KR20120025249A - Air-conditioner and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An air conditioner and a control method thereof are provided to operate a sensor without influence of weather or day/night time because a sunlight panel using an infrared electricity generation is used. CONSTITUTION: An air conditioner comprises a main body(110) and an external sensor. The main body comprises an infrared light transmission unit(114) transmitting an infrared light beam and air-conditions indoor air. The external sensor comprises a solar battery(122), a power storage unit, and an indoor sensor unit(128). The solar energy generates electricity by absorbing the transmitted infrared light beam. The power storage unit stores the generated electricity and supplies power in case of storing more than a constant amount of electricity. The indoor sensor unit detects information related to a condition of indoor air by receiving driving power from the power storage unit.

Description

Air Conditioner and Control Method thereof

The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a sensor capable of detecting indoor air conditions using a solar cell using infrared rays, and a control method thereof.

In general, during operation of the air conditioner, an external sensor for detecting the temperature and humidity of the indoor space is required, and the sensor communicates wirelessly with the air conditioner main body. When the air conditioner main body operates according to the user's setting of temperature and humidity, the air conditioner main body uses information about the temperature and humidity of the indoor space detected by an external sensor.

The external sensor receives power from the battery, and the battery also supplies power to the communication module for communication between the sensor and the air conditioner main body. In this case, the battery used may be a general battery or a solar battery.

At this time, as the air conditioner main body continuously detects room temperature and humidity in addition to the need for information, unnecessary power is wasted, and when sunlight is used, indoors have a period of low sunlight so that efficiency is low. There is a problem, in the case of the existing battery had a problem that must be replaced frequently.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner using a solar cell that absorbs infrared rays and absorbing infrared rays sent from the air conditioner main body to drive an external sensor and a control method thereof.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes an infrared transmitter for transmitting an infrared beam, a main body for air conditioning the indoor air, and a solar cell for absorbing the transmitted infrared beam to generate power And an external storage unit including a power storage unit for storing the generated power and supplying power when the power is stored above a predetermined size, and an indoor sensor unit receiving driving power from the power storage unit and detecting information on indoor air condition. It includes a sensor.

In addition, the air conditioner control method including a main body for air conditioning the indoor air according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, and an external sensor for detecting the indoor air condition, the infrared beam is transmitted from the main body And generating power by absorbing the transmitted infrared beam from the solar cell in the external sensor, storing the generated power, and supplying driving power when the power is stored over a predetermined size, and driving power. And receiving the information and detecting the information on the indoor air condition and transmitting the information to the main body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by using a solar panel using infrared power generation of the solar panel, there is an advantage that the sensor can be operated without being affected by the climate, day or night.

In addition, after power generation using infrared rays, by operating the sensor when the generated power is collected for a predetermined amount or more, it is possible to prevent waste of power generated by operating the sensor unnecessarily.

In addition, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the solar panel for receiving infrared rays, resulting in cost reduction. The infrared ray reception rate of the sensor can be increased, and the waste of transmitted infrared ray can be prevented.

On the other hand, it does not use a battery, the user can eliminate the inconvenience of replacing the battery, and thus there is an advantage that can implement a semi-permanent sensor.

1 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioner including an external sensor and a main body.
2 is a block diagram of an air conditioner including an external sensor and a main body.
3 is a circuit diagram of a power storage unit.
4 is a view schematically illustrating a connection between a main body and an external sensor of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 (a) to 6 (b) are views illustrating a process of transmitting and scanning an infrared beam while moving an angle of a predetermined interval from a preset starting point according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view schematically illustrating a process of scanning the position of an external sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are merely given in consideration of ease of preparation of the present specification, and do not impart any particular meaning or role by themselves. Therefore, the "module" and "unit" may be used interchangeably.

1 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioner including an external sensor. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external sensor and an air conditioner main body as an example of a stand type air conditioner.

Here, the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described as an example of the stand type or the ceiling type shown in the drawings, but can also be used in the wall-mounted type can also be used in the integrated type without the distinction between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, the form is the figure It is not limited to this.

The main body 110 scans the indoor space by sending an infrared beam to the space at a predetermined angle using the motor 115. Preferably it has a range of 150 degrees of right and left, and a scan range of 50 degrees up and down. The predetermined angle is transmitted from a preset start point, and when the output signal indicating that the infrared beam transmitted from the external sensor 120 is received is received by the first wireless communication unit 116, the control unit 112 transmits the output signal. The registered direction is stored and stored in the storage unit 118, and it is determined whether the output signal transmitted in the same direction for a predetermined number or more is received. Register and save the location of the transmitted direction.

