioner can be prevented from starting. Therefore, it is possible to control the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the user's condition, so that it solves the problem of sleeping due to the operation of the air conditioner, and avoids unnecessary operation of the air conditioner to save energy. You can also play.

It is the schematic which shows embodiment of the air-conditioning control apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) is a figure which shows a user's sleep pattern, (b) is a figure which shows the change of general deep body temperature, (c) is a figure which shows the occurrence frequency of a user's body movement, (d) FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of (c).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air-conditioning control apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the present embodiment controls the operation of an air conditioner D arranged in a room provided with a bed base A and a mattress B on which a user C lies down and goes to sleep. Vibrations caused by body movement such as turning over the user C by being placed between the mode input receiving unit 1 for receiving an input for setting a sleeping mode in which the person C goes to bed and the bed table A and the mattress B A vibration sensor 20 having one or more sensor elements (not shown) for outputting a corresponding signal, and a turnover frequency detection unit 2 for detecting the turnover frequency of the user C according to the signal output from the vibration sensor 20; The sleep pattern estimation unit 3 that estimates the sleep pattern of the user C from the time-series distribution of the turnover frequency detected by the turnover frequency detection unit 2 and the time at which the input for setting the sleep mode is received by the mode input reception unit 1 The time The sleep pattern estimated by the depth pattern temperature estimation unit 4 that detects the change in the depth body temperature of the user C from the detected time, the room temperature detection unit 5 that detects the room temperature, and the sleep pattern estimation unit 3 And a threshold setting unit 6 that sets a first threshold that is the upper limit of the room temperature and a second threshold that is the lower limit of the room temperature for each sleep pattern based on the change in the deep body temperature estimated by the deep body temperature estimation unit 4; When the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit 5 exceeds the first threshold set by the threshold setting unit 6, the operation of the air conditioning device D is started, and when the temperature falls below the second threshold, the operation of the air conditioning device D is stopped. And an operation control unit 7.

  The above first threshold is the upper limit of the room temperature at which the user C feels hot when the temperature is higher than this, and the second threshold is the user C when the temperature is lower than this. Indicates the lower limit of the room temperature at which the person feels cold.

  The mode input reception unit 1 is formed of, for example, a push button, and provides a start signal for notifying that a sleep mode for controlling the operation of the air conditioner D when the user C sleeps is started by performing a push operation. It transmits to the deep body temperature estimation part 4 and the threshold value setting part 6. The mode input accepting unit 1 has a function of accepting setting input of initial values of the first threshold value and the second threshold value of the room temperature at the start of the sleep mode, and when the user C sets the sleep mode. In addition, it is possible to input arbitrarily.

  When the turn-over frequency detection unit 2 receives the start signal from the mode input reception unit 1, the operation of the vibration sensor 20 is started, and the time series distribution of body motion that serves as an index of the turn-over frequency from the signal output from the vibration sensor 20. Is detected. And the signal containing the information of the time series distribution of the detected body movement is transmitted to the sleep pattern estimation part 3. The sensor element of the vibration sensor 20 is composed of a piezoelectric element made of a polymer piezoelectric material such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride).

  The sleep pattern estimation unit 3 estimates the sleep pattern of the user C based on the time series distribution of body movement obtained from the turnover frequency detection unit 2. Here, it is known that the period of human sleep patterns is distributed around 120 minutes. Therefore, since the average sleep time of Japanese is 7 hours, the sleep pattern appears in 3 or 4 cycles during the sleep period. In this embodiment, as shown to Fig.2 (a), in the sleep period of the user C, four cycles of sleep patterns P1-P4 shall appear.

  In general, the frequency of occurrence of body movement has a certain period, and this period coincides with the period of the sleep pattern (see FIGS. 2A and 2C). In addition, the frequency of occurrence of body motion is high immediately after the start and end of the sleep pattern cycle, and the frequency of body motion is low in the middle of the sleep pattern cycle. This is due to the fact that when the sleep state becomes deep, the muscles are no longer tensioned, so that no body movement occurs. Therefore, the sleep pattern of the user C can be estimated by obtaining the frequency of the frequency of occurrence of body motion from the time series distribution of body motion. Since it is empirically known that the same sleep pattern is repeated during the human sleep period, if the first sleep pattern P1 is estimated, the subsequent sleep patterns P2, P3, and P4 are also considered to be the same as the sleep pattern P1. Hesitate. When the sleep pattern estimation unit 3 estimates the sleep patterns P <b> 1 to P <b> 4, the sleep pattern estimation unit 3 transmits a signal including the data to the threshold setting unit 6.

