KR102040013B1 - Air conditioner and remote control device included therein - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of indoor units, and a remote control unit transmitting a signal for controlling each of the plurality of indoor units, wherein the remote control unit receives an indoor unit address assignment command. And outputs an indoor unit identification information request signal in response to the received indoor unit address assignment command, receives a response signal including indoor unit identification information from each of at least one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units, and receives the received response signal. Set the address of each of the at least one indoor unit based on.

Description

AIR CONDITIONER AND REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE INCLUDED THEREIN}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a remote control apparatus included therein.

The air conditioner is installed to provide a more comfortable indoor environment to the user by discharging cold air into the room to adjust the room temperature and purifying the indoor air to create a comfortable indoor environment. Such an air conditioner may be classified into a stand type air conditioner, a wall-mounted air conditioner, and a ceiling type air conditioner according to an installation position or an installation method.

Recently, a plurality of indoor units are installed at various positions of the indoor space, and the indoor temperature can be individually adjusted or the indoor temperature can be more uniformly adjusted.

In the air conditioner including the plurality of indoor units, the user may control the operation of the plurality of indoor units using one remote control device. In general, however, in a remote control apparatus that outputs a control signal through an infrared communication method, the control signal output from the remote control apparatus may be transmitted to each of the plurality of indoor units. Accordingly, a control signal for controlling only a specific indoor unit may be transmitted to other indoor units, thereby causing a problem of processing the control signal up to the other indoor units.

1. Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2002-0031470 (published May 2, 2002)

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of automatically assigning an address for controlling each of a plurality of indoor units through a remote control device.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a remote control device that enables individual control of each indoor unit by automatically setting addresses for a plurality of indoor units by receiving an indoor unit address assignment command. The remote control apparatus outputs an indoor unit identification information request signal in response to the indoor unit address allocation command, receives a response signal including indoor unit identification information from each of at least one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units, and receives the received response. An address of each of the at least one indoor unit may be set based on the signal.

The remote control apparatus may sequentially set the addresses of the indoor units according to the separation distance from the plurality of indoor units by sequentially increasing and outputting the intensity of the indoor unit identification information request signal. Accordingly, collision of the response signal transmitted from the plurality of indoor units can be minimized.

The first indoor unit which has transmitted the response signal among the plurality of indoor units may receive an address allocation signal including the set address from the remote controller and store the set address included in the received address allocation signal. The first indoor unit may not output a response signal when receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal having a second intensity.

The remote controller outputs the address assignment signal including the set address and the identification information of the first indoor unit, and the first indoor unit includes the identification information of the first indoor unit in the received address allocation signal. The set address may be stored in. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the set address from being stored in another indoor unit.

The remote control apparatus receives a control command for a first indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units, outputs a control signal including a received control command and an address set for the first indoor unit, and the first indoor unit When the received control signal includes an address set for the first indoor unit, the control command may be processed.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the indoor unit identification information request signal is received, each of the at least one indoor unit may output the response signal after a different time elapsed to prevent collision of the response signal.

The remote control apparatus of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention receives an indoor unit address assignment command through an input unit, and in response to the received indoor unit address allocation command, outputs an indoor unit identification information request signal through an infrared transceiver, Receive a response signal including indoor unit identification information from each of the at least one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units, and perform an indoor unit address assignment operation of setting an address of each of the at least one indoor unit based on the received response signal. Can be.

According to an embodiment, the remote control apparatus further includes a power supply unit for applying a voltage to the infrared transceiver, a first resistor connected in series with the infrared transceiver, and a switch connected in parallel with the first resistor. It may be turned off at the time of outputting the indoor unit identification information request signal having one intensity, and may be turned on at the output of the indoor unit identification information request signal having a second intensity greater than the first intensity.

According to an embodiment, the remote control device may further include an output unit for outputting information on whether the indoor unit address allocation operation is completed or completed.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the remote controller of the air conditioner may automatically assign an address for individually controlling a plurality of indoor units existing in the indoor space. Accordingly, the user can effectively control the operation of the specific indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units using the remote control device.

In addition, since the address of each of the indoor units is automatically assigned only by the user inputting the indoor unit address allocation command to the remote control device, the user can easily assign the addresses of the indoor units without the installer of the air conditioner. The installer can also eliminate the trouble of manually allocating the addresses of the indoor units as in the prior art.

