KR20200079585A - Control method of air-conditioner system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method of an air conditioner system, which selects at least one indoor unit from among a plurality of indoor units included in a plurality of groups formed with channels having different frequency bands, registers the selected indoor unit to a controller with a specified period. The controller transmits a temporary relay mode command to the selected indoor unit according to the specified period.

Description

Control method of air conditioner system {Control method of air-conditioner system}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner system and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner system capable of wireless communication between units and a control method thereof.

The air conditioner is installed to provide a more comfortable indoor environment to human beings by discharging cold and hot air into the room to create a comfortable indoor environment, adjusting the indoor temperature, and purifying the indoor air. In general, an air conditioner includes an indoor unit installed inside a heat exchanger, and an outdoor unit configured with a compressor and a heat exchanger to supply refrigerant to the indoor unit.

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, and the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected to a refrigerant pipe, so that the refrigerant compressed from the compressor of the outdoor unit is supplied to the heat exchanger of the indoor unit through the refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant 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 and hot air into the room through heat exchange using a refrigerant.

Units in the air conditioner system are interconnected in units of buildings or small groups to transmit and receive data, and to monitor and control the status of each unit through the transmitted and received data.

As an example, the air conditioner system may use a wired communication method in which each unit is connected by a communication line. In general, the indoor unit is configured to transmit data to the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit receives data of the indoor unit to transmit data of the indoor unit to the controller.

As another example, the prior art (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0123486) uses wireless communication to solve the inconvenience of connecting the air conditioner operation status data to equipment such as a laptop through wired communication. By doing so, the operation of the air conditioner is conveniently monitored.

In the prior art (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0123486), an outdoor unit and a terminal existing within a predetermined distance from the outdoor unit communicate with a wireless communication method to transmit operation status data of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit to the terminal.

Recently, there has been an increasing trend in attempts to communicate wirelessly between units, indoor units. The number of cases in which a wireless network is configured not only with each unit such as an outdoor unit or a controller but also with other devices such as a mobile terminal is increasing.

Devices connected by wireless communication have the advantage of being able to check and control information of devices without being restricted by the location of the user and the devices.

However, an external antenna is used for long-distance communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and a family such as a controller or a remote controller may negatively affect the interior of the room and impair aesthetics when the external antenna is mounted.

In addition, high-rise buildings, large-area buildings, and other installation environments, wireless communication shaded areas where wireless communication is not smoothly performed may occur. In this case, it may be necessary to install a repeater in order to solve the wireless communication shadow area.

Accordingly, even if a repeater is installed, a relay method that can communicate with both indoor and outdoor units in different channels may be required.

The problem to be solved of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner system having an antenna capable of preventing negative effects on the interior and enhancing aesthetics, and a control method thereof.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an air conditioner system and a control method capable of realizing a high quality wireless communication environment.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an air conditioner system and a control method capable of determining whether a repeater is needed, efficiently setting a repeater if necessary, and monitoring and controlling units in a wireless communication environment.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an air conditioner system and a control method thereof to enable relaying between indoor and outdoor units having different channels through a set repeater.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

An air conditioner system and a control method according to the present invention for realizing the above-described problems are selected by selecting at least one indoor unit among a plurality of indoor units included in a plurality of groups formed by channels having different frequency bands, and designating a selected indoor unit at a specified period Register with the controller, and the controller sends a temporary relay mode command to the selected indoor unit according to a specified period, and at the same time, the selected indoor unit is set as a repeater to perform relaying between the controller and other indoor/outdoor units.

The user can manually select one of the plurality of indoor units.

In the step of selecting the indoor unit, the controller may include sensing the signal reception sensitivity between the controller and the plurality of indoor units, and automatically selecting the indoor units in the order in which the signal reception sensitivity is good.

At this time, for each of the plurality of groups, at least one indoor unit having good signal reception sensitivity may be selected to enable communication with indoor and outdoor units of other channels.

When a plurality of groups are selected through the selected indoor units, all of the selected indoor units are set as repeaters, so that the controller can wirelessly communicate with all of the indoor/outdoor units of the selected plurality of groups.

The controller may wirelessly communicate with the selected indoor units through frequency hopping.

For a specified period of time, the repeater may relay wireless communication between the controller and indoor and outdoor units in the group.

The repeater setting may be canceled when the specified time has elapsed.

The controller includes an antenna capable of inputting and outputting signals, and the antenna may be installed as an internal type, and the antenna may be formed as a patch antenna.

The air conditioner system and control method according to the present invention provide an effect of improving the aesthetic sense by using a built-in antenna.

In addition, the air conditioner system and its control method according to the present invention can implement a high quality wireless communication environment.

In addition, the air conditioner system and control method according to the present invention can efficiently perform a repeater setting and relaying process.

In addition, the air conditioner system and control method according to the present invention can easily perform a wireless communication relaying process between multiple channels through a frequency hopping method.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a view schematically showing a configuration in which an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a building.
2 is a view showing the configuration of an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view referred to in the description of communication of the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of a unit of an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a control configuration of a wireless communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a simplified internal block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view referred to in the description of the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view showing an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a relay mode of indoor and outdoor units according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flowchart illustrating a repeater setting process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a graph showing a repeater setting process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a view schematically showing a relay mode configuration capable of relaying all of a plurality of groups formed for each channel through a controller.
15 is a schematic diagram showing the concept of frequency hopping.

1 is a view schematically showing a configuration in which an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a building.

Referring to FIG. 1, the air conditioner system may include an outdoor unit 10, an indoor unit 20, and a controller 50.

In addition to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, the air conditioner system may include a ventilation device, an air cleaning device, a humidifying device, a heater, etc., and may further include units such as a chiller, an air conditioning unit, and a cooling tower depending on the scale. In the air conditioner system, each unit is interconnected to operate in conjunction with the operation of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. In addition, the air conditioner system may operate in connection with a building, a mobile device, a security device, and an alarm device.

The air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a remote control device capable of remotely monitoring and controlling the operation status of units.

The remote control device, including the wireless communication module 120, can communicate with other units using a sub-giga band frequency and monitor other units.

Here, the remote control device may be a controller 50 that can control one or more units, a wired/wireless remote controller 60, and a mobile terminal 200.

The controller 50 controls the operation of the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 in response to an input user command, periodically receives and stores data on the operation status of the indoor unit and outdoor unit corresponding thereto, and stores a monitoring screen. You can output the operation status through. The controller 50 may perform operation setting, lock setting, schedule control, group control, peak control for power use, demand control, etc. for the indoor unit 20.

The outdoor units 10 are connected to the indoor units 20 by refrigerant pipes, respectively, and supply the refrigerant to the indoor units 20. Further, the outdoor unit 10 periodically communicates with the plurality of indoor units 20 to transmit and receive mutual data, and changes the operation according to the operation setting changed from the indoor unit.

The indoor unit 20 is an electronic expansion valve (not shown) that expands the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit 10, an indoor heat exchanger (not shown) for heat exchange of refrigerant, and allows indoor air to flow into the indoor heat exchanger, and the heat exchanged air is It may include an indoor unit fan (not shown) to be exposed to the room, a plurality of sensors (not shown), and control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the indoor unit.

In addition, the indoor unit 20 includes a discharge port (not shown) for discharging heat-exchanged air, and the discharge port is provided with a wind direction control means (not shown) that opens and closes the discharge port and controls the direction of the discharged air. The indoor unit controls the intake air and the discharge air by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor unit fan, and controls the air volume. The indoor unit 20 may further include an output unit for displaying the operation status and setting information of the indoor unit and an input unit for inputting setting data. At this time, the indoor unit 20 may transmit the setting information for the operation of the air conditioner to a connected remote controller (not shown) to output it through the remote controller and receive data.

