KR20010019126A - Method for controlling operations of an air conditioner according to selected operation mode and function pattern - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for controlling an operation of an air conditioner is provided to perform various operations according to an indoor environment or a user's desire by arranging various types of functional patterns. CONSTITUTION: Specific values are set about a temperature, an airflow and a wind direction. Selectable plural operation modes are arranged. Plural functional patterns to change the set values are arranged. Each component of an air conditioner is controlled according to the temperature, the airflow and the wind direction corresponding to the selected operation mode and the functional pattern. The operation modes contain a cooling mode, a heating mode, an automatic mode and a sleeping mode. The functional patterns contain a health pattern, a fast pattern, a power-saving pattern and a noise-reducing pattern.

Description

Method for controlling operations of an air conditioner according to selected operation mode and function pattern}

The present invention relates to an operation control method of an air conditioner, and more particularly, by adding various functional patterns selectable to each operation mode selected by a user, the operation state can be changed in various ways according to the indoor environment. The present invention relates to a control method of an air conditioner.

1 illustrates an indoor unit of a general air conditioning and air conditioning apparatus, and FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic refrigerant cycle of the air conditioning apparatus. Typically, the air conditioner has an indoor unit 40 installed indoors and an outdoor unit (not shown) installed outdoors. The front part of the indoor unit 40 is provided with the operation part 60 for operating the operation state of an air conditioning apparatus. The operation unit 60 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons for setting the operation mode of the air conditioner, the room temperature desired by the user, the operation time of the air conditioner, and the like. The louver 55 for discharging cold or warm air is provided in the upper part of the indoor unit 40. The louver 55 is provided with a plurality of blades 50 to adjust the discharge direction of the air discharged through the louver (55). Blade 50 is the angle is adjusted by a separate blade drive motor (not shown).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the air conditioner includes a refrigerant cycle including a compressor 11 for compressing a refrigerant and first and second heat exchangers 21 and 22 for exchanging heat with the refrigerant. The first heat exchanger 21 is installed indoors and the second heat exchanger 22 is installed outdoors. Further, the first and second blower fans 31 and 32 are attached to the first and second heat exchangers 21 and 22, respectively.

In the cooling operation, the compressor 11 compresses the refrigerant, and the compressed refrigerant is sent to the second heat exchanger 22. The second blower fan 32 blows toward the second heat exchanger 22, whereby heat of the compressed refrigerant supplied to the second heat exchanger 22 is discharged to the outside to condense the refrigerant. The condensed refrigerant is supplied to the first heat exchanger 21 and evaporated in the first heat exchanger 21. At this time, cool air is generated around the first heat exchanger 21 by evaporation of the coolant, and the generated cool air is blown by the first blower fan 31. Accordingly, the cool air is supplied to the room to perform the cooling operation. The evaporated refrigerant is circulated back to the compressor (11).

In the heating operation, the compressor 11 compresses the refrigerant, and the compressed refrigerant is sent to the first heat exchanger 21. The first blower fan 31 blows toward the first heat exchanger 21, whereby the heat of the compressed refrigerant is supplied to the room to perform the heating operation. The refrigerant condensed in the first heat exchanger 21 is supplied to the second heat exchanger 22 and evaporated in the second heat exchanger 22. The evaporated refrigerant is circulated back to the compressor (11).

The operation mode used in the above-described air conditioning and air conditioning equipment is generally classified into three types, namely, a cooling mode, a heating mode, and an automatic mode. If the user selects the cooling mode, the cooling operation is performed, if the heating mode is selected, the heating operation is performed. At this time, the user selects the desired room temperature together with the cooling mode or the heating mode. In addition, when the user selects the automatic mode, the air conditioner performs the cooling operation or the heating operation so that the room temperature maintains a predetermined temperature (eg, 24 ° C. to 26 ° C.). Therefore, the air conditioner measures the temperature of the room, and automatically performs the heating operation when the temperature of the room is lower than this temperature and the cooling operation when the room temperature is high.

