KR101677609B1 - Air conditioner and controlling method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner and a control method thereof are disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, an outdoor unit can easily perform a standby operation or a normal operation by supplying or shutting off power to an outdoor unit through a power cutoff unit provided in an outdoor unit according to a command of a user or the like input to the indoor unit, The power supply required for communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is supplied by using the non-insulation step-down converter in the standby state, Can be saved.

Air conditioner, standby power, non-isolated step-down converter

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and its control method capable of performing standby operation and saving power consumption during standby operation.

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; And an accumulator for filtering the refrigerant in a liquid state from the refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator and allowing the refrigerant to flow into the compressor again.

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 air conditioner is composed of one indoor unit and outdoor unit RAC (Room Air Conditioner), one outdoor unit and one or two indoor units A unit air conditioner consisting of a PAC (Package Air Conditioner), an outdoor unit, at least one indoor unit and a duct, a multi air conditioner comprising at least one outdoor unit, at least one indoor unit and a central control unit Multi Air Conditioner).

Generally, a compressor and a condenser are configured in an outdoor unit, and an evaporator, a blowing fan, and a control unit are provided in an indoor unit. The control of the air conditioner is generally performed through the 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. Such an air conditioner circulates a refrigerant and performs air conditioning, so that the amount of electric power used is considerably larger than that of other home appliances.

Recently, as a part of measures against global warming, interest in energy saving for various home appliances is increasing. Regarding such energy saving, it is required to develop a power saving technique that saves power consumption in the air in various home appliances including an air conditioner. In general, the air conditioner can be divided into a standby operation and a normal operation. In addition to the normal operation in which air conditioning is performed according to a user's command, the air conditioner is always supplied with electric power . The power consumption in the standby operation state is briefly referred to as standby power. There is an inconvenience that a user or the like must completely disconnect the power plug from the outlet in order to completely eliminate the standby power.

Particularly, when the power to the outdoor unit is cut off by a command of a user or the like inputted to the indoor unit using the large capacity air conditioner or using the plurality of indoor units, the air conditioner of the outdoor unit power- It is difficult to return to the normal operation state by supplying power again to the outdoor unit. In addition, in the conventional air conditioner of an outdoor unit power supply type, in order to receive a command of a user or the like input to the indoor unit in a standby operation state in which the power of the outdoor unit is shut off, have.

Also, the conventional air conditioner uses a power supply circuit including an insulated high-frequency transformer to supply power to communication means of an outdoor unit for receiving a command from a user or the like, thereby requiring a large standby power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof that can perform a standby operation by providing a power cutoff unit in an outdoor unit to supply or interrupt power to the outdoor unit .

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof that can reduce standby power by supplying power required for communication between an outdoor unit and an indoor unit in a standby operation state using a non-insulation step-down converter.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner comprising: an outdoor unit that performs a normal operation or a standby operation based on an operation command; and an indoor unit that receives the operation command and transmits the operation command to the outdoor unit, . The outdoor unit includes an outdoor unit power unit for converting an input voltage of an external power source into a driving voltage for the outdoor unit and outputting the driving voltage, and a control unit provided between the external power source and the outdoor unit power unit, An outdoor unit control unit for generating a control signal based on the operation command to operate the outdoor unit and driving the power cutoff unit; And an outdoor unit communication power source unit for converting an input voltage of the external power source into a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit and outputting the driving voltage to the outdoor unit communication unit. If the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command, the outdoor unit control unit turns off the power shutoff unit so that the outdoor unit enters the standby operation state.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the outdoor unit communication power source unit may include a conversion unit connected to the external power source, for rectifying an AC voltage of the external power source to convert the AC voltage into a DC voltage, And a non-insulation step-down converter connected to the smoothing unit for reducing the smoothed direct-current voltage and converting the smoothed direct-current voltage into a drive voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit. Wherein the non-insulation step-down converter includes a switching unit for supplying or cutting off the smoothed DC voltage to supply a pulse voltage, a filter unit for smoothing the pulse voltage and outputting a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit, A reflux diode forming a filter unit and a circuit, and a driving unit for opening and closing the switching unit according to a predetermined period.

