Patent Application
20250189162
The disclosure relates to an air conditioner that maintains constant indoor humidity and temperature during a dehumidifying operation, and a method for controlling the same.
An air conditioner is an apparatus for conditioning air in indoor space by using transfer of heat produced from evaporation and condensation of a refrigerant to cool or heat the air and release the cooled or heated air. The air conditioner may circulate the refrigerant through a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger during a cooling operation or a heating operation, and cool or heat the indoor space by releasing the air that has exchanged heat in the indoor heat exchanger into the indoor space.
In general, a dehumidifying operation of an air conditioner is performed to remove moisture contained in the indoor air and lower the indoor humidity. As the indoor air is cooled by the cooling operation, the indoor air may also be cooled by the dehumidifying operation. In a general dehumidifying operation, a compressor is controlled to repeatedly turn on or off according to changes in the indoor temperature. However, as the compressor is repeatedly turned on or off, the fluctuation in the indoor temperature increases and the fluctuation in the indoor humidity increases, causing user inconvenience.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.
Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide an air conditioner that reduces fluctuations in indoor temperature and indoor humidity by performing a comfort operation that appropriately adjusts a frequency of a compressor without on-off control of the compressor during a dehumidifying operation, and a method for controlling the same.
Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.
In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an air conditioner is provided. The air conditioner includes an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor unit including a compressor configured to supply a refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, an indoor humidity sensor configured to detect an indoor humidity, an indoor temperature sensor configured to detect an indoor temperature, memory storing instructions, and one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to determine whether to perform a comfort operation to maintain the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to be less than or equal to a dew point temperature, based on the indoor humidity and the indoor temperature during a dehumidifying operation, and adjust a frequency of the compressor based on the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the dew point temperature during the comfort operation.
The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to start the comfort operation based on the indoor temperature being maintained to be less than or equal to a first defined threshold temperature and a desired temperature set by a user, and the indoor humidity being maintained to be less than or equal to a defined threshold humidity for a first defined time during the dehumidifying operation.
The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to stop the comfort operation based on the indoor temperature being maintained to be greater than or equal to a second defined threshold temperature higher than the first defined threshold temperature, or the indoor humidity being maintained to be greater than or equal to the defined threshold humidity for a second defined time during the comfort operation.
The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to calculate the dew point temperature from the indoor humidity and the indoor temperature during the comfort operation, and determine an increase in the frequency of the compressor or a decrease in the frequency of the compressor, based on a difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the dew point temperature, and a temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger.
The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to determine an increase value of the frequency of the compressor or a decrease value of the frequency of the compressor corresponding to the difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the dew point temperature, and the temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger, from a fuzzy table stored in the memory.
The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to in response to the increase in the frequency of the compressor, increase a rotation speed of an outdoor fan included in the outdoor unit and increase an opening degree of an expansion valve included in the indoor unit, or in response to the decrease in the frequency of the compressor, decrease the rotation speed of the outdoor fan and decrease the opening degree of the expansion valve.
The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to adjust a first rotation speed of the compressor during the comfort operation to be slower than a second rotation speed of the compressor during the dehumidifying operation, and adjust a third rotation speed of an outdoor fan included in the outdoor unit during the comfort operation to be slower than a fourth rotation speed of the outdoor fan during the dehumidifying operation.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method performed by an air conditioner is provided. The method includes detecting an indoor humidity using an indoor humidity sensor included in the indoor unit during a dehumidifying operation, detecting an indoor temperature using an indoor temperature sensor included in the indoor unit during the dehumidifying operation, determining whether to perform a comfort operation for maintaining a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to be less than or equal to a dew point temperature, based on the indoor humidity and the indoor temperature during the dehumidifying operation, and adjusting a frequency of the compressor based on the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the dew point temperature during the comfort operation.
The method further includes starting the comfort operation based on the indoor temperature being maintained to be less than or equal to a first defined threshold temperature and a desired temperature set by a user, and the indoor humidity being maintained to be less than or equal to a defined threshold humidity for a first defined time during the dehumidifying operation.
The method further includes stopping the comfort operation based on the indoor temperature being maintained to be greater than or equal to a second defined threshold temperature higher than the first defined threshold temperature, or the indoor humidity being maintained to be greater than or equal to the defined threshold humidity for a second defined time during the comfort operation.
The adjusting of the frequency of the compressor includes calculating the dew point temperature from the indoor humidity and the indoor temperature, and determining an increase in the frequency of the compressor or a decrease in the frequency of the compressor, based on a difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the dew point temperature, and a temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger.
The adjusting of the frequency of the compressor includes determining an increase value of the frequency of the compressor or a decrease value of the frequency of the compressor corresponding to the difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the dew point temperature, and the temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger, from a fuzzy table stored in memory.
The method further includes in response to the increase in the frequency of the compressor, increasing a rotation speed of an outdoor fan included in the outdoor unit and increasing an opening degree of an expansion valve included in the indoor unit, or in response to the decrease in the frequency of the compressor, decreasing the rotation speed of the outdoor fan and decreasing the opening degree of the expansion valve.
