KR20100051459A - Air conditioner and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: Air conditioner and method of operating the same are provided to effectively control the power consumption and provide a pleasant indoor environment in a power control mode. CONSTITUTION: An air conditioner comprises a plurality of units and a remote controller(RC). The remote controller monitors and controls the operation of the plurality of units, and controls the amount of power consumed by the units. The remote controller sets the priorities for the units corresponding to the change depending on the time of an indoor temperature and controls the operation ratio for the units by controlling the operation of the units according to the priorities. The remote controller sets the operation change cycle in which each operation state for the units changes and resets the priorities for the units when reaching the operation change cycle.

Description

Air conditioner and operating method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an operation method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and a method of operating the air conditioner for reducing the deviation of the extraction temperature according to the indoor unit capacity while controlling the degree of superheat in an outdoor unit to which a plurality of indoor units are connected.

The air conditioner is installed to provide a more comfortable indoor environment for humans by discharging cold air into the room to adjust the indoor temperature and purifying the indoor air 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.

The air conditioner is separated and controlled by an indoor unit composed of a heat exchanger and an outdoor unit composed of a compressor and a heat exchanger, and is operated by controlling power supplied to the compressor or the heat exchanger. In addition, the air conditioner may be connected to at least one indoor unit to the outdoor unit, the refrigerant is supplied to the indoor unit according to the requested operating state, the operation is operated in the cooling or heating mode.

In addition, the air conditioner may include a remote controller for monitoring and controlling the states of a plurality of units such as indoor units and outdoor units, and may integrate and control a plurality of units at a long distance.

The remote controller performs power control to control the power consumption of the air conditioner by controlling the operation of a predetermined unit among the plurality of units in response to the power consumption of the plurality of units. At this time, when the power consumption reaches a certain amount, the remote controller randomly selects a unit to stop the unit, thereby adjusting the amount of power consumed. In addition, the power consumption can be adjusted by controlling the unit according to the specified order.

However, when a unit is randomly selected or controlled according to a designated order, problems such as operation of a unit in a room that requires cooling and heating and operation of a unit in a room that does not require cooling and heating occur. Accordingly, since the user feels unpleasant, there is a need for a method of eliminating the discomfort of the user while controlling the amount of power consumed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to select a unit to be controlled from a plurality of units in a power control mode for controlling operations of a plurality of units such as an outdoor unit and an indoor unit included in an air conditioner according to the amount of power consumed. By setting priorities for a plurality of units based on the amount of change in the temperature of the room where the unit is installed, controlling the operation of the unit, effectively controlling the amount of power consumed, as well as providing a comfortable indoor environment that eliminates user discomfort. The present invention provides a harmonic and a method of operating the same.

The air conditioner according to the present invention includes a remote controller for monitoring and controlling the operation of the plurality of units and the plurality of units, controlling the operation of the plurality of units to control the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units, When the remote controller controls the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units, the priority is set for the plurality of units in response to the amount of change over time of the room temperature of the room where the plurality of units are installed, The operation rate of the plurality of units is controlled by controlling the operation of the plurality of units according to the ranking.

In addition, the operating method of the air conditioner according to the present invention comprises the steps of operating in a power control mode for controlling the amount of power consumed by a plurality of units, by measuring the room temperature of each room in which the plurality of units is installed to change the room temperature Calculating and setting priorities, and when the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units reaches a reference value, controlling the operations of the plurality of units according to the designated operation rate corresponding to the priority. .

In the air conditioner and its operation method according to the present invention configured as described above, the operation of the unit is controlled by setting priorities for the plurality of units based on the amount of change in the temperature of the room where the unit is installed, in the power control mode. In addition to effectively controlling the amount of power consumed, thereby reducing the cost of using the power, there is an effect of improving the user's satisfaction by providing a comfortable indoor environment without the user feeling uncomfortable in the power control mode.

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

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

Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a plurality of units such as indoor units I11 to I33 for discharging cold air into an interior, and outdoor units O1 to O3 connected to an indoor unit. In addition, the air conditioner may further include local controllers R13 and R21 connected to the indoor unit for inputting an operation command to the indoor unit, and a remote controller RC connected to a plurality of units to control and monitor the operation thereof.

