WO2020171334A1

WO2020171334A1 - Central controller and air conditioning system comprising same

Info

Publication number: WO2020171334A1
Application number: PCT/KR2019/012427
Authority: WO
Inventors: 신준; 송대헌
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2019-02-21
Filing date: 2019-09-24
Publication date: 2020-08-27
Also published as: KR20200102240A; KR102203206B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a central controller for providing an individual user-preferred air conditioning environment and an air conditioning system comprising same. The central controller may acquire control information for producing a user-preferred air conditioning environment, on the basis of user information, and then transmit a control signal including the control information to an indoor unit closest to a terminal.

Description

Central controller and air conditioning system including the same

The present invention relates to a central controller and an air conditioning system including the same, and more particularly, to a central controller for controlling a plurality of indoor units and an air conditioning system including the same.

The air conditioning system is to create a pleasant indoor environment, and controls the indoor temperature by discharging cold and hot air into the room, and can purify the indoor air.

The air conditioning system includes an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a central controller for controlling the outdoor unit, and can perform air conditioning by circulating a refrigerant between a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion unit, and an indoor heat exchanger.

The air conditioning system may be installed in a building where a number of users exist, and a plurality of indoor units may be installed in the building.

In a space such as a building, it may not be easy for each user to freely control the indoor unit. In addition, a user who uses a space in which each of the plurality of indoor units is installed may continuously change, and a preferred environment may be different for each user.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0066675 (published on June 17, 2011) describes an air conditioning system that creates an environment inside a building by calculating PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) in a building. However, in this case, it is difficult to provide an environment tailored to each user.

An object of the present invention is to provide a central controller that creates a preferred environment tailored to each user existing in a building, and an air conditioning system including the same.

The central controller according to an embodiment of the present invention may obtain control information for creating an air conditioning environment preferred by the user based on user information, and then transmit a control signal including the control information to the indoor unit closest to the terminal.

Upon receiving the user's preference information from the terminal, the processor may store, as user information, user data that maps environment information and preference information of the indoor unit.

The processor may acquire at least one of a current temperature, a set temperature, a current humidity, and a set humidity detected by the indoor unit closest to the terminal as environmental information of the indoor unit.

The processor may receive response information indicating whether or not the current environment is satisfied as preference information.

If the amount of data of the user information is less than the amount of reference data, the processor transmits a feedback request signal for requesting feedback information on the current environment to the terminal, and provides environment information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal and feedback information in response to the feedback request signal. The mapped user data may be further included in the user information.

The processor may receive score information on the current environment as feedback information.

The storage unit further stores a fingerprint map obtained by capturing a Wi-Fi fingerprint at an installation location of each of the plurality of indoor units, and when the processor receives the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal from the terminal, the Wi-Fi for each of the plurality of indoor units included in the fingerprint map The indoor unit closest to the terminal may be obtained by comparing the fingerprint with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal.

The processor may obtain the current location of the terminal by comparing the Wi-Fi fingerprint of each of the plurality of indoor units included in the fingerprint map with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal.

The processor may calculate control information based on environment information of the indoor unit included in the user information and preference information mapped to the environment information of the indoor unit, and feedback information mapped to environment information of the indoor unit and environment information of the indoor unit.

The processor may acquire the indoor unit closest to the terminal at each setting period, and re-acquire control information when the indoor unit closest to the terminal is changed.

The processor may acquire the indoor unit closest to the terminal at every setting period, and transmit a signal for acquiring user preference information or feedback information to the terminal when the indoor unit closest to the terminal is changed.

The processor may receive current weather information from the server and acquire control information based on user information and current weather information.

The control information may include at least one of a set temperature, wind speed, and wind direction of the indoor unit.

The processor transmits a control signal to the indoor unit closest to the terminal if the amount of user information stored in the storage is greater than or equal to the reference data amount, and if the amount of user information stored in the storage is less than the reference data amount, A feedback request signal for requesting feedback information may be transmitted.

An air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes at least one outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units, and a central controller, and the central controller includes a storage unit for storing user information, a communication unit for communicating with the terminal, and a terminal among the plurality of indoor units. A location determination unit that obtains a nearby indoor unit, and a processor that obtains control information based on user information and transmits a control signal including control information to the indoor unit closest to the terminal, and at least one of the plurality of indoor units is controlled It can be received on the signal and driven according to the received control signal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by controlling the indoor unit closest to the user's terminal with a control signal for creating the user's preferred air conditioning environment, it is possible to provide the user's preferred air conditioning environment even if the user does not separately operate the indoor unit. There is this.

In addition, when the preference information is received, it is possible to learn the user's preferred climate control environment by storing the user information, thereby improving the predictability of the user's preferred climate control environment.

In addition, by receiving at least one of a current temperature, a set temperature, a current humidity, and a set humidity as environmental information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal, there is an advantage in that the user's preferred temperature and humidity can be predicted.