A first rotation speed of the compressor during the comfort operation is adjusted to be slower than a second rotation speed of the compressor during the dehumidifying operation, and a third rotation speed of an outdoor fan included in the outdoor unit during the comfort operation is adjusted to be slower than a fourth rotation speed of the outdoor fan during the dehumidifying operation.
An air conditioner and a method performed by the same according to the disclosure may reduce fluctuations in indoor temperature and indoor humidity by performing a comfort operation that appropriately adjusts a frequency of a compressor without on-off control of the compressor based on a predetermined condition during a dehumidifying operation. As fluctuations in indoor temperature and indoor humidity may be reduced, power consumption efficiency may be improved and a more comfortable indoor environment may be provided to users.
Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The same reference numerals are used to represent the same elements throughout the drawings.
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it may be directly or indirectly connected to the other element, wherein the indirect connection includes “connection via a wireless communication network”.
In addition, terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to restrict and/or to limit the disclosure. The singular expressions herein may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “includes” and “has” are intended to indicate that there are features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.
In addition, it will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the technical spirit or essential features of the disclosure, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and also a second element may be referred to as a first element.
In addition, the terms, such as “˜ part”, “˜device”, “˜block”, “˜member”, “˜ module”, and the like may refer to a unit for processing at least one function or act. For example, the terms may refer to at least process processed by at least one hardware, such as field-programmable gate array (FPGA)/application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), software stored in memories, or processors.
Reference numerals used for method steps are just used for convenience of description, but not to limit an order of the steps. Thus, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the written order may be practiced otherwise.
Hereinafter, embodiments according to the disclosure are described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
It should be appreciated that the blocks in each flowchart and combinations of the flowcharts may be performed by one or more computer programs which include instructions. The entirety of the one or more computer programs may be stored in a single memory device or the one or more computer programs may be divided with different portions stored in different multiple memory devices.
Any of the functions or operations described herein can be processed by one processor or a combination of processors. The one processor or the combination of processors is circuitry performing processing and includes circuitry like an application processor (AP, e.g. a central processing unit (CPU)), a communication processor (CP, e.g., a modem), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU) (e.g., an artificial intelligence (AI) chip), a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth® chip, a global positioning system (GPS) chip, a near field communication (NFC) chip, connectivity chips, a sensor controller, a touch controller, a finger-print sensor controller, a display driver integrated circuit (IC), an audio CODEC chip, a universal serial bus (USB) controller, a camera controller, an image processing IC, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a system on chip (SoC), an IC, or the like.
Referring to
The outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b are connected through external pipes P1 and P2. A refrigerant may circulate through the outdoor unit 1a, the external pipes P1 and P2 and the indoor unit 1b. One end of the external pipe Pl or P2 may be connected to a piping valve arranged on one side of the outdoor unit 1a. Furthermore, the external pipes P1 and P2 may be connected to a refrigerant pipe arranged inside the indoor unit 1b and the outdoor unit 1a.
An outdoor fan 150 may be disposed in the housing of the outdoor unit la. By operation of the outdoor fan 150, air may be discharged to the outside of the outdoor unit 1a through an outlet of the housing. The outlet may be provided with a fan guard 22 to protect the outdoor fan 150. The fan guard 22 may cover the outlet, and may have a grill or mesh shape.
The indoor unit 1b may include a body case 201 and a front panel 202. In addition, the indoor unit 1b may include at least one outlet 205 on the front panel 202 and at least one door 204 for opening and closing the outlet 205. For example, the doors 204 may include a first door 204a, a second door 204b, and a third door 204c. The outlets 205 may include a first outlet 205a, a second outlet 205b, and a third outlet 205c. The outlets 205 and the doors 204 may be provided on an upper portion of the front panel 202.
The front panel 202 may include a plurality of holes 202h distinguished from the outlets 205. The plurality of holes 202h may be formed in a region of the front panel 202 where the outlets 205 are not formed. The size of each of the plurality of holes 202h is smaller than that of the outlet 205.
The outlets 205 are arranged to directly discharge the air heat exchanged by an indoor heat exchanger 230 to the outside, i.e., the outlets 205 may be exposed to the outside of the indoor unit 1b. The door 204 may open or close the outlet 205. When the outlet 205 is opened by movement of the door 204, heat-exchanged air may be discharged through the outlet 205.
For example, the first door 204a may open the first outlet 205a, the second door 204b may open the second outlet 205b, and the third door 204c may close the third outlet 205c. In this case, heat-exchanged air may be discharged through the first outlet 205a and the second outlet 205b, and heat-exchanged air may not be discharged from the third outlet 205c.
The doors 204 and the outlets 205 may be provided in equal numbers and may be arranged for one-to-one correspondence. The door 204 may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the outlet 205. For example, the outlets 205 and the doors 204 may be circular. The door 204 may be movable between an open position to open the outlet 205 and a closed position to close the outlet 205. The door 204 may move in a forward and backward direction between the open position and the closed position. The door 204 may be moved by a door actuator (not shown).
