KR20120099323A - Air conditioning system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An air conditioning system and a control method thereof are provided to perform rapid cooling and heating by automatically controlling the air conditioning system according to a heat source. CONSTITUTION: An air conditioning system comprises a heat sensing unit, a communication module, and an indoor unit. The heat sensing unit collects the information of one or more heat sources detected in an air conditioning space. The communication module receives the heat source information by communicated with the heat sensing unit. The indoor unit comprises vanes and a control unit. The vanes open/close a hole for exhausting air. The control unit controls the opening of vanes based on the information about the received heat source information and the opening angle of the selected vane for controlling the quantity of air flow. [Reference numerals] (AA) Start; (BB) End; (S501) Setting an intelligent wind angle control menu; (S502) Sensing in an A/B direction at a speed of n°/sec(DATA collecting); (S503) Sensing a heat source; (S504) Calculating the position of the heat source(angle, distance); (S505) Vane number selecting/changing; (S506) Vane angle selecting/changing; (S507) Wind intensity selecting/changing(based on temperature/position); (S508) Finishing the menu?

Description

Air Conditioning System and Control Method of Air Conditioning System {AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a control method of the air conditioner. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of controlling the air conditioner, which can minimize energy waste and minimize power costs.

The air conditioner refers to a device for cooling, heating, ventilating or purifying indoor air. In particular, the air conditioner for cooling or heating indoor air may be configured as an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. In recent years, the air conditioner used in recent years does not correspond to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit one-to-one, and a plurality of indoor units are often connected to one outdoor unit.

In the case of an office building, one air conditioning space often exceeds the air conditioning capacity of one indoor unit, and a plurality of indoor units are often provided in one air conditioning space.

When a plurality of indoor units are provided in one air conditioning space, and only a few people are active inside the air conditioning space, when the whole air conditioning space is cooled or heated at the same operating temperature, the energy consumption is large and the electricity bill is variable. In the case of a power grid, unnecessary waste of power cost may be generated.

The present invention is to solve the problem to minimize the unnecessary waste of power costs, to provide an air conditioner and a control method of the air conditioner that is adaptive to the heat source in the air conditioning space.

In order to solve the above problems, an example of an air conditioner according to the present invention, at least one heat source detecting unit for collecting information on at least one heat source detected in the air conditioning space; And a communication module configured to communicate with the heat source detection unit to receive heat source information, at least one vane for opening and closing the air discharge, and a vane to be opened based on the received heat source information, and opening angle and discharge of the selected vane. It includes; an indoor unit including a control unit for controlling the air volume and the wind speed of the air to be differentiated from other vanes.

In this case, the heat source information may include at least one or more of information on the location of the heat source, the direction of the heat source, the distance from the heat source, the temperature of the heat source, the quantity of the heat source, and the like.

The heat sensing unit may include a driving motor mounted in an indoor unit, a fixed housing mounted on an outer surface of the indoor unit, a rotating housing rotatably mounted with respect to the fixed housing according to the rotation of the rotating shaft of the drive motor, and a heat source fixed in the rotating housing. It may include a sensor.

In addition, the heat sensor may be arranged to detect a heat source in a direction to form a predetermined angle from the rotation axis of the drive motor in the rotary housing.

If the information on the heat source is the direction and distance of the heat source, the control unit may step the opening angle of the vane located in a direction close to the direction in which the heat source is located according to the distance of the heat source so that the air discharged from the indoor unit reaches the heat source. Can be adjusted continuously or continuously.

In addition, when there are a plurality of heat sources and some of the heat sources are clustered, the controller may treat the cluster heat sources as one heat source and use weight or additional information when controlling the cluster heat sources.

And the weight includes a value for differential control to provide the cluster heat source with a higher air volume or wind speed (wind strength) than the individual heat source, and the additional information includes the quantity of heat sources constituting the cluster and the average of the cluster heat sources. It may include at least one or more of the temperature, the average distance of the cluster heat source, the average position of the cluster heat source, the position of the outermost heat source and the innermost heat source position in the cluster heat source.

In addition, the heat source detecting unit may include an infrared sensor.

Another example of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes at least one vane for opening and closing an air discharge; At least one heat source detecting unit collecting information on at least one heat source in the air conditioning space; And a control unit for selecting a specific vane based on the collected heat source information, and controlling the opening angle of the selected vane and the amount of air to be discharged from other vanes.

One example of a method for controlling an air conditioner according to the present invention includes collecting information on at least one heat source detected in an air conditioning space; And selecting vanes for discharging air based on the received heat source information, and controlling the opening angle of the selected vanes and the amount of air to be discharged from the other vanes.

In this case, the control method of the air conditioner may be set to an artificial intelligence mode for differentially controlling the indoor unit or the vanes of the indoor unit through an external driving device.

The heat source information may include at least one of information about a location of a heat source, a direction of the heat source, a distance from the heat source, a temperature of the heat source, and a quantity of the heat source.

In the differential control step, when the information on the heat source is the direction and distance of the heat source, opening of the vane located in a direction close to the direction in which the heat source is located according to the distance of the heat source so that the air discharged from the indoor unit reaches the heat source. The angle can be adjusted step by step or continuously.

In the discrimination control step, when there are a plurality of heat sources and some heat sources are clustered, the cluster heat source may be treated as one heat source, and the weight or additional information may be used when controlling the community heat source.

