KR101446283B1 - Air conditioner and operating method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an operation method thereof, in which a plurality of schedules are set in a unit included in an air conditioner, overlapping occurs even when there is no overlap between a plurality of schedules, It is possible to control the air conditioner through a schedule, thereby improving the convenience of the user and preventing the collision due to schedule overlap, thereby improving the stability of the air conditioner.

Air conditioner, remote controller, schedule, duplicate

Description

[0001] Air conditioner and operating method thereof [0002]

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to an air conditioner in which a plurality of schedules are set in a plurality of units included in an air conditioner so that schedules are not overlapped, The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an operation method thereof, in which a unit is operated according to a predetermined schedule.

In order to create a pleasant indoor environment, the air conditioner discharges cold and warm air into the room including a unit for cooling, heating, and air purification, and purifies the room air. Such an air conditioner is controlled separately by an indoor unit constituted by a heat exchanger, an outdoor unit constituted by a compressor, a heat exchanger and the like, and controlled by a power source supplied to a compressor or a heat exchanger.

At least one of the plurality of outdoor units is driven corresponding to the number of the indoor units to be driven so that the refrigerant is supplied to the indoor unit in accordance with the requested operation state and the cooling / It operates in heating mode.

Such an air conditioner includes a single unit or a remote controller for controlling and monitoring a group containing a plurality of units. The remote controller sets a schedule for a single unit or group and controls the unit to operate according to a designated schedule. However, the remote controller can not set a plurality of schedules at the time of schedule setting, or even if a plurality of schedules are set, when there is an overlapping interval, the remote controller has difficulty in setting a schedule because there is no processing for that.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner in which a plurality of schedules are set for a plurality of units included in an air conditioner, And to control the setting of the plurality of schedules by applying a plurality of schedules.

An air conditioner according to the present invention includes at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit. The air conditioner includes a plurality of schedules for controlling operation of any one of the plurality of indoor units And a remote controller configured to control one or more schedules to be set for the overlapping interval when the plurality of schedules occur, wherein the remote controller outputs a guide message according to the schedule overlap to a screen, Outputting a message such that any one of the plurality of schedules is selected, and setting one of the schedules in accordance with the inputted user command as the schedule of the indoor unit.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the air conditioner includes at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit. The air conditioner sets a schedule according to the operation of any one of the indoor units, Wherein the remote controller disables the time zone in which the schedule is set so that the other schedule is not inputted. The remote controller according to claim 1, do.

A method of operating an air conditioner according to the present invention is a method of operating an air conditioner including at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, ; Outputting a guide message indicating a duplication between the preset schedule and the input schedule if the input schedule overlaps with the predetermined schedule; Outputting a message for selecting one of the predetermined schedule and the inputted schedule at the time of outputting the guidance message; Selecting one of the schedules according to a user command input corresponding to the message; And setting the schedule selected for the overlapped interval and the selected schedule among the input schedules as the schedule of the indoor unit.

The air conditioner and the operation method according to the present invention configured as described above can set a plurality of schedules and can set various schedules in a simple schedule setting and can control the schedules so that they do not overlap with each other, It is possible to prevent the collision between the schedules and to improve the stability of the control by setting the schedules of the units so that any one of the schedules is selected and overlapped according to the predetermined setting for the redundant section, The convenience of the user is improved, and other convenience and control efficiency are improved in the schedule application through the schedule pattern.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the air conditioner according to the present invention is connected to at least one indoor unit I11 to I13, I21 to I23 installed indoors, indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23, And one or more outdoor units (O1, O2) including a group. The air conditioner includes a remote controller RC connected to the outdoor units O1 and O2 and the indoor units I11 through I13 and I21 through I23 to monitor and control the operation state of the air conditioner, And a local controller R connected to at least one of the plurality of IMSs. Further, the air conditioner may further include a device such as a ventilator, a humidifying device, an air purifying device, and a heater, and these units may be integrally controlled by a remote controller (RC). However, the present invention is limited to the case where the indoor unit (I) and the outdoor unit (O) are connected to the controller, but it is also applicable to the case where such a unit is further connected.

At least one indoor unit I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 of the air conditioner may be provided in one room and one or more outdoor units O1 and O2 may be driven by the request of at least one of the indoor units, The number of operation of the outdoor units O1 and O2 and the number of operations of the compressors installed in the outdoor units are varied as the cooling / heating capacity is varied corresponding to the indoor units I to be operated. Here, the number of the outdoor units may vary depending on the cooling / heating capacity according to the number of indoor units of the air conditioner and the capacity of the compressor.