In addition, during the indoor unit address assignment operation according to an embodiment of the present invention, the indoor unit of the air conditioner may transmit the indoor unit identification information after generating a certain time delay when transmitting the indoor unit identification information to the remote control device. Accordingly, a collision phenomenon caused by each of the plurality of indoor units simultaneously transmitting the indoor unit identification information can be effectively prevented.

1 is a schematic view showing a plurality of indoor units and a remote control device included in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a control configuration of the indoor unit illustrated in FIG. 1.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a control configuration of the remote control apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.
4 is a flowchart illustrating an indoor unit address allocation operation of a remote control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 shows an example of a circuit related to the intensity control of the signal output from the IR transmitter of the remote control device.
6 to 7 are exemplary diagrams for describing an operation of allocating addresses of a plurality of indoor units by a remote control apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of an indoor unit in relation to the embodiment of FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are only for easily understanding the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical idea disclosed in the present specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes and equivalents included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are included. It should be understood to include water or substitutes.

1 is a schematic view showing a plurality of indoor units and a remote control device included in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the air conditioner 10 may include a plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c and a remote control device 200. In the present specification, the air conditioner 10 is illustrated as corresponding to the ceiling air conditioner. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the ceiling type air conditioner, but may be applied to various types of air conditioners such as a wall-mounted air conditioner or a stand type air conditioner.

Each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c may blow wind to increase or decrease the temperature of the indoor space. When the air conditioner 10 is a ceiling type air conditioner, each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c may be installed on the ceiling of the indoor space.

The remote control apparatus 200 receives an input for controlling an operation of at least one of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c from a user, and outputs a signal including a command or a request corresponding to the received input. Can be sent to.

That is, the user may control the operation of each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c using one remote control apparatus 200.

In general, the indoor units 100a to 100c and the remote control device 200 may transmit and receive signals using an infrared communication method. According to an embodiment, the infrared signal output from the remote control apparatus 200 may be received by each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c.

For example, a user may operate a power button of the remote controller 200 to turn off the first indoor unit 100a of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c. The remote control apparatus 200 may output an infrared signal including a power off command in response to an operation of the power button.

The first indoor unit 100a may stop the air cleaning operation by turning off the infrared signal. However, since the infrared signal output from the remote control device 200 is output in various directions within a predetermined range, in some cases, the second indoor unit 100b and / or the third indoor unit 100c also receive the infrared signal and turn off. Can be.

In order to solve the above problem, an address is assigned to each of the indoor units 100a to 100c, and the remote controller 200 may output an infrared signal including the address of the indoor unit to be controlled. The indoor units 100a to 100c may execute a command included in the infrared signal only when an address included in the infrared signal corresponds to its own address.

However, in the conventional case, the address of each of the indoor units had to be manually assigned by the installer when the air conditioner 10 was installed. In particular, when a specific indoor unit is replaced or the indoor unit is additionally installed during use of the air conditioner 10, there was an inconvenience that the address must be reassigned by the installer.

The air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is implemented to automatically assign (or set) the address of each of the indoor units 100a to 100c by using the remote control device 200. You can conveniently assign addresses without assistance.

Hereinafter, an air conditioner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a control configuration of the indoor unit illustrated in FIG. 1.

Indoor unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is the communication unit 110, input unit 120, sensor unit 130, output unit 140, wind direction control motor 150, fan motor 160, memory 170 ), And the controller 180. However, this is merely exemplary and the indoor unit 100 may omit some of the above-listed components or further include other components.

The communication unit 110 may receive a signal for controlling the indoor unit 100 from the remote control apparatus 200 or the user's mobile terminal (eg, a smartphone). Specifically, the communication unit 110 is a power control signal for controlling the power on / off of the indoor unit 100, a wind direction control signal for adjusting the direction or intensity of the discharged air, an operation control signal for executing functions such as air cleaning or dehumidification And the like.

The communicator 110 may include an infrared (IR) transceiver for transmitting / receiving a signal with the remote controller 200. The IR transceiver may be provided at least partially on the surface of the indoor unit 100.

The controller 180 may control the operation of the indoor unit 100 according to the control signal received through the communication unit 110. For example, when the wind direction control signal is received, the controller 180 may control at least one of the wind direction control motor 150 and the fan motor 160 to change the direction or intensity of the discharged air.

