Air conditioner and control method thereof

Abstract

Disclosed are an air conditioner and a control method thereof, which can add an automatic drying function through software upgrade of a household electrical appliance and can determine a drying operation time on the basis of an indoor temperature and an indoor humidity. The air conditioner includes: a communication unit that downloads program data including an automatic drying function of the air conditioner from a server and upgrades the program data; and a control part for controlling the inherent function of the air conditioner and determining the drying operation time on the basis of the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity when the automatic drying function is activated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner capable of adding an automatic drying function through software upgrade of household electrical appliances and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Home appliances, electronic products and other home appliances are configured to operate in various environments, and the structure or components of the product may change based on the time when the product is shipped. For example, after the product is shipped and sold, there may be a request to upgrade the function or add functions to upgrade.

[0003] However, most home appliances have their firmware updated after they are sold in order to resolve product errors, and after they leave the factory, new functions are added and upgraded to meet various consumer needs, requiring the purchase of new products with the added functions. Therefore, it is not possible to provide additional functions for home appliances based on changes in consumer lifestyles or as technology develops.

[0004] In addition, in order to facilitate the management of various home appliances connected to the Internet, it is necessary to develop a technology that allows users to easily confirm updateable or upgradeable functions and request upgrades, thereby being able to confirm the status or results of the upgrade.

[0005] On the other hand, when the air conditioner is driven in the cooling mode, heat exchange occurs between the indoor air and the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit, so the surface of the indoor heat exchanger is exposed to condensed water generated by the heat exchange. At this time, the moisture remaining on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger may cause various dust, germs, mold, odor, etc.

[0006] In order to solve such a problem, according to the prior art, after the cooling mode ends, the air conditioner drives the drying mode for a predetermined time to remove the moisture remaining on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger.

[0007] However, since the air conditioner according to the related art drives the drying mode within a predetermined time, there is a problem that the effectiveness of the drying mode is reduced because the moisture inside the product cannot be completely removed.

[0008] Although most customers know that drying time is required to prevent odors from the heat exchanger generated by the air conditioner, it is difficult to judge how long the drying should be run and whether the currently set drying time is appropriate. In addition, from the customer's point of view, running the drying for an unnecessary long time can be judged as wasting unnecessary electricity, so there is a need for a technology that can determine the appropriate drying time and provide it to customers.

[0009] Therefore, a function capable of automatically calculating the drying operation time of the air conditioner is required. Summary of the invention

[0010] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0011] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof, wherein the air conditioner and the control method thereof can add an AI (Artificial Intelligence) automatic drying function for automatically determining the drying operation time through software upgrade of the household appliance.

[0012] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof, wherein the air conditioner and the control method thereof can determine a drying operation time based on an indoor temperature and an indoor humidity.

[0013] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof, wherein the air conditioner and the control method thereof can update the drying operation time by periodically confirming the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature difference, so that the drying operation is carried out until the temperature difference enters the reference value.

[0014] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof, wherein the air conditioner and the control method thereof can automatically calculate the drying operation time and drive the air conditioner according to the state of the air conditioner, thereby improving the effectiveness of the drying operation.

[0015] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof, wherein the air conditioner and the control method thereof can be updated by recalculating the drying operation time during the drying operation, thereby being able to flexibly (smartly) dry the moisture remaining on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger.

[0016] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof, wherein the air conditioner and the control method thereof can improve user convenience by automatically calculating and setting the drying operation time.

[0017] The purpose of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned purpose, and other purposes and advantages of the present invention that are not mentioned can be understood by the following description, and can be further clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, it can be easily known that the purposes and advantages of the present invention can be achieved by the means and combinations thereof given in the claims.

[0018] Means used to solve problems

[0019] The air conditioner of one embodiment is provided with an AI automatic drying function by upgrading the software of the home appliance, and the AI ​​automatic drying function automatically determines the drying operation time.

[0020] Specifically, the program data including the automatic drying function of the air conditioner is downloaded from the server to upgrade the air conditioner.

[0021] In addition, the air conditioner of one embodiment determines the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity.

[0022] Specifically, the absolute humidity is calculated using the area of ​​the heat exchanger, the air volume, the indoor temperature, and the indoor humidity, and the drying operation time is calculated based on the absolute humidity.

[0023] In addition, the air conditioner of one embodiment periodically checks the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature difference, and performs the drying operation until the temperature difference falls within a reference value.

[0024] Specifically, when there is still the first time left in the remaining drying operation time, the drying judgment index operation is activated to calculate the difference between the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature, that is, the pipe temperature difference. When the pipe temperature difference is above the reference temperature, the drying operation time is recalculated based on the pipe temperature difference for update.

[0025] In addition, the air conditioner of one embodiment can improve the effectiveness of the drying operation because the drying operation time is automatically calculated and driven according to the state of the air conditioner.

[0026] Specifically, when the remaining drying operation time still has the first time left, the drying operation time is recalculated based on the difference between the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature, and is updated and driven, thereby flexibly drying the moisture remaining on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger.

[0027] An air conditioner of one embodiment includes: a communication unit, which downloads program data including an automatic drying function of the air conditioner from a server for upgrading; and a control unit, which controls the inherent functions of the air conditioner and determines the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and indoor humidity when the automatic drying function is activated.

[0028] A control method for an air conditioner in one embodiment includes: a step of downloading and storing program data including an automatic drying function of the air conditioner from a server; a step of upgrading with the program data when an upgrade trigger occurs; and a step of controlling the inherent functions of the air conditioner and determining the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and indoor humidity when the automatic drying function is activated.

[0029] Effects of the Invention

[0030] According to an embodiment, the air conditioner and the control method thereof of an embodiment can add an AI automatic drying function for automatically determining the drying operation time through software upgrade of the home appliance.

[0031] In addition, the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to an embodiment can automatically determine the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity.

[0032] In addition, the air conditioner and control method thereof according to an embodiment can update the drying operation time by periodically checking the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature difference, so that the drying operation is performed until the temperature difference falls within a reference value.