An indoor fan 250, which is provided in the indoor unit 1b, may be disposed inside the body case 201 to correspond to the outlet 205. The indoor fans 250 may be provided in a number corresponding to the number of outlets 205. The indoor fan 250 may include a fan motor and may rotate using power generated by the fan motor. In a case where a plurality of indoor fans 250 are provided, each of the indoor fans 250 may be controlled to operate at the same rotation speed or at different rotation speeds.
An air inlet 203 may be disposed at the rear of the body case 201. The air introduced into the air inlet 203 may be heat exchanged in the indoor heat exchanger 230, and the heat-exchanged air may be discharged to the outside (i.e., an indoor space) of the indoor unit 1b through the outlet 205. In addition, the heat-exchanged air may be discharged to the outside (the indoor space) of the indoor unit 1b through the plurality of holes 202h of the front panel 202.
When the door 204 opens the outlet 205, the heat-exchanged air may be discharged to the indoor space through the outlet 205 and the plurality of holes 202h of the front panel 202. When the door 204 closes the outlet 205, the heat-exchanged air may be discharged to the outside of the indoor unit 1b through the plurality of holes 202h of the front panel 202.
When the outlet 205 is closed by the door 204, a rotation speed of the indoor fan 250 may be controlled to be relatively low. A flow rate of air discharged through the plurality of holes 202h in a state where the outlet 205 is closed may be slower than that of air discharged through the open outlet 205. As such, the indoor unit 1b may control the door 204 to open or close the outlet 205, and may change a discharge flow path of the air introduced into the air inlet 203.
Although the air conditioner 1 has been described as including one outdoor unit 1a and one indoor unit 1b, the air conditioner 1 may include a plurality of outdoor units la and a plurality of indoor units 1b. For example, a plurality of indoor units 1b may be connected to a single outdoor unit 1a. Furthermore, the form of the indoor unit 1b is not limited to what is described above. Any type of indoor unit 1b may be applied, as long as the indoor unit 1b is installed in an indoor space and is capable of cooling or heating the indoor space.
Referring to
The air conditioner 1 may include a liquid pipe P1 connecting the outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b and serving as a passage through which liquid refrigerant flows, and a gas pipe P2 through which gaseous refrigerant flows. The liquid pipe P1 and the gas pipe P2 may extend to the inside the outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b.
During a cooling operation, the refrigerant may release heat from an outdoor heat exchanger 130 and absorb heat from the indoor heat exchanger 230. That is, during the cooling operation, the refrigerant compressed in a compressor 110 may be first supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 130 through a four-way valve 120 and then to the indoor heat exchanger 230 through an expansion valve 220. During the cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 130 may operate as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant, and the indoor heat exchanger 230 may operate as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant.
During the cooling operation or a dehumidifying operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 moves to the outdoor heat exchanger 130. The liquid or near-liquid refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 130 is expanded and decompressed in the expansion valve 220. Two-phase refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 220 moves to the indoor heat exchanger 230. The refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 230 exchanges heat with air and evaporates. Accordingly, a temperature of the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 230 decreases, and the cooled air is discharged to the outside of the indoor unit 1b. In addition, because the moisture contained in the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 230 is condensed, the air from which the moisture has been removed may be discharged into the indoor space.
During the dehumidifying operation, a frequency of the compressor 110 is controlled to be relatively low. Accordingly, a temperature of the air discharged from the indoor unit 1b during the dehumidifying operation may be higher than a temperature of the air discharged during the cooling operation.
During a heating operation, the refrigerant may release heat from the indoor heat exchanger 230 and absorb heat from the outdoor heat exchanger 130. That is, during the heating operation, the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 110 may be first supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 230 through the four-way valve 120 and then to the outdoor heat exchanger 130. In this case, the indoor heat exchanger 230 may operate as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant, and the outdoor heat exchanger 130 may operate as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant.
During the heating operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 moves to the indoor heat exchanger 230. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 230 exchanges heat with low-temperature and dry air. The refrigerant is condensed into a liquid or near-liquid refrigerant and releases heat, and as the air absorbs the heat, warm air is discharged to the outside of the indoor unit 1b.
The outdoor unit 1a includes the compressor 110 compressing the refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger 130 performing heat exchange between outdoor air and the refrigerant, the four-way valve 120 guiding the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 110 to the outdoor heat exchanger 130 or the indoor heat exchanger 230 based on cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, heating operation, and an accumulator 160 preventing unevaporated liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 110.
The compressor 110 may operate with electric energy provided from an external power source. The compressor 110 includes a compressor motor (not shown) and compresses a gaseous refrigerant of low pressure into high pressure by using the rotational force of the compressor motor. A frequency of the compressor 110 may be changed to correspond to a capacity required by the indoor unit 1b. The compressor 110 may be an inverter air compressor, a positive displacement compressor or a dynamic compressor, and various types of compressors that may be considered by a designer may be used.
