KR20200013918A - Operating method of Air-conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present invention, an operating method of an air conditioner may comprise the steps of: when an update menu item is selected, displaying a list of units to which a wired remote control can access; when any one of the units included in the list is selected, transmitting information on the selected unit to a server by the wired remote control; receiving, by the wired remote control, update information for the selected unit and a unit of the same product family as the selected unit from the server; and displaying the update information for the selected unit and the unit of the same product family and the selected unit received by the wired remote control.

Description

Operating method of air conditioner

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, which can conveniently control the units by using a wired remote controller installed corresponding to the indoor unit.

The air conditioner is installed to provide a more comfortable indoor environment for humans by discharging cold air into the room to control the indoor temperature and purifying the indoor air to create a comfortable indoor environment. In general, an air conditioner includes an indoor unit configured to be a heat exchanger installed indoors, and an outdoor unit configured to supply a refrigerant to an indoor unit configured by a compressor and a heat exchanger.

The air conditioner is separated and controlled by an indoor unit composed of a heat exchanger and an outdoor unit composed of a compressor and a heat exchanger. The outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected to a refrigerant pipe, and the refrigerant compressed from the compressor of the outdoor unit is supplied to the heat exchanger of the indoor unit through a refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant heat exchanged in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit flows back into the compressor of the outdoor unit through the refrigerant pipe. Accordingly, the indoor unit discharges cold air into the room through heat exchange using a refrigerant.

Units such as outdoor units and indoor units in the air conditioner may be interconnected in units of buildings or small groups to transmit and receive data, and monitor and control the state of each unit through the transmitted and received data.

In general, the indoor unit is configured to transmit data to the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit is configured to receive data of the indoor unit and transmit data of the indoor unit to the central controller.

Meanwhile, a wired remote controller is connected to each indoor unit, and a user may control a specific indoor unit by operating the wired remote controller.

For example, the prior art (Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2008-0094278, publication date October 23, 2008), a button unit for instructing the operation of the air conditioner, a display indicating the operation state of the air conditioner A wired remote controller for an air conditioner including a rotary switch for setting a reserve operation time of the negative air conditioner is proposed.

The conventional wired remote controller is limited to monitoring and controlling the state of a single indoor unit connected to the conventional wired remote controller, and thus, the wired remote controller cannot be a communication subject to a single unit, thereby limiting the expandability of functions.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and its operation method which can improve the convenience of use by simply checking whether the update of the various units in the air conditioner with one wired remote control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, by which several units are updated at once, thereby improving usability.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a method of operating the same having a communication structure which has advantages in terms of communication performance and scalability at low cost.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating an air conditioner, when an update menu item is selected, displaying a list of units accessible by the wired remote controller, the unit included in the list. If any one of the units is selected, the wired remote control unit transmits information about the selected unit to the server, the wired remote control unit receives update information about the selected unit and the unit of the same family as the selected unit from the server, and And displaying, by the wired remote controller, update information about the selected unit and the unit of the same family as the selected unit.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of use by simply checking whether the update of the various units in the air conditioner is required by any one wired remote controller.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability by updating several units at once.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to implement a communication structure having advantages in terms of communication performance and scalability at low cost.

On the other hand, various other effects will be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description according to the embodiment of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit of FIG. 1.
3 is a diagram illustrating a communication structure of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a data structure used in communication between units in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a control configuration of a wired remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 to 11 are views referred to in the description related to the operation method of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention; However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be modified in various forms.

In the drawings, parts not related to the description are omitted in order to clearly and briefly describe the present invention, and the same reference numerals are used for the same or extremely similar parts throughout the specification.

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

Further, in this specification, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various elements, but such elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the air conditioner 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of units. For example, the air conditioner 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the indoor units 31 to 35, the outdoor units 21 and 22 connected to the indoor units 31 to 35, and the indoor units 31. 35) to a remote controller 41 to 45 connected to each. And the air conditioner 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a central controller 10 for controlling the plurality of indoor units (31 to 35) and the outdoor units (21, 22).

The central controller 10 may be connected to the plurality of indoor units 31 to 36 and the plurality of outdoor units 21 and 22 to monitor and control the operation thereof. In this case, the central controller 10 may be connected to a plurality of indoor units to perform operation setting, lock setting, schedule control, group control, and the like for the indoor units.

The air conditioner may be any one of a stand type air conditioner, a wall-mounted air conditioner, and a ceiling type air conditioner, but for convenience of description, a ceiling type air conditioner will be described as an example. The air conditioner may further include at least one of a ventilator, an air cleaner, a humidifier, and a heater, and may operate in conjunction with operations of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.

The outdoor units 21 and 22 are compressors (not shown) for receiving and compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) for exchanging refrigerant and outdoor air, and an accumulator for extracting gas refrigerant from the supplied refrigerant and supplying the compressor to the compressor. (Not shown) and a four-way valve (not shown) for selecting a flow path of the refrigerant according to the heating operation. In addition, it may further include a plurality of sensors, valves and oil recovery.

The outdoor units 21 and 22 operate the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, and compress or heat exchange the refrigerant according to a setting to supply the refrigerant to the indoor units 31 to 35.

The outdoor units 21 and 22 are driven by the request of the central controller 10 or the indoor units 31 to 35, and as the air / heating capacity is changed in response to the driven indoor unit, the number of operation of the outdoor unit and the compressor installed in the outdoor unit The number of operations is variable.

