US 10,871,301 B2Granted

Air conditioner and control method thereof

AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.

InventorsChulmin Park, Sangwoo Lee, Juntae Kim, Kwonhyung Lee

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Abstract

Disclosed is an air conditioner and a control method thereof, the air conditioner where a plurality of units is connected wirelessly to receive and transmit data with each other, and the control method in which an address is set in a wireless communication method using an initially set basic channel, a group is set in response to a response signal, and communication is performed with an indoor unit belonging into the same group through a new channel. Accordingly, the plurality of units in the air conditioner is able to receive and transmit data with each other wirelessly, and a group is set with respect to multiple units so that the multiple units are able to communicate with each other directly. Additionally, because a group is able to be easily set with respected to units connected via a pipe by setting a channel, it is possible to reduce a time for setting wireless communication and make the communication setting accurate. The present disclosure allows units to communicate using a different channel according to which group each unit belongs to, thereby preventing intervention between groups and malfunction of units.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An air conditioner comprising:

a plurality of outdoor units that includes a first outdoor unit;
and
a plurality of indoor units connected to one of the plurality of outdoor units via a refrigerant pipe,
wherein the first outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units is configured to:
wirelessly transmit an address setting signal to the plurality of indoor units using a first channel,
receive a response signal from at least one of the plurality of indoor units,
determine that a first indoor unit, from which the response signal is received from among the plurality of indoor units, is an indoor unit coupled to the first outdoor unit via the refrigerant pipe,
set a first group associated with the first indoor unit,
search for a second channel for the set first group,
allocate an address to the first indoor unit;
provide, to the first indoor unit, channel information regarding the second channel;
request a channel change of the first indoor unit to the second channel;
communicate, wirelessly through the second channel, with at least the first indoor unit associated with the first group;
and
transmit a setting completion signal to another outdoor unit which is in an idle state,
wherein a second outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units is configured to:
remain in the idle state during the first outdoor unit setting the first group,
when the completion signal is received at the second outdoor unit, start to operate, and
wirelessly transmit the address setting signal to the plurality of indoor units using the first channel.

16 more elements

A control method of an air conditioner having a plurality of outdoor units and a plurality of indoor units, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, by a first outdoor unit from among the plurality of outdoor units, an address setting signal to the plurality of indoor units using an initially set channel;
remaining, via a second outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units, in an idle state;
in response to the address setting signal, providing a response signal from a first indoor unit, from among the plurality of indoor units, to the first outdoor unit;
in response to the response signal, determining, by the first outdoor unit, that the first indoor unit is coupled to the first outdoor unit via a refrigerant pipe, and setting a first group associated with the first indoor unit;
searching, by the first outdoor unit, for a new channel for the set first group;
allocating an address to the first indoor unit;
providing channel information regarding the new channel and requesting the first indoor unit to change to the new channel;
the first outdoor unit communicating, through the new channel, with the first indoor unit associated with the first group;
transmitting a setting completion signal to another unit including the second outdoor unit which is in the idle state;
starting to operate, by the second outdoor unit, from among the plurality of outdoor units using the initially set channel;
and
wirelessly providing, by the second outdoor unit, an address setting signal to another plurality of indoor units using the initially set channel.

9 more elements

A control method of an air conditioner having a plurality of outdoor units and a plurality of indoor units, comprising:

providing an address setting signal from a first outdoor unit to the plurality of indoor units using a first channel;
remaining, via a second outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units, in an idle state;
in response to receiving the address setting signal, providing a response signal from a first indoor unit, from among the plurality of indoor units, to the first outdoor unit;
in response to receiving the response signal, determining, by the first outdoor unit, that the first indoor unit is coupled to the first outdoor unit via a refrigerant pipe, and setting a first group associated with the first indoor unit based on the determination;
searching for a second channel;
allocating an address to the first indoor unit;
providing channel information regarding the second channel and requesting the first indoor unit to change to the second channel;
the first outdoor unit communicating, through the second channel, with the first indoor unit associated with the first group;
transmitting a setting completion signal from the first outdoor unit to another outdoor unit including the second outdoor unit which is in the idle state;
operating the second outdoor unit from among the plurality of outdoor units;
and
providing an address setting signal from the second outdoor unit to another plurality of indoor units using the first channel.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/862,825Filed 5 Jan 2018
Priority: KR 10-2017-00020585 Jan 2017
Published: US 2018/0202682 A119 Jul 2018
Granted: 22 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

F24F 11/56
Characterised by user interfaces or communication: remote control
F16C 32/0442
Active magnetic bearings: with devices affected by abnormal, undesired or non-standard conditions such as shock-load, power outage, start-up or…
F16C 32/0444
Active magnetic bearings: details of devices to control the actuation of the electromagnets
F16C 32/0451
Details of devices to control the actuation of the electromagnets: details of controllers, i.e. the units determining the power to be supplied,…

Family

US 2018/0202682 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Jul 2018
US 10,871,301 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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