Air conditioner and operation method of air conditioner

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an air conditioner for improving a power factor. The air conditioner comprises: an inverter used to drive a motor; a load including the inverter; a power conversion circuit including a rectifying circuit, which rectifies an input alternating current voltage so as to generate a direct current voltage, and a power factor correction circuit, which supplies an output direct current voltage to the load on the basis of the direct current voltage; and a processor for power factor control of the power conversion circuit. The air conditioner may comprise: a phase estimator for acquiring phase information of the input alternating current voltage; a voltage controller that generates, on the basis of the output direct current voltage and a reference voltage, a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output direct current voltage; a partial switching controller that generates setting information for setting a switching period of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; and a current controller that generates, on the basis of an input current of the power factor correction circuit and a reference current, a second control signal for controlling the switch in the switching period. The reference current can be generated on the basis of the phase information, the first control signal and the setting information.

Description

Air conditioner and method of operation of air conditioner

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the air conditioner.

[0002] Generally, power converters are devices that convert AC power into DC to supply power to loads and are widely used in various home appliances. However, in the case of such power converters, the required current from the AC power source is not linear, which leads to reduced power efficiency and the generation of harmonics that can adversely affect the power system. In particular, depending on the load conditions of the power converter, a phenomenon called power factor degradation occurs where the current phase does not match the voltage phase, which can reduce the efficiency and stability of the power supply.

[0003] To address these issues, power factor correction (PFC) circuits were introduced. PFC circuits improve the power factor and reduce harmonics by controlling the current supplied from the AC power source to synchronize with the voltage. This enables reduced energy consumption and increased efficiency in the power system.

[0004] The information described above may be provided as related art for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the foregoing may be applied as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an indoor unit comprising an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower, and an air conditioner comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor blower, wherein the compressor comprises a motor used to compress a refrigerant, and the air conditioner may comprise: an inverter used to drive the motor; a load including the inverter; a power conversion circuit including a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; and a processor for power factor control of the power conversion circuit. The processor (or, the air conditioner) may comprise: a phase estimator that acquires phase information of the input AC voltage; a voltage controller that generates a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and a reference voltage; a partial switching controller that generates setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; and a current controller that generates a second control signal for controlling a switch in the switching interval based on the input current of the power factor correction circuit and a reference current. The above reference current can be generated based on the phase information, the first control signal, and the setting information.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a home appliance may include: a load; a power conversion circuit comprising a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; and a processor for power factor control of the power conversion circuit. The processor (or, the home appliance) may include: a phase estimator that acquires phase information of the input AC voltage; a voltage controller that generates a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and a reference voltage; a partial switching controller that generates setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; and a current controller that generates a second control signal for controlling a switch in the switching interval based on the input current and a reference current of the power factor correction circuit. The reference current may be generated based on the phase information, the first control signal, and the setting information.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the setting information may be generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the information regarding the input current of the power factor correction circuit.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the setting information can be used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and the length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval and the length of the switching interval can be set based on the setting information.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the current controller may be implemented at the hardware level, and the voltage controller and the partial switching controller may be implemented at the software level.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the processor (or, the home appliance): further includes a PWM generator that generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the second control signal and transmits the generated PWM signal to the switch, and the PWM generator may be implemented at the hardware level.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the phase estimator may be implemented at the hardware level or the software level.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the hardware-level implementation may be based on a hardware RTL (register transfer level) design method.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the processor may further include a processing circuit that controls the inverter.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the inductor current mode of the PFC circuit is set to a CCM (continuous conduction mode) mode or a DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) mode and is used to generate the second control signal, and the processor: if the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit falls below a threshold current (e.g., 0) while the CCM mode is set continues for a specified period of time or longer, the CCM mode is switched to the DCM mode, and if the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit flows continuously without falling below a threshold current while the DCM mode is set continues for a specified period of time or longer, the CCM mode is switched to the DCM mode.

[0016] A method of operation of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor blower, may include: an operation of acquiring phase information of an input AC voltage; an operation of generating a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and a reference voltage; an operation of generating setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; an operation of generating a reference current based on the phase information, the first control signal, and the setting information; and an operation of generating a second control signal for controlling a switch in the switching interval based on the input current of the power factor correction circuit and the reference current.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a method of operation of a home appliance, the home appliance may include: a power conversion circuit comprising a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to a load based on the DC voltage; and a processor for power factor control of the power conversion circuit. The method may include: an operation of obtaining phase information of an input AC voltage; an operation of generating a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on an output DC voltage and a reference voltage; an operation of generating setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; an operation of generating based on the phase information, the first control signal, and the setting information; and an operation of generating a second control signal for controlling a switch in the switching interval based on an input current and a reference current of the power factor correction circuit.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the setting information is generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the information on the input current of the power factor correction circuit, and the setting information can be used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and the length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval and the length of the switching interval can be set based on the setting information.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the operation of generating the second control signal is performed by a current controller implemented at the hardware level, and includes the operation of generating a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the second control signal and transmitting the generated PWM signal to the switch, the operation of generating the PWM signal is performed by a PWM generator implemented at the hardware level, and the operation of acquiring the phase information is performed by a phase estimator implemented at the hardware level or the software level, and the implementation at the hardware level may be based on a hardware register transfer level (RTL) design method.

[0021] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a power conversion circuit including a power factor correction circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the signal waveforms of the power converter of Figure 3.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the waveforms of the power return device of Figure 5.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the signal waveforms of the power converter of FIG. 7.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 11a is a diagram illustrating signal waveforms of the power converter of FIG. 9 or FIG. 10.

[0032] FIG. 11b is a diagram illustrating signal waveforms of a power converter according to the waveform of the reference signal of FIG. 11a.

[0033] FIG. 12 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a home appliance switching an inductor current mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 14 is a drawing showing various home appliances including a power conversion device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to a refrigerant cycle of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to the function and control of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operation of a home appliance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] The terms used in this document are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the technical features of this document. For example, a component expressed in the singular form should be understood as a concept including singular or plural components unless the context clearly indicates only the singular form.

[0040] In this document, each of the following phrases may include any one of the items listed with the corresponding phrase, or any combination thereof: "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B or C," "at least one of A, B and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C." The term "and / or" as used in this document should be understood to encompass any possible combination of one or more of the multiple items listed with the corresponding term. Terms such as "first," "second," "first," or "second" as used in this document may be used simply to distinguish a component from another component and do not limit the components in any other aspect (e.g., importance or order).

[0041] Where it is stated that any (e.g., 1st) component is “coupled,” “connected,” “linked,” “coupled,” “supported,” “connected,” or “contacted” with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicationly,” it includes not only cases where the component is directly coupled, connected, linked, coupled, supported, or contacted with the other component, but also cases where it is indirectly coupled, connected, linked, coupled, supported, or contacted through a third component.

[0042] Terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in this Document, and do not preclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof. When a component is said to be located "on" another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where another component exists between the two components.

[0043] As used in this document, the expression "configured to..." may be appropriately substituted depending on the context, for example, with "suitable for...", "capable of...", "designed to...", "modified to...", "made to...", or "capable of...". The term "configured to..." does not necessarily mean only that it is "specially designed" in hardware. Instead, in some situations, the expression "device configured to..." may mean that the device is "capable of..." in conjunction with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "device configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may refer to a device dedicated to performing the said operation, or it may refer to a general-purpose device capable of performing various operations, including the said operation.

[0044] Terms such as "upper side," "lower side," and "front-rear direction" used in this document are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and location of each component are not limited by these terms.

[0045] The description in this document is centered on specific embodiments, but this document is not limited to such specific embodiments and should be understood to encompass all various modifications, equivalents, and / or substitutions of the various embodiments described in this document. In relation to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0046] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a power conversion circuit including a power factor correction circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, the power conversion circuit (100) may include an input alternating current (AC) power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a power factor correction (PFC) circuit (30), a direct current (DC) link capacitor (40), and / or at least one load (50). Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the power conversion circuit (100) may omit some components (e.g., the load (50)) and may include additional components.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the rectifier circuit (20) can convert an input AC voltage (e.g., 220V) supplied from an input AC power source (10) into a DC voltage. The rectifier circuit (20) can rectify the input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage (rectified voltage). For example, if the power conversion circuit (100) is of the bridge type, the rectifier circuit (20) can be composed of bridge-type diodes, and the input AC voltage can be converted (or rectified) into a DC voltage using this. The rectifier circuit (20) can supply the DC voltage to the subsequent PFC circuit (30).

[0049] According to one embodiment, the PFC circuit (30) can supply an output DC voltage to a load (50) based on a DC voltage. The PFC circuit (30) can perform the function of correcting the power factor by adjusting the phase of the input current (e.g., inductor current) to reduce the phase difference with the input voltage (e.g., input AC voltage). Along with the function of correcting the power factor, the PFC circuit (30) can perform the function of boosting / stepping up the voltage, for example, as a boost converter.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the PFC circuit (30) may include an inductor (L) (31), a switch (S) (33) and / or a diode (D) (35). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the PFC circuit (30) may include an inductor (31) connected in series to the output terminal of the rectifier circuit (20), a switch (33) connected in parallel to the inductor (31), and a diode (35) connected in series to the inductor (31).

[0051] According to one embodiment, the inductor (31) can perform the role of stabilizing the waveform during power conversion (e.g., voltage boosting) by storing current and maintaining a constant current flow. The switch (33) can adjust the current flowing through the inductor (31) by repeatedly turning on and off according to a control signal (e.g., PWM signal). Through the switching operation of the switch (33), the current of the inductor (31) is controlled, and the waveform of the current supplied to the load (50) is adjusted so that the power factor is improved and a stable voltage can be supplied to the load (50). The switch (33) may be composed of, for example, an active switching element (e.g., an IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor), a transistor, or a MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor)), but is not limited thereto. The diode (35) can perform the role of controlling the direction of the current after the switching operation of the switch (33) so that energy can be stored in the DC link capacitor (40). For example, the diode (35) can induce the energy stored in the inductor (31) to be discharged toward the DC link capacitor (40) according to the switching operation of the switch (33).