In addition, the weight includes a value for differential control to provide a cluster heat source to provide a higher air volume or wind speed than the individual heat source, wherein the additional information is the quantity of the heat source constituting the cluster, the average temperature of the cluster heat source, the cluster heat source It may include at least one of the average distance of, the average position of the cluster heat source, the location of the outermost heat source in the cluster heat source and the innermost heat source location information.

According to the present invention,

First, by adaptively controlling the air conditioner automatically for the heat source there is an effect that can improve the comfort by performing a user's convenience and faster cooling / heating.

Second, there is an effect that can reduce the power consumption by avoiding unnecessary cooling / heating.

Third, there is an effect that can minimize the power cost in conjunction with the intelligent power grid.

1 is a view illustrating an example of the configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention;
2a is a detailed configuration diagram illustrating an example of a heat source detecting unit according to the present invention;
2B is a view illustrating an example of heat source sensing sensing of the heat source detecting unit;
3 is a view illustrating an example of an indoor unit 200a of an air conditioner according to the present invention;
4 (a) to (f) are diagrams for explaining the differential control of each vane under the control of the control unit according to the present invention,
5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for controlling an air conditioner according to the present invention;
6 is a view showing an example of an operating state of the air conditioner according to the present invention,
7 is a view showing another example of an operating state of the air conditioner according to the present invention;
8 and 9 show still another example of an operating state of the air conditioner according to the present invention;
10 is a schematic diagram of a so-called 'smart grid' which is an intelligent or next generation grid;
11 is a schematic diagram showing a power supply network system in a home, which is a major consumer of an intelligent power grid;
12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention;
13 is a graph of power rates in a situation in which the power rates vary with time.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted in a conventional or dictionary sense, and the inventors will appropriately define the concept of terms in order to best describe their invention. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a view illustrating an example of the configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 (a) shows an example of a stand type air conditioner including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and FIG. 1 (b) shows an example of a ceiling type air conditioner including an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units. Here, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are connected to the refrigerant pipe, and the cooled or heated air is blown through the indoor unit according to the circulation of the refrigerant to cool or heat the room, that is, the air conditioning space.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the air conditioner 1000 ′ includes an outdoor unit 300 ′ and one indoor unit 200 ′ connected to the outdoor unit 300 ′. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 (a), one indoor unit may be provided for cooling or heating one air conditioning space.

Although the outdoor unit and the indoor unit may be matched one-to-one, in recent years, more and more air conditioners including a plurality of indoor units are provided in one outdoor unit.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the air conditioner 1000 is mainly provided in a building having a large air conditioning space, and includes a plurality of indoor units 200 and nine indoor units 200a to 200i connected to one outdoor unit 300. Include. Here, the number of outdoor units 300 may vary depending on the size of the building and / or the size or number of air conditioning spaces. In addition, the number of indoor units may vary according to the compressor capacity or the number of outdoor units 300. The air conditioner 1000 may include a plurality of outdoor units and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor units. Here, each indoor unit 200a to 200i connected to one outdoor unit may be operated independently. In addition, the plurality of indoor units may be installed in each separate air conditioning space, and may cool or heat one large air conditioning space at the same time.

The air conditioner 1000 may further include at least one or more of units such as a ventilation unit, an air cleaning unit, a humidification unit, a dehumidification unit, and a heater in addition to the indoor units 200a to 200i and the outdoor unit 300. . In addition, the air conditioner 1000 may be connected to at least one of the lighting unit and the alarm unit to operate in conjunction with each other.

The outdoor unit 300 is operated in a cooling mode or a heating mode in response to a request of the connected indoor unit 200 or an external control signal, and supplies the refrigerant to the plurality of indoor units. The outdoor unit 300 is disposed on one side of the compressor that serves to compress the refrigerant, the compressor motor for driving the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger that serves to radiate the compressed refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger to promote the heat radiation of the refrigerant An outdoor fan, an outdoor blower consisting of an electric motor rotating the outdoor fan, an expansion mechanism for expanding the condensed refrigerant, a cooling / heating switching valve for changing the flow path of the compressed refrigerant, and a vaporized refrigerant to temporarily store moisture and foreign matter. After removal, it may include an accumulator for supplying a refrigerant of a constant pressure to the compressor. In addition, the outdoor unit 300 may further include a plurality of sensors, valves, subcooling apparatuses, and the description thereof will be omitted below.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described. However, in the present specification, for better understanding and convenience of description, the air conditioner separated from the indoor unit and the air conditioner separated from the indoor unit and the air conditioner mounted on the indoor unit will be described.

First, the heat source detecting unit is not mounted to the indoor unit, but is described as an air conditioner separated from the indoor unit and provided at a separate position.

An example of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a communication module for receiving heat source information by communicating with at least one heat source detector and a heat source detector that collects information on at least one heat source detected in an air conditioning space, and air. And an indoor unit including at least one vane from which the vanes are discharged, and a control unit for controlling the opening angle of the selected vane and the amount of air to be discharged from other vanes based on the received heat source information. The opening angle may mean, for example, an angle formed by opening the vane with respect to the ceiling surface.

Here, the heat source detecting unit may include an infrared sensor. The infrared sensor refers to a sensor that detects a physical quantity or a chemical quantity such as temperature, pressure or radiation intensity by using infrared rays and converts it into an electrical quantity capable of signal processing. It is also being adopted in home appliances to detect.