The four-way valve 120 may change a moving direction of the high temperature and high pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110. During the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, the four-way valve 120 is controlled to guide the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 110 to the outdoor heat exchanger 130. During the heating operation, the four-way valve 120 is controlled to guide the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 110 to the indoor unit 1b.
The outdoor heat exchanger 130 may serve as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 110 during the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, and may serve as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant decompressed in the indoor unit 1b during the heating operation. The outdoor heat exchanger 130 may include an outdoor heat exchanger refrigerant pipe (not shown) through which the refrigerant passes, and an outdoor heat exchanger cooling fin (not shown) to increase a surface area in contact with outdoor air. An increase in the contact surface area between the outdoor heat exchanger refrigerant pipe (not shown) and outdoor air may improve a heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and outdoor air.
The outdoor fan 150 may be positioned around the outdoor heat exchanger 130 to flow outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 130. The outdoor fan 150 may blow outdoor air before heat exchange to the outdoor heat exchanger 130 while simultaneously blowing the heat-exchanged air outdoors. The outdoor fan 150 may disperse heat released by liquefaction of refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 130 by discharging air around the outdoor heat exchanger 130 to the outside.
The accumulator 160 may store liquid refrigerant and vaporize the stored liquid refrigerant. The accumulator 160 may prevent the liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 110. However, in a case where the amount of refrigerant circulation is excessive, the vaporization of the liquid refrigerant by the accumulator 160 may not be performed properly. In this case, the liquid refrigerant may flow into the compressor 110, and the compressor 110 may be damaged.
The outdoor unit 1a may include an outdoor temperature sensor 171 for detecting an outdoor temperature. An outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 172 for detecting a temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 130 may be disposed on at least one side of the outdoor heat exchanger 130. The outdoor temperature sensor 171 and the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 172 may be implemented as at least one of a bimetal thermometer, a thermistor thermometer, or an infrared thermometer.
Based on the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation in which the refrigerant flows from the compressor 110 to the outdoor heat exchanger 130, the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 172 may be disposed on the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 130 from which the refrigerant flows out. Accordingly, the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 172 may be referred to as an ‘outdoor heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor’. Although not illustrated, a temperature sensor (not shown) may also be provided on the inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 130, which may be referred to as an ‘outdoor heat exchanger inlet temperature sensor’. In other words, a temperature sensor may be disposed at each of the inlet and outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 130. The outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 172 may be installed around the inlet and/or outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 130, or may be installed to contact the refrigerant pipe connected to the inlet and/or outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 130.
During the heating operation, a circulation direction of the refrigerant is reversed, and thus the inlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 130 where the refrigerant flows in and the outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 130 where the refrigerant flows out may be defined in reverse. However, for convenience of description, the inlet and outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 130 may be described based on the cooling operation.
A compressor outlet temperature sensor 173 may be disposed at the outlet of the compressor 110. The compressor outlet temperature sensor 173 may detect a discharge temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110. The discharge temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 may be referred to as a compressor discharge temperature or a compressor outlet temperature.
The indoor unit 1b may include the expansion valve 220, the indoor heat exchanger 230, and the indoor fan 250. The indoor heat exchanger 230 performs heat exchange between indoor air and the refrigerant. The indoor fan 250 may cause indoor air to flow to the indoor heat exchanger 230. A plurality of indoor fans 250 may be provided.
The expansion valve 220 may expand the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid state and discharge a mixture of gaseous and liquid refrigerants of low temperature and low pressure. The expansion valve 220 may adjust the amount of refrigerant supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 230. The expansion valve 220 decompresses the refrigerant by using throttling actions. Throttling actions refer to a reduction in pressure of the refrigerant when the refrigerant passes through a narrow flow path even without heat exchange with the outside.
The expansion valve 220 may be an electronic expansion valve (EEV) capable of controlling an opening degree. For example, the expansion valve 220 may be a thermoelectric electronic expansion valve that uses deformation of a bimetal, a thermostatic electronic expansion valve that uses volumetric expansion by heating enclosed wax, a pulse width modulation type electronic expansion valve for opening or closing a solenoid valve according to a pulse signal, or a step motor type electronic expansion valve that uses a motor to open or close the valve.
The expansion valve 220 is exemplified as being included in the indoor unit 1b, but the expansion valve 220 may also be included in the outdoor unit 1a. In addition, the expansion valve 220 may be included in both the outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b. That is, the expansion valve 220 may be provided in the liquid pipe P1, which is a pipe forming a refrigerant flow path between the outdoor heat exchanger 130 and the indoor heat exchanger 230.
The indoor heat exchanger 230 may serve as an evaporator that evaporates low-pressure liquid refrigerant during the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, and may serve as a condenser that condenses high-pressure gaseous refrigerant during the heating operation. Like the outdoor heat exchanger 130 of the outdoor unit 1a, the indoor heat exchanger 230 includes an indoor heat exchanger refrigerant pipe (not shown) through which the refrigerant passes, and an indoor heat exchanger cooling fin (not shown) for improving a heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and indoor air.