[0052] According to one embodiment, the DC link capacitor (40) can store the current discharged through the PFC circuit (30) to stabilize the DC voltage. The voltage stored in this way can then be supplied to the load (50) at a constant rate. This DC link capacitor (40) can reduce DC ripple and suppress noise that may occur during the switching operation of the switch (33) to provide a stable DC voltage to the load. In the present disclosure, the DC link capacitor (40) may also be referred to as a smoothing capacitor.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the load (50) may be a configuration that ultimately receives power. For example, a stable DC voltage may be supplied to the load (50) through a DC link capacitor (40), and the load (50) may perform at least one operation using this. The load (50) may include, for example, at least one inverter capable of controlling the speed and output of a compressor or motor using the supplied power. The load (50) may include, for example, a motor, a heater, a compressor, and / or a fan.

[0054] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 2, the power conversion device (200) may include a power conversion circuit (100) and a processor (110) connected to the power conversion circuit (100). The power conversion circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power conversion circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the PFC circuit (30) is connected to a processor (110) for power factor control of the power conversion circuit (100), and the power factor can be corrected by adjusting the phase of the inductor current (IL) according to the control of the processor (110). Through this, the power factor is maintained close to 1, so that unnecessary reactive power is prevented from flowing into the power grid, thereby increasing power efficiency.

[0057] According to one embodiment, a processor (110) can control the overall operation of an electronic device (e.g., a home appliance) and can perform at least one operation of the electronic device. The processor (110) can perform operations or data processing regarding the control and / or communication of at least one other component of the electronic device. The processor (110) may include at least one processing circuit that executes instructions stored in memory. According to one embodiment, the memory may store various data that can be used to control the operation of each component of the electronic device. The memory may include, for example, at least one storage medium that stores a number of applications used in the electronic device, data for controlling the operation of the electronic device, and instructions. When instructions stored in memory are executed by the processor (110), they may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) may include various processing circuits and / or multiple processors. One or more of the processors (110) may be configured to perform various functions described in the present disclosure individually and / or collectively. Where the “processor,” “at least one processor,” and “one or more processors” are described in the present disclosure as being configured to perform various functions, these terms may cover, for example, a situation in which one processor performs some of the cited functions and other processor(s) perform other parts of the cited functions, and may also cover, but are not limited to, a situation in which a single processor can perform all of the cited functions. Additionally, the processor (110) may include a combination of processors performing the cited / disclosed various functions, for example, in a distributed manner. At least one processor (110) may execute program instructions to achieve or perform various functions.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the processor (1110) may include at least one of a CPU (central processing unit), NPU (graphics processing unit), MPU (micro processing unit), MCU (micro controller unit), AP (application processor), CP (communication processor), SoC (system on chip), or IC (integrated circuit) sensor hub, supplementary processor, ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), or FPGA (field programmable gate arrays), and may have multiple cores.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) can perform power factor control for the PFC circuit (30). The processor (110) can obtain information regarding the input AC voltage (Vac / Vin) supplied by the input AC power source, information regarding the input current (IL) of the PFC circuit (30), and / or information regarding the output DC voltage (Vdc) supplied to the load (50), and can generate a control signal (CS) for power factor control using the obtained information. The processor (110) can transmit the generated control signal (CS) to the PFC circuit (30). The control signal (CS) can be, for example, a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, transmitted to the switch (33) of the PFC circuit (30) and used for ON / OFF control of the switch (33). Through this, an optimal power factor is maintained, and the output voltage required by the load (50) can be stably output. In the present disclosure, the input AC voltage (Vin) may be referred to as the input voltage, and the output DC voltage (Vdc) may be referred to as the output voltage.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) can obtain information about the input voltage (Vin) by measuring (or monitoring) the input voltage (Vin) through a first voltage sensor. The information about the input voltage (Vin) may include, for example, information about the magnitude, phase, and / or frequency (or period) of the input voltage (Vin).

[0062] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) may obtain information about the inductor current (IL) flowing through the inductor (31) of the PFC circuit (30) by measuring (or monitoring) the inductor current (IL) through a current sensor. The information about the inductor current (IL) may include, for example, information about the magnitude, phase, and / or frequency (or period) of the inductor current (IL). In the present disclosure, the inductor current (IL) may be referred to as the input current of the PFC circuit (30).

[0063] According to one embodiment, the processor (110) can obtain information about the output voltage (Vdc) by measuring (or monitoring) the output DC voltage (Vdc) through a second voltage sensor. The information about the output voltage (Vdc) may include, for example, information about the magnitude, phase, and / or frequency (or period) of the output voltage.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 3, a power conversion device (300) (e.g., a power conversion device (200) of FIG. 2) may include a power conversion circuit (100) and at least one processor (110) connected to the power conversion circuit (100). The power conversion circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power conversion circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0066] According to one embodiment, at least one processor (110) (or power conversion device (300)) may include a phase estimator (111), a sine wave generator (112), a voltage controller (113), a current controller (114) and / or a PMW generator (115).

[0067] According to one embodiment, the phase estimator (111) can obtain phase information of the input AC voltage (Vin). For example, the phase estimator (111) can estimate the phase of the input AC voltage (Vin) using a specified phase estimation method based on sensing data obtained by detecting the input voltage (Vin) through a first voltage sensor. The phase estimator (111) can transmit the phase information (e.g., estimated phase) to a sine wave generator (112).

[0068] According to one embodiment, a sine wave generator (112) can generate a sine wave synchronized with an input voltage (Vin) (e.g., a sine wave having the same phase as the input voltage (Vin)) using phase information transmitted from a phase estimator (111). The generated sine wave is used to generate a reference current (Iref) and may have a shape similar to the waveform of the input voltage (Vin). In the present disclosure, the reference current (Iref) may be referred to as a reference current command.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the voltage controller (113) may generate a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output voltage (Vdc) based on an error signal. The error signal may include information (error information) regarding the difference (e.g., magnitude difference) between the output voltage (Vdc) detected by the second voltage sensor and the reference voltage (Vref). This error information may indicate how much the output voltage deviates from the required target voltage. The reference voltage (Vref) may be set, for example, based on load conditions (e.g., the required voltage of the load). In the present disclosure, the reference voltage (Vref) may be referred to as the reference voltage command.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the current controller (114) may generate a second control signal for controlling (switch control) the switch (33) of the PFC circuit (30) based on the reference current (Iref) and the inductor current (IL). The second control signal may include, for example, PWM duty information (e.g., switching frequency (or period) and / or duty cycle) for generating a PWM signal. The reference current (Iref) may be generated based on the first control signal generated by the voltage controller (113) and the sine wave generated by the sine wave generator (112). For example, the reference current (Iref) may be generated by multiplying the first control signal by the sine wave signal. In this case, the first control signal may be used to determine the magnitude of the reference current (Iref).

[0071] According to one embodiment, the PMW generator (115) can control the switch (33) by generating a PMW signal based on a second control signal. The PMW signal determines the ON / OFF operation of the switch (33) and can control the inductor current (IL) to generate a current waveform synchronized with the input voltage (Vin). Through this, the phases of the input current (IL) and the input voltage (Vin) match, thereby improving the power factor and providing a stable output voltage (Vdc).

[0072] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the signal waveforms of the power converter of Figure 3.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the signal waveforms of FIG. 4 exemplify signal waveforms when the power conversion device (300) of FIG. 3 operates ideally.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 4, the input voltage (Vin) exhibits the form of a sine wave. The inductor current (IL) exhibits the form of a triangular wave, and the peak current (ILpk) indicates the point where the inductor current (IL) reaches its maximum value. The reference current (Iref) exhibits the form of a sine wave rather than a triangular wave because it is set to the ideal current waveform (target current waveform) that the inductor current (IL) must follow. The PWM signal may be a signal that controls the ON / OFF operation of a switch (e.g., switch (33) in FIG. 3). The switching frequency (or switching period (Tsw)) and duty cycle (=Ton / Tsw) of the PWM signal can be adjusted so that the inductor current (IL) follows the reference current (Iref). Through ON / OFF control of the switch via this PWM signal, the inductor current (IL) can be induced to have a triangular waveform as exemplified and follow the reference current (Iref). Through this, the power factor can be improved.

[0075] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the waveforms of the power return device of Figure 5.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 5, a power conversion device (300a) (e.g., the power conversion device (300) of FIG. 3) may include a power conversion circuit (100) and a processor (110) connected to the power conversion circuit (100). The power conversion circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power conversion circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0078] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the power conversion device (300a), in contrast to the power conversion device (300) of FIG. 3, may have all configurations for power factor control of the power conversion circuit (100) included in and / or executed in at least one processor (110) implemented at the software level. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a phase estimator (111), a sine wave generator (112), a voltage controller (113), a current controller (114), and a PMW generator (115) may be implemented at the software level.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the software-level implementation may be an implementation method in which the processor (110) (e.g., MCU, DSP (digital signal processing)) operates as software code. When each component is implemented at the software level, for example, a desired algorithm can be implemented using a software language (e.g., C, C++, or assembly) that can operate on an MCU or DSP. When each component of the processor (110) (or power conversion device (300a)) is implemented at the software level (e.g., as software code), there is an advantage in that the algorithm can be easily modified and optimized due to high flexibility, but it may be disadvantageous in terms of latency, performance, and power consumption compared to a hardware-level implementation.

[0080] Meanwhile, in the case of home appliances (e.g., air conditioners), for example, to save space and costs on the printed circuit board (PCB), a single processor (110) can generally be implemented to perform not only the power factor control function but also at least one other control function (e.g., inverter control function). In this case, stable control of the processor is difficult due to the burden of computational resources and the requirement for real-time communication. For example, to secure (or improve) the power factor, current control by the current controller (114) of the PFC circuit (30) can be set to a higher priority than voltage control by the voltage controller (113). In this case, voltage control is performed in a limited cycle (e.g., a cycle in which voltage control is performed once every tens to hundreds of cycles of current control). In addition, since current control itself is generally performed in a slow control loop cycle, it creates a constraint that the current limit must be lowered by using a large inductance of the inductor (31) of the PFC circuit (30).