The heat source detecting unit collects information, that is, heat source information about the heat source detected in the air conditioning space. Here, the heat source information includes, for example, at least one or more of information about the position of the heat source, the direction of the heat source, the distance from the heat source, the temperature of the heat source, the quantity of the heat source, and the like.

There may be a plurality of heat sources in one air conditioning space, and all or some of the plurality of heat sources may be clustered. In addition, all or some of the plurality of heat sources may be fixed heat sources and mobile heat sources. In this case, the heat source detecting unit may handle the heat source information collected differently.

First, when a plurality of heat sources exist in one air-conditioning space but operate individually without forming a cluster, the heat source detecting unit may collect heat source information for each heat source.

When a plurality of heat sources exist in one air conditioning space, but all or some of the plurality of heat sources are clustered, the heat source detecting unit may define a cluster heat source as a single heat source entity and collect one heat source information. When only a part of the plurality of heat sources are clustered and the rest is not clustered, the heat source detection unit may separately collect heat source information for each heat source not in the cluster. Here, the cluster means, for example, a case where a plurality of heat sources within a reference range set by the user or information, such as the location of each heat source collected by the heat source detecting unit or the distance to each heat source, are preset by the user. do. In addition, the heat source detection unit may process information collected about the community heat source and the individual heat sources differently. For example, the heat source detector may provide weights and / or additional information about the cluster heat source, unlike individual heat sources. In this case, the additional information may include, for example, the number of heat sources constituting the cluster, the average temperature of the community heat sources, the average distance of the community heat sources, the average position of the community heat sources, the location of the outermost heat sources in the community heat sources, and the location of the innermost heat sources. It includes. In addition, the weight means, for example, a value for differential control so that the cluster heat source provides a higher air volume or wind speed (wind strength) than the individual heat source. In this case, the weight may be different for each cluster based on, for example, the quantity of heat sources constituting the cluster.

In addition, the heat source detecting unit may collect heat source information as described above with respect to the fixed heat source, detect only the moving heat source, and may not collect the heat source information until the mobile heat source becomes the fixed heat source. Here, the fixed heat source may mean, for example, a case of not departing from a preset range for a user's setting or a predetermined time by itself. The heat source detecting unit collects heat source information as described above with respect to the fixed heat source when a plurality of heat sources are detected in one air conditioning space, and some of the detected heat sources are fixed heat sources or some are moving heat sources. The heat source is continuously detected until it becomes a fixed heat source in the air conditioning space and the heat source information is not collected. If only the moving heat source is present in the air conditioning space, the air conditioner may cool or heat the air conditioning space according to a preset operating temperature.

One air conditioning space may be provided with a plurality of heat source detection units. In this case, when the heat source enters the air conditioning space, the heat source detecting unit may collect heat source information on the heat source detected by each heat source detecting unit according to the position of the heat source. The collected heat source information is provided to the connected indoor unit. In this case, when the heat source detecting unit provides the collected information to at least one indoor unit connected to each other, each indoor unit may determine whether to operate itself based on the heat source information. In addition, each indoor unit to be operated may select a vane to be operated and control the angle of the vane and the air flow rate or wind speed of the air discharged through the vane based on the heat source information. Alternatively, a specific heat source sensing unit in an air conditioner may be selected as a representative heat source sensing unit or provided with a separate repeater, classifying and integrating heat source information collected from each heat source sensing unit in a corresponding air conditioning space, and heat source information to each indoor unit connected to the corresponding air conditioning space. May be provided.

In each of the above examples, the heat source detecting unit collects only the heat source information for each heat source in various cases in which a plurality of units exist in one air conditioning space, and the processing of the collected information may be replaced by the controller of the indoor unit.

The above-described heat source detecting unit may be set according to a user's input through an external controller or periodically detect the heat source according to a preset standard by itself. Alternatively, when there are a plurality of heat source detecting units covering one air conditioning space, when a heat source is detected using only some heat source detecting units, all remaining heat source detecting units may be operated to collect heat source information on the heat source. In this case, the part of the heat source detection unit may mean, for example, a heat source detection unit located at the outermost position among the plurality of heat source detection units.

2A is a detailed configuration diagram illustrating an example of a heat source sensing unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of heat source sensing sensing of the heat source sensing unit.

Referring to FIG. 2A, one example of a heat source detecting unit according to the present invention includes a driving motor, a fixed housing, a rotating housing rotatably mounted from the fixed housing according to the rotation of the rotating shaft of the drive motor, and a heat source detecting unit detecting a heat source. It is configured to include a sensor unit.

The heat source sensor unit, the first axis is fixed to the rotating housing, the second axis inclined at a predetermined angle (α) from the first axis, and is attached to the end of the second axis to sense a heat source in the range of the predetermined angle (β) and It includes a heat source sensor for collecting heat source information. The air conditioner has a predetermined angle (α) of a second axis that can cover the air conditioning space as much as possible with the given heat source sensing unit in consideration of the size of the air conditioning space, the range, number, location, and performance of the predetermined angle β of the heat source sensing unit. ) Can be determined. Therefore, the heat source sensor unit is fixed to the rotary housing, while rotating in accordance with the rotation of the rotary housing by the drive motor, for example, can sense by sensing the heat source as shown in Figure 2b.

