# US 12,181,168 B2 · Air conditioner and control method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,181,168 B2 - Document ID: US12181168B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/006,142 - Filed: 2020-08-28 - Published: 2021-03-04 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-30 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Jongwon Bak; Taeil Kim; Hyunkook Kim; Sangyoon Han; Changhee Han; Jejin Lee; Byoungguk Lim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181168B2 ## CPC - F24F 11/77: by controlling the speed of ventilators - F24F 11/86: by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits - F24F 1/0003: characterised by a split arrangement, wherein parts of the air-conditioning system, e.g. evaporator and condenser, are in separately located units - F24F 1/0063: by the mounting or arrangement of the heat exchangers - F24F 1/10: Arrangement or mounting thereof - F24F 1/16: Arrangement or mounting thereof - F24F 1/32: for connecting the separate outdoor units to indoor units - F24F 13/30: Arrangement or mounting of heat-exchangers - F25B 13/00: Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) - F25B 49/02: for compression type machines, plants or systems - F24F 11/46: Improving electric energy efficiency or saving - F24F 2110/12: of the outside air - F24F 2140/12: Heat-exchange fluid pressure - F24F 2140/20: Heat-exchange fluid temperature - F25B 2313/0294: related to the outdoor fan, e.g. controlling speed - F25B 2700/1931: Discharge pressures - F25B 2700/1933: Suction pressures - Y02B 30/70: Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating - F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02) - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract An air conditioner and control method for reducing power consumption by controlling pressure or temperature of a refrigerant. The air conditioner includes a compressor compressing a refrigerant and discharging a high pressure refrigerant gas; an outdoor heat exchanger in which the high pressure refrigerant gas is changed to a refrigerant fluid; an outdoor fan to blow outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger; a decompressor decompressing the refrigerant fluid into a low pressure state; an indoor heat exchanger changing the decompressed low pressure refrigerant fluid to a refrigerant gas; and a controller configured to control pressure or temperature of the refrigerant based on an operation condition including at least two of a first condition determined based on an installation environment, a second condition determined based on an optimal compression ratio of the compressor, a third condition determined based on outdoor temperature, and a fourth condition set as a default value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air conditioner comprising: a compressor configured to compress refrigerant and to thereby discharge high pressure refrigerant gas; an outdoor heat exchanger in which the high pressure refrigerant gas is changed to refrigerant fluid; an outdoor fan configured to blow outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger; a decompressor configured to decompress the refrigerant fluid into a low pressure state; an indoor heat exchanger in which the refrigerant in the low pressure state is changed to refrigerant gas; and a controller configured to control a pressure of the refrigerant or a temperature of the refrigerant based on operation conditions including: a first condition that is based on an installation environment of the air conditioner, a second condition that is based on an optimal compression ratio of the compressor, a third condition that is based on an outdoor temperature, and a fourth condition that is based on a default temperature of the refrigerant or a default pressure of the refrigerant, wherein the first condition that is determined based on the installation environment of the air conditioner includes at least one of a length of a connection pipe connecting an indoor unit to an outdoor unit or a difference in pressure level between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the first condition includes a first pressure of the refrigerant or a first temperature of the refrigerant determined based on the installation environment of the air conditioner, the second condition includes a second pressure of the refrigerant or a second temperature of the refrigerant determined based on the optimal compression ratio of the compressor, and the third condition includes a third pressure of the refrigerant or a third temperature of the refrigerant determined based on the outdoor temperature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to set a target pressure of the refrigerant or a target temperature of the refrigerant and, based on the target pressure of the refrigerant or the target temperature of the refrigerant, control a high pressure of the refrigerant or a condensation temperature of the refrigerant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the outdoor fan to control the pressure of the refrigerant or the temperature of the refrigerant. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The air conditioner of claim 4, further comprising: an outdoor fan motor configured to provide a rotational force to the outdoor fan, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal to the outdoor fan motor to control the number of revolutions of the outdoor fan based on the operation condition. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The air conditioner of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal to the outdoor fan motor to increase the number of revolutions of the outdoor fan while a current pressure of the refrigerant or the temperature of the refrigerant is higher than a highest value of the operation condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The air conditioner of claim 6, further comprising: a high pressure sensor measuring the current pressure of the refrigerant, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal to the outdoor fan motor to increase the number of revolutions of the outdoor fan while the pressure of the refrigerant measured by the high pressure sensor is higher than the highest value of the operation condition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The air conditioner of claim 6, further comprising: a refrigerant temperature sensor measuring temperature of the refrigerant passing the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the controller is configured to obtain the current pressure of the refrigerant based on the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The air conditioner of claim 6, further comprising: a refrigerant temperature sensor measuring temperature of the refrigerant passing the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal to the outdoor fan motor to increase the number of revolutions of the outdoor fan while the temperature of the refrigerant measured by the refrigerant temperature sensor is higher than the highest value of the operation condition. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the second condition that is based on the optimal compression ratio of the compressor is determined based on a minimum compression ratio defining an optimal compression ratio of the compressor and a low pressure value of the refrigerant. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The air conditioner of claim 10, wherein the second condition that is based on the optimal compression ratio of the compressor is determined based on a value obtained by adding a compensation coefficient to the minimum compression ratio and the low pressure value of the refrigerant. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The air conditioner of claim 10, wherein the second condition that is based on the optimal compression ratio of the compressor is determined by adding a compensation coefficient to a minimum high pressure determined based on the minimum compression ratio and the low pressure value of the refrigerant. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the third condition that is based on the outdoor temperature is determined by adding a compensation coefficient to a saturation pressure corresponding to the outdoor temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the third condition that is based on the outdoor temperature is determined based on a saturation pressure corresponding to a temperature obtained by adding a compensation coefficient to the outdoor temperature. ### Claim 15 A control method of an air conditioner including a compressor configured to compress refrigerant and thereby discharge high pressure refrigerant gas, an outdoor heat exchanger in which the high pressure refrigerant gas is changed to refrigerant fluid, and an outdoor fan configured to blow outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger, the control method comprising: determining an operation condition based on operation conditions including: a first condition that is based on an installation environment of the air conditioner, a second condition that is based on an optimal compression ratio of the compressor, a third condition that is based on an outdoor temperature, and a fourth condition that is based on a default temperature of the refrigerant or a default pressure of the refrigerant; setting a highest value of the operation condition to be a target condition; and controlling a pressure of the refrigerant or a temperature of the refrigerant based on the target condition, wherein the first condition that is determined based on the installation environment of the air conditioner includes at least one of a length of a connection pipe connecting an indoor unit to an outdoor unit or a difference in pressure level between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The control method of claim 15, wherein the controlling of the pressure of the refrigerant includes obtaining a current pressure of the refrigerant; and controlling the outdoor fan based on the current pressure of the refrigerant and the target condition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The control method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the outdoor fan includes increasing the number of revolutions of the outdoor fan while the current pressure of the refrigerant is higher than the target condition. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The control method of claim 16, wherein the obtaining of the current pressure of the refrigerant includes measuring the current pressure of the refrigerant using a pressure sensor provided between the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger. ### Claim 19 An air conditioner comprising: an outdoor unit including a compressor; an indoor unit including a decompressor, wherein the outdoor unit is coupled to the indoor unit so that the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit to be compressed by the compressor to a high pressure refrigerant gas and decompressed by the decompressor into a low pressure fluid; and a controller configured to control a pressure of the refrigerant or a temperature of the refrigerant based on operation conditions including: a first condition that is based on an installation environment of the air conditioner, a second condition that is based on an optimal compression ratio of the compressor, a third condition that is based on an outdoor temperature, and a fourth condition that is based on a default temperature of the refrigerant or a default pressure of the refrigerant, wherein the first condition that is determined based on the installation environment of the air conditioner includes at least one of a length of a connection pipe connecting an indoor unit to an outdoor unit or a difference in pressure level between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.