The outdoor unit (O1, O2) includes a compressor for receiving and compressing refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, an accumulator for extracting the gas refrigerant from the supplied refrigerant and supplying it to the compressor, And a four-way valve. The apparatus also includes a high pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and a low pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the refrigerant supplied to the compressor. Other sensors, valves, oil recovery devices and the like are further included, but other configurations will not be described below.

The indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 include an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant supplied from the indoor fan, the outdoor units O1 and O2, and a plurality of sensors. The outdoor units O1 and O2 and the indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 are connected through a refrigerant pipe to perform cooling or heating operation according to the flow of the refrigerant in accordance with the flow of refrigerant between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, And transmits and receives mutual data according to the method.

The remote controller RC transmits and receives data through communication with the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and outputs the operation status through the display unit provided, thereby enabling the user to monitor. In addition, a control command is generated and transmitted so that the operation of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit is controlled according to an input user command, and the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are controlled to be driven according to a predetermined schedule.

At this time, the remote controller (RC) sets a plurality of schedules in the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, sets a schedule by overlapping overlapping sections at the time of setting a plurality of schedules, or sets a schedule so that the overlapped sections are not generated. And controls not to set another schedule for the set time. These remote controllers (RC) may be provided in plural as the case may be.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a remote controller configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The remote controller RC includes a control unit 11, a data unit 13, a communication unit 14, an input unit 12, and a display unit 15, as shown in FIG.

The input unit 12 includes at least one button or touch input means, and may include both a button and a touch input means as the case may be. The input unit 12 applies a user command to the control unit 11 according to the operation of the input means.

The display unit 15 includes predetermined display means for outputting characters or images and outputs a user command inputted through the input unit 12 to a screen or a predetermined screen corresponding to an inputted user command. The display unit 15 displays the operation states of the indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 received through the communication unit 30 and controls the plurality of units including the indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 And displays a control menu and a schedule setting menu on the screen.

At this time, in addition to the display unit 15, the air conditioner may further include a speaker for outputting a predetermined sound effect, a warning sound, a voice guidance, and a lamp to be turned on or off.

The data unit 13 stores data input through the input unit 12 and stores data received from the indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 and the outdoor units O1 and O2 via the communication unit 14, Control data for controlling the unit including the outdoor unit, and corresponding setting data for controlling the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are stored. The data unit 13 stores schedule data for the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, and other units set by the control unit 11 in response to a user command of the input unit 12. [

The communication unit 14 includes a plurality of communication modules for transmitting and receiving data according to a wired wireless communication system and transmits and receives data to and from the outdoor units O1 and O2 and the indoor units I11 to I13 and I21 to I23 , And then to the control unit (11).

The control unit 11 controls the data transmitted and received through the communication unit 14 and controls the input and output data by outputting the data input through the input unit 12 through the output unit 15. [ At this time, the control unit 11 generates a control command for controlling the operation of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit in response to the user command inputted from the input unit 12, and transmits the control command to the communication unit 14.

The control unit 11 sets a schedule according to the operation of each indoor unit and the outdoor unit and transmits a control command through the communication unit 15 so that each indoor unit or outdoor unit is operated according to a designated schedule. At this time, the control unit 11 sets a plurality of schedules for each indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and stores the schedule in the data unit 13. In addition, the control unit 11 controls so that a predetermined schedule is selected and determined according to the setting for the overlapped schedules among the plurality of schedules, and controls so that a plurality of schedules do not overlap each other in some cases.

The control unit 11 allows a schedule to be set according to a schedule set in advance for a plurality of overlapping intervals, or a schedule is set according to a schedule selected later. Or generates a guide message in the event of occurrence of duplication, and outputs the guide message through the display unit 15 so that one schedule is set corresponding to the user command input through the input unit 12. [

In addition, the control unit 11 generates a schedule group for allowing at least one indoor unit to operate on the same schedule, so that the number of schedule groups is not larger than the number of indoor units. At this time, when any one indoor unit of a plurality of indoor units is included in a predetermined schedule group, the control unit 11 prevents the indoor unit from being included in another schedule group.