At this time, the outdoor unit (21, 22) is described on the basis of supplying the refrigerant to each of the plurality of outdoor unit, each connected to the indoor unit, but the plurality of outdoor units are interconnected according to the connection structure of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit refrigerant to the plurality of indoor units May be supplied.

The indoor units 31 to 35 are connected to any one of the plurality of outdoor units 21 and 22 and receive coolant to discharge cold air. The indoor units 31 to 35 include an indoor heat exchanger (not shown), an indoor fan (not shown), an expansion valve (not shown) for expanding the supplied refrigerant, and a plurality of sensors (not shown).

At this time, the outdoor unit (21, 22) and the indoor unit (31 to 35) are connected by a communication line to transmit and receive data, the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is connected to the central controller 10 by a separate communication line to control the central controller (10). It works accordingly.

The remote controllers 41 to 45 may be connected to the indoor units, respectively, to input a user's control command to the indoor unit, and receive and display state information of the indoor unit. In this case, the remote controller communicates by wire or wirelessly according to the connection type with the indoor unit. In some cases, one remote controller is connected to the plurality of indoor units, and the setting of the plurality of indoor units may be changed through one remote controller input.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment, the remote controllers 41 to 45 may include various sensors such as a temperature sensor.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the air conditioner 50 is largely divided into an indoor unit 31 and an outdoor unit 21.

The indoor unit 31 is an indoor heat exchanger 108 disposed indoors to perform a cooling / heating function, and an indoor fan 109a disposed at one side of the indoor heat exchanger 108 to promote heat dissipation of the refrigerant, and an indoor unit. The indoor blower 109 etc. which consist of the electric motor 109b which rotates the fan 109a are included.

At least one indoor side heat exchanger (108) may be installed. The compressor 102 may be at least one of an inverter compressor and a constant speed compressor.

In addition, the air conditioner 50 may be configured as a cooler for cooling the room, or may be configured as a heat pump for cooling or heating the room.

The outdoor unit 21 includes a compressor 102 that serves to compress the refrigerant, a compressor electric motor 102b that drives the compressor, an outdoor side heat exchanger 104 that serves to radiate the compressed refrigerant, and an outdoor unit. An outdoor blower 105 disposed on one side of the heat exchanger 104 and including an outdoor fan 105a for promoting heat dissipation of the refrigerant and an electric motor 105b for rotating the outdoor fan 105a, and an expansion for expanding the condensed refrigerant; A mechanism 106, a cooling / heating switching valve 110 for changing the flow path of the compressed refrigerant, and an accumulator 103 for temporarily storing gasified refrigerant to remove moisture and foreign matter and then supplying a refrigerant having a constant pressure to the compressor. And the like.

Meanwhile, although one indoor unit 31 and one outdoor unit 21 are shown in FIG. 2, the driving device of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the multi-type unit includes a plurality of indoor units and outdoor units. The air conditioner, the air conditioner having one indoor unit and a plurality of outdoor units can be applied to, of course.

3 is a diagram illustrating a communication structure of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of indoor units connected to at least one outdoor unit and the outdoor unit through a refrigerant pipe, and a plurality of wired remote controllers respectively connected to the plurality of indoor units. In addition, the outdoor unit and the indoor unit may be connected by a wired communication line.

Referring to the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the first outdoor units 23a may be connected to a plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a by wired communication lines 1 to communicate with each other.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the first outdoor unit 23a and the first to third indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a may be connected by a wired serial communication line 1.

Meanwhile, the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 that are connected by wire to individual indoor units respectively corresponding to the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a. have.

For example, a first wired remote controller 46a is connected to the first indoor unit 36a, a second wired remote controller 47 is connected to the second indoor unit 37a, and a third wired controller is connected to the third indoor unit 38a. The remote control 48 may be connected.

The plurality of wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may transmit a predetermined signal to the connected indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a, respectively, to control the connected indoor units. In addition, the plurality of wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may receive state information from the connected indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a, respectively.

In FIG. 3, all indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a are connected to the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48, but as described with reference to FIG. 1, some indoor units may be configured to be controlled by the wireless remote controller. have.

Meanwhile, the outdoor unit 23a and the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a may include communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b, or may be connected to communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b, respectively. . The communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b may be built in each unit or installed outside the unit.

On the other hand, the outdoor unit 23a and the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a may include communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b each using an RS-485 communication standard. In this case, the communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, 38b may include a communication module supporting the RS-485 communication standard or may be a 485 modem.

On the other hand, the communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b can transmit and receive data packets according to the RS-485 communication standard. For example, the communication unit 23b of the outdoor unit 23a controls the generated data packet according to the control of a control unit (not shown) of the outdoor unit 23a according to the RS-485 communication standard. It can transmit to the communication part 36b of 36a. In addition, the communication unit 36b of the first indoor unit 36a may process the received data packet and transmit the received data packet to a control unit (not shown) of the first indoor unit 36a.

The RS-485 communication standard is a serial communication protocol standard that supports a home network. A plurality of transmission / reception nodes may be connected to one serial communication line 1. In this case, the plurality of transmission / reception nodes may perform multilateral data transmission and reception on the same communication line.

The outdoor unit 23a and the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, 38a can transmit and receive data to each other by RS-485 communication, and the outdoor unit 23a includes the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, 38a. Can be monitored. In addition, the outdoor unit 23a and the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a may transmit and receive control signals to each other.

Conventional air conditioners transmit and receive data at a fixed communication speed and data structure, when the amount of data increases, there is a limitation in scalability as well as a compatibility problem. In addition, there is a problem that the response time is delayed and the network efficiency is lowered due to the fixed speed and data structure.