[0033] In addition, the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to an embodiment can automatically calculate the drying operation time according to the state of the air conditioner, thereby improving the effectiveness of the drying operation.

[0034] In addition, the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to an embodiment can flexibly dry out the moisture remaining on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger by recalculating and updating the drying operation time during the drying operation.

[0035] In addition, the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to an embodiment can improve the convenience of the user because the drying operation time is automatically calculated and set.

[0036] In addition to the above-mentioned effects, specific effects of the present invention will be described together with the following description of specific matters for implementing the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 This is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a system for upgrading a home appliance according to an embodiment.

[0038] Figure 2 The diagram specifically shows the structure of a system for upgrading a home appliance according to an embodiment.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a management server for upgrading a home appliance according to an embodiment.

[0040] Figure 4 This is an operation flow chart for explaining the operation of the management server according to one embodiment.

[0041] Figure 5 Detailed description of the invention The invention is a block diagram showing the structure of an upgradeable home appliance according to an embodiment.

[0042] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a method for upgrading a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 7 The block diagram schematically shows a home appliance in which a plurality of upgradeable home appliances are separately provided according to an embodiment.

[0044] Figure 8It is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of a method for upgrading a home appliance according to an embodiment.

[0045] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The figure shows a process of upgrading a user terminal according to an embodiment.

[0046] Fig.11 It is a flow chart related to an air conditioner and a control method thereof according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The above-mentioned purpose, means and effects are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Thus, a person skilled in the art of the present invention can easily implement the technical idea of ​​the present invention. When explaining this specification, if it is determined that the specific description of the relevant known technology may unnecessarily confuse the main idea of ​​the present invention, its detailed description will be omitted. Below, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers in the accompanying drawings are used to refer to the same or similar components.

[0048] The following describes several embodiments of systems and methods for upgrading home appliances. In addition, an air conditioner and a control method thereof that can add an AI automatic drying function through software upgrade of the home appliance are described.

[0049] In addition, an air conditioner and its control method are described, which updates the drying operation time by periodically confirming the difference between the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature, so that the drying operation is carried out until the temperature difference enters the reference value, thereby improving the effectiveness of the drying operation.

[0050] In the specification, the update of the home appliance can be defined as the process of updating the software installed in the home appliance. The software may include firmware for the operation of the control unit or microcomputer of the home appliance and content programs executed on the firmware. As an example, the content program may be a program for setting the background screen of the display unit of the air conditioner, a program for setting the AI ​​automatic drying function and the drying reservation function of the air conditioner, etc.

[0051] In the specification, the upgrade of the home appliance can be defined as including the download and update process. Among them, downloading can be defined as the process of downloading the software to be recorded in the home appliance. Upgrading can be defined as the process of recording (writing) the downloaded software in the control unit or microcomputer of the home appliance.

[0052] In the specification, upgrading or performing firmware over the air (FOTA) can be defined as the process of upgrading the downloaded software in the home appliance, that is, the process of recording the program in the control unit or microcomputer of the home appliance.

[0053] In the specification, when the home appliance is in operation or when the product is in operation, it can be defined as the operation state of the home appliance performing the inherent function. As an example, the operation state of performing the inherent function of the home appliance can be the state of performing the air conditioning function of the air conditioner, the air purification function of the air purifier, the washing function of the washing machine, and the drying function of the dryer.

[0054] In the manual, the communication unit can perform functions such as sending and receiving data, storing downloaded software, setting software upgrade schedules, and tracking upgrade appointment times.

[0055] In the specification, the control unit of the home appliance can be defined as a control unit that performs the inherent functions of the home appliance. As an example, the control unit can perform the air conditioning function of an air conditioner, the air purification function of an air purifier, the washing function of a washing machine, and the drying function of a dryer.

[0056] In the specification, the drying operation or drying mode of the air conditioner may be defined as the action of drying the surface of the indoor heat exchanger.

[0057] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the structure of a home appliance upgrading system according to an embodiment.

[0058] Reference Figure 1 A system of an embodiment may include a management server 100 and a plurality of user devices 210 , 220 , 230 , and 240 .

[0059] The management server 100 may store information related to home appliances to be upgraded and information related to home appliances owned by each user.

[0060] The information related to the home appliance may include the latest version of program data of the home appliance. As an example, the information related to the home appliance may include at least one of: identification information of the home appliance, program data of each old version of the home appliance, and delta data derived from a comparison result between the program data of each old version and the program data of the latest version.

[0061] The program data is data related to the operation of the home appliance, which means data that can improve the function of the home appliance or add new functions to the home appliance. For example, when the home appliance is an air conditioner, the program data can be data for improving the program of adjusting at least one of the air volume, wind direction, and indoor temperature, or data for improving the image displayed by the display module or for displaying a new image, or data related to the voice guided by the voice guidance module.

[0062] The information related to the home appliances owned by each user may include the user identification information and the identification information of the home appliances associated with the user identification information.

[0063] The management server 100 can determine whether the home appliance is to be upgraded and the upgrade method based on the information related to the home appliance. The specific method for this will be described later.

[0064] In addition, the management server 100 may transmit data (hereinafter, also referred to as upgrade data) for upgrading the functions of the respective user devices 210, 220, 230, and 240. The upgrade data may include program data or delta data of the latest version of the home appliance.

[0065] The data sent by the management server 100 may also include instruction sets that the user devices 210, 220, 230, 240 need to execute. The management server 100 can determine the type of upgrade data or the time point of sending the upgrade data according to the upgrade method and the upgrade status.

[0066] Each of the plurality of user devices 210, 220, 230, and 240 may include at least one home appliance. The home appliance may include various forms of home appliances such as air conditioners, air purifiers, refrigerators, washing machines, clothing management machines, and water purifiers; mobile devices such as smart phones; and various forms of electronic devices such as automobiles (for example, devices for automatic driving or devices for controlling the operation of vehicles, etc.).

