JP7637889B2 - Air conditioning device and control method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an air conditioning device and a method for controlling the air conditioning device.

Mold proliferation (i.e., growth or reproduction) can become prominent in environments where certain conditions are met, such as high temperature, high humidity, and the presence of organic matter such as dust. In response to this, air conditioners capable of suppressing indoor mold growth have been known (see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that estimates the mold growth state based on temperature, humidity, and elapsed time, and when it is determined that the mold growth state is above a certain level, determines whether people are present and then reduces the relative humidity, thereby suppressing mold growth.

JP 2003-130423 A

In an air conditioner, the air outlet is closed by the louvers after operation is completed, creating a semi-sealed environment inside the housing. Air conditioners are prone to becoming humid inside due to condensation in the heat exchanger, and the inside is prone to becoming hot due to heat loss when driving the motor that rotates the sirocco fan for air circulation, and because the air inside the room is sucked in and exhausted, dust from the room is easily collected and organic matter is likely to accumulate. In other words, an environment suitable for mold growth is easily created inside the air conditioner. As such, mold could grow inside conventional air conditioners, affecting the room inside.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air conditioning device etc. that can appropriately suppress the growth of mold inside the housing.

An air conditioning device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing, an imager installed inside the housing that captures images of each area of an object to be treated inside the housing, a processor that performs a mold inactivation process on the object to be treated, and a control unit, and the control unit calculates the amount of mold adhering to the object to be treated for each area based on the captured images for each area, determines a processing strength for each area according to the calculated amount of mold adhering, and causes the processor to perform the inactivation process at the determined processing strength.

A control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for an air conditioning device that includes a housing, an imager that is installed inside the housing and captures an image of each area of a treatment object inside the housing, a processor that performs a mold inactivation process on the treatment object, and a control unit, and calculates the amount of mold adhering to the treatment object for each area based on the captured image for each area, determines a treatment intensity for each area according to the calculated amount of mold adhering, and causes the processor to perform the inactivation process at the determined treatment intensity.

These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

An air conditioning device according to one aspect of the present disclosure can appropriately suppress the growth of mold inside the housing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view and a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured in the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating mold detection in an air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the sirocco fan and the amount of mold adhesion, and the relationship between the rotation angle of the sirocco fan and the treatment intensity according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the sirocco fan and the treatment intensity according to the modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of an air conditioning apparatus according to a modified example of the embodiment.

(Knowledge that formed the basis of the disclosure)
As described in the Background Art section, a hot and humid environment is formed inside the air conditioner due to condensation and heat generated during operation, and a situation where a large amount of organic matter is present is easily formed by collecting dust in the room. Therefore, mold often occurs inside the air conditioner, creating a situation where it is easy for mold to grow. In addition, the inside of the air conditioner, especially the sirocco fan for blowing air, is located deep from the air conditioner's air outlet and is difficult to maintain, so even if the user performs simple maintenance such as cleaning, some of the mold (hyphae and spores) that serve as seeds for mold growth are likely to remain. For this reason, it is known that once a suitable environment is formed, mold will grow explosively, mainly around the sirocco fan.

In this disclosure, therefore, an air conditioner is provided that has the function of inactivating mold that adheres to an object to be treated, the object being the sirocco fan of the air conditioner in particular. Note that the object to be treated is not limited to the sirocco fan, and may be a filter that is prone to collecting dust, a heat exchanger that is prone to condensation water, or a louver on which mold scattered from the sirocco fan is likely to take root.

In addition, in this disclosure, ultraviolet light and ozone are used to inactivate mold. Since ultraviolet light and ozone have the property of corroding the resin parts used in each part of the air conditioner, it is desirable not to use them more than necessary. Therefore, the mold inactivation process in this disclosure functions so that it is not performed more than necessary. In this way, an air conditioner is realized that can appropriately suppress the growth of mold inside the housing by reducing damage to each part.

(Summary of disclosure)
The air conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure comprises a housing, an imager installed inside the housing for capturing images of each area of the object to be treated inside the housing, a processor for performing a mold inactivation process on the object to be treated, and a control unit, wherein the control unit calculates the amount of mold adhering to the object to be treated for each area based on the captured images of each area, determines a treatment intensity for each area in accordance with the calculated amount of mold adhering, and causes the processor to perform the inactivation process at the determined treatment intensity.

