KR101570422B1 - Power supply using solar cell remote controller and air conditioning system including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A power supply using a solar cell, a remote controller including the same, and an air conditioner are disclosed. The present invention includes a remote controller capable of performing wireless communication with an indoor unit without using a power supply and a communication cable so that a user or the like can operate the indoor unit through the remote controller and can know the status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. Further, according to the present invention, the solar cell is used, or the solar cell and the battery complement each other to supply electric power, thereby preventing frequent replacement of the battery and extending the life of the battery.

Air conditioner, battery, solar cell

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a power supply device using a solar cell, a remote controller including the power supply device, and an air conditioner.

The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus using a solar cell, a remote controller including the same, and an air conditioner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a power supply apparatus for supplying power using a solar cell, The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a remote controller that can be operated.

In general, the air conditioner includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant at a high temperature and a high pressure, a condenser for converting a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas transferred from the compressor into a liquid refrigerant at low temperature and high pressure by exchanging heat with ambient air, An evaporator for evaporating the transferred refrigerant while passing a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant conveyed through an expansion valve or capillary for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant to a low-temperature low-pressure liquid and a gaseous state, thereby depriving the surrounding heat to maintain the external temperature at a low temperature; An accumulator for filtering the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator and allowing the refrigerant to flow into the compressor, and a controller for controlling the overall operation of the air conditioner. do.

Meanwhile, the air conditioner is classified according to the type and number of the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, the control unit, and the connection unit. The RAC (Rotary Air Conditioner) composed of one indoor unit and the outdoor unit, one outdoor unit, a unit air conditioner consisting of at least one indoor unit and a duct, at least one outdoor unit, at least one indoor unit, and a multi-air conditioner including a central control unit.

On the other hand, generally, the compressor and the condenser are configured in the outdoor unit, and the evaporator, the blowing fan, and the control unit are provided in the indoor unit. The control of the air conditioner is generally performed through an indoor unit, and the outdoor unit monitors the status information of the connected indoor units and controls the refrigerant to be distributed and circulated to the connected indoor units. These air conditioners are considerably more expensive than other home appliances because of the characteristics of air conditioners that perform air conditioning by circulating refrigerant.

The air conditioner further includes a remote controller for controlling the operation of the indoor unit. The wired remote controller uses the power of the indoor unit and sends and receives information by serial communication through the wired line. On the other hand, a commonly used IR remote controller transmits only the driving type (cooling or heating) and the set temperature to the indoor unit.

The wired remote controller according to the related art can perform bidirectional communication, but requires power and communication cables. The wireless remote controller according to the related art can transmit information only to one side, so that there is a problem that the current state information of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit can not be known. In addition, in the case of the wireless remote controller, there is a problem that the battery needs to be replaced frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote controller capable of performing wireless communication with an indoor unit so that a user or the like can transmit an operation command to the indoor unit through a remote controller, And it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a power supply apparatus using a solar cell or a battery and a solar cell to supply power, and a remote controller including the same.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply apparatus including: a solar cell that receives solar light and converts input sunlight to generate electric energy; a reverse current blocking unit that prevents current from flowing back to the solar cell; A charging unit for storing electric energy generated from the solar cell, and a reference voltage setting unit for setting a reference voltage of electric energy stored in the charging unit. The power source unit further includes a conversion unit for converting electrical energy stored in the charging unit into a constant DC voltage.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote controller comprising: a power unit for receiving sunlight and storing it as electric energy, converting the electric energy to a constant DC voltage to supply electric power, A communication unit for transmitting an operation command signal to the indoor unit and receiving status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit; an input unit for receiving an operation command from the outside; And a control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command input through the input unit and outputting the status information through the output unit. The power unit includes a solar cell that receives solar light and converts the input sunlight to generate electric energy, a diode that prevents current from flowing back to the solar cell, and a diode that stores electric energy generated from the solar cell A Zener diode for setting a reference voltage of the electric energy stored in the capacitor, and a conversion unit for converting the electric energy stored in the capacitor to a constant DC voltage. The power supply unit may further include a battery for outputting a voltage into the remote controller and a switching unit driven in accordance with a control signal of the control unit and for selecting one of an electric energy stored in the capacitor or an output voltage of the battery .