[0067] In addition, each of the plurality of user devices 210, 220, 230, 240 may include at least one user terminal. Each of the at least one home appliance can update program data in response to a file (i.e., a file including delta data or an instruction set) received from the management server 100.

[0068] Figure 2 The diagram specifically shows the structure of a system for upgrading home appliances according to an embodiment.

[0069] Reference Figure 2The system of an embodiment may include a management server 100 , an access point 300 , a plurality of home appliances 410 , 420 , 430 , 440 , 500 , 600 , and a user terminal 700 .

[0070] Figure 1 Each of the plurality of user equipments 210 , 220 , 230 , and 240 may include at least one of an access point 300 , a plurality of home appliances 410 , 420 , 430 , 440 , 500 , and 600 , and a user terminal 700 .

[0071] The functions of the management server 100 can be Figure 1 The functions are the same as described in .

[0072] The access point 300 may perform the role of relaying the management server 100 and the household appliances 410, 420, 500, and 600. The access point 300 may be a wireless network (WiFi) router.

[0073] Each of the plurality of home appliances 410 , 420 , 430 , 440 , 500 , and 600 may perform a specific function according to the execution of a corresponding program.

[0074] The home appliances 410, 420, 430, and 440 may be home appliances that are separately provided as a plurality of devices for a predetermined function and connected to each other. For example, the 1-1 home appliance 410, the 1-2 home appliance 420, and the 1-3 home appliance 430 may be indoor units of air conditioners that adjust any one of indoor temperature, humidity, and air quality, and the 1-4 home appliance 440 may be outdoor units of air conditioners connected to the indoor units. The air quality may include the concentration of fine dust or the concentration of chemical substances that cause odor.

[0075] In addition, the 1-1st home appliance 410 and the 1-2nd home appliance 420 may include a communication module (e.g., a wireless network module) capable of connecting to the access point 300. In addition, the 1-1st home appliance 410, the 1-2nd home appliance 420, the 1-3rd home appliance 430, and the 1-4th home appliance 440 may include a communication module capable of communicating with each other.

[0076] Each of the 1-1st household appliance 410, the 1-2nd household appliance 420, and the 1-3rd household appliance 430 can adjust at least one of the temperature, humidity, and dust concentration of the indoor air according to the execution of the corresponding program. The 1-4th household appliance 440 can control the operation of at least one of the compressor and the fan according to the execution of the corresponding program.

[0077] Each of the second home appliance 500 and the third home appliance 600 may be an independently operated home appliance. For example, each of the second home appliance 500 and the third home appliance 600 may be one of various home appliances such as an air purifier, a washing machine, a clothing management machine, and a refrigerator. Each of the second home appliance 500 and the third home appliance 600 may include a communication module (e.g., a wireless network module).

[0078] The user terminal 700 may be a mobile terminal of a user having a plurality of home appliances 410 , 420 , 430 , 440 , 500 , and 600 .

[0079] According to an embodiment, the access point 300 may be excluded. In this case, each of the home appliances 410, 420, 500, and 600 is connected to the management server 100 via the Internet or the like. In this case, each of the home appliances 410, 420, 500, and 600 may be connected to the management server 100 in a wired or wireless manner.

[0080] In addition, although not shown in the figure, the user device may also include a remote controller for controlling each of the plurality of home appliances 410, 420, 430, 440, 500, 600. The remote controller can transmit and receive data with each of the home appliances controlled by itself in a short-range wireless communication manner. For example, the remote controller can transmit and receive data with the home appliances controlled by itself in a Bluetooth manner. According to one embodiment, not only the plurality of home appliances 410, 420, 430, 440, 500, 600, but also the remote controllers or other devices connected thereto can be upgraded.

[0081] For example, the user can use the user terminal 700 (eg, a mobile terminal or a tablet) to remotely control home appliances (eg, an air conditioner) installed in the home or to confirm the operating status of the home appliances in real time.

[0082] The user executes the home appliance management application program set in the user terminal 700, inputs a control command to the home appliance or requests information query related to the operation status of the home appliance. The user terminal 700 transmits the control command or requests to send information about the home appliance to the management server 100 according to the user's request.

[0083] The home appliance is provided with a display for displaying information and a communication device having a communication function.

[0084] The management server 100 communicates with the home appliance through a router installed in the home. The management server 100 transmits the control command input by the user to the home appliance through the router, or requests the home appliance to send information related to the operation status of the home appliance. The home appliance is controlled according to the control command input by the user or transmits information related to the operation status of the home appliance to the management server 100 through the router.

[0085] The management server 100 transmits the received information related to the operation status of the home appliance to the user terminal 700. Through such a process, the user can use the user terminal 700 to remotely control the home appliance or query the information related to the operation status of the home appliance in real time.

[0086] The management server 100 communicates with the home appliance through a router installed in the home. The management server 100 transmits the control command input by the user to the home appliance through the router, or requests the home appliance to send information related to the operation status of the home appliance. The home appliance is controlled according to the control command input by the user or transmits information related to the operation status of the home appliance to the management server 100 through the router.

[0087] If the user requests software or firmware upgrades set in the home appliance through the application installed in the user terminal 700, the management server 100 transmits the new software or firmware to the home appliance. The user can set elements and functions for software or firmware upgrades of the home appliance or confirm the software or firmware upgrade status of the home appliance through the application installed in the user terminal 700.

[0088] In addition, the home appliance may periodically transmit the software information installed in the home appliance to the management server 100 through the router. In addition, the home appliance may jointly transmit the software information of additional home appliances connected to the home appliance in a wired or wireless manner, such as indoor units, outdoor units, and remote controllers. The communication method between the home appliance and the management server 100 may be different from the communication method between the home appliance and the additional home appliance.

[0089] In addition, when an additional home appliance connected to the home appliance by wire or wirelessly needs to update software, the home appliance transmits the software received from the management server 100 to the home appliance or transmits it to a plurality of additional home appliances by broadcasting.

[0090] The software information transmitted to the management server 100 may include user ID, model name, serial number, software version, software content, user settings, and storage capacity information of the product.