Such an air conditioner can inactivate mold on the object to be treated inside. Here, the air conditioner can take an image of the object to be treated for each area, and calculate the amount of mold adhering to each area of the object to be treated for each area. Therefore, mold inactivation can be performed with different treatment strengths for each area, and the treatment strength can be set to the required level for each area. Therefore, mold inactivation is unlikely to be performed with a treatment strength greater than necessary, and excessive damage caused by the inactivation treatment to each component inside the housing of the object to be treated, etc. is suppressed. In this way, the air conditioner can appropriately suppress the growth of mold inside the housing. Note that the imager may capture an image from outside the housing through an opening for blowing air or a dedicated imaging window, etc., as long as the inside of the housing is included within the angle of view.

Also, for example, the processor may have an ultraviolet irradiation module that irradiates ultraviolet light, and the control unit may increase the amount of ultraviolet light irradiated as the calculated amount of adhesion increases.

This allows mold to be inactivated by the effects of ultraviolet light while changing the treatment intensity depending on the amount of ultraviolet light.

Also, for example, the processor may have an ozone generation module that generates ozone, and the control unit may increase the concentration of the generated ozone as the calculated adhesion amount increases.

This allows mold to be inactivated by the effects of ozone while changing the treatment intensity depending on the ozone concentration.

Also, for example, the control unit may acquire time information regarding the time available for the inactivation process, and if the standard time required for the inactivation process is longer than the available time, increase the processing intensity and shorten the time for the inactivation process to be shorter than the standard time, and if the standard time required for the inactivation process is shorter than the available time, decrease the processing intensity and extend the time for the inactivation process to be longer than the standard time.

This allows the processing strength and the time of the inactivation process to be adjusted based on the time available for the inactivation process so that the inactivation process is completed within the available time. When the available time is relatively short, the processing strength is increased while the time of the inactivation process is shortened, and the inactivation process is completed within the available time. On the other hand, when the available time is relatively long, the processing strength is decreased while the time of the inactivation process is extended, thereby further reducing damage to each component that accompanies the inactivation process.

Also, for example, the object to be processed may be a sirocco fan for blowing air, the imager and processor may be fixed independently of the rotation of the sirocco fan, and the area may be set by dividing the sirocco fan in units of rotation angle according to the area that can be processed by the processor.

This allows mold inactivation treatment to be performed at an appropriate treatment intensity corresponding to the amount of mold adhesion for each area set in units of the rotation angle of the sirocco fan.

In addition, for example, when calculating the amount of mold adhesion, one or more clusters in which mold is formed may be detected within the captured image, and the largest cluster containing the greatest amount of mold may be identified from among the one or more clusters, and the amount of adhesion may be calculated based on the amount of mold contained in the largest cluster.

Accordingly, when determining the treatment strength within an image, i.e., within one area, in order to prevent the inactivation treatment strength from being insufficient, the largest cluster with the highest mold content among the mold clusters within the image can be identified, and a treatment strength can be determined that matches the amount of mold attached in that largest cluster.

The control method according to the present disclosure is a control method for an air conditioning device that includes a housing, an imager that is installed inside the housing and captures images of each area of the object to be treated inside the housing, a processor that performs a mold inactivation process on the object to be treated, and a control unit, and calculates the amount of mold adhering to the object to be treated for each area based on the captured images for each area, determines a processing strength for each area according to the calculated amount of mold, and causes the processor to perform the inactivation process at the determined processing strength.

This control method can achieve the same effects as the air conditioning device described above.

The following describes the embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings.

The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, the arrangement and connection of the components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the embodiments below are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Furthermore, each figure is not necessarily an exact illustration. In each figure, substantially identical configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

In the following, terms indicating the relationship between elements, such as parallel and perpendicular, terms indicating the shape of an element, such as rectangular, and numerical ranges do not only indicate the strict meaning, but also include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about a few percent.

[Configuration of Air Conditioner]
First, the configuration of the detection device will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a perspective view and a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the air conditioner according to an embodiment.