[0081] Due to this situation, voltage control operates slowly, causing voltage distortion, and the power converter (300a) may operate unstably when the input voltage (Vin) fluctuates. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, at the boundary section (610) (or boundary surface) where the transition occurs from the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) mode to the continuous conduction mode (CCM) mode, the waveform of the input current (IL) does not continue smoothly but fluctuates rapidly as if it were cut off in the middle. For example, at the boundary section (610), the inductor current (IL), which was drawing a triangular waveform, may suddenly drop rapidly after reaching zero and then rise again. This may be a phenomenon of discontinuous surface control caused by the slow reflection of appropriate control information (e.g., duty) for voltage control provided by the voltage controller (113). Therefore, it is necessary to consider a method for configuring a power converter that can operate stably even in any specific situation (e.g., a situation where a single processor (110) performs multiple control functions).

[0082] The power converter proposed below may have at least some of the configurations of at least one processor (110) for power factor control (or the configurations of the power converter (300a)) implemented at the hardware level (e.g., HW-SW co-design). This allows voltage control to operate relatively faster compared to implementing all configurations of the processor (110) (or the power converter (300a)) at the software level, thereby resolving problems caused by voltage distortion (e.g., unstable operation when the input voltage fluctuates). Additionally, it can resolve discontinuity control at the output boundary between CCM mode and DCM mode. Furthermore, the power converter proposed below can perform power factor control using partial switching control and a new reference current (Iref) defined based thereon. This minimizes switching operation in the zero-crossing region of the input voltage (Vin), thereby reducing switching losses and enabling the power converter to maintain maximum efficiency. In addition, the power converter proposed below can determine the transition between CCM mode and DCM mode by configuring a hysteresis band using a debounce count. This can reduce unnecessary mode conversion at the output boundary between CCM mode and DCM mode. Below, various embodiments of the proposed power converter are described with reference to the respective drawings.

[0083] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the signal waveforms of the power converter of FIG. 7.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 7, a power conversion device (400) (e.g., a power conversion device (300) of FIG. 3) may include a power conversion circuit (100) and a processor (110) connected to the power conversion circuit (100). The power conversion circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power conversion circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0086] In the embodiment of FIG. 7, unlike the power conversion device (300a) of FIG. 5, at least some of the components for power factor control of the power conversion circuit (100) that are included in and / or executed in at least one processor (110) may be implemented at the hardware level. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a phase estimator (111), a sine wave generator (112), a current controller (114), and a PMW generator (115) may be implemented at the hardware level, and a voltage controller (113) may be implemented at the software level. For a description of the software level implementation, refer to the description in FIG. 5.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the hardware-level implementation may be a method in which the processor (110) implements operations / functions as fixed logic circuits in hardware such as an FPGA or an ASIC. The hardware-level implementation may be implemented, for example, through a hardware (HW) RTL (register transfer level) design method. The RTL design method may be a method of describing the operation (e.g., circuit operation) of the configuration using, for example, a hardware description language (HDL) such as Verilog or VHDL (VHSIC (very high speed integrated circuit) hardware description language). For example, the RTL design method may describe the control algorithm of the current controller (114) in a hardware language, or describe the phase estimation logic of the phase estimator (111) in a hardware language. Once the design of the hardware-level implementation is completed, the hardware code (e.g., RTL code) can be converted to the gate level using a synthesis tool and placed on an FPGA or ASIC chip. Through this synthesis process, an optimized logic circuit can be generated. Each component implemented at the hardware level in this way can be processed in parallel at the HW RTL level. This reduces the resource burden of computations for power factor control. In this disclosure, a component implemented by an RTL design method may be referred to as a hardware RTL block.

[0088] As described above, when some configurations of the processor (110) (or power converter (400)) are implemented at the hardware level (e.g., implemented with hardware RTL code), due to the optimization described above, they may be advantageous compared to implementation at the software level in terms of latency, performance, and power. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, configurations / algorithms that require high computational power and high-speed processing, such as the phase estimator (111), sine wave generator (112), current controller (114), and PWM generator (115), can be processed as hardware RTL blocks, thereby reducing latency and increasing performance. For example, through hardware-level implementation, a high-speed switching frequency (PFC switching frequency) can be applied, allowing the inductance value of the inductor (31) to be set to a small value.

[0089] In addition, by implementing only the voltage controller (113) at the software level, the processor (110) can allocate relatively more resources with a higher priority to the process (or task) for voltage control by the voltage controller (113) compared to the example of FIG. 5, where the entire configuration of the processor (110) is configured in software. Through this, voltage control can be performed quickly. For example, voltage control by the voltage controller (113) can be performed within 10 cycles of current control by the current controller (114). In this case, voltage control is operated sufficiently quickly so that unstable operation of the power converter due to voltage distortion can be prevented. Furthermore, the reference voltage (Iref) is output quickly at the boundary interval between the CCM mode and the DCM mode, so that the occurrence of a discontinuity surface, such as that shown in FIG. 6, can be resolved. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the waveform of the input current (IL) can be smoothly connected in the boundary section (810) where the transition from DCM mode to CCM mode and the boundary section (810) where the transition from CCM mode to DCM mode is shown. For example, unlike the example in FIG. 6, in the example in FIG. 8, the waveform of the input current in the boundary section can be shown to be smoothly connected. This is because the control information (e.g., duty) of the voltage control provided by the voltage controller (113) is appropriately reflected.

[0090] FIG. 9 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 9, a power converter (400a) (e.g., the power converter (300) of FIG. 3 or the power converter (400) of FIG. 7) may include a power converter circuit (100) and a processor (110) connected to the power converter circuit (100). The power converter circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power converter circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0092] In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the power converter (400a) may further include a partial switching controller (116) with respect to the power converter (400) of FIG. 7, at least one processor (110) (or, power converter (400a)). According to one embodiment, the partial switching controller (116) may be implemented at a software level executed by at least one processor (110). For a description of the software level implementation, refer to the description of FIG. 7. In the present disclosure, the partial switching controller (116) may be referred to as a partial switch controller or a partial controller.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the partial switching controller (116) can reduce the switching interval around a zero-crossing point (ZCP) where the input voltage (Vin) becomes zero. By doing so, switching losses can be reduced. For example, when operating at low load through the partial switching controller (116), switching losses can be reduced by up to 50%.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the partial switching controller (116) can generate setting information (hereinafter, switching interval setting information) for setting the switching interval of the switch (30) included in the PFC circuit (30). The switching interval setting information is, for example, the parameter of Equation 2 below ( It may include ). The switching section is a section in which the switch (30) operates (e.g., ON / OFF operation) and can be distinguished from a non-switch section in which the switch (30) does not operate.

[0095] According to one embodiment, a current controller (114) can generate a second control signal for switch control in a switching interval based on the input current (IL) and reference current (Iref) of the PFC circuit (40). The reference current (Iref) can be generated based on phase information of the input voltage (Vin), a first control signal generated by the voltage controller (113), and switching interval setting information. In the present disclosure, the second control signal may be referred to as a duty signal.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the current controller (114) can generate a second control signal according to the inductor current mode based on phase information of the input voltage (Vin), a first control signal generated by the voltage controller (113), and switching interval setting information. For example, the current controller (114) can generate the second control signal by setting the duty cycle in a different way according to the inductor current mode. The inductor current mode may be, for example, a CCM mode or a DCM mode. The CCM mode is a mode in which the inductor current (IL) of the PFC circuit (30) flows continuously without falling below a threshold current (e.g., 0), and the DCM mode may be a mode in which there is an interval in which the inductor current (IL) of the PFC circuit (30) falls to a threshold current (e.g., 0).

[0097] According to one embodiment, switching interval setting information may be generated based on characteristic information of the load (50), requirement information of the load (50), and / or information regarding the input current (Vin) of the PFC circuit (30) (e.g., phase information). The characteristic information of the load (50) may include, for example, the resistive, inductive, and / or capacitive characteristics of the load. The requirement information of the load (50) may include, for example, the voltage requirements, current requirements, and / or power requirements of the load (50).

[0098] According to one embodiment, switching interval setting information can be used to generate a reference current (Iref). For example, the switching interval setting information can be used to determine the phase and period (or frequency) of the reference current (Iref). The reference current (Iref) determined based on the switching interval setting information may have characteristics to minimize switching under a given situation.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the switching interval may be at least part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to an input voltage (Vin). The length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval (e.g., the length of the first non-switching interval in FIG. 11b), the length of the switching interval (e.g., the length of the switching interval in FIG. 11b), and / or the length between the end point of the switching interval and the second zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points (e.g., the length of the second non-switching interval in FIG. 11b) may be set based on switching interval setting information.

[0100] Mathematical Equation 1 below illustrates a function of reference current (Iref) generated in a processor (110) or power converter (e.g., power converter (400) of FIG. 7) that does not include a partial switching controller (116). In this example, it is assumed that the phase of the input voltage (Vin) is 0 and the value of the first control signal generated by the voltage controller (113) is 1.

[0101] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0102]

[0103] Referring to Equation 1, as described above in FIG. 3, the reference current (Iref) is the phase of the input voltage (Vin) generated by the sine wave generator (112). It can be generated based on the product of a sine wave reflecting ) and a first control signal generated by a voltage controller (113).

[0104] Equation 2 below illustrates a function of reference current (Iref) generated in a processor (110) or power converter (e.g., power converter (400a) of FIG. 9) including a partial switching controller (116). In this example, it is assumed that the phase of the input voltage (Vin) is 0 and the value of the first control signal generated by the voltage controller (113) is 1.