In addition, by receiving response information indicating whether or not the current environment is satisfied as the preference information, there is an advantage in that preference information can be obtained more easily because a lot of time and labor are not required to input the preference.

In addition, when the amount of data of the user information is less than the amount of reference data, feedback information may be requested from the user, thereby improving the predictability of the user's preferred climate control environment.

In addition, by receiving the score information on the current environment as the feedback information, it is possible to more accurately predict the user's feeling of the current environment, thereby improving the predictability of the climate-control environment preferred by the user.

In addition, by comparing the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the indoor unit and the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal, it is possible to obtain the indoor unit closest to the terminal in the building more accurately, and accordingly, there is an advantage in that the user's preferred air conditioning environment can be more accurately provided.

In addition, when the indoor unit closest to the terminal is changed, control information of the indoor unit is re-acquired, thereby providing the user's preferred air conditioning environment regardless of the user's positional movement.

In addition, when the indoor unit closest to the terminal is changed, the user's preference information or feedback information is obtained, so that information on the user's preferred air conditioning environment can be obtained more quickly.

In addition, by acquiring control information of the indoor unit by reflecting current weather information, there is an advantage in that it is possible to provide a user's preferred air conditioning environment even with a slight weather difference.

In addition, since it is possible to obtain not only a set temperature, but also a wind speed and a wind direction, etc., as the control information of the indoor unit, there is an advantage that the user can predict the indoor unit control information preferred by each individual.

In addition, by immediately controlling the indoor unit according to whether the amount of data of the user information is greater than or equal to the amount of reference data, or by controlling to obtain feedback information, it is possible to secure more than a certain standard of data necessary for the user's preferred air conditioning environment. There is an advantage of maximizing the prediction accuracy of the preferred climate control environment.

1 is an exemplary view of a building in which an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed.

2 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioning system.

4 is a control block diagram of a central controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a control block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a central controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a ladder diagram illustrating a method of operating a central controller and a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is an exemplary diagram of a Wi-Fi fingerprint of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for a terminal to receive a preference for a current environment from a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for a terminal to receive feedback information about a current environment from a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail together with the drawings.

1 is an exemplary view of a building in which an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of the air conditioning system.

The air conditioning system may be installed in buildings such as buildings used by multiple users. In addition to the number of users in the building, any user may exist.

The air conditioning system may include an indoor unit 10, an outdoor unit 20, and a central controller 50. When an air conditioning system is installed in a building, as shown in FIG. 1, at least one indoor unit 10 and a central controller 50 may be installed inside the building, and at least one outdoor unit 20 may be installed outside the building. .

However, FIG. 1 is only an example for convenience of explanation, and according to an embodiment, the outdoor unit 20 may be installed inside a building such as a basement, and the central controller 50 is It can also be a form.

The air conditioning system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be applied to all cases where a plurality of indoor units 10 are installed in the same building.

Meanwhile, the indoor unit 10, the outdoor unit 20, and the central controller 50 may perform wired or wireless communication. For example, at least one AP 30 may be installed in a building in which an air conditioning system is installed, and each of the indoor unit 10, the outdoor unit 20, and the central controller 50 communicates through the AP 30. can do.

The AP 30 is an Access Point, and may be a router that is an antenna and access device. The AP 30 may provide WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) to enable wireless communication with electronic devices located within a certain distance.

At least one of the indoor unit 10, the outdoor unit 20, and the central controller 50 may wirelessly communicate with an external device through the AP 30, and for example, the external device may be a user's terminal.

Referring to FIG. 2, the air conditioning system may include a plurality of indoor units 10, at least one outdoor unit 20, and a central controller 50, and the plurality of indoor units 10 includes at least one outdoor unit ( 20), and the outdoor unit 20 may be connected to the central controller 50.

The central controller 50 may control the outdoor unit 20 and the indoor unit 10 connected to the outdoor unit 20 through wired or wireless communication. Each of the plurality of indoor units 10 may communicate with the outdoor unit 20 connected to the indoor unit, and the outdoor unit 20 may communicate with the central controller 50.

The plurality of indoor units 10 includes first to sixth

indoor units

10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f, and the first to third

indoor units

10a, 10b, 10c are the first outdoor units 20a And the fourth to sixth

indoor units

10d, 10e, and 10f may be connected to the second outdoor unit 20b. For convenience of explanation, it is illustrated that three indoor units are connected to each outdoor unit, but this is illustrative and is not limited to the number of indoor units or the shape of the indoor units.

Each of the plurality of indoor units 10 may be installed in a space within a building. At least one or more spaces may be formed in the building. Each of the plurality of indoor units 10 may be installed in a separate space within a building or may be installed in the same space. That is, at least one indoor unit 10 may be installed in at least one space formed in the building.