Figure 1 shows the general shape of the housing 5 of the air conditioning device 100 and a portion of the internal configuration when the housing 5 is seen through. Also, in Figure 1, a perspective view is shown on the left, and a plan view of a virtual plane indicated by a two-dot chain line in the perspective view is shown on the right.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning device 100 includes a long housing 5 and a long cylindrical sirocco fan 99 inside the housing 5 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 5. The sirocco fan 99 has a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 5 and rotates around this rotation axis to blow air. The sirocco fan 99 is an example of an object to be treated in this embodiment. Therefore, the imager 10 is provided in a position to image the sirocco fan 99, and the processor 20 is provided in a position to treat the sirocco fan 99. If the object to be treated is not the sirocco fan 99, the imager 10 is provided in a position to image the object to be treated, and the processor 20 is provided in a position to treat the object to be treated. In this embodiment, in particular, mold 98 on the side of the sirocco fan 99 is inactivated. Therefore, the imager 10 and the processor 20 are provided in a position facing the side of the sirocco fan 99.

Here, the processor 20 has a processable area 21, and can process a portion of the sirocco fan 99 located in this processable area 21. As described above, the sirocco fan 99 rotates, and the rotation of the sirocco fan 99 and its relative orientation to the processor 20 are set so that each portion (i.e., each area) of the sirocco fan 99 is sequentially positioned within the processable area 21 as it rotates. Similarly, the rotation of the sirocco fan 99 and its relative orientation to the imager 10 are set so that each portion (i.e., each area) of the sirocco fan 99 is sequentially positioned within the angle of view as it rotates.

In this way, when the object to be processed is the sirocco fan 99, the imager 10 and the processor 20 are fixed independently of the rotation of the sirocco fan 99. Also, the side of the sirocco fan 99 is divided in rotation angle units according to the processable area 21 by the processor 20, thereby setting the area that can be processed at one time. On the other hand, when the object to be processed is not the sirocco fan 99, the imager 10 and the processor 20 may be configured to move.

The treatable area 21 is, for example, an area within the range reached by ozone generated from the ozone generation module 22 or an area within the range reached by ultraviolet light irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiation module 23, and is indicated by dot hatching in FIG. 1. Mold 98 that has existed within this area for a certain period of time is inactivated by reducing its proliferation ability or destroying the cells themselves.

The mold 98 is distributed unevenly on the side of the sirocco fan 99 (more specifically, between the fins formed on the side).

As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning device 100 includes an image capture device 10, a processor 20, and a sirocco fan 99, as well as a control unit 30. The image capture device 10, the processor 20, and the control unit 30 are described in more detail below.

The imager 10 is installed inside the housing 5 and is a device that captures images of each area of the sirocco fan 99 inside the housing 5. The imager 10 may be any device that can distinguish between the mold 98 and other things. For example, the imager 10 may be an ultraviolet camera, a visible light camera, or an infrared camera. A light source for the imager 10 may also be provided separately. In this embodiment, the imager 10 is composed of multiple cameras arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 5, and captures a panoramic image of a portion of the circumferential direction of the side of the sirocco fan 99. This makes it possible to capture an image of a portion of the circumferential direction of the sirocco fan 99 over the entire longitudinal direction at one time. The images captured by the imager 10 are stored in the control unit 30 in association with the rotation angle of the sirocco fan 99.

The processor 20 has an ozone generating module 22 that generates ozone, and an ultraviolet irradiation module 23 that irradiates ultraviolet light. The processor 20 has both the ozone generating module 22 and the ultraviolet irradiation module 23, but may have only one of them.

The ozone generation module 22 is an air discharge type ozone generator that can generate ozone by performing an air discharge on the oxygen contained in the air. The ozone generation module 22 can control the amount of ozone generated (i.e., the ozone treatment strength) depending on conditions such as the voltage during discharge.

The ultraviolet irradiation module 23 is a deuterium lamp capable of emitting ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet irradiation module 23 can control the amount of ultraviolet light irradiated (i.e., the ultraviolet light processing intensity) depending on conditions such as the voltage at the time of light emission.

