KR20150043879A - Air conditioner and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an operating method thereof capable of monitoring a plurality of air conditioner units and providing a user guide for using a remote controller, where a user can easily learn how to use the remote controller because the user guide for showing instructions is displayed on a terminal; the user can view the user guide instantly as needed, thereby improving convenience; and accordingly, the plurality of conditioner units can be managed with a simple operation, thereby improving control efficiency.

Description

[0001] Air conditioner and method [0002]

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an operation method thereof, and more particularly to an air conditioner having a user's guide of a remote controller for managing a plurality of air conditioner units.

The air conditioner is installed to provide a comfortable indoor environment for humans by discharging cold air to the room to adjust the room temperature and purify the room air to create a pleasant indoor environment. Generally, the air conditioner includes an indoor unit which is constituted by a heat exchanger and installed in a room, and an outdoor unit which is constituted by a compressor, a heat exchanger and the like and supplies the refrigerant to the indoor unit.

Such an air conditioner is controlled by being separated and controlled by an indoor unit constituted by a heat exchanger, an outdoor unit constituted by a compressor, a heat exchanger and the like, and operated by controlling a power source supplied to a compressor or a heat exchanger. Also, at least one indoor unit may be connected to the outdoor unit, and the air conditioner is operated in the cooling or heating mode by supplying the refrigerant to the indoor unit according to the requested operation state.

When the liquid refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure is supplied from the compressor of the outdoor unit to the indoor unit through the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit during the cooling operation, the refrigerant expands and vaporizes in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit, When the temperature of the air is lowered and the indoor fan is rotated, the cool air is discharged into the room. When the gas refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure is supplied from the compressor of the outdoor unit to the indoor unit during the heating operation, the gas refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure is liquefied in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit The air warmed by the released energy is discharged to the room according to the operation of the indoor fan.

Such an air conditioner is connected to a remote controller which integrally manages and controls a plurality of air conditioner units, so that an administrator can monitor the condition of a plurality of air conditioners. The operation can be limited or controlled.

Since the remote controller manages and controls a plurality of units of the air solidifier system, rather than controlling only the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, the configuration of the remote controller is somewhat complicated and difficult to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner and a method of operating the air conditioner, which provide a user guide for easy use in a remote controller for managing and controlling a plurality of airborne apparatus units.

An air conditioner according to the present invention comprises: a plurality of units; A main controller for communicating with the plurality of units and controlling the plurality of units; And a remote controller connected to the main controller for monitoring an operation of the plurality of units in response to data received from the main controller and transmitting a control command for controlling the plurality of units to the main controller, The remote controller displays a monitoring screen or a control menu for the plurality of units and executes the user guide for explaining the monitoring screen and the control menu to output the monitor screen or the control menu.

A method of operating an air conditioner according to the present invention includes the steps of outputting a message for confirming whether or not a user guide is executed when a control program for controlling a plurality of units is executed; If execution of the user guide is selected, displaying the user guide by analyzing the stored data; Displaying an initial screen configured with a monitoring screen or a control menu when the user guide is not executed; And executing the user guide when a tutorial key included in the monitoring screen or a region of the screen on which the control menu is displayed is selected; .

In the remote controller for monitoring and controlling a plurality of the air conditioner units, the user guide for instantly guiding the user on the displayed screen is provided Accordingly, since the user can easily understand the method of using the remote controller and confirm the user's guide immediately if necessary, convenience is improved and accordingly, a plurality of the air conditioner units can be managed with ease, There is an effect to be improved.

1 is a view showing a configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a remote controller of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
3 and 4 are exemplary diagrams illustrating an example of a method of executing a user guide in a remote controller according to the present invention.
5 and 6 are views showing an embodiment of a user guide provided in a remote controller according to the present invention.
7 is a flowchart showing an operation method of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

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

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

The air conditioner includes a remote controller 10, a main controller 20, a plurality of outdoor units 31 and 32, and a plurality of indoor units 41 to 46, as shown in Fig. In addition, the air conditioner may include a ventilation unit 50, a lighting controller 60, and an alarm 70.