The input unit 120 may be implemented in the form of a physical button or a touch screen on one surface of the indoor unit 100 to receive various inputs related to the operation of the indoor unit 100 from a user. That is, the user may perform an input operation related to the operation of the indoor unit 100 by using the input unit 120 or the remote control device 200 of the indoor unit 100.

The sensor unit 130 measures an environment of a space in which the indoor unit 100 is installed, such as a temperature sensor (contact temperature sensor) measuring a temperature around the indoor unit 100, a humidity sensor measuring humidity, and a dust sensor measuring dust amount. It may include a variety of sensors. The controller 180 may detect an environment of a space in which the indoor unit 100 is installed and change an operation mode according to the detected environment, based on the measurement result of the sensors included in the sensor unit 130.

The output unit 140 may output various information such as a power state, a wind direction, a wind volume, an operation mode, a temperature or humidity, and whether an error occurs in the indoor unit 100. For example, the output unit 140 may be implemented as a display. However, the output unit 140 may be implemented as at least one light source (for example, LED) or the like, or may include a speaker in some cases.

The wind direction control motor 150 may adjust the opening angle of the wind direction control member (not shown) under the control of the controller 180. The number of the wind direction control motor 150 may correspond to the number of the wind direction control member. For example, when the indoor unit 100 includes four wind direction control members, the wind direction control motor 150 may also include four wind direction control motors. As the opening angle of the wind direction control member is adjusted by the wind direction control motor 150, the flow direction of air discharged from the indoor unit 100 may be adjusted.

The fan motor 160 may provide a driving force for rotating the indoor fan (not shown). The fan motor 160 may rotate an indoor fan to suck air from the outside of the indoor unit 100 into the interior of the indoor unit 100. The sucked air flows to the heat exchanger, and the air passing through the heat exchanger may be discharged to the outside. As the rotation speed RPM of the fan motor 160 is higher, the amount of air sucked in and discharged may increase. Accordingly, the intensity of the airflow can increase.

The memory 170 may store various information related to the operation of the indoor unit 100. In particular, the memory 170 may store identification information of the indoor unit 100. The identification information may include a product factory production number or a serial number.

In addition, the memory 170 may store address information allocated by the remote control apparatus 200.

The use of the identification information and the contents related to the address information will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

The controller 180 may include at least one controller that controls the overall operation of the indoor unit 100. The controller may be implemented as an IC, an ASIC, a microcomputer (microcomputer), a CPU, an AP, or the like.

The controller 180 may control an operation of the indoor unit 100 based on a command received through the remote controller 200 or the input unit 120.

In particular, the control unit 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives a signal for obtaining indoor unit identification information from the remote control device 200, and receives the indoor unit identification information stored in the memory 170 in response to the received signal. It can be transmitted to the remote control device 200.

In addition, the controller 180 may receive address information from the remote controller 200 and store the address information in the memory 170. Thereafter, when the infrared signal output from the remote control apparatus 200 is received, the controller 180 includes the infrared signal when the address included in the received infrared signal corresponds to the address stored in the memory 170. Command can be processed.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a control configuration of the remote control apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

The remote control apparatus 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an IR transceiver 210, an input unit 220, an output unit 230, a memory 240, a controller 250, and a power supply unit 260. can do. However, this is merely exemplary and the remote control apparatus 200 may omit some of the above-listed components or further include other components.

The IR transceiver 210 may include an IR transmitter for outputting an infrared signal and an IR receiver for receiving an infrared signal output from the indoor unit 100 or the like.

The input unit 220 may receive various inputs related to the operation of the indoor unit 100 from the user. The input unit 220 may be implemented as a physical button, but is not limited thereto and may be implemented as various input means such as a touch screen.

The controller 250 may control the IR transmitter to output an infrared signal including a command or a request corresponding to a user input through the input unit 220, and receive an infrared signal output from the indoor unit 100 through the IR receiver. By doing so, it is possible to obtain information such as the operation state of the indoor unit 100, whether the command is normally processed or not.

The output unit 230 may output various information such as an operating state, a wind direction, a wind volume, an operation mode, a temperature or humidity, and whether an error occurs in the indoor unit 100 controlled by the remote controller 200. In addition, the output unit 230 may display a battery state of the remote control apparatus 200 or output information corresponding to a user input obtained through the input unit 220. For example, the output unit 230 may be implemented as a display. In particular, the output unit 230 according to an embodiment of the present invention may output information on the progress and completion of the indoor unit address allocation operation to be described later.