The control unit 30 is a device that controls the image capturer 10 and the processor 20 to acquire images of each area of the sirocco fan 99, determine the processing strength for each area, and perform inactivation processing of mold 98 adhering to the area at the determined processing strength. The control unit 30 is realized by a processor, a memory, and a program executed by these.

When the control unit 30 determines the processing strength, a process is performed in which the amount of mold 98 adhering to each area (amount of mold 98 adhering) is calculated from the image of that area. At this time, object detection algorithms that apply machine learning, such as R-CNN (Region Convolutional Neural Network), SSD (Single Shot MultiBox Detector), and YOLO (You Only Look Once) v3, are used to detect mold 98 in the image.

Next, in determining the treatment intensity by the control unit 30, since the necessary treatment intensity may differ depending on the type of mold 98, etc., a unit treatment intensity per unit amount of adhesion required to inactivate the most major type of mold 98 is set based on the composition of the types of mold 98 present in the space in which the air conditioning device 100 is installed. Also, a unit treatment intensity capable of sufficiently inactivating the most inactivation-resistant mold 98 in the composition of the more common types of mold 98 may be set. In this way, the treatment intensity in this area is determined by multiplying the unit treatment intensity by the amount of mold 98 adhesion.

The control unit 30 can control the processor 20 to achieve the determined treatment intensity, thereby performing inactivation treatment of the mold 98 at a necessary and sufficient treatment intensity in this area.

[Action]
Next, the operation of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured in the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram explaining mold detection in the air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment. Figure 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the sirocco fan and the amount of mold adhesion, and the relationship between the rotation angle of the sirocco fan and the treatment intensity according to the embodiment.

First, the inactivation process in this embodiment is performed after the operation of the air conditioning device 100 is terminated. Therefore, when an instruction to terminate the operation of the air conditioning device 100 is received, the flow shown in FIG. 3 is started. First, the rotation speed of the sirocco fan 99 is reduced to a speed suitable for imaging, and then the control unit 30 controls the imager 10, which then captures an image for each area (S101). As described above, the captured image is stored in association with the rotation angle of the sirocco fan 99, i.e., information for identifying the area. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, an image 11 is obtained for each area, so that multiple images 11 are stored. In the image 11, the mold 98 is captured so as to be distinguishable from the rest. Note that in FIG. 4, all other components captured in the image, such as the fins of the sirocco fan 99, are shown as white, but in reality, it may be necessary to subtract a control image or perform processing such as object recognition to distinguish the mold 98 from the other components.

The control unit 30 uses the captured images to calculate the amount of mold 98 for each area (S102). For example, in FIG. 5, the amount of mold 98 is calculated for one of the captured images 11. FIG. 5 shows how clusters formed by mold 98 are detected. Mold 98 gradually expands its propagation range, so it forms clusters within a certain distance from one seed. For example, in FIG. 5, five clusters have been formed: a first cluster C1, a second cluster C2, a third cluster C3, a fourth cluster C4, and a fifth cluster C5.

The control unit 30 then determines the processing intensity for each area (S103). Here, the processing intensity may be determined by calculating the total amount of mold 98 in each cluster shown in the image 11 of one area as the amount of mold 98 adhesion. However, in this case, if proliferation is not uniform within the area, the processing intensity may not be sufficient in a specific cluster where proliferation is concentrated. Therefore, in the present disclosure, the largest cluster containing the largest amount of mold 98 is identified, and the amount of mold 98 adhesion in the area is calculated based on the amount of mold 98 contained in this largest cluster.

As an example, in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the second cluster C2 contains the largest amount of mold 98. In this case, the control unit 30 assumes that the amount of mold 98 contained in the second cluster C2 is five clusters' worth of mold 98 attached within the area, and calculates the amount of mold 98 attached to the second cluster C2 x 5. As a result, a treatment strength that is sufficient for both clusters is determined. In this way, the "density" of mold 98 can be taken into account even within an area, so a more appropriate treatment strength for inactivating mold 98 can be determined.

