KR20190141491A - Portable air caring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a multi-type air conditioner comprises: an outdoor unit; and at least one indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit via a communication line. The outdoor unit senses communication disconnected as power supply through individual power of a first indoor unit of the at least one indoor unit is stopped, and then supplies power for turning off an electric expansion valve (EEV) of the first indoor unit via the communication line based on a sensing result.

Description

Multi-type air conditioner {PORTABLE AIR CARING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a multi-type air conditioner.

An air conditioner refers to a device that cools or heats a room using a refrigeration cycle. The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a condenser, an expander and an evaporator, which are sequentially connected by piping. Refrigerant circulates through the piping in the compressor, condenser, expansion device and evaporator.

Such an air conditioner includes an air conditioner in which one indoor unit is connected to one outdoor unit, and a multi-type air conditioner which achieves the same effect as installing a plurality of air conditioners by connecting a plurality of indoor units to one outdoor unit.

In such a multi-type air conditioner, a plurality of indoor units are driven by a power source from an outdoor unit, and it is common to refrain from installing individual power sources. However, in the case of a multi-type air conditioner implemented in a multi-family house such as an apartment or an officetel, there is a case in which an indoor unit equipped with individual power sources is installed for reasons of vacancy.

In the case of an indoor unit provided with individual power sources, power supply through the individual power sources may be interrupted as the indoor unit plug is disconnected from the outlet. In this case, unlike the on / off valve, the electric expansion valve (EEV) in the indoor unit is kept on even if the power supply is interrupted. Therefore, the power supply through the individual power source is interrupted and the refrigerant flows even in the indoor unit that is not driven, resulting in energy loss, noise, and cooling / heating agents, which may cause a decrease in reliability of the product and customer dissatisfaction. In order to prevent this, an additional control device may be provided in the multi-type air conditioner, but the cost burden may increase as the control device is added.

1. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP2014-122731 (published Jul. 3, 2014)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a multi-type that can close the electronic expansion valve of the indoor unit by supplying power through the communication line from the outdoor unit when the power supply through the individual power is stopped in the indoor unit equipped with individual power source It is to provide an air conditioner.

The outdoor unit of the multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a communication interruption due to the interruption of the power supply through the individual power source of the first indoor unit of at least one indoor unit, and based on the detection result, through the communication line Power is supplied to turn off the EEV of the first indoor unit.

The outdoor unit detects the communication interruption of the outdoor unit communication unit connected to the communication line, the power supply unit supplying the power through the communication line, and the first indoor unit, and turns off the EEV of the first indoor unit based on a detection result. It may include an outdoor unit controller for controlling the power supply to supply power to make.

The outdoor unit further includes a switch connected between the communication line and the power supply unit, and the outdoor unit controller turns on the switch when the communication interruption of the first indoor unit is detected, thereby providing the communication line and the power supply unit. Can connect

Each of the at least one indoor unit receives the power supplied through the communication line when the power supply through the individual power is stopped, and supplies driving power to the EEV to turn off the EEV based on the received power. It may include an EEV driving power supply.

The outdoor unit controller may control the power supply unit to supply the power through the communication line after controlling to turn off the EEV of the second indoor unit in which communication is currently being performed, when the communication interruption of the first indoor unit is detected. Can be.

The EEV driving power supply unit of the second indoor unit may minimize power consumption of the outdoor unit by not supplying power supplied through the communication line to the EEV.

The outdoor unit controller may control the power supply unit to supply the power through the communication line after waiting a predetermined time such that the EEV of the second indoor unit is turned off after the signal is transmitted.

The outdoor unit controller may control the power supply unit to stop the supply of the power after the power is supplied for a predetermined time, and transmit a signal for resuming communication to the second indoor unit. The second indoor unit may turn on the EEV in response to a signal for resuming communication.

The outdoor unit may detect a communication interruption of the first indoor unit when the number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit stored in a memory is greater than the number of indoor units currently performing communication.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when power supply through the individual power source of a specific indoor unit of the indoor units of the multi-type air conditioner is stopped, the outdoor unit detects this and provides power for turning off the indoor unit's EEV through a communication line. Can be. The indoor unit may turn off the EEV by using the power provided through the communication line, thereby preventing the refrigerant from flowing into the indoor unit where the power supply is interrupted. Accordingly, problems such as energy loss and noise due to the introduction of the refrigerant into the indoor unit not used may be solved.