For example, conventional air conditioners typically used only the RS-485 protocol format, which was configured on a fixed sized page basis. For example, the wired remote controller used a protocol having a fixed size of 13 bytes with the indoor unit connected.

When communicating a fixed size protocol using a format, it is difficult to add or expand new functions and delay the communication speed at the present time when the functions become complicated and diverse. In particular, the wired remote controller was difficult to expand beyond the (local) area communication with the connected indoor unit.

Accordingly, the present invention can use a signal according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol in which the data size of the wired remote controller is variable in communication with other units.

For example, the first wired remote controller 46a of the plurality of wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may be indoor units other than the corresponding first indoor units 36a of the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, 38a. Through 37a and 38a and the serial communication line 1, it is possible to transmit and receive signals according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol.

In addition, as before, the first wired remote controller 46a may perform local area communication with the corresponding first indoor unit 36a. Even in this case, the first wired remote controller 46a and the first indoor unit 36a may transmit and receive a signal having a data structure according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol.

4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a data structure used in communication between units in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, units such as a wired remote controller use a data link layer method, which is a second layer, of the OSI hierarchical method, and the data packet used in communication includes an address data area and a message data. ) And a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) region (CRC16) for error detection. For example, the CRC for error detection can be handled with 16-Bit. The CRC checksum is used for error detection, but the present invention is not limited thereto and other error detection methods may be used.

The address data area is composed of an address length including address length information, an address including a sender address and an address of a destination.

The message data area is composed of an application ID, a message type, a sequence number, a data length, and data.

In this case, the data may have a data structure according to the type length value (TLV) protocol. The TLV protocol is a communications standard that concisely and efficiently represents complex data in three structured field elements: Type, Length, and Value.

For example, the data may include a type field, a length field, and a value field.

In addition, the data (Data) has a size of 0 to 255 bytes (byte), the size of the data value can be varied, the data length can be changed to represent the variable size of the data value.

5 is a diagram illustrating examples of data regions.

As shown in FIG. 5, the data field may include a type, a length, and a data value.

Type is an identifier for information to be included in a data value, a length is a size of a data value, and a data value is information actually transmitted. In this case, the type is 10 bits and the length is 2 bits, and the size of the data value varies depending on the type and length.

The event information to be actually transmitted is transmitted through the data field by changing data values according to the type, and the size of the information to be transmitted is changed and transmitted.

For example, when the type is 1, the operation mode may be transmitted, and when the type 2 is used, information on the compressor on / off may be transmitted. In addition, when the data length is represented as 0, 1, 2, or 3 according to the size of the information, 4 bits (a), 8 bits (b), 16 bits (c), and 24 bits (d) may be represented, respectively. . The amount of information that can be sent as a data value varies depending on the length.

Referring to (a) of FIG. 5, the basic structure of a data packet includes a data type Len having a size of 10 bits and a data length Len indicating a size of a data value. It takes up the size of). The size of a data value basically occupies 4 bits.

Referring to (b), (c) and (d) of FIG. 5, the size of the data value may be extended in units of 8 bits according to the type. The length Len indicates the size of the variable data value.

Accordingly, the outdoor unit and the indoor unit can perform communication at a faster communication speed than always transmitting and receiving data having a fixed size. In addition, since the size of the data is scalable, it is easy to add new functions to the data packet.

Accordingly, the wired remote controller according to the present invention transmits and receives data to and from the indoor unit directly connected by wire, and not only can control the indoor unit connected by wire. Can be.

Accordingly, the present invention applies a wired remote controller, a communication structure that can monitor and control a remote communication area between a plurality of indoor units and an outdoor unit, in addition to local area communication between an existing wired remote controller and an indoor unit, and is connected to a unit. It can provide a synchronization function to control the.

 Meanwhile, in the present specification, a wired remote controller and an indoor unit connected one-to-one are defined as a local area, and an area other than the local area is defined as a remote communication area.

Accordingly, the serial communication line 1 may also be referred to as a remote communication line.

According to the present invention, a wired remote controller can exchange communication with other indoor units, wired remote controllers, and outdoor units through remote communication for transmitting and receiving a signal having a data structure according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol, and can apply various functions. Environment, and basic wired remote control, which was possible only with existing physical installation, can be solved by communication.

In addition, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 according to the present invention communicate with other indoor units in the remote area through the communication units 36b, 37b, and 38b of the indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a in the local area. Can be. For example, the first wired remote controller 36a may communicate with the communication units 37b and 38b of the other indoor units 37a and 38a through the communication unit 36b of the first indoor unit 36a.

In addition, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 according to the present invention communicate with the outdoor unit 23a in the remote area through the communication units 36b, 37b and 38b of the indoor units 36a, 37a and 38a in the local area. can do.

That is, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 according to the present invention are connected to the serial communication line 1 through the communication units 36b, 37b, and 38b of the indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a of the local area, thereby being connected to other units. And it can transmit and receive a signal having a data structure according to the TLV protocol.

In addition, by using the existing 485 modem (23b, 36b, 37b, 38b) and the serial communication line (1), it is possible to implement a communication structure having advantages in terms of communication performance and scalability at low cost, without additional cost.

According to the present invention, it is possible to establish a control environment for other units in the remote area with any one wired remote controller, so that various functions can be applied and expanded in the future.