The indoor fan 250 may be positioned around the indoor heat exchanger 230 to blow indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 230. The indoor heat exchanger 230 may perform heat exchange with indoor air. The indoor fan 250 may blow indoor air before heat exchange to the indoor heat exchanger 230 while simultaneously blowing the heat-exchanged air into the indoor space.
An indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 211 may be provided in the indoor heat exchanger 230 to detect a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230. The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 211 may be disposed around the indoor heat exchanger 230 and/or on an outer surface of the indoor heat exchanger 230. The temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 may indicate a temperature of air that exchanges heat with the indoor heat exchanger 230.
In addition, an indoor temperature sensor 213 may be disposed in the indoor unit 1b to detect an indoor temperature. The indoor temperature sensor 213 may detect a temperature of indoor air drawn in through the air inlet 203 located at the rear of the body case 201 of the indoor unit 1b. The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 211 and the indoor temperature sensor 213 may be implemented as at least one of a bimetallic thermometer, a thermistor thermometer, or an infrared thermometer. In addition, the air conditioner 1 may include various temperature sensors.
An indoor humidity sensor 212 may detect an indoor humidity. The indoor humidity may indicate a relative humidity. The indoor humidity sensor 212 may detect a humidity of indoor air drawn in through the air inlet 203 located at the rear of the body case 201 of the indoor unit 1b. The indoor humidity sensor 212 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the detected indoor humidity to a second controller 270 of the indoor unit 1b.
The indoor temperature sensor 213 and the indoor humidity sensor 212 may be disposed in the body case 201, but are not limited thereto. The indoor temperature sensor 213 and the indoor humidity sensor 212 may also be disposed outside the body case 201.
Referring to
The first controller 190 may be electrically connected to components of the outdoor unit 1a and may control the operation of each component. For example, the first controller 190 may adjust a frequency of the compressor 110 and control the four-way valve 120 to allow a circulation direction of refrigerant to be switched. The first controller 190 may control a rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150. The rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 may be controlled according to an outdoor temperature. In addition, the first controller 190 may generate a control signal to control an opening degree of the expansion valve 220 of the indoor unit 1b.
Under the control of the first controller 190, the refrigerant may circulate along a refrigerant circulation flow path including the compressor 110, the four-way valve 120, the outdoor heat exchanger 130, the expansion valve 220, and the indoor heat exchanger 230. The compressor 110 may compress a gaseous refrigerant and discharge a high-temperature/high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. In addition, the compressor 110 may not operate in a blowing operation that does not require cooling or heating.
The four-way valve 120 may switch the circulation direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 under the control of the first controller 190. The four-way valve 120 guides the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 110 to the outdoor heat exchanger 130 during a cooling operation, and guides the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 110 to the indoor heat exchanger 230 during a heating operation.
The outdoor temperature sensor 171 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to a detected outdoor temperature to the first controller 190. The outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 172 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to a detected inlet temperature and/or a detected outlet temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger to the first controller 190. The compressor outlet temperature sensor 173 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to a compressor discharge temperature to the first controller 190.
The first communication interface 180 may communicate with the indoor unit 1b. The first communication interface 180 of the outdoor unit 1a may transmit a control signal transmitted from the first controller 190 to the indoor unit 1b, or may transmit a control signal transmitted from the indoor unit 1b to the first controller 190. In other words, the outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b may perform bi-directional communication. The outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b may transmit or receive various signals during operation.
The first memory 192 may record/store various information required for operation of the air conditioner 1. The first memory 192 may store instructions, applications, data, and/or programs required for operation of the air conditioner 1. For example, the first memory 192 may store programs for cooling operation, heating operation, and defrosting operation of the air conditioner 1.
The first memory 192 may include a volatile memory, such as a static random access memory (S-RAM), a dynamic random access memory (D-RAM) for temporarily storing data. In addition, the first memory 192 may include a non-volatile memory, such as a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and the like, for long term data storage.
The first processor 191 may generate a control signal for controlling an operation of the air conditioner 1 based on the instructions, applications, data and/or programs stored in the first memory 192. The first processor 191 may include a logic circuit and an arithmetic circuit in hardware. The first processor 191 may process data according to the programs and/or instructions provided from the first memory 192, and generate a control signal according the processing result. The first memory 192 and the first processor 191 may be implemented as a single control circuit or a plurality of circuits.
Some of the components of the outdoor unit 1a illustrated may be omitted, or other components may be added in addition to the illustrated components of the outdoor unit 1a. For example, the outdoor unit 1a may further include a control panel. The control panel may be provided in a cabinet 10 of the outdoor unit 1a. The control panel may obtain a user input related to the operation of the air conditioner 1, and may output information about the operation of the air conditioner 1. The control panel may transmit an electrical signal (voltage or current) corresponding to the user input to the first controller 190. The first controller 190 may control the operation of the air conditioner 1 based on the electrical signal transmitted from the control panel. The control panel may include buttons and a display.
Referring to
The second controller 270 may include second memory 272 and a second processor 271. The second controller 270 of the indoor unit 1b may be electrically connected to components of the indoor unit 1b and may control operations of each component.