In addition, the EEV of the indoor unit can be turned off by supplying power through a communication line without providing an additional control device to the multi-type air conditioner, thereby reducing component cost.

In addition, the manufacturer can implement a system to be able to freely install a separate power to each of the indoor units of the multi-type air conditioner, eliminating the burden for the installation of the equipment for supplying power from the outdoor unit to the indoor units installation of the product Improvements and installation costs can be reduced.

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operation of turning off the EEV of an indoor unit in which an outdoor unit included in a multi-type air conditioner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is stopped from supplying power through an individual power source.
3 is a view showing a control configuration of a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a ladder diagram illustrating an operation of turning off the EEV of an indoor unit in which a multi-type air conditioner based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is interrupted from being supplied with power.
5 to 7 are exemplary diagrams related to the operation of the multi-type air conditioner illustrated in FIG. 4.
8 is a view showing a control configuration of a multi-type air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are only for easily understanding the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical idea disclosed in the present specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes and equivalents included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are included. It should be understood to include water or substitutes.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the multi-type air conditioner may include at least one outdoor unit 10 and at least one indoor unit 20. According to the embodiment, the multi-type air conditioner is connected between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20, a distributor (not shown) for distributing the refrigerant to each indoor unit 20 according to the operating state of each indoor unit 20 It may further include.

The outdoor unit 10 may include an outdoor heat exchanger 11, an outdoor fan 12, compressors 13 and 14, an outdoor expansion valve 15, an accumulator 16, and a flow diverting unit 17.

Each of the at least one indoor unit 20 may include an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve. 1 illustrates an embodiment in which a multi-type air conditioner includes three indoor units, but the number of indoor units may be freely changed. In FIG. 1, the first indoor unit includes a first indoor heat exchanger 21a and a first indoor expansion valve 22a, and the second indoor unit includes a second indoor heat exchanger 21b and a second indoor expansion valve 22b. The third indoor unit may include a third indoor heat exchanger 21c and a third indoor expansion valve 22c.

The outdoor heat exchanger 11, the compressors 13 and 14, the outdoor expansion valve 15, the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c, and the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c may be connected by a refrigerant pipe.

The outdoor heat exchanger 11 may be disposed in the outdoor space so as to exchange heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant. The outdoor fan 12 may be installed at one side of the outdoor heat exchanger 11, and may be forced convection such that outdoor air is heat-exchanged with the outdoor heat exchanger 11 by the operation of the outdoor fan 12.

The compressors 13 and 14 correspond to a configuration for compressing the flowing refrigerant. The compressor may include at least one of a constant speed compressor 13 having a constant compression capacity and an inverter compressor 14 having a variable compression capacity.

The indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c may be disposed in an indoor space to exchange heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant. In this case, the indoor space may be understood as a space in which the multi-type air conditioner is installed to provide harmonized air.

Each indoor heat exchanger 21a to 21c may be arranged in different spaces, and thus the multi-type air conditioner may match air in different spaces.

In addition, one side of each of the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c may be provided with an indoor fan forcing convection of indoor air.

The outdoor expansion valve 15 may be installed adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger 11, and the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c may be installed to be adjacent to the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c. In the present exemplary embodiment, the outdoor expansion valve 15 and the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c may be implemented as electric expansion valves (EEVs) which can adjust the opening degree.

The indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c may be provided in a number corresponding to the plurality of indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c and may be installed at one side of each indoor heat exchanger 21a to 21c. The indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c operate to selectively block the refrigerant flowing into each of the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c according to whether the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c are operated.

The multi-type air conditioner includes an accumulator 16 for filtering a liquid refrigerant from among refrigerants flowing toward the compressors 13 and 14 and a flow direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressors 13 and 14. Further included is a flow diverting unit 17 for selectively converting to an outdoor heat exchanger 11 or an indoor heat exchanger 21a to 21c.

According to the operation mode of the multi-type air conditioner, the flow direction of the refrigerant by the flow switching unit 17 may be switched.

In detail, when the multi-type air conditioner is heated and operated, the flow switching unit 17 flows the refrigerant discharged from the compressors 13 and 14 to the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c. In addition, the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c are fully open and the outdoor expansion valve 15 is partially open.