The remote controller (not shown) is connected to the indoor unit by wire or wireless communication, inputs a user command to the indoor unit, and receives and outputs data of the indoor unit. Depending on the connection method with the indoor unit, the remote controller may transmit a user command to the indoor unit, perform one-way communication that does not receive data from the indoor unit, or perform bidirectional communication that transmits and receives data to and from the indoor unit.

The outdoor unit 10 operates in a cooling mode or a heating mode in response to data received from the connected indoor unit 20 or a control command of the controller, and supplies refrigerant to the connected indoor unit.

When a plurality of outdoor units are connected, each outdoor unit may be connected to a plurality of indoor units, and may also supply refrigerant to the plurality of indoor units through a distributor.

The outdoor unit 10 is at least one compressor that compresses a refrigerant and discharges a high-pressure gas refrigerant, an accumulator that separates a gas refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant and prevents unvaporized liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor, discharged from the compressor Oil recoverer that recovers oil among refrigerants, outdoor heat exchanger that condenses or evaporates refrigerant by heat exchange with outside air, and air to the outdoor heat exchanger to facilitate heat exchange between the outdoor heat exchanger and heat exchanged air to the outside. The fan of the outdoor unit that discharges, the four-way valve that changes the flow path of the refrigerant according to the operation mode of the outdoor unit, at least one pressure sensor that measures pressure, at least one temperature sensor that measures temperature, and controls the operation of the outdoor unit and communicates with other units. It may include a control configuration for performing communication. The outdoor unit 10 may further include a plurality of other sensors, valves, and a supercooler, but descriptions thereof will be omitted below.

In addition, the air conditioner system can transmit and receive data to and from other air conditioners through a network connection such as the Internet. The air conditioner can connect to an external service center, management server, database, etc. through a controller, and communicate with an external terminal connected through a network. The terminal may monitor and control the operation of the air conditioner system as a second controller by connecting to at least one unit of the air conditioner system.

In addition, the outdoor unit 10, the indoor unit 20, the controller 50, etc. can directly and wirelessly communicate with each other by a predetermined wireless communication method, and the outdoor unit 10, the indoor unit 20, the controller 50, etc. It is possible to directly wirelessly communicate with a mobile terminal using the wireless communication method. Accordingly, the user can freely monitor the state of each unit and control each unit through the mobile terminal.

The air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of indoor units 20 and at least one outdoor unit 10 performing wireless communication with each other.

2 is a view showing the configuration of an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of indoor units 20, a plurality of outdoor units 10, and a controller 50 may transmit and receive data in a wireless communication method.

The outdoor unit 10 is connected to a plurality of indoor units 20 and refrigerant pipes P1, P2, and P3, respectively, and can transmit and receive data in a wireless communication method.

The outdoor unit 10 periodically communicates with the plurality of indoor units 20 to transmit and receive mutual data, and changes the operation according to the operation setting changed from the indoor unit. The plurality of outdoor units 10 and the plurality of indoor units 20 may transmit and receive data in a wireless communication method.

The indoor unit 20 may communicate not only with the outdoor unit 10 but also with the controller 50 in a wireless communication method.

The first outdoor unit 10 is connected to the first to third indoor units 21 to 23 and the first refrigerant pipe P1, and the second outdoor unit 12 is provided to the fourth to sixth indoor units 23 to 26. 2 is connected to the refrigerant pipe (P2), the third outdoor unit 13 is connected to the seventh to ninth indoor units (27 to 29) and the third refrigerant pipe (P3). For convenience of description, three indoor units are described as being connected to each outdoor unit, but this is only an example, and is not limited to the number of indoor units or the type of indoor units shown.

As the first outdoor unit 11 operates, refrigerant is supplied from the first outdoor unit 10 to the first to third indoor units, and the fourth to sixth indoor units 23 to 26 are operated by the operation of the second outdoor unit 12. The refrigerant is supplied through the second refrigerant pipe (P2), and the refrigerant is supplied through the third refrigerant pipe (P3) from the third outdoor unit (13) to the seventh to ninth indoor units (27 to 29).

A group of air conditioners may be set based on the outdoor unit, and each group may communicate using different channels. Since the indoor unit performs heat exchange based on the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit and discharges cold and hot air, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit connected to the refrigerant pipe may be set as one group.

For example, the first outdoor unit 11 forms a first group with the first to third indoor units 21 to 23 connected to the first refrigerant pipe P1, and the second outdoor unit 12 is the second refrigerant. The fourth to sixth indoor units 24 to 26 connected to the pipe P2 form a second group, and the third outdoor unit 13 connects to the seventh to ninth indoor units connected to the third refrigerant pipe P3 ( 27 to 29) and a third group. The outdoor unit and the controller can also set a group according to the installation location. According to an embodiment, the connection state by the refrigerant piping may be classified based on whether the indoor unit temperature changes according to the refrigerant supply of the outdoor unit by operating the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.

Meanwhile, wireless communication may be performed between units included in at least the same group. In addition, the sub-giga may be allocated for each group in which different communication channels are set in the frequency band. That is, by communicating using different communication channels for each group, the trunk line phenomenon can be prevented.

Meanwhile, the controller 50 can communicate with the indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 regardless of the group.

The controller 50 controls the operation of the plurality of indoor units 20 and the outdoor units 10 in response to an input user command, and periodically receives and stores data on the operation states of the plurality of indoor units and outdoor units corresponding thereto. , Output the operation status through the monitoring screen.

The controller 50 may be connected to a plurality of indoor units 20 to perform operation setting, lock setting, schedule control, group control, peak control for power use, demand control, and the like for the indoor unit. In addition, the controller 50 communicates with the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit and monitor the operation of the outdoor unit.

When a plurality of controllers 50 are provided, data may be transmitted and received through mutual wireless communication, and may be connected to an external controller through a predetermined external network.

When a controller and a plurality of units transmit and receive data in a wireless communication method, an address for communication is stored in the controller and each unit. Each address can be assigned by an outdoor unit and a controller.

As described above, the outdoor unit may set an indoor unit and a group connected to a refrigerant pipe. In this case, an address may be assigned to the indoor units included in the same group. In addition, even if a group is set around an outdoor unit, it communicates with all outdoor units and all indoor units. Accordingly, the controller can allocate an address for central control to a plurality of units in addition to the address for group-level communication. In some cases, the controller may use the address assigned to the outdoor unit and the indoor unit as a central control address without assigning a separate address.

Meanwhile, each unit of the air conditioner system such as the outdoor unit 10, the indoor unit 20, and the controller 50 may wirelessly communicate with the mobile terminal 200.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the state of electronic devices (units) such as the outdoor unit 10, the indoor unit 20, and the controller 50 and the electronic devices in the system are confirmed. And it may include a mobile terminal 200 that can be controlled.

The mobile terminal 200 has an application for controlling the air conditioner system, and can check and control the state of the air conditioner system through execution of the application.

The mobile terminal 200 may include, for example, a smart phone 200a, a notebook PC 200b, and a tablet PC 200c equipped with an application for an air conditioner system.

3 is a view for reference to the description of the communication of the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 (a) is a diagram showing the communication between units using a wired communication and Figure 3 (b ) Is a diagram referred to for describing communication between units using wireless communication according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 3 (a), the air conditioner system is a plurality of units are connected by a communication line. Since the plurality of units have a limitation in the connection of communication lines, they are not connected one-to-one to each other, but are connected step by step according to the connection type of the communication lines.

