Method for controlling start-up operation of air conditioner

Abstract

A method for controlling a start-up operation of an air conditioner having a compressor and an indoor and an outdoor fan includes the steps of: (a) calculating indoor cooling / heating load; (b) calculating a reference operating frequency of the compressor; (c) driving the indoor and the outdoor fan during a first time period to thereby adjust pressure equilibrium between an indoor and an outdoor pressure; (d) driving the compressor during a preset time period while increasing an operating frequency of the; and (e) setting the operating frequency of the compressor to the reference operating frequency and driving the compressor. The operating frequency of the compressor is increased in a stepwise manner during the preset time period and kept to be lower than the reference operation frequency throughout the preset time period.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a method for controlling the operation of an air conditioner; and, more particularly, to a method for controlling a start-up operation of a compressor in an air conditioner that adjusts the operating capacity of the compressor based on a difference between an indoor temperature and a preset temperature.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]As known well in the art, a typical air conditioner has a structure illustrated in FIG. 1.[0003]Referring to FIG. 1, the typical air conditioner is largely divided into an outdoor unit 110 and an indoor unit 120. The outdoor unit 110 includes a compressor 111, a four-way valve 112, an outdoor heat exchanger 113, an electronic expansion valve (EEV) 114, an accumulator 115 and an outdoor fan 116. The indoor unit 120 includes an indoor heat exchanger 121 and an indoor fan 123.[0004]During a cooling operation of the typical air conditioner with the above-described configuration, a high-temperatur...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling the operation of an air conditioner, which is capable of realizing optimal compressor start-up conditions by establishing an equilibrium state, through driving an indoor and / or an outdoor fan, between an indoor pressure and an outdoor pressure prior to running the compressor in response to an operation start signal, and then adjusting an operating frequency of the compressor in a gradual manner.

Problems solved by technology

Meanwhile, in such an air conditioner that adjusts the operating capacity of the compressor based on a difference between an indoor temperature and a preset temperature by using the refrigerant circulation system described above, if the compressor is driven at a target frequency from the beginning of the start-up, it may be damaged and may produce vibration and noises because of an excessive operating load thereon.

In the above-described conventional method for driving the air conditioner while changing the operating frequency of the compressor and the opening level of the BEV in two stages, however, there still exist fundamental problems.

For example, if a load on the compressor rapidly increases due to a sudden elevation in an indoor and / or an outdoor temperature, or if a refrigerant leaks within an air conditioner, a discharge temperature of the compressor increases excessively along with an increase in pressure.

As a result of the excessive temperature increase, the compressor may be damaged or a discharge pipe may crack.

In addition, since the compressor, by its nature, functions as a vibration source throughout the operation of the air conditioner, an excessive increase in pressure due to the above reasons becomes another factor for fatigue-induced damage of the discharge pipe.

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