Therefore, the main body 110 transmits the infrared beam only to the position of the stored external sensor 120 after the scan.

The main body 110 and the external sensor 120 may transmit and receive an output signal indicating that the external sensor 120 has received an infrared beam using communication between the first wireless communication unit 116 and the second wireless communication unit 126. have. In addition, the external sensor 120 may transmit and receive information on the indoor air condition. The communication standard between the first wireless communication unit 116 and the second wireless communication unit 126 may be Bluetooth, UWB or Zigbee, and has a Zigbee communication module with low power consumption. (Zigbee) It is preferable to perform communication.

Zigbee communication is easy to use with low power and low cost, and can connect 255 devices to one wireless network, and thus can be integrated into various home appliances as well as the air conditioner of the present invention. There is an advantage. In addition, it consumes very little power and can be applied to existing peripheral devices.

Since the main body 110 and the external sensor 120 do not require high-performance data transmission, and perform simple data transmission at a short distance, power consumption is low, and communication efficiency is similar to other short-range communication standards (UWB, Bluetooth). Therefore, it is preferable to perform Zigbee communication.

The external sensor 120 includes a solar cell 122 and is driven by the power generated by the solar cell 122. For example, when performing Zigbee communication, in view of the fact that two AA batteries can be used for more than one year, the external sensor 120 can be driven by the power generated by the solar cell 122. The present invention uses a panel that receives infrared rays and generates electric power without using a panel that receives general sunlight among solar cells.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an air conditioner including an external sensor. FIG.

Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 2, the air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in terms of components according to functions.

The air conditioner 100 includes a main body 110 and an external sensor 120.

The main body 110 includes a control unit 112, an infrared transmitting unit 114, a first wireless communication unit 116, and a storage unit 118, and the infrared transmitting unit 114 includes a motor 115 therein.

Such components may be configured by combining two or more components into one component, or by dividing one or more components into two or more components as necessary when implemented in actual applications.

The controller 112 controls the overall operation of the components inside the main body. When the infrared transmitter 114 controls the motor 115 inside to scan the infrared beam into the indoor space, when the output signal transmitted from the external sensor 120 is received, the output signal is transmitted. You can adjust the angle at which the infrared beam is sent to determine the location.

In other words, the controller 112 may control the motor 115 to adjust a predetermined angle of transmitting the infrared beam.

In addition, the controller 112 controls the infrared transmitter 114 to transmit the infrared beam at a predetermined angle to scan the space, and then detects the position of the external sensor 120 and then detects the external sensor ( Control to transmit the infrared beam only to the position of 120). By controlling the external sensor 120 to go through a scanning process to find the transmission angle of the infrared beam that can receive the transmitted infrared beam, the efficiency of generating power in the solar cell 122 of the external sensor 120 It can increase.

The controller 112 may receive an output signal transmitted from the external sensor 120 through the first wireless communication unit 116 connected to the second wireless communication unit 126. In addition, the direction of the external sensor 120 included in the output signal may be registered and stored in the storage unit 118.

The control unit 112 determines whether the output signal has been received more than a predetermined number of times in the same direction as the direction stored in the storage unit 118. The location of the external sensor 120 may be stored in the storage unit 118.

When the position of the external sensor 120 is detected, the controller 112 may control the infrared transmitter 114 to control and transmit the infrared beam to the detected position.

The infrared ray transmitting unit 114 transmits infrared rays to the solar cell 122 of the external sensor 120 to generate driving power of the external sensor 120. Under the control of the control unit 112, the motor 115 transmits and scans an infrared beam at a predetermined angle. When the infrared beam is scanned and the position of the external sensor 120 is detected, the infrared beam is sent to the detected position.

That is, the infrared transmitter 114 scans the position where the infrared beam reception rate of the solar cell 122 is the best, and when the position of the solar cell 122 is detected, the infrared beam is adjusted to the detected position only by adjusting the transmission angle of the infrared ray. Send.

The motor 115 is included in the infrared beam transmitter 114 to perform a function of adjusting the angle of transmitting the infrared beam. Under the control of the controller 112, the motor 115 may adjust the direction of the infrared beam transmitted during the scan while adjusting the transmission angle to transmit the infrared beam from the preset starting point. However, the motor 115 may be included in the infrared beam transmitter 114 and may be connected to the infrared beam transmitter 114 outside the infrared beam transmitter 114.