Therefore, the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchangers 21a to 21c passes through the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c without a change in state, and expands while passing through the outdoor expansion valve 15 before the outdoor heat exchanger ( 11) may be introduced.

On the other hand, when the multi-type air conditioner is cooled and operated, the flow switching unit 17 flows the refrigerant discharged from the compressors 13 and 14 to the outdoor heat exchanger 11. In addition, the outdoor expansion valve 15 is fully open, and the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c are partially open.

Therefore, the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 11 passes through the outdoor expansion valve 15 without change of state and is expanded while passing through the indoor expansion valves 22a to 22c, and then the indoor heat exchanger 21a to 21c. ) Can be introduced into.

According to an embodiment, the multi-type air conditioner further includes a refrigerant amount adjusting unit for adjusting the flow amount of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle. In detail, the refrigerant amount adjusting unit includes a receiver 18 for storing at least a portion of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerating cycle, and a receiver valve 19 for adjusting the amount of refrigerant flowing into the receiver 18.

The receiver 18 is understood as a device capable of storing at least some of the refrigerant circulating in the multi-type air conditioner, such as a tank in which the refrigerant is received. The receiver valve 19 may be installed at one side of the receiver 18 to adjust the amount of refrigerant stored in the receiver 18.

In FIG. 1, the receiver valve 19 is installed only on the inflow side of the receiver 18, but the receiver valve 19 may be installed in various positions and shapes. For example, the receiver valve 19 may be configured as a valve that can adjust the opening degree, such as an electromagnetic expansion valve (EEV).

1 illustrates an exemplary form of configuring a multi-type air conditioner according to the spirit of the present invention. According to an embodiment, an additional configuration may be added or omitted to the multi-type air conditioner.

On the other hand, each of the at least one indoor unit 20 may be driven by receiving power from the outdoor unit 10, according to the embodiment may be driven using a separate power source. In particular, in the case of a multi-type air conditioner installed in an apartment house such as an officetel or an apartment, there is a case in which an indoor unit having an individual power source is installed for reasons of vacancy.

In the case of an indoor unit provided with individual power sources, power supply through the individual power sources may be interrupted as the indoor unit plug is disconnected from the outlet. In this case, unlike the on / off valve, the EEVs 22a to 22c in the indoor unit remain in the on state even when the power supply is interrupted. Therefore, the coolant flows in the indoor unit which is not driven because the power supply is interrupted, which is inefficient, and may cause a decrease in reliability of the product and customer dissatisfaction. In order to prevent this, an additional control device may be provided in the multi-type air conditioner, but the cost burden may increase as the control device is added. Due to the above problems, conventional multi-type air conditioners generally refrain from installing individual power supplies of the indoor unit.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the power supply through the individual power source of a specific indoor unit of the indoor units of the multi-type air conditioner is stopped, the outdoor unit may detect this and may provide power for turning off the EEV of the indoor unit. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant from flowing into the indoor unit in which the power supply is stopped. In addition, the manufacturer can implement a system to freely install a separate power to each of the indoor units of the multi-type air conditioner, thereby eliminating the burden for the installation of equipment for supplying power from the outdoor unit to the indoor units.

The configuration and operation of the multi-type air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operation of turning off an EEV of an indoor unit in which an outdoor unit included in a multi-type air conditioner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is stopped from supplying power through an individual power source.

Referring to FIG. 2, as the multi-type air conditioner operates, the outdoor unit 10 may perform communication with the indoor units 20 (S100).

The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor units 20 may be connected by a communication line to perform communication according to a predetermined communication method. For example, the communication may include RS 485 communication, but is not limited thereto, and communication in various manners may be performed.

The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor units 20 may transmit a periodic packet and an event packet according to communication. The periodic packet is a packet periodically transmitted by the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor units 20 and may include operation information, temperature information, cycle information, and the like. The event packet is a packet transmitted by the outdoor unit 10 or the indoor units 20 to notify when an event occurs, and may be related to a specific operation or a specific function.

At least one of the indoor units 20 may be driven using a separate power source instead of the power supplied from the outdoor unit 10. The indoor unit driven by the individual power source may transmit a periodic packet to the outdoor unit 10 while the individual power source is maintained.