 Here, the unit included in the air conditioner includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, and may further include a unit such as an air cleaning unit, a ventilation unit, a humidification unit, a dehumidification unit, a heater, and such a unit is connected to a remote controller (RC). Can be integrated control. Hereinafter, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit will be described as an example, but may also be applied to the case where the above units are connected. In particular, the outdoor unit is connected to the plurality of indoor units, and supplies the connected refrigerant. At this time, the number of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is not limited to the drawing.

The outdoor units O1 to O3 include a compressor for receiving and compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant and outdoor air, an accumulator for extracting a gas refrigerant from the supplied refrigerant, and supplying the refrigerant to the compressor, and a flow path of the refrigerant according to a heating operation. It includes a four-way valve to select. In addition, a high pressure pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and a low pressure pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the refrigerant supplied to the compressor. In addition, a number of sensors, valves and oil recovery devices, etc. are further included, but the description of the other components will be omitted below. The indoor units I11 to I33 include an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor unit fan, an expansion valve in which the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit is expanded, and a plurality of sensors.

At least one indoor unit (I11 to I33) may be provided in one room, and one or more outdoor units (O1 to O3) are driven by the request of at least one of the plurality of indoor units, the cooling / heating corresponding to the driven indoor unit As the capacity varies, the number of operations of the outdoor unit and the number of compressors installed in the outdoor unit vary. The outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected through a refrigerant pipe to perform cooling or heating operations according to the flow of the refrigerant according to the flow of the refrigerant, and transmit and receive data to each other according to a predetermined communication method.

The indoor units I11 to I33 include an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor unit fan, an expansion valve in which the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit is expanded, and a plurality of sensors.

 The local controllers R13 and R21 are connected to the indoor units I13 and I21 to display an operating state of the connected indoor unit and transmit a control command corresponding to the input data to the indoor unit. In this case, the local controller may be connected to the indoor unit by wire or wirelessly, and one-way or two-way communication may be performed according to a communication method.

The remote controller RC is connected to a plurality of units to control the operation thereof, as well as to set the operation schedule of each unit and to operate according to the set schedule. In addition, the remote controller RC displays an operation state in response to data received from the plurality of units, and when operating in the power control mode, prioritizes the plurality of units in response to a change in the room temperature in which the unit is installed. The operation rate of the air conditioner is controlled by setting and controlling the operation of the plurality of units in accordance with the priority.

In this case, the remote saver RC may be connected to a power meter to receive power consumption, and in some cases, may include a power measurement unit for measuring power consumption of a plurality of units.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remote controller of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, the remote controller RC includes an input unit 140, a display unit 150, a communication unit 130, a data unit 120, and a controller 110 that controls overall operations of the remote controller.

Here, the power meter 200 may be separately installed outside to measure the amount of power consumption and input to the control unit 110, or input to the control unit 110 through a separate input interface (not shown), the communication unit 130 ) Can be sent. In some cases, the power meter 200 is embedded in the remote controller RC to apply the data to be measured by the controller 110.

The communication unit 130 includes at least one communication module, transmits a control command of the control unit 110 to a plurality of units including the outdoor unit O and the indoor unit I, and controls the data received from the plurality of units. (110). In particular, the communication unit 130 applies temperature data received from the plurality of rooms I to the control unit 110.

In addition, the communication unit 130 connects to the outside through the Internet, or allows or blocks the connection from the outside. In this case, the communication unit 130 may transmit and receive data according to different communication methods, respectively, when the indoor or outdoor unit, the ventilation unit or the air cleaning unit, and the data communication through the external connection, and converts the data between different communication methods in some cases May further include a conversion unit.

The temperature sensing unit 10 may be provided in the indoor unit I, or may be installed in a room in which the indoor unit I is installed, and transmit the detected indoor temperature data to the remote controller RC through the indoor unit I. In some cases, when the communication means are provided in the temperature sensing unit 10, the temperature sensing unit 10 may transmit room temperature data to the communication unit 130 of the remote controller RC, or the temperature sensing unit 10 And the remote controller RC may be interconnected to transmit room temperature data to the remote controller RC.

Here, the temperature sensing unit 10 includes a plurality of temperature measuring means, and is provided for each indoor unit or for each room in which the indoor unit is installed. In addition, the temperature sensing unit 10 may be installed in another unit connected to the remote controller RC as well as the indoor unit, and may transmit the indoor temperature data to the remote controller RC through the corresponding unit.