The main controller 20 not only transmits and receives data to or from the air conditioner unit or the ventilation unit 50 but also has a plurality of direct connection ports to be connected to and control the lighting controller 60 and the alarm 70 . At this time, the illumination controller 60 and the alarm 70 can operate in conjunction with the operating state of the air conditioner unit.

The main controller 20 communicates with each device at predetermined time intervals, receives information on the operation state thereof, and transmits the information to the remote controller 10.

The main controller 20 controls the lighting controller 60 and the alarm 70 as well as a plurality of devices connected in response to the control command of the remote controller 10, that is, a plurality of air conditioner units and a ventilation unit.

The remote controller 10 is connected to the main controller 20 to receive the data of the main controller 20 and display the data on the screen to provide a monitoring screen and to transmit a control command inputted through the control menu to the main controller 20 ).

The remote controller 10 is installed in a program for accessing the main controller 20 and assigns an authentication number, for example, an ID and a password for connecting to the main controller 20, Information to be displayed differently.

At this time, a plurality of remote controllers 10 may be provided.

The main controller 20 uses the same or different communication methods in connection with the air conditioner unit, the ventilation unit, the lighting controller 60 and the alarm 70, respectively. At this time, the main controller 20 includes a gateway for converting mutual data for a plurality of communication protocols.

The air conditioner may further include units such as an air cleaning unit, a humidifying unit, a dehumidifying unit, and a heater in addition to the ventilation unit 50, the indoor units 41 to 46 and the outdoor units 31 and 32, .

At this time, the outdoor units (31, 32) and the indoor units (41 to 46) are connected by a refrigerant pipe, and cold air is discharged from the indoor unit to the room according to the circulation of the refrigerant and the indoor units can be connected to the outdoor unit in plural. It is not limited. The plurality of indoor units and the outdoor units are connected to each other through a refrigerant pipe, and can be connected to a communication line to transmit / receive control commands according to a predetermined communication method.

The indoor units 41 to 46 include expansion valves (not shown) for expanding the refrigerant supplied from the connected outdoor units, indoor heat exchangers for exchanging heat of the refrigerants, room air to be introduced into the indoor heat exchangers, (Not shown), a plurality of sensors (not shown), and control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the indoor unit. The indoor unit (20) includes a discharge port for discharging the heat-exchanged air, and the discharge port is provided with a wind direction adjusting means for closing the discharge port and controlling the direction of the discharged air. The indoor unit controls the rotational speed of the indoor unit fan to control the air sucked and the air to be discharged, thereby regulating the air volume. The indoor unit may further include human body sensing means for sensing a human body present in the indoor space as the case may be. The indoor unit 20 may further include an output unit for displaying an operation status and setting information of the indoor unit, and an input unit for inputting setting data.

The indoor unit main body is connected to the remote controller in a wired or wireless manner so that the operation is set according to the data input from the remote controller and the operation status can be displayed through the remote controller.

The outdoor units (31, 32) include at least one compressor (not shown) for compressing the refrigerant introduced therein and discharging the gas refrigerant at a high pressure, a gas refrigerant separator for separating the gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant, An oil separator for recovering oil from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) for condensing or evaporating the refrigerant by heat exchange with the outside air, an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat An outdoor fan (not shown) for introducing air into the outdoor heat exchanger and discharging the heat-exchanged air to the outside, a four-way valve (not shown) for changing the flow path of the refrigerant according to the operation mode of the outdoor unit, A pressure sensor (not shown), at least one temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the temperature, an operation of the outdoor unit, and communication with other units Lt; / RTI > The outdoor unit further includes a plurality of sensors, valves, supercooling units and the like, and a description thereof will be omitted below.

The air conditioner of the present invention can be applied to any of a stand-type air conditioner, a wall-mounted air conditioner, a ceiling-type air conditioner, etc. The air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is a ceiling- But the form thereof is not limited to the drawings.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a remote controller of an air conditioner according to the present invention. 2, the remote controller 10 includes an input unit 140, a display unit 150, a communication unit 130, a data unit 120, and a control unit 110 for controlling overall operations.