The outdoor unit 10 may detect a communication interruption as the power supply through the individual power source of the specific indoor unit is stopped (S110).

For example, a user of a specific indoor unit can disconnect the plug of the specific indoor unit from the outlet. Accordingly, power supply to the specific indoor unit may be stopped.

The specific indoor unit may stop driving as the power supply is interrupted. At this time, the EEV 22a, 22b, or 22c may remain in an on state (or an open state).

The specific indoor unit may stop communication with the outdoor unit 10 as the power supply is stopped. Information about the number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit 10 may be stored in the memory of the outdoor unit 10. Based on the information, the outdoor unit 10 detects that the number of indoor units in which communication is currently being performed is less than the number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit 10 for more than a predetermined time, so that the indoor unit has stopped communication. Can be detected.

Based on the detection result, the outdoor unit 10 may supply power for turning off the EEV 22a, 22b, or 22c of the specific indoor unit in which communication is interrupted through a communication line (communication line) (S120).

The specific indoor unit may turn off the EEV 22a, 22b, or 22c by using power supplied through a communication line. That is, the multi-type air conditioner may turn off the EEV of the indoor unit by supplying power through the communication line between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit even if the power supply through the individual power source of the specific indoor unit is stopped.

Hereinafter, a configuration of a multi-type air conditioner for performing an operation according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a view showing a control configuration of a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, only one indoor unit 200 of the plurality of indoor units 20 is illustrated as an example, but the control structure of the other indoor units may also be substantially the same as the indoor unit 200.

Referring to FIG. 3, the outdoor unit 10 may include an outdoor unit communication unit 110, an outdoor unit controller 130, a power supply unit 140, and a switch 150.

The outdoor unit communication unit 110 may be connected to the indoor unit communication unit 210 provided in each of the plurality of indoor units included in the multi-type air conditioner through a communication line. The outdoor unit 10 may be connected to each of the indoor units 20 through the outdoor unit communication unit 110 to transmit / receive a packet including various information. The outdoor unit communication unit 110 may include a communication module supporting an RS485 communication method, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the outdoor unit 10 may further include an isolator 120 for insulation between the outdoor unit communication unit 110 and the outdoor unit controller 130.

The outdoor unit controller 130 may control the overall operation of the components included in the outdoor unit 10. For example, the outdoor unit controller 130 controls the outdoor unit communication unit 110 to transmit a control command for controlling at least one of the indoor units 20 or in response to a request received from the indoor units 20. You can adjust the operation of.

In particular, the outdoor unit controller 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects an indoor unit in which power supply through an individual power source is interrupted among the indoor units 20, and supplies power for turning off the detected EEV 22 of the indoor unit. Can be controlled.

The outdoor unit controller 130 may be implemented as an integrated circuit, a micom, a processor, an application processor (AP), or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The power supply unit 140 may be implemented separately from a power supply unit (eg, a main power supply unit) that supplies power to each of the components included in the outdoor unit 10. The power supply unit 140 may supply power to an indoor unit in which power supply through the individual power source is stopped through a communication line between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit under the control of the outdoor unit controller 130.

For example, the power supply unit 140 may include a power module IC (PMIC) connected to a power source or a main power supply unit of the outdoor unit 10 to apply a specific voltage (eg, 12V) to the indoor unit through a communication line. It is not limited.

A switch 150 may be provided between the power supply unit 140 and the communication line. The switch 150 may be turned on / off under the control of the outdoor unit controller 130. When the switch 150 is in the off state, the power supply unit 140 is not connected to the communication line and thus does not supply power to the indoor unit through the communication line. On the other hand, when the switch 150 is in the on state, the power supply unit 140 may be connected to a communication line to supply power to the indoor unit through the communication line.

Although not shown, the outdoor unit 10 may further include a memory (not shown) that stores information on the number of indoor units 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10. The memory may include at least one nonvolatile memory, such as an EEPROM, and / or at least one volatile memory, such as a RAM.

The outdoor unit controller 130 detects the number of the indoor units 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 and detects the number of the indoor units 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 during the initial operation of the multi-type air conditioner or the checking of the normal operation state of the indoor units 20. Information can be stored in a memory (not shown).

The outdoor unit controller 130 may detect the presence or absence of the indoor unit in which the power supply through the individual power source is stopped by comparing the information stored in the memory with the number of indoor units currently performing communication. The memory may include at least one nonvolatile memory, such as an EEPROM, and / or at least one volatile memory, such as a RAM.