A plurality of indoor units are connected to a single outdoor unit by a communication line, and the outdoor units are connected to a controller. When a plurality of outdoor units are provided, a plurality of indoor units are connected to the outdoor unit based on the connection state of the refrigerant pipe. A plurality of outdoor units are connected to the controller.

The indoor unit transmits data to the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit transmits the outdoor unit data and the received indoor unit data to the controller. The controller can check the operation status of the indoor unit based on data received from the outdoor unit.

When the controller transmits a control command to the indoor unit, the controller sends a control command to the outdoor unit to which the corresponding indoor unit is connected, and the outdoor unit transmits the received control command to the indoor unit.

As described above, in the case of wired communication, data is transmitted step by step according to the connection state of the communication line, rather than being connected one to one of a plurality of units.

Accordingly, since the data of the indoor unit cannot be directly transmitted, a time delay occurs in data transmission. In addition, since the outdoor unit has to process data of other units than the outdoor unit data, the load increases accordingly. In addition, since data of a plurality of indoor units must be processed in one outdoor unit, it takes a lot of time to transmit data according to the number of connected indoor units.

In addition, even when monitoring the status of units through the mobile terminal 200, since the data of the indoor unit is not directly transmitted, data can be transmitted and received via the controller 50 or the like. Therefore, the mobile terminal 200 cannot freely communicate with each unit of the air conditioner system, and there is a limitation that it must communicate with the upper level controller 50 in order to receive only the corresponding information from a specific unit or obtain the entire information. have.

3(b), the outdoor unit 10, the indoor unit 20, the controller 50, and the mobile terminal 200 transmit and receive data by mutual wireless communication.

The controller 50 and/or the mobile terminal 200 may request data from the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20, respectively, and each unit is based on data received from the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20, respectively. It is possible to determine the operating state of, and to determine the abnormality.

As described above, it has been described to set a group in the outdoor unit and the indoor period in consideration of the flow of the refrigerant, but in addition to the communication channel between the outdoor unit and the indoor period, a communication channel including a controller, outdoor unit, and indoor unit may be separately set.

The controller 50 and/or the mobile terminal 200 sets the operation setting of the indoor unit 20 according to the state (temperature or humidity) of the indoor space in which the indoor unit 20 is installed based on data received from the indoor unit 20. It can be changed, and the data according to the change of the operation setting is directly transmitted to the indoor unit. At this time, when the operation setting of the indoor unit is changed, the corresponding data is transmitted to the outdoor unit, and accordingly, the outdoor unit also changes the operation.

If the schedule is set so that the indoor unit 20 performs the set operation at a designated time, the controller 50 may transmit a driving command to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit, respectively, and the indoor unit transmits a response to the controller 50 Then, data on the operating state is transmitted at predetermined time intervals.

The indoor unit 20 sets driving and transmits data to the outdoor unit in response to data input through an input unit provided or data received from the controller 50.

The outdoor unit 10 controls the compressor by calculating the received indoor unit data and loads according to the operating states of the plurality of indoor units.

The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 may transmit data to the controller 50 at predetermined time intervals and to the controller 50 regardless of the period when a failure or abnormality occurs.

4 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of a unit of an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a unit 100 in an air conditioner system. For example, the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be one of an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, a controller, and a wireless sensor of an air conditioner system.

Referring to Figure 4, the unit 100 of the air conditioner system, the driving unit 140, the sensing unit 170, the output unit 160, the input unit 150, the storage unit 130, and the overall operation It may include a control unit 110 to control.

In addition, the unit 100 may include a wireless communication module 120 or be connected to the wireless communication module 120. The wireless communication module 120 may be built in the unit or may be installed outside the unit.

This is a configuration commonly included in each unit 100, and a separate configuration may be added according to characteristics of the product.

For example, the indoor unit 20 may be provided with a vane or the like as a wind direction control means, and an indoor unit fan driving unit, a valve control unit, a wind direction control unit, or the like may be provided as it includes an indoor unit fan and a plurality of valves.

Meanwhile, the outdoor unit 10 may include a compressor, an outdoor unit fan, and a plurality of valves. Accordingly, the driving unit of the outdoor unit may be divided into a compressor driving unit, an outdoor unit fan driving unit, and a valve control unit.

Meanwhile, the type and number of sensors included in the sensing unit 170 and the installation location may be configured differently according to the type of the unit.

The storage unit 130 includes control data for controlling the operation of the unit 100, communication data for address or group setting for communicating with other units, data transmitted and received from outside, and operation data generated or sensed during operation. Is stored. The storage unit 130 stores a function-specific execution program, data for operation control, and data to be transmitted and received.

The storage unit 130 may be various storage devices such as ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash drive, hard drive, etc. in hardware.

The input unit 150 includes at least one input means such as a button, a switch, and a touch input means. When the user command or predetermined data is input in response to the manipulation of the input means, the input unit 150 applies the input data to the control unit 110. The outdoor unit may be provided with a power key, a commissioning key, an address setting key, and an indoor unit may be provided with a power key, a menu input key, an operation setting key, a temperature control key, an air volume key, a lock key, and the like.

The output unit 160 may output an operating state of the unit, including at least one of a lamp that is controlled to be lit or flashing, an audio output unit having a speaker outputting a predetermined sound, and a display. The lamp outputs whether the unit is operating according to whether it is lit, whether it is lit or not, and the speaker outputs an operation state by outputting a predetermined warning sound and an effect sound. The display may output a menu screen for controlling the unit, and output a guide message or warning consisting of a combination of at least one of letters, numbers, and images of the unit's operation setting or operation status.

The sensing unit 170 may include a plurality of sensors. The sensing unit 170 may include a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, a humidity sensor, and a flow sensor.

For example, a plurality of temperature sensors are provided to detect the indoor temperature, the outdoor temperature, the indoor heat exchanger temperature, the outdoor heat exchanger temperature, and the pipe temperature, and input them to the controller 110. Pressure sensors are respectively installed at the inlet and outlet of the refrigerant pipe to measure the pressure of the incoming refrigerant and the pressure of the discharged refrigerant, respectively, and input them to the control unit 110. The pressure sensor can be installed in the water pipe as well as the refrigerant pipe.

The driving unit 140 supplies the operating power to the control target according to the control command of the control unit 110 and controls the driving. As described above, in the case of the outdoor unit, the driving unit 140 may be separately provided with a compressor, an outdoor unit fan, and a compressor driving unit for controlling the valve, an outdoor unit fan driving unit, and a valve control unit, respectively. The driving unit 140 applies operating power to a motor provided in each of a compressor, an outdoor unit fan, a valve, and the like to perform a designated operation as the motor operates.

5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a case where the unit 100 is an indoor unit 100a.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the driving unit 140 of FIG. 4 when the unit 100 is the indoor unit 100a, and the description of the same parts as in FIG. 4 will be omitted below.

Referring to FIG. 5, the indoor unit 100a may include a vane driving unit 141a, a fan driving unit 142a, an indoor unit fan 142b, and one or more vanes 141b.

The indoor unit fan 142b discharges cold and hot air exchanged by the heat exchanger to the room through the discharge port.

The fan driving unit 142a controls driving of a motor that operates the indoor unit fan 142b. The fan driving unit 142a controls on/off of the indoor unit fan 142b in response to the control signal from the control unit 110, and controls the indoor unit fan 142b to operate at a set speed.