The input unit 140 includes touch input means such as at least one button or a touch button to apply the input data to the controller 110. In this case, the input unit 140 includes a touch input of the touch screen when the display unit 150 is a touch screen.

The display unit 150 includes display means for outputting image or text data on the screen, and outputs an operation state of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit and the other units on the screen. In this case, in addition to the display unit 150, the air conditioner may further include a speaker for outputting at least one of a predetermined sound effect, warning sound, music, and voice, and a lamp for lighting or flashing to output a state.

The data unit 120 stores control setting values for controlling units such as the indoor unit I, the outdoor unit O, the ventilation unit, the humidifier, and the air cleaner. In this case, the data unit 120 stores control data according to a control program of a remote controller, address data for data transmission and reception with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, data transmitted and received, and processing data generated during a predetermined operation. In addition, the data unit 20 stores a group setting, a schedule group setting, schedule information set in the unit, and operation state data received from the plurality of units of the plurality of units included in the air conditioner. In addition, the data unit 120 stores the room temperature data received from each unit, the data according to the calculation of the change amount of the room temperature and the priority data selected by the controller 110 according to the change in the room temperature.

The controller 110 processes data transmitted and received through the communication unit 130, data input and output through the input unit 140, and the display unit 150, and the remote controller RC receives a predetermined menu in response to the input data. Output or perform a predetermined operation. The control unit 110 generates a control command in response to the data input through the input unit 140 and transmits the control command to the communication unit 130 to operate the plurality of units such as an indoor unit or an outdoor unit, a ventilation unit, or an air cleaning unit. Control, and each operation state is output through the display unit 150.

In addition, the controller 110 may set the operation setting, operation mode, and schedule for each unit according to the data input through the input unit 140, and the set data is stored in the data unit 120.

In particular, when operating in the power control mode, the control unit 110 calculates a change in the indoor temperature with time using the indoor temperature data received from the plurality of units or the temperature sensing unit 10, in response to the temperature change per hour Set priorities for multiple units.

At this time, the controller 110 accumulates and stores the received room temperature data for each room, periodically calculates temperature change over time at predetermined time intervals, resets the priority, and updates the priority data. At this time, the control unit 110 preferably resets the priority according to the exchange period in which the operation of the plurality of units is changed, but prior to the operation exchange to reset the priority is completed.

In addition, the controller 110 may reset the priority corresponding to the amount of power consumption input from the power measuring unit 200. That is, even if the time for calculating the priority is not reached, the controller 110 resets the priority when the power consumption reaches the reference value even if the power consumption increases rapidly or controls the operation of the unit. The operation rate is controlled by changing the operation rate.

When setting the priorities for the plurality of units, the controller 110 may set a unit excluded from the operation control target according to the power control mode, and the operation is controlled for the remaining units except the excluded unit.

In addition, when there are a plurality of units having the same priority, the controller 110 may randomly select an arbitrary unit from a plurality of units having the same priority. In the case where there are a plurality of the same unit, it is controlled according to a separately set order.

3 is a diagram illustrating a menu screen according to a power control mode of the remote controller of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the remote controller RC displays a control menu on the display unit 150 in response to data input or data received through the communication unit 130.

The remote controller RC provides a menu for setting or releasing a setting menu for a plurality of units, a control menu for setting a schedule, a group or a zone for the plurality of units, and the like. The present invention also provides a setting menu for transmitting and receiving data with a plurality of units, a setting menu for a remote controller RC, a screen setting menu, operation information of a plurality of units, error information, and the like.

In particular, the remote controller RC provides a control menu when setting a power control mode for controlling an operation of a plurality of units in response to a power consumption amount.

The power control mode is a control mode that sets an operation rate for a plurality of units so that the amount of power consumption or the accumulated power usage of a predetermined period does not exceed the set power amount, and allows the air conditioner to operate within a specified operation rate or a specified power consumption range. Peak power control or demand control.

The remote controller (RC) can control the operation of the unit using the set daily power amount to control the operation rate so that the instantaneous power consumption does not exceed a certain value when the power control mode is set, or to prevent the accumulated power amount from reaching the set power amount. In addition, the unit may be controlled based on the total amount of power including not only the unit of the air conditioner but also the amount of power consumed by other electric devices in the building.

