KR20090041604A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

An air-conditioner is provided to obtain the convenience of management by changing the control setting relative to a current state and to allow a user to easily check the state reaching a target value. An air-conditioner comprises a remote controller center-controlling an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units. The remote controller computes the difference(33a) between an actually measured current value and a respective set up target value in a plurality of indoor units and displays the computed difference after being classified according to a specific step. The remote controller computes the difference between the current value and the target value about the temperature, the humidity, and the air purity at least one.

Description

Air Conditioner

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner including a remote controller that facilitates monitoring and operation control of a plurality of indoor units included in the air conditioner.

The air conditioner is installed to discharge cold air into the room to adjust the indoor temperature to purify the indoor air in order to create a comfortable indoor environment. In general, an air conditioner includes an indoor unit which is configured as a heat exchanger and installed indoors, and an outdoor unit which is configured as a compressor and a heat exchanger and supplies refrigerant to the indoor unit. In addition, the air conditioner is provided with a remote controller for efficient control of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, the remote controller is a plurality of outdoor units and indoor units in a place away from the indoor unit and outdoor unit, even if the user does not move to the place where each indoor unit and outdoor unit is installed A device that monitors and controls its operation.

The remote controller displays the entire list of the connected indoor units and outdoor units on the screen, and outputs the operation status of each indoor unit and outdoor unit on the screen so that the user can check the state of each device, Command is transmitted to each indoor unit and outdoor unit for control.

Such a remote controller simply outputs a plurality of connected indoor and outdoor units, but there is a limit in displaying only the information desired by the user or easily displaying the status, so convenience of management is low.

An object of the present invention is to display the difference between the target value and the current value set in the indoor unit in the remote controller that outputs the status information of the indoor unit and outdoor unit included in the air conditioner, so that the user can check whether the target value is reached and until the target value is reached. The present invention provides an air conditioner that is easy and can change a control setting according to a current state, thereby enabling a flexible setting change corresponding to a state of an air conditioner, thereby improving management convenience.

An air conditioner according to the present invention comprises at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, and an air conditioner including a remote controller for centrally controlling the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. The difference value between the set target value and the actual measured current value is calculated, and the calculated difference value is distinguished and displayed in a predetermined step.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention configured as described above, the difference value between the target value and the present value is displayed together with the information of the device, so that it is easy to check the current state of the indoor unit, and the control setting is changed according to the present state. It is possible to improve the convenience of the air conditioner control and management, and the difference value is expressed in the image or text, thereby improving the aesthetic effect.

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

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

As shown in Figure 1, the air conditioner according to the present invention, at least one indoor unit (I1 to I3), at least one outdoor unit (O) connected to the indoor unit, a remote controller (RC) for controlling the indoor unit and outdoor unit, indoor unit Connected, it includes a local controller (R) for controlling the indoor unit. In this case, the air conditioner may be provided with a plurality of outdoor units corresponding to the number of indoor units, but will be described below with one outdoor unit connected. In addition, the air conditioner may further include an air cleaner and a ventilator, in which case the air cleaner and the ventilator are controlled by a remote controller. Hereinafter, a description thereof will be omitted and will be described with an example in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are connected to a remote controller.

The outdoor unit (O) is a compressor for receiving and compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant and outdoor air, a four-way valve for selecting a refrigerant flow path according to an operation mode, and extracting a gaseous refrigerant from the supplied refrigerant and supplying it to the compressor. Accumulator, a refrigerant pipe, a plurality of temperature sensors for measuring the temperature inside and outside the outdoor unit, a pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a plurality of pressure sensors for measuring the pressure of the refrigerant supplied to the compressor, and a plurality of other sensors, The valve and the oil recovery device further includes, but the description of the configuration will be omitted below.

The indoor units I1 to I3 include an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant supplied from the indoor unit fan, and the outdoor unit, and further include a plurality of temperature sensors for measuring the temperature of the room or the pipe.