Referring to the example of FIG. 2, the first indoor unit 10a is installed in the first space S1, the second indoor unit 10b is installed in the second space S2, and the third indoor unit 10c is 3 is installed in the space S3, the fourth indoor unit 10d is installed in the fourth space S4, the fifth indoor unit 10e is installed in the fifth space S5, and the sixth indoor unit 10f is It may be installed in the sixth space (S6). However, this is only exemplary, and the first to second

indoor units

10a and 10b may be installed together in the first space S1.

Meanwhile, like the indoor unit 10, the AP 30 may be formed in at least one space within the hanging object. Similarly, the first AP (30a) is installed in the first space (S1), the second AP (30b) is installed in the second space (S2), and the third AP (30c) is installed in the third space (S3). Is installed, the fourth AP (30d) is installed in the fourth space (S4), the fifth AP (30e) is installed in the fifth space (S5), the sixth AP (30f) is the sixth space (S6) Can be installed on. However, this is also only exemplary, and the first AP 30a is installed in the first space S1, the AP is not installed in the second and third spaces S2 and S3, and the first AP 30a ) May provide a Wi-Fi signal to the first to third spaces S1, S2, and S3.

3, the indoor unit 10 includes a case 9, a

blowing unit

3, 5, and 6 accommodated in the case 9, an indoor heat exchanger 4, and at least one communication module ( 7) may be included.

At least one air inlet P and at least one air outlet 2 may be formed in the indoor unit 10, and the indoor heat exchanger 4 may be formed between the air inlet P and the air outlet 2 . The indoor heat exchanger 4 heats the air sucked in through the air intake port P with the refrigerant, and the air heat-exchanged in the indoor heat exchanger 4 may be discharged to the air outlet 2.

The

blowing unit

3, 5, 6 may include a motor 5, a fan 6 connected to the motor 5, and a vane 3.

The motor 5 and the fan 6 can adjust the wind speed of the discharged air. The faster the RPM of the motor 5, the faster the discharge speed of air, and the slower the RPM of the motor 5, the slower the discharge speed of air may be.

The vane 3 can adjust the wind direction of the discharged air. The vane 3 is installed in the air discharge port 2 to control the discharge direction of air.

The blowing unit (3) (5) (6) is controlled by a control unit (19), which will be described later, and the control unit (19) adjusts the blowing unit (3) (5) (6) to adjust the wind direction or wind speed of the discharged air. I can.

In FIG. 3, the communication module 7 is shown to be installed on the outer surface of the indoor unit 10, but this is only exemplary and the communication module 7 may be installed inside the indoor unit 10.

The communication module 7 may communicate with at least one of the outdoor unit 20 and the central controller 50. The communication module 7 may receive a control signal from at least one of the outdoor unit 20 and the central controller 50 and operate according to the control signal. In addition, the communication module 7 may acquire environmental information of the indoor unit 10 and transmit it to at least one of the outdoor unit 20 and the central controller 50. Here, the environmental information is the current temperature detected by the indoor unit 10, the current humidity, the target temperature (set temperature) set in the indoor unit 10, the target humidity (set humidity), the outside temperature detected by the outdoor unit 20, and the outside humidity. And the like.

The central controller 50 may include at least one of a processor 51, a communication unit 52, a location determination unit 54, a storage unit 56, and a learning unit 58.

The processor 51 may control the operation of the central controller 50. The processor 51 may control at least one of the communication unit 52, the location determination unit 54, the storage unit 56, and the learning unit 58.

The communication unit 52 may communicate with at least one of the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20. In addition, the communication unit 52 may communicate with the user's terminal 100 or an external server.

Here, the terminal 100 may mean an electronic device capable of wireless communication. For example, the terminal 100 may include a mobile phone such as a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, and a PC.

The communication unit 52 may include at least one of a terminal communication module 52a, an indoor unit communication module 52b, and a server communication module 52c. The communication unit 52 may perform wired or wireless communication with other electronic devices. The communication unit 52 may communicate with an electronic device such as the terminal 100 through Wi-Fi or mobile communication technology.

The terminal communication module 52a may enable communication between the central controller 50 and the terminal 100. For example, the terminal communication module 52a may receive a Wi-Fi fingerprint from the terminal 100.

The indoor unit communication module 52c may enable communication between the central controller 50 and the indoor unit 10. The indoor unit communication module 52c may directly communicate with the indoor unit 10 or may communicate with the indoor unit 10 through the outdoor unit 20. In addition, the indoor unit communication module 52c may communicate with the outdoor unit 20.

The server communication module 52d may enable communication between the central controller 50 and a server (not shown). For example, the server may be a meteorological agency, and the server communication module 52d may receive information related to the current weather from the meteorological agency.

In FIG. 4, the communication unit 52 is divided into a terminal communication module 52a, an indoor unit communication module 52b, and a server communication module 52c. However, this is for convenience of description and thus is not limited thereto. For example, one communication module may communicate with at least one of the terminal 100, the indoor unit 10, and a server (not shown).