[0105] [Mathematical Formula 2]

[0106]

[0107] Referring to Equation 2, the reference current (Iref) is the phase of the input voltage (Vin) generated by the sine wave generator (112). A parameter corresponding to the switching interval setting information in the product of the sine wave reflecting ) and the first control signal generated by the voltage controller (113). It can be generated by reflecting the value of ). As exemplified in Equation 2, the parameter ( ) can be used to determine the phase and period (or frequency) of the reference current (Iref).

[0108] According to one embodiment, the parameter ( ) can be set based on information (e.g., phase information) regarding the voltage requirements (required voltage) of the load (50) (e.g., motor) and / or the input current (IL) of the PFC circuit (30). For example, parameters ( ) can be set to a value obtained by multiplying the load's required voltage and the input current of the PFC circuit (30) (e.g., magnitude, frequency, or phase of the input current) by a specified gain. Parameter ( ) can be, for example, a value between 0 and π. The reference current (Iref) generated by Equation 2 is the parameter ( It can be used to adjust the switching interval depending on the value of ). For example, parameter ( As the value of ) increases, the switching interval can be shortened. This allows switching to be minimized to suit the given load and / or input voltage conditions. Parameter( A comparison of the signal waveform of the reference current (Iref) of Equation 2 according to the change in the value of ) may be as exemplified in Fig. 11a.

[0109] According to one embodiment, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, a partial switching controller (116) and / or a voltage controller (113) implemented at the software level can adjust the boosting / boosting operation of the PFC circuit (30) according to load conditions (e.g., characteristics of the load (50) and / or requirements of the load (50)) and / or input voltage conditions. For example, if the load (50) is greater than a specified value, the voltage in the PFC circuit (30) can be adjusted to be boosted above a specified level through the control of the partial switching controller (116) and / or the voltage controller (113), thereby allowing the load (50) (e.g., an inverter) to sufficiently cover the load area. For example, if the input voltage (Vin) is smaller than a specified value, the voltage in the PFC circuit (30) can be adjusted to be boosted below a specified level through the control of the partial switching controller (116) and / or the voltage controller (113), thereby avoiding a burden on the switch (33) and increasing the temperature and converter efficiency. For example, when the input voltage (Vin) is higher than a specified value, a high power factor can be achieved by adjusting the voltage in the PFC circuit (30) to be boosted above a specified level through the control of the partial switching controller (116) and / or the voltage controller (113).

[0110] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 10, a power conversion device (400b) (e.g., the power conversion device (300) of FIG. 3 or the power conversion device (400) of FIG. 7) may include a power conversion circuit (100) and a processor (110) connected to the power conversion circuit (100). The power conversion circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power conversion circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0112] In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the power converter (400b) may further include a phase estimator (113) and / or a current sensing algorithm (117) implemented at the software level, compared with the power converter (400) of FIG. 7, in which at least one processor (110) (or power converter (400b)) is implemented. For a description of the software level implementation, refer to the description of FIG. 5.

[0113] According to one embodiment, the phase estimator (113) may be implemented at a software level (e.g., as software code) depending on the situation. For example, if flexibility of the setting is more important than fast processing, the phase estimator (113) may be implemented at a software level. When the phase estimator (113) is implemented at a software level, the processor (110) may flexibly change the setting of the phase estimation (e.g., the phase estimation method) depending on the situation. For example, if fast processing is more important than flexibility of the setting, the phase estimator (113) may be implemented at a hardware level, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0114] According to one embodiment, a current sensing algorithm (117) may be used to control the sensing of an input current (IL) through a current sensor. The current sensing algorithm (117) may be implemented at a software level (e.g., as software code) depending on the situation. For example, if flexibility of the setting is more important than fast processing, the current sensing algorithm (117) may be implemented at a software level. When the current sensing algorithm (117) is implemented at a software level, the processor (110) may flexibly change the setting of the current sensing (e.g., period) depending on the situation.

[0115] Meanwhile, according to the embodiment, at least one of the other components included in or / or executed in at least one processor (110), excluding the current controller (114) and / or PMW generator (115), may be implemented at the software level. For example, a sine wave generator (112) may be implemented at the software level. As such, at least one of the components included in (and / or executed in) the processor (110) may be flexibly implemented at the software level or at the hardware level depending on the situation.

[0116] FIG. 11a is a diagram illustrating signal waveforms of the power converter of FIG. 9 or FIG. 10.

[0117] FIG. 11b is a diagram illustrating signal waveforms of a power converter according to the waveform of the reference signal of FIG. 11a.

[0118] In the embodiments of FIGS. 11a and 11b, for convenience of explanation, the phase of the input voltage (Vin) is assumed to be 0.

[0119] Referring to FIG. 11a, the input voltage (Vin) shows the form of a sine wave. The reference current (Iref) is a parameter corresponding to the switching interval setting information generated by the partial switching controller ( It shows different waveform shapes depending on the value of ). For example, the waveform of the reference current (Iref) can be determined according to the above-described mathematical formula 2.

[0120] According to one embodiment, a switching section and a non-switching section in the zero-crossing point region can be determined according to the waveform of the reference current (Iref). For example, a parameter ( When ) is 0, only switching intervals exist between zero-crossing points, and non-switching intervals may not exist. For example, parameter ( When ) is π / 2, switching and non-switching periods of equal size may exist between zero-crossing points. For example, the parameter ( When ) is π, only non-switching intervals may exist between zero-crossing points. As exemplified in Fig. 11a, the parameter ( As the value of ) increases, the switching interval can be shortened.

[0121] In FIG. 11b, for convenience of explanation, the parameter ( Assuming that ) is π / 2, the waveform and switching operation of the inductor current (IL) according to the reference current (Iref) are explained by example.

[0122] Referring to FIG. 11b, the inductor current (IL) exhibits the shape of a triangular wave, and the peak current (ILpk) indicates the point where the inductor current reaches its maximum value. The PWM signal may be a signal that controls the ON / OFF operation of a switch (e.g., switch (33) in FIG. 3). The switching frequency (or switching period) and duty cycle of the PWM signal can be adjusted so that the inductor current (IL) follows the reference current (Iref). Through ON / OFF control of the switch via this PWM signal, the inductor current (IL) can be induced to have a triangular waveform as exemplified and follow the reference current (Iref). As exemplified in FIG. 11b, the PWM signal is a parameter ( It may occur only in the switching section set according to ), and may not occur in the non-switching section (e.g., the first non-switching section and the second non-switching section).

[0123] FIG. 12 is a drawing showing a power conversion device including a power factor correction circuit and a processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 12, a power converter (400c) (e.g., the power converter (300) of FIG. 3 or the power converter (400) of FIG. 7) may include a power converter circuit (100) and a processor (110) connected to the power converter circuit (100). The power converter circuit (100) may include an input AC power source (10), a rectifier circuit (20), a PFC circuit (30), a DC link capacitor (40), and / or a load (50). For a description of the power converter circuit (100), refer to the description in FIG. 1.

[0125] In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the power converter (400c) may include, compared to the power converter (400) of FIG. 7, the power converter (400a) of FIG. 9, or the power converter (400b) of FIG. 10, a processor (110) may further include a first control module (1210) for power factor control as well as a second control module (1220) for controlling a load (50) (e.g., an inverter). The first control module (1210) may include all or part of the components included in the processor (110) of FIG. 7, FIG. 9, or FIG. 10. The first control module (1210) may transmit a first control signal (CS1) for power factor control (e.g., a PWM signal of FIG. 11b) to a PFC circuit (30). Refer to the description above for the power factor control operation by the first control module (1210) in FIG. 7 through 11. In the present disclosure, the first control module (1210) may be referred to as a PFC controller.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the second control module (1220) can transmit a second control signal (CS2) for load control to the load (50). When the power converter (400c) is included in the air conditioner, the load (50) may include, for example, an inverter for driving a motor or a compressor. In this case, the second control module (1220) may include a processing circuit for controlling the inverter for controlling the speed of the compressor.

[0127] In the embodiment of FIG. 12, as described above, a single processor (110) can be used for both power factor control and load control (e.g., inverter control). In other words, the limited resources of the processor (110) are used for both functions. However, since at least some configuration of the first control module (1010) for power factor control of the processor (110) is implemented at the hardware level (e.g., by hardware RTL code) as exemplified in FIG. 7, FIG. 9, or FIG. 10, voltage control as well as current control for power factor control can operate sufficiently quickly due to optimization (e.g., parallel operation) resulting from the hardware-level implementation, despite the use of limited resources. In this way, voltage control can operate sufficiently quickly, thereby preventing unstable operation of the power conversion device (400c) due to voltage distortion. Additionally, the reference voltage is output quickly at the boundary interval between the CCM mode and the DCM mode, so that a discontinuity surface, such as that shown in FIG. 6, may not occur.

[0128] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a home appliance switching an inductor current mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 13, the inductor current mode can be set to CCM mode or DCM mode. The inductor current mode can be used to generate a second control signal in the current controller.

[0130] According to one embodiment, the home appliance may switch the CCM mode to the DCM mode when the inductor current (input current) of the PFC circuit drops below a threshold current (e.g., 0A) for a period of time longer than specified while the CCM mode is set. The home appliance may switch the CCM mode to the DCM mode when the inductor current (input current) of the PFC circuit flows continuously without dropping below the threshold current for a period of time longer than specified while the DCM mode is set.

[0131] According to one embodiment, a home appliance may set a hysteresis band in the form of a debounce count to determine the switching of the inductor current mode. By using a debounce count instead of determining the mode switching based solely on the threshold current, stability within the hysteresis range can be enhanced. Through this, the inductor current mode is switched only when a specified condition based on the threshold current persists for a specified period of time or longer, thereby preventing frequent mode switching caused by transient fluctuations in the inductor current or noise. This prevents unnecessary fluctuations (e.g., excessive switching) at the boundary section (or boundary surface) between the CCM mode and the DCM mode.

[0132] In the following, an example of inductor current mode switching using a debounce count is described. In the following example, it is assumed that the threshold current (Ith) is set to 1A and the threshold value of the debounce count is set to 3. In the following description, one cycle may correspond, for example, to one switching period.