The control unit 11 can set a priority schedule for performing all the set schedules with the highest priority. At the time of setting the priority schedule, the control unit 11 causes the priority schedule to be preliminarily executed for all other schedules, and controls the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to operate according to the priority schedule when overlapping intervals occur due to the priority schedule.

On the other hand, another embodiment of the remote controller (RC) is configured in the same manner as the above-described embodiment, but is configured so that schedules are not set to be duplicated.

That is, when the schedule is set so as not to be duplicated among a plurality of schedules, the control unit of the remote controller (RC) controls the new schedules to be impossible for the schedule when the schedules are pre-set, thereby preventing duplication between schedules. At this time, the schedule is controlled to be inactivated with respect to the predetermined time zone so that the schedule is not input because the corresponding time zone is not selected, so that the schedule is not set to be duplicated.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a schedule management screen of the remote controller shown in FIG. 2. FIG.

3, when the schedule menu is called through the input unit 12, the remote controller RC displays a schedule setting menu for setting the schedule for the indoor unit and the outdoor unit through the display unit 15. FIG.

The schedule setting menu displayed on the screen of the display unit 15 displays the schedule group menu D10 of the indoor units configured to schedule on one side or indoor units configured of a plurality of indoor units. The schedule group is formed by a group of a plurality of indoor units operating on the same schedule, and is set according to a user command irrespective of a connection relation with an actual outdoor unit or a position where an indoor unit is installed. The indoor units included in the schedule group perform the same operation at the same time according to the schedule set in the schedule group.

On the other side of the schedule setting menu, a schedule pattern menu D20 is displayed so that a patterned schedule can be applied to a predetermined schedule group. Also, a time setting menu D40 for setting a period in which the selected schedule pattern is repeated is included, and a time menu for selecting a predetermined day or setting a special schedule on a predetermined day is displayed. The time menu may be displayed in the form of a calendar, but is not limited to the diagram, and the displayed time may be displayed in units of days, weeks, months, and years.

The schedule setting menu includes a schedule information menu (D30) in which the schedule information set in the selected schedule group and the schedule of the schedule group according to the selected schedule pattern are displayed.

4 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a schedule management screen according to a plurality of schedule settings of the remote controller of FIG.

4, when a plurality of schedules are written for a predetermined schedule group in the schedule setting menu screen, the control unit 11 displays a plurality of schedules (schedules A to D) (D51 to D54) To be displayed on the schedule information menu.

At this time, the schedule time area of the schedule A (D51) is set as the first area P11 and the second area P12, and the schedule time area of the schedule B (D52) is set as the third area P21, P22). At this time, the schedule A and the schedule B overlap each other between the first area P11, the second area P12, the third area P21, and the fourth area P22.

Also, the schedule C (D53) does not have a section overlapping with the schedule B (D52), but a section overlapping with the schedule A (D51) is generated. When a plurality of schedules are overlapped, the control unit 11 controls each schedule to be overlapped or set to one of the schedules.

In addition, the control unit 11 controls the schedules D (D53) and D (D54) so that schedules do not overlap. At this time, when the schedule for the fifth area P32 is set in the schedule C (D53), the control unit 11 can only edit the preset schedule C (D53) in the corresponding time area P32, Control.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of overlapping a redundant schedule of the remote controller of FIG. 2;

As shown in FIG. 4, when an overlapping interval is generated between a plurality of schedules for a predetermined indoor unit or a schedule group in the remote controller (RC), one of the schedules is set as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the first schedule S1 from the 0th time t0 to the second time t2 and the first schedule S1 from the first time t1 to the third time t3 The second schedule S2 of FIG. At this time, when the first schedule S1 is set first, the control unit 11 determines whether the first and second schedules S1 and S2 overlap the first time t1 to the second time t2 The schedule is set on the basis of the first schedule S1, which is the schedule set in advance.

The first schedule S1 from the 0th time t0 to the second time t2 and the schedules of the third time t3 from the second time t2 of the second schedule S2 are merged The third schedule S3 is set as the schedule group of the selected schedule group.

5 (b), when the first schedule S1 and the second schedule S2 exist, the control unit 11, as an example different from the above-described FIG. 5 (a) And a schedule is set based on the second schedule S2.

The first schedule S1 from the zero time t0 to the first time t1 and the second schedule S2 from the first time t1 to the third time t3 are merged A schedule for a predetermined schedule group is set by generating a fourth schedule S4.