The location determination unit 54 may obtain the location of the terminal 100. The location determination unit 54 acquires a Wi-Fi fingerprint closest to the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100 from a fingerprint map to be described later, and locates the terminal 100 around the indoor unit corresponding to the obtained Wi-Fi fingerprint. Can be obtained with.

The location determination unit 54 compares the Wi-Fi fingerprint captured from each of the plurality of indoor units 10 with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100, and corresponds to the Wi-Fi fingerprint closest to the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100. The indoor unit may be acquired as the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100.

The storage unit 56 may store a fingerprint map. Here, the fingerprint map may include a Wi-Fi fingerprint of each of the plurality of indoor units 10, and the Wi-Fi fingerprint may include the type, number, and strength of Wi-Fi signals sensed at a specific location.

The storage unit 56 may update the fingerprint map.

For example, the storage unit 56 may update the fingerprint map every predetermined period. In this case, the accuracy of the location determination of the terminal 100 when the structure of the space in the building is changed, the location of the AP 30 is changed, or the WiFi fingerprint is changed due to problems such as a change in the performance of the AP 30 It can minimize the deterioration of

In addition, the storage unit 56 may update the fingerprint map upon receiving a user command. By inputting a fingerprint map update command, such as when the indoor unit 10 is added to the air conditioning system or the location of the indoor unit 10 is changed, it is possible to minimize the deterioration of the accuracy of the position determination of the terminal 100. have.

The learning unit 58 can learn user information. The learning unit 58 may learn user information based on environment information of the indoor unit and user preference information (or feedback information), and the user information may include information on an air conditioning environment preferred by the user.

For example, the learning unit 58 may learn user information through supervised learning.

Meanwhile, the components shown in FIG. 4 are merely exemplary, and the central controller may omit some of the components shown in FIG. 4 or may further include other components.

The terminal 100 may include at least one of a control unit 101, a wireless communication unit 103, an input unit 105, and a display unit 107.

The controller 101 may control the operation of the terminal 100. The controller 101 may control at least one of the wireless communication unit 103, the input unit 105, and the display unit 107.

The wireless communication unit 103 may support Wi-Fi, mobile communication technology, and the like. The wireless communication unit 103 may support wireless communication between the terminal 100 and an external device (eg, a central controller, another terminal, etc.).

The wireless communication unit 103 may communicate with the central controller 50. For example, the wireless communication unit 103 may transmit a Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100 to the central controller 50.

Meanwhile, the controller 101 may capture a Wi-Fi fingerprint through the wireless communication unit 103. The controller 101 may detect a Wi-Fi signal around the terminal 100 through the wireless communication unit 103 to obtain a Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100.

The input unit 105 may receive a user input. The input unit 105 may be formed as a touch screen or may include a physical key button.

For example, the input unit 105 may receive input of whether the user is satisfied with the current environment. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 9. In addition, the input unit 105 may receive score information indicating the degree of hotness in the current environment. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

The display unit 107 may display a screen for receiving input of whether the user is satisfied with the current environment or a screen for receiving score information indicating a degree of hotness for the current environment.

The processor 51 may obtain the nearest indoor unit from the terminal 100 (S11).

The processor 51 may receive a Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal from the terminal 100. The processor 51 may obtain the nearest indoor unit from the terminal 100 by using the received Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, a method for the central controller 50 to obtain the nearest indoor unit from the terminal 100 will be described in detail.

The central controller 50 may store a fingerprint map obtained by capturing a Wi-Fi fingerprint from each of the plurality of indoor units 10 (S101).

When the air conditioning system is installed, the central controller 50 may store the fingerprint map, and may store and update the fingerprint map again every predetermined period.

Hereinafter, a method of storing the fingerprint map by the central controller 50 will be described.

The processor 51 of the central controller 50 may receive a Wi-Fi fingerprint captured by each of the plurality of indoor units 10. That is, each of the plurality of indoor units 10 may capture a Wi-Fi fingerprint and transmit the captured Wi-Fi fingerprint to the central controller 50. The processor 51 may store a fingerprint map obtained by mapping each of the plurality of Wi-Fi fingerprints to the indoor unit 10 corresponding thereto. That is, the fingerprint map may include information on the plurality of indoor units 10 and Wi-Fi fingerprints corresponding to each of the plurality of indoor units 10.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the processor 51 may receive a Wi-Fi fingerprint from a plurality of terminals 100 and store a fingerprint map. In this case, the fingerprint is located within a predetermined distance from each of the plurality of indoor units 10. It may be a fingerprint captured by the terminal 100. That is, after a user captures a Wi-Fi fingerprint with the terminal 100 within a predetermined distance from the indoor unit 10 for each of the plurality of indoor units 10, the Wi-Fi fingerprint and the information of the indoor unit 10 corresponding thereto are stored in the central controller. By transmitting to 50, the processor 51 of the central controller 50 can store the fingerprint map.

