# US 9,435,558 B2 · Air conditioner > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,435,558 B2 - Document ID: US9435558B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/328,232 - Filed: 2011-12-16 - Published: 2012-05-17 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2008-09-10 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Takashi Matsumoto; Shintaro Watanabe; Hiroshi Kage; Yoshikuni Kataoka; Hiroshi Hirosaki - Inventors: Takashi Matsumoto; Shintaro Watanabe; Hiroshi Kage; Yoshikuni Kataoka; Hiroshi Hirosaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435558B2 ## CPC - F24F 11/56: Remote control - F24F 11/30: for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring - F24F 11/63: Electronic processing - F24F 2110/10: Temperature - F24F 2120/00: Control inputs relating to users or occupants - F24F 2120/10: Occupancy - 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) ## Abstract Disclosed is an air conditioner with spatial recognition and detection functions for deciding room shape by determining, based on temperature difference information between the floor and walls occurring during air conditioning operation, a human body detection position log, and a capacity zone of the air conditioner. In an embodiment, an infrared sensor detects a temperature of an area of the room by scanning the area and a control unit acquires thermal image data of the area scanned by the infrared sensor and then calculates a temperature of a wall of the room from the acquired thermal image data. The control unit detects a human body in the room from the thermal image data, calculates a distance between the body and the wall, and calculates a radiation temperature from the wall for the body based on the calculated temperature of the wall and the distance between the body and the wall. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air conditioner installed in a room, comprising: an infrared sensor which detects a temperature of an area of the room by scanning the area; and a microprocessor which acquires thermal image data of the area scanned by the infrared sensor, calculates, from the acquired thermal image data, a temperature T_left of a left wall located on a left side when viewed from the air conditioner, a temperature T_front of a frontal wall located in front of the air conditioner, a temperature T_right of a right wall located on a right side when viewed from the air conditioner, each of the left wall, the frontal wall, and the right wall being a wall of the room, a temperature Tf. ave of a floor of the room, a distance X_left between the left wall and an installation position of the air conditioner, a distance Y_front between the frontal wall and the installation position, and a distance X_right between the right wall and the installation position, detects a human body present in the room from the acquired thermal image data, and calculates T_calc = Tf . ⁢ ave + 1 α ⁡ [ T_left - Tf . ⁢ ave 1 + ( Xf - X_left ) 2 ] + 1 β ⁡ [ T_front - Tf . ⁢ ave 1 + ( Yf - Y_front ) 2 ] + 1 γ ⁡ [ T_right - Tf . ⁢ ave 1 + ( Xf - X_right ) 2 ] where T_calc is a radiation temperature from the wall and the floor of the room for the human body, Xf is an X coordinate indicating a position where the human body is detected in a right and left direction of the room when viewed from the air conditioner, Yf is a Y coordinate indicating the position where the human body is detected in a depth direction of the room when viewed from the air conditioner, and α, β, and γ are correction coefficients, the microprocessor configured to control at least one of an air outlet temperature, an air outlet direction and an air outlet volume based on the calculations. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the temperature Tf. ave is a temperature of an area where the human body is detected, among a plurality of areas into which the floor is divided. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the floor is divided into the plurality of areas in a right and left direction and a depth direction of the room when viewed from the air conditioner. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the floor is divided into the plurality of areas such that each of the plurality of areas overlaps areas adjacent thereto. ### Claim 5 A radiation temperature calculating method comprising: detecting, with an infrared sensor, a temperature of an area of a room by scanning the area; acquiring, with a microprocessor, thermal image data of the area scanned by the infrared sensor; calculating, with the microprocessor, from the acquired thermal image data, a temperature T_left of a left wall located on a left side when viewed from the air conditioner, a temperature T_front of a frontal wall located in front of the air conditioner, a temperature T_right of a right wall located on a right side when viewed from the air conditioner, each of the left wall, the frontal wall, and the right wall being a wall of the room, a temperature Tf. ave of a floor of the room, a distance X_left between the left wall and an installation position of the air conditioner, a distance Y_front between the frontal wall and the installation position, and a distance X_right between the right wall and the installation position; detecting, with the microprocessor, a human body present in the room from the acquired thermal image data; calculating, with the microprocessor, T_calc = Tf . ⁢ ave + 1 α ⁡ [ T_left - Tf . ⁢ ave 1 + ( Xf - X_left ) 2 ] + 1 β ⁡ [ T_front - Tf . ⁢ ave 1 + ( Yf - Y_front ) 2 ] + 1 γ ⁡ [ T_right - Tf . ⁢ ave 1 + ( Xf - X_right ) 2 ] where T_calc is a radiation temperature, from the wall and the floor of the room for the human body, Xf is an X coordinate indicating a position where the human body is detected in a right and left direction of the room when viewed from the air conditioner, Yf is a Y coordinate indicating the position where the human body is detected in a depth direction of the room when viewed from the air conditioner, and α, β, and γ are correction coefficients; and controlling at least one of an air outlet temperature, an air outlet direction and an air outlet volume based on the calculations.