For example, in addition to the local control communication protocol with the existing indoor unit of the wired remote controller, it is possible to transmit and receive signals to the remote communication area, and to implement group control and remote individual control functions that were possible only with existing physical installations. have.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 250 of the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may further include a Wi-Fi communication module, and may be connected to a server or a mobile terminal through Wi-Fi communication. Can be. For example, the first wired remote controllers 46a and 46b of the plurality of wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may include a Wi-Fi communication module 46b and the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320. Communicate with

In addition, an air conditioner, a server, and / or a mobile terminal, which are communicatively connected and capable of transmitting and receiving signals, may be referred to as an air conditioner system. For example, the air conditioner system may include an air conditioner 50, a server 310, and / or a mobile terminal 320.

On the other hand, the first wired remote control 46a, through the serial communication line 1 and the indoor units (37a, 38a) other than the corresponding first indoor unit (36a) of the plurality of indoor units (36a, 37a, 38a). Can transmit and receive signals according to the protocol.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 3, the first wired remote controllers 46a and 46b are divided into the first wired remote controller 46a and the Wi-Fi communication module 46b. However, when not required herein, the Wi-Fi communication module 46b is illustrated. Do not explain separately.

In some cases, the communication unit 250 of the first wired remote controller 46a may include a Wi-Fi communication module 46b therein or may be connected to and communicate with an external Wi-Fi communication module 46b. have.

In the case of the conventional wired remote control communication, there is a limit in the diversification of functions by interlocking only the indoor unit directly connected to perform the control.

According to the present invention, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 can communicate and control the units in the air conditioner by TLV communication. In addition, by communicating with an external device through the Wi-Fi communication can provide a variety of functions, it can provide a higher level of determinism.

For example, by connecting the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 with the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320 through Wi-Fi communication, various databases, functions, and the mobile terminal 320 are constructed using the server 310. Remote control can be provided.

For example, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may receive various information from the server 310 through Wi-Fi communication, and use the server 310 to construct a database, user-customized function, automatic update, and the server 310. ) And various additional functions such as interworking services with other devices.

In addition, the wired remote controller 46a, 47, 48 and the mobile terminal 320 is linked through the Wi-Fi communication, it is possible to monitor and control the unit via the mobile terminal 320, the wired remote controller 46a, 47, 48 It is possible to provide various additional functions beyond the limits of input / output means and system resources.

The wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may receive a signal from the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320 through Wi-Fi communication, and transmit a control signal to each unit through TLV communication according to the received signal. have.

In addition, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may receive status information from each unit through TLV communication, and transmit status information of the units to the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320 through Wi-Fi communication. .

Meanwhile, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may be linked with the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320 according to a user input.

Hereinafter, an example in which the first wired remote controller 46a of the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 is linked with the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320 through the Wi-Fi communication module 46b will be described.

When the first wired remote controller 46 is connected to the first indoor unit 36a through wired communication, the server 310 via the Wi-Fi communication with an application linkage menu interworking with the mobile terminal 320 through Wi-Fi communication. The server interlocking menu linked to the display unit 230 may be displayed on the display 230.

If the application linkage menu is selected, the first wired remote controller 46 may perform Wi-Fi pairing with the mobile terminal 320.

After pairing, the first wired remote controller 46 interworks with the mobile terminal 320 to control the first indoor unit 36a based on a signal received from the mobile terminal 320. Local control may be performed or remote control of controlling indoor units 37a and 38a other than the first indoor unit 36a may be performed.

According to an embodiment, the interworking of the first wired remote controller 46 and the mobile terminal 320 may include interworking with the server 310. For example, the first wired remote controller 46 may be linked with the mobile terminal 320 through the server 310.

In this case, the first wired remote controller 46 may also be linked with the server 310 to perform the local control or the remote control based on the signal received from the server 310.

On the other hand, when the server interlocking menu is selected, the first wired remote control 46 is linked with the server 310, the server 310 receives a signal received from the plurality of indoor units (36a, 37a, 38a) Can be delivered to.

In addition, the first wired remote controller 46 controls the first indoor unit 36a or indoor units 37a and 38a other than the first indoor unit 36a based on a signal received from the server 310. ) Can be controlled.

6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a control configuration of a wired remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the wired remote controller according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 210 for controlling overall operations, an operation unit 220 for receiving a user input, a display unit 230 for displaying a predetermined screen, and a predetermined operation. The memory 240 may store data, and may include a communicator 250 having one or more communication modules.

The operation unit 220 includes at least one input means such as a button, a switch, and a touch input means. For example, the operation unit 220 may include a power key, a menu input key, an operation setting key, a temperature control key, a wind volume key, a lock key, and the like. When a user command or predetermined data is input in response to an operation of the input unit, the manipulation unit 220 may transmit the input data to the controller 210.

The display unit 230 may output a menu screen for controlling the unit, and output at least one of a character, a number, and an image of an operation setting or an operation state of the unit.

In addition, the display 230 outputs a user command input through the operation unit 220 to a screen, or outputs a predetermined screen corresponding to the input user command, so that the operation setting and the operation state of the air conditioner are performed. It can display information about abnormality.

The memory 240 stores a software program of a wired remote controller, control data for controlling an operation of a unit, communication data for setting an address or group for communicating with another unit, and data transmitted / received through the communication unit 250.

The memory 240 may be various storage devices such as a ROM, a RAM, an EPROM, a flash drive, a hard drive, and the like, in hardware.

The data unit 120 includes basic data for the unit, control data for controlling the operation of the unit, input / output data,

The communication unit 250 may include one or more communication modules to transmit and receive data between other units. For example, the communication unit 250 may communicate with another unit using a signal according to the TLV protocol.

