# US 10,375,301 B2 · Sensor control method executed by air-conditioning apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,375,301 B2 - Document ID: US10375301B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/210,886 - Filed: 2016-07-15 - Published: 2016-11-03 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-05-27 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America - Inventors: Nawatt Silawan; Koichi Kusukame - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375301B2 ## CPC - F24F 11/63: Electronic processing - F24F 11/30: for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring - F24F 11/33: to fire, excessive heat or smoke - F24F 11/526: giving audible indications - F24F 11/56: Remote control - F24F 11/62: characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values - F24F 11/66: Sleep mode - F24F 11/77: by controlling the speed of ventilators - F24F 11/79: for controlling the direction of the supplied air - F24F 11/89: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices - G01J 5/0025: {Living bodies (ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00)} - G01J 5/025: {Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface} - G01J 5/026: {Control of working procedures of a pyrometer, other than calibration; Bandwidth calculation; Gain control} - G01J 5/07: Arrangements for adjusting the solid angle of collected radiation, e.g. adjusting or orienting field of view, tracking position or encoding angular position (optical collimating elements G01J5/0806) - G06T 3/4053: based on super-resolution, i.e. the output image resolution being higher than the sensor resolution - H04N 23/23: from thermal infrared radiation - H04N 23/951: by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio - F24F 11/58: using Internet communication - F24F 2110/10: Temperature - F24F 2120/00: Control inputs relating to users or occupants - F24F 2120/10: Occupancy - G01J 2005/0077: {Imaging} - G01J 2005/106: {Arrays} - Y02B 30/70: Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating - F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02) - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A sensor control method that is executed by an air-conditioning apparatus includes: acquiring a first thermal image by scanning an air-conditioned space using the infrared sensor in accordance with a first scanning scheme, the air-conditioning apparatus being placed in the air-conditioned space; extracting a subject thermal image from the first thermal image, based on a difference between a background thermal image of the air-conditioned space when no subject is present therein and the first thermal image; determining a second scanning scheme different from the first scanning scheme, when the subject thermal image has a size smaller than a threshold size; and acquiring a second thermal image by scanning an area corresponding to the subject thermal image of the air-conditioned space using the infrared sensor in accordance with the determined second scanning scheme. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor control method executed by an air-conditioning apparatus including a linear infrared sensor constituted by a plurality of infrared light-receiving elements, the sensor control method comprising: acquiring a first thermal image by scanning an air-conditioned space using the infrared sensor in accordance with a first scanning scheme, the air-conditioning apparatus being placed in the air-conditioned space; extracting a subject thermal image from the first thermal image, based on a difference between a background thermal image of the air-conditioned space when no subject is present therein and the first thermal image; determining a second scanning scheme different from the first scanning scheme, when a size of the extracted subject thermal image is equal to or smaller than a predetermined size, wherein the predetermined size is smaller than a size of the first thermal image; and acquiring a second thermal image by scanning an area corresponding to the extracted subject thermal image of which the size is equal to or smaller than the predetermined size using the infrared sensor in accordance with the determined second scanning scheme, wherein the area is an area in the air-conditioned space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control method according to claim 1, wherein, in the determining of the second scanning scheme, the second scanning scheme is determined based on a resolution of the extracted subject thermal image and a resolution needed by the air-conditioning apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The control method according to claim 2, wherein the second scanning scheme differs from the first scanning scheme in a scanning speed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The control method according to claim 2, wherein the second scanning scheme differs from the first scanning scheme in scan intervals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The control method according to claim 1, wherein, in the extracting of the subject thermal image, a pixel area where a temperature difference from the background thermal image is larger than a predetermined threshold temperature, the pixel area being included in the first thermal image, is extracted as the subject thermal image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The control method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring a re-scanned thermal image by re-scanning an area corresponding to the extracted subject thermal image using the infrared sensor in accordance with the first scanning scheme, after the subject thermal image is extracted in the extracting of the subject thermal image; and detecting a thermal image change that occurs between the first thermal image and the re-scanned thermal image, wherein, in the determining of the second scanning scheme, when the thermal image change detected in the detecting of the thermal image change is smaller than a predetermined value, the second scanning scheme is determined. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The control method according to claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor is used to acquire the background thermal image in a state in which an air flow blown by the air-conditioning apparatus is applied to a particular area in the air-conditioned space. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The control method according to claim 7, wherein iterative scanning is performed on the particular area. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The control method according to claim 7, wherein a frequency of scanning the particular area is changed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The control method according to claim 1, further comprising: executing super-resolution reconstruction processing by using the second thermal image. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The control method according to claim 10, further comprising: providing air-conditioning control for a subject via the air-conditioning apparatus, in accordance with a result of the super-resolution reconstruction processing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The control method according to claim 10, further comprising: issuing a notification regarding a state of a subject, in accordance with a result of the super-resolution reconstruction processing.