The vane driving unit 141a controls opening and closing of one or more vanes 141b provided in one or more discharge ports in response to a control signal from the control unit 110. In addition, the vane driving unit 141a controls the opening angle with respect to each vane 141b to change the direction of the discharged wind. The vane 141b changes the opening angle by the vane driving unit 141a to change the wind direction of the discharged air. At this time, each outlet may be further provided with a louver for adjusting the wind direction in the left and right direction.

Each vane 141b may have an opening angle within a range of 0 to 90 degrees, and the opening angle may be changed step by step according to the setting.

The vane driving unit 141a may be set by changing the opening angle of each vane 141b step by step according to a control command from the control unit 110.

For example, the vane driving unit 141a may control the opening angle of the vane in 5 steps within a range of 15 to 75 degrees in 15 degree units. The opening angle of the vane 141b may be set in 3 to 9 steps depending on the setting. In addition, when setting the swing mode, the vane driving unit 141a may continuously change the opening angle of the vane within a range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees without step separation.

6 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a case where the unit 100 is the outdoor unit 100b.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the driving unit 140 of FIG. 4 when the unit 100 is the outdoor unit 100b, and description of the same parts as in FIG. 4 will be omitted below.

Referring to FIG. 6, the outdoor unit 100b may include a compressor driving unit 143a, a compressor 143b, an outdoor unit fan 144b, a fan driving unit 144a, a valve control unit 145a, and a valve 145b. .

The outdoor unit fan 144b supplies outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger through the rotational operation of the fan, and allows the heat-exchanged cold and hot air to be discharged to the outside. As the outdoor heat exchanger operates as a condenser during cooling operation and as an evaporator during heating operation, the outdoor unit fan 144b may discharge cold or warm heat exchanged in the outdoor heat exchanger to the outside.

The fan driving unit 144a may control driving of a motor provided in the outdoor unit fan 144b, thereby controlling a rotation operation of the outdoor unit fan. The fan driving unit 144a may cause the outdoor unit fan 144b to operate at a set rotational speed or stop operating in response to a control signal from the control unit 110. The fan driving unit 144a may control the rotational speed of the outdoor unit fan 144b by applying an operation signal according to the type of motor provided in the outdoor unit fan 144b.

The valve control unit 145a may control whether to open or close the plurality of valves 145b provided in the outdoor unit, to control the flow rate of the refrigerant or the flow direction of the refrigerant. Since a plurality of valves 145b are present at different positions, a plurality of valve drivers may also be provided. The valve may include a four-way valve, an expansion valve, and a hot gas valve.

The compressor 143b compresses and discharges the incoming refrigerant, thereby allowing the refrigerant to circulate from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. When the low-temperature low-pressure gas refrigerant flows in, the compressor 143b may compress it to discharge the high-temperature high-pressure gas refrigerant.

The compressor driving unit 143a controls the operating power supplied to the motor provided in the compressor 143b, and accordingly controls the operating frequency of the compressor. The compressor driving unit 143a may include an inverter that controls driving of the compressor.

4 to 6, each unit may include a wireless communication module 120.

The wireless communication module 120 supports at least one or more wireless communication methods, and may communicate with other units according to a control command of the control unit 110. The wireless communication module 120 may transmit and receive data in a designated wireless communication method between a controller, an outdoor unit, and an indoor unit, and apply the received data to the control unit.

The wireless communication module 120 may set an address for communication between units, convert data to be transmitted and received, and process signals. When the operation of the unit starts, the wireless communication module 120 may search for units of the same frequency band through wireless communication and check a connection. The wireless communication module 120 may communicate by assigning a temporary address during initial operation or setting a received temporary address. In addition, when performing address setting in response to a control command of the controller 110, the wireless communication module 120 may request the product number from the controller 110 and set the address based on the product number. In this case, the product number may be a unique number of the unit, a serial number, or a Mac address.

The control unit 110 controls data input and output through the input unit 150 and the output unit 160, manages data stored in the storage unit 130, and controls transmission and reception of data through the communication unit 200. have. The control unit 110 may detect a connection state and a communication state of the communication unit 200 through the connection unit 120 and determine an error.

The control unit 110 may generate a control command to operate according to a request from another unit or a set operation setting, and apply it to the driving unit 140. Accordingly, the drive unit 140 is configured to be connected, for example, a compressor, an outdoor unit fan, a valve, an indoor unit fan, a wind direction control means, and the like, respectively.

In addition, the control unit 110 may output an error by determining an operation state in response to data input from a plurality of sensors of the sensing unit 170 and determining an abnormality while the unit is operating.

The wireless communication module 120 may be provided inside the unit 100 or connected to the unit 100 through an interface (not shown). The wireless communication module 120 may receive and transmit data of the unit through an interface, and apply the received data to the unit.

Preferably, the wireless communication module 120 may communicate wirelessly using frequencies in a sub-GHz band to enable communication with walls, floors, and obstacles in a building. The frequency of the sub-giga band has excellent transmission and rotation characteristics, so there is little attenuation effect on obstacles between walls and floors. Therefore, it is effective for use for communication of an air conditioner system in which a plurality of units are disposed in a building partitioned by a wall.

Meanwhile, the wireless communication module 120 may use frequencies in a 700 MHz band to 900 MHz band among sub-giga bands. For example, the wireless communication module 120 may communicate according to the 802.15.4g standard (SUN) and the 802.11ah standard (WiFi HaLow).

In addition, the wireless communication module 120 communicates using any one of the 400 MHz band and the 900 MHz band, which are unlicensed bands that can be used for small output radio stations in the sub-giga band. The wireless communication module 120 may selectively use frequencies in the 400MHZ and 900MHZ bands in response to different regulations according to regions or countries.

The wireless communication module 120 is more preferable to communicate using a frequency band of 900 MHz among the previously disclosed frequency bands in consideration of interlayer communication and antenna length.

According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 120 may further include communication modules such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, NFC, which are short-range communication methods.

The wireless communication module 120 includes a plurality of communication modules, and may communicate through the same or different communication modules during communication with an outdoor unit and other indoor units, communication with a remote controller, and communication with a controller. The wireless communication module 120 can communicate with different communication methods depending on the target by selectively changing the communication method in correspondence with the communication target.

When different channels are used for communication with the indoor unit and communication with the controller, the wireless communication module 120 may set and transmit/receive data by setting a channel according to an object to communicate with.

According to the provisions of the Radio Law of the Republic of Korea, for a frequency band of 400MHz or 900MHz, 21 channels of 424.7MHz to 424.95MHz, 11 channels of 447.8625MHz to 447.9875MHz, and RFID Since there are 32 channels of 917 to 923.5 MHz for wireless facilities such as /USN, it is possible to communicate using these channels.

Looking at unlicensed frequency bands by country, North America and South America are 902 to 928 MHz (FCC Part 15.247), Europe is 433 MHz, 915 MHz, 863 to 868 MHz (ETSIEN300220), Japan 920 to 928 MHz (ARIB STD-T108), China 920 MHz , Korea 424 to 447MHz, 917 to 923.5MHz (KC), India 865 to 867MHz (GSR 564(E)), Australia 433, 915MHZ, South Africa 433MHz, 2.4GHz and 5.725GHz in common worldwide.

In addition, in North America and South America, 902 to 928 MHz, Europe from 863 to 868 MHz, Japan from 920 to 928 MHz, Korea from 917 to 923.5 MHz, and India from 865 to 867 MHz. With the above, communication is possible.

Since there are obstacles such as floor walls and furniture in the building, it is necessary to use a frequency band that can reach a signal over a certain distance while passing through the obstacle in the building.