The controller 210 may process data input and output and control data transmission and reception between units through the communication unit 250.

3 and 6, the wired remote controller according to the present invention may be connected to a corresponding indoor unit by wire, and may transmit a predetermined signal to the connected indoor unit. In addition, the wired remote controller may receive state information and the like from a connected indoor unit.

For example, the first wired remote controller 46a may perform local area communication with the corresponding first indoor unit 36a. According to an embodiment, the first wired remote controller 46a and the first indoor unit 36a may transmit and receive a signal having a data structure according to a type length value (TLV) protocol.

In addition, according to the present invention, the wired remote controller may use a signal according to a TLV (Type Length Value) protocol whose data size is variable in communication with other units in a remote area.

For example, the first wired remote controller 46a of the plurality of wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may include indoor units other than the corresponding first indoor units 36a of the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, 38a. Through 37a and 38a and the serial communication line 1, it is possible to transmit and receive signals according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol.

In this case, the controller 210 of the first wired remote controller 46a may generate a control signal for controlling the second indoor unit 37a among the indoor units 37a and 38a other than the first indoor unit 36a. have.

Under the control of the controller 210, the communication unit 250 may transmit the generated control signal to the second indoor unit 37a using the TLV protocol. That is, the communication unit 250 may transmit a signal having a data structure of the TLV protocol to the second indoor unit 37a.

In addition, when the communication unit 250 receives a signal including the state information from the second indoor unit 37a, the control unit 210 controls the display unit 230 to display the state information based on the received signal. can do.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first wired remote controller 46a may receive a signal including data including state information from at least one of the indoor units 37a and 38a other than the first indoor unit 36a. It may include a communication unit 250 for receiving using the TLV protocol and a display unit 230 for displaying status information based on the received signal.

Meanwhile, the display unit 230 of the first wired remote controller 46a may control the indoor units that can be controlled in a remote communication mode capable of controlling indoor units 37a and 38a other than the first indoor unit 36a. A list can be displayed.

In addition, the first wired remote controller 46a may transmit a request signal according to the TLV protocol to the indoor units 37a and 38a other than the first indoor unit 36a through the communication unit 250, and transmit a response signal. Can be received.

The control unit 240 may control the communication unit 250 to broadcast a request signal according to the TLV protocol through the serial communication line 1 a predetermined number of times.

The controller 240 of the first wired remote controller 46a may be connected to the indoor units which have transmitted the response signal, and control to enter the remote communication mode.

Meanwhile, the units according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a communication unit using an RS-485 communication standard. The outdoor unit 23a and the plurality of indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a may include communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b each using an RS-485 communication standard. In this case, the communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, 38b may include a communication module supporting the RS-485 communication standard or may be a 485 modem.

On the other hand, the communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b can transmit and receive data packets according to the RS-485 communication standard. In addition, the communication units 23b, 36b, 37b, and 38b can transmit and receive data packets having a data structure conforming to the TLV protocol according to the RS-485 communication standard.

In addition, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 according to the present invention communicate with other indoor units in the remote area through the communication units 36b, 37b, and 38b of the indoor units 36a, 37a, and 38a in the local area. Can be. For example, the first wired remote controller 36a may communicate with the communication units 37b and 38b of the other indoor units 37a and 38a through the communication unit 36b of the first indoor unit 36a.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 250 of the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may further include a Wi-Fi communication module, and through the Wi-Fi communication, the server 310 or the mobile terminal. And may be in communication with 320.

For example, the communication unit 250 of the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 communicates with the plurality of indoor units by a signal according to a TLV protocol, and the server 310 or the mobile terminal through the Wi-Fi communication. And communicate with 320.

In some cases, the communication unit 250 may be provided with a Wi-Fi communication module therein, or may be connected to and communicate with an external Wi-Fi communication module.

In addition, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may communicate with the server 310 or the mobile terminal 320 through Wi-Fi communication, and interwork to provide various additional functions.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 8 to 11 are views referred to for describing a method of operating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7 to 11 are views referred to for describing a method of operating an air conditioner that operates in conjunction with a server.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 are connected to units other than the indoor unit directly connected, and a signal according to a TLV (Type Length Value) protocol through a serial communication line. Transmit and receive, and communicate with the server 310, the mobile terminal 320 through Wi-Fi (Wifi) communication.

The wired remote controller of any one of the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may be linked with the server 310 and / or the mobile terminal 320. For example, among the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48, the first wired remote controller 46a may be linked with the server 310 and / or the mobile terminal 320 through the Wi-Fi communication module 46b. In addition, when the application linkage or server linkage mode of the wired remote controller is set, the server linkage additional function control may be performed. One of the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may display a server-linked additional function control menu screen including a menu item that can be provided in association with a predetermined server.

As the interlocking setting is completed, the interlocked wired remote controller 46a may display a user interface screen related to the server interworking additional function, and the user may select a server interworking additional function control menu in the user interface screen (S710).

If the user selects the server-linked add-on control menu (S710), the first wired remote controller 46a may display a server-linked add-on control menu screen.

Alternatively, as the interlocking setting is completed, the first wired remote controller 46a may display a server interlocking additional function control menu screen.

According to an exemplary embodiment, screens that may be provided to the wired remote controller 46a, such as a server-linked additional function control menu screen, may be provided through the mobile terminal 320 that is linked to any one of the wired remote controllers 46a.