However, in the conventional air conditioner, the user can simply set a few operating modes, namely, cooling or heating operation and a desired temperature, thereby actively meeting various environments and various needs of the user where the air conditioner is installed. The disadvantage is that it can't be.

That is, the user may want fast cooling or heating operation, or may want low speed cooling or heating operation in consideration of adverse health effects that may occur when the cooling or heating operation is performed at an excessively high intensity. In addition, even if the heating and cooling operation is performed somewhat slowly, you may want as little power consumption as possible, or you may want to minimize the noise generated during the operation of air conditioning equipment. For example, if the user changes only the cooling temperature in a room with a certain amount of cooling, the user may select cooling with less power consumption than high speed cooling, and if the user returns home immediately after going out, he wants to cool more quickly than power saving or low noise. will be. However, the air conditioner that can only set the operation mode as in the prior art will not meet the various needs of the user.

An object of the present invention, in consideration of the above-described conventional problems, in addition to the plurality of operation modes as described above to perform various additional functions such as a rapid cooling function, power saving function, noise reduction function, etc. when operating under each operation mode. By providing a variety of functional patterns that can be, to provide an operation control method of the air conditioner that can perform a variety of operations according to the indoor environment or the user's desire.

1 is a perspective view showing an indoor unit of a general air conditioner,

2 is a view showing a schematic refrigerant cycle of the air conditioner,

3 is a block diagram of a control device of an air conditioner for performing the operation control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of controlling the operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

11: compressor 21, 22: heat exchanger

31, 32: blower fan 40: indoor unit

50: blade 60: control panel

61: operation mode selection unit 62: function pattern selection unit

63: temperature setting unit 70: microcomputer

The object is, according to the present invention, providing a plurality of operation modes and a plurality of functional patterns selectable by the user; And controlling each part of the air conditioner according to the set values for the temperature, the air volume, and the wind direction corresponding to the combination of the selected operation mode and the function pattern.

The operation mode has predetermined values for temperature, air volume and wind direction, respectively. The function pattern is selected by the user separately from the operation mode, and changes the set values in each operation mode.

The operation mode is composed of cooling mode, heating mode, automatic mode and sleep mode. The cooling operation is performed in the cooling mode, and the heating operation is performed in the heating mode. In the automatic mode, the cooling operation and the heating operation required to keep the room temperature in a predetermined temperature range are automatically performed. In the sleep mode, the cooling operation and heating operation necessary to maintain the proper temperature range for the surface of the water are automatically performed.

The functional pattern is composed of standard pattern, health pattern, rapid pattern, power saving pattern, and silent pattern. The standard pattern has standard settings for temperature, air volume and wind direction in each operation mode. The health pattern has a setting value in which each standard set value is added or subtracted so that the intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation is slightly lower than the selection of the standard pattern, and the rapid pattern has a slightly higher intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation than the selection of the standard pattern. Each component is controlled to minimize power consumption in each operation mode in the power saving pattern, and each component is controlled to reduce noise generated during operation in the silent pattern. .

According to the present invention, since the air conditioner is controlled in various operating states by the combination of the selected operation mode and the function pattern, there is an advantage that it can meet various environments of the room in which the air conditioner is installed and the desires of the user.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described the present invention in more detail. The present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 showing a general air conditioner, and the same parts as in the conventional air conditioner are denoted by the same reference numerals.

3 is a block diagram of a control device of an air conditioner for performing the operation control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The air conditioner has a microcomputer 70 for controlling the overall operation, an operation unit 60 for setting the operation state of the air conditioner, and a memory 69 for storing specific information according to the set operation state. The operation state input from the operation unit 60 is input to the microcomputer 70. The microcomputer 70 controls the operation of the compressor 11 through the compressor driving circuit 17, controls the driving of the blowing fans 31 and 32 through the blowing fan driving circuit 37, and the blade driving circuit 57. Control the position of the braid (50) through.