The first wireless communication unit 116 may communicate with the second wireless communication unit 126 of the external sensor 120 to receive information about an indoor air condition and an output signal from the second wireless communication unit 126. The information on the indoor air condition includes at least one of a temperature, humidity, and a clean state of the current indoor space. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may include information about an indoor environment that can be detected by an external sensor.

The storage unit 118 may store information about the direction and location of the external sensor 120. Information about the direction and location of the external sensor 120 is transmitted from the second wireless communication unit 126 to the first wireless communication unit 116, and the control unit 112 stores the information in the storage unit 118.

The external sensor 120 stores a solar cell 122 that generates power, a generated power, and a power storage unit that supplies driving power to the second wireless communication unit 126 and the indoor sensor unit 128. 124, a second wireless communication unit 126 which communicates with the first wireless communication unit 116 of the main body 110, and an indoor sensor unit 128 that detects an indoor air condition of the indoor space.

Such components may be configured by combining two or more components into one component, or by dividing one or more components into two or more components as necessary when implemented in actual applications.

The solar cell 122 of the present invention does not generate power by receiving sunlight, but generates power by receiving an infrared beam, and the second wireless communication unit 126 in the external sensor 120 and the indoor sensor unit. Drive power for driving 128 is supplied. As the solar cell 122 generates power by receiving an infrared beam, there is a disadvantage in that power generation using the solar light is changed depending on environmental factors such as indoors, where sunlight is hard to enter, and night where there is hardly any sunlight. Can be improved.

For example, in the case of the rainy season, the indoor sensor unit 128 of the external sensor 120 using the conventional sunlight does not receive the driving power to use the battery, but the present invention is infrared in the body 110 The external sensor 120 can be efficiently operated without a battery by transmitting a beam, receiving the same, and generating power.

The power generated by the solar cell 122 is input to the power storage unit 124 and stored in the supercapacitor 301 inside the power storage unit 124. An operation inside the power storage unit 124 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

The power storage unit 124 stores the power and supplies a driving voltage to the second wireless communication unit 126 and the indoor sensor unit 128 when the stored power becomes a predetermined size or more. That is, by operating the indoor sensor unit 128 when the power is collected by a predetermined size or more to communicate with the main body 110, as the standby power for communication between the indoor sensor unit 128 and the main body 110 It can prevent the power consumption caused by.

The second wireless communication unit 126 may communicate with the first wireless communication unit 116 of the main body 110 to transmit information about an indoor air condition and an output signal to the first wireless communication unit 116. The information on the indoor air condition includes at least one of a temperature, humidity, and a clean state of the current indoor space. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may include information about an indoor environment that can be detected by an external sensor.

That is, when the infrared transmitter 114 of the main body 110 transmits and scans the infrared beam, when the transmitted infrared beam is received, the infrared beam transmitted for the scan is received through the second wireless communication unit 126. Transmits an output signal to the first wireless communication unit 116.

The indoor sensor unit 128 operates by receiving driving power from the power storage unit 124 and detects an indoor air condition of the indoor interior space. Information about the indoor air state detected by the indoor sensor unit 128 is transmitted to the main body 110 through the second wireless communication unit 126. The indoor sensor unit 128 is preferably designed to minimize power consumption. For example, the indoor sensor unit 128 may be designed to have a power consumption of about 30 mW.

3 is a circuit diagram of a power storage unit.

The power storage unit 124 includes a super capacitor 301 for storing power, a unidirectional conductive element 307, a zener diode 303, and a MOSFET 305 serving as a switch.

The supercapacitor 301 is a capacitor having a very large capacitance, and the terms are used interchangeably as an ultracapacitor, an ultracapacitor, and an electrochemical capacitor. The supercapacitor 301 uses a charge shape by simple ion movement or surface chemical reaction to the electrode and electrolyte interface, and can be rapidly charged and discharged, and has high charge and discharge efficiency and semi-permanent cycle life to replace the battery. Can be used. Power generated by the solar cell 122 and input to the power storage unit is stored in the supercapacitor 301 to be stored. For example, the super capacitor 301 may use a power of 80mW class.

The supercapacitor 301 is connected to the solar cell 122, and is connected to the zener diode 303 with the one-way conductive element D1 interposed therebetween.

The zener diode 303 has a characteristic that, unlike a general unidirectional conducting element, when a voltage of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied in the reverse direction, the element is not destroyed and a current flows in the reverse direction. The super capacitor 301 stores power until it has a voltage at which a current flows in the zener diode 303.