The communication unit 130 is connected to the main controller 20 in a wired or wireless manner to transmit and receive data. The communication unit 130 communicates with the main controller 20 via the Internet or the air conditioner network. The communication unit 130 may be a wireless communication method as well as a wired network, and a plurality of communication modules may be provided according to the communication method.

The communication unit 130 transmits a predetermined authentication number to the main controller 20 to receive and authenticate the access right.

The remote controller 10 monitors and controls a plurality of units but rather receives data stored in the main controller 20 to display a monitoring screen rather than communicating directly with each unit and also receives control commands through the main controller 20 send. At this time, the remote controller 10 does not need to be located close to the main controller 20 and is located remotely and connects to the main controller 20 through the network.

The input unit 140 includes at least one predetermined input means, and inputs a predetermined signal to the control unit 110 as the input means is operated.

The input unit 140 may include a button, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, a finger mouse, a rotary switch, a jog dial, The present invention is applicable to any apparatus that generates predetermined input data by an operation such as an operation.

The display unit 150 displays various information on the operation status and operation settings of the plurality of units received from the main controller 20 through the communication unit 130. [

The display unit 150 changes and displays the control menu displayed on the screen in response to the control command of the control unit 110, and displays information corresponding to the selected menu on the screen.

Also, when the user guide is selected, the display unit 150 displays a user guide whose screen is automatically changed at predetermined time intervals based on the preset data. At this time, the user guide is for explaining the setting method in the actual control menu screen, and each step is displayed on the basis of the actual control menu screen, and is displayed as a screen changed step by step.

 The display unit 150 may be a display device such as an LCD or an LED, and may be configured as a touch screen, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, when the display unit 160 is configured as a touch screen, the touch screen functions as an input unit as well as a display unit.

The remote controller 10 may further include a speaker for outputting a predetermined sound, a lamp for lighting or flickering to output an operation state, a connection state with each device, or a warning lamp.

The data unit 120 stores control data for operation of the remote controller, basic data for the screen configuration, and operation control, control setting data 122 for controlling the plurality of units is stored, and the main controller 20 The operation state data 123 for a plurality of units received from the operation state determination unit 123 are stored. The data unit 120 also stores manual data 121 for outputting a user guide to the display unit 150. [

The data portion 120 at this time may also include non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state memory devices, but may include readable storage media .

The control unit 110 processes input and output data through the input unit 140 and the display unit 150 and transmits and receives data to and from the main controller 20 through the communication unit 130. In accordance with the input settings, And transmits the control command to the main controller through the communication unit 130.

The remote controller 10 is provided with a control program for analyzing data received from the main controller 20 and outputting the analyzed data to the display unit 150.

The control unit 110 executes a control program, communicates with the main controller 20 through the communication unit 130, and outputs a monitoring screen or a control screen according to the communication to the display unit.

When the control program is executed, the control unit 110 confirms the access right through the pre-assigned authentication number and displays the monitoring screen or the control menu on the screen of the display unit 150 before the user who uses the remote controller 10 So that you can check the user's guide. The controller 110 allows the user guide to be executed at any time when a button provided in one area of the screen is selected even though the user guide is not executed in the initial screen.

The control unit 110 displays a user guide on the screen based on the manual data 121 stored in the data unit 120 and displays the user guide on the screen at predetermined time intervals. At this time, the user guide is constructed on the basis of the monitoring screen or the control menu of the actual control program, and when the user monitors or controls the plurality of units as the plurality of images are changed and output in a stepwise manner, .

3 and 4 are exemplary diagrams illustrating an example of a method of executing a user guide in a remote controller according to the present invention.

When the control program is executed, the control unit 110 outputs a popup window 250 for confirming whether or not the user guide is executed on the screen of the display unit 150, as shown in FIG. 3, after the authentication is completed. At this time, the pop-up window 250 displays a brief description of the user guide as well as confirmation of whether or not the user guide is executed.