5 (c), the control unit 11 schedules the third schedule S3 or the fourth schedule S4 according to the user command input through the input unit 12 for the overlapping period according to the setting Setting.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of selecting a schedule of the remote controller of FIG. 2. FIG.

As shown in Fig. 6, the remote controller RC controls a plurality of schedules.

At this time, when the first schedule S1 and the second schedule S2 are included, the control unit 11 sets each schedule to any one schedule without overlapping. That is, when there is a redundant section, as shown in FIG. 5, any one schedule is not merged with any other schedule but any one schedule is selected.

That is, the schedule is selected according to the first schedule S1 as shown in FIG. 6 (a), or the schedule is selected according to the second schedule S2 as shown in FIG. 6 (b).

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying a schedule redundancy indication in the schedule management screen of FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 is an example of guiding an overlapping schedule to be selected in the schedule management screen of FIG.

When there are overlapping intervals in a plurality of schedules set in the schedule group, the remote controller (RC) outputs a wife message according to schedule redundancy on the schedule setting menu as shown in FIG.

At this time, an edit button for editing the schedule is displayed along with the guide message. When an edit button is input through the input unit 12, it is possible to edit the preset schedule.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the remote controller (RC) outputs a guidance message such that any one schedule is selected for the overlapping schedule.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), one of the schedules of 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock and 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock of the indoor unit 1 is selected. At this time, when one of the schedules is selected, the selected schedule is set as the schedule of the indoor unit 1. That is, only one of the schedules is applied to the overlapping period as shown in FIG. At this time, in the case where the section does not overlap, the schedule can be set.

As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the schedule is overlapped with respect to a plurality of schedules, so that one schedule is not set, but only one schedules are applied to overlapping schedules, and the other schedules are not overlapped So that the schedule is set.

That is, in the case where the schedule is overlapped at 10:00 to 12:30 as shown in FIG. 5, any one schedule between the schedule E and the schedule F is set. And the schedule E or the schedule F is maintained for the other non-overlapping sections.

Operation according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a method of setting a schedule according to a priority order in the remote controller of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the schedule setting menu is called, the remote controller (RC) displays a schedule setting menu for setting a schedule for a indoor unit of a single unit or a predetermined schedule group (S210).

At this time, items of selectable indoor units or schedule groups are displayed on the screen (S220). At this time, when one of the objects is selected, a menu for inputting a schedule for the selected schedule group is displayed, and a schedule is input according to a user command input through the input unit 12 (S230).

The controller 11 compares the newly inputted schedule with the predetermined schedule, and determines whether there is an overlapping schedule (S240).

When there is a duplicate schedule, if a priority is assigned to the first schedule set in S250, the schedule of the overlapping interval is set according to the first schedule in S280. On the other hand, if a priority is given to the second schedule (S260), the schedule is set according to the second schedule (S290). If no priority is set in any one of the schedules, the schedule is set according to the user command or the inputted schedule is canceled (S270).

If the schedules do not overlap, or if the schedules are set to any one of the schedules as described above, the corresponding schedules are stored (S300). And transmits a control command to the corresponding indoor unit and the outdoor unit when a specific time according to the schedule is reached.

10 is a flowchart showing a method of setting a schedule according to user input in the remote controller of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the schedule is input (S310), the remote controller (RC) compares the schedule with the previously stored schedule to determine whether the schedule is duplicated (S320). If there is a duplicate schedule, a guide message according to the schedule duplication is output to the screen (S330). When the first schedule is selected according to the outputted guidance message (S340), the controller 11 sets the first schedule for the overlapped schedule (S380). If the second schedule is selected, the second schedule is set (S390).

If any of the schedules is not selected and the schedule editing is selected, an editing menu for editing the set schedule first or second schedule is output to the screen (S410), and it is determined whether or not the registered schedule is duplicated And one of the schedules is set accordingly (S320 to S360).

If any one of the schedules is not selected or the schedule editing is not set, the setting of the inputted schedule is canceled (S370).

If there is no duplication in the entered schedule, or if one of the schedules is selected, the set schedule is stored (S400).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a method for preventing a schedule from being duplicated in the remote controller of FIG. 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the schedule is inputted (S430), the remote controller (RC) judges whether the inputted schedule overlaps with the previously stored schedule (S440). If there is a duplicate, the remote controller A guidance message is output (S450).