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a remote controller for performing wireless communication with an indoor unit, transmitting an operation command signal to the indoor unit, and receiving status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit . Wherein the remote controller comprises: a power unit for supplying power to the remote controller; an input unit for receiving an operation command from the outside; an output unit for outputting the operation command and the status information to a screen; A control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command and outputting the state information through the output unit; a control unit for transmitting the operation command signal to the indoor units, And a communication unit for receiving the data.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner including an indoor unit communication unit for receiving an operation command signal from outside and transmitting status information, an indoor unit communication unit for operating the indoor unit based on the operation command signal, A power unit for supplying power through the battery; an input unit for receiving the operation command; and a control unit for outputting the operation command and the status information on a screen A control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command inputted through the input unit and outputting the state information through the output unit; and a control unit for outputting the operation command signal to the indoor units And a communication unit for receiving the status information from the indoor units .

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the remote controller may further include a temperature detection unit for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the power unit may include a solar cell that receives solar light and converts the inputted solar light to generate energy, and a capacitor that stores energy generated from the solar cell. do.

The air conditioner according to the present invention includes a remote controller capable of performing wireless communication with an indoor unit without using a power supply and a communication cable so that a user or the like can operate the indoor unit through a remote controller and the state information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit Able to know.

Also, the power supply device, the remote controller, and the air conditioner according to the present invention may not use the battery using the solar battery, or may use the battery and the solar battery together to supply power while assisting the use of the battery. Or the battery can not be replaced frequently, and the life of the battery can be increased.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a power supply apparatus using a solar cell according to the present invention includes a solar cell 10 receiving solar light and converting input solar light to generate electric energy, A reference voltage setting unit (40) for setting a reference voltage of electric energy stored in the charging unit, a reference voltage setting unit (40) for setting a reference voltage of the electric energy stored in the charging unit, . The power supply unit further includes a conversion unit 50 for converting electric energy stored in the charging unit 30 into a constant DC voltage. The reverse current blocking unit 20 is generally constituted by a diode to prevent discharging to the solar cell 10 when electrical energy stored in the charging unit 30 is discharged. The reference voltage setting unit 40 generally includes a Zener diode to set a reference voltage of electric energy to be charged in the charging unit 30. [ The conversion unit 50 is a DC-DC converter or a regulator. The conversion unit 50 converts electric energy stored in the charging unit 30 into electric energy of an electronic product Into a driving voltage. As the charging unit 30, it is preferable to use a supercapacitor having a large-capacity output characteristic.

Referring to FIG. 3, the remote controller according to the present invention includes a power unit 110 that receives sunlight and stores it as electric energy, converts the electric energy to a constant DC voltage to supply electric power, A communication unit 140 for transmitting an operation command signal to the indoor unit and receiving status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit, an input unit 120 for receiving an operation command from the outside, And an output unit (130) for outputting the status information to a screen, a control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command inputted through the input unit, and outputting the status information through the output unit (150).

Referring to FIG. 4, the power unit 110 includes a solar cell 112 that receives sunlight and converts input solar light to generate electric energy, and a solar cell 112 that prevents current from flowing back to the solar cell A diode D2, a capacitor C for storing electric energy generated from the solar cell, and a Zener diode ZD for setting a reference voltage of electric energy stored in the capacitor. As described above, it is possible to further comprise a conversion unit 113 for converting the electric energy stored in the capacitor to a constant DC voltage.

6, the power supply unit 110 includes a battery 111 for outputting a voltage into the remote controller, a power supply unit 110 driven according to a control signal of the control unit, Further comprising a switching unit (115) for selecting one of an electric energy or an output voltage of the battery. The control unit 150 determines the level of the electric energy charged in the capacitor C. The control unit 150 discharges the electric energy charged in the capacitor C when the voltage is higher than a predetermined voltage, Thereby supplying a voltage. The switching unit 115 is a mechanical or electrical switching element driven in accordance with a control signal output from the control unit 150.