The indoor unit 200 may include an indoor unit communication unit 210, an indoor unit controller 230, an EEV 22, and an EEV driving power supply unit 240.

The indoor unit communication unit 210 may be connected to the outdoor unit communication unit 110 provided in the outdoor unit 10 of the multi-type air conditioner through a communication line. The indoor unit 200 may be connected to the outdoor unit 10 through the indoor unit communication unit 210 to transmit / receive a packet including various information. The indoor unit communication unit 210 may include a communication module supporting an RS485 communication method, but is not limited thereto.

The indoor unit 200 may further include an isolator 220 for insulation between the indoor unit communication unit 210 and the indoor unit controller 230.

The indoor unit controller 230 may control overall operations of the components included in the indoor unit 200. For example, the indoor unit controller 230 may adjust the cooling or heating operation of the indoor unit 200 in response to a user input received from an input unit (not shown) or a remote controller (not shown). In addition, the indoor unit controller 230 controls the indoor unit communication unit 210 to periodically transmit information such as an operation state of the indoor unit 200 to the outdoor unit 10, or when a specific event occurs in the indoor unit 200. The indoor unit communication unit 210 may be controlled to transmit the information about the outdoor unit 10 to the outdoor unit 10.

In particular, the indoor unit controller 230 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention uses the power supplied through a communication line connected to the outdoor unit 10 when the operation of the indoor unit controller 230 is stopped due to the interruption of power supply through individual power sources. Control operation to turn off).

The indoor unit controller 230 may be implemented as an integrated circuit, a micom, a processor, an application processor (AP), and the like, similar to the outdoor unit controller 130, but is not limited thereto.

The EEV driving power supply unit 240 may be implemented separately from a power supply unit (eg, an individual power supply unit) that supplies power to each of the components included in the indoor unit 200.

The EEV driving power supply 240 may be connected to a communication line between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 200. When the power supply through the individual power source of the indoor unit 200 is stopped, the EEV driving power supply unit 240 may receive power through the communication line. The EEV driving power supply unit 240 may supply power to the indoor unit controller 230 and the EEV 22 using the supplied power. The indoor unit controller 230 may perform a control operation of turning off the EEV 22 based on the supplied power, and the EEV 22 may be turned off using the supplied power.

For example, the EEV driving power supply 240 may include a power module IC (PMIC), but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 4 is a ladder diagram illustrating an operation of turning off an indoor expansion valve of an indoor unit in which a multi-type air conditioner based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is stopped. 5 to 7 are exemplary views related to the operation of the multi-type air conditioner illustrated in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the outdoor unit 10 and the plurality of indoor units 20 may communicate with each other when driven (S200).

When power is being supplied to each of the outdoor unit 10 and the plurality of indoor units 20, the outdoor unit 10 may communicate with the plurality of indoor units 20. As described above, the outdoor unit 10 may periodically transmit and receive a packet with the plurality of indoor units 20, or may transmit and receive a packet according to a specific event occurrence.

During the operation of the multi-type air conditioner, the power supply through the individual power of the specific indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units 20 may be stopped (S210).

For example, a user may disconnect a plug of a specific indoor unit (hereinafter, referred to as a “first indoor unit”) of the plurality of indoor units 20 from an outlet. As the plug is disconnected from the outlet, the first indoor unit may stop the power supply through the individual power source and may not perform the operation. As the first indoor unit does not perform an operation, communication between the outdoor unit 10 and the first indoor unit may also be stopped.

The outdoor unit 10 may detect generation of an indoor unit in which communication is stopped, among the plurality of indoor units 20 (S220).

The outdoor unit controller 130 communicates based on information on the indoor units in which packets are received, that is, the number of indoor units in which communication is currently being performed and the number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit 10 stored in a memory (not shown). The occurrence of this stopped indoor unit can be detected.

For example, when the number of indoor units in which communication is currently performed is smaller than the number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit 10, the outdoor unit controller 130 may detect the occurrence of the indoor unit in which communication is stopped. At this time, the outdoor unit controller 130 may identify that the indoor unit in which the communication is interrupted among the plurality of indoor units 20 is the first indoor unit, and merely that there is an indoor unit in which the communication is interrupted among the plurality of indoor units 20. You can also detect

When the outdoor unit 10 detects the occurrence of the interrupted indoor unit, the outdoor unit 10 may transmit a signal for turning off the EEVs 22 of the indoor units currently performing communication (S230). The indoor units receiving the signal may turn off the EEV 22 (S240).