The operation unit 60 has an operation mode selector 61, a function pattern selector 62, a temperature selector 63, and the like. The user selects an operation mode through the operation mode selector 61, and the user selects a function pattern through the function pattern selector 62. The operation mode is a basic mode related to the air conditioning and heating operation of the air conditioner, and the functional patterns are patterns for realizing various operation states by changing the setting values for temperature, air volume, and wind direction in each operation mode little by little. In addition, through the temperature selection unit 63, the user sets the desired room temperature when performing the cooling mode or the heating mode.

The set values for temperature, air volume and wind direction corresponding to the combination of the operation mode and the function pattern selected by the user are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Standard pattern Health pattern Rapid pattern Power saving pattern Static pattern Auto mode Temperature holding range: 24 ° C to 26 ° C Cooling: Airflow ↓ / temperature ↑ Heating: Airflow ↓ / temperature ↓ Cooling: Airflow ↑ / temperature ↓ Heating: Airflow ↑ / temperature ↑ Reduced compressor run time ratio Reduced air volume Cooling mode Temperature setting range: 18 ° C to 30 ° C and 0 ° C <Ts <1 ° C Temperature setting range: 18 ° C to 30 ° C and 1 ° C <Ts <2 ° C Temperature setting range: 18 ° C to 30 ° C-1 ° C <Ts <0 ° C 0 ° C <Ts <1 ° C Same as above Heating mode Temperature range: 16 ° C to 30 ° C and 3 ° C <Ts <5 ° C Temperature range: 16 ° C to 30 ° C 2 ° C <Ts <4 ° C Temperature setting range: 16 ° C to 30 ° C and 4 ° C <Ts <6 ° C 3 ℃ <Ts <5 ℃ Same as above Sleep mode Cooling: Up to 2 times at 1 ℃ every 1 hour Heating: Down to 6 times at 1 ℃ every 1 hour Left east Left east Left east Left east

As shown in Table 1, the operation mode is composed of an automatic mode, a cooling mode, a heating mode and a sleep mode. The operation mode provides basic modes relating to the cooling operation or the heating operation performed by the air conditioner.

The cooling operation is performed in the cooling mode, and the heating operation is performed in the heating mode. If the user selects the cooling or heating mode, the user must enter the desired temperature to be maintained by the cooling or heating operation.

In the automatic mode, the cooling and heating operations necessary for maintaining the room temperature in a predetermined temperature range are automatically performed. At this time, this predetermined temperature range is not selected by the user, but is input to the memory 69 in advance. Preferably it is set to 24 ° C to 26 ° C as shown in Table 1.

In sleep mode, the cooling and heating operations required to maintain the proper temperature range for sleep are automatically performed. At this time, the appropriate temperature range is not selected by the user, and the temperature which has been previously input into the memory 69 or set at the time of the sleep mode selection is automatically set. In the sleep mode, as shown in Table 1, in the cooling operation, the set temperature is increased twice by 1 ° C every hour during the cooling operation, and the set temperature is lowered twice by 1 ° C every hour during the heating operation. Therefore, in the sleep mode, the intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation is gradually lowered. Thereafter, the air conditioner is stopped after the cooling or heating operation is performed for 6 hours.

Each operation mode has predetermined settings for temperature, air volume, and wind direction. For example, the setting value regarding the temperature in the automatic mode is 24 ° C to 26 ° C as described above. Moreover, the temperature range which can be set in a cooling mode is 18 degreeC-30 degreeC, and the value set by a user in this range becomes a setting value regarding the temperature in a cooling mode.

The functional pattern is composed of standard pattern, health pattern, rapid pattern, power saving pattern, and silent pattern. Each function pattern functions to change the set values in each operation mode by a predetermined amount.

The standard pattern is a basic functional pattern in each operation mode, and has standard setting values for temperature, air volume, and wind direction in each operation mode. For example, as described above, the temperature range that can be set by the user in the cooling mode is 18 ° C to 30 ° C. If the user selects 25 ° C, the standard setting for the temperature in the cooling mode is 25 ° C.