The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 211 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to a detected temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 to the second processor 271. The indoor humidity sensor 212 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to a detected indoor humidity to the second processor 271. The indoor temperature sensor 213 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to a detected indoor temperature to the second processor 271.
The expansion valve 220 may decompress the refrigerant. In addition, the expansion valve 220 may also control the amount of refrigerant supplied so that sufficient heat exchange may be performed in the outdoor heat exchanger 130 or the indoor heat exchanger 230. The expansion valve 220 decompresses the refrigerant using a throttling action of the refrigerant in which a pressure of the refrigerant decreases as the refrigerant passes through a narrow flow path.
The second communication interface 260 may communicate with the outdoor unit 1a. The second communication interface 260 of the indoor unit 1b may transmit a control signal transmitted from the second controller 270 to the outdoor unit 1a, or may transmit a control signal transmitted from the outdoor unit 1a to the second controller 270. For example, a control signal to control an opening degree of the expansion valve 220 may be transmitted from the outdoor unit 1a to the indoor unit 1b. The second controller 270 may adjust the opening degree of the expansion valve 220 based on the signal transmitted from the first controller 190 of the outdoor unit 1a.
In addition, the second communication interface 260 may communicate with an access point (AP, not shown) provided separately in an air conditioning space, and may be connected to a network through the access point. The second communication interface 260 may communicate with a user terminal device (e.g., a smartphone) through the access point. The second communication interface 260 may receive information about the user terminal device connected to the access point, and may transmit the information about the user terminal device to the second controller 270. Thus, a user may remotely control the air conditioner 1.
The second memory 272 may record/store various information required for operation of the air conditioner 1. The second memory 272 may store instructions, applications, data, and/or programs required for operation of the air conditioner 1. For example, the second memory 272 may store programs for cooling operation, heating operation, and defrosting operation of the air conditioner 1. The second memory 272 may include a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory like the first memory 192.
The second processor 271 may generate a control signal for controlling an operation of the air conditioner 1 based on the instructions, applications, data and/or programs stored in the second memory 272. The second processor 271 may include a logic circuit and an arithmetic circuit in hardware. The second processor 271 may process data according to the programs and/or instructions provided from the second memory 272, and generate a control signal according the processing result. The second memory 272 and the second processor 271 may be implemented as a single control circuit or a plurality of circuits.
The user interface 280 may be provided on at least one of the body case 201 or the door 204 of the indoor unit 1b. The user interface 280 may obtain user input related to an operation of the air conditioner 1, and may output information about the operation of the air conditioner 1. The user interface 280 may transmit an electrical signal (voltage or current) corresponding to the user input to the second controller 270. The second controller 270 may control the operation of the air conditioner 1 based on the electrical signal transmitted from the user interface 280.
The user interface 280 may include a plurality of buttons. For example, the plurality of buttons may include an operation mode button for selecting an operation mode, such as cooling operation, heating operation, blowing operation, defrosting operation, and dehumidifying operation, a temperature button for setting a target temperature of an indoor space (air conditioning space), a wind direction button for setting a wind direction, and/or a wind speed button for setting a wind speed (rotation speed of the indoor fan).
In addition, the user interface 280 may include a display. The display may display information input by a user or information provided to the user on various screens. For example, information such as a selected operation mode, wind direction, wind speed, and temperature may be displayed as at least one of an image or text.
Some of the components of the indoor unit 1b illustrated may be omitted, or other components may be added in addition to the illustrated components of the indoor unit 1b. For example, the indoor unit 1b may further include a control panel. The control panel may obtain a user input related to the operation of the air conditioner 1, and may output information about the operation of the air conditioner 1.
As described in
The air conditioner 1 according to the disclosure may perform a dehumidifying operation. The dehumidifying operation may be performed according to the selection of the operation mode input through the user interface 280 of the indoor unit 1b. In general, the dehumidifying operation is performed to remove moisture contained in the indoor air to lower the indoor humidity. The indoor air may also be cooled by the dehumidifying operation.
Because the dehumidifying operation is not basically for cooling, a frequency of the compressor 110 may be controlled to be relatively lower during the dehumidifying operation than during a cooling operation. In addition, a rotation speed of the compressor 110 during the dehumidifying operation may be adjusted to be slower than a rotation speed of the compressor 110 during the cooling operation. As the frequency of the compressor 110 decreases, the rotation speed of the compressor 110 may also be slowed. The rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the dehumidifying operation may also be adjusted to be slower than the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the cooling operation.
In a general dehumidifying operation, the compressor 110 may be controlled to turn on or off repeatedly in order to maintain the indoor temperature and indoor humidity within a predetermined range. However, turning the compressor 110 on or off increases fluctuations in the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity. For example, in a case where the indoor temperature becomes lower by a preset offset value (e.g., 2° C.) than the desired temperature set by the user, the compressor 110 turns off, and in a case where the indoor temperature becomes higher by the offset value (e.g., 2° C.) than the desired temperature, the compressor 110 turns on. In other words, the indoor temperature fluctuates within a temperature range from the desired temperature−the offset value to the desired temperature+the offset value. Repeatedly turning the compressor 110 on and off may cause power consumption efficiency to decrease, and a user may feel uncomfortable due to the varying indoor temperature and indoor humidity.