The zener diode 303 is connected to the resistor R1 and the MOSFET 305 at one end thereof. When a current flows in the zener diode 303, a current flows in the resistor R1. When a current flows through the resistor R1, a voltage drop occurs, and a voltage is applied to the gate G to the MOSFET 305 according to the generated voltage drop.

In the MOSFET 305, when a voltage is applied to the gate G, the drain D and the source S are connected to output power to the outside of the power storage unit 124. When a reverse current flows through the zener diode 303, a constant voltage is applied to the resistor R1, and a gate G voltage of the MOSFET 305 may be applied.

That is, when a predetermined amount or more of power is stored in the super capacitor 301, a reverse current flows through the zener diode 303. Since a voltage having a predetermined magnitude is applied to the resistor R1, and a voltage drop occurs in the resistor R1, the gate G voltage of the MOSFET 305 is generated. When the gate (G) voltage is applied, the drain (D) and the source (S) may be connected to supply a driving voltage to the second wireless communication unit 126 and the indoor sensor unit 128.

4 is a view schematically illustrating a connection between a main body and an external sensor of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 The controller 112 controls the infrared transmitter 114 and the motor 115 to adjust the angle at the motor 115 and transmit the infrared beam from the infrared transmitter 114 to the solar cell 122. When the solar cell 122 receives the infrared beam transmitted by the infrared transmitter 114, the solar cell 122 sends an output signal to the second wireless communication unit 126, and the second wireless communication unit 126 transmits the first wireless communication unit 116. Transmits the output signal.

The first wireless communication unit 116 receives the output signal and transmits it to the control unit 112.

The control unit 112 receives the output signal from the first wireless communication unit 116, determines at which angle position the output signal is transmitted, and registers and stores the direction in which the output signal is transmitted, and in the same direction more than a predetermined number of times. When the transmitted output signal is received, the location of the direction in which the output signal is detected is registered and stored.

Thereafter, the control unit 112 controls the infrared transmitter 114 and the motor 115 to transmit the infrared beam to the registered and stored position.

The solar cell 122 receives the infrared beam transmitted to the position of the solar cell 122 and generates electric power.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The infrared transmitter 114 of the main body 110 transmits an infrared beam at a predetermined starting point. (S501) While transmitting an infrared beam at the starting point, the infrared beam is transmitted while moving an angle (θ °) at a predetermined interval. It is determined whether the first wireless communication unit 116 of the main body 110 receives the output signal output from the external sensor 120 by receiving the transmitted infrared beam (S505).

The control unit 112 of the main body 110 registers the direction in which the output signal received through the first wireless communication unit 116 is transmitted and stores it in the storage unit 118. (S507)

The control unit 112 determines whether the same direction in which the output signal is transmitted is registered and stored for a predetermined number of times or more (S509).

As shown in the figure, for example, if the output signal is transmitted in the same direction five or more times, it is determined that the external sensor 120 is located in the transmitted direction, based on the transmitted direction of the external sensor 120 Detect and store the location (S511).

For example, if the output signal is not transmitted five or more times in the same direction, the control unit 112 again controls the infrared transmitter 114 and the motor 115 to move the angle (θ °) at a predetermined interval and move the infrared beam. To send the

When the location information of the external sensor is transmitted from the first wireless communication unit 116 to the control unit 112 (S513), the control unit 112 controls the infrared transmitting unit 114 and the motor 115 to transmit an infrared beam to the corresponding position. (S515)

The solar cell 122 generates power by using the infrared beam transmitted from the infrared transmitter 114 (S517).

The generated power is moved to the power storage unit 124 and stored. If the stored power is more than a predetermined size, the power storage unit 124 supplies the driving power to the second wireless communication unit 126 and the indoor sensor unit (128) (S519).

The indoor sensor unit 128 supplied with the driving power detects an indoor air state including a temperature, humidity, and a clean state of the indoor space.

The detected information about the indoor air condition is transmitted through the second wireless communication unit and transmitted to the first wireless communication unit (S523).

6 (a) to 6 (b) are diagrams illustrating a process of transmitting and scanning an infrared beam while moving an angle θ ° at a predetermined interval from a preset starting point according to one embodiment of the present invention.

6 (a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the present invention for scanning left and right and up and down alternately.

6 (b) is a plan view of a main body that emits infrared rays according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 (b) transmits infrared rays from the preset starting point of the left side L, and when the output signal transmitted from the external sensor 120 is not received, moves to the right side R by θ °, and the external sensor ( 120 is a diagram illustrating a process of detecting the position of the device.

6A and 6B illustrate an example of a method of transmitting and scanning an infrared beam, but are not limited thereto.