[0133] For example, in the Nth cycle, if the inductor current (IL) does not drop to 1A, the debounce count may be increased by 1 (cumulative count: 1). In the N+1th cycle, if the inductor current (IL) does not drop to 1A again, the debounce count may be increased by 1 (cumulative count: 2). However, in the N+2th cycle, if the inductor current (IL) drops to 1A, the debounce count may be reset (cumulative count: 0). Thus, if the specified condition based on the threshold current does not persist for a specified time or longer, the inductor current mode may not be switched.

[0134] For example, as shown in the enlarged portion (1300) of FIG. 13, in the Nth cycle, if the inductor current does not drop to 1A, the debouncing count may be increased by 1 (cumulative count: 1). In the N+1th cycle, if the inductor current does not drop to 1A, the debouncing count may be increased by 1 (cumulative count: 2). In the N+2th cycle, if the inductor current does not drop to 1A, the debouncing count is increased by 1 (cumulative count: 3), and since a threshold value has been reached, the DCM mode may be switched to CCM mode. Thus, the switching of the inductor current mode may occur only when a specified condition based on the threshold current persists for a specified time or longer.

[0135] According to one embodiment, the setting and switching operation of the inductor current mode may be performed by, for example, a processor of a home appliance (e.g., the processor (110) of FIG. 7, 9, 10 and 12) or a current controller within the processor (e.g., the current controller (114) of FIG. 7, 9, 10 and 12).

[0136] FIG. 14 is a drawing showing various home appliances including a power conversion device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0137] Referring to FIG. 14, a power conversion device (1410) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., power conversion device (400) of FIG. 7, power conversion device (400a) of FIG. 9, power conversion device (400b) of FIG. 10, and power conversion device (400c) of FIG. 12) can be applied to various home appliances and can be included in various home appliances.

[0138] According to one embodiment, the power conversion device (1410) may be used in an air conditioner (1401). For example, the air conditioner (1401) may include an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and the power conversion device (1410) may be used in either the outdoor unit or the indoor unit. For example, the power conversion device (1410) may include an inverter as a load for controlling the compressor of the air conditioner (1401). In this case, the power conversion device (1410) can maximize power usage efficiency through power factor control.

[0139] According to one embodiment, the power converter (1410) can be used in a refrigerator (1402). For example, the power converter (1410) may include the compressor of the refrigerator (1402) as a load. In this case, the power converter (1410) can maximize power usage efficiency through power factor control.

[0140] According to one embodiment, the power conversion device (1410) of the present disclosure may be used in at least one of a washing machine (1403), a cooking appliance (1404), a vacuum cleaner (1405), or an air purifier (1406) that drives a motor.

[0141] In this way, the power conversion device (1410) can be applied to various home appliances to increase the efficiency of the compressor or motor drive included in the home appliance, reduce power consumption, and improve the performance and reliability of the home appliance.

[0142] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to a refrigerant cycle of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to the function and control of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0144] Referring to FIG. 15, an air conditioner (1000) (e.g., the air conditioner (1401) of FIG. 14) may include a compressor (1001) that compresses the refrigerant to change it to a high-temperature, high-pressure state, an outdoor heat exchanger (1002) that enables heat exchange between the outdoor air and the refrigerant, an expansion device (1003) that expands the refrigerant to change it to a low-temperature, low-pressure state, and an indoor heat exchanger (1004) that enables heat exchange between the indoor air and the refrigerant. The air conditioner (1000) may include a refrigerant pipe (1005) connecting the compressor (1001), the outdoor heat exchanger (1002), the expansion device (1003), and the indoor heat exchanger (1004). In one example, the refrigerant may circulate through the refrigerant pipe (1005) in the order of the compressor (1001), outdoor heat exchanger (1002), expansion device (1003), and indoor heat exchanger (1004). In one example, the refrigerant may circulate in the order of the compressor (1001), indoor heat exchanger (1004), expansion device (103), and outdoor heat exchanger (1002).

[0145] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (1000) may include a flow switching valve (1006) that switches the circulation path of the refrigerant through the refrigerant pipe (1005). The flow switching valve (1006) may include, for example, a 4-way valve. The flow switching valve (1006) may be connected to the suction part (1001a) of the compressor (1001). The flow switching valve (1006) may be connected to the discharge part (1001b) of the compressor (1001). The flow switching valve (1006) may be connected to an outdoor heat exchanger (1002). The flow switching valve (1006) may be connected to an indoor heat exchanger (1004). The flow switching valve (1006) may switch the circulation path of the refrigerant depending on the operating mode of the air conditioner (1000) (e.g., cooling operation or heating operation mode). The flow switching valve (1006) can allow high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged by the compressor (1001) through the discharge section (1001b) to flow to an outdoor heat exchanger (1002) or an indoor heat exchanger (1004) depending on the operating mode of the air conditioner (1000). The flow switching valve (1006) can allow refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger (1004) or the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) to flow to the suction section (1001a) of the compressor (1001) depending on the operating mode of the air conditioner (1000).

[0146] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (1000) may include an accumulator (1007). One end of the accumulator (1007) may be connected to the suction part (1001a) of the compressor (1001). The other end of the accumulator (1007) may be connected to a flow path switching valve (1006). Through the flow path switching valve (1006), low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant from an indoor heat exchanger (1004) or an outdoor heat exchanger (1002) may be introduced into the accumulator (1007). When a refrigerant mixed with liquid refrigerant and refrigerant gas is introduced, the accumulator (1007) may separate the refrigerant gas and the liquid refrigerant, and provide the refrigerant gas from which the liquid refrigerant has been separated to the suction part (1001a) of the compressor (1001).

[0147] According to one embodiment, the compressor (1001) can suck in refrigerant gas through the suction part (1001a) and compress the sucked refrigerant gas to change it to a high temperature and high pressure state. The compressor (1001) can discharge the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant gas through the discharge part (1001b). The compressor (1001) is a variable capacity compressor and can vary its capacity by changing the frequency according to a drive control command.

[0148] According to one embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) may typically be placed outdoors. In the outdoor heat exchanger (1002), heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air may occur through a phase change (e.g., condensation or evaporation) of the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger (1002). For example, during cooling mode operation, the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) may condense the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant introduced from the compressor (1001). During cooling mode operation, latent heat may be released to the outdoor air while the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant condenses as it passes through the outdoor heat exchanger (1002). During heating mode operation, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant may evaporate in the outdoor heat exchanger (1002), and latent heat may be absorbed from the outdoor air while the refrigerant evaporates. Although not illustrated in FIG. 14, in one example, one or more temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of the outdoor air may be placed at a location adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger (1002).

[0149] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (1000) may include an outdoor blower (1008) that generates forced circulation of outdoor air so that heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) is smooth. The outdoor blower (1008) may be positioned adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger (1002). Although not specifically illustrated, the outdoor blower (1008) may include one or more blower fans and fan motors. The fan motor of the outdoor blower (1008) may provide driving force to the blower fan through a shaft.

[0150] According to one embodiment, the expansion device (1003) can lower the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) during cooling mode operation. The expansion device (1003) can lower the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant introduced from the indoor heat exchanger (1004) during heating mode operation. In one example, the expansion device (1003) can lower the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant by utilizing a throttling effect. The expansion device (1003) may include an orifice capable of reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path. The temperature and pressure of the refrigerant passing through the orifice may be lowered. In one example, the expansion device (1003) may be implemented as an electronic expansion valve capable of adjusting the opening ratio (an electronic expansion valve capable of adjusting the ratio of the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the valve in a partially open state to the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the valve in a fully open state). In such cases, the amount of refrigerant passing through the expansion device (1003) can be controlled depending on the opening ratio of the electronic expansion valve. In one example, the expansion device (1003) can be implemented as a capillary device.

[0151] According to one embodiment, an indoor heat exchanger (1004) may be placed indoors. In the indoor heat exchanger (1004), heat exchange between the refrigerant and the indoor air may occur through a phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger (1004). For example, during operation in cooling mode, the refrigerant passing through the expansion device (1003) may flow into the indoor heat exchanger (1004) and may evaporate in the indoor heat exchanger (1004). While the refrigerant evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger (1004), latent heat may be absorbed from the surrounding air, thereby cooling the surrounding air. During operation in heating mode, high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant from the compressor (1001) may flow into the indoor heat exchanger (1004), condense, and release latent heat to the indoor air. Although not shown in FIG. 14, the indoor heat exchanger (1004) may include a refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows and a plurality of heat exchange fins arranged to increase the heat exchange area.

[0152] According to one embodiment, when operating in cooling mode, water vapor contained in the air may condense and liquefy on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger (1004) due to heat exchange between the surrounding indoor air and the refrigerant occurring in the indoor heat exchanger (1004). The condensed water formed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger (1004) may fall downward. Although not shown in FIG. 10, the air conditioner (1000) may include a drain tray positioned below the indoor heat exchanger (1004) to collect the condensed water falling from the indoor heat exchanger (1004). The condensed water contained in the drain tray may be drained to the outside through a drain hose. The drain tray may be provided to support the indoor heat exchanger (1004) from below, but is not limited thereto.

[0153] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (1000) may include an indoor blower (1009) that generates forced circulation of indoor air so that heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger (1004) is smooth. The indoor blower (1009) may be positioned adjacent to the indoor heat exchanger (1004). Although not specifically illustrated, in one example, the indoor blower (1009) may be positioned downstream of the indoor heat exchanger (1004) based on the direction of air flow in the space where the indoor blower (1009) is installed, but the present document is not limited thereto. The indoor blower (1009) may include one or more blower fans and fan motors. The fan motor of the indoor blower (1009) may provide driving force to the blower fan through a shaft. In one example, the blower fan may include one of an axial flow fan that draws in air in the direction of the fan motor's rotation axis and discharges air in the direction of the rotation axis, a cross-flow fan that draws in air in the direction of the fan motor's rotation axis and discharges air between the axial and radial directions, a centrifugal fan that draws in air in the direction of the fan motor's rotation axis and discharges air in the circumferential direction, and a cross-flow fan, but the present document is not limited thereto.