The memory 240 may store various information related to the operation of the remote control apparatus 200. In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 240 may store a program, an algorithm, and the like for allocating addresses of the indoor units 100a to 100c, and thus each of the allocated indoor units 100a to 100c. You can store the address of.

The controller 250 may include at least one controller that controls the overall operation of the indoor unit 100. The controller may be implemented as an IC, an ASIC, a microcomputer (microcomputer), a CPU, an AP, or the like.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when an indoor unit address allocation command is received through the input unit 220, the controller 250 may assign an address of each of the indoor units 100a to 100c based on a program or algorithm stored in the memory 240. An operation for assigning can be performed.

The power supply unit 260 may supply power for the operation of each of the components included in the remote control apparatus 200. The power supply unit 260 may include various power supply means such as a battery. According to an embodiment, the power supply unit 260 or the controller 250 converts the voltage of the power supplied from the power supply unit into a plurality of voltages, and manages the power to apply the converted plurality of voltages in a corresponding configuration. It may also include a module (eg, a power management IC (PMIC)).

4 is a flowchart illustrating an indoor unit address allocation operation of a remote control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive an indoor unit address assignment command (S100).

The user of the air conditioner 10 may input the indoor unit address allocation command (for example, press a specific button for a predetermined time) through the input unit 220 of the remote control apparatus 200.

In response to the received indoor unit address assignment command, the remote control apparatus 200 acquires a signal (indoor identification information request) for obtaining indoor unit identification information of each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c included in the air conditioner 10. Signal) can be output (S110).

The controller 250 must first recognize the presence of the plurality of indoor units 100a-100c in order to allocate an address of each of the indoor units 100a-100c included in the air conditioner 10. Accordingly, the controller 250 may control the IR transceiver 210 to output the indoor unit identification information request signal in order to obtain identification information of each of the indoor units 100a to 100c.

The IR transmitter of the IR transceiver 210 may output the indoor unit identification information request signal under the control of the controller 250. At this time, the controller 250 may control to output the strength of the indoor unit identification information request signal to a first intensity lower than the maximum intensity.

The signal output distance when the indoor unit identification information request signal is output at the first intensity may be shorter than the signal output distance when the indoor unit identification information request signal is output at the maximum intensity. That is, the controller 250 may preferentially perform recognition and address allocation of the indoor unit existing in the position close to the remote control apparatus 200 among the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c. Accordingly, the response collision phenomenon as the indoor unit identification information is received from each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c may be minimized.

At least one of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c included in the air conditioner 10 may receive the indoor unit identification information request signal output at the first intensity. For example, the indoor unit identification information request signal may be transmitted by a first distance corresponding to the first intensity, and the indoor unit having a distance from the remote control apparatus 200 among the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c less than or equal to the first distance. May receive the indoor unit identification information request signal.

The control unit 180 of the indoor unit receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal may control the communication unit 110 (IR transmitter) to output a response signal including the indoor unit identification information stored in the memory 170. As described above, the indoor unit identification information may include unique information for identifying the indoor unit such as a product factory production number or serial number of the indoor unit.

The remote control apparatus 200 receives indoor unit identification information from each of the at least one indoor unit that has received the indoor unit identification information request signal (S120), and assigns an address to each of the at least one indoor unit based on the received indoor unit identification information. It may be (S130).

The controller 250 may output an infrared signal including the allocated address information. In this case, the controller 250 may output an infrared signal including indoor unit identification information of the indoor unit corresponding to the address information, thereby preventing the address from being allocated to an indoor unit other than the indoor unit corresponding to the address information. .

The indoor unit receiving the infrared signal may store the address information included in the infrared signal in the memory 170 when the indoor unit identification information included in the infrared signal matches the indoor unit identification information.

If the intensity of the output indoor unit identification information request signal does not reach the maximum intensity (NO in S140), the remote control apparatus 200 may increase the intensity of the signal (S150) and perform steps S110 to S140 again. .

That is, the remote control apparatus 200 may sequentially assign an address from an indoor unit located at a short distance by controlling the output distance of the signal by adjusting the signal strength.

When the intensity of the output indoor unit identification information request signal reaches the maximum intensity (YES in S140), the remote control apparatus 200 may terminate the indoor unit address allocation operation (S160).