The health pattern is a pattern for operating the air conditioner so that the indoor temperature is gradually changed in order to prevent adverse effects on the human body that may occur when a sudden indoor temperature changes. The health pattern has a setting value obtained by subtracting each of the standard setting values by a predetermined amount so that the intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation becomes slightly lower than when the standard pattern is selected. Therefore, at the time of selecting the health pattern, the air volume decreases, and the temperature is lowered relative to the set temperature in the heating operation and upwardly compared to the set temperature in the cooling operation.

Rapid pattern is a functional pattern for quickly changing the temperature of the room to the temperature desired by the user. The rapid pattern has a set value obtained by subtracting each of the standard set values by a predetermined amount so that the intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation is slightly higher than when the standard pattern is selected. Therefore, when the rapid pattern is selected, the air volume increases, and the temperature is adjusted upwardly to the set temperature in the heating operation and downwardly to the set temperature in the cooling operation.

In order to quickly change the temperature of the room to the temperature desired by the user in the rapid pattern, each component of the air conditioner, that is, the compressor 11, the blower fan 31, and the blade 50 must be appropriately adjusted accordingly. Therefore, the microcomputer 70 increases the power supplied to the compressor 11 and the blowing fan 31 by a predetermined amount, and moves the blade 50 to a position where the wind speed of the air discharged through the louver 55 is maximized. Fix it. Preferably, the microcomputer 70 increases the power supplied to the compressor 11 and the blowing fan 31 by 20 percent with respect to the rated power, respectively, and the blade 50 is positioned at the position where the louver 55 has the greatest degree of opening. ).

The power saving pattern is a functional pattern that allows the air conditioner to consume the least amount of power. In the power saving pattern, the components are controlled to minimize the power consumption in each operation mode, and in particular, the operation rate of the compressor 11 which occupies the largest portion of the power consumption is reduced. That is, the ratio of the time that the compressor 11 is operated in the total air conditioner operating time is reduced. Therefore, the speed of cooling and heating operation is slightly reduced, but the overall power consumption is reduced.

The silent pattern is a functional pattern that causes the air conditioner to generate the least noise. In the silent pattern, the respective components are controlled to reduce noise generated during operation, and in particular, the rotational speed of the first blowing fan 31, which occupies the largest portion of the noise generated in the room, is reduced. Thus, noise in the room is reduced.

In Table 1, the wind direction is not described, but in the standard pattern, the wind direction is continuously changed by continuously rotating the blade, and in the other pattern, the blade is fixed to allow air or hot air to be blown in a predetermined direction. At this time, it is preferable that the air is discharged upward in the health pattern, and the blade is positioned in the rapid pattern, the power saving pattern, and the silent pattern at the position where the discharge wind speed is greatest, that is, the opening degree of the discharged part is the largest. The setting value for the wind direction in each functional pattern is determined in this manner.

Ts symbol shown in Table 1 is a temperature range for starting and stopping the operation of the compressor, and indicates the range of the difference between the room temperature set by the user and the actual room temperature measured using a temperature sensor. For example, if the user selects the heating mode and the standard pattern and sets the temperature to 20 ° C, the range of Ts is 3 ° C to 5 ° C, so that the ON / OFF operation of the compressor 11 is in the range of 23 ° C to 25 ° C. Will be performed. Therefore, when the measured room temperature reaches 23 ° C., the compressor 11 is turned on to perform the heating operation. When the measured room temperature reaches 25 ° C., the compressor 11 is turned off to stop the heating operation. As another example, if the user selects the cooling mode and the rapid pattern and sets the temperature to 25 ° C., the range of Ts is −1 ° C. to 0 ° C., and thus the compressor 11 is turned on when the measured room temperature reaches 24 ° C. The cooling operation is stopped by turning off, and when the measured room temperature reaches 25 ° C., the compressor 11 is turned on to resume the cooling operation.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control process of an air conditioner based on data on temperature, air volume, and wind direction provided as shown in Table 1. Referring to FIG.