The diode D2 prevents discharging to the solar cell 112 when electrical energy stored in the capacitor C is discharged. The Zener diode ZD sets a reference voltage of electric energy to be charged in the capacitor C by using an element characteristic of the Zener diode. The conversion unit 113 is a DC-DC converter or a regulator, and converts electrical energy stored in the capacitor C into driving voltages of other connected electronic products. As the capacitor (C), it is preferable to use a supercapacitor having a large capacity and good output characteristics.

The remote controller further comprises a temperature detection unit (160) for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position. The remote controller includes the temperature detecting unit 160 to detect the room temperature at any position in the room where the remote controller is located, thereby enabling accurate room temperature measurement.

2 and 3, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an outdoor unit (not shown) and at least one indoor unit 200 connected to the outdoor unit to perform air conditioning, And a remote controller (100) that performs wireless communication with the indoor unit (200) to transmit an operation command signal to the indoor unit, and receives status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit. The remote controller 100 includes a power unit 110 for supplying power to the remote controller, an input unit 120 for receiving an operation command from the outside, an output unit 120 for outputting the operation command and the status information to the screen, A control unit (150) for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command inputted through the input unit and outputting the state information through the output unit; And a communication unit 140 for transmitting the status information to the indoor units and receiving the status information from the indoor units.

As shown in FIG. 2, the input unit 120 may include a keypad for each function for operating the air conditioner. When a user or the like inputs an operation command through the keypad formed in the input unit 120, the control unit 150 recognizes the input value inputted through the keypad and transmits it to the indoor unit via the communication unit 140 .

2, the output unit 130 may be formed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) And displays the operation command information of the air conditioner and the status information of the remote controller itself. In addition, the output unit 130 displays status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit received through the communication unit 140. When a plurality of indoor units are provided, the output unit can display the indoor units sequentially or entirely.

The communication unit 140 transmits the operation command input through the input unit 120 to the indoor units. Also, the communication unit 140 receives status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor units. Of course, the indoor unit is provided with communication means (not shown) for communicating with the communication unit of the remote controller. Here, wireless is used as a communication method through the communication unit 140, and in particular, it is preferable to use a wireless communication method capable of data communication such as RF (Radio Frequency).

The control unit 150 converts an operation command input through the input unit 120 into an operation command signal according to a communication protocol and transmits the operation command signal to the indoor units through the communication unit 140. The control unit 150 displays an operation command input through the input unit 120 through the output unit 130 so that the user can confirm the operation command. In addition, the control unit 150 displays status information of the outdoor units and the indoor units received through the communication unit 140 through the output unit 130 so that the user can confirm the status information.

The remote controller 100 may further include a temperature detection unit 160 for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position. When the air conditioner measures room temperature for cooling and heating the room temperature, it is generally measured through a temperature sensor installed in the indoor unit. The air conditioner according to the present invention includes the temperature detection unit 160 in the remote controller 100 to detect the room temperature at any position in the room where the remote controller 100 is located, So that accurate room temperature measurement is possible.

Referring to FIG. 4, the power supply unit 110 includes a battery 111 for inputting power to the remote controller 100. The power unit 110 includes a solar cell 112 that receives solar light and converts the input solar light to generate energy, and a capacitor C that stores energy generated from the solar cell . The power source unit 110 may further include a zener diode ZD for setting a charging reference voltage of the capacitor C. As the battery 111, a commercial battery can be used, and a rechargeable battery can be used if necessary. As the capacitor (C), it is preferable to use a supercapacitor having a large capacity and good output characteristics. In the present invention, the solar cell 112 is used to charge the capacitor C, but other alternative energy sources may be used.

The power supply unit 110 supplies power to the remote controller 100 using the battery 111 when the capacitor C is not initially charged. When the capacitor C is charged by the solar cell 112, the power supply unit 110 supplies power to the remote controller 100 using the energy stored in the battery 111 and the capacitor C, Or supplies electric power to the remote controller 100 using energy charged in the capacitor C. [ Of course, the power supply unit 110 can supply power to the remote controller 100 through the battery 111 even when the capacitor C is charged with energy. Accordingly, the battery 111 and the capacitor C complement each other, and the battery can be used semi-permanently without having to replace the battery at any time.

