# US 2014/0360212 A1 · Air conditioner and method of controlling the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0360212 A1 - Document ID: US20140360212A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/141,629 - Filed: 2013-12-27 - Published: 2014-12-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-10 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hyun Jin BAE; Hyoung Seo Choi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140360212A1 ## CPC - F25B 49/02: for compression type machines, plants or systems - F24F 1/005: mounted on the floor; standing on the floor - F24F 1/0059: characterised by heat exchangers - F24F 11/77: by controlling the speed of ventilators - F24F 11/83: by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers - F24F 11/84: using valves - F25B 2313/0293: related to the indoor fan, e.g. controlling speed - F25B 2500/19: Calculation of parameters - F25B 2600/11: Fan speed control - F25B 2600/112: of evaporator fans - F25B 2600/2513: Expansion valves - F25B 2700/04: Refrigerant level - F25B 2700/171: of the compressor - F25B 2700/2104: of an indoor room or compartment - F25B 2700/2106: of fresh outdoor air - Y02B 30/70: Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS - 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) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A method of controlling an air conditioner including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an indoor unit, includes detecting an indoor temperature and an outdoor temperature and checking an indoor load and an outdoor load when an operation command is input, determining an operation frequency of the compressor and a degree of opening of the expansion valve based on the checked indoor load and the outdoor load, driving the compressor at the determined operation frequency and opening the expansion valve to the determined degree of opening, thereby supplying a refrigerant to an indoor heat exchanger having a first cooling panel and a second cooling panel disposed parallel to each other, controlling a rate of rotation of each of the indoor fans based on the operation frequency of the compressor and the degree of opening of the expansion valve. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air conditioner including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an indoor unit, wherein the indoor unit comprises: an indoor heat exchanger comprising a first cooling panel, and a second cooling panel disposed parallel with the first cooling panel and connected to a refrigerant outflow port of the first cooling panel to receive a refrigerant supplied from the first cooling panel; a plurality of indoor fans disposed adjacent to the first cooling panel of the indoor heat exchanger and arranged at different positions; and a controller to estimate an amount of the refrigerant based on an operation frequency of the compressor and a degree of opening of the expansion valve and to control a rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans based on the estimated amount of the refrigerant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the indoor unit further comprises a housing to accommodate the indoor heat exchanger and the plurality of indoor fans, and wherein the first cooling panel and second cooling panel of the indoor heat exchanger are vertically disposed in the housing such that the refrigerant moves in the first cooling panel in a first vertical direction and moves in the second cooling panel in a second vertical direction opposite to the first vertical direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans are disposed to face the first cooling panel and arranged at different positions having different heights. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls the rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans such that the rate of rotation of a first fan among the plurality of indoor fans disposed at a refrigerant inflow port of the first cooling panel is higher than the rate of rotation of a second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans disposed at the refrigerant outflow port of the first cooling panel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the controller increases difference between the respective rates of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor units in proportion to an increase in a shortage in the amount of the refrigerant. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The air conditioner according to claim 3, further comprising an input to receive an operation mode input thereto, wherein the controller checks a reference rate of rotation of the indoor fans corresponding to the input operation mode, controls one indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans disposed at an upper position of the indoor heat exchanger to rotate at the checked reference rate of rotation, and controls rotation of other indoor fans among the plurality of indoor fans such that each of the other indoor fans disposed at a lower position of the indoor heat exchanger rotates at a rate of rotation increased from the reference rate of rotation by a predetermined rate of rotation. ### Claim 7 An air conditioner comprising: a variable capacity compressor; an expansion valve to adjust a flow rate of a refrigerant discharged from the compressor; an outdoor temperature detector to detect a temperature of an outdoor space; an indoor temperature detector to detect a temperature of an indoor space; an indoor heat exchanger comprising a first cooling panel, and a second cooling panel disposed parallel with the first cooling panel and connected to a refrigerant outflow port of the first cooling panel to receive a refrigerant supplied from the first cooling panel; a plurality of indoor fans disposed adjacent to the first cooling panel of the indoor heat exchanger and arranged at different positions; and a controller to determine an operation frequency of the compressor and a degree of opening of the expansion valve based on an outdoor load corresponding to the temperature of the outdoor space and an indoor load corresponding to the temperature of the indoor space and to independently control a rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans based on the operation frequency of the compressor and the degree of opening of the expansion valve. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein: the first cooling panel comprises a plurality of tubes arranged at constant intervals and allowing the refrigerant to simultaneously flow therethrough; the second cooling panel comprises a plurality of tubes arranged at constant intervals and allowing the refrigerant to simultaneously flow therethrough; and a flow direction of the refrigerant in the tubes of the first cooling panel is different from a flow direction of the refrigerant in the tubes of the second cooling panel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the indoor heat exchanger further comprises a header to connect the refrigerant outflow port of the first cooling panel to a refrigerant inflow port of the second cooling panel, wherein the tubes of the second cooling panel receive the refrigerant transferred from the tubes of the first cooling panel via the header. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the first cooling panel and the second cooling panel are vertically disposed and arranged on front and rear surfaces of a housing to be parallel with each other, such that the refrigerant flowing in the first cooling panel on the front surface moves from a lower side of the first cooling panel to an upper side of the first cooling panel, and the refrigerant flowing in the second cooling panel or the rear surface moves from an upper side of the second panel to a lower side of the second panel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein the controller compares the operation frequency of the compressor with a predetermined first reference frequency and a predetermined second reference frequency, and compares the degree of opening of the expansion valve with a predetermined degree of opening to determine the respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The air conditioner according to claim 11, wherein, upon determining that the amount of the refrigerant is a normal amount, the controller controls the respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans to be equal to each other. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The air conditioner according to claim 10, further comprising an input to receive an operation mode input thereto, wherein the controller checks the flow rate of the refrigerant corresponding to the input operation mode, checks a reference rate of rotation corresponding to the checked flow rate of the refrigerant, sets the checked reference rate of rotation as a rate of rotation of an uppermost indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans, and controls the other indoor fans among the plurality of indoor fans based on the checked reference rate of rotation such that each of the other indoor fans among the plurality of indoor fans has an increased rate of rotation. ### Claim 14 A method of controlling an air conditioner including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an indoor unit, the method comprising: detecting an indoor temperature and an outdoor temperature and checking an indoor load and an outdoor load when an operation command is input; determining an operation frequency of the compressor and a degree of opening of the expansion valve based on the checked indoor load and the outdoor load; driving the compressor at the determined operation frequency and opening the expansion valve to the determined degree of opening, thereby supplying a refrigerant to an indoor heat exchanger having a first cooling panel and a second cooling panel disposed parallel to each other; and controlling a respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among a plurality of indoor fans based on the operation frequency of the compressor and the degree of opening of the expansion valve. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the controlling comprises: adjusting the respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans disposed adjacent to the first cooling panel of the indoor heat exchanger and arranged at different positions, according to the respective position of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans; and rotating each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans at the respective adjusted rate of rotation. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, further comprising: checking a reference rate of rotation corresponding to an operation mode when the operation mode is input; and controlling the respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans based on the checked reference rate of rotation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the controlling comprises: determining whether the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds a first reference frequency; determining whether the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds a predetermined degree of opening upon determining that the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds the first reference frequency; and rotating a first indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans located at an uppermost position of the different positions at the reference rate of rotation, a second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans located at a middle position of the different positions at a rate of rotation higher than the reference rate of rotation and a third indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans located at a lowermost position of the different positions at a rate of rotation higher than the rate of rotation of the second indoor fan, upon determining that the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds the predetermined degree of opening. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the controlling of the rate of rotation of each of the indoor fans comprises: rotating the first indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans at the reference rate of rotation upon determining that the degree of opening of the expansion valve is equal to or lower than the predetermined degree of opening; rotating the second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans at a rate of rotation higher than the reference rate of rotation, and lower than the rate of rotation of the second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans given when the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds the predetermined degree of opening; and rotating the third indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans at a rate of rotation higher than the rate of rotation of the second indoor fan, and lower than the rate of rotation of the third indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans given when the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds the predetermined degree of opening. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein: controlling the rate of rotation of the first indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans comprises controlling a rate of rotation of the first indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans to be lower than the rate of rotation of the first indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans given when the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds the first reference frequency, when the operation frequency of the compressor is equal to or higher than a second reference frequency and is equal to or lower than the first reference frequency; controlling the rate of rotation of the second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans comprises controlling a rate of rotation of the second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans to be lower than the rate of rotation of the second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans given when the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds the first reference frequency, when the operation frequency of the compressor is equal to or higher than the second reference frequency and is equal to or lower than the first reference frequency; and controlling the rate of rotation of the third indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans comprises controlling a rate of rotation of the third indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans to be lower than the rate of rotation of the third indoor among the plurality of indoor fans given when the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds the first reference frequency, when the operation frequency of the compressor is equal to or higher than the second reference frequency and is equal to or lower than the first reference frequency. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, further comprising: determining whether the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds the predetermined degree of opening, if the operation frequency of the compressor is equal to or higher than the second reference frequency and is equal to or lower than the first reference frequency; and adjusting a difference between the respective rates of rotation or each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans depending on whether the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds the predetermined degree of opening such that the difference between the respective rates of rotation is greater when the degree of opening of the expansion valve is equal to or lower than the predetermined degree of opening than when the degree of opening of the expansion valve is greater than the predetermined degree of opening. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, further comprising controlling the rates of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans to be equal to each other upon determining that the operation frequency of the compressor is lower than the second reference frequency which is lower than the first reference frequency. ### Claim 22 A method of controlling an air conditioner including a compressor, an expansion valve and an indoor unit, the method comprising: detecting checking an indoor load and an outdoor load when an operation command is input; determining an operation frequency of the compressor and a degree of opening of the expansion valve based on the checked indoor load and the outdoor load; driving the compressor at the determined operation frequency and opening the expansion valve to the determined degree of opening, thereby supplying a refrigerant to an indoor heat exchanger having a first cooling panel and a second cooling panel disposed parallel to each other; and controlling a respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among a plurality of indoor fans based on the operation frequency of the compressor and the degree of opening of the expansion valve. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method according to claim 22, further comprising: checking a reference rate of rotation corresponding to an operation mode when the operation mode is input; and controlling the respective rate of rotation of each indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans based on the checked reference rate of rotation. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method according to claim 23, wherein the controlling comprises: determining whether the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds a first reference frequency; determining whether the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds a predetermined degree of opening upon determining that the operation frequency of the compressor exceeds the first reference frequency; and rotating a first indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans located at an uppermost position of the different positions at the reference rate of rotation, a second indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans located at a middle position of the different positions at a rate of rotation higher than the reference rate of rotation and a third indoor fan among the plurality of indoor fans located at a lowermost position of the different positions at a rate of rotation higher than the rate of rotation of the second indoor fan, upon determining that the degree of opening of the expansion valve exceeds the predetermined degree of opening.