Thereafter, the user may manipulate the input unit 220 to select an indoor unit to be controlled among the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c and input a control command for the selected indoor unit. The controller 250 of the remote controller 200 may control the IR transceiver 210 to output an infrared signal including the address of the selected indoor unit and the control command. The indoor units 100a to 100c may receive the infrared signal and process the control command only when the address included in the received infrared signal is the same as the address stored in the memory 170.

Figure 5 shows an example of a circuit related to the intensity control of the signal output from the IR transmitter of the remote control device.

FIG. 5 illustrates a circuit for adjusting the strength of the indoor unit identification information request signal output from the IR transmitter 211 to a first intensity and a second intensity. However, when the intensity of the signal is to be adjusted in more steps, the It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that circuits implemented in a similar manner to the circuits can be applied.

Referring to FIG. 5, the remote control apparatus 200 may change a signal intensity and an output distance by adjusting a voltage applied to the IR transmitter 211.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the first and second resistors R1 and R2 may be connected in series to the IR transmitter 211. In addition, the first switch TR1 may be connected between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2, and the second switch TR2 may be connected in parallel to the second resistor R2. The first switch TR1 and the second switch TR2 may be implemented as transistors, but are not necessarily so. In some embodiments, the first switch TR1 may not be provided.

The microcomputer 251 included in the controller 250 may control the opening and closing of the first switch TR1 and the second switch TR2 to adjust the strength of the signal output from the IR transmitter 211.

For example, when the microcomputer 251 turns on the first switch TR1 and turns off the second switch TR2, the voltage applied from the power supply unit 260 may be an IR transmitter 211, a first resistor R1, And may be dividedly applied to the second resistor R2.

On the other hand, when the microcomputer 251 turns on the first switch TR1 and the second switch TR2, respectively, the voltage applied from the power supply unit 260 is divided into the IR transmitter 211 and the first resistor R1. Can be applied.

Accordingly, the voltage applied to the IR transmitter 211 when the second switch TR2 is turned off may be lower than the voltage applied to the IR transmitter 211 when the second switch TR2 is turned on. That is, the intensity and the output distance of the first indoor unit identification information request signal S1 output when the second switch TR2 is turned off are the second indoor unit identification information request signal (outputted when the second switch TR2 is turned on ( It may be less than the intensity and output distance of S2).

Although not shown, when the signal output from the IR transmitter 211 is to be stopped, the microcomputer 251 may open the circuit by turning off the first switch TR1.

6 to 7 are exemplary diagrams for describing an operation of allocating addresses of a plurality of indoor units by a remote control apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

6 to 7, the first indoor unit 100a of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c is located within the first distance D1 from the remote control apparatus 200, and the second indoor unit 100b and the third indoor unit are located. Assume that 100c is located within the second distance D2. In addition, it is assumed that the first signal S1 of FIG. 5 is output by the first distance D1, and the second signal S2 is output by the second distance D2.

Referring to FIG. 6, the controller 250 of the remote controller 200 receives an indoor unit address allocation command through the input unit 220 and outputs a first indoor unit identification information request signal S1 in response to the received command. can do.

The first signal S1 may be transmitted by the first distance D1, so that only the first indoor unit 100a among the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c receives the first indoor unit identification information request signal S1. can do.

The first indoor unit 100a receiving the first indoor unit identification information request signal S1 may output a response signal including the identification information ID1 of the first indoor unit.

The remote control apparatus 200 may receive the response signal output from the first indoor unit 100a and recognize the first indoor unit 100a based on the identification information ID1 included in the received response signal.

The controller 250 may allocate a first address ADDR1 for the recognized first indoor unit 100a and output a first address allocation signal including the allocated first address ADDR1. At this time, the intensity of the first address allocation signal output may be the same as the intensity of the first indoor unit identification information request signal S1, but may be greater depending on the embodiment. In addition, the first address assignment signal may further include identification information ID1 of the first indoor unit 100a.

The first indoor unit 100a may receive the first address assignment signal output from the remote control device 200 and store the first address ADDR1 included in the received first address assignment signal in a memory.

Referring to FIG. 7, the controller 250 of the remote control apparatus 200 may output a second indoor unit identification information request signal S2 whose strength is increased compared to the first indoor unit identification information request signal S1.

The second indoor unit identification information request signal S2 may be transmitted by the second distance D1, and thus, each of the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c may receive the second indoor unit identification information request signal S2. have.