Among the sub-giga bands, the ISM band (100MHz, 200MHz, 400MHz, 900MHz) has the advantage of being able to communicate between floors due to its excellent transmission characteristics in the building. However, the length of the antenna is determined according to the band of the transmission frequency. In the case of the 100 MHz and 200 MHz bands, since the antenna is significantly long, installation limitations occur.

In addition, the 400MHz band also has a longer antenna length than the 900MHz frequency band.

Therefore, it is preferable that the wireless communication module 120 communicates using a frequency band of 900 MHz among the previously disclosed frequency bands in consideration of inter-layer communication and antenna length.

The air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of units. For example, the air conditioner system may include one or more outdoor units and a plurality of indoor units.

In addition, the units included in the air conditioner system can perform wireless communication with each other.

On the other hand, considering the installation environment of the air conditioner system in which the outdoor unit is disposed in the basement, rooftop, outdoor, etc., it is impossible to implement smooth wireless communication between units by short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or Zigbee. .

Accordingly, the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may implement direct/indirect communication between units in various environments such as home/building through long-distance wireless communication in a sub-giga band.

In addition, considering the installation environment of the air conditioner system, in order to secure the reliability of communication quality, it is confirmed a wireless communication modulation technique having robust reliability against changes in the surrounding environment such as obstacles and object, person movement, and building structure changes. And apply.

In addition, in order to efficiently use limited radio frequency resources and install a large number of units in an area, it is necessary to increase the communication speed compared to the existing long-distance wired communication.

Therefore, the present invention can be installed more easily at a low cost, and can be monitored and diagnosed in the room freely without restrictions in place, and between units in a building to which an optimal solution of wireless communication that can pass through walls and floors in a building is applied We propose a long-range wireless communication technology for communication.

To this end, a plurality of units included in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a wireless communication module 120 that wirelessly communicates between the plurality of units at a frequency in a sub gigahertz (Sub GHz) band. Can.

7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a control configuration of a wireless communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the wireless communication module 120 may include an antenna 720, a transmitter 740, a receiver 730, a processor 710, and an interface 750.

The processor 710 may control the overall operation of the wireless communication module 120.

In addition, the processor 710 may control the transmitter 740 to output a predetermined signal through the antenna 720.

In addition, the processor 710 may control the receiver 730 to process a signal received through the antenna 720.

The antenna 720 may be a PCB antenna having an antenna pattern formed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB antenna has a higher design freedom than other methods, and has an advantage in that the radiation pattern is constant by controlling the amount of ground sources.

On the other hand, the transmitter 740, the encoder 741 for encoding a predetermined signal, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing method (OFthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing: OFDM) using the signal encoded by the encoder 741 in multiple carriers A modulator 742 for modulating accordingly may be included.

Meanwhile, the antenna 720 may output a signal based on the signal modulated by the modulator 742.

The predetermined signal is input to the encoder 741 as a binary signal. The encoder 741 may encode input signals and output encoded data streams.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a multi-carrier modulation (Multi Carrier Modulation) method, which is advantageous for high-speed data transmission and has a strong advantage in multi-path loss.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a method of multiplexing a high-speed transmission signal by modulating it with hundreds or more of orthogonal narrow-band subcarriers.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a transmission technique that performs modulation and multiplexing together. It is a multi-carrier modulation technique in that it transmits a high-speed source data stream of a single input on multiple carriers and transmits them. This is a multiplexing technique in terms of simultaneous transmission on a channel.

The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) method divides a data stream having a high data rate into a large number of data streams having a low data rate, and transmits them simultaneously using multiple carriers.

Since orthogonality exists between the multiple carriers, the frequency components of the carriers can be detected at the receiving end even if they overlap each other.

The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a structure in which high-speed data, which is vulnerable to scattered reflected waves, is transmitted in parallel with low-speed data that is strong against reflected waves, and has the advantage of selectively scheduling each subcarrier.

According to an embodiment, the transmitter 740 may further include a multiplexer 743 for multiplexing the modulated signal. Alternatively, the transmitter 740 may further include a serial to parallel converter (not shown) that converts the multiplexed signal into a parallel signal. Alternatively, the transmitter 740 may further include a multiplexer 743 and a serial/parallel converter.

The serial-to-parallel conversion unit may convert the symbol strings input in series in parallel.

For example, a data sequence having a high-speed transmission rate is converted into a plurality of low-transfer-rate data streams through a serial-to-parallel conversion unit, and the plurality of data strings converted in parallel can be transmitted by being carried on a subcarrier having orthogonality to each other. .

The transmission unit 740 may further include a transmission signal processing unit 745. The transmission signal processing unit 745 may load the OFDM modulated signal on a subcarrier through frequency shift and transmit it through the antenna 720.

On the other hand, the receiver 730, a demodulator 733 for demodulating the signal received from the antenna 720 in the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing method, and a demodulator for decoding the demodulated signal in the demodulator 733 734.

The reception unit 730 may further include a reception signal processing unit 731. The reception signal processing unit 731 may frequency-shift the carrier wave received from the antenna 720 to extract a plurality of characteristic information.

According to an embodiment, the receiving unit 730 may further include a parallel to serial converter (not shown), and the parallel signals converted by the parallel to serial converter may be transmitted to the demodulator 733. Can.

According to an embodiment, the transmitter 740 may further include an inverse fast Fourier transform (744) to inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) the modulated signal, and the receiver 730 ) May further include a Fourier transform unit 732 that performs a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the signal received from the antenna 720.

After modulation, the inverse fast Fourier transformed signal may be transmitted through the antenna 720, and the signal received through the antenna 720 may be demodulated after the fast Fourier transform.

Accordingly, an efficient digital implementation of the modulator 742 and the demodulator 733 is possible. In addition, by performing signal processing in the frequency domain for a channel showing a frequency-selective fading phenomenon, the channel can be simply converted to flat-fading to facilitate signal processing.

According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 120 may further include a duplexer (not shown) that is a switching element connecting the antenna 720 and the transmitter 740 or the receiver 730. The duplexer is an element that separates time or frequency according to a method, and may connect the antenna 720 to the transmitter 740 side or the receiver 730 side.

On the other hand, the wireless communication module 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the frequency of the sub 1GHz frequency, the communication speed is faster than the existing wired communication (9.6kbps), a long-distance (Open space 1km) frequency is 700Mhz to It can communicate using signals in the 900Mhz frequency band.

More preferably, the wireless communication module 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention may communicate using signals in the 900Mhz frequency band in consideration of interlayer communication and antenna length.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the antenna 720 may be installed inside the unit. For example, the antenna 720 may not be protruded or attached to the outside, and may be disposed inside the main body case of the outdoor unit or the indoor unit.

In particular, the antenna included in the indoor unit may be disposed inside the body case of the indoor unit. Accordingly, the protruding or externally attached antenna can be prevented from negatively affecting the interior of the room, and the aesthetic sense can be increased.

In the air conditioner system, a plurality of units can transmit and receive data by mutual wireless communication. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of units may be dispersedly disposed in at least two or more layers. For example, the outdoor unit may be placed on the roof of the building, and the indoor unit may be placed on any floor inside the building. Also, a plurality of indoor units may be distributedly disposed on multiple floors.

Accordingly, a plurality of units are not installed on a single layer, but are respectively installed on a plurality of layers to transmit and receive data. Since there are obstacles such as interlayer structures, walls, and furniture in the building, it is necessary to use a frequency band that can reach a signal over a certain distance while passing through the obstacle in the building.

The antenna 720 may be selectively used according to a frequency band used among 700 MHz to 900 MHz of the sub-giga band. The shape of the antenna may be changed according to the frequency band used.