First, the user operates the operation mode selection unit 61 in the operation unit 60 to input a desired operation mode (S1). If the operation mode is not input, the microcomputer 70 assumes that the automatic mode is set (S2). Then, the user operates the function pattern selection unit 62 to input a desired function pattern (S3). If the function pattern is not input, the microcomputer 70 assumes that the standard pattern is set (S4). In this embodiment, the automatic mode and the standard pattern are automatically set when the user does not input the operation mode and the function pattern. Alternatively, the operation mode and the function pattern set by the user are automatically selected. You may be able to.

The microcomputer 70 determines whether the operation mode selected by the user is a heating mode or a cooling mode (S5). In the mode where the user does not need to set the temperature, such as the automatic mode, the user does not need to perform a separate temperature setting operation. In the mode in which the user needs to set the temperature, such as heating or cooling mode, the user selects the temperature selection unit (63). A step S6 of inputting a desired room temperature is added through).

The microcomputer 70 reads setting values corresponding to the combination of the operation mode and the function pattern from the memory 69 (S7). These settings include data about the air volume, the wind direction, and the temperature selected by the user (when the heating mode or the cooling mode is selected) or preset (when the automatic mode or the sleep mode is selected). The microcomputer 70 controls the respective components of the air conditioner such as the compressor, the blowing fan 31, the blade 50 and the like according to this data (S8). Accordingly, the control of the air conditioner according to the operation mode and the function pattern selected by the user is performed.

In the present exemplary embodiment, four operating modes and five functional patterns are provided, but the number of operation modes and the number and type of functional patterns may be variously modified. For example, only the standard pattern and the health pattern may be provided as the functional pattern, or only the standard pattern and the rapid pattern may be provided. Such a deformation may be determined in consideration of characteristics of each product and user demand.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the air conditioner can be controlled in various operation states by a combination thereof by selecting an operation mode and a function pattern according to various environments in a room where the air conditioner is installed and the user's desires.

Claims (9)

In the control method of the air conditioner, Providing a plurality of operation modes for cooling and heating operation selectable by a user, each having a predetermined setting for temperature, air volume, and wind direction; Changing the set values in each of the operation modes, and providing a plurality of function patterns selected by a user separately from the operation mode; And An air conditioning apparatus including a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a blowing fan for blowing cold air, and a blade for adjusting a blowing direction of cold air according to a set value for a temperature, an air volume, and a wind direction corresponding to a combination of the selected operation mode and the function pattern. And controlling each component of the air conditioner. The method of claim 1, The operation mode is, A cooling mode for performing a cooling operation; Heating mode for performing heating operation; An automatic mode for automatically performing cooling and heating operations necessary to maintain a room temperature within a predetermined temperature range; And And a sleep mode for automatically performing cooling and heating operations necessary to maintain an appropriate temperature range on the surface of the water. The method of claim 2, And a set value relating to the temperature in the sleep mode is increased by a predetermined amount every predetermined time during the cooling operation and is lowered by a predetermined amount every predetermined time during the heating operation. The method of claim 1, The function pattern is, A standard pattern having standard settings for temperature, air volume, and wind direction in each of the operation modes; And And a health pattern having a set value obtained by subtracting each of the standard set values by a predetermined amount such that the intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation is slightly lower than when the standard pattern is selected. The method of claim 1, The function pattern is, A standard pattern having standard settings for temperature, air volume, and wind direction in each of the operation modes; And And a rapid pattern having a set value obtained by subtracting each of the standard set values by a predetermined amount such that the intensity of the cooling operation and the heating operation is slightly higher than when the standard pattern is selected. The method of claim 5, When the rapid pattern is selected, the power supplied to the compressor and the blower fan is controlled to be increased by a predetermined amount, respectively, and the blades are controlled to maximize the wind speed of the discharged air. The method according to claim 4 or 5, The function pattern is, A power saving pattern for controlling each component to minimize power usage in each operation mode; And The control method of the air conditioner further comprises a silent pattern for controlling each component so that the noise generated during operation is reduced. The method of claim 7, wherein And in the power saving pattern, the ratio of the operating time of the compressor is reduced than in the standard pattern. The method of claim 7, wherein The control method of the air conditioner, characterized in that in the silent pattern, the rotational speed of the blowing fan is reduced than in the standard pattern.