Hereinafter, a case where the first wired remote controller 46a is linked with the server 310 and / or the mobile terminal 320 and the first wired remote controller 46a provides various screens will be described as an example.

The server interworking additional function control menu screen may include a menu item for an additional function that the air conditioner 50 may provide in cooperation with the server 310.

For example, the server interlocking additional function control menu screen may include an accessory interlocking monitoring menu item corresponding to an accessory interlocking monitoring function capable of confirming information on an accessory unit that may operate in association with a predetermined unit, and a predetermined unit. It may include an update menu item for checking the update information of the and perform the update.

Meanwhile, when an update menu item included in the server-linked additional function control menu screen is selected by the user (S720), the list of units accessible by the wired remote controller 46a may be displayed (S730).

The server-linked additional function control menu of the wired remote controller 46a is selected (S710), and when the update menu is selected (S720), the control unit list accessible by the wired remote controller 36a may be synchronized and displayed. For example, the control unit list may be a list of outdoor unit, other wired remote control, and indoor unit that the wired remote controller 36a can control.

In addition, the control unit list may include software (SW) checksum information and part number information of the units.

The list is compared with the product family information of the units accessible by the wired remote controller, the unit software part number information which is the identification number of the software, and the software checksum information of the server 310 to determine whether to update the unit software. It may include.

The unit software part number information may include a part number of software, and the part number may indicate what the corresponding software is.

The server 310 may store final checksum information for each software and manage the checksum information based on the checksum information.

The unit software checksum information may be used to determine whether the file is the same version as the file stored in the server I310 by comparing with the checksum information of the last version of the corresponding software stored in the server 310.

On the other hand, the control unit list may include product information such as product family information, communication address of the units. The product family information may include name information and / or classification information of the product family in which the unit is included. The list may further include unique communication address information of units accessible by the wired remote controller.

According to an embodiment, when an update menu is selected by the user (S720), the wired remote controller 46a may request product information from units and receive product information from the units.

Alternatively, when the update menu is selected by the user (S720), the wired remote controller 46a may request product information of the units from the server and receive product information of the units from the server.

Meanwhile, the user may select at least one unit from which the update related information is to be checked among the units included in the list.

8 and 9 illustrate examples of a control target unit list displayed when the server-linked additional function control menu of the wired remote controller is selected and a product update menu item is selected.

Referring to FIG. 8, the control target unit list 800 includes family information 801, communication address information 802, unit software checksum information 803, and unit software part number information of units accessible by the wired remote controller. 804 may include information items for the units.

Referring to FIG. 8, the control target unit list 800 includes first unit information 811 including information items corresponding to the first unit, and second unit information 812 including information items corresponding to the second unit. ), May include third unit information 813 including information items corresponding to the third unit.

According to an embodiment, each unit information 811, 812, and 813 may further include a check item for selecting a corresponding unit.

On the other hand, the user may select at least one unit from the units included in the list (S740).

Referring to FIG. 9, a user selects a unit by checking a check item 811 for one of the units included in the list 800 and pressing the update check menu item 820. It may be (S740).

When the unit is selected, the wired remote controller 36a may transmit information about the selected unit to the server 310.

The server 310 may determine whether there is update information of the corresponding unit product based on the information on the selected unit (S750).

When the user selects the control unit to update and selects the update confirmation menu (S740), the wired remote controller 36a transmits the software checksum information and the part number (P.no) information of the selected control unit to the server 310 for update. Can be checked (S750)

Referring to FIG. 10, the wired remote controller 36a may transmit the current information 1010 of the selected product, such as software checksum information and part number (P.no) information of the corresponding selection control unit, to the server 310.

In addition, the server 310 may compare the current information 1010 of the selected product with the pre-stored registration information 1020. For example, the server 310 may compare the checksum information of the software having the same part number information in the pre-stored registration information 1020 with the current information 1010 of the selected product.

If the checksum information matches, the server 310 may determine that no update is required, and if the checksum information does not match, the server 310 may determine that the update is required.

If there is an update, the wired remote controller 36a may download the update information and activate the update selection / progress menu (S760). In this case, the update selection / progress menu synchronizes the update selection menu item if the product with the same software part number (P.no) of the same product family as the selected unit is different compared to the checksum of the downloaded information. You can.

On the other hand, if the update is not necessary, a message that the final version can be output (S790).

If there is update information on the selected unit (S750), the server 310 may transmit update information about the selected unit and a unit of the same family as the selected unit to the wired remote controller 36a.

In addition, the server 310 may also determine update information for units of the same family as the selected unit (S750), and transmit the related information to the wired remote controller 36a for the unit having the update information.

Accordingly, the wired remote controller 36a may receive update information about the selected unit and units of the same family as the selected unit from the server 310, and is identical to the received selected unit and the selected unit. Update information on the units of the product family may be displayed (S760).

The air conditioner 50 may include a plurality of units of the same family. For example, the indoor unit of the same model, a wired remote control of the same model may include a plurality. Also, units in the same family often use the same version of software.

Therefore, units of the same family are often updateable with the same update file. At least units of the same model can be updated with the same update file, and units of different models can be updated with the same update file with respect to common modules and functions.

According to the present invention, even if the user confirms only the update information of a specific unit, it is possible to improve usability by actively providing update information for units of the same family.

On the other hand, if one or more update targets of the selected unit and update information for units of the same family as the selected unit are selected, the update of the selected update target unit may be performed (S770). In addition, updating the selected unit and a plurality of units of the same family as the selected unit may proceed simultaneously. That is, the update can be performed by individually and all selected units that can be updated.