  The deep body temperature estimation unit 4 stores in advance data on changes in deep body temperature as shown in FIG. When the start signal from the mode input receiving unit 1 is received, the time when the start signal is received is detected by the time measuring unit 40, and a signal including deep body temperature data at the time when the start signal is received is transmitted to the threshold setting unit 6. After the sleep patterns P1 to P4 are estimated in the sleep pattern estimation unit 3, when the start time of each sleep pattern P2, P3, P4 is reached, the difference between the deep body temperature at each time and the deep body temperature at the start time of the previous cycle That is, a signal including data on the amount of change in deep body temperature is transmitted to the threshold setting unit 6. In this embodiment, data of changes in deep body temperature, which are generally recognized as sleep research data, are adopted (Japan Sleep Improvement Council, “Basic Course Sleep Improvement Studies”, 1st Edition, Yuma Co., Ltd.) (See Shobo, February 10, 2008, p. 103, FIG. 1). Of course, a change in the deep body temperature of the user C itself may be measured in advance and the data may be stored.

  The room temperature detection unit 5 converts a temperature sensor 50 disposed in the vicinity of the head of the user C on the bed table A and an analog signal including room temperature information output from the temperature sensor 50 into a room temperature signal which is a digital signal. It comprises a conversion unit 51 that performs D conversion and transmits it to the operation control unit 7. The temperature sensor 50 includes, for example, a thermistor or a thermocouple. When the conversion unit 51 receives a command signal from the operation control unit 7 described later, the conversion unit 51 transmits a room temperature signal including room temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 50 to the operation control unit 7 at regular intervals. The temperature sensor 50 is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the head of the user C in order to detect a temperature as close as possible to the temperature experienced by the user C, but may be disposed in another location. .

  When the threshold setting unit 6 receives the start signal from the mode input receiving unit 1, the threshold setting unit 6 obtains the data of the deep body temperature at the bedtime mode start time from the deep body temperature estimation unit 4, and based on the data, the first threshold of the room temperature and An initial value for the second threshold is set. In addition, when the user C sets the initial values of the first threshold value and the second threshold value at room temperature in the mode input reception unit 1, the threshold values set by the user C are adopted. In the sleep pattern P1 immediately after the start of the sleep mode, since the sleep pattern has not yet been estimated, the cycle is set to 120 minutes, and the period t1, in which the frequency of occurrence of body motion is high for 30 minutes immediately after the start and 30 minutes immediately before the end. The period of t3, 60 minutes in the middle of the cycle, is regarded as a period t2 where the occurrence frequency of body movement is low (see FIG. 2D). In the periods t1 and t3 where the frequency of occurrence of body motion is high, since the user C is estimated to be in a shallow sleep state, the above initial values are set as the first threshold value and the second threshold value, and the body motion is determined. Since the user C is estimated to be in a deep sleep state during the period t2 where the occurrence frequency of the error is low, a temperature slightly higher than the initial value is set as the first threshold value and the second threshold value. And the threshold value signal containing the set 1st threshold value and 2nd threshold value information is transmitted to the driving | operation control part 7 for every period.

  After the sleep patterns P1 to P4 are estimated in the sleep pattern estimation unit 3, based on the amount of change in the deep body temperature obtained from the deep body temperature estimation unit 4 at the start time of each sleep pattern P2, P3, P4, the previous cycle The first threshold value and the second threshold value are corrected, and a threshold signal including the corrected first threshold value and second threshold value information is transmitted to the operation control unit 7. In addition, after the sleep patterns P1 to P4 are estimated, it is possible to estimate the periods t1 and t3 in which the frequency of occurrence of body movements is high and the period t2 in which the frequency of body movements is high in each sleep pattern P2, P3 and P4. In the same manner as described above, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are set every time period.

  For example, when the user C sets a sleep mode at 10:00 pm and sleeps until 6:00 am, the first threshold values in the sleep patterns P1 to P4 are set to 25 ° C., 26 ° C., 27 ° C., and 28 ° C., respectively. The Moreover, the 2nd threshold value in each sleep pattern P1-P4 is set to 23 degreeC, 24 degreeC, 25 degreeC, and 26 degreeC, respectively. And in the middle of the period of each sleep pattern P1-P4, it sets to a threshold value slightly higher than the threshold value set by each sleep pattern P1-P4.