When the power control mode is set, the display unit 150 displays a power control menu.

At this time, the information on the current setting, the current operation rate and power amount, the desired operation rate and the desired power amount is displayed on the power control menu, the setting information display menu 51 displaying the cycle of calling the operation, the desired operation rate and the desired power amount Graphical information menu 52 for displaying the information on a graph or an image and directly changing the setting, and a setting change menu 53 for changing the desired power, desired operation rate, operation switching period. The setting change menu includes a menu for setting a unit excluded from the control target during the power control operation.

The controller 110 controls the plurality of units according to the power control setting set through the power control menu. As shown in the drawing, when the current operation rate is 100% and the current power amount is 10KW, the operation rate is the desired operation rate 50. It is higher than%, but the amount of power is lower than 50 KW, so the current state of the unit is maintained. When the amount of power consumption continuously input reaches the desired power amount, the controller 110 changes the operation rate to 50% according to the desired operation rate and operates.

At this time, the controller 110 stops the operation of the unit having the lower priority according to the preset priority so that only 50% of the units are operated. In this case, the controller 110 may control the unit to be controlled to stop operation, but may be switched to a blowing mode or a power saving mode in some cases.

The control unit 110 resets the set priority, selects 50% of units according to the new priority, and stops operation during the operation switching cycle, and the remaining 50% of units are operated. At this time, the control unit 110 transmits the operation stop command to the unit that is the control target of the operating unit, and transmits the operation command to the unit set to be operated among the operation stop unit. Meanwhile, the controller 110 may change the desired driving rate when the power consumption reaches the desired power while controlling the unit according to the desired driving rate.

The controller 110 displays the operation state of the unit through the display unit 150, and generates a related message when the amount of power increases to be displayed on the display unit 150.

Here, the controller 110 accumulates and stores the indoor temperature data input or received from the temperature sensing unit 10 in the data unit 120, and calculates a change in the indoor temperature according to time for each room where the unit is installed. Sets priorities in ascending order. At this time, the control unit 110 sets the priority, calculates a change in the indoor temperature for a time set as the operation switching period, subtracts the temperature after the time elapses from the starting temperature and divides it by the time of the operation switching cycle to the temperature Calculate the change.

However, during cooling, priority is given in order of absolute value from the value of temperature change greater than zero, and priority is given in order of value of absolute value while temperature change is less than zero when heating. That is, when the temperature increases during cooling, the priority is set high, and the priority is set low for the room in which the temperature decreases, so that the operation of the unit is controlled in the order of low priority.

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

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a unit control method in a power control mode among operating methods of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the power control mode is set, the remote controller RC controls the operation of the unit to control the amount of power consumed for the plurality of units (S300). The remote controller RC checks the data of the desired operation rate and the desired power amount, the operation switching cycle, and the excluded unit through the power control mode control menu and controls the operation of the unit accordingly.

At this time, the remote controller (RC) receives data on the current operation and status from a plurality of units. In particular, the remote controller RC receives room temperature data of a room in which a unit is installed from a plurality of units. When the data is received through the communication unit 130, the controller 110 stores the data in the data unit 120 (S310).

Here, the room temperature of each room is measured by the temperature sensing unit installed in the unit, or the temperature sensing unit installed in the room, transmitted to the remote controller (RC) through the unit, or the remote controller when the communication unit is provided in the temperature sensing unit Can be sent directly to. In some cases, the temperature sensing unit may be wired to the remote controller RC so that data may be directly input to the remote controller RC.

In addition, the remote controller RC receives or inputs a power consumption from the power meter 200 and stores it in the data unit 100.

The controller 110 of the remote controller RC compares the input power consumption with the desired power according to the power control mode setting, and determines whether the power consumption reaches or exceeds the desired power (S320).

If the power consumption does not reach the desired power, the operation is performed according to the current setting. If the power consumption reaches the desired power, the control unit uses a preset priority or sets a new priority according to the priority. The unit is then operated at the desired operating rate.