Since the first indoor unit 100a is already assigned the first address ADDR1, the first indoor unit 100a may not perform the processing operation even when the second indoor unit identification information request signal S2 is received.

On the other hand, when the second indoor unit 100b having no address assigned receives the second indoor unit identification information request signal S2, the second indoor unit 100b may output a response signal including the identification information ID2 of the second indoor unit. Similarly, when the third indoor unit 100c receives the second indoor unit identification information request signal S2, the third indoor unit 100c may output a response signal including the identification information ID3 of the third indoor unit.

The remote control apparatus 200 receives the response signal output from the second indoor unit 100b and the response signal output from the third indoor unit 100c, and transmits the identification information ID2 and ID3 included in the received response signals. Based on this, the second indoor unit 100b and the third indoor unit 100c can be recognized.

The controller 250 may allocate a second address ADDR2 for the recognized second indoor unit 100b and may allocate a third address ADDR3 for the third indoor unit 100c. The controller 250 may output a second address assignment signal including the allocated second address ADDR2 and a second address assignment signal including the third address ADDR3. In this case, the strengths of the second address allocation signal and the third address allocation signal output may be the same as the strength of the second indoor unit identification information request signal S2, but may be greater according to embodiments. In addition, the second address assignment signal may further include identification information ID2 of the second indoor unit 100b, and the third address assignment signal may further include identification information ID3 of the third indoor unit 100c.

The second indoor unit 100b may receive a second address assignment signal output from the remote control device 200 and store the second address ADDR2 included in the received second address assignment signal in a memory. In addition, the third indoor unit 100c may receive a third address allocation signal output from the remote control apparatus 200 and store the third address ADDR3 included in the received third address allocation signal in a memory.

Accordingly, the remote control device 200 may automatically assign addresses for the indoor units 100a to 100c included in the air conditioner 10. The controller 250 may inform the user that address allocation for the indoor units 100a to 100c is completed through the output unit 230.

Thereafter, the user may manipulate the input unit 220 to select an indoor unit to be controlled among the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c and input a control command for the selected indoor unit. The controller 250 of the remote controller 200 may control the IR transceiver 210 to output an infrared signal including the address of the selected indoor unit and the control command. The indoor units 100a to 100c may receive the infrared signal and process the control command only when the address included in the received infrared signal is the same as the address stored in the memory.

That is, the remote control device 200 of the air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may automatically allocate an address for individually controlling the plurality of indoor units 100a to 100c existing in the indoor space. have. Accordingly, the user can effectively control the operation of the specific indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units (100a ~ 100c) using the remote control device 200.

In addition, since the address of each of the indoor units 100a to 100c is automatically assigned only by the user inputting the indoor unit address assignment command to the remote control apparatus 200, the indoor units (without the installer of the air conditioner 10) 100a ~ 100c) can be easily assigned. The installer can also eliminate the trouble of manually allocating the addresses of the indoor units 100a to 100c as in the related art.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7, when the second indoor unit 100b and the third indoor unit 100c together receive the second indoor unit identification information request signal S2, the remote control apparatus 200 may include the second indoor unit ( A response signal may be received from each of the 100b) and the third indoor unit 100c. At this time, when a response signal output from each of the second indoor unit 100b and the third indoor unit 100c is simultaneously received, the control unit 250 of the remote control apparatus 200 normally performs an address assignment operation due to a response conflict. You may not be able to.

An operation of the indoor unit for solving the above problem will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of an indoor unit in relation to the embodiment of FIG. 4.

4 and 8, the indoor unit 100 may receive an indoor unit identification information request signal output from the remote control apparatus 200 according to step S110 (S200).

For example, when located within a distance corresponding to the signal strength, the indoor unit 100 may receive the signal through the communication unit 110 (for example, an IR receiver).

When the indoor unit 100 receives the indoor unit identification information request signal, after a certain time is delayed (S210), the indoor unit 100 may transmit the indoor unit identification information to the remote control apparatus 200 (S220).

When the indoor unit identification information request signal is received from the remote controller 200, the controller 180 of the indoor unit 100 may output a response signal including the indoor unit identification information after a predetermined time elapses. The arbitrary time may correspond to any selected time within a predetermined time range or may correspond to a time generated according to a pseudo-random number generation technique.