Referring to FIG. 5, the capacitor C repeatedly performs charging and discharging. At this time, a voltage change amount in the capacitor C is equal to? V = I *? T / C. Here,? V represents a voltage variation, I represents a current,? T represents a variation in time, and C represents a capacitance. For example, in the case of RF communication, it consumes 23mA of current.

7, the air conditioner according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an indoor unit communication unit 210 for receiving an operation command signal from outside and transmitting status information, And an indoor unit control unit (220) for generating the status information, a power source unit (110) having a battery and supplying power through the battery, and a control unit An input unit (120), an output unit (130) for outputting the operation command and the status information to a screen, and a control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command inputted through the input unit, A communication unit (1) for transmitting the operation command signal to the indoor units and receiving the status information from the indoor units And a remote controller (100) including a remote controller (40).

As shown in FIG. 2, the input unit 120 may include a keypad for each function for operating the air conditioner. When a user or the like inputs an operation command through the keypad formed in the input unit 120, the control unit 150 recognizes the input value inputted through the keypad and transmits it to the indoor unit communication Unit 210, as shown in FIG.

2, the output unit 130 may be formed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) And displays the operation command information of the air conditioner and the status information of the remote controller itself. In addition, the output unit 130 displays status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit received through the communication unit 140. When a plurality of indoor units are provided, the output unit can display the indoor units sequentially or entirely.

The communication unit 140 transmits the operation command input through the input unit 120 to the indoor unit communication unit 210 provided in the indoor units. In addition, the communication unit 140 receives status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit communication units 210. Here, wireless is used as a communication method between the communication unit 140 and the indoor unit communication unit 210. In particular, it is preferable to use a wireless communication method capable of data communication such as RF (Radio Frequency).

The control unit 150 converts an operation command input through the input unit 120 into an operation command signal in accordance with a communication protocol and transmits the operation command signal to the indoor unit communication unit 210 through the communication unit 140 . The control unit 150 displays an operation command input through the input unit 120 through the output unit 130 so that the user can confirm the operation command. In addition, the control unit 150 displays status information of the outdoor units and the indoor units received through the communication unit 140 through the output unit 130 so that the user can confirm the status information.

The remote controller 100 may further include a temperature detection unit 160 for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position. When the air conditioner measures room temperature for cooling and heating the room temperature, it is generally measured through a temperature sensor installed in the indoor unit. The air conditioner according to the present invention includes the temperature detection unit 160 in the remote controller 100 to detect the room temperature at any position in the room where the remote controller 100 is located, So that accurate room temperature measurement is possible.

Referring to FIG. 4, the power supply unit 110 includes a battery 111 for inputting power to the remote controller 100. The power unit 110 includes a solar cell 112 that receives solar light and converts the input solar light to generate energy, and a capacitor C that stores energy generated from the solar cell . The power source unit 110 may further include a zener diode ZD for setting a charging reference voltage of the capacitor C. As the battery 111, a commercial battery can be used, and a rechargeable battery can be used if necessary. As the capacitor (C), it is preferable to use a supercapacitor having a large capacity and good output characteristics. In the present invention, the solar cell 112 is used to charge the capacitor C, but other alternative energy sources may be used.

The power supply unit 110 supplies power to the remote controller 100 using the battery 111 when the capacitor C is not initially charged. When the capacitor C is charged by the solar cell 112, the power supply unit 110 supplies power to the remote controller 100 using the energy stored in the battery 111 and the capacitor C, Or supplies electric power to the remote controller 100 using energy charged in the capacitor C. [ Of course, the power supply unit 110 can supply power to the remote controller 100 through the battery 111 even when the capacitor C is charged with energy. That is, when the remote controller 100 and the indoor unit 200 communicate with each other, the power supply unit 110 supplies power through the battery 111 and the capacitor C, And stores the energy generated from the solar cell 112 in the capacitor C if not performed. Accordingly, the battery 111 and the capacitor C complement each other, and the battery can be used semi-permanently without having to replace the battery at any time.