[0091] The management server 100 may compare the software information of the home appliance transmitted by the user ID, model name, serial number, etc. with the software information registered in the home appliance management server 100 from the transmitted software information.

[0092] The management server 100 selects a normal update or automatic update method for the home appliance software replacement or update method based on the comparison result, or can select a normal update or automatic update method based on the model name, serial number, etc. of the home appliance.

[0093] For example, when the management server 100 selects the normal update method, if the software installed in the home appliance needs to be replaced or updated, the management server 100 may transmit software replacement or update information to the user terminal 700 or the home appliance.

[0094] When the user terminal 700 or the home appliance receives software update or update information from the electronic device management server, the user terminal 700 or the home appliance may display the software update or update information on the display.

[0095] When there is a software replacement or update request from the user, the management server 100 generates delta data including only the difference between the software installed in the home appliance and the software to be updated, and transmits it to the home appliance through a router together with the instruction or transmits the entire software to be updated to the home appliance.

[0096] The home appliance can replace or update the software of the home appliance based on the transmitted update software.

[0097] In addition, when the management server 100 selects the automatic update method, the management server 100 generates delta data including only the differences between the software installed on the home appliance and the software to be updated, and transmits it to the home appliance through a router together with the instructions or transmits the entire software to be updated to the home appliance.

[0098] When the software to be updated is downloaded to the home appliance and completed, the home appliance or the user terminal 700 may display the software replacement or update information on the display.

[0099] When there is a request for software replacement or update of the home appliance from the home appliance or the user terminal 700, the software of the home appliance can be replaced or updated based on the transmitted update software.

[0100] Although the management server 100 selects the automatic update method, if the storage capacity of the home appliance is insufficient or the automatic update fails, it can be converted to a normal update.

[0101] Figure 3This is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a management server 100 for upgrading home appliances according to an embodiment.

[0102] Reference Figure 3 , the management server 100 may include a control unit 110 , a communication unit 810 , and a storage unit 130 .

[0103] The control unit 110 may send the program data stored in the storage unit 130. In this case, the program data sent by the control unit 110 may be the latest version of the program data. As an example, the control unit 110 may generate delta data for each home appliance based on the data stored in the storage unit 130, and transmit the delta data to the home appliance ( Figure 2 410, 420, 500, 600) to send delta data.

[0104] When the control unit 110 sends the program data or delta data, it can also send the home appliance ( Figure 2 An instruction set executed by the control unit (410, 420, 500, 600).

[0105] The control unit 110 can determine whether to upgrade the home appliance and the upgrade method based on the information related to the home appliance.

[0106] The control unit 110 may include at least one processing unit or memory. The processing unit may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a customized semiconductor (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC) and a field programmable gate array (FPGA, Field Programmable Gate Arrays), etc., and may have a plurality of cores. The memory may be a volatile memory (e.g., RAM, etc.), a non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM, flash memory, etc.) or a combination thereof.

[0107] The communication unit 810 may send a signal to the outside according to the control of the control unit 110. In addition, the communication unit 810 may receive a signal from the outside and may output the received signal to the control unit 110. The communication unit 810 may receive the signal in a wired or wireless manner. The communication unit 810 may include a modem, a network interface card (NIC), an integrated network interface, a wireless frequency transmitter / receiver, an infrared port, a USB connection or other interfaces for communicating with other computing devices.

[0108] The storage unit 130 can store data received through the communication unit 810 under the control of the control unit 110, and can store data processed by the control unit 110. For example, the storage unit 130 can store at least one of user identification information, identification information of a home appliance associated with the user identification information, program data of each version of the home appliance, and delta data derived from a comparison result of each program data of an old version and program data of the latest version.

[0109] Figure 4 This is an operation flow chart for explaining the operation of the management server 100 according to one embodiment.

[0110] Reference Figure 4 First, the management server 100 may receive product information from the home appliance (step S11). The product information may include at least one of the user's identification information, the home appliance's identification information, and the current program version of the home appliance.

[0111] Next, the management server 100 may determine whether to upgrade or the upgrade method based on the product information (step S12).

[0112] For example, the management server 100 uses the user's identification information to confirm the user's authority or the service used by the user, and can thereby determine whether to upgrade. Alternatively, the management server 100 can also determine whether to upgrade based on the identification information of the home appliance. Alternatively, the management server 100 can also determine whether to upgrade based on whether the current program version of the home appliance is the latest version.

[0113] In addition, the management server 100 can determine the upgrade method based on at least one of the function to be upgraded, the capacity of the upgrade data, the format of the upgrade data, the expected transmission time of the upgrade data, and the identification information of the home appliance. For example, the management server 100 can determine the appropriate upgrade method according to the function to be upgraded.

[0114] As an example, the management server 100 can compare the capacity of the upgrade data with at least one or more reference capacities, and determine the upgrade method based on the result. Alternatively, the management server 100 can determine the upgrade method based on whether the upgrade data includes instructions. Alternatively, the management server 100 can use the identification information of the home appliance to grasp the type of the home appliance or the connection status of the communication unit of the home appliance, and can determine the upgrade method based on the result. Alternatively, the management server 100 grasps the transmission time required to transmit the upgrade data based on the capacity of the upgrade data and the identification information of the home appliance, and can determine the upgrade method based on the result.

[0115] According to one embodiment, the upgrading method may include: a normal upgrading method, which includes transmitting all data of the program that executes the function to be upgraded to the home appliance, and upgrading the home appliance based on all the data; a delta upgrading method, which transmits delta data, and upgrades the home appliance based on the transmitted delta data; and an automatic upgrading method, which includes transmitting the upgrade data to the home appliance before accepting the user's upgrade approval, and upgrading the home appliance based on the subsequent user's upgrade approval.

[0116] According to the normal upgrade method and the delta upgrade method, the upgrade data can be sent after the management server 100 receives the upgrade approval from the user. In addition, according to the normal upgrade method and the delta upgrade method, the upgrade data can be sent to the home appliance (more specifically, the functional module of the home appliance) in a state where the inherent operation of the home appliance is stopped.