The antenna 720 may transmit a signal output from the transmitter 740 into the air, receive a signal of a designated frequency band in the air, and apply the signal to the receiver 730.

The transmitter 740 and the receiver 730 may control the output of a signal to be transmitted according to the control command of the processor 710. The transmitter 7405 can control the output of the signal by controlling the output impedance, that is, the impedance of the antenna 720 to have a set value. The transmitter 740 and the receiver 730 may adjust impedance according to a frequency band of a signal to be transmitted and received through the antenna 720. For impedance matching, the most popular 50Ω matching method can be used.

According to an embodiment, the antenna 720 may be a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna, and may increase transmission capacity by transmitting data in parallel through each antenna.

The transmitter 740 and the receiver 730 are communication modules supporting MIMO, and multiple inputs and outputs are possible through a plurality of connected antennas. The transmitter 740 may transmit data through a plurality of antennas through multiple paths, and the receiver 730 may detect signals received through each path.

MIMO is an antenna system capable of spatial multiplexing, space diversity, and beam forming.

Spatial multiplexing is a technique for improving transmission speed by transmitting multiple information through a plurality of transmission antennas, and space diversity is a technique for controlling errors by transmitting the same information multiple times through multiple transmission antennas. Beamforming is a technique that reduces interference by transmitting radio waves in a desired direction.

The wireless communication module 120, through MIMO, may transmit and receive signals using a plurality of antennas, thereby enabling mutual communication between a plurality of units distributed in a building or the like.

The processor 710 may control the data of the unit 100 applied through the interface 750 to be transmitted as a set output and a signal of a specified frequency band. Further, the processor 710 may process a signal received through the antenna 720 and apply it to the unit. Also, the processor 710 may control data to be converted into a designated form according to a communication method used.

The interface 750 connects the unit 100 and the communication unit 120. For example, the wireless communication module 120 may be connected to the control unit 110 of the unit 100 through the interface 750, and the wireless communication module 120 may operate under the control of the control unit 110. have.

In the case of conventional wired communication, a plurality of units are hierarchically connected according to a connection state of a communication line, rather than being connected one to one of a plurality of units.

Accordingly, since the data of the indoor unit is not directly transmitted to the controller or the remote control device, a time delay occurs in data transmission.

In addition, the processing load of the outdoor unit increases, and there is a limitation that it takes a lot of time to transmit data according to the number of connected indoor units.

Accordingly, units included in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform wireless communication with each other.

Preferably, the units included in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform wireless communication with each other using a frequency band of a sub-giga band.

More preferably, the units included in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention include a wireless communication module 120 performing wireless communication with each other using a frequency band of a sub-giga band, wireless The communication module 120 may use an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme that is easy to manage radiation patterns, includes a PCB antenna advantageous for securing gain, and has less inter-channel interference in multiple channels.

The conventional 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands are for indoor short distances within about 30m, and there is a disadvantage in that signal strength rapidly decreases even though a thin wall cannot pass or a thin wall.

However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by performing wireless communication using the frequency band of the sub-giga band, it is possible to perform communication at a speed 15 times faster than the wired communication speed of about 9.6 Kbps and about 150 Kbps. , Communication is possible even if there is an obstacle between floors.

In addition, it is possible to eliminate the process of connecting the communication line and the communication line, reducing the installation cost and installation time, it is possible to reduce the overall cost.

8 is a simplified internal block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the mobile terminal 200 includes a wireless communication unit 210, an audio/video (A/V) input unit 220, a user input unit 230, a sensing unit 240, and an output unit 250, It may include a memory 260, an interface unit 270, a control unit 280, and a power supply unit 290.

The mobile terminal 200 according to an aspect of the present invention may include a wireless communication module 300 in wireless communication with a plurality of electronic devices. The wireless communication module 300 may have the same internal configuration as the wireless communication module 120 described above.

According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 300 may be configured as a block of the wireless communication unit 210.

When wireless communication is performed in the sub-giga band with each unit 100 in the air conditioner system, a wireless communication module 300 supporting wireless communication in the sub-giga band may be used. Since it is difficult to release all general-purpose mobile terminals 200 with a built-in wireless communication module 300 supporting wireless communication in the sub-giga band, it is preferable to connect and use the dedicated wireless communication module 300. Do.

In this case, the wireless communication module 300 may be connected through the interface unit 270 or may be connected through the wireless communication unit 210.

Meanwhile, the wireless communication unit 210 may include a broadcast reception module 211, a mobile communication module 213, a wireless Internet module 215, a short-range communication module 217, and a GPS module 219.

The broadcast receiving module 211 may receive at least one of a broadcast signal and broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel. At this time, the broadcast channel may include a satellite channel, a terrestrial channel, and the like.

The broadcast signal and/or broadcast-related information received through the broadcast receiving module 211 may be stored in the memory 260.

The mobile communication module 213 transmits and receives wireless signals to and from at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. Here, the wireless signal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal, or various types of data according to transmission/reception of text/multimedia messages.

The wireless Internet module 215 refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and the wireless Internet module 215 may be built in or external to the mobile terminal 200. For example, the wireless Internet module 215 may perform Wi-Fi-based wireless communication or Wi-Fi Direct-based wireless communication.

The short-range communication module 217 is for short-range communication, Bluetooth™, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), by using at least one of Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus) technology, it can support short-range communication.

The short-range communication module 217 may be provided between the mobile terminal 200 and the wireless communication system, between the mobile terminal 200 and another mobile terminal 200 through the wireless area networks, or the mobile terminal 200. ) And other mobile terminals, or a network where an external server is located, may support wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication network may be wireless personal area networks (Wireless Personal Area Networks).

The Global Position System (GPS) module 219 may receive location information from a plurality of GPS satellites.

Meanwhile, the wireless communication unit 210 may exchange data with a server using one or more communication modules.

The wireless communication unit 210 may include an antenna 205 for wireless communication, and may include an antenna for receiving broadcast signals in addition to an antenna for calls.

The A/V (Audio/Video) input unit 220 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, which may include a camera 221 and a microphone 223.

The user input unit 230 generates key input data input by the user to control the operation of the terminal. To this end, the user input unit 230 may be configured with a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure/blackout), and the like. In particular, when the touch pad forms a mutual layer structure with the display unit 251, it may be referred to as a touch screen.

The sensing unit 240 detects the current state of the mobile terminal 200, such as the open/closed state of the mobile terminal 200, the location of the mobile terminal 200, or the presence or absence of user contact, to control the operation of the mobile terminal 200 Sensing signals can be generated.

The sensing unit 240 may include a sensing sensor 241, a pressure sensor 243, a motion sensor 245, and the like. The motion sensor 245 may detect the movement or position of the mobile terminal 200 using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a gravity sensor, or the like. In particular, the gyro sensor is a sensor that measures angular velocity, and can detect a direction (angle) that has been turned relative to a reference direction.

The output unit 250 may include a display unit 251, an audio output module 253, an alarm unit 255, and a haptic module 257.

The display unit 251 displays and outputs information processed by the mobile terminal 200.

On the other hand, when the display unit 251 and the touch pad are configured as a touch screen by forming a mutual layer structure, the display unit 251 may be used as an input device capable of inputting information by a user's touch in addition to the output device.

The audio output module 253 outputs audio data received from the wireless communication unit 210 or stored in the memory 260. The sound output module 253 may include a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 255 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in the mobile terminal 200. For example, the signal can be output in the form of vibration. .

The haptic module 257 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the tactile effect generated by the haptic module 257 is a vibration effect.