[0154] In this disclosure, the air conditioner (1000) is described primarily in the case where it is equipped with components related to a refrigeration cycle, but this document is not limited thereto. In one example, the air conditioner may be configured using a thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element can cool or heat the surrounding air through heat generation and cooling action via the Peltier effect.

[0155] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (1000) may include one or more outdoor units installed outdoors and one or more indoor units installed indoors. In one example, the aforementioned compressor (1001), outdoor heat exchanger (1002), and expansion device (1003) may be placed in the outdoor unit. In one example, the aforementioned indoor heat exchanger (1004) may be placed in the indoor unit. However, the placement locations of each of the aforementioned components are not limited. For example, the location of the expansion device (1003) is not limited to the outdoor unit and may be placed in the indoor unit as needed.

[0156] In this disclosure, the air conditioner (1000) is described primarily as a separated type having an outdoor unit installed separately outdoors and an indoor unit installed indoors, but this document is not limited thereto. In one example, the air conditioner (1000) may be configured as an integrated type in which a compressor (1001), an outdoor heat exchanger (1002), an expansion device (1003), and an indoor heat exchanger (1004) are placed inside a single case located indoors.

[0157] According to one embodiment, in the case of a split-type air conditioner (1000), the outdoor unit may be connected to the indoor unit via a refrigerant pipe so as to be fluidly connected. The outdoor unit may be communicated to the indoor unit. In one example, control information (or commands) of the air conditioner (1000) entered by a user or received from the outside may be transmitted from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

[0158] According to one embodiment, in the case of an air conditioner including a plurality of indoor units, some of the indoor units can be operated individually in a cooling mode and the remaining indoor units can be operated individually in a heating mode simultaneously. When operating a plurality of indoor units, in order to effectively respond to the cooling or heating load according to the number of indoor units being operated, the air conditioner may use a plurality of compressors or a plurality of outdoor units connected in parallel.

[0159] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (1000) may be classified according to the installation type / location of the indoor unit. For example, the air conditioner may be classified into a stand type in which the indoor unit is placed upright in an indoor space, a wall-mounted type installed to be attached to a wall, and a ceiling type installed on the ceiling. In one example, the air conditioner (1000) may include a plurality of indoor units, some of which may be configured as a stand type and some of which may be configured as a wall-mounted type, and the present document is not limited to a specific form.

[0160] FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an air conditioner according to one example in terms of function and control. FIG. 16 illustrates that the air conditioner (1000) includes one indoor unit (2000) and one outdoor unit (3000), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. FIG. 16 illustrates that among the configurations related to the refrigerant cycle described above with reference to FIG. 15, an indoor heat exchanger (1004) and an indoor blower (1009) are included in the indoor unit (2000), and a compressor (1001), an outdoor heat exchanger (1002), an outdoor blower (1008), an expansion device (1003), and a flow path switching valve (1006) are included in the outdoor unit (3000), but this is merely an example and the present document is not limited thereto.

[0161] Although not explicitly illustrated in FIG. 16, the indoor unit (2000) may include a housing. The indoor unit (2000) may include one or more air intakes (2011) formed in the housing. Air from the room may be drawn into the interior of the housing through the air intakes (2011).

[0162] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include a filtration filter (2012) that filters foreign substances in the air entering the interior of the housing through the air intake (2011). Although not specifically illustrated, the filtration filter (2012) may include a plurality of filter modules, and the present document is not limited thereto. For example, various types of filters, including an electrostatic precipitator filter, a HEPA filter, an antibacterial filter, and a deodorizing filter, may be provided inside the air intake (2011) in the housing, and are not limited to a specific type and number of filters.

[0163] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include one or more air outlets (2013) formed in the housing. In one example, the air outlet (2013) may have an opening shape configured to open and close according to the operating state of the air conditioner (1000). In one example, the air outlet (2013) may be configured to include a plurality of fine-sized air penetration holes distributed across the entire or partial area of ​​one side of the housing, but the present document is not limited thereto. In one example, the air outlet (2013) of the indoor unit (2000) may be placed in any area among the front, side, top, and / or rear of the housing and is not limited to a specific shape. Air flowing inside the housing, which is introduced into the interior of the housing through the air intake (2011), may be discharged to the outside of the housing through the air outlet (2013). If the indoor unit (2000) includes a plurality of air outlets (2013), air may be selectively discharged to the outside of the housing through one or more of the plurality of air outlets (2013).

[0164] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include an airflow guide (2014) that controls whether air is discharged through an air outlet (2013) and guides the direction of air discharge. For example, the airflow guide (2014) may include a door blade located near each air outlet (2013) to open and close the air outlet (2013) and guide the direction of air discharge through the air outlet (213). For example, the airflow guide (2014) may include one or more blower fans for controlling the discharge airflow, but is not limited thereto. In one example, the airflow guide may be omitted.

[0165] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include a communication unit (2015) that supports signal transmission and reception with the outside. In one example, the communication unit (2015) may receive and / or transmit wired / wireless signals between an external wired / wireless communication system, an external server, and / or other devices according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol. In one example, the communication unit (2015) may include one or more modules that connect the air conditioner (1000) to one or more networks. In one example, the communication unit (2015) may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wireless internet module, a short-range communication module, and / or a location information module.

[0166] According to one embodiment, a mobile communication module may transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of an external base station, an external terminal, and an external server through a mobile communication network according to any of the various communication protocols for mobile communication. The wireless signals may include data signals of various forms. In one example, the wireless signals may include voice call signals, video call call signals, and text / multimedia message signals, but the present document is not limited thereto.

[0167] According to one embodiment, the wired / wireless internet module may support, for example, WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), WiBro (Wireless Broadband), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access), HSUPA (High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), or LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), but is not limited thereto. In one example, the wired / wireless internet module of the communication unit (215) may transmit and receive data according to at least one wired / wireless internet technology among the internet technologies not listed above.

[0168] According to one embodiment, the short-range communication module may support short-range communication using at least one of the following technologies, for example, Bluetooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus). The short-range communication module may support wireless communication, for example, between an air conditioner (1000) and a wireless communication system, between an air conditioner (1000) and another device, or between an air conditioner (1000) and a network where another device is located, through a short-range wireless communication network.

[0169] According to one embodiment, the location information module may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) module or a Wi-Fi module, for example, as a module for obtaining the location of an air conditioner (1000). If the air conditioner (1000) utilizes a GPS module, it may receive information regarding the location of the air conditioner (1000) using signals sent from GPS satellites. If the air conditioner (1000) utilizes a Wi-Fi module, it may receive information regarding the location of the air conditioner (1000) based on information from a Wireless Access Point (AP) that transmits and receives wireless signals to and from the Wi-Fi module.

[0170] According to one embodiment, the communication unit (2015) can receive a setting data signal input by a user from a user's mobile terminal in the form of a wireless signal according to a predetermined wireless communication protocol. In one example, the communication unit (2015) can receive information and / or commands for controlling the operation of the air conditioner (1000) from an external server in the form of a signal according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol. The communication unit (2015) can transmit the received various signals to the first control unit (2020) described later. In one example, the communication unit (2015) can transmit various data generated or acquired on the air conditioner (1000) in the form of a wired / wireless signal according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol, for example, to a user's mobile terminal or an external server.

[0171] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include an input unit (2016). The input unit (2016) may include any type of user input means, such as a button, a switch, or a touchpad. The user may directly input setting data (e.g., desired indoor temperature, setting of operating mode for cooling / heating / dehumidification / air purification, setting of discharge outlet selection, and / or setting of airflow) through the input unit (2016). In one example, the input unit (2016) may include an infrared sensor. The user may input setting data remotely via a remote control, and the input setting data may be received by the input unit (2016) as an infrared signal. In one example, the input unit (2016) may include a microphone. Setting data based on the user's voice may be obtained through the microphone. Setting data from a user obtained through the input unit (2016) (e.g., desired indoor temperature, operation mode setting for cooling / heating / dehumidification / air purification, discharge port selection setting, and / or airflow setting) can be transmitted to the first control unit (2020) described later. In one example, setting data from a user obtained through the input unit (2016) can be transmitted externally through the communication unit (2015).

[0172] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include a camera (2017). The camera (2017) can acquire image information of the surrounding space surrounding the indoor unit (2000). The camera (2017) may be positioned, for example, at the top front of the housing of the indoor unit (2000), but is not limited thereto. The image information of the surrounding space acquired by the camera (2017) may be transmitted to a first control unit (2020) described later. In one example, the image information of the surrounding space acquired by the camera (2017) may be transmitted to the outside through a communication unit (2015).

[0173] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include one or more indoor unit environment sensing sensors (2018) disposed in a space inside or outside the housing. For example, the indoor unit environment sensing sensors (2018) may include one or more temperature sensors and / or humidity sensors disposed in a predetermined space inside or outside the housing of the indoor unit (2000) (e.g., a location above the air intake (2011), but not limited thereto). In one example, the indoor unit environment sensing sensors (2018) may include a refrigerant temperature sensing sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant pipe passing through the indoor unit (2000) (e.g., the refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant pipe (1005) passing through an indoor heat exchanger (1004), etc.). For example, the indoor unit environment sensing sensor (2018) may include each refrigerant temperature sensing sensor that detects the inlet, middle, and / or outlet temperature of the refrigerant pipe (1005) passing through the indoor heat exchanger (1004), but the present document is not limited thereto. In one example, each environment information detected by the indoor unit environment sensing sensor (2018) may be transmitted to the first control unit (2020) described below. In one example, the environment information detected by the indoor unit environment sensing sensor (2018) may be transmitted externally through the communication unit (2015).