The signal may correspond to a signal indicating that the state of the indoor units 20 is determined (checked). After the outdoor unit 10 transmits the signal, the outdoor unit 10 may block the supply of the refrigerant to the indoor units 20.

The indoor unit currently communicating with the outdoor unit 10 among the indoor units 20 may turn off the EEV 22 and stop communication with the outdoor unit 10 in response to receiving the signal.

In this regard, referring to FIG. 5, when the indoor unit 200b in which communication is stopped is detected, the outdoor unit controller 130 may output a signal S1 through the outdoor unit communication unit 110. The output signal S1 may be transmitted to the indoor unit 200a in which communication is currently performed (power is normally supplied) among the plurality of indoor units 20.

The indoor unit 200a receiving the signal S1 may turn off the EEV 22a and stop the operation. According to an embodiment, as the indoor unit 200a receives the signal S1, the indoor unit 200a may store the indoor unit operation state of the memory (not shown) during the indoor unit state determination (check).

On the other hand, since the indoor unit 200b in which power supply through the individual power supply is stopped does not receive the signal S1, the EEV 22b of the indoor unit 200b may maintain the on state.

According to an embodiment, after the outdoor unit 10 transmits the signal according to step S230, the outdoor unit 10 may wait a predetermined time so that the EEVs 22a of the indoor units receiving the signal are turned off.

4 will be described again.

The outdoor unit 10 may supply power through a communication line connected to the indoor units 20 (S250). In operation S210, the first indoor unit in which power supply through the individual power supply is stopped may be turned off based on the power supplied through the communication line (S260).

In this regard, referring to FIG. 6, the outdoor unit controller 130 may turn on the switch 150 to supply power to the indoor units 20 through a communication line. For example, the outdoor unit controller 130 may turn on the switch 150 and output a control signal CTRL1 for controlling the power supply of the power supply 140.

As the switch 150 is turned on, the power supply unit 140 may be connected to a communication line. As a result, a voltage VD may be applied to the EEV driving power supplies 240a and 240b of each of the indoor units 20 connected to the communication line. The voltage VD may correspond to 12V, but is not limited thereto.

Since the indoor unit 200a in which the EEV 22a is turned off in operation S240 is in a stopped state, the indoor unit 200a may not consume power supplied through the communication line. That is, the EEV driving power supply 240a may not supply power supplied through the communication line to the indoor unit controller 230a or the EEV 22a.

On the other hand, in the case of the indoor unit 200b in which power supply through the individual power supply is stopped, the EEV 22b may be turned off using the power supplied through the communication line. The EEV driving power supply unit 240b may apply a driving voltage to each of the indoor unit controller 230b and the EEV 22b based on the voltage VD applied through the communication line. For example, the EEV driving power supply 240b may apply a driving voltage of 5V to the indoor unit controller 230b and may apply a driving voltage of 12V to the EEV 22b, but this is not necessarily the case.

As the driving voltage is applied, the indoor unit controller 230b controls to turn off the EEV 22b, and the EEV 22b may be turned off using the driving voltage.

4 will be described again.

After the outdoor unit 10 supplies power for a predetermined time through the communication line, the outdoor unit 10 may terminate the power supply and resume communication with the indoor units (S270).

Referring to FIG. 7, the outdoor unit controller 130 may output a control signal CTRL2 for controlling off of the switch 150 and interruption of power supply of the power supply unit 140. The switch 150 may be turned off in response to the control signal CTRL2, and the power supply 140 may stop supplying power through the communication line.

Although not shown, the outdoor unit controller 130 may output a signal for resuming communication to the indoor units when the switch 150 is turned off by the control signal CTRL2 and the power supply of the power supply unit 140 is stopped. have. The indoor unit communication unit 210a of the indoor unit 200a which is normally supplied with power through an individual power source may receive a signal for resuming the communication.