That is, when each of the plurality of indoor units receives the indoor unit identification information request signal, each of the plurality of indoor units may transmit the indoor unit identification information to the remote control apparatus 200 after a different time elapses. Accordingly, collision of the response signal output from each of the indoor units can be prevented.

As a result, the remote control apparatus 200 may receive a plurality of indoor unit identification information output from the plurality of indoor units at different time points, recognize the plurality of indoor units from the received plurality of indoor unit identification information, and assign an address. . The remote control apparatus 200 may output information about the assigned address.

The indoor unit 100 may receive an allocated address from the remote control apparatus 200 (S230), and store the received signal in the memory 170.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments.

The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (14)

A plurality of indoor units; And
It includes a remote control device for transmitting a signal for controlling each of the plurality of indoor units,
The remote control device,
Receives the indoor unit address assignment command,
Outputs an indoor unit identification information request signal in response to the received indoor unit address assignment command;
Receiving a response signal including indoor unit identification information from each of at least one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units,
Setting an address of each of the at least one indoor unit based on the received response signal,
The remote control device,
In response to the indoor unit address assignment command, outputting an indoor unit identification information request signal having a first intensity corresponding to a first transmission distance,
Receiving a response signal including identification information of the first indoor unit from a first indoor unit receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal having the first intensity,
Set the address of the first indoor unit based on the received response signal,
And an indoor unit identification information request signal having a second intensity greater than the first intensity and corresponding to a second transmission distance greater than the first transmission distance. delete The method of claim 1,
The first indoor unit,
Receiving an address assignment signal including the set address from the remote control device, storing the set address included in the received address assignment signal,
The air conditioner does not output a response signal upon receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal having the second intensity. The method of claim 3,
The remote control device,
Outputting the address assignment signal including the set address and identification information of the first indoor unit,
The first indoor unit,
If the received address allocation signal includes the identification information of the first indoor unit, the air conditioner for storing the set address. The method of claim 4, wherein
The remote control device,
Receiving a control command for a first indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units,
Outputs a control signal including the received control command and the address set for the first indoor unit,
The first indoor unit,
An air conditioner for processing the control command when the received control signal includes an address set for the first indoor unit. The method of claim 1,
Each of the at least one indoor unit,
And receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal, and outputting the response signal after a different time elapses. In the remote control device of the air conditioner for controlling the operation of a plurality of indoor units,
An infrared transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals with the plurality of indoor units;
An input unit for receiving an indoor unit address assignment command; And
In response to the received indoor unit address assignment command, controlling the infrared transceiver to output an indoor unit identification information request signal,
Receiving a response signal including indoor unit identification information from each of at least one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units,
And a controller configured to perform an indoor unit address assignment operation of setting an address of each of the at least one indoor unit based on the received response signal.
The control unit,
In response to the indoor unit address assignment command, outputs an indoor unit identification information request signal having a first intensity corresponding to a first transmission distance through the infrared transceiver;
Receiving a response signal including identification information of the first indoor unit from a first indoor unit receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal having the first intensity,
Set the address of the first indoor unit based on the received response signal,
And an indoor unit identification information request signal having a second intensity greater than the first intensity and corresponding to a second transmission distance farther than the first transmission distance, through the infrared transceiver. delete The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit,
Receiving a response signal including identification information of the second indoor unit from a second indoor unit receiving the indoor unit identification information request signal having the second intensity,
Setting an address of the second indoor unit based on the received response signal;
The address of the first indoor unit and the address of the second indoor unit is different from the remote control device of the air conditioner. The method of claim 7, wherein
A power supply for applying a voltage to the infrared transceiver;
A first resistor connected in series with the infrared transceiver; And
Further comprising a switch connected in parallel with the first resistor,
The control unit,
The switch is turned off when the indoor unit identification information request signal having the first intensity is output;
And a remote control device of an air conditioner for turning on the switch when the indoor unit identification information request signal having the second intensity is output. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit,
And an address assignment signal including an address set for the first indoor unit and identification information of the first indoor unit through the infrared transceiver. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit,
Receiving a control command for the first indoor unit through the input unit,
And a control signal including the address set for the first indoor unit and the control command through the infrared transceiver. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit,
And the indoor unit address allocation operation is terminated when the first intensity corresponds to the maximum intensity. The method of claim 7, wherein
Remote control device of the air conditioner further comprises an output unit for outputting information on whether the indoor unit address allocation operation is completed or not.

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