The outdoor unit O and the indoor units I1 to I3 are connected through a refrigerant pipe to perform cooling or heating operation according to the flow of the refrigerant between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and transmit and receive data according to a predetermined communication method. At least one indoor unit (I1 to I3) may be provided in one room, the outdoor unit (O) is driven by the request of at least one of the plurality of indoor units, the cooling / heating capacity is variable corresponding to the driven indoor unit Accordingly, the operation number of the outdoor unit and the operation number of the compressor installed in the outdoor unit are variable.

The remote controller RC transmits and receives data to and from the indoor units I1 to I3 and the outdoor unit O according to a predetermined communication method, thereby receiving and monitoring the operating states of the indoor units and the outdoor unit, and controlling commands in response to the input user command. It generates and transmits the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to perform a predetermined operation.

At this time, the remote controller (RC) provides a control menu for inputting the user command to facilitate the user command input, so that the operation status of the received indoor unit and outdoor unit is output on the screen as an image or text.

The local controller R is connected to at least one of the plurality of indoor units I and variably controls the operation setting of the indoor unit I according to a user input, and receives and outputs an operation state of the indoor unit corresponding thereto. When connected to a plurality of indoor units, the local controller R transmits a user command input to all connected indoor units, and receives and displays an operation state of the representative indoor unit. The local controller R may be a wired remote controller connected to an indoor unit, and in some cases, a wireless remote controller is also included.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a remote controller in the configuration of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the remote controller RC includes a communication unit 50, an input unit 40, a display unit 30, and a data unit 20 and a control unit 10.

The communication unit 50 is connected to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit in a predetermined communication method, and applies data received from the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to the control unit 10, and transmits predetermined data to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit according to a control command of the control unit 10. send. In addition, the communication unit 50 includes at least one communication module having a different communication method, and performs data connection with an internet connection and an external terminal device in a different communication method from an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. For example, the communication unit 50 may transmit / receive data through an internet connection, and control indoor and outdoor units through communication with a remote controller located outside.

The input unit 40 includes at least one button or touch input means, receives a user command corresponding to a button operation, and applies it to the controller 10. The input unit 40 includes a soft key displayed on the screen and applies predetermined data to the controller 10 even when a soft key is operated through a button or a touch input.

The display unit 30 may include a display device, and in some cases, a touch screen capable of touch input may be provided. The display unit 30 outputs a control menu for controlling the indoor unit and the outdoor unit on the screen according to a control command of the controller 10, and displays data input by the input unit 10 or data received through the communication unit 50 on the screen. Output

The data unit 20 stores data such as indoor unit and outdoor unit unique information and addresses for controlling the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and stores data transmitted and received through the communication unit 50. In addition, the data unit 20 stores control programs and control data for controlling the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and log data about a control history or an error occurrence history. In addition, the data unit 20 stores data for displaying a difference value between the target value and the current value on the screen. For example, image or text data for outputting an image or text as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 described later on the screen is stored.

The controller 10 drives a control program so that a control menu for controlling indoor unit and outdoor unit operation is output on the screen through the display unit 30, and operations of the indoor unit and outdoor unit in response to a user command input through the input unit 40. Control or allow predetermined data to be displayed on the screen. At this time, the control unit 10 to display the data for monitoring the indoor unit and outdoor unit on the screen in response to the operating state of the indoor unit and outdoor unit received through the communication unit 50, in particular, based on the received data, the indoor unit and outdoor unit The difference between the target value set in the current measured value of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is calculated and displayed on the screen.

At this time, the controller 10 is a target value set in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit, so that at least one of temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, the difference value between the target value and the currently measured value is displayed. The controller 10 allows the calculated difference value to be displayed on the screen as an image or text, and divides the difference value into predetermined steps and controls the shape, form, and color to vary according to the step.

For example, by calculating a difference value between the set temperature which is a target value set in the indoor unit and the currently measured indoor temperature, the difference value is displayed as an image or text, and the difference value is also displayed step by step as the difference value is changed. To be variable.