[0174] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include a display unit (2019). In one example, the display unit (2019) may display various setting data from a user or from the outside obtained through a communication unit (2015) and / or an input unit (2016). The display unit (2018) may display various sensing information obtained from an indoor unit environment sensing sensor (2018) and / or an outdoor unit environment sensing sensor (3011) described later (e.g., current indoor temperature measured by a temperature sensor, current indoor humidity measured by a humidity sensor, etc.), the current operating status of the air conditioner (1000), and / or various warning / error messages. The display unit (218) may be one of various visual display means capable of displaying images, characters, numbers, etc., including an LED panel, an LCD panel, an OLED panel, and a Micro LED panel, and is not limited to a specific type of display means. In one example, the display unit (2018) may include any form of audio display means, including a speaker, and may display each of the aforementioned information as an auditory signal through such audio display means.

[0175] According to one embodiment, the indoor unit (2000) may include a first control unit (2020). The first control unit (2020) may include a processor (2021) and a memory (2022). In one example, the memory (2022) may store a control algorithm and related data for operating the air conditioner (1000). In one example, the processor (2021) may generate an operation control command for one or more components of the air conditioner (1000) based on information stored in the memory (2022) and information obtained from other components.

[0176] According to one embodiment, the processor (2021) of the first control unit (2018) can receive various input / setting information from the aforementioned communication unit (2015) and / or input unit (2016). The processor (2021) receives image information obtained from the camera (2017) and can obtain information from the received image information regarding environmental conditions of the space where the indoor unit (2000) is installed, such as the size of the indoor space, the number of occupants, or the location of the occupants. The processor (2021) can receive various sensing information obtained from each environmental sensing sensor provided in the air conditioner (1000), such as the indoor unit environmental sensing sensor (2018) and / or the outdoor unit environmental sensing sensor (3011) described later.

[0177] According to one embodiment, the processor (2021) of the first control unit (2020) can generate operation control commands for each component of the indoor unit (2000) based on various information received from the communication unit (2015), the input unit (2016), the camera (2017), and / or each environment sensing sensor. For example, the processor (2021) can generate commands to control whether the indoor blower (1009) is driven and its rotational speed. For example, the processor (2021) can generate commands to control the operation state of the airflow guide (2014). For example, the processor (2021) can generate commands to control whether and how information is displayed through the display unit (2019). For example, the processor (2021) can generate commands to control the operation state of each of the aforementioned communication unit (2015), input unit (2016), camera (2017), and / or indoor unit environment sensing sensor (2018).

[0178] According to one embodiment, the processor (2021) of the first control unit (2020) can transmit data to be used for controlling the operation of each component of the outdoor unit (3000) to the second control unit (3020) of the outdoor unit (3000) described later. The data transmitted to the second control unit (3020) may include, for example, at least some of the input / setting information or environment sensing information obtained by the first control unit (2020). In one example, the processor (2021) of the first control unit (2020) can generate a control command for each component of the outdoor unit (3000) and transmit the generated control command to the second control unit (3020).

[0179] According to one embodiment, the outdoor unit (3000) may include one or more outdoor unit environment sensing sensors (3011). The outdoor unit environment sensing sensors (3011) may be placed at any location inside or outside the outdoor unit (3000). The outdoor unit environment sensing sensors (3011) may include, for example, a temperature sensing sensor for detecting the air temperature around the outdoor unit (3000), a humidity sensing sensor for detecting the air humidity around the outdoor unit (3000), and / or a refrigerant temperature sensing sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of the refrigerant pipe (1005) passing through the outdoor unit (3000), but are not limited thereto. In one example, the outdoor unit environment sensing sensors (3011) may include a refrigerant temperature sensing sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of the refrigerant pipe (1005) at the discharge section (1001b) of the compressor (1001), but are not limited thereto. In one example, each environmental information detected by the outdoor unit environment detection sensor (3011) can be transmitted to the second control unit (3020).

[0180] According to one embodiment, the outdoor unit (3000) may include the aforementioned second control unit (3020). The second control unit (3020) may be communicationally coupled with the first control unit (2020) of the indoor unit (2000). Similar to the first control unit (2020), the second control unit (3020) may include a processor (3021) and a memory (3022). In one example, the memory (3022) may store a control algorithm and related data for operating the air conditioner (1000). In one example, the processor (3021) can generate an operation control command for one or more components of the outdoor unit (3000), such as a compressor (1001), an outdoor blower (1008), an expansion device (1003), and / or a flow path switching valve (1006), based on information stored in memory (3022), information received from the first control unit (2020), and / or information received from the outdoor unit environment sensing sensor (3011).

[0181] According to one embodiment, the outdoor unit (3000) may include a compressor (1001). The compressor (1001) may receive a drive control command from a second control unit (3020). The compressor (1001) may be operated or stopped based on the received drive control command. The compressor (1001) may be operated for a predetermined capacity according to the received drive control command. Based on the received drive control command, the compressor (1001) may draw in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas through the suction unit (1001a) for a predetermined capacity and compress the drawn-in refrigerant gas. As described above, the compressor (1001) may discharge the compressed high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas through the discharge unit (1001b).

[0182] According to one embodiment, the outdoor unit (3000) may include an outdoor heat exchanger (1002). In the outdoor heat exchanger (1002), heat exchange may occur between the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) and the outdoor air. In one example, as described above, the outdoor unit (3000) may include an outdoor blower (1008) that generates forced air for heat exchange between the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) and the outdoor air. In one example, the outdoor blower (1008) may receive a drive control command from the second control unit (3020). The outdoor blower (1008) may include one or more blower fans and fan motors. The fan motor of the outdoor blower (1008) may rotate at a predetermined speed based on the drive control command received from the second control unit (3020) and may transmit rotational driving force to the blower fan through a shaft. By the rotation of the blower fan of the outdoor blower (1008), air flow and heat exchange around the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) of the air conditioner (1000) can be smoothly carried out.

[0183] According to one embodiment, the outdoor unit (3000) may include an expansion device (1003). The expansion device (1003) may receive a control command from a second control unit (3020). As described above, the expansion device (1003) may lower the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant introduced from the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) or the indoor heat exchanger (1004). In one example, the expansion device (1003) may be implemented as an electronic expansion valve. In one example, the electronic expansion valve constituting the expansion device (1003) may adjust the opening degree based on a control command from the second control unit (3020).

[0184] According to one embodiment, the outdoor unit (3000) may include a flow path switching valve (1006). The flow path switching valve (1006) may receive a control command from a second control unit (3020). Based on the received control command, the flow path switching valve (1006) may switch the circulation path of the refrigerant through the refrigerant pipe (1005). For example, the flow path switching valve (1006) may be controlled to open / close and the degree of opening may be adjusted according to the control command from the second control unit (3020). In one example, the flow path switching valve (1006) may allow the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor (1001) to be delivered to the outdoor heat exchanger (1002) according to the control command from the second control unit (3020), e.g., during cooling mode operation. For example, the Euro switching valve (1006) can cause the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor (1001) to be transferred to the indoor heat exchanger (1004) according to a control command from the second control unit (3020), for example, during heating mode operation.

[0185] In FIG. 16 and the related description, the air conditioner (1000) is illustrated and described as including a first control unit (2020) disposed separately in the indoor unit (2000) and a second control unit (3020) disposed separately in the outdoor unit (3000), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In one example, an operation control unit disposed in the indoor unit (2000) and / or the outdoor unit (3000) can collectively control the operation of each component of the air conditioner (1000).

[0186] The term “module” as used in the various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be a component formed integrally, or a minimum unit of said component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0187] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operation of a home appliance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0188] Referring to FIG. 17, according to one embodiment, a home appliance (e.g., an air conditioner (1000) of FIG. 14 and 15) may include a power converter (e.g., a power converter (400) of FIG. 7, a power converter (400a) of FIG. 9, a power converter (400b) of FIG. 10, a power converter (400c) of FIG. 12, or a power converter (1410) of FIG. 14).

[0189] According to one embodiment, the power conversion device may include a power conversion circuit comprising a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to a load based on the DC voltage, and a processor for power factor control of the power conversion circuit.

[0190] According to one embodiment, in operation 1710, the appliance can perform an operation of acquiring phase information of the input AC voltage.

[0191] In operation 1720, the appliance can perform an operation of generating a first control signal to control the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and the reference voltage.

[0192] In operation 1730, the appliance can perform an operation to generate setting information for setting the switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit.

[0193] In operation 1740, the home appliance can perform an operation generated based on phase information, a first control signal, and setting information.

[0194] In operation 1750, the appliance can perform an operation of generating a second control signal for switch control in a switching period based on the input current and reference current of the power factor correction circuit.

[0195] According to one embodiment, setting information may be generated based on at least one of load characteristic information, load voltage requirement information, or information on the input current of the power factor correction circuit.

[0196] According to one embodiment, setting information can be used to determine the phase and frequency of a reference current.

[0197] According to one embodiment, the switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to an input AC voltage, and the length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval and the length of the switching interval can be set based on the setting information.

[0198] According to one embodiment, the operation of generating a second control signal can be performed by a current controller implemented at the hardware level.

[0199] According to one embodiment, the home appliance may generate a PWM signal based on a second control signal and perform the operation of transmitting the generated PWM signal to a switch. The operation of generating the PWM signal may be performed by a PWM generator implemented at the hardware level.

[0200] According to one embodiment, the operation of acquiring phase information can be performed by a phase estimator implemented at the hardware level or the software level.

[0201] According to one embodiment, the hardware-level implementation may be based on a hardware RTL design method.

[0202] According to one embodiment, the load includes an inverter for controlling the speed of the compressor, and the processor may further include a processing circuit for controlling the inverter.

[0203] According to one embodiment, the inductor current mode of the PFC circuit is set to CCM mode or DCM mode and can be used to generate a second control signal.

[0204] According to one embodiment, the home appliance may include an operation to switch the CCM mode to DCM mode when the input current of the PFC circuit falls below a threshold current (e.g., 0) for a period of time longer than specified, and an operation to switch the CCM mode to DCM mode when the input current of the PFC circuit flows continuously without falling below a threshold current for a period of time longer than specified, while the DCM mode is set.