According to the setting, it is possible to display the pop-up window at all times upon connection, and in some cases, it is possible not to output after one time output.

When the execution key 252 is selected, the control unit 110 analyzes the manual data stored in the data unit 120, executes the user guide, and displays the user guide on the screen of the display unit 150.

On the other hand, when the unnecessary key 251 is selected, the control unit 110 outputs an initial screen to the screen of the display unit 150. [ At this time, the initial screen may be changed according to the setting, and a monitoring screen or a control menu may be displayed.

As shown in FIG. 4, even when the user guide is not executed in the pop-up window displayed when the control program is executed, a selection button for executing the user guide is provided in any area where the monitoring screen or the control menu is displayed.

When the tutorial key 260 is selected, the controller 110 pauses the currently executing operation and displays the user guide on the screen.

At this time, a monitoring screen or a control menu of a control program for controlling a plurality of units is displayed on the background on the display unit 150. [

And a control item 210 for controlling a plurality of units is displayed at the top. The control item includes a selection key for the operation state 212, the operation mode 213, and the control setting 214, and the control category 211 is displayed at the upper part thereof.

In the central main screen 240, a plurality of units are displayed as icons. At this time, each icon briefly displays information on the operation status of the unit. Information on the type and number of currently connected units is displayed on one side of the main screen 240 and a setting tab 220 for control monitoring is provided on the left side of the main screen. In the lower part of the screen, the operation state of a plurality of units and the number of units 230 in which an error has occurred are displayed.

5 and 6 are views showing an embodiment of a user guide provided in a remote controller according to the present invention.

At the time of initial execution or when the tutorial key 260 is selected, the user guide is executed and displayed on the screen of the display unit 150 as shown in FIG. Also, when the tutorial key 260 is selected on the menu screen being executed, a user guide related to the menu screen being executed can be displayed.

As described above, the user guide screen is configured based on an actual monitoring screen or a control menu, and a guidance message 273 is displayed on a pop-up window on the main screen 240.

In the guidance message 273, a description of an operation to be performed for each step is described. For example, if a user guide on the monitoring method is executed, a message is displayed to indicate that the device should be selected for control or monitoring.

At this time, one icon 272 corresponding to the device to be controlled or monitored correspondingly is selected and displayed separately from the other icons. Also, the cursor 271 is displayed on the icon 272 for the selected specific unit, and the user can be guided to select it.

For example, certain icons may be displayed larger, or may be selected by bold lines, and may be blinking.

At this time, the next step is automatically executed after a predetermined time, or if the user actually selects the corresponding icon 272 according to the running user guide, the next step may be executed and displayed.

As shown in Fig. 6, the next screen of the user guide is output to the display unit 150. Fig. A guidance message 275 corresponding to the next screen is displayed as a pop-up window.

It is possible to cause the unit corresponding to the previously selected icon 272 to start the operation by pressing the operation button 276 or to stop the unit in operation.

The operation button 276 is displayed differently from the other buttons, and the cursor can also be displayed together. At this time, the selected icon 272 is still displayed differently from other icons to indicate that the unit is currently being set.

In this way, the guidance for monitoring or control is explained step by step on the screen so that the user can easily learn how to use it.

7 is a flowchart showing an operation method of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

7, the remote controller 10 connects to the main controller 20 through the communication unit 130 when a control program for a plurality of units is executed (S310).

The control unit 110 transmits the authentication number according to the login request of the main controller 20 to complete the connection (S320).

 Before outputting the initial screen, the control unit 110 confirms whether or not the user guide tutorial is executed (S330). A popup window about whether to execute the user guide is displayed as shown in Fig.

The control unit 110 calls the manual data 121 stored in the data unit 120 in step S340 and executes the user guide in step S350, And outputs it to the screen of the display unit 150.

At this time, the user guide displays an icon to be selected along with the guidance message based on the actual monitoring screen or the control menu, guides the selection of the button according to the setting, and outputs a guidance message corresponding to each step.