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a control screen output to a display unit of the remote controller of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the remote controller RC displays the operation state of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit as an image or text, and outputs a control menu for controlling the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to the screen.

The operation state of each indoor unit is displayed as an icon 32a corresponding to each indoor unit in the first area 31a of the screen. At this time, each icon is displayed as an image or text, the operation state, the operation mode, whether the lock, the air volume, the set temperature or the indoor temperature of the corresponding indoor unit, respectively. In addition, the difference value 33a between the target value and the present value is displayed as a predetermined image or text.

When one of the icons for the plurality of indoor units is selected, information of the indoor unit corresponding to the selected icon and an indoor unit control menu for changing the setting of the indoor unit are displayed on the second area 34 of the screen, and a user command input is performed. Multiple softkeys are activated. If the selected icon is a ventilation device, the ventilation control menu is displayed and activated. When the setting of the indoor unit control menu 34 is changed through a button operation or a touch input of the input unit 40, the controller 10 generates a control command based on the input data, and transmits the generated control command to the communication unit 950. Is transmitted to the indoor unit.

At this time, the remote controller (RC) displays the difference value between the target value and the current value for the temperature, and step by step according to the size of the difference value (33a), the gauge bar (Gage bar that the number of bars vary depending on the step) ) Is displayed.

4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating another example of a control screen output to a display unit of the remote controller of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, the remote controller RC outputs an icon 32b for an indoor unit or a ventilation device in one area 31b of the screen in groups or zones, and when any one of a plurality of icons is selected, In addition, information about the indoor unit or the ventilation device corresponding to the selected icon is output to another area of the screen. In addition, a control menu for changing a setting is displayed together.

At this time, for the selected indoor unit, the set temperature 34b set as the target value and the room temperature 35b which is the current measured value are displayed, and the temperature difference between the set temperature which is the target value and the room temperature which is the present value is displayed. It is displayed as the difference value 33b. In this case, the difference value may be represented by a bar whose size varies in response to the magnitude of the temperature difference.

5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example in which a difference value is displayed in a predetermined form on the control screen of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.

As described above, the difference value representing the error between the target value and the present value may be displayed by varying the shape, shape, or color according to the step or size of the difference value, as shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 5, the difference value may be divided into a plurality of stages, and may be represented by a gauge bar 121 in which the number of bar blocks 111 varies according to the stage. As the difference value increases or decreases, the number of bar blocks of the gauge bar increases or decreases correspondingly. In addition, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, as the difference value increases and decreases, the number of bar blocks 121 may be displayed to increase or decrease from side to side.

At this time, the difference value displayed as shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 5 is the number of bar blocks displayed as the size of the value increases or decreases, the difference value is larger than the maximum number of bar blocks that can be displayed Shows all possible bar blocks. In addition, the displayed bar block or gauge bar may be flickered or displayed in different colors. Here, the number of bar blocks 111 and 121 displayed on the gauge bar 110 may vary according to the step of classifying the magnitude of the difference value.

As shown in (c) or (d) of FIG. 5, the difference value may be displayed in the form of a circle by dividing the magnitude into a plurality of steps. As shown in (3) of FIG. 5, the difference value is indicated by the circle 130 being divided into the block 131 of the fan shape according to the step, and the block 131 of the fan shape is increased or decreased in response to the increase or decrease of the difference value. do. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 (4), the difference value is represented by a plurality of circles 141 to 144 having different sizes according to the steps. As the difference increases or decreases, circles of different sizes are displayed step by step. In addition, as shown in (e) of FIG. 5, the difference value is a bar 151 whose length is continuously variable in correspondence with the size of the difference value in a bar shape of a predetermined size, and thus the target value is increased according to the increase or decrease of the difference value. The difference between and the current value is displayed.

6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example in which a difference value is displayed in color on the control screen of FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 6, the remote controller RC is a difference between a target value and a current value in an icon indicating information on each indoor unit in a box for monitoring and controlling the indoor unit and the outdoor unit as shown in FIG. 3. The value is displayed as an image or text.