The first controller 190 of the air conditioner 1 may perform a comfort operation that appropriately controls a frequency of the compressor 110 without on-off control of the compressor 110 during a dehumidifying operation. During the comfort operation, a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 may be maintained to be less than or equal to a dew point temperature. Fluctuations in indoor temperature and indoor humidity may be reduced by the comfort operation. Ideally, the indoor temperature and indoor humidity may be maintained constant by the comfort operation. By reducing fluctuations in indoor temperature and indoor humidity, power consumption efficiency may be improved, and a more comfortable indoor environment may be provided to the user.
Hereinafter, a method for controlling the air conditioner 1 to perform a comfort operation during a dehumidifying operation is described.
Referring to
The first controller 190 may determine whether a condition for performing a comfort operation is satisfied based on the indoor humidity and the indoor temperature at operation 502. For example, referring to
Specifically, the first controller 190 of the air conditioner 1 may start the comfort operation, based on the indoor temperature being maintained to be less than or equal to the first defined threshold temperature (e.g., 23° C.) and the desired temperature set by the user, and the indoor humidity being maintained to be less than or equal to the defined threshold humidity (e.g., 60%) for a first defined time (e.g., 5 minutes) during the dehumidifying operation. The first time may be set to various values within a range of 0 second to 10 minutes.
As another example, the comfort operation may also be performed in a case where the indoor temperature is maintained below the desired temperature for a time period (e.g., 10 minutes) longer than the first time during the dehumidifying operation.
In response to starting the comfort operation, the first controller 190 may adjust a frequency of the compressor 110 to maintain a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 to be less than or equal to a dew point temperature at operation 503. Specifically, the first controller 190 may calculate the dew point temperature from an indoor humidity and an indoor temperature during the comfort operation at operation 604. A dew point temperature table including a plurality of dew point temperature values corresponding to a plurality of indoor humidity values and a plurality of indoor temperature values may be pre-stored in the memory 192. The first controller 190 may obtain the dew point temperature corresponding to the current indoor humidity and the current indoor temperature from the dew point temperature table.
The first controller 190 may obtain a difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 and the dew point temperature, and a temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger 230 at operation 605. The temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger 230 refers to a difference between a previous temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 detected at a previous detection time (N−1 cycle) and a current temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 detected at a current detection time (N cycle).
The first controller 190 may determine an increase in frequency of the compressor 110 or a decrease in frequency of the compressor 110 based on the difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 and the dew point temperature, and the temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger 230 at operation 606. The first controller 190 may determine a frequency increase value of the compressor 110 or a frequency decrease value of the compressor 110 corresponding to the difference value between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 and the dew point temperature, and the temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger 230 from the fuzzy table 700 stored in the memory 192. By controlling the compressor frequency, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 may follow the dew point temperature.
The frequency control of the compressor 110 using the fuzzy table 700 is described in detail in
During the comfort operation, the first controller 190 may determine whether a condition for stopping the comfort operation is satisfied at operation 504. The air conditioner 1 may return to the dehumidifying operation according to the stopping of the comfort operation at operation 505. For example, the first controller 190 may stop the comfort operation in a case where the indoor temperature is maintained to be greater than or equal to a second defined threshold temperature (e.g., 26° C.) which is higher than the first defined threshold temperature (e.g., 23° C.) for a second defined time (e.g., 5 minutes) during the comfort operation. The first controller 190 may stop the comfort operation when the indoor humidity is maintained to be greater than or equal to the defined threshold humidity (e.g., 60%) for the second defined time (e.g., 5 minutes) during the comfort operation.
As another example, the first controller 190 may stop the comfort operation in a case where an error is detected in the indoor humidity sensor 212. The first controller 190 may determine that an error has occurred in the indoor humidity sensor 212 in a case where an indoor humidity detection signal is not received from the indoor unit 1b or in a case where a change in indoor humidity is identified as abnormal.
In addition, the first controller 190 of the air conditioner 1 may adjust a rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 and an opening degree of the expansion valve 220 based on the change in the compressor frequency. A control data table including the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 and the opening degree of the expansion valve 220 corresponding to the compressor frequency may be pre-stored in the first memory 192. For example, the first controller 190 may increase the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 included in the outdoor unit 1a and increase the opening degree of the expansion valve 220 included in the indoor unit 1b, in response to an increase in the frequency of the compressor 110. Conversely, the first controller 190 may decrease the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 included in the outdoor unit 1a and decrease the opening degree of the expansion valve 220 included in the indoor unit 1b, in response to a decrease in the frequency of the compressor 110.
The frequency of the compressor 110 during the comfort operation performed while the dehumidifying operation is performed may be controlled to be relatively lower than the frequency of the compressor 110 during the dehumidifying operation. In addition, a first rotation speed of the compressor 110 during the comfort operation may be adjusted to be slower than a second rotation speed of the compressor 110 during the dehumidifying operation. As the frequency of the compressor 110 decreases, the rotation speed of the compressor 110 may also be slowed down. A third rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the comfort operation may also be adjusted to be slower than a fourth rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the dehumidifying operation.