In the above-described example, since the heat source detecting unit is configured to be separated from the indoor unit instead of the indoor unit of the air conditioner, the heat source detecting unit may be connected by wire or wirelessly to transmit the heat source information collected to each indoor unit in the air conditioning space. In particular, when the heat source detecting unit and each indoor unit communicate wirelessly, a wireless communication module should be further provided. Here, the wireless communication may comply with various wireless communication standards such as ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. In particular, the Zigbee communication standard refers to a wireless technology standard based on IEEE 802.15.4 (PHY, MAC), and is relatively inexpensive, optimized for low data transmission, low power consumption, and secure networking. It is efficient and suitable for wireless communication of air conditioner. However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples.

3 is a view illustrating an example of the indoor unit 200a of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

The indoor unit 200a is configured to rotate an indoor heat exchanger (not shown), a blowing fan (not shown), and the blowing fan, which are disposed indoors and perform a cooling / heating function in the room by heat exchange between indoor air and a refrigerant. Motor, a plurality of sensors (not shown), a controller for controlling the operation of the indoor unit, and the like.

The indoor unit 200a of the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a discharge port for discharging the heat-exchanged air, and the discharge port is provided with wind direction control means for controlling the direction of the discharged air by opening and closing the discharge port.

The indoor unit 200a controls the rotation speed of the indoor unit fan to control the intake air and the discharged air, thereby adjusting the air volume to the wind speed.

In addition, the indoor unit 200a may be provided with at least one vane 250 for guiding air while opening and closing at least one of the air inlets such as the air inlet, the left outlet, the right outlet, and the upper outlet. The vane 250 may be installed to open and close the air inlet and the air outlet, and guide the directions of the intake air and the discharge air. 3 illustrates a case where four vanes are provided in one indoor unit. However, the present invention is not limited to the number of vanes described above.

In addition, the indoor unit 200a further includes a communication module for communication with the above-described heat source detecting unit. Here, the communication module is connected to each heat source detection unit disposed in the air conditioning space by wire or wireless to receive the heat source information collected for the heat source detected by each heat source detection unit. In particular, when the indoor unit 200a communicates with the heat source detecting unit wirelessly, as described above, various indoor communication standards such as ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth may be followed.

When the heat source information collected for the heat source detected by each heat source detection unit is received through the communication module, the controller controls the indoor unit based on the received heat source information.

4 (a) to (f) are diagrams for explaining the control of discrimination of each vane under the control of the control unit according to the present invention. 4 (a) to 4 (f), the controller first selects vanes to be opened from each vane provided in the indoor unit, and differentially controls the selected vanes and the unselected vanes. In this case, a plurality of vanes may be selected. In addition, the controller may control the plurality of selected vanes to the same extent or differentially control the vanes.

The control unit compares the heat source information with previously stored or set by the user, selects a specific vane, determines the air volume or wind speed of the air to be discharged through the selected vane, and transmits a control signal to the air outlet, the vane, and the like to the corresponding heat source. Allow for cooling or heating.

The above description has been made to control the opening angle of the vanes provided in the indoor unit and the air flow rate or the wind speed of the air to be discharged through the vanes based on the heat source information collected by the heat source detection unit in the controller provided in the indoor unit. In this case, when there is only one vane provided in the indoor unit, the controller controls whether the vane is operated (opened), the opening angle during operation, and the amount of wind to be discharged during operation. In addition, when there are a plurality of vanes provided in the indoor unit, the controller first determines whether the vanes are operated and selects at least one vane to be operated from among the plurality of vanes. Thereafter, the controller controls the opening angle and the air flow rate or the wind speed to be discharged with respect to the selected vane. In this case, when there are a plurality of vanes selected, the controller may differentially control the opening angle of each vane and the air volume or wind speed of the air to be discharged.

In addition, unlike the above, the air conditioner is controlled through a separate control module (including a communication module) in the air conditioner when one or more heat source detection units and one or more indoor units are provided in the air conditioning space. You may. For example, the control module provided separately in the air conditioner receives the heat source information detected and collected by each heat source detecting unit through the communication module, and at least one indoor unit to be operated on the heat source based on the received heat source information. Select. The control module may transfer the heat source information of the heat source detecting unit to the selected indoor unit as it is and control each vane directly from the control unit of the indoor unit, or directly control the indoor unit by processing the heat source information like the control unit of the indoor unit. The control module may be, for example, an operating device which the user directly handles.

In addition, the operating device constituting the air conditioner may also be provided with a communication module. Therefore, when the operating device is located in the air conditioning space, the collection information of the heat source detection unit may be directly received, or each indoor unit may be directly controlled based on the received heat source information of the heat source detection unit.

The above description may only operate when the user selects a separate mode through the driving device. For example, when the general mode and the above-described artificial intelligence mode of the present invention exist, and the user selects the artificial intelligence mode, the air conditioner may be automatically operated as described above. The general mode may mean, for example, a case in which all indoor units in the air conditioning space are operated in the same manner according to a preset time or operating temperature by the user.

Next, the air conditioner equipped with the heat source detecting unit is described as follows. However, hereinafter, the portions overlapping with the above-mentioned contents are used as the contents of the corresponding portions, and description thereof will be omitted, and the description will be mainly focused on different portions.