[0117] In this specification, the inherent action of a household appliance refers to the action of the household appliance to perform its original function. For example, in the case of an air conditioner, the action of controlling a compressor or a fan to perform cooling or heating can be an inherent action. In the case of a washing machine, the action of controlling a motor or a valve to wash laundry can be an inherent action. In the case of a refrigerator, the action of controlling a compressor or a fan to adjust or maintain the temperature inside the refrigerator can be an inherent action.

[0118] According to the automatic upgrade method, the upgrade data can be transmitted to the home appliance (more specifically, the functional module of the home appliance) regardless of whether the inherent action of the home appliance is stopped or not. That is, according to the automatic upgrade method, part or all of the upgrade data can be downloaded to the home appliance during the execution of the inherent action of the home appliance. As an example, the upgrade data can be downloaded to the storage unit in the communication unit of the home appliance.

[0119] If the capacity of the upgrade data is greater than the first reference capacity, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the automatic upgrade mode. Alternatively, if the capacity of the upgrade data is less than the first reference capacity, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the delta upgrade mode.

[0120] Alternatively, if the capacity of the upgrade data is smaller than a second reference capacity that is smaller than the first reference capacity, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as a normal upgrade method. The first reference capacity may be 1 Mbyte. The second reference capacity may be 128 kbyte. This is because when the capacity of the upgrade data is greater than the first reference capacity, even if the delta upgrade method is adopted, the data transmission will take a lot of time. In addition, if the capacity of the upgrade data is smaller than the second reference capacity, even if the delta upgrade method is not adopted, the data transmission will not take a lot of time.

[0121] Alternatively, if the estimated time for transmission of the upgrade data is greater than the first reference time, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the automatic upgrade method. Alternatively, if the estimated time for transmission of the upgrade data is less than the first reference time, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the delta upgrade method. Alternatively, if the estimated time for transmission of the upgrade data is less than the second reference time that is shorter than the first reference time, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the normal upgrade method. The first reference time may be 20 minutes. The second reference time may be 2 minutes.

[0122] Alternatively, if the traffic of the communication line of the household appliance or the functional module of the household appliance to be upgraded is greater than the reference ratio compared to the capacity of the communication line, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the normal upgrade method or the delta upgrade method. Alternatively, if the traffic of the communication line of the household appliance or the functional module of the household appliance to be upgraded is less than the reference ratio compared to the capacity of the communication line, the management server 100 may determine the upgrade method as the automatic upgrade method. This is because, in the case where the traffic of the communication line is usually high, even if the automatic upgrade method is adopted, it takes a long time to transmit the upgrade data.

[0123] Alternatively, when the upgrade data does not include an instruction, the management server 100 can determine the upgrade method as the automatic upgrade method. The management server 100 can comprehensively consider two or more of the above-mentioned various judgment criteria to determine the upgrade method.

[0124] Next, the management server 100 can provide the upgrade information to the home appliance or the user terminal 700, and can receive the upgrade approval from the home appliance or the user terminal 700 (step S13). In addition, the management server 100 can send the upgrade data to the home appliance (step S14).

[0125] The order of step S13 and step S14 may be reversed. That is, as described above, when the management server 100 is upgraded in the normal upgrade mode or the delta upgrade mode, step S14 may be executed after step S13. Alternatively, when the management server 100 is upgraded in the automatic upgrade mode, step S13 may be executed after step S14.

[0126] Then, the management server 100 may request the home appliance to execute the upgrade operation.

[0127] Figure 5 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of an upgradeable home appliance 800 according to an embodiment.

[0128] Reference Figure 5The home appliance 800 may include a communication unit 810, a control unit 820 and a third storage unit 830. The communication unit 810 may include a storage unit 811, a transceiver unit 812 and a communication control unit, and the control unit 820 may include a processing unit 821, a first storage unit 822 and a second storage unit 823. Figure 2 Each of the home appliances 410, 420, 500, and 600 may include Figure 4 In addition, the household appliance of one embodiment may not include part of the first storage unit 822 , the second storage unit 823 , and the third storage unit 830 .

[0129] The communication unit 810 can receive data from the management server ( Figure 1 or Figure 2 100) receives data and can send the received data to the control unit 820. From the management server ( Figure 1 or Figure 2 The data received by the controller 800 may include at least one of the program data, the above-mentioned delta data, and the instructions executed by the controller 820. The communication unit 810 may include a wireless frequency transmitter / receiver, an infrared port, a USB connection, or other interfaces. For example, the communication unit 160 may include a short-range communication module for transmitting and receiving signals according to a communication standard such as a wireless network or Bluetooth.

[0130] The storage unit 811 can store the data from the management server ( Figure 1 or Figure 2 The storage unit 811 may be a non-volatile memory. For example, the storage unit 811 may be a flash memory.

[0131] The transceiver unit 812 may send the data stored in the storage unit 811 to the control unit 820 .

[0132] The communication control unit can control the transceiver unit 812 and the storage unit 811. The communication control unit can correspond to a microcomputer for controlling communication. The communication control unit can operate based on firmware.

[0133] The communication control unit can store data received by the transceiver unit 812, and in particular can store software data in the storage unit 811. In addition, the communication control unit can transmit the software data stored in the storage unit 811 to the main control unit, for example, to the processing unit 821, via the local bus.

[0134] The communication control unit can track the upgrade reservation time to send a trigger. If a trigger occurs, the upgrade or delay reservation time is performed according to the action state of the main control unit, and the reservation time can be synchronized with the server 100.

[0135] The control unit 820 can control the home appliance to perform a specific function by storing a program for realizing the functions of the home appliance and executing the stored program to perform a predetermined function. In addition, the control unit 820 can update the stored program based on the data received from the communication unit 810.

[0136] The processing unit 821 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and may have multiple cores.

[0137] The first storage unit 822 may be a non-volatile memory. For example, the first storage unit 822 may be a flash memory. The first storage unit 822 may store the program.