At this time, the controller 110 sets the time set as the operation switching period to the unit time, and after the unit temperature elapses (S330), transmits a control command according to the indoor temperature measurement to each unit, and correspondingly Indoor temperature data is received from the plurality of units (S340).

The controller 110 calculates the temperature change per unit time by calculating the difference between the first measured room temperature and the second measured room temperature by using the received room temperature data and dividing it by unit time. (S350). The controller 110 determines a priority in response to the calculated temperature change (S360). Here, the controller 110 sets the priority of the room of the room with a large temperature change low and sets the priority of the room of the room with a small temperature change high. However, in the case of cooling, if the temperature rises, the priority is set high even if the temperature change is large, and in the case of heating, the priority is set low even if the temperature change is large.

The remote controller RC selects the control target unit according to the set priority and the set desired operation rate as described above and controls the operation (S370). For example, when the desired operation rate of 50% is set, the controller 110 selects 50% of the units in operation according to the order of low priority, and operates at least one of operation stop, blow operation, and power saving mode operation. Control as possible.

When the operation of the unit is controlled according to the designated desired driving rate as described above, the control unit 110 transmits a control command to each unit to measure the indoor temperature, and when the indoor temperature data is received from the unit, the data unit 120. Store in (S380). Here, the control unit 110 receives the indoor temperature data by transmitting a control command not only to the unit in operation but also to a unit whose operation priority is low.

The controller 110 compares the amount of power consumed from the power meter 200 continuously or at predetermined intervals with the amount of gray power (S390), and maintains the current operation when the amount of power consumed is less than the desired amount of power. At this time, while the power control mode is set (S400), the remote controller (RC) resets the priority by using the measured indoor temperature when the operation switching cycle is reached, newly selects the control target according to the desired operation rate, The operation of the unit is controlled and the above operation is repeated (S330 to S400).

On the other hand, even after controlling the operation of the unit according to the desired operation rate as described above, if the power consumption is more than the target power amount, change the set desired operation rate (S410), and reset the priority to operate the unit according to the changed desired operation rate Control (S330 to S390, S410).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting priorities for a plurality of units among operating methods of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the remote controller RC includes first to third units, wherein A is a temperature change of the chamber in which the first unit is installed, B is a temperature change of the chamber in which the second unit is installed, and B is a third unit. When the temperature change of the installed room is C, subtract the second room temperature after the unit time from the room temperature measured for each room and divide it by the unit time to calculate the temperature change for each room where each unit is installed.

When the temperature change A of the chamber in which the first unit is installed is less than 0 during cooling, the remote controller RC determines that the first unit is stopped and the temperature of the chamber rises and sets a high priority for the first unit. .

In addition, when the temperature change A is equal to or greater than 0 during cooling, the remote controller RC determines that the first unit is operated to cool (S470), and sets a priority in comparison with the temperature change of the other chambers. At this time, the control unit 110 sets a low priority to the unit of the chamber having a large temperature change, for the yarn having a temperature change of 0 or more.

First, the temperature change A of the chamber in which the first unit is installed is compared with the temperature change B of the chamber in which the second unit is installed (S480), and when A is greater than B, the temperature change C of the chamber in which the third unit is installed is compared (S490). ).

When A is greater than B and C, the controller 110 sets the first unit to 1, which is the lowest priority (S500), and compares the sizes of B and C (S510), when C is greater than B, A second unit of B is set at priority 3 and a third unit of C is set at priority 2. Therefore, the priority of 1,2,3 is set in the order of A, C, and B (S520). In addition, when B is greater than C, the controller 110 sets a second unit of B as a second priority, and a third unit of C as a priority 3. Therefore, the priorities of 1,2,3 are set in the order of A, B and C (S530).

In addition, when A is greater than B and less than or equal to C, the controller 110 sets the third unit of C having a large temperature change to priority 1, the first unit to priority 2, and the second unit to priority 3 ( S540).

On the other hand, when A is less than or equal to B, A is compared with C (S550), and when A is less than or equal to B, the priority of the first unit is set to 3 (S560). At this time, B and C are compared, so that a unit corresponding to a high value is set to priority 1 and a low value is set to priority 2. That is, when B is greater than C, the second unit of B is set to priority 1, the third unit of C is set to priority 2 and the first unit of A is set to priority 1 (S580), and C is larger than B. In this case, the third unit of C is set to priority 1, the second unit of B is set to priority 2, and the first unit of A is set to priority 1 (S590).