Another example of an air conditioner according to the present invention includes at least one vane for opening and closing an air discharge, at least one heat source detecting unit for collecting information on at least one heat source in an air conditioning space, and collected heat source information. The indoor unit may include a control unit for controlling the opening angle of the selected vane and the amount of air to be discharged based on the vanes.

If the above-described example is an air conditioner in which each heat source detecting unit is separately provided from each indoor unit, this example is a case where the heat source detecting unit is provided in each indoor unit. In this case, the quantity, location, and the like of the heat source detecting unit mounted in each indoor unit may be based on a preset bar.

In this case, unlike the above description, the heat source detection unit is mounted on the indoor unit, and thus it is not necessary to separately provide a communication module.

In addition, each indoor unit in the air conditioning space may be operated only by the heat source information collected by being sensed by the mounted heat source detecting unit. That is, each indoor unit needs to select a vane to be opened based on the heat source information, and control only the opening angle and the air flow rate or the wind speed of the air to be discharged for the selected vane.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for controlling an air conditioner according to the present invention.

An example of a method for controlling an air conditioner according to the present invention includes detecting at least one heat source in an air conditioning space, collecting information on the detected heat source, and opening angle and discharge of a vane selected based on the collected heat source information. Controlling the air volume to be different from the other vanes.

First, when the user sets the artificial intelligence mode through the operating device (S501), each heat source detecting unit senses the air conditioning space at a speed of n degrees / sec in the A / B direction as shown in FIG. In operation S502, a heat source is sensed.

The heat source detecting unit collects heat source information with respect to the detected heat source. The control unit of the heat source detecting unit or the indoor unit calculates the position, angle, distance, etc. of the heat source from the heat source information (S504).

The controller selects / changes the vanes to be opened based on the calculated heat source information (S505), and determines the opening angles of the selected / changed vanes (S505). Thereafter, the controller determines the air flow rate or the wind speed of the air to be discharged at the determined opening angle of the vane based on the heat source information (S506).

It is determined whether the artificial intelligence mode set by the user is terminated (S507), and when it is terminated, the operation is switched to the previous mode, that is, the general mode.

Hereinafter, a case in which the heat source detecting unit is mounted in the indoor unit will be described for convenience of description. 6 shows an example of an operating state of the air conditioner according to the present invention. 6 illustrates a configuration diagram of an air conditioner when a plurality of indoor units are installed in one air conditioning space.

Referring to FIG. 6, a case in which nine indoor units 200a to 200i are provided in one air conditioning space A is illustrated. Here, one air conditioning space A is divided into a total of nine air conditioning regions A1 to A9.

Each of the air conditioning areas A1 to A9 mainly refers to an area to be cooled or air-conditioned by an indoor unit provided in the air conditioning area.

Of course, the specific air conditioning area may be air-conditioned by an indoor unit installed in an air conditioning area other than the corresponding air conditioning area, but may be air-conditioned by an indoor unit mainly installed in the air conditioning area for convenience of description.

As described above, each of the indoor units 200a to 200i includes heat source detecting units 210a to 210i, respectively. Therefore, the presence or absence of a heat source in each air conditioning region can be detected.

Of course, one heat source may be simultaneously detected by the heat source detection sensors 210a to 210i provided in the plurality of indoor units. That is, when the heat source is active near the boundary of each air conditioning region, the heat source sensing units of the different indoor units provided in each air conditioning region may simultaneously sense the heat source.

Therefore, the location of the heat source in the air conditioning space may be roughly grasped by the heat source detecting units 210a to 210i, and the number of heat sources active in the air conditioning space may also be grasped.

The control unit of the indoor unit may determine at least one or more vanes close to the heat source detected by the heat source detection units 210a to 210i, and control differently from other vanes.

In addition, the indoor unit constituting the air conditioner according to the present invention may be operated at a value different from a value determined by a user's input. For example, if a heat source operating in an air conditioning space operates a stationary air conditioner, all vanes of the indoor unit operate equally unless there are enough heat sources active inside the air conditioning space. It can be a waste.

In particular, when the power cost is changed over time under the intelligent power grid to be described later, operating all the vanes of the indoor unit at the power cost peak time at which the power cost reaches a maximum not only causes waste of power but also heat or heat felt by the user. It may not fully reflect the psychological need to quickly relieve the cold.

In FIG. 6, first, the heat source does not enter the air conditioning space A and thus the heat source is not detected.

7 shows another example of an operating state of the air conditioner according to the present invention. Hereinafter, a description overlapping with the foregoing description in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the foregoing description, and hereinafter, the description will be mainly focused on a different part from the foregoing description.

Referring to FIG. 7, a heat source enters the air conditioning space A. FIG. That is, when the heat source enters the fifth air conditioning area A5, the heat source detecting unit 210e of the fifth indoor unit 200e mounted in the fifth air conditioning area A5 detects the heat source. In this case, the information detected by the heat source detecting unit 210e may be shared with other indoor units through the wireless communication module provided in the fifth indoor unit 200e.

In this case, the controller of the indoor unit 200e receives the heat source information collected for the heat source detected by the heat source detecting unit 201e, and selects a specific vane based on the received heat source information. In the case of Figure 7, the right one vane is selected based on the top view. The control unit determines the vane opening angle (steps 1 to n) of the selected right vane and determines the air flow rate or wind speed of the air discharged through the vane that is opened based on the heat source information. Generates and transmits a control signal to the configuration so that it is immediately discharged to the heat source.