[0138] The second storage unit 823 may be a volatile memory. For example, the second storage unit 823 may be a random access memory (RAM). The second storage unit 823 may load a portion of the program data stored in the first storage unit 822, and the program data stored in the second storage unit 823 may be written into a specific area of ​​the first storage unit 822.

[0139] The third storage unit 830 may be a non-volatile memory. The third storage unit may be a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and an optical memory. A program for executing the functions of the home appliance may also be stored in the third storage unit 830.

[0140] Figure 6 It is a flowchart related to a method for upgrading a household appliance according to an embodiment.

[0141] Reference Figure 6 The home appliance 800 and the management server 100 perform a preliminary process ( S21 ) in order to upgrade the program of the home appliance to have a new function.

[0142] The home appliance 800 and the management server 100 can be connected to communicate with each other, and the upgrade-related information can be stored in the storage unit 130 of the management server 100, and an upgrade schedule including an upgrade cycle, upgrade reservation, etc. can be set. In addition, the upgrade schedule may include a notification schedule, which notifies the user so that the user can recognize the upgrade after the upgrade.

[0143] In addition, a program file or a data file (upgrade file) for upgrading the home appliance 800 is registered in the management server 100. If the administrator uploads the upgrade file to the management server 100, the upgrade file will be stored in the storage unit 130. If the upgrade file is a data file, the administrator can set whether to enable automatic download described later when uploading it to the management server 100.

[0144] In addition, the management server 100 and the home appliance 800 communicate with each other, so that the management server or the home appliance 800 can recognize that the version of the program or data installed in the home appliance 800 is different from the version of the upgrade file (program file or data file) registered with the management server 100 and needs to be upgraded.

[0145] The upgrade file registered in the management server 100 can upgrade only any one object among the plurality of home appliances 410, 420, 430, 440, 500, 600 or a plurality of objects among the plurality of home appliances 410, 420, 430, 440, 500, 600, for example, all of the 1-1st home appliance 410, the 1-2nd home appliance 420, and the 1-3rd home appliance 430, which are indoor units of air conditioners, can be upgraded. Therefore, the home appliance 800 to be upgraded hereinafter refers to one or more home appliances 800 among the plurality of home appliances 410, 420, 430, 440, 500, 600 to which the upgrade file can be applied.

[0146] As the final preliminary process, the management server 100 confirms the download of the program file and the user's consent to the upgrade of the home appliance 800. The management server 100 confirms whether the user agrees to the program upgrade through the user terminal 700 or the home appliance 800. If the user's consent to the program upgrade is not input to the user terminal 700 or the home appliance 800, the following steps are not performed.

[0147] If the user inputs the program upgrade consent, the management server 100 and the home appliance 800 start downloading the program file in the upgrade file ( S22 ). The control unit 110 of the management server 100 transmits the program file stored in the storage unit 130 through the communication unit 810 .

[0148] The communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800 can receive the program file, and the first storage unit 822, the second storage unit 823 or the third storage unit 830 of the home appliance 800 can store the received program file. Hereinafter, the storage unit 822, 823, 830 storing the program file refers to the first storage unit 822, the second storage unit 823 or the third storage unit 830.

[0149] When the home appliance 800 completes receiving the program file, it notifies the management server 100 that the download is complete. The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 confirms the checksum of the program file stored in the storage units 822, 823, and 830 to confirm that the download is complete, and sends a message of download completion to the management server 100 through the communication unit 810.

[0150] If the program file download is completed, the home appliance 800 performs a program upgrade (S23). The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 upgrades the program stored in the storage units 822, 823, 830 by installing the program file stored in the storage units 822, 823, 830. The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 can change the version of the program to the version of the installed program file and store it in the storage units 822, 823, 830, and can transmit device information including the program version information to the management server 100 through the communication unit 810.

[0151] The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 implements the added new function by program upgrade, and provides information related to the added new function to the management server 100 through the communication unit 810. The management server 100 provides the user terminal 700 with information related to the added new function.

[0152] The user terminal 700 receives the user's setting for the added function (S24). The user terminal 700 displays the new function added from the management server 100 to the home appliance 800 and provides a setting screen for the function. The user sets the new function through the user terminal 700. For example, in the case where a function is added so that the voice guidance tone of the home appliance 800 can be selected from the current female only to the female and male, the user can set the voice guidance tone to the male. For a detailed description of this, refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The user terminal 700 transmits the user's setting of the function to the management server 100 .

[0153] The management server 100 and the home appliance 800 start downloading the data file corresponding to the user's setting in the upgrade file (S25). In the above example, when the user sets the voice guidance tone to male, the control unit 110 of the management server 100 sends the data file corresponding to the male voice in the data file to the storage unit 130 through the communication unit 810. The communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800 receives the data file selected according to the user's setting, and can receive the data file stored in the first storage unit 822, the second storage unit 823 or the third storage unit 830 of the home appliance 800.

[0154] When the home appliance 800 has completed receiving the data file, it notifies the management server 100 that the download is complete. The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 confirms that the download is complete by confirming the checksum of the data file stored in the storage units 822, 823, and 830, and sends a download completion message to the management server 100 through the communication unit 810. If the data file download is complete, the management server 100 confirms the user's consent to the data upgrade of the home appliance 800 by the downloaded data file.

[0155] The management server 100 confirms whether the user agrees to the data upgrade through the user terminal 700 or the home appliance 800. According to an embodiment, the user terminal 700 or the home appliance 800 may automatically perform the data upgrade described later without receiving the user's input of the consent for the program upgrade.

[0156] The home appliance 800 performs data upgrade (S26). The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 upgrades the data stored in the storage units 822, 823, and 830 by installing the data files stored in the storage units 822, 823, and 830. The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 may only change the memory address of the data files stored in the storage units 822, 823, and 830 and install them. The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 saves data irrelevant to the user's settings and adds data selected according to the user's settings, or deletes data irrelevant to the user's settings and installs only data selected according to the user's settings.