As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a remote controller capable of performing wireless communication with an indoor unit without using a power supply and a communication cable, so that a user or the like can operate the indoor unit through a remote controller, The state information of the indoor unit can be known. The power supply device, the remote controller and the air conditioner including the power supply device according to the present invention can prevent the frequent replacement of the battery by using the solar battery or supplying the power by making the solar battery and the battery complement each other, do.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit configuration of a power supply apparatus using a solar cell according to the present invention;

2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a remote controller in an air conditioner according to the present invention;

4 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of a power unit in an air conditioner according to the present invention;

5 is a graph for explaining an operation of charging or discharging a capacitor through a solar cell in the air conditioner according to the present invention;

6 is a block diagram schematically showing another example of the configuration of a power unit in an air conditioner according to the present invention;

7 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to another example of the present invention.

Claims (14)

delete delete A power unit that receives solar light and stores the solar light as electric energy, and converts the electric energy into a constant direct current voltage to supply electric power; A communication unit that performs wireless communication with the indoor unit to transmit an operation command signal to the indoor unit, and receives status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit; An input unit for receiving a driving command from outside; An output unit for outputting the operation command and the status information to a screen; And And a control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command inputted through the input unit and outputting the state information through the output unit, The power unit includes: A solar cell receiving solar light and converting input sunlight to generate electric energy; A capacitor for storing electric energy generated from the solar cell; A battery for outputting a voltage into the remote controller; And And a switching unit which is driven according to a control signal of the control unit and selects one of an electric energy stored in the capacitor or an output voltage of the battery. The method of claim 3, The power unit includes: A diode for preventing current flow back to the solar cell; A zener diode for setting a reference voltage of electric energy stored in the capacitor; And And a conversion unit for converting electrical energy stored in the capacitor to a constant DC voltage. The method of claim 3, Wherein the control unit comprises: Wherein the controller controls the level of the electric energy charged in the capacitor so that the capacitor is selected when the voltage of the capacitor is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage and the battery is selected when the voltage of the capacitor is less than a predetermined voltage Remote controller. The method of claim 3, And a temperature detection unit for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position. An air conditioner comprising: an outdoor unit; and at least one indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit to perform air conditioning, And a remote controller for performing wireless communication with the indoor unit to transmit an operation command signal to the indoor unit and receiving status information of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit from the indoor unit, Wherein the remote controller comprises: A solar cell receiving solar light and converting input sunlight to generate electric energy; A capacitor for storing electrical energy generated from the solar cell; A battery for storing electric power for supplying the remote controller; And And a switching unit for selecting one of an electric energy stored in the capacitor and an output voltage of the battery, wherein the power unit supplies electric power to the remote controller through the capacitor or the battery Harmonics. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the remote controller comprises: An input unit for receiving a driving command from outside; An output unit for outputting the operation command and the status information to a screen; A control unit for generating the operation command signal based on the operation command input through the input unit and outputting the status information through the output unit; And And a communication unit for transmitting the operation command signal to the indoor units and receiving the status information from the indoor units. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the remote controller comprises: And a temperature detection unit for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the control unit comprises: And controls the switching of the switching unit. 11. The method of claim 10, Wherein the control unit comprises: The control unit controls the switching unit so that the battery is selected when the voltage of the capacitor is less than a predetermined voltage by determining the level of the electric energy charged in the capacitor, The air conditioner comprising: An indoor unit communication unit for receiving an operation command signal from outside and transmitting status information; and an indoor unit control unit for operating the indoor unit based on the operation command signal and generating the status information; And An information processing apparatus comprising: a power supply unit provided with a battery; an input unit receiving the operation command; an output unit outputting the operation command and the status information to a screen; And a communication unit for transmitting the operation command signal to the indoor units and receiving the status information from the indoor units, wherein the control unit comprises: A remote controller, The power unit includes: A solar cell receiving solar light and converting input sunlight to generate electric energy; A capacitor for storing electrical energy generated from the solar cell; And Further comprising: a switching unit for selecting one of an electric energy stored in the capacitor and an output voltage of the battery, wherein the electric power is supplied through the capacitor or the battery. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the remote controller comprises: And a temperature detection unit for detecting a room temperature at a current remote controller position. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the control unit comprises: The control unit controls the switching unit so that the battery is selected when the voltage of the capacitor is less than a predetermined voltage by determining the level of the electric energy charged in the capacitor, The air conditioner comprising:

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