The memory 260 may store a program for processing and control of the control unit 280, and provide a function for temporarily storing input or output data (eg, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). You can also do

The interface unit 270 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 200. The interface unit 270 may receive data from the external device or receive power and transmit it to each component inside the mobile terminal 200, and allow data inside the mobile terminal 200 to be transmitted to the external device. .

The control unit 280 controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 200 by generally controlling the operation of each part. For example, it is possible to perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. Also, the controller 280 may include a multimedia playback module 281 for multimedia playback. The multimedia playback module 281 may be configured with hardware in the control unit 280, or may be configured with software separately from the control unit 280.

The power supply unit 290 receives external power and internal power under the control of the control unit 280 and supplies power required for the operation of each component.

On the other hand, the block diagram of the mobile terminal 200 shown in Figure 8 is a block diagram for an embodiment of the present invention. Each component of the block diagram may be integrated, added, or omitted depending on the specification of the mobile terminal 200 that is actually implemented.

That is, two or more components may be combined into one component, or one component may be divided into two or more components as necessary. In addition, the function performed in each block is for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, the specific operation or device does not limit the scope of the present invention.

9 is a view referred to in the description of the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an indoor unit 20, an outdoor unit 10, a remote controller 60, a wireless sensor 80, and a mobile terminal 200 Can.

In addition, the air conditioner system may further include a unit such as a controller, a ventilation device, a defrosting device, a humidifying device, and a heater.

The remote control 60 may be connected to the indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 by wire and transmit a control signal, but more preferably, it may communicate wirelessly.

As described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the mobile terminal 200 and the controller (see 50 in FIG. 1) are wirelessly connected to units such as the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 to control each unit. have.

The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may transmit the requested data information when data information is requested from the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may transmit different content of data information to be transmitted according to the content of the request of the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50.

The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 receive control signals from the mobile terminal 200 and the controller 50. When the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 receive a control signal from the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50, it may report to the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 that the control signal is successfully received. It is not limited to this, and may vary depending on the communication method adopted by the air conditioner system.

When the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 receive a control signal, they may perform an operation corresponding thereto. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may receive a storage period or a storage period for storing a data signal including a driving state from the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may store data information when a periodic or error occurs.

The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may extend the storage period of recently stored data information when an error occurs. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may include a storage medium that stores data information. For example, the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 may periodically store data information, and when an error occurs, the recently stored data information may be stored separately from other information, but is not limited thereto.

The data information may include an operating state of the indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10. For example, the data information may include, but is not limited to, air temperature, condensation temperature, evaporation temperature, discharge temperature, heat exchanger temperature, and the like, but is not limited thereto. Information may be included.

The indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 may transmit data information including a driving state to the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50. The indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 may transmit it to the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 when the on/off or the driving state changes or an error occurs. The indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 may communicate with the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 when an event occurs or according to a certain period.

The mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 may receive detailed cycle data capable of diagnosing a failure for each unit in real time and display it on the screen.

When the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 displays data information by characters such as numerical values, the data information of the indoor unit 20, the data information of the outdoor unit 10, the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10, etc. It is possible to display the valve information of the pipe to be connected.

Depending on the embodiment, when the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 displays the valve information, the opening or closing of the valve may be displayed in color or picture. For example, the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 may display blue when the valve is open, gray when the valve is closed, or open or close the valve as a picture, but the color or picture It is not limited to the kind.

When the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 displays data information as a time series image, the outdoor unit 10 or the indoor unit 20 to be displayed can be selected.

The mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 selects the indoor unit 20 to be checked among one or more indoor units 20 connected to the selected outdoor unit 10 when selecting the outdoor unit 10 to be displayed among the plurality of outdoor units 10. You can choose.

When the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are selected, the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 includes a driving status of the selected indoor unit 20 and a connection status between the selected outdoor unit 10 and the selected indoor unit 20. Data information can be received. The connection state may include, but is not limited to, the connection state of the piping, the flow inside the piping, and on/off of the valve.

The mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 may display the operation states of the selected outdoor unit 10 and indoor unit 20 in time series, such as a change in picture or a change in color. The mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 may display a pipe state or a valve state connecting the selected outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20.

The mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 can check the operation status of the indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 in real time. When checking the operating status of the indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 in real time, the mobile terminal 200 or the controller 50 may receive data information in real time and display the received data information.

The wireless sensor 80 may detect the air condition and transmit air condition data corresponding to the detected air condition.

The air condition may be a concept including at least one of temperature, humidity, air pressure, amount of dust, amount of carbon dioxide, and amount of oxygen. Accordingly, the wireless sensor 80 can measure at least one of temperature, humidity, air pressure, amount of dust, amount of carbon dioxide, and amount of oxygen.

The air condition data may include data for at least one of temperature, humidity, air pressure, amount of dust, amount of carbon dioxide, and amount of oxygen.

The wireless sensor 80 may transmit air condition data in a broadcast method. The broadcast method may be a method of transmitting data without specifying a reception target. The wireless sensor 80 can save energy, operation, and components required to set the data receiving target by transmitting air condition data to a specific communication network without specifying the receiving target.

The air condition data broadcast by the wireless sensor 80 may be transmitted to the outdoor unit 100 or the indoor unit 200.

Also, the air condition data broadcast by the wireless sensor 80 may be transmitted to the controller 50 or the mobile terminal 200.

According to an embodiment, the wireless sensor 80 may also include the wireless communication module 120 described above.

The wireless sensor 80 may transmit sensing data to at least one unit of a plurality of units, including the wireless communication module 120.

Alternatively, at least one wireless sensor 80 that transmits sensing data to at least one unit of the plurality of units includes: an encoding unit for encoding a predetermined signal, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing of signals encoded by the encoding unit by using multiple carriers A modulator for modulating according to a method, an antenna pattern is formed on a printed circuit board (PCB), and may include one or more antennas for outputting a signal based on the modulated signal.

That is, the wireless sensor 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a transmission function of sensing data by including the rest of the components except for the receiver 730 in the wireless communication module 120.

The indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 may perform suitable air conditioning operation based on the received air condition data.

The indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 may operate according to a control signal received from the controller 50 or the mobile terminal 200.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the units in the air conditioner system are wirelessly connected, there is an advantage in that the installation cost and installation time can be significantly reduced compared to a wired connection.

In addition, in order to check and control information of any one unit, the controller 50 can directly communicate with and control the control unit without going through a specific unit such as the controller 50, and thus has advantages in terms of communication time and ease of use.

Units included in the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a wireless communication module 120 performing wireless communication with each other using a frequency band of a sub-giga band. In addition, the wireless communication module 120 can use an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme that is easy to manage radiation patterns, includes a PCB antenna advantageous for securing gain, and has less inter-channel interference in multiple channels. have.

Accordingly, the outdoor unit is installed in the basement of the building or installed on the roof, the units are distributed, and there are obstacles such as floors and walls between the units. Can be performed smoothly.

On the other hand, high-rise buildings, large-area buildings, and other installation environments, wireless communication shaded areas where wireless communication is not smoothly performed may occur. In this case, it may be necessary to install a repeater capable of retransmitting the received radio signal in order to resolve the wireless communication shadow area.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method for determining whether a repeater is needed in a wireless communication environment and efficiently installing the repeater if necessary.

As described with reference to 1 to 9, the air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of units, the plurality of units may be an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and the like.

Meanwhile, the outdoor units and the indoor units may be connected by a refrigerant pipe, and the outdoor units and indoor units connected by a refrigerant pipe may be set as a group.

Also, units set in the same group can be wirelessly communicated with each other.