At this time, as shown in (a) to (d) of FIG. 6, the remote controller RC is displayed as an image representing a different color depending on the size of the difference. The remote controller RC outputs images 161 to 164 by varying colors of orange, yellow, light green, and blue according to the difference value. In this case, when the driving state of the indoor unit is displayed in color in the icon, the color of the image representing the difference value is preferably set differently from the color indicating the driving state. If the difference between the target value and the present value is large, the color of the image is orange, and if the difference is small, the image is preferably displayed in blue. The shape of the image is represented by a rectangle, but this is not limited to the drawings.

7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example in which a difference value is numerically displayed on the control screen of FIG. 3.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the remote controller RC displays the difference value between the target value and the present value in text, and in particular, numerical values 171 to 174. The larger the difference, the higher the number.

For example, when there is a temperature difference of 2 degrees between the set temperature which is the target value and the measured temperature which is the current value, the remote controller may display the value of '-2' 171 as shown in FIG. do. In addition, when the current value reaches the target value and the difference value is 0, '0' 173 is displayed as shown in FIG.

Looking at the operation according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which the remote controller of FIG. 1 displays a difference value.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the remote controller RC receives data from a connected indoor unit or outdoor unit (S210).

The remote controller RC analyzes data including the operating state of the indoor unit, and calculates a difference between the target value of the indoor unit and the current value (S220). Hereinafter, the target value is set as an example that the set temperature is set in the indoor unit, the current value is the room temperature measured in the indoor unit. That is, the remote controller RC detects the current indoor temperature from the data received from the indoor unit, compares it with the set temperature of the indoor unit, and calculates the temperature difference.

At this time, the remote controller RC determines whether there is a temperature change in the set temperature which is the target value or the room temperature which is the present value, and maintains the display of the current reference value when the temperature is not changed.

On the other hand, if there is a temperature change in at least one of the set temperature or the room temperature, the information on the set temperature and the room temperature is updated and output, and the calculated temperature difference is displayed on the screen as a difference value. In this case, the difference value may be displayed as an image or text according to a setting, and may be displayed in a predetermined shape, shape, or color as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 described above. For example, when the difference value is displayed in a different color as shown in FIG. 6, while the temperature difference is 2 degrees and the image is displayed in yellow, when the temperature difference is increased, an image of which color is changed from yellow to orange is displayed. When the temperature difference is reduced, an image of which color is changed from yellow to light green is output.

Although the air conditioner according to the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated drawings, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein, and may be applied within the scope of the technical idea.

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

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remote controller in the configuration of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example of a control screen output to a display unit of the remote controller of FIG. 2;

4 is an exemplary view illustrating another example of a control screen output to a display unit of the remote controller of FIG. 2;

5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example in which a difference value is displayed in a predetermined form on the control screen of FIG. 3 or 4;

6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example in which a difference value is displayed in color on the control screen of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which a difference value is numerically displayed on the control screen of FIG. 3;

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which the remote controller of FIG. 1 displays a difference value.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

10: control unit 20: data unit

30: display unit 40: input unit

50: communication unit

I1, I2, I3: Indoor unit O: Outdoor unit

RC: Remote Controller R: Local Controller

Claims (6)

An air conditioner including at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, and a remote controller for centrally controlling the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, The remote controller calculates a difference value between a target value set in each of the plurality of indoor units and an actual measured current value, and displays the calculated difference value in predetermined steps. The method according to claim 1, The remote controller is characterized in that for displaying the difference value in the image variable size according to the air conditioner. The method according to claim 2, The remote controller displays the difference value as a gauge bar, and the number or size of the bars of the gauge bar increases or decreases as the current value approaches the target value. The method according to claim 1, The remote controller is characterized in that for displaying the difference value in different colors according to the step. The method according to claim 1, The remote controller is characterized in that for displaying the difference value by the step number. The method according to claim 1, And the remote controller calculates a difference value between a target value and a current value for at least one of temperature, humidity, and air cleanliness.

Images