When only a few heat sources are active in a large air conditioning space, it is not efficient for waste of power and fast cooling and heating of the heat sources by operating all the indoor units or vanes of the indoor units, according to the present invention. The above problem can be easily solved by operating only a specific vane of a specific indoor unit.

8 and 9 show another example of an operating state of the air conditioner according to the present invention. However, hereinafter, a description overlapping with the above description in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the above description, and hereinafter, the description will be mainly focused on different parts from the above description.

8 and 9 are examples of a control method of the air conditioner when the same heat source is simultaneously detected by the heat source detecting units of the plurality of indoor units, unlike the operating state illustrated in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a heat source is active at a boundary between a fifth air conditioning area A5 and a sixth air conditioning area A6 among the plurality of air conditioning areas A1 to A9 constituting one air conditioning space A. FIG. In this case, the heat source detecting units 210e and 210f respectively provided in the fifth indoor unit 200e and the sixth indoor unit 200f may simultaneously sense the heat source.

When the same heat source is detected by the heat source detecting units 210e and 210f of the plurality of indoor units, the fifth indoor unit 200e and the sixth indoor unit 200f which are indoor units equipped with the heat source detecting unit for detecting the heat source are different according to the present invention. The indoor unit and specific vanes in the indoor unit can be controlled differently from other vanes. In this case, the vanes (right vanes) selected in the fifth indoor unit 200e and the vanes (left vanes) selected in the sixth indoor unit 200f may also be controlled by the same opening angle, air volume, or wind speed, or may be differentially controlled.

As described above, the reason for controlling the air conditioner differently from the user's input or basic setting is to minimize the power consumption and to reduce the power bill by the efficient use of power at the peak time of the electricity bill in the intelligent power grid.

10 is a schematic diagram of a so-called 'smart grid' that is an intelligent or next generation grid.

Referring to FIG. 10, the intelligent power grid may include a power plant that generates power through thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, or hydroelectric power generation, a solar power plant using solar or wind power belonging to new and renewable energy, and a wind power plant.

The thermal power plant, nuclear power plant or hydroelectric power plant may send power to a power plant through a transmission line, and the power plant may supply electricity to a substation and a storage device. In addition, the electricity produced in photovoltaic power plants and wind power plants can be supplied to substations. On the other hand, the electricity transmitted to the substation can be distributed to the office or each home via the power storage device.

On the other hand, in the case of adopting a home electric power network (HAN, detailed in FIG. 6) even in a general home, a self-solar power generation facility of a general home or a PHEV (plug in hybrid electric vehicle) is installed. The fuel cell can supply its own electricity and the extra electricity can be sold back to the outside. In addition, the office or home may be provided with a so-called 'smart measuring device' that can grasp the power and electricity bills used in each demand in real time. Through the smart measurement device, the user can recognize the amount of electricity and the electricity bill currently used, and can devise a method of reducing the power consumption or the electricity bill according to the situation.

On the other hand, demand sources using the power plants, power stations, storage devices and power described above in the intelligent power grid are capable of bidirectional communication. Therefore, apart from allowing the customer to receive electricity unilaterally, the situation of the customer can be notified to the storage device, the power station, and the power plant so that electricity can be produced and distributed according to the situation of the customer. Therefore, in the intelligent power grid, demand-side energy management system (EMS) responsible for real-time power management and real-time prediction of power consumption and demand meter (AMI) advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) are measured. in need. The energy management device and the measurement device may be configured as separate devices, or may be configured to perform the functions of both devices in one device.

Instrumentation under the intelligent power grid is a foundation technology to integrate consumers based on the 'open architecture', allowing consumers to use electricity efficiently, and power suppliers to detect system problems and operate the system efficiently. Provide the ability to Here, unlike the general communication network, 'open architecture' refers to a standard that allows all electric appliances to be connected to each other regardless of the manufacturer of the home appliance in the intelligent power grid system.

Thus, the instrumentation used in the intelligent grid enables a consumer friendly efficiency concept such as "Prices to Devices". That is, real-time price information of the electric power market may be transmitted through an energy management device (EMS) installed in each home, and the energy management device (EMS) may control and communicate with home appliances provided in each home.

Of course, the demand-side energy management device (EMS) may directly control each home appliance, or provide only information related to the electricity bill for each appliance. In the latter case, the controller of each electrical appliance may control each electrical appliance according to the provided fee information.

The present invention will be described later in detail, but relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof, the controller of the air conditioner may be controlled by the energy management device.

In this case, the controller of the air conditioner may be connected to the demand side energy management device of the intelligent power grid and controlled by the energy management device.

The controller and the energy management device of the air conditioner may be connected by wire or wirelessly.

Accordingly, the user can save power and energy by recognizing the power information of each home appliance by the demand-side energy management device (EMS) and performing power information processing such as the amount of power consumption or the setting of the electric charge limit based on this. . The central energy management device (Central EMS) to process the information collected by the local energy management device (Local EMS) in two-way communication with the demand-side energy management device (EMS).

In addition, since the real-time communication about the power information between the power supplier and the consumer in the intelligent power grid is possible, the response of various consumers according to the power supply, that is, "real-time grid response" is possible. For example, when the price of power varies according to time zones, or when the price of power varies according to a power supply company, the time and amount of use of power by a prisoner may vary accordingly. In addition, the power supplier may adjust the power price or adjust the amount of power supply according to the response of the consumer.