That is, wireless communication can be performed between the outdoor unit and indoor unit in the same group, and wireless communication can also be performed between the indoor unit and indoor unit.

For example, a predetermined outdoor unit and two or more indoor units are connected to the refrigerant pipe, and the indoor units connected to the predetermined outdoor unit and the refrigerant pipe are set as one group and can communicate wirelessly with each other.

In this case, the indoor unit of any one of the indoor units of a predetermined group may be set as a repeater that retransmits the wireless signal received from the outdoor unit.

Accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent a situation in which a specific indoor unit cannot receive a wireless signal.

Meanwhile, structures may be added or changed to a building in which the air conditioner system is installed. The wireless communication environment may also vary depending on the addition and modification of structures. Accordingly, the wireless communication performance was good at the time of installation, but the wireless communication performance can be drastically reduced without special failure during use.

Referring to Figure 10, the antenna 720 according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed of a patch antenna, which is a kind of a built-in antenna. In the past, an external antenna was used for long-distance communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, but a product such as a controller or a remote controller occupies a space when the external antenna is mounted and protrudes outward. Accordingly, according to the present invention, the internal antenna is used, and among them, the patch-type antenna 720, as shown in FIG. 10, causes the user to arouse the aesthetic sense, and can be easily installed and used through a narrow space. Was made.

However, when using such a patch antenna, it is possible to derive various characteristics through small and light weight characteristics and various pattern combinations and easy arrangement, but because of the built-in structure, it cannot handle high power signals, and thus, it propagates compared to an external antenna. As the frequency communication radius occupied by is reduced, the controller may become difficult to communicate with the indoor/outdoor spaces far from the controller.

In order to overcome this problem, the present invention, referring to FIG. 11, sets the indoor unit installed in the vicinity of the controller 50 as a repeater, and enables communication with indoor and outdoor units at a long distance through the repeater.

In addition, even among a plurality of groups formed with channels having different frequency ranges, communication between indoor and outdoor units may be possible by setting a plurality of repeaters through a frequency hopping method described later.

12 to 13, flowcharts and drawings for a process of setting an indoor unit as a repeater are disclosed. In addition, FIG. 14 discloses a communication between a plurality of groups formed for each channel. If the communication connection principle between the controller and the indoor unit is described based on this, the controller may first set a group to be a relay target (S101). The group means a group consisting of indoor and outdoor units. At this time, when the channel according to the frequency is different, a plurality of groups may be formed for each channel, and a group requiring communication among the plurality of groups may be set as a group to be relayed.

When the group to be relayed is set, the signal reception sensitivity between the controller 50 and the indoor units is detected (S102). This is sensed through the transmission and reception of signals between the controller and various indoor units, and it is possible to compare the signal reception sensitivity for each indoor unit through data indicating the signal reception sensitivity between the controller and the indoor units.

Through comparison of the signal reception sensitivity for each indoor unit, the controller may automatically select the indoor units in order of good signal reception sensitivity (S103). Although the indoor unit having the best signal reception sensitivity is selected, when an error is detected in the signal error checking process, the indoor unit having the best signal reception sensitivity may be selected. As described above, data is prepared in the order in which the signal reception sensitivity is good, and then an indoor unit capable of transmitting and receiving a normal signal can be selected and selected through error checking.

In addition, since the signal reception sensitivity can be varied, the signal reception sensitivity can be determined every set period, and the selection can be changed to another indoor unit based on the changed signal sensitivity data.

For communication with a plurality of groups formed for each channel, after classifying indoor units for each channel, at least one indoor unit may be automatically selected for each group in the order of indoor units having good signal sensitivity among indoor units belonging to each group.

However, if it is difficult to detect signal sensitivity due to an overall error, the user may manually select an indoor unit to be relayed.

The indoor unit selected based on the above process is registered with the controller (S104) with a designated cycle. The controller transmits a temporary relay mode command to the selected indoor unit every designated period (S105). Through this, the selected indoor unit is set as a repeater (S106), and wireless communication between the controller and the indoor and outdoor units for a designated time t may be relayed (S107). The reason why the relay mode command is transmitted every designated period is because the indoor unit set as the repeater may change according to the signal sensitivity detection result. Therefore, the indoor unit that receives the relay mode command every designated period can function as a repeater through a signal transmission/reception process with the controller and other indoor/outdoor units. After the specified time (t) has elapsed, it detects signal reception again. Based on this, the controller may send a temporary relay mode command to the selected indoor unit again to perform the role of a relay.

After the specified time t has elapsed, the repeater setting is canceled (S106), and the repeater setting through the reselected indoor unit may be repeatedly performed after the specified period elapses.

15, a graph for frequency hopping is disclosed. Basically, in the case of communication groups with different channels, the range of available frequencies is different and it is difficult to communicate through one controller. Accordingly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 14, the controller adopts a frequency hopping method to enable communication between indoor and outdoor groups composed of different channels.

Frequency hopping is a modulation technique used for multiple access, and is a method of covering a wide bandwidth through switching of a transmission frequency. As illustrated in FIG. 15, by switching the transmission frequency according to time, communication between groups formed by various channels can also be smoothly performed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, multiple transmission/reception is possible through an indoor unit provided in a plurality of groups having different channels through such a frequency hopping method, so that communication between indoor and outdoor periods with different channels can be smoothly performed.

The accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments described in the present specification, and the technical spirit disclosed in the specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes and equivalents included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention It should be understood to include water to substitutes.

In addition, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the technical field to which the present invention belongs without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. In addition, various modifications can be implemented by those having ordinary knowledge in the course, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical idea or prospect of the present invention.

10: outdoor unit
20: indoor unit
50: controller
100: electronic device (unit)
120, 300: wireless communication module
200: mobile terminal
720: antenna

Claims (11)

(a) selecting at least one indoor unit among a plurality of indoor units included in a plurality of groups formed for each channel;
(b) registering the selected indoor unit to a controller with a designated cycle;
(c) the controller transmitting a temporary relay mode command to the selected indoor unit every specified period;
(d) The selected indoor unit is a control method of an air conditioner system comprising the step of being set as a repeater for a specified period of time.
According to claim 1,
In step (a),
A control method of an air conditioner system in which a user selects one of the plurality of indoor units.
According to claim 1,
Step (a) is,
(a-1) the controller sensing the signal reception sensitivity between the controller and the plurality of indoor units;
(a-2) A method of controlling an air conditioner system comprising the step of automatically selecting the indoor units in the order in which the signal reception sensitivity is good.
According to claim 3,
In step (a-2),
A control method of an air conditioner system for selecting at least one indoor unit having good signal reception sensitivity for each of the plurality of groups.
According to claim 1,
In step (a), when a plurality of groups are selected through the selected indoor units,
In step (d), all of the selected indoor units are set as repeaters,
The controller is a method of controlling an air conditioner system capable of wireless communication with all of the indoor/outdoor units of the selected plurality of groups.
The method of claim 5,
The controller is a method of controlling an air conditioner system wirelessly communicating with the selected indoor units by frequency hopping.
According to claim 1,
In step (d),
During the designated time, the repeater, the control method of the air conditioner system for relaying wireless communication between the controller and the indoor and outdoor air in the group.
According to claim 1,
In step (d),
A control method of an air conditioner system in which the repeater setting is released when the specified time has elapsed.
According to claim 1,
The controller includes an antenna capable of inputting and outputting signals, and the antenna is a built-in type air conditioner system control method.
The method of claim 9,
The antenna is a control method of an air conditioner system formed of a patch antenna.
According to claim 1,
Before step (a),
And setting the plurality of groups to be relayed.

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