The indoor unit further includes an indoor unit power supply unit for converting the input voltage of the external power supply into a driving voltage of the indoor unit and outputting the driving voltage, an indoor unit control unit for operating the indoor unit according to the driving instruction, And an indoor unit communication power source unit for converting the input voltage of the external power source into a driving voltage of the indoor unit communication unit and outputting the driving voltage. The indoor unit further includes an input unit for receiving the operation command from a user. The indoor unit may further include a remote control receiving unit for receiving the operation command from the remote controller when the air conditioner further includes a remote controller for outputting the operation command through a wire / wireless communication method.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an air conditioner, including: a first step of receiving outdoor control power from an external power source through an electric power cutoff unit of an outdoor unit; A fourth step in which the indoor unit receives the operation command from the external power source, the fourth step in which the indoor unit receives the operation command from the external power source, the fifth step in which the indoor unit transmits the operation command to the outdoor unit And a sixth step in which the outdoor unit performs the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command.

In the control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention, the second step in which the outdoor unit receives external power from the external power supply includes a rectifying step of converting the AC voltage of the external power supply to a DC voltage, A smoothing process for smoothing the DC voltage and a step for reducing the DC voltage by switching according to a predetermined period, and an outputting process for smoothing the smoothed DC voltage to output a constant voltage.

In the control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention, the sixth step of the outdoor unit performing the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command may include: if the operation command is a general operation command or a setting change command, The power shutoff unit is turned on to perform air conditioning according to the operation command. In the sixth step, if the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command, the power shutoff unit is turned off so that the outdoor unit enters the standby operation state.

In the control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention, the sixth step in which the outdoor unit performs the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command includes: if the operation command is an operation stop command, Determining whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed; and shutting off the power of the outdoor unit when the predetermined time has elapsed.

The air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention may include an electric power cutoff unit in the outdoor unit to supply or interrupt power to the outdoor unit, thereby performing standby operation.

The air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention enable the outdoor unit to easily enter into the standby operation state or to return to the normal operation state by supplying or interrupting electric power to the outdoor unit in response to a command from the user etc. inputted to the indoor unit have.

The air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention can reduce power consumption during standby operation by blocking other power sources in the standby operation state and using only the electric power necessary for communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.

The air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention can reduce power consumption during standby operation by supplying power required for communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit in the standby operation state using the non-insulation step-down converter.

Hereinafter, an air conditioner and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an outdoor unit 100 for performing a normal operation or a standby operation based on an operation command, and a controller 120 for receiving the operation command and transmitting the operation command to the outdoor unit 100, And at least one indoor unit (200) for performing the operation.

The outdoor unit 100 includes an outdoor unit power supply unit 110 for converting an input voltage of the external power supply 300 into a driving voltage for the outdoor unit 300 and outputting the driving voltage to the outdoor unit 300, A power cutoff unit 150 for applying power to the outdoor unit or for shutting off power input to the outdoor unit; a control unit 150 for generating a control signal based on the operation command to operate the outdoor unit; An outdoor unit communication unit 130 that receives the operation command and transmits the operation command to the outdoor unit control unit 120; And an outdoor unit communication power source unit 140 for converting the driving voltage into a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit 130 and outputting the driving voltage. The outdoor unit control unit 120 turns off the power cutoff unit 150 to enter the standby state when the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command.

The outdoor unit power supply unit 110 receives a commercial AC power and outputs a DC voltage for driving a circuit, a unit, and the like included in the outdoor unit 100. The outdoor unit power supply unit 110 generally uses a Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS). The switch mode power supply rectifies and smoothes the AC voltage of the external power supply 300 to convert the DC voltage into a DC voltage, and uses the DC voltage to generate driving voltages required for the outdoor unit. Generally, the air conditioner uses DC voltage such as 5V, 12V, 15V.

The outdoor unit control unit 120 receives the driving voltage generated through the outdoor unit power unit 110 and operates the outdoor unit based on an operation command of the user or the like input to the indoor unit 200. The outdoor unit control unit 120 outputs a control signal for opening and closing the power cut-off unit 150 to connect or disconnect the circuit between the external power source 300 and the outdoor unit power source unit 110.

The outdoor unit communication unit 130 generally includes a wired communication method such as a serial communication method such as RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485, an Internet, or an intranet, a radio frequency (RF) , Bluetooth (Bluetooth), wireless LAN, and the like, to exchange information with the indoor unit 200.