In addition, as described above, the frequency of the compressor 110 during the dehumidifying operation is adjusted to be lower than the frequency of the compressor 110 during the cooling operation, and the rotation speed of the compressor 110 and the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the dehumidifying operation are adjusted to be slower than the rotation speed of the compressor 110 and the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the cooling operation.
Accordingly, the frequency of the compressor 110 during the comfort operation is adjusted to be lower than the frequency of the compressor 110 during the cooling operation, and the rotation speed of the compressor 110 and the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the comfort operation may be adjusted to be slower than the rotation speed of the compressor 110 and the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 during the cooling operation.
The air conditioner 1 according to the disclosure may reduce the fluctuation in the compressor frequency by performing the comfort operation that maintains the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 to be less than or equal to the dew point temperature without on-off control of the compressor 110. In addition, the fluctuation of the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 150 may also be reduced.
Referring to the fuzzy table 700 of
Specifically, the air conditioner 1 may calculate a difference value Td(N) between a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 and a dew point temperature, and a temperature change value ΔTd of the indoor heat exchanger 230 at each predetermined detection cycle during a comfort operation. The temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger 230 refers to a difference between a previous temperature Td(N−1) of the indoor heat exchanger 230 detected at a previous detection time (N−1 cycle) and a current temperature Td(N) of the indoor heat exchanger 230 detected at a current detection time (N cycle). That is, the temperature change value ΔTd of the indoor heat exchanger 230 may be obtained by subtracting the previous temperature Td(N−1) from the current temperature Td(N).
The first controller 190 of the air conditioner 1 may determine the adjustment value (increase value or decrease value) of the compressor frequency corresponding to the difference value Td(N) between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 and the dew point temperature, and the temperature change value ΔTd of the indoor heat exchanger 230 from the fuzzy table 700.
For example, in the fuzzy table 700 of
Referring to
When the compressor 110 is turned off at the time point t1, the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity increase again. At a time point t2 when the indoor temperature reaches a second temperature c2, the compressor 110 is turned on again and operates at the maximum frequency f1. The indoor humidity may increase to second humidity h2 at time point t2. The second temperature c2 is higher than the set desired temperature by the offset value. As the compressor 110 operates, the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity decrease again. Afterwards, at a time point t3 when the indoor temperature decreases and reaches the first temperature c1 again, the compressor 110 is turned off again.
As shown in
Referring to
The third temperature c3 may be lower than or equal to a desired temperature set by a user. In addition, the third temperature c3 may be lower than or equal to a first defined threshold temperature. The third humidity h3 may be lower than or equal to a defined threshold humidity.
The frequency of the compressor 110 may be adjusted to allow a temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 to be maintained to be less than or equal to a dew point temperature during the comfort operation. During the comfort operation, the frequency of the compressor 110 may be adjusted based on a difference between the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 and the dew point temperature and a temperature change value of the indoor heat exchanger 230. A fluctuation range of the compressor frequency during the comfort operation is smaller than a fluctuation range of the compressor frequency during a general dehumidifying operation. After the time point t1, the air conditioner 1 may adjust the frequency of the compressor 110 using the fuzzy table 700. Accordingly, the frequency of the compressor 110 may follow an optimal frequency f2 lower than the maximum frequency f1. As a result, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230 may follow the dew point temperature.
That is, as shown in
Because the frequency of the compressor 110 is lowered after the time point t1, the indoor temperature may slightly increase and the indoor humidity may also slightly increase. However, the fluctuations in the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity may be reduced, and ideally, the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity may be maintained constant.
As such, the air conditioner and the method performed by the same may reduce the fluctuation in the indoor temperature and the fluctuation in the indoor humidity by performing the comfort operation that appropriately adjusts the frequency of the compressor without on-off control of the compressor based on a predetermined condition during the dehumidifying operation. By reducing the fluctuations in the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity, the power consumption efficiency may be improved, and a more comfortable indoor environment may be provided to a user.
Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in the form of a recording medium storing instructions executable by a computer. The instructions may be stored in the form of program code and, when executed by a processor, may generate a program module to perform the operations of the disclosed embodiments.
The machine-readable recording medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, when a storage medium is referred to as “non-transitory,” it may be understood that the storage medium is tangible and does not include a signal (electromagnetic waves), but rather that data is semi-permanently or temporarily stored in the storage medium. For example, a “non-transitory storage medium” may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.
The methods according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed through an application store (e.g., Play Store™) online. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be stored at least semi-permanently or may be temporarily generated in a storage medium, such as memory of a server of a manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a relay server.
While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0111737 | Sep 2022 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation application, claiming priority under § 365 (c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2023/009634, filed on Jul. 7, 2023, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Korean patent application number 10-2022-0111737, filed on Sep. 2, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2023/009634 | Jul 2023 | WO |
| Child | 19056177 | US |