In response to the received signal, the indoor unit controller 230a may control to turn on the EEV 22a. As the EEV 22a is turned on, the indoor unit 200a may resume operation and perform communication with the outdoor unit 10. According to an embodiment, the indoor unit controller 230a may change the indoor unit operation state of the memory (not shown) to the normal operation in response to the received signal.

On the other hand, since the indoor unit 200b in which power supply through the individual power is stopped is maintained in the off state of the EEV 22b, the refrigerant may not flow into the indoor unit 200b.

That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the power supply through the individual power source of a particular indoor unit of the indoor units of the multi-type air conditioner is stopped, the outdoor unit 10 detects this and supplies power for turning off the EEV of the indoor unit. Can be provided via a communication line. The indoor unit may turn off the EEV by using the power provided through the communication line, thereby preventing the refrigerant from flowing into the indoor unit where the power supply is interrupted. Accordingly, problems such as energy loss and noise due to the introduction of the refrigerant into the indoor unit not used may be solved.

In addition, the manufacturer can implement a system to freely install a separate power to each of the indoor units of the multi-type air conditioner, eliminating the burden for the installation of equipment for supplying power from the outdoor unit to the indoor units, the installation of the product Improvements and installation costs can be reduced.

In addition, the EEV of the indoor unit can be turned off by supplying power through a communication line without providing an additional control device to the multi-type air conditioner, thereby reducing component cost.

8 is a view showing a control configuration of a multi-type air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, each of the outdoor unit communication unit 111 and the indoor unit communication unit 211 may include a communication module having a power transmission function.

The outdoor unit controller 131 may control the outdoor unit communication unit 111 to supply power when the indoor unit 200c in which power supply through the individual power supply is stopped is detected. The outdoor unit communication unit 111 may supply power to the indoor unit 200c under the control of the outdoor unit controller 131.

The indoor unit communication unit 211 may provide power supplied from the outdoor unit communication unit 111 to the indoor unit controller 231 and the EEV 22. The indoor unit controller 231 may perform a control operation of turning off the EEV 22 based on the supplied power, and the EEV 22 may be turned off using the supplied power.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

Outdoor unit; And
At least one indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit through a communication line,
The outdoor unit,
Detecting a communication interruption due to the interruption of the power supply through the individual power source of the first indoor unit of the at least one indoor unit,
And a power supply for turning off the electric expansion valve (EEV) of the first indoor unit based on the detection result. The method of claim 1,
The outdoor unit,
An outdoor unit communication unit connected to the communication line;
A power supply unit supplying the power through the communication line; And
And an outdoor unit controller configured to detect the communication interruption of the first indoor unit and to control the power supply unit to supply power for turning off the EEV of the first indoor unit based on a detection result. The method of claim 2,
The outdoor unit,
Further comprising a switch connected between the communication line and the power supply,
The outdoor unit controller,
The multi-type air conditioner turns on the switch when the communication interruption of the first indoor unit is detected. The method of claim 2,
Each of the at least one indoor unit,
An indoor unit communication unit connected to the communication line; And
When the power supply through the individual power is interrupted, the multi-type including an EEV driving power supply for receiving the power supplied through the communication line, and supplies the driving power for turning off the EEV to the EEV based on the received power Air conditioner. The method of claim 4, wherein
The at least one indoor unit includes a plurality of indoor units,
The outdoor unit controller,
When the communication interruption of the first indoor unit is detected, the outdoor unit communication unit is controlled to transmit a signal to turn off the EEV of the second indoor unit currently performing communication among the plurality of indoor units,
And a multi-type air conditioner controlling the power supply to supply the power through the communication line. The method of claim 5,
The EEV driving power supply of the second indoor unit, the multi-type air conditioner does not supply power supplied through the communication line to the EEV. The method of claim 5,
The outdoor unit controller,
And a predetermined time after the transmission of the signal, controlling the power supply unit to supply the power through the communication line. The method of claim 7, wherein
The outdoor unit controller,
After the power is supplied for a predetermined time, to control the power supply to stop the supply of power,
A multi-type air conditioner for transmitting a signal for resuming communication to the second indoor unit. The method of claim 8,
The second indoor unit,
And turning on the EEV in response to the signal for resuming communication. The method of claim 1,
The outdoor unit,
And a number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit stored in a memory of the outdoor unit and a number of indoor units currently communicating with each other, thereby detecting communication interruption of the first indoor unit.

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