2, the outdoor unit communication power source unit 140 includes a conversion unit 141 connected to the external power source and configured to rectify an AC voltage of the external power source 300 to convert the AC voltage into a DC voltage, A smoothing unit 143 connected to the smoothing unit 141 for smoothing the DC voltage and connected to the smoothing unit 141 and for converting the smoothed DC voltage to a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit, (145).

Unlike the switch mode power supply (SMPS) using a high frequency transformer, for example, a buck converter (BUCK converter), the non-insulation step-down converter 145 simplifies the circuit configuration can do.

The non-insulation step-down converter 145 includes a switching unit S1 for supplying or cutting off the smoothed DC voltage to supply a pulse voltage, a filter for smoothing the pulse voltage and outputting a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit, (L2, R2), and a reflux diode (D1) forming the filter and the circuit. The non-insulation step-down converter 145 further includes a driving unit (not shown) that opens and closes the switching unit S1 according to a predetermined period.

The outdoor unit communication power source unit 140 receives commercial AC power from the external power source 300 and rectifies and filters the AC voltage of the external power source into a DC voltage. Since the rectified and filtered DC voltage is as high as about 311V, the outdoor unit communication power source unit 140 steps down the outdoor unit communication unit 130 to use as the driving voltage through the non-insulation step-down converter 145 . That is, the non-insulation step-down converter 145 converts the input DC voltage into the form of a pulse voltage based on the switching signal output from the driving unit in a predetermined period, smoothes the pulse voltage through the filter unit, Thereby generating the driving voltage of the unit 130. [ In general, the driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit 130 is DC 72V. The reflux diode D1 forms a closed circuit with the filter unit when the switching unit S1 is turned off so that the driving voltage is kept constant.

The power shutoff unit 150 may be a mechanical or electronic switching device such as a relay or a TRIAC. In particular, the triac is a bi-directional thyristor that performs the same function as that of two silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) connected in parallel and is an electronic device, so that it can further reduce power consumption.

The indoor unit 200 includes an indoor unit power supply unit 210 for converting an input voltage of the external power supply into a driving voltage of the indoor unit and outputting the driving voltage, an indoor unit control unit 220 for operating the indoor unit according to the operation command, An indoor communication unit 230 for transmitting the operation command to the outdoor unit; and an indoor unit communication power unit 240 for converting the input voltage of the external power supply into a driving voltage of the indoor unit communication unit and outputting the driving voltage. The indoor unit 200 further includes an input unit 250 for receiving the operation command from a user. The indoor unit further includes a remote control receiving unit (260) for receiving the operation command from the remote controller when the air conditioner further includes a remote controller (400) outputting the operation command through a wired / wireless communication system .

The indoor unit power supply unit 210 receives a commercial AC power and outputs a DC voltage for driving a circuit, a unit or the like constituting the indoor unit 200. In general, the indoor unit power supply unit 210 uses a Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS) as the outdoor unit power supply unit 110. Of course, other types of AC-DC converters other than SMPS can be used. The switch mode power supply rectifies and smoothes the AC voltage of the external power supply 300 to convert the DC voltage into a DC voltage, and uses the DC voltage to generate driving voltages required for the indoor unit. Generally, the air conditioner uses DC voltage such as 5V, 12V, 15V.

The indoor unit communication unit 230 may be a wired communication method such as a serial communication method such as RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 or the Internet or an intranet as in the outdoor unit communication unit 130, Information is exchanged with the outdoor unit 100 using a wireless communication system such as infrared (IR), Bluetooth, wireless LAN, or the like.

The indoor unit communication power source unit 240 receives a commercial AC power and outputs a DC voltage for driving the indoor unit communication unit 230. In general, the indoor unit communication power source unit 240 may include a circuit including a non-insulation step-down converter such as a BUCK converter as in the outdoor unit communication power source unit 140. The indoor unit communication power source unit 240 may use an AC-DC converter such as a Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS) if necessary.