If A is less than or equal to B and greater than C, the second unit of B is set to priority 1, the first unit is set to priority 2, and the third unit is set to priority 3 (S600).

The controller 110 sets priorities for all units and stores the data as described above (S610). The controller 110 resets the priority for each operation switching cycle and controls the operation of the unit according to the new priority as described in the above-described fourth.

As described above, the air conditioner and its operation method according to the present invention have been described with reference to the illustrated drawings. Can be.

1 is a view showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the remote controller of FIG.

3 is an exemplary view showing a menu screen according to the power control mode of the remote controller of FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a unit control method in a power control mode of an operation method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting priorities for a plurality of units among operating methods of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

110: control unit 120: data unit

130: communication unit 140: input unit

150: display unit 200: power meter

I: Indoor unit O: Outdoor unit

R: Local Controller RC: Remote Controller

Claims (13)

A plurality of units; And A remote controller for monitoring and controlling the operations of the plurality of units, controlling the operations of the plurality of units to control the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units, When the remote controller controls the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units, the priority is set for the plurality of units in response to the amount of change over time of the room temperature of the room where the plurality of units are installed, The air conditioner for controlling the operation rate for the plurality of units by controlling the operation of the plurality of units according to the rank. The method of claim 1, And the remote controller sets an operation switching period in which an operation state of the plurality of units is changed, and resets the priority of the plurality of units when the operation switching period is reached. The method of claim 1, The remote controller gives low priority to the corresponding unit according to the order in which the magnitude of the absolute value is small while the temperature change is less than zero during the cooling operation. During a heating operation, an air conditioner that gives a lower priority to a corresponding unit in order of temperature change greater than zero and in order of magnitude of absolute value. The method of claim 3, wherein The remote controller first measures the temperature of the room in which the plurality of units are installed, and measures the room temperature in the second time when the operation switching cycle is reached, subtracting the second measured room temperature from the first measured room temperature and switching the operation. Air conditioner that divides the cycle and calculates the temperature change. The method of claim 1, And when the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units reaches a set reference value, the remote controller controls the operation from the low priority unit according to the set desired operation rate. The method of claim 5, And the remote controller controls the low priority unit according to the desired operation rate and then changes the desired operation rate when the amount of power reaches the reference value. Operating in a power control mode for controlling the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units; Calculating a change in room temperature by measuring room temperature of each room in which the plurality of units are installed and setting priorities; And And controlling the operation of the plurality of units according to the designated operation rate in response to the priority when the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units reaches a reference value. The method of claim 7, wherein Setting the priority, The indoor temperature for each room of the room where the plurality of units is installed is first measured, and the room temperature for each room of the room where the plurality of units is installed is secondly measured when a predetermined time elapses, and the change in the room temperature over time is calculated. A method of operating an air conditioner that sets low priorities to corresponding units in order of increasing temperature change. The method of claim 8, The setting of the priority may include setting a low priority to the corresponding unit according to the order in which the temperature change is less than 0 and the magnitude of the absolute value is high during the cooling operation, and if the temperature change is greater than 0, the corresponding unit. Operation method of air conditioner to set high priority on. The method of claim 8, The setting of the priority may include setting a low priority to the corresponding unit according to the order in which the temperature change is greater than 0 and the magnitude of the absolute value is high during heating operation, and if the temperature change is less than 0, to the corresponding unit. Operation method of air conditioner to set high priority. The method of claim 7, wherein Controlling the operation of the plurality of units And an operation method of controlling the air conditioner to change the operation state from one of the low priority units to an operation stop, a blow operation, or a power saving operation according to a desired operation rate set when the power control mode operation is set. The method of claim 7, wherein After controlling the operation of the plurality of units, upon reaching the operation switching cycle, the priority of the plurality of units is reset based on the actual room temperature change, and the unit of the box is controlled according to the reset priority. Operation method of the air conditioner further comprises a step. The method of claim 7, wherein Even after controlling the operation of the plurality of units, when the amount of power consumed by the plurality of units reaches or exceeds the reference value, the desired operation rate is changed and the priority is reset to reset the priority of the plurality of units. And operating the air conditioner.

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