At this time, if the schedule is selected to be re-entered (S460), the steps from inputting the schedule to outputting the guidance message according to the redundancy determination are repeated (S430 to S460). If there is no schedule duplication, the input schedule is set and stored (S480). If the schedule re-input is not selected, the schedule setting is canceled (S470).

Here, the remote controller (RC) re-enters or cancels the schedule if there is a duplication of the schedule and the input schedule as described above.

In addition, the remote controller (RC) makes it impossible to input another schedule for the time region in which the schedule is input. That is, it is possible to prevent schedule duplication by making schedule entry impossible for a scheduled time so that duplication does not occur.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, .

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a remote controller configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a schedule management screen of the remote controller shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a schedule management screen according to a plurality of schedule settings of the remote controller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of overlapping redundant schedules of the remote controller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a schedule of the remote controller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a schedule redundancy indication on the schedule management screen of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of guiding an overlapping schedule to be selected in the schedule management screen of FIG. 3,

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a method of setting a schedule according to a priority order in the remote controller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method of setting a schedule according to user input in the remote controller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a method for preventing a schedule from being duplicated in the remote controller of FIG. 2. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

11: control unit 12: input unit

13: data part 14: communication part

15:

I11 to I23: indoor unit O1, O2: outdoor unit

RC: Remote controller R: Local controller

Claims (18)

An air conditioner comprising at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, And a remote controller for setting a plurality of schedules for controlling operation of any one indoor unit among the plurality of indoor units and controlling one of the schedules to be set for an overlapping interval when the plurality of schedules occur, The remote controller outputs a guidance message according to the schedule redundancy to a screen, outputs a message such that any one of the plurality of schedules having overlapping intervals is selected, and transmits a schedule corresponding to the inputted user command to the indoor unit Wherein the air conditioner is set as a schedule. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the remote controller, in response to the user command, merges the plurality of schedules with the predetermined schedule as a priority for the overlapping interval, and sets the schedule as the schedule of the indoor unit. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the remote controller, in response to the user command, merges the plurality of schedules with the newly input schedule as the priority for the overlapping interval, and sets the schedule as the schedule of the indoor unit. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the remote controller sets a predetermined schedule among a plurality of schedules having overlapping intervals as the schedule of the indoor unit in response to the user command. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the remote controller sets a newly inputted schedule among a plurality of schedules having overlapping intervals in accordance with the user command as a schedule of the indoor unit. delete delete A method of operating an air conditioner including at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, Inputting a schedule to any of the plurality of indoor units; Outputting a guide message indicating a duplication between the preset schedule and the input schedule if the input schedule overlaps with the predetermined schedule; Outputting a message for selecting one of the predetermined schedule and the inputted schedule at the time of outputting the guidance message; Selecting one of the schedules according to a user command input corresponding to the message; And Setting a predetermined schedule for the overlapping interval and the selected one of the input schedules to the schedule of the indoor unit; Wherein the air conditioner comprises a plurality of air conditioners. The method of claim 8, Wherein the schedule setting step merges a plurality of overlapped schedules with the predetermined schedule as a priority when the selected schedule is the predetermined schedule, and sets the schedule as the schedule of the indoor unit. The method of claim 8, Wherein the schedule setting step merges a plurality of overlapped schedules with the input schedule as a priority when the selected schedule is the input schedule and sets the schedule as the schedule of the indoor unit . The method of claim 8, Wherein the schedule setting step sets the predetermined schedule as the schedule of the indoor unit when the selected schedule is the predetermined schedule. The method of claim 8, Wherein the schedule setting step sets the input schedule as the schedule of the indoor unit when the selected schedule is the input schedule. delete delete An air conditioner comprising at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, And a remote controller for setting a schedule according to an operation of any one of the plurality of indoor units and not setting another schedule for a time region in which the schedule is set when a new schedule is set in the indoor unit, Wherein the remote controller deactivates the time zone in which the schedule is set so that no other schedule is input. delete The method according to claim 1 or 15, Wherein the remote controller causes the indoor unit to ignore the predetermined schedule and to execute the special schedule first when a special schedule is set for the predetermined day. 18. The method of claim 17, Wherein the remote controller ensures that the number of the schedule groups is not larger than the number of the plurality of indoor units when any one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units is included in a predetermined schedule group.

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