After storing the fingerprint map, the central controller 50 may receive the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal from the terminal 100 (S103).

The terminal 100 may capture a Wi-Fi fingerprint and transmit it to the central controller 50.

According to the first embodiment, the terminal 100 may be interlocked with the air conditioning system through a series of processes, and when the terminal 100 is located in a building in which an interlocked air conditioning system is installed, a Wi-Fi fingerprint is captured every setting cycle. Thus, it can be transmitted to the central controller 50.

According to the second embodiment, the terminal 100 may store an application related to automatic control of the air conditioning system, and when the stored application is executed, a Wi-Fi fingerprint may be captured and transmitted to the central controller 50 at each setting period. .

According to the third embodiment, the air conditioning system may transmit a fingerprint request signal to at least one terminal 100 in a building, and the terminal 100 transmits a fingerprint request signal to the central controller 50 in response to the fingerprint request signal. WaPi fingerprint can be transmitted.

The first to third embodiments are merely examples for convenience of description, and the terminal 100 may transmit a Wi-Fi fingerprint to the central controller 50 by various methods.

Upon receiving the Wi-Fi fingerprint from the terminal 100, the central controller 50 may compare the Wi-Fi fingerprint of each of the plurality of indoor units stored in the fingerprint map with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal (S103).

Each of the plurality of Wi-Fi fingerprints for each of the plurality of indoor units stored in the fingerprint map of the central controller 50 may be compared with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, a method of comparing a Wi-Fi fingerprint of an indoor unit and a Wi-Fi fingerprint of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The Wi-Fi fingerprint may include the type, number, and strength of Wi-Fi signals detected at a corresponding location.

For example, the terminal 100 may capture a Wi-Fi fingerprint at a specific location, and the captured Wi-Fi fingerprint may be as illustrated in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 8, a Wi-Fi signal named'mobed lab' at a specific location is detected with a size of -44dB, a Wi-Fi signal named'BOIL' is detected with a size of -62dB, and named'SCLAB_225B'. A Wi-Fi signal is detected with a size of -63dB, a Wi-Fi signal named'mfdl2' is detected with a size of -73dB, a Wi-Fi signal named'Ultrafast' is detected with a size of -89dB, and named '425DB' The resulting Wi-Fi signal can be detected with a size of -88dB, a Wi-Fi signal named'BOIL_128A' is detected with a size of -87dB, and a Wi-Fi signal named'ynp' can be detected with a size of -83dB. However, FIG. 8 is merely an example for convenience of description, and the type of Wi-Fi signal detected, the number of Wi-Fi signals, and signal strength may be different depending on the capture location.

In addition, the fingerprint map may include a plurality of Wi-Fi fingerprints similar to the Wi-Fi fingerprint as shown in FIG. 8.

The processor 51 of the central controller 50 determines the type and signal strength of the Wi-Fi signal included in the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100 and Can be compared. That is, the processor 51 of the central controller 50 may compare whether the types of signals match, the similarity of signal strength, and the like.

Again, Fig. 7 will be described.

The central controller 50 may determine the indoor unit with the smallest gap with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal in the fingerprint map as the indoor unit closest to the terminal (S105).

The processor 51 of the central controller 50 may obtain a Wi-Fi fingerprint most similar to the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal 100 from the fingerprint map.

Specifically, the processor 51 generates a Wi-Fi fingerprint of the indoor unit in which the type of Wi-Fi signal is most similar to the type of Wi-Fi signal included in the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal among the Wi-Fi fingerprints of the indoor unit stored in the fingerprint map of the terminal 100. Can be obtained.

If there are a plurality of Wi-Fi fingerprints having a similar Wi-Fi fingerprint and a Wi-Fi signal type on the fingerprint map, the processor 51 may compare the strength of the Wi-Fi signal. That is, from the fingerprint map, the processor 51 may acquire a fingerprint having a similar signal strength to that of the terminal from among fingerprints having a similar type of Wi-Fi signal and a Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal.

For example, the processor 51 arranges each of the Wi-Fi fingerprints of the terminal and the Wi-Fi fingerprints of the indoor unit stored in the fingerprint map in the order of Wi-Fi signal strength, and then whether the types of Wi-Fi signals match, and the Wi-Fi signal with high signal strength. You can compare the order of types and similarity of signal strength. Through this, the processor 51 acquires the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the indoor unit that is most similar to the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal from the fingerprint map, and the indoor unit corresponding to the obtained Wi-Fi fingerprint of the indoor unit is the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100. Can be obtained with.

That is, the processor 51 may obtain the indoor unit closest to the terminal by obtaining the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the indoor unit that is most similar to the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal.

Again, FIG. 6 will be described.

After obtaining the indoor unit closest to the terminal, the processor 51 may obtain environment information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal (S13).