7 is a view schematically illustrating a process of scanning the position of an external sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The infrared ray transmitting unit 114 of the main body 110 starts scanning at a predetermined starting point, and transmits an infrared beam by moving an angle θ ° at a predetermined interval.

The external sensor 120 may exist in plural, and the plurality of external sensors 120 generates an output signal when receiving the infrared beam transmitted from the infrared transmitter 114, thereby providing the second wireless communication unit 126. Through this, the output signal is transmitted to the first wireless communication unit 116.

The control unit 112 of the main body 110 receives the output signal, registers the direction in which the corresponding output signal is transmitted, and stores it in the storage unit 118. When the output signal transmitted in the same direction is received a predetermined number or more, the position of the external sensor 120 is sensed based on the direction.

The control unit 112 stores the detected position of the external sensor 120 in the storage unit 118.

While the above has been shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, it is usually in the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

110: main body 112: control unit
114: infrared transmitter 115: motor
116: first wireless communication unit 118: storage unit
120: external sensor 122: solar cell
124: power storage unit 126: second wireless communication unit
128: indoor sensor unit 301: super capacitor
303: Zener Diode 305: MOSFET
307: unidirectional conductive element

Claims (14)

A main body including an infrared ray transmitting unit for transmitting an infrared beam, and air conditioning the room air; And
A solar cell for generating power by absorbing the transmitted infrared beam, a power storage unit for storing the generated power, and supplying power when the power is stored above a predetermined size, and driving power from the power storage unit. And an external sensor including an indoor sensor unit configured to receive information on indoor air condition. The method of claim 1,
The main body further includes a first wireless communication unit capable of communicating with the external sensor,
The external sensor further comprises a second wireless communication unit for receiving the information detected by the indoor sensor unit, and transmits the information on the indoor air condition to the main body. The method of claim 2,
The second wireless communication unit,
When the transmitted infrared beam is received from the solar cell, and transmits an output signal to the first wireless communication unit,
The first wireless communication unit,
An air conditioner for detecting the position of the external sensor by receiving the output signal. The method of claim 2,
And the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit include a Zigbee module to perform Zigbee communication. The method of claim 3,
The infrared transmitter,
The air conditioner for transmitting the infrared beam to the position of the external sensor detected by the first wireless communication unit. The method of claim 1,
The infrared transmitter,
It includes a motor for adjusting the direction of transmitting the infrared beam,
An air conditioner for transmitting the infrared beam to the outside space of the main body by using the motor at a predetermined angle. The method according to claim 3 or 6, wherein
The infrared beam transmitted at the predetermined angle is,
Air conditioner that transmits from a preset starting point and transmits at an interval of a certain interval until the output signal is received The method of claim 1,
The power storage unit,
It includes a super capacitor for storing the power generated in the solar cell,
And an air conditioner supplying driving power to the indoor sensor unit when the power stored in the super capacitor is greater than or equal to a predetermined size. The method of claim 8,
The power storage unit,
A zener diode connected in a reverse super capacitor and conducting in a reverse direction when the power stored in the super capacitor is greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude;
And a MOSFET which is turned on when the Zener diode is turned on, and supplies driving power to the indoor sensor unit when the MOSFET is turned on. The method of claim 1,
The indoor air conditioner comprises at least one of a temperature, humidity and a clean state. In the air conditioner control method comprising a main body for air conditioning the indoor air, and an external sensor for detecting the indoor air condition,
Transmitting an infrared beam from the main body;
Absorbing the transmitted infrared beam from the solar cell in the external sensor to generate power;
Storing the generated power, and supplying driving power when the power is stored above a predetermined size;
And receiving information about the indoor air condition by receiving the driving power and transmitting the information to the main body. 12. The method of claim 11,
Sending the infrared beam,
Transmitting an infrared beam to a space outside the main body at a predetermined angle;
Transmitting an output signal to the main body when receiving the transmitted infrared beam from the external sensor;
Receiving the output signal and detecting a position at which the output signal is transmitted; and
And transmitting the infrared beam to the detected position. The method of claim 12,
The infrared beam transmitted at the predetermined angle is,
The control method of the air conditioner for transmitting from a predetermined starting point, by moving the angle of a predetermined interval until the output signal is received. The method of claim 12,
Detecting the position where the output signal is transmitted,
When the output signal is received, register and store the direction in which the output signal is transmitted, and when the output signal transmitted in the same direction is received a predetermined number of times or more, register and store the position of the external sensor according to the direction. Control method of an air conditioner comprising the step.

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