In the example of FIG. 10, since the checksum information is different from each other, it may be determined that an update is required. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the wired remote controller 36a may display the update information screen 1100 after receiving the related information.

Referring to FIG. 11, the update information screen 1100 may include information items for units such as product information 1101, communication address information 1102, unit software checksum information 1103, unit software part number information 1104, and the like. Can include them.

In addition, the update information screen 1100 may activate and output the selection items 1111 and 1121 and the update progress item 1140 for selecting the first unit 1110 and the second unit 1120 as update targets, respectively. have.

After the user selects at least one of the selection items 1111 and 1121, the user may press the update progress item 1140 to proceed with the update.

Meanwhile, the update information screen 1100 of FIG. 11 may be smoothly converted and displayed while some items are added and replaced in the control target unit list 800 of FIGS. 8 and 9.

When the update is completed, the wired remote controller 36a may update the control unit information list and output an update complete message (S780). Upon completion of the update, the oil wired remote controller 36a may update the checksum information of the control unit information list with the output of the update complete message and terminate the update operation.

On the other hand, when one or more update targets of the selected unit and update information for the unit of the same product group as the selected unit are selected, the wired remote controller 36a may transmit the selected update target information to the server 310. . The information about the selected unit may include the unit software part number information and the unit software checksum information.

According to an embodiment, the server 310 may directly communicate with the selected update target unit, deliver the update file, and perform the update of the selected update target unit (S770).

In this case, the wired remote controller 36a may receive update completion information from the server 310 and display update completion information (S780).

Alternatively, the wired remote controller 36a may update the selected update target unit by receiving the update file from the server 310 and transmitting the update file to the selected update target unit (S770).

In this case, the wired remote controller 36a may receive update completion information from the selected update target and display update completion information (S780).

Accordingly, the user can check whether the update is completed.

On the other hand, it is more effective to use a signal according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol in which the length of the signal data can be easily transmitted and received for the update file. The update file has a larger capacity than conventional signals such as signals containing status information and control signals. Therefore, it may be more desirable to use TLV (Type Length Value) communication for the transmission of the update file. Accordingly, the signal according to the type length value (TLV) protocol that the units use for communication can be changed to have a longer length when transmitting an update file than a length when transmitting data including various types of information.

In the past, updating using a 20-byte fixed length data required a lot of update time. However, according to the present invention, the data length of the TLV communication can be easily changed, so that the data can be long for updating and short for data.

If there is no update information on the selected unit (S750), the server 310 may receive a response signal including the information that there is no update information or that the current version is the last version to the wired remote controller 36a. .

In this case, the server 310 may also determine update information for units of the same family as the selected unit (S750), and transmit the related information to the wired remote controller 36a for the unit having the update information. .

Meanwhile, the wired remote controller 36a may output a message indicating that the selected unit is using the latest updated version of the software (S790).

Accordingly, the user can confirm that there is no need to update the selected unit and / or units of the same family as the selected unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, individual and total software (SW) updates of the units linked to the wired remote controller are possible without disassembly and physical equipment of the units in the air conditioner.

In addition, if product software needs to be updated or quality response is required, the software can be updated quickly and remotely without additional service visits.

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

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may use TLV (Type) through units other than the indoor unit directly connected through a serial communication line. Length Value) can transmit and receive signals according to the protocol.

In addition, the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may communicate with the server 310, the mobile terminal 320, and the like through Wi-Fi communication.

For example, a predetermined wired remote controller 46a among the wired remote controllers 46a, 47, and 48 may be linked with the server 310 and / or the mobile terminal 320 through the Wi-Fi communication module 46b. In addition, when the application linkage or server linkage mode of the wired remote controller is set, the server linkage additional function control may be performed.

According to the linkage with the server 310, the wired remote controller 46a may display a user interface screen related to the server linkage additional function. For example, the wired remote controller 46a may display a server-linked additional function control menu screen in operation S1210.

The server interworking additional function control menu screen may include a menu item for an additional function that the air conditioner 50 may provide in cooperation with the server 310.

For example, the server interlocking additional function control menu screen may include an accessory interlocking monitoring menu item corresponding to an accessory interlocking monitoring function capable of confirming information on an accessory unit that may operate in association with a predetermined unit, and a predetermined unit. It may include an update menu item for checking the update information of the and perform the update.

Meanwhile, when an update menu item included in the server-linked additional function control menu screen is selected by the user (S1220), the list of unit information accessible by the wired remote controller 46a may be displayed (S1225).

Here, the unit information list is a list of control units accessible by the above-described wired remote controller 36a and may be a list of outdoor unit, other wired remote controller, or indoor unit that can be controlled by the wired remote controller 36a.

The list is compared with the product family information of the units accessible by the wired remote controller, the unit software part number information which is the identification number of the software, and the software checksum information of the server 310 to determine whether to update the unit software. It may include. The list may further include unique communication address information of units accessible by the wired remote controller.

The server 310 may store final checksum information for each software and manage the checksum information based on the checksum information.

The unit software checksum information may be used to determine whether the file is the same version as the file stored in the server I310 by comparing with the checksum information of the last version of the corresponding software stored in the server 310.

In operation S1230, the user may select at least one unit from the units included in the list.

If a unit is selected (S1230), the wired remote controller 36a may transmit information about the selected unit to the server 310 (S1235). The information on the selected unit may include software checksum information and part number (P.no) information of the corresponding selection control unit.