Here, the environment information may include at least one of setting information of the indoor unit, a degree of surroundings of the indoor unit, and surrounding information of an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit. For example, the setting information of the indoor unit includes a target temperature and target humidity set in the indoor unit 10, and the surrounding information of the indoor unit includes the current temperature and current humidity detected by the indoor unit 10, and is connected to the indoor unit. The surrounding information of the outdoor unit may include outdoor temperature, outdoor humidity, etc. detected by the outdoor unit 20.

The processor 51 may determine whether or not the user's preference information has been received (S15).

That is, the processor 51 may obtain whether to receive user preference information.

The user's preference information may mean whether the user prefers the current environment input through the terminal 100. The processor 51 may receive response information indicating whether or not the current environment is satisfied as preference information.

The user can input the preference for the current environment through the terminal 100, and the terminal 100 transmits the user's preference information including the input preference to the central controller 50 when the preference is input. I can.

According to the first embodiment, the central controller 50 may receive user preference information from the terminal 100 when the user inputs preference or not to the terminal 100.

According to the second embodiment, the central controller 50 transmits a preference request signal to the terminal 100, and when an input of the preference corresponding to the preference request signal is received from the terminal 100 User preference information can be received.

The first and second embodiments are exemplary, and user preference information may be received through another method.

The display unit 107 of the terminal 100 may display a preference icon 210 for receiving input of preference for the current environment. For example, the preference icon 210 may include a message asking whether it feels cool in the current environment. The control unit 101 of the terminal 100 may receive an input of a preference for selecting yes (satisfied) or no (dissatisfied).

According to an embodiment, the display unit 107 of the terminal 100 may further display information on the current environment. For example, the information on the current environment may include the current location of the terminal 100, the room temperature, and the like, as shown in FIG. 9.

Upon receiving an input of preference or not, the terminal 100 may transmit the user's preference information indicating the input preference to the central controller 50.

Again, FIG. 6 will be described.

When the processor 51 of the central controller 50 receives the user's preference information, it may store user information obtained by mapping the environment information of the indoor unit and the preference information (S17).

The processor 51 may store data obtained by mapping environmental information of the indoor unit and user preference information as user information.

The user information may be a set of user data that labels the environment preferred by the user for each user. The user information may include user data obtained by mapping environmental information of the indoor unit and user preference information corresponding to the environmental information of the indoor unit.

For example, the user information may include environment information of an indoor unit (for example, room temperature 20 degrees) and user data that maps the corresponding satisfaction (for example, satisfaction (Yes), Bulmajo (No)). I can.

Meanwhile, the user information may further include user data obtained by mapping environmental information of the indoor unit (eg, room temperature 20°C) and feedback information (eg, coolness (-2)) corresponding thereto. A detailed description of the feedback information will be described later.

The central controller 50 may receive the preference information mapped to the environment information of the indoor unit multiple times, and the more the environment information of the various indoor units is received, the user's preferred environment may be easily learned.

The processor 51 of the central controller 50 may acquire indoor unit control information based on user information (S19).

The user information may include user data for each of a plurality of users.

The processor 51 of the central controller 50 may obtain control information for creating an air conditioning environment preferred by each user based on the user information.

Here, the control information refers to information for controlling the operation of the indoor unit, and may include at least one of a set temperature, a wind speed, and a wind direction of the indoor unit.

For example, the storage unit 56 is a set of user data for a first user among a plurality of users, user data indicating dissatisfaction (No) when the current temperature is 19°C, and user data indicating satisfaction (Yes) when the current temperature is 20°C. Wow, user information including user data indicating dissatisfaction (No) when the current temperature is 21°C and user data indicating dissatisfaction (No) when the current temperature is 22°C may be stored.

As another example, the storage unit 56 is a set of user data for a second user among a plurality of users, user data that is cool when the current temperature is 19 degrees, and is slightly cool when the current temperature is 20 degrees. Is user data, user data is comfortable when the current temperature is 21 degrees, user data is slightly warm when the current temperature is 22 degrees, and user data is warm when the current temperature is 23 degrees. User information including a can be stored.

The processor 51 may obtain control information based on environment information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 and user information stored in the storage unit 56.

For example, the processor 51 may have a current temperature of 22 degrees according to environment information of the indoor unit closest to the first user's terminal, and in this case, obtain control information for setting the target temperature of the indoor unit to 20 degrees. .

Also, the processor 51 may have a current temperature of 22 degrees according to environment information of the indoor unit closest to the second user's terminal, and in this case, obtain control information for setting the target temperature of the indoor unit to 21 degrees.

In the above example, only the current temperature (indoor temperature) is described as the environmental information of the indoor unit, but this is for convenience of explanation, and the user data further includes at least one of indoor humidity, outdoor temperature, and outdoor humidity in addition to the current temperature. Control information can be obtained.