When all of the steps are completed and the execution of the user guide is completed (S360), the control unit 110 displays an initial screen on the screen of the display unit 150 (S370). At this time, the initial screen may be a monitoring screen or a control screen on which a control menu is displayed.

Also, even if the non-execution key of the user guide is selected in advance, the initial screen is directly displayed on the screen (S370).

If the tutorial key displayed on one area of the screen is selected in step S350, the control unit 110 stops the current operation and calls the manual data 121 to execute the user guide (S340 to S360). In response to the operation being performed at this time, different user guides may be outputted.

When the output of the user guide is completed, the control unit 110 displays the control screen that is being executed again on the screen of the display unit 150, and performs the operation that is being executed again (S390).

In this way, the remote controller 10 not only provides monitoring screens and control screens for a plurality of units through data communication from the main controller 20, but also provides a user guide So that the user using the remote controller 10 can more easily control and manage the plurality of units.

The present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, as all the constituent elements constituting the embodiment of the present invention have been described as being combined or combined in one operation. Within the scope of the present invention, depending on the embodiment, all of the components may operate selectively in combination with one or more.

All of the components may be implemented as one independent hardware, but a part or all of the components may be selectively combined to provide a computer having a program module that performs some or all of the functions combined in one or a plurality of hardware May be implemented as a program.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

10: remote controller 20: main controller
31, 32: outdoor units 41 to 46: indoor units
110: control unit 120:
121: manual data 130:
140: input unit 150:

Claims (16)

A plurality of units;
A main controller for communicating with the plurality of units and controlling the plurality of units; And
And a remote controller connected to the main controller for monitoring operations of the plurality of units in response to data received from the main controller and transmitting a control command for controlling the plurality of units to the main controller,
Wherein the remote controller displays a monitoring screen or a control menu for the plurality of units and executes a user guide for explaining the monitoring screen and the control menu. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote controller is connected to the main controller, analyzes the data received from the main controller, outputs a monitoring screen for the plurality of units, and displays a control menu. . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote controller outputs a message confirming execution of the user guide before displaying the monitoring screen or the control menu. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote controller is provided with a tutorial key for executing the user guide in one part of a screen on which the monitoring screen or the control menu is displayed. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote controller displays a guidance message on the usage method on a step-by-step basis based on the monitoring screen or the screen of the control menu when the user guide is executed. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the remote controller displays an icon for a device to be controlled differently from other icons among a plurality of icons when the user guide is executed. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the remote controller displays any one of the control menus to be set in the device to be controlled differently from the other keys when the user guide is executed. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the remote controller automatically changes and displays different screens at predetermined time intervals according to execution steps when the user guide is executed. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the remote controller displays a different screen for each execution step when the user guide is executed, and displays a next step when a specific icon or control key is selected according to the guide. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the remote controller pauses a running operation when the tutorial key is selected and executes the user guide related to an operation being executed. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the remote controller comprises: a data portion storing manual data for executing the user guide;
A display unit for outputting the user guide to a screen; And
And a controller for analyzing the manual data to execute the user guide and outputting the user guide step by step on the screen of the display unit. Outputting a message for confirming execution of a user guide when a control program for controlling a plurality of units is executed;
If execution of the user guide is selected, displaying the user guide by analyzing the stored data;
Displaying an initial screen configured with a monitoring screen or a control menu when the user guide is not executed; And
Executing the user guide when the tutorial key included in one of the monitoring screen or the screen displaying the control menu is selected; Wherein the air conditioner comprises: 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein when the user guide is executed, the monitoring screen or the guidance for the control menu is sequentially displayed in each step. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein when the user guide is executed, different screens are displayed at predetermined time intervals for each execution step. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein when the user guide is executed, a different screen is displayed for each execution step, and when a specific icon or control key is selected according to the guidance, the next step is displayed. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein when the user guide is executed, an icon for the device to be controlled or a control key to be set is displayed differently from the other icons or other control keys.

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