Meanwhile, the server 310 may determine whether there is update information of the corresponding unit product based on the information on the selected unit.

In addition, the server 310 may compare the information on the selected unit and the pre-stored registration information. For example, the server 310 may compare the received information with checksum information of software having the same part number information in the pre-stored registration information.

If the checksum information matches, the server 310 may determine that no update is required, and if the checksum information does not match, the server 310 may determine that the update is required.

The wired remote controller 36a may receive update information based on the determination result from the server 310 (S1240).

If there is update information on the selected unit, the wired remote controller 36a may receive update information on the selected unit and units of the same family as the selected unit from the server 310.

If there is no update information for the selected unit, the wired remote controller 36a may receive, from the server 310, update information including a message indicating that it is the last update version that does not need updating.

The wired remote controller 36a may receive update information about the selected unit and units of the same family as the selected unit from the server 310 (S1240), and receives the selected unit and the selected unit. Update information on units of the same product family may be displayed (S1250).

On the other hand, if one or more update targets of the selected unit and update information for units of the same product group as the selected unit are selected (S1255), the update of the selected update target unit may be performed (S1260).

According to an embodiment, when an update target is selected (S1255), the wired remote controller 36a may transmit information (update target information) of the selected update target unit to the server 310 (S1260).

In this case, the server 310 may directly communicate with the update target unit according to the received update target information to deliver an update file and update the selected update target unit.

After the update is completed, the server 310 may transmit update completion information to the wired remote controller 36a.

Accordingly, the wired remote controller 36a may receive update completion information from the server 310 (S1270), and display update completion information (S1280).

Alternatively, the wired remote controller 36a may update the selected update target unit by receiving the update file from the server 310 and transmitting the update file to the selected update target unit.

In this case, the wired remote controller 36a may receive update completion information from the selected update target (S1270) and display update completion information (S1280).

Accordingly, the user can check whether the update is completed.

On the other hand, it is more effective to use a signal according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol in which the length of the signal data can be easily transmitted and received for the update file. The update file has a larger capacity than conventional signals such as signals containing status information and control signals. Therefore, it may be more desirable to use TLV (Type Length Value) communication for the transmission of the update file. Accordingly, the signal according to the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol that the units use for communication can be changed to have a longer length when transmitting an update file than a length when transmitting data including various types of information.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wired remote controller can receive various information from the server through Wi-Fi communication, it is possible to control using a mobile terminal. Accordingly, it is possible to diversify and enhance the functions and services that can be provided.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the one-to-one communication between the existing wired remote controller and the indoor unit, communication between any one wired remote controller and all units in the air conditioner is possible, and using Wi-Fi communication, between the wired remote controller and the server Communication is also possible. Thus, it is possible to expand the communication and control area and to provide multiple update functions of the control units.

In addition, it is possible to update the software of units such as indoor units, other wired remote controllers, and outdoor units that are linked through a single wired remote controller without dismantling the product and physical equipment. In particular, units such as wired remote controllers, which were previously cumbersome and inconvenient to update, can easily use the latest functions after updating the software.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of use by simply checking whether the update of the various units in the air conditioner is required by any one wired remote controller.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability by updating several units at once.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to implement a communication structure having advantages in terms of communication performance and scalability at low cost.

The air conditioner according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described as described above, the embodiments are all or part of each of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications can be made It may be configured.

On the other hand, the operating method of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to implement as a processor readable code on a recording medium that the processor can read. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices that store data that can be read by the processor. Examples of the processor-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet. . The processor-readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the processor-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

23a: outdoor unit
36a, 37a, 38a: indoor unit
46a, 47, 48: wired remote

Claims (9)

Displaying a server-linked additional function control menu screen including a menu item that can be provided in connection with a predetermined server on any one of the wired remote controllers;
Displaying a list of units accessible by the wired remote controller when an update menu item included in the server-linked additional function control menu screen is selected;
If any one of the units included in the list is selected, transmitting, by the wired remote controller, information about the selected unit to a server;
Receiving, by the wired remote controller, update information about the selected unit and units of the same family as the selected unit from the server; And,
And displaying, by the wired remote controller, update information on the received unit and the unit of the same product group as the selected unit. The method of claim 1,
Transmitting, by the wired remote controller, the selected update target information to the server when at least one update target is selected among the selected unit and update information for units of the same product group as the selected unit. How it works. The method of claim 2,
Receiving, by the wired remote controller, update completion information from the server;
And displaying, by the wired remote controller, the update completion information. The method of claim 2,
Receiving, by the wired remote controller, an update file from the server;
Transmitting, by the wired remote controller, the update file to the selected update target;
Receiving, by the wired remote controller, update completion information from the selected update target;
And displaying, by the wired remote controller, the update completion information. The method of claim 1,
The wired remote controllers transmit and receive signals according to a TLV (Type Length Value) protocol with units other than the indoor unit directly connected to each other through a serial communication line, and communicate with the server through Wi-Fi communication. Operation method of air conditioner. The method of claim 5,
The signal according to the type length value (TLV) protocol is variable in length when transmitting an update file longer than the length when transmitting data including various types of information. The method of claim 1,
The list includes unit product checksum information for determining whether or not to update, compared with product information of units accessible by the wired remote controller, unit software part number information, which is an identification number of software, and software checksum information of a server. Operation method of the air conditioner, characterized in that. The method of claim 7, wherein
The list may further include unique communication address information of units accessible by the wired remote controller. The method of claim 7, wherein
And wherein the information on the selected unit includes the unit software part number information and the unit software checksum information.

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