Then, the rotation speed of the sirocco fan 99 is reduced to a speed suitable for the inactivation process, and the control unit 30 controls the processor 20, which inactivates the mold 98 with the processing strength determined for each area (S104). In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle of the sirocco fan (i.e., the area), and the vertical axis indicates the processing strength (line graph) or the amount of mold adhesion (bar graph). As shown in FIG. 6, a necessary and sufficient processing strength is determined for each rotation angle according to the amount of mold 98 adhesion calculated for each rotation angle (i.e., the area) of the sirocco fan 99, so that it is possible to suppress the effects of ozone and ultraviolet rays on the air conditioner 100 while suppressing the re-growth of mold 98 due to missed processing of mold 98. In this way, the air conditioner 100 can appropriately suppress the growth of mold 98 inside the housing 5.

[Modification]
The operation of the air conditioning apparatus according to the modified example of the above embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Note that in the modified example described below, the description of the substantially same configuration as that of the above embodiment may be omitted or simplified.

Figure 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the sirocco fan and the processing intensity in a modified embodiment. Also, Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of an air conditioning device in a modified embodiment.

In this modified example, an example of operation in a case where time information can be acquired regarding the time available for inactivation treatment of mold 98 by the air conditioner is described. More specifically, in this modified example, a configuration is described in which the effect of ozone and ultraviolet rays on the air conditioner is further reduced by lowering the treatment intensity by making maximum use of the available time. Furthermore, in this modified example, it is possible to obtain the same inactivation treatment effect as with standard time even when the available time is insufficient.

In FIG. 7, similar to FIG. 6, the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle (i.e., area) of the sirocco fan, and the vertical axis indicates the treatment intensity (line graph). Note that the amount of mold 98 adhesion will be described as being the same as in FIG. 6, but in FIG. 7, the graph showing the amount of mold 98 adhesion is omitted for readability. Also, in FIG. 7, for example, the standard time (a fixed reference time set by the manufacturer or user of the air conditioning device) for standard inactivation of mold 98 is compared with the available time, and the graphs for when the available time is long are shown with long dashed lines, when the standard time is equal are shown with dashed lines, and when the available time is short are shown with solid lines.

In the operation of the air conditioning apparatus in this modified example, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 30 acquires time information regarding the time available for inactivation processing of mold 98 (S201). The time information may be information that the user inputs to the control unit by specifying a specific time via a remote control or information terminal, or it may be user schedule information including information on the user's presence or absence stored in an application on an information terminal linked to the air conditioning apparatus or a server device, etc.

After acquiring this time information, the control unit 30 judges whether the preset standard time is longer than the available time (S202). If it is judged that the standard time is longer than the available time (Yes in S202), the processing intensity is multiplied by a coefficient greater than 1 to increase the processing intensity as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, and the inactivation process is performed for a time shorter than the standard time (S203). The process then ends. The coefficient may be a predetermined constant, or a numerical value given by the ratio of the available time to the standard time. Also, instead of multiplying by the coefficient, a constant may be added to the processing intensity.

On the other hand, when the control unit 30 determines that the standard time is not longer than the available time (No in S202), it further determines whether the preset standard time is shorter than the available time (S204). The order of the processing of step S202 and the processing of step S204 may be reversed. When it is determined that the standard time is shorter than the available time (Yes in S204), the processing intensity is multiplied by a coefficient smaller than 1 to reduce the processing intensity as shown by the long dashed line in FIG. 7, and the inactivation processing is performed for a time extended from the standard time (S205). Then, the processing ends. The coefficient may be a predetermined constant or a numerical value given by the ratio of the available time to the standard time. Alternatively, instead of multiplying by the coefficient, a constant may be subtracted from the processing intensity. Furthermore, at this time, since the processing intensity may become 0 or less due to the subtraction, a lower limit value may be set so that the processing intensity does not decrease below a lower limit value greater than 0.

On the other hand, if the control unit 30 determines that the standard time is not shorter than the available time (No in S204), it performs the inactivation process for the standard time with the processing intensity determined in the same manner as in the above embodiment (S206). Then, the process ends.

(Other embodiments)
Although the air conditioning apparatus and the control method according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure have been described based on the embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications conceived by a person skilled in the art may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

It is useful as an air conditioning device that can suppress the growth of mold.