11 is a schematic diagram showing a power supply network system 10 in a home, which is a major consumer of an intelligent power grid.

Referring to FIG. 11, the power supply network system 10 may include a measuring device 20, or a smart meter, which may measure power and / or electricity rates supplied to each home in real time, and the measuring device 20. And an energy management device 30 (demand-side energy management device) connected to a plurality of home appliances such as the home appliance 100 and controlling their operations. On the other hand, each household's electricity bill is charged at an hourly rate, and the hourly electricity bill is expensive in the time period when the power consumption increases sharply (power peak peak period). Fees can be cheaper. The power rate peak period is not fixed and may vary from day to day according to the power reserve ratio of the power provider.

The demand-side energy management device 30 is connected to electricity such as a refrigerator 101, a washing machine and a dryer 102, an indoor unit 200 of an air conditioner, a TV 105 or a cooking appliance 104 through a home network. It can be connected to the product, communicate with them bidirectionally, and monitor the operation information of each home appliance and control each home appliance at the same time.

That is, as described above, the energy management device 30 may transmit only information on an electric charge or the like to the controller of the electrical appliance, or directly control each electrical appliance.

That is, each household electrical appliance may determine the control method at the peak time of the electricity rate by using the power information provided, or the demand-side energy management device may directly control each household appliance by using the electricity rate information.

Communication inside the home can be via wireless or wired, such as PLC (power line communication). In addition, each electrical appliance may also be arranged to be connected to other electrical appliances to enable communication.

The wireless communication method inside the home may be Zigbee wireless communication.

The controller 400 and the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention described above are provided with wireless communication modules, respectively, so that the wireless communication is possible. Thus, the demand-side energy management device 30 of the air conditioner according to the present invention The controller 300 may be connected wirelessly or wired to provide information related to a power bill, or may provide a control signal of an air conditioner.

The demand-side energy management device 30 and the controller 400 of the air conditioner may also be configured to communicate wirelessly by adopting a Zigbee type wireless communication module.

Therefore, the air conditioner according to the present invention can operate normally at the intended operating temperature, wind speed, etc. according to the user's input or basic setting during normal operation, but if it is possible to receive information related to the electricity bill from the intelligent power grid, In a section in which the power rate is larger than the predetermined amount, that is, the peak rate of the power rate, the operating temperature of the air conditioner may be set differently from the user's input or basic setting. In this case, when operating in the artificial intelligence mode according to the present invention, power waste can be minimized.

Of course, the control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention can be used to minimize the waste of power, and to minimize the power cost irrespective of the intelligent power grid.

That is, the air conditioner may be configured to operate in the saving mode at the discretion of the manager of the air conditioner. Under the intelligent power grid, the air conditioner may be selectively controlled only in the peak period of the predetermined power rate in the above-described manner. .

12 is a block diagram showing a block diagram of an example of a control method of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

The control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention is a control method of an air conditioner having a plurality of indoor units installed in a predetermined air conditioning space, the initial operation step of operating a plurality of indoor units at a reference operating temperature (S300), the air conditioning space Heat source detection step (S400) for detecting the presence or absence of a heat source, and differential air conditioning step (S500) for differentially controlling the vane of the indoor unit and the opening angle and the air flow rate or wind speed of the vanes according to the detection result of the heat source detection step (S400) It includes.

The reference operating temperature of the initial operating step (S300) may be a higher (cooling) or lower (heating) temperature than the user's input or the basic operating temperature. As described above, even when the user operates the air conditioner to operate at the reference operating temperature through the controller, the controller operates as the reference operating temperature at a temperature higher (cooling) or lower (heating) than the reference operating temperature. Can be controlled.

And, the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention may be provided with a heat source sensor, respectively, the control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention using the heat source detection sensor in the air conditioning space, more specifically to configure the air conditioning space The method may further include a heat source detecting step (S400) for detecting a heat source in each air conditioning region, wherein the vanes of the indoor units and the opening angles of the vanes and the air volume to the wind speed are based on the information detected in the heat source detecting step (S400). It may include a discrimination coordination step (S500) to control the discrimination.

The differential air conditioning step (S500) is a control step of controlling the vane of the indoor unit near the heat source sensed by the heat source sensor and the opening angle of the vanes and the air volume or wind speed to be larger.

This differential coordination step may be performed on the premise of an intelligent power grid.

Therefore, before the initial air conditioning step, the step of inquiring whether or not the power bill peak section from the demand-side energy management device of the intelligent power grid may be performed (S100), if it is determined that the power bill peak section (S200), the initial operation step ( S300), the heat source detection step (S400) and the differential air conditioning step (S500) may be performed sequentially, and in the case of a power rate peak interval, the user input or basic vanes and the opening angles of the vanes and the air volume or wind speed, respectively. It can be set to control the indoor unit in the general operating step of controlling the indoor unit (S300 ').

Accordingly, the driving device 400 is a user input or a basic setting vane according to the control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention according to the setting according to the user's request or the power rate, and the opening angle of the vane and the air flow rate to the wind speed, respectively. The indoor unit of the initial operation step (S300), the heat source detection step (S400) and the differential air conditioning step (S500) are sequentially controlled, or the vanes and the vanes set in accordance with the user's input or preferences sequentially Each indoor unit can be controlled (S300 ′) to accurately reflect the opening angle and the air volume to the wind speed.