The outdoor unit control unit 120 turns on the power cut-off unit 150 so that the outdoor unit receives power from the external power source 300 during the initial operation. The outdoor unit power supply unit 110 and the outdoor unit communication power supply unit 140 are connected to the external power supply 300. Also, the indoor unit power supply unit 210 and the indoor unit communication power supply unit 240 are connected to the external power supply 300 to receive commercial AC power. The outdoor unit communication unit 130 is connected to the indoor unit communication unit 230 and receives an operation command of a user or the like inputted to the indoor unit 200 through the input unit 250 or the remote control receiving unit 260. When the outdoor unit communication unit 130 transmits the received operation command to the outdoor unit control unit 120, the outdoor unit control unit 120 performs the normal operation or the standby operation based on the operation command. The outdoor unit control unit 120 operates the outdoor unit based on the operation command if the operation command is a general operation command such as cooling, heating, blowing, ). If the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command, the outdoor unit control unit 120 turns off the power cutoff unit 150 to cut off the power supply to the outdoor unit so that the outdoor unit enters the standby operation state. The connection between the outdoor unit power supply unit 110 and the external power supply unit 300 is cut off and the power supply to the outdoor unit power supply unit 110 is interrupted, The supply remains unchanged and the operation command input to the indoor unit is received. The outdoor unit control unit 120 turns on the power cut-off unit 150 to turn on the outdoor unit power supply unit 110 and the outdoor unit power supply unit 110. [ And the external power source 300, operates the outdoor unit based on the operation command, and supplies the refrigerant to the indoor unit 200.

Referring to FIG. 3, the control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a first step (S112) in which an outdoor unit receives outdoor control power from an external power source through a power cutoff unit, A third step S114 and S115 in which the indoor unit receives the indoor power from the external power source and the indoor power from the indoor unit, and a fourth step in which the indoor unit receives the operation command, A fifth step of transmitting the operation command to the outdoor unit, and a sixth step of the outdoor unit performing the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command. The configuration of the apparatus is described with reference to Figs.

Referring to FIG. 4, the second step (S113) of the outdoor unit receiving the outdoor communication power from the external power source includes a rectifying process (S210) for converting the AC voltage of the external power source to a DC voltage, A smoothing process S220, a step-down operation S230 for switching the DC voltage by a predetermined period, and an outputting step S240 for smoothing the smoothed DC voltage to output a constant voltage.

In the second step S113, the commercial AC power is first applied from the external power source, and the AC voltage of the external power source is rectified and filtered at the DC voltage (S210, S220). Then, since the rectified and filtered DC voltage is a high voltage of about 311V, the outdoor unit communication unit steps down to use as a driving voltage. That is, in the second step S113, the DC voltage inputted in the form of a pulse voltage is converted into a pulse voltage based on the switching signal outputted from the driving unit according to a predetermined period, and the driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit (S230). Generally, the driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit is DC 72V.

The sixth step in which the outdoor unit performs the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command includes the steps of: when the operation command is a general operation command or a setting change command (S121), the power shutdown unit is turned on, Then, air conditioning is performed (S122). If the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command (S131), the power shutoff unit is turned off to allow the outdoor unit to enter a standby operation state (S132, S133).

The sixth step of the outdoor unit performing the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command includes the steps of stopping the operation of the outdoor unit if the operation command is an operation stop command, And turning off the power of the outdoor unit when the predetermined time has elapsed.

The outdoor unit power source unit and the outdoor unit communication power source unit receive power from the external power source through the power source cutoff unit at the time of initial operation (S111 to S113). Also, the indoor unit power source unit and the indoor unit communication power source unit are connected to the external power source to receive commercial AC power (S114, 115). The outdoor unit communication unit is connected to the indoor unit communication unit and receives an operation command of a user or the like input to the indoor unit through the input unit or the remote control receiving unit. When the outdoor unit communication unit transmits an operation command received by the outdoor unit communication unit to the outdoor unit control unit, the outdoor unit control unit performs a normal operation or a standby operation based on the operation command. (S121), the outdoor unit control unit operates the outdoor unit on the basis of the operation command, and when the indoor unit is operated with the refrigerant, (S122). If the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command (S131), the outdoor unit control unit turns off the power cutoff unit (S132) and cuts off power supply to the outdoor unit so that the outdoor unit enters the standby operation state S133). The outdoor unit power supply unit is disconnected from the external power supply to cut off the power supply to the outdoor unit power supply unit and the power supply to the outdoor unit communication power supply unit is maintained as it is, . Upon receiving the standby operation cancel command in the standby operation state (S141), the outdoor unit control unit turns on the power cutoff unit (S142) and connects the outdoor unit power unit and the external power source to receive the power (S143).