[0205] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioner comprising an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor blower, wherein the air conditioner comprises: an inverter used to drive the motor; a load including the inverter; a power conversion circuit including a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; and at least one processor. The system includes at least one module for power factor control of the power conversion circuit, wherein the at least one module comprises: a phase estimator for acquiring phase information of the input AC voltage; a voltage controller for generating a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and a reference voltage; a partial switching controller for generating setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; and a current controller for generating a second control signal for controlling a switch in the switching interval based on the input current and a reference current of the power factor correction circuit, wherein the reference current may be generated based on the phase information, the first control signal, and the setting information. The at least one module may be included in and / or executed by at least one processor.

[0206] According to one embodiment, the setting information may be generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the information regarding the input current of the power factor correction circuit.

[0207] According to one embodiment, the setting information can be used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current.

[0208] According to one embodiment, the switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and the length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval and the length of the switching interval can be set based on the setting information.

[0209] According to one embodiment, the current controller may be implemented at the hardware level, and the voltage controller and the partial switching controller may be implemented at the software level.

[0210] According to one embodiment, the at least one module further includes a PWM generator that generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the second control signal and transmits the generated PWM signal to the switch, and the PWM generator may be implemented at the hardware level.

[0211] According to one embodiment, the phase estimator may be implemented at the hardware level or the software level.

[0212] According to one embodiment, the hardware-level implementation may be based on a hardware RTL (register transfer level) design method.

[0213] According to one embodiment, the at least one module may further include a processing circuit that controls the inverter.

[0214] According to one embodiment, the inductor current mode of the PFC circuit is set to a CCM (continuous conduction mode) mode or a DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) mode and is used to generate the second control signal, and the at least one processor: if the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit falls below a threshold current while the CCM mode is set continues for a specified time or longer, the CCM mode is switched to the DCM mode, and if the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit flows continuously without falling below a threshold current while the DCM mode is set continues for a specified time or longer, the CCM mode is switched to the DCM mode.

[0215] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of an air conditioner comprising an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor blower, wherein the compressor includes a motor used to compress a refrigerant, and the air conditioner comprises: an inverter used to drive the motor; a load including the inverter; a power conversion circuit including a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; at least one processor; and at least one module for power factor control of the power conversion circuit, and the method comprises: an operation of acquiring phase information of the input AC voltage; an operation of generating a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and a reference voltage; an operation of generating setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; and an operation of generating a reference current based on the phase information, the first control signal and the setting information. and may include an operation of generating a second control signal for switch control in the switching interval based on the input current of the power factor correction circuit and the reference current. The at least one module may be included in and / or executed in at least one processor.

[0216] According to one embodiment, the setting information is generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the information on the input current of the power factor correction circuit, and can be used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current.

[0217] According to one embodiment, the switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and the length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval and the length of the switching interval can be set based on the setting information.

[0218] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: generating a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the second control signal and transmitting the generated PWM signal to the switch; the operation of generating the PWM signal is performed by a PWM generator implemented at the hardware level; the operation of generating the second control signal is performed by a current controller implemented at the hardware level; the operation of acquiring the phase information is performed by a phase estimator implemented at the hardware level or the software level; and the implementation at the hardware level may be based on a hardware register transfer level (RTL) design method.

[0219] According to one embodiment, the inductor current mode of the PFC circuit is set to a CCM (continuous conduction mode) mode or a DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) mode and is used to generate the second control signal, and the method may include: an operation of switching the CCM mode to the DCM mode when the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit falls below a threshold current while the CCM mode is set continues for a specified time or longer; and an operation of switching the CCM mode to the DCM mode when the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit flows continuously without falling below a threshold current while the DCM mode is set continues for a specified time or longer.

[0220] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a home appliance comprises: a load; a power conversion circuit including a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; at least one processor; and at least one module for power factor control of the power conversion circuit, wherein the at least one module comprises: a phase estimator that obtains phase information of the input AC voltage; a voltage controller that generates a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and a reference voltage; a partial switching controller that generates setting information for setting a switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; and a current controller that generates a second control signal for controlling a switch in the switching interval based on the input current and a reference current of the power factor correction circuit, wherein the reference current may be generated based on the phase information, the first control signal, and the setting information. The at least one module may be included in and / or executed by at least one processor.

[0221] According to one embodiment, the setting information is generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the information on the input current of the power factor correction circuit, and can be used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current.

[0222] According to one embodiment, the switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of a waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and the length between the first zero-crossing point of the two consecutive zero-crossing points and the start point of the switching interval and the length of the switching interval can be set based on the setting information.

[0223] According to one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a PWM generator that generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the second control signal and transmits the generated PWM signal to the switch, wherein the current controller and the PWM generator are implemented at the hardware level, the voltage controller and the partial switching controller are implemented at the software level, and the phase estimator is implemented at the hardware level or the software level, and the implementation at the hardware level may be based on a hardware register transfer level (RTL) design method.

[0224] According to one embodiment, the inductor current mode of the PFC circuit is set to a CCM (continuous conduction mode) mode or a DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) mode and is used to generate the second control signal, and the at least one processor: if the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit falls below a threshold current while the CCM mode is set continues for a specified time or longer, the CCM mode is switched to the DCM mode, and if the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit flows continuously without falling below a threshold current while the DCM mode is set continues for a specified time or longer, the CCM mode is switched to the DCM mode.

[0225] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, program, or other components may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. An air conditioner comprising an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower, a compressor, an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor blower, The above air conditioner is: An inverter used to drive the above motor; A load including the above inverter; A power conversion circuit comprising a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; At least one processor; and It includes at least one module for power factor control of the power conversion circuit above, and The above at least one module is: A phase estimator for acquiring phase information of the above-mentioned input AC voltage, A voltage controller that generates a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and the reference voltage, A partial switching controller that generates setting information for setting the switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit, and It includes a current controller that generates a second control signal for switch control in the switching section based on the input current and reference current of the power factor correction circuit above, and The above reference current is generated based on the above phase information, the above first control signal, and the above setting information, in an air conditioner.

2. In Paragraph 1, An air conditioner, wherein the above setting information is generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the input current information of the power factor correction circuit.

3. In Paragraph 1, The above setting information is used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current in an air conditioner.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of the waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and An air conditioner in which the length between the first zero crossing point of the two consecutive zero crossing points and the start point of the switching section and the length of the switching section are set based on the setting information.

5. In Paragraph 1, The above current controller is implemented at the hardware level, and An air conditioner in which the above voltage controller and the above partial switching controller are implemented at the software level.

6. In paragraph 1, the at least one module is: It further includes a PWM generator that generates a PWM (pulse width modulation) signal based on the second control signal and transmits the generated PWM signal to the switch. The above PWM generator is an air conditioner implemented at the hardware level.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned phase estimator is an air conditioner implemented at the hardware or software level.

8. In any one of paragraphs 5 through 7, The above hardware-level implementation is an air conditioner based on a hardware RTL (register transfer level) design method.

9. In Paragraph 1, An air conditioner, wherein at least one module further comprises a processing circuit for controlling the inverter.

10. In Paragraph 1, The inductor current mode of the above PFC circuit is set to CCM (continuous conduction mode) mode or DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) mode and is used to generate the second control signal. The above at least one processor is: If, while the above CCM mode is set, the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit drops below the threshold current persists for a specified time or longer, the above CCM mode is switched to the above DCM mode, and An air conditioner that switches the CCM mode to the DCM mode when, while the above DCM mode is set, the input current of the above PFC circuit does not drop below a threshold current and a section of continuous flow persists for a specified time or longer.

11. A method of operation of an air conditioner comprising an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower, a compressor, an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor blower, The above compressor includes a motor used to compress the refrigerant, and The above air conditioner is: An inverter used to drive the above motor; A load including the above inverter; A power conversion circuit comprising a rectifier circuit that rectifies an input AC voltage to generate a DC voltage and a power factor correction circuit that supplies an output DC voltage to the load based on the DC voltage; At least one processor; and It includes at least one module for power factor control of the power conversion circuit above, and The above method is: Operation of acquiring phase information of the above input AC voltage; An operation to generate a first control signal for controlling the magnitude of the output DC voltage based on the output DC voltage and the reference voltage; An operation to generate setting information for setting the switching interval of a switch included in the power factor correction circuit; An operation to generate a reference current based on the above phase information, the above first control signal, and the above setting information; and A method comprising the operation of generating a second control signal for switch control in the switching section based on the input current of the power factor correction circuit and the reference current.

12. In Paragraph 11, A method in which the above setting information is generated based on at least one of the characteristic information of the load, the voltage requirement information of the load, or the input current of the power factor correction circuit, and is used to determine the phase and frequency of the reference current.

13. In Paragraph 11, The above switching interval is part of the interval between two consecutive zero-crossing points of the waveform corresponding to the input AC voltage, and A method in which the length between the first zero crossing point of the two consecutive zero crossing points and the start point of the switching section and the length of the switching section are set based on the setting information.

14. In paragraph 11, the above method is: The operation includes generating a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the second control signal and transmitting the generated PWM signal to the switch, wherein the operation of generating the PWM signal is performed by a PWM generator implemented at the hardware level. The operation of generating the above second control signal is performed by a current controller implemented at the hardware level, and The operation of acquiring the above phase information is performed by a phase estimator implemented at the hardware or software level, and The above hardware-level implementation is a method based on a hardware RTL (register transfer level) design method.

15. In Paragraph 11, The inductor current mode of the above PFC circuit is set to CCM (continuous conduction mode) mode or DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) mode and is used to generate the second control signal. The above method is: When the above CCM mode is set and the period during which the input current of the PFC circuit drops below the threshold current continues for a specified time or longer, the operation of switching the above CCM mode to the above DCM mode; and A method comprising switching the CCM mode to the DCM mode when, while the DCM mode is set, the input current of the PFC circuit flows continuously for a period of time longer than a specified time without falling below a threshold current.

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