5 Housing 10 Imager 11 Image 20 Processor 21 Processable area 22 Ozone generation module 23 Ultraviolet irradiation module 30 Control unit 98 Mold 99 Sirocco fan C1 First cluster C2 Second cluster C3 Third cluster C4 Fourth cluster C5 Fifth cluster 100 Air conditioner

Claims (8)

A housing and
an imager that is installed inside the housing and captures an image of an object to be processed inside the housing;
A treatment device for inactivating mold on the treatment object;
A control unit,
The control unit is
Calculating the amount of mold adhering to the treatment object for each area of the treatment object based on the captured image;
determining a treatment intensity for each of the areas according to the calculated adhesion amount;
causing the processor to perform the inactivation treatment at the determined treatment intensity ;
obtaining time information regarding the time available for the inactivation treatment;
If the standard time required for the inactivation treatment is longer than the available time, the treatment intensity is increased and the time for the inactivation treatment is shortened below the standard time;
If the standard time required for the inactivation treatment is shorter than the available time, the treatment intensity is reduced and the time for the inactivation treatment is extended beyond the standard time.
Air conditioning equipment. A housing and
an imager that is installed inside the housing and captures an image of an object to be processed inside the housing;
A treatment device for inactivating mold on the treatment object;
A control unit,
The control unit is
Calculating the amount of mold adhering to the treatment object for each area of the treatment object based on the captured image;
determining a treatment intensity for each of the areas according to the calculated adhesion amount;
causing the processor to perform the inactivation treatment at the determined treatment intensity;
The object to be treated is a sirocco fan for blowing air,
the imaging device and the processor are fixed independently of the rotation of the sirocco fan,
The area is set by dividing the sirocco fan in units of rotation angles according to a region treatable by the processor.
Air conditioning equipment. The processor includes an ultraviolet irradiation module that irradiates ultraviolet light,
The air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the control unit increases an amount of ultraviolet light to be irradiated as the calculated amount of adhesion increases. The processor includes an ozone generation module for generating ozone;
The air-conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the control unit increases a concentration of the generated ozone as the calculated amount of adhesion increases. The control unit is
obtaining time information regarding the time available for the inactivation treatment;
If the standard time required for the inactivation treatment is longer than the available time, the treatment intensity is increased and the time for the inactivation treatment is shortened below the standard time;
The air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, when a standard time required for the inactivation treatment is shorter than the available time, the treatment intensity is reduced and the time for the inactivation treatment is extended beyond the standard time. In calculating the amount of mold attached,
Detecting one or more clusters formed by the mold in the captured image;
Identifying a largest cluster among the one or more clusters that contains the greatest amount of the mold;
The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the adhesion amount is calculated based on an amount of the mold contained in the largest cluster. A method for controlling an air conditioning apparatus including a housing, an imager installed inside the housing and capturing an image of an object to be treated inside the housing, a processor that performs a mold inactivation process on the object to be treated, and a controller,
Calculating the amount of mold adhering to the treatment object for each area of the treatment object based on the captured image;
determining a treatment intensity for each of the areas according to the calculated adhesion amount;
causing the processor to perform the inactivation treatment at the determined treatment intensity ;
obtaining time information regarding the time available for the inactivation treatment;
If the standard time required for the inactivation treatment is longer than the available time, the treatment intensity is increased and the time for the inactivation treatment is shortened below the standard time;
If the standard time required for the inactivation treatment is shorter than the available time, the treatment intensity is reduced and the time for the inactivation treatment is extended beyond the standard time.
Control methods. A method for controlling an air conditioning apparatus including a housing, an imager installed inside the housing and capturing an image of an object to be treated inside the housing, a processor that performs a mold inactivation process on the object to be treated, and a controller,
Calculating the amount of mold adhering to the treatment object for each area of the treatment object based on the captured image;
determining a treatment intensity for each of the areas according to the calculated adhesion amount;
causing the processor to perform the inactivation treatment at the determined treatment intensity;
The object to be treated is a sirocco fan for blowing air,
the imaging device and the processor are fixed independently of the rotation of the sirocco fan,
The area is set by dividing the sirocco fan in units of rotation angles according to a region treatable by the processor.
Control methods.

Images