As described above, the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention include a power cutoff unit in the outdoor unit to supply or interrupt power to the outdoor unit, thereby performing standby operation, The outdoor unit can easily enter the standby operation state or return to the normal operation state by supplying or shutting off the electric power to the outdoor unit according to the command of the outdoor unit. Further, the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention can reduce power consumption during standby operation by blocking other power sources in the standby operation state and using only electric power necessary for communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, In particular, power supply required for communication between an outdoor unit and an indoor unit in a standby operation state is supplied using a non-insulation step-down converter, thereby reducing power consumption during standby operation.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a detailed configuration of an outdoor unit communication power source unit in FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a flowchart schematically showing a control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of applying power to an outdoor unit communication unit in a method of controlling an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Claims (12)

An outdoor unit that performs a normal operation or a standby operation based on an operation command; And And at least one indoor unit that receives the operation command and transmits the operation command to the outdoor unit and performs air conditioning, The outdoor unit includes: An outdoor unit power unit for converting an input voltage of the external power supply into a driving voltage of the outdoor unit and outputting the driving voltage, A power interrupting unit provided between the external power source and the outdoor unit power unit for applying power to the outdoor unit or for shutting off power input to the outdoor unit; An outdoor unit control unit that generates a control signal based on the operation command to operate the outdoor unit and drives the power cut-off unit; An outdoor unit communication unit for receiving the operation command and transmitting the operation command to the outdoor unit control unit; And an outdoor unit communication power source unit that converts an input voltage of the external power source into a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit and outputs the converted driving voltage, The outdoor unit control unit includes: If the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command, the outdoor unit power supply unit is disconnected from the external power supply, And controls the power cutoff unit to maintain the connection between the outdoor unit communication power unit and the external power source, The outdoor unit communication power source unit includes: A conversion unit, connected to the external power supply, for rectifying the AC voltage of the external power supply and converting the rectified AC voltage into a DC voltage; A smoothing unit connected to the conversion unit, for smoothing the DC voltage; And And a non-insulation step-down type converter connected to the smoothing unit and reducing the smoothed direct current voltage to convert the smoothed direct current voltage into a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit. delete delete The non-insulation type step-down type converter according to claim 1, A switching unit supplying or blocking the smoothed DC voltage to supply a pulse voltage; A filter unit for smoothing the pulse voltage to output a driving voltage of the outdoor unit communication unit; A reflux diode forming a filter and a circuit; And And a driving unit for opening / closing the switching unit according to a predetermined period. The indoor unit according to claim 1, An indoor unit power supply unit converting the input voltage of the external power supply into a driving voltage of the indoor unit and outputting the driving voltage; An indoor unit control unit for operating the indoor unit according to the operation command; An indoor unit communication unit for transmitting the operation command to the outdoor unit; And And an indoor unit communication power source unit converting the input voltage of the external power source into a driving voltage of the indoor unit communication unit and outputting the driving voltage. 6. The indoor unit according to claim 5, And an input unit for receiving the operation command from a user. 6. The method of claim 5, The air conditioner further includes a remote controller for outputting the operation command through a wired / wireless communication system, And the indoor unit further comprises a remote control receiving unit for receiving the operation command from the remote controller. A first step for the outdoor unit to receive the outdoor unit control power from the external power source through the power cutoff unit; A second step in which the outdoor unit receives external power from the external power supply; A third step in which the indoor unit receives the indoor unit control power and the indoor unit communication power from the external power source; A fourth step of receiving an operation command from the indoor unit; A fifth step of the indoor unit transmitting the operation command to the outdoor unit; And And a sixth step of the outdoor unit performing the standby operation or the normal operation according to the operation command, The second step comprises: A rectification process for converting an AC voltage of an external power supply to a DC voltage; A smoothing process of smoothing the DC voltage; A step-down process for switching the DC voltage according to a predetermined period; And And outputting a constant voltage by smoothing the reduced DC voltage, In the sixth step, And disconnecting the outdoor unit power supply unit from the external power supply unit and maintaining the connection between the outdoor unit communication power supply unit and the external power supply unit if the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command. delete 9. The method as claimed in claim 8, Wherein if the operation command is a general operation command or a setting change command, the power shutoff unit is turned on to perform air conditioning according to the operation command. 9. The method as claimed in claim 8, Wherein when the operation command is an operation stop command or a power shutdown command, the power cutoff unit is turned off to allow the outdoor unit to enter a standby operation state. 12. The method of claim 11, Stopping the operation of the outdoor unit if the operation command is an operation stop command; Determining whether a preset predetermined time has elapsed; And And turning off the power of the outdoor unit when the predetermined time has elapsed.

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