[0157] The control unit 820 of the home appliance 800 may change the data version to the version of the installed data file and store the data in the storage units 822 , 823 , and 830 , and transmit the device information including the data version information to the management server 100 through the communication unit 810 .

[0158] In the above process, the order of receiving the user's input consent is different in the downloading (S22) and upgrading (S23) process of the program file for adding new functions and the downloading (S25) and upgrading (S26) process of the data file selected according to the user's settings for the added functions.

[0159] In the case of a program file, first, the user's consent for program upgrade is received, and when the user's consent is input, the program file is downloaded (S22) and upgraded (S23).

[0160] In the case of a program file, after downloading a data file for data upgrade (S25), the user's consent for data upgrade is received, and when the user's consent is input, the data file upgrade is executed (S26).

[0161] According to an embodiment or setting, when the data file selected according to the user's setting is data of a newly added function that has not been available before, the download (S25) and update (S26) of the data file may be performed without the user's consent.

[0162] Figure 7 The block diagram schematically shows a home appliance in which a plurality of upgradeable home appliances are separately provided according to an embodiment.

[0163] Reference Figure 7 , the 1-1st home appliance 410, the 1-2nd home appliance 420, and the 1-3rd home appliance 430 may be indoor units of air conditioners, and the 1-4th home appliance 440 may be outdoor units of air conditioners. In addition, the 1-1st home appliance 410 and the 1-2nd home appliance 420 may be connected to the management server 100 via the access point 300 or the Internet.

[0164] The 1-1th household appliance 410 may include a first communication unit 411, a main control unit 412, and a second communication unit 413. According to an embodiment, the 1-1th household appliance 410 may further include at least one of a display module 414, a voice guidance module 415, and a sensor unit 416.

[0165] The first communication unit 411 may receive data from the management server 100 and may send the received data to the main control unit 412. Figure 5 The communication unit 810 has the same structure and can perform the same function.

[0166] The main control unit 412 can receive data from the first communication unit 411 and can send the received data to the second communication unit 413. In the case where the data received from the first communication unit 411 is data for the display module 414 or the voice guidance module 415, the main control unit 412 can also send the data to the display module 414 or the voice guidance module 415. The main control unit 412 can have Figure 5 The control unit 820 has the same structure and can perform the same functions.

[0167] The second communication unit 413 may transmit and receive data with at least one of the first-2nd household appliance 420 , the first-3rd household appliance 430 , and the first-4th household appliance 440 .

[0168] As an example, the second communication unit 413 can send and receive data in an asynchronous serial communication mode. The second communication unit 413 can more simply embody the hardware of the home appliance by using the asynchronous serial communication mode. In addition, the second communication unit 413 can send and receive data at a speed of 4800bps to 4Mbps. Preferably, the second communication unit 413 can send and receive data at a speed of 9600bps.

[0169] The household appliance 410 may be an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and the first to fourth household appliances 440 may be outdoor units of the air conditioner.

[0170] In a common setting environment, when considering the distance between the indoor unit of the air conditioner and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner and the surrounding environment, the communication speed can be increased while ensuring the communication reliability. For example, the second communication unit 413 may include a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) and may send and receive data in RS485 communication mode. The second communication unit 413 may include a storage unit capable of storing data.

[0171] For the convenience of the user, the display module 414 can display information visually. For example, the display module 414 can display at least one of information related to the action of the home appliance, information related to the state of the home appliance, and other life information.

[0172] The display module 414 may operate according to the control of the main control unit 412 or may include an additional display control unit. In order to drive the display module 414, predetermined data may be transmitted from the management server. The display module 414 may receive the data through the main control unit 412.

[0173] For the convenience of the user, the voice guidance module 415 can display various information by voice. Similar to the display module 414, the voice guidance module 415 can also display at least one of the information related to the operation of the home appliance, the information related to the status of the home appliance, and other life information by voice.

[0174] The voice guidance module 415 may be operated according to the control of the main control unit 412 or may include an additional voice control unit. In order to drive the voice guidance module 415, predetermined data may be transmitted from the management server. The voice guidance module 415 may receive the data through the main control unit 412.

[0175] The sensor unit 416 can obtain information related to the operation of the home appliance. For example, when the home appliance is an air conditioner, the sensor unit 416 can detect at least one of the indoor temperature, the temperature of the air blown out from the air conditioner, the indoor humidity, and the temperature or pressure of the circulating refrigerant. When the home appliance is an air purifier, the sensor unit 416 can detect at least one of the indoor temperature, humidity, and air quality. The sensor unit 416 may include at least one sensor.

[0176] The 1-2 household appliance 420 may have substantially the same configuration as the 1-1 household appliance 410. That is, each of the first communication unit 421, the main control unit 422, the second communication unit 423, the display module 424, the voice guidance module 425, and the sensor unit 426 may be substantially the same as each of the first communication unit 411, the main control unit 412, the second communication unit 413, the display module 414, the voice guidance module 415, and the sensor unit 416.

[0177] The 1-3 household appliance 430 may be substantially the same as the 1-1 household appliance except that the 1-3 household appliance 430 does not include the first communication unit. That is, each of the main control unit 432, the second communication unit 433, the display module 434, the voice guidance module 435, and the sensor unit 436 may be substantially the same as each of the main control unit 412, the second communication unit 413, the display module 414, the voice guidance module 415, and the sensor unit 416.

[0178] Each of the main control unit 442 and the second communication unit 443 of the first to fourth household appliances 440 may be substantially the same as each of the main control unit 412 and the second communication unit 413 of the first to first household appliances 410. The first to fourth household appliances 440 may be an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. In this case, the first to fourth household appliances 440 may further include a compressor 444, a fan 445, and the like.

[0179] The main control unit 442 can control the compressor 444 or the fan 445, etc. using the program included in the data received from the 1-1 home appliance 410. The 1-4 home appliance 440 may also include a sensor unit 446 for obtaining information related to the operation of the home appliance. In the case where the 1-4 home appliance 440 is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, the sensor unit 446 can sense at least one of the pressure or temperature of the refrigerant, the outdoor temperature, and the outdoor humidity. The sensor unit 446 may include at least one sensor.