13 is a graph of power rates in a situation in which the power rates vary with time.

A significant increase in power usage per day would be around 1 pm to 3 pm. At this time, the power reserve rate will decrease sharply, and the electricity charge per unit power will increase greatly.

Therefore, when the predetermined power rate is the boundary power fee of the 1 pm to 3 pm section, the 1 pm to 3 pm section is defined as the peak rate section (B section).

Therefore, the air conditioner can be controlled in the power rate peak section (section B) according to the control method of the air conditioner described above. Specifically, it is possible to control the vane of the indoor unit in the air conditioner and the opening angle of the vanes and the air volume or wind speed differently from the user's input or the basic setting, and detect the heat source active in the air conditioning space through the heat source sensor provided in the indoor unit. In addition, it can minimize power waste and minimize inconvenience of active heat sources.

In addition, the control method of the air conditioner related to the power saving mode may be performed independently of the intelligent power grid.

In addition, in the sections A and C except for the peak tariff section (B section), the burden of the electric tariff is small, so that the vanes set according to the user's input or basic setting and the vane opening angle and the air volume or wind speed are accurately reflected. The indoor unit can also be controlled in the normal operating mode.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. . It is therefore to be understood that the modified embodiments are included in the technical scope of the present invention if they basically include elements of the claims of the present invention.

200: indoor unit
300: outdoor unit
400: operating device

Claims (15)

At least one heat source detecting unit collecting information on at least one heat source detected in the air conditioning space; And
Communication module for receiving the heat source information by communicating with the heat source detection unit;
At least one vane for opening and closing the air discharge,
And an indoor unit including a control unit for selecting a vane to be opened based on the received heat source information, and controlling the opening angle of the selected vane and the air volume and wind speed of the air to be discharged from other vanes. The method of claim 1,
The heat source information,
And at least one of information about a location of a heat source, a direction of the heat source, a distance from the heat source, a temperature of the heat source, the quantity of the heat source, and the like. The method of claim 1,
The heat sensing unit,
A drive motor mounted in the indoor unit,
Fixed housing mounted on the outside of the indoor unit,
A rotating housing rotatably mounted with respect to the fixed housing according to the rotation of the rotation shaft of the drive motor;
And a heat source sensor fixed in the rotary housing. The method of claim 3,
The heat sensor,
And a heat source configured to sense a heat source in a direction of forming a predetermined angle from the rotation shaft of the drive motor in the rotary housing. The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
When the information about the heat source is the direction and distance of the heat source, the opening angle of the vanes located in the direction close to the direction of the heat source is adjusted stepwise or continuously according to the distance of the heat source so that the air discharged from the indoor unit reaches the heat source. Air conditioning device characterized in that. The method of claim 5,
The control unit,
When there are a plurality of heat sources, and some of the heat sources are clustered, the heat treatment device, characterized in that for treating as one heat source for the cluster heat source, using the weight or additional information when controlling the cluster heat source. The method of claim 6,
The weight includes a value for differential control to provide the cluster heat source with a higher air volume or wind speed (wind strength) than the individual heat source, and the additional information includes the quantity of heat sources constituting the cluster and the average temperature of the community heat sources. And at least one of an average distance of the cluster heat source, an average position of the cluster heat source, a position of the outermost heat source in the cluster heat source, and a position of the innermost heat source. The method of claim 1,
The heat source detecting unit,
Air conditioning apparatus comprising an infrared sensor. At least one vane for opening and closing the air discharge;
At least one heat source detecting unit collecting information on at least one heat source in the air conditioning space; And
And a control unit for selecting a particular vane based on the collected heat source information, and controlling the opening angle of the selected vane and the amount of air to be discharged from other vanes. Collecting information on at least one heat source detected in the air conditioning space; And
And selecting a vane for discharging air based on the received heat source information, and controlling the opening angle of the selected vane and the amount of air to be discharged from the other vanes. The method of claim 10,
Receiving an artificial intelligence mode for differential control of the indoor unit or the vanes of the indoor unit via an external driving device; Control method of an air conditioner further comprising. The method of claim 11,
The heat source information,
And at least one of information on the location of the heat source, the direction of the heat source, the distance from the heat source, the temperature of the heat source, the quantity of the heat source, and the like. The method of claim 12,
The discrimination control step,
When the information about the heat source is the direction and distance of the heat source, the opening angle of the vanes located in the direction close to the direction of the heat source is adjusted stepwise or continuously according to the distance of the heat source so that the air discharged from the indoor unit reaches the heat source. Control method of an air conditioner, characterized in that. The method of claim 13,
The discrimination control step,
When there are a plurality of heat sources, and some of the heat sources are clustered, the control method for the air conditioner, characterized in that the treated heat source is treated as one heat source, but using weight or additional information when controlling the cluster heat source. 15. The method of claim 14,
The weighting value includes a value for differential control to provide the cluster heat source with more air volume or wind speed than the individual heat source, and the additional information includes the quantity of heat sources constituting the cluster, the average temperature of the community heat sources, and the average of the community heat sources. And at least one of a distance, an average position of the cluster heat source, a position of the outermost heat source in the cluster heat source, and position information of the innermost heat source.

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