Meanwhile, when the control information is acquired, the processor 51 may acquire control information by reflecting the current weather. For example, the processor 51 may receive current weather information from the server and obtain control information based on user information and current weather information.

The processor 51 may transmit a control signal from the terminal to the nearest indoor unit (S21).

The processor 51 may transmit a control signal including control information from the terminal to the nearest indoor unit.

Accordingly, no matter where the user is located in the building, the user's location can be sensed and the user's preferred environment can be provided, thereby providing convenience that the user does not need to separately control the indoor unit.

On the other hand, when the processor 51 does not receive the user's preference information in step S15, the processor 51 may obtain whether to change the indoor unit closest to the user (S23).

The processor 51 receives the Wi-Fi fingerprint from the terminal 100 every indoor unit search cycle (eg, 1 second) while the terminal 100 is located in the building where the air conditioning system is installed, Indoor units can be obtained. The processor 51 may obtain whether the nearest indoor unit from the terminal 100 is changed.

When the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 is not changed, the processor 51 may acquire environment information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 in each environment information acquisition cycle.

In this case, the indoor unit search period and the environment information acquisition period may be set to be the same or different, respectively.

Meanwhile, when the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 is changed, the processor 51 may determine whether the data amount of user information is less than the reference data amount (S25).

The processor 51 may determine whether the amount of user information corresponding to the terminal 100 is greater than or equal to the reference data amount. This is to automatically control the indoor unit only when the predictability of the air conditioning environment is secured above the reference value, since the predictability of the air conditioning environment preferred by the user is high only when the amount of data of the user information is secured above a certain standard.

If the amount of data of the user information is equal to or greater than the amount of reference data, the processor 51 may obtain indoor unit control information based on the user information (S19) and transmit a control signal from the terminal to the nearest indoor unit (S21).

That is, the processor 51 acquires the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 every indoor unit search cycle, and when the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 changes, re-acquires control information to include the reacquired control information. The signal may be transmitted to the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100.

Meanwhile, if the amount of data of the user information is less than the amount of reference data, the processor 51 may transmit a feedback request signal for the current environment to the terminal 100 (S27). The processor 51 may receive feedback information in response to the feedback request signal (S29), map environment information of the indoor unit and feedback information, and add to the user information (S31).

That is, when the indoor unit closest to the terminal 100 is changed, the processor 51 may transmit a signal for acquiring user preference information or feedback information about the environment according to the changed indoor unit to the terminal 100.

Next, FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method for a terminal to receive feedback information on a current environment from a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The controller 101 of the terminal 100 may receive a feedback request signal for the current environment from the central controller 50. When receiving a feedback request signal from the central controller 50, the controller 101 may control the display 107 to display a feedback information input screen.

The feedback information input screen may include a feedback icon 221 for receiving a feeling about the current environment. The feedback icon 221 is for receiving a feeling about the current environment from the user, and may be input whether the current environment feels comfortable, cool, or hot. For example, the feedback icon 221 is a sub icon 222 for selecting a feeling such as'cold','cool','slightly cool','comfort','slightly warm','warm', and'hot'. ) Can be included. The controller 101 may receive a feeling of the current environment from a user through a command for selecting any one sub-icon 222.

When a feeling about the current environment is received, the controller 101 converts the received feeling into a score and transmits score information indicating a level of feeling about the current environment to the central controller 50 as feedback information.

For example, when the input feeling is'cold', the control unit 101 sets the score -3, when the input feeling is'cool', the score is -2, and when the input feeling is'slightly cool', the score is- 1, if the input feeling is'comfort', the score is 0, if the input feeling is'slightly warm', the score is 1, when the input feeling is'warm', the score is 2 and the input feeling is'hot'. In this case, the score can be converted to 3.

The processor 51 of the central controller 50 may receive score information as feedback information from the terminal 100, and may map environment information and feedback information of the indoor unit to add to user information.

In this way, data of user information can be secured through the current environment and feedback information on the current environment, and through this, the user's preferred environment can be learned.

Meanwhile, depending on the embodiment, a plurality of users may be located in a building, and the control information for each of the plurality of users is different because the air conditioning environment preferred by the plurality of users is different, but the indoor unit closest to the terminals of the plurality of users It can be the same. For example, the indoor temperature preferred by the first user is 20 degrees Celsius, and the indoor temperature preferred by the second user is 22 degrees, but the indoor unit closest to the first user and the indoor unit closest to the second user may be the same. .

The processor 51 may obtain control information by assigning weights according to the distance between the indoor unit and the plurality of users when the air conditioning environment preferred by the plurality of users is different, but the indoor unit closest to the terminals of the plurality of users is the same. have.