[0180] Figure 8 It is a diagram for explaining the overall operation of a method for upgrading a home appliance according to an embodiment.

[0181] Reference Figure 8The method for upgrading a household appliance of an embodiment can be applied to the situation of upgrading according to the above-mentioned ordinary upgrading method or the delta upgrading method.

[0182] First, the communication unit 810 may request the control unit 820 for information (product information) related to the home appliance (step S101 ).

[0183] The product information may be identification information of the home appliance. The identification information of the home appliance may include one or more of the serial number and model name of the home appliance. In step S101, the management server 100 may request the communication unit 810 for information related to the home appliance, and in response, the communication unit 810 may request the control unit 820 for information related to the home appliance.

[0184] Then, the control unit 820 responds to the product information request and returns the information related to the home appliance (for example, identification information of the home appliance) to the communication unit 810 (step S102).

[0185] Then, the communication unit 810 may request the management server 100 whether the home appliance has information related to the details to be upgraded (step S103). At this time, the communication unit 810 may send information related to the home appliance (identification information of the home appliance) to the management server 100.

[0186] In addition, the communication unit 810 may also send additional user information to the management server 100. When the communication unit 810 sends and receives information with the management server 100, the communication unit 810 may send and receive data through a repeater. The repeater may be Figure 2 access point.

[0187] Then, the management server 100 may reply the upgrade information to the communication unit 810 (step S104).

[0188] For the home appliance grasped based on the information related to the home appliance, the upgrade information may include at least one of information related to whether there is a detail to be upgraded and information related to an item or content to be upgraded.

[0189] The management server 100 can determine whether the home appliance is upgraded or not. In addition, the management server 100 can also determine the upgrade method. For example, the management server 100 can determine what the item to be upgraded is, and thus determine the upgrade method. The upgrade method can include full upgrade, differential upgrade, and background upgrade.

[0190] In addition, the management server 100 can also provide the upgrade information to the user terminal 700 (step S105). The management server 100 can use the storage unit ( Figure 3130) to retrieve user-related information of the home appliance, and can also receive user information from the communication unit 810.

[0191] Then, if the user uses the user terminal 700 to approve the upgrade, information on the upgrade approval may be transmitted from the user terminal 700 to the management server 100 (step S106).

[0192] The user may also use the input and output devices of the home appliance to upgrade the authorization instead of using the user terminal 700 .

[0193] In response to the user's approval of the upgrade, the management server 100 may request the communication unit 810 to start the upgrade (step S107). In this step, the management server 100 may also determine the upgrade method. The determination of the upgrade method is easy to understand by referring to the description of step S104.

[0194] The communication unit 810 may request file transfer in response to the upgrade start request of the management server 100 (step S108 ).

[0195] The management server 100 may respond to the file transfer request of the communication unit 810 and send a file including data for upgrading the home appliance to the communication unit 810 (step S109). The data for upgrading may include at least one of the latest version of program data, delta data and / or instruction set.

[0196] The communication unit 810 and the control unit 820 may update the program of the home appliance using the file received from the management server 100 (step S110 ).

[0197] After the upgrade is completed, the communication unit 810 may reply to the management server 100 that the upgrade is completed (step S111 ).

[0198] The management server 100 may reply the upgrade completion related information to the user terminal in response to the upgrade completion reply received from the communication unit 810 (step S112).

[0199] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The figure shows a process of upgrading a user terminal according to an embodiment.

[0200] Fig. 9 (a) is an example diagram of a pop-up window of the user terminal 700 showing that the upgrade of the home appliance 800 is ready. Fig. 9 (b) is an example diagram showing the user terminal 700 showing information on the upgrade of the home appliance 800 . Fig. 9 (c) is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which the user terminal 700 inputs consent to the upgrade of the home appliance 800 . Fig.102 is an example diagram showing that the user terminal 700 shows that the upgrade of the home appliance 800 is in progress. Fig.10 FIG. 7 is an example diagram showing that the user terminal 700 has completed the upgrade of the home appliance 800 .

[0201] Reference Fig. 9 (a), the user terminal 700 may display a pop-up window 711, which informs that at least one home appliance 800 in the home can be upgraded. The management server 100 transmits upgrade information including a notification that the upgrade is possible, the type of upgraded function, and a description to the user terminal 700 (S11, S105). If the user terminal 700 receives the upgrade information, it can display the pop-up window 711 through an application (for example: LG ThinQ application).

[0202] Reference Fig. 9 (b), the user terminal 700 can display the upgrade information on the application screen as the type and description of the upgraded function. The application can display: a screen 721, which can select the type, description and function of the upgraded function of the home appliance 800; and a button 722, which requests the upgrade of the selected function.

[0203] Reference Fig. 9 In (c), the user terminal 700 may display: a pop-up window 731, which displays on the application screen a function asking whether to upgrade at least one of the home appliance 800; and a button 732, which is used to input the upgrade consent. If the user selects the upgrade consent button 732, the program file is downloaded (S12, S109).

[0204] Reference Fig.10 , the user terminal 700 displays a screen 741 showing that the home appliance 800 is being upgraded on the application screen. When the screen 741 showing that the home appliance 800 is being upgraded is displayed, downloading (S12, S109) or upgrading (S13, S110) is executed.

[0205] Reference Fig.10 , the user terminal 700 displays: screen 751, which shows on the application screen that the home appliance 800 has completed the upgrade; and button 752, which observes the new functions added by the upgrade and sets them; and button 753, which omits button 752 and completes (S112).

[0206] On the other hand, after the air conditioner performs operations such as cooling or dehumidification, if the operation is terminated, the cold temperature of the heat exchanger pipe and the relatively warm temperature of the indoor temperature meet to generate condensed water, and odor caused by bacteria is generated in the process of the condensed water being naturally dried.

[0207] Since it is not possible