  The operation control unit 7 includes, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the start and stop of the operation of the air conditioner D by transmitting a control signal to the air conditioner D using infrared rays. When the operation control unit 7 receives the threshold signal from the threshold setting unit 6, the operation control unit 7 transmits a command signal instructing to transmit the room temperature signal to the conversion unit 51 at regular intervals. Then, the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit 5 is compared with the first threshold value and the second threshold value of the room temperature set by the threshold value setting unit 6. When the room temperature exceeds the first threshold, a control signal for starting the operation of the air conditioner D is transmitted to the air conditioner D by infrared rays. When the room temperature falls below the second threshold, the control signal for stopping the operation of the air conditioner D Is transmitted to the air conditioner D by infrared rays.

  As described above, since the room temperature threshold can be changed in consideration of changes in the sleep pattern of the user C and the deep body temperature, for example, a sleep pattern such as increasing the set temperature of the air conditioner D in a shallow sleep state. There is no control of room temperature ignoring changes in deep body temperature such as control of room temperature neglected or lowering the set temperature of the air conditioner D during a period when the deep body temperature is low. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good sleep environment according to the sleep pattern of user C and changes in deep body temperature.

  By the way, in this embodiment, when the room temperature exceeds the first threshold value, the operation control unit 7 starts the operation of the air conditioner D. However, depending on the user C, the room temperature has reached the first threshold value. Even if you do not feel hot. In this case, there is no need to operate the air conditioner D. If the air conditioner D is operated, there is a possibility that the user C may be caused to cool down or that energy may be consumed unnecessarily by the operation of the air conditioner D. is there.

  Therefore, a state in which the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit 5 exceeds the first threshold set by the threshold setting unit 6 and the turnover frequency detected by the turnover frequency detection unit 2 continues for a certain period of time. In this case, the operation control unit 7 may be configured to start the operation of the air conditioner D. In this case, even if the room temperature exceeds the first threshold value set by the threshold value setting unit 6, if the user C has a low turnover frequency, it is determined that the user C does not feel hot. The operation of the device D can be prevented from starting. Therefore, since the operation of the air conditioner D can be controlled in accordance with the state of the user C, the problem of the cooling due to the operation of the air conditioner D can be solved and the unnecessary operation of the air conditioner D can be avoided. It can also save energy.

  In addition, it is desirable to set the duration of the state in which the turnover frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value to about 5 seconds to 10 seconds. Further, since the duration period varies depending on the user C, it is desirable that the mode input reception unit 1 is configured so that the user C can appropriately set in the range of 5 seconds to 10 seconds, for example.

  The detection of the turnover frequency is detected based on the duration in the embodiment, but the rate of body movement for a certain time may be used. In this case, for example, if the rate of body movement for 10 seconds is 50% or more, that is, the total value of the body movement time in 10 seconds is 5 seconds or more, it is determined that the user C feels hot. It is desirable to start the operation of the air conditioner D. Further, similarly to the above, since the proportion of the body motion varies depending on the user C, it is desirable that the user C can appropriately set the threshold of the body motion ratio.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mode input reception part 2 Roll-over frequency detection part 20 Vibration sensor 3 Sleep pattern estimation part 4 Deep body temperature estimation part 40 Timekeeping part 5 Room temperature detection part 50 Temperature sensor 51 Conversion part 6 Threshold setting part 7 Operation control part A Bed bed B Mattress C User D Air conditioning equipment

Claims (2)

  An air conditioning control device for controlling an air conditioner installed in a room, a mode input receiving unit for receiving an input for setting a sleep mode in which a user goes to sleep, and a mattress placed on the bed table A vibration sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the vibration caused by the user turning over on the mattress, and a time series distribution of the user's turning over frequency according to the signal output from the vibration sensor. An input for setting the sleep mode is received by the sleep pattern estimation unit for detecting the sleep pattern of the user, the sleep pattern estimation unit for estimating the sleep pattern of the user from the time series distribution of the rollover frequency detected by the rollover frequency detection unit, and the mode input reception unit. A deep body temperature estimating unit that detects a change in a user's deep body temperature from the detected time, a room temperature detecting unit that detects a room temperature, and sleep pattern estimation Threshold for setting the first threshold that is the upper limit of the room temperature and the second threshold that is the lower limit of the room temperature for each sleep pattern based on the sleep pattern estimated in step 1 and the change in the deep body temperature estimated by the deep body temperature estimation unit When the room temperature detected by the setting unit and the room temperature detection unit exceeds the first threshold set by the threshold setting unit, the operation of the air conditioning device is started, and when the temperature falls below the second threshold, the operation of the air conditioning device is stopped. An air conditioning control device comprising an operation control unit.   In the operation control unit, a state in which the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit exceeds the first threshold set by the threshold setting unit, and the turnover frequency detected by the turnover frequency detection unit continues for a certain period of time. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the air-conditioning equipment is started when the operation is performed.

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