Specifically, when an indoor unit closest to a plurality of user terminals is the same indoor unit, the processor 51 may compare a WiFi fingerprint received from each of the plurality of users with a WiFi fingerprint of the indoor unit. The processor 51 may obtain a terminal order close to the indoor unit in an order of having a Wi-Fi fingerprint similar to that of the indoor unit. The processor 51 may calculate average control information by assigning a higher weight to the control information according to the terminal as the terminal is closer to the indoor unit. The processor 51 may transmit a control signal including the calculated average control information to the indoor unit.

For example, when the processor 51 is the same as the indoor unit closest to the first terminal of the first user, the indoor unit closest to the second terminal of the second user, and the indoor unit closest to the third terminal of the third user, The order of terminals close to the indoor unit can be obtained. The processor 51 may obtain a terminal sequence indicating that the indoor unit and the first terminal are closest, then the second terminal is close, and then the third terminal is close. The processor 51 assigns a weight of 3 to a set temperature of 23 degrees as control information according to the first terminal, a weight of 2 to a set temperature of 20 degrees as control information according to the second terminal, and control information according to the third terminal. A weight of 1 can be given to the set temperature of 18 degrees. The processor 51 may calculate control information of a set temperature of 21.2 degrees through (23×3+20×2+18×1)/6 operation.

In this way, if the air conditioning environment preferred by the plurality of users is different, but the indoor unit closest to the plurality of users is the same, the air conditioning environment preferred by the plurality of users is not adjusted to one user through weighting. There are benefits that can be created.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment, when the indoor unit closest to the terminals of a plurality of users is the same indoor unit, the processor 51 acquires control information for providing an air conditioning environment preferred by the terminal closest to the indoor unit among the plurality of users. It can also be transmitted to the indoor unit.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but to explain the technical idea, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments.

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

Claims

It relates to a central controller for controlling a plurality of indoor units,

A storage unit for storing user information;

A communication unit that communicates with the terminal;

A location determination unit for acquiring an indoor unit closest to the terminal among the plurality of indoor units; And

Comprising a processor for acquiring control information for creating an air conditioning environment preferred by a user based on the user information, and transmitting a control signal including the control information to an indoor unit closest to the terminal

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

Acquire environmental information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal,

When receiving the user's preference information from the terminal, the user data obtained by mapping the environment information of the indoor unit and the preference information is stored as the user information.

Central controller.
The method of claim 2,

Environment information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal is

Including at least one of a current temperature, a set temperature, a current humidity, and a set humidity sensed by the indoor unit closest to the terminal

Central controller.
The method of claim 2,

The processor is

Receiving response information indicating whether the current environment is satisfied as the preference information

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

When the amount of data of the user information is less than the amount of reference data, a feedback request signal for requesting feedback information on the current environment is transmitted to the terminal,

Further including, in the user information, user data obtained by mapping environmental information of the indoor unit closest to the terminal and feedback information in response to the feedback request signal

Central controller.
The method of claim 5,

The processor is

Receiving score information on the current environment as the feedback information

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The storage unit

A fingerprint map that captures a Wi-Fi fingerprint at each installation location of the plurality of indoor units is further stored,

The processor is

Upon receiving the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal from the terminal, the Wi-Fi fingerprint of each of the plurality of indoor units included in the fingerprint map is compared with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal to obtain an indoor unit closest to the terminal.

Central controller.
The method of claim 7,

The processor is

Comparing the Wi-Fi fingerprint of each of the plurality of indoor units included in the fingerprint map with the Wi-Fi fingerprint of the terminal to obtain the current location of the terminal

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

Calculating the control information based on environment information of the indoor unit included in the user information and preference information mapped to the environment information of the indoor unit, and feedback information mapped to the environment information of the indoor unit and the environment information of the indoor unit.

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

Acquiring the indoor unit closest to the terminal at each setting period,

Re-acquiring the control information when the indoor unit closest to the terminal is changed

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

Acquiring the indoor unit closest to the terminal at each setting period,

When the indoor unit closest to the terminal changes, transmitting a signal for acquiring user preference information or feedback information to the terminal

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

Receiving current weather information from a server, and obtaining the control information based on the user information and the current weather information

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The control information is

Including at least one of the set temperature, wind speed, and wind direction of the indoor unit

Central controller.
The method of claim 1,

The processor is

If the amount of data of user information stored in the storage unit is greater than or equal to the amount of reference data, the control signal is transmitted to the indoor unit closest to the terminal,

When the amount of user information stored in the storage unit is less than the reference data amount, transmitting a feedback request signal for requesting feedback information on the current environment to the terminal

Central controller.
In an air conditioning system comprising at least one outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units, and a central controller,

The central controller is

A storage unit that stores user information,

A communication unit that communicates with the terminal,

A location determination unit for acquiring an indoor unit closest to the terminal among the plurality of indoor units, and

A processor that obtains control information based on the user information and transmits a control signal including the control information to an indoor unit closest to the terminal,

At least one of the plurality of indoor units

Received on the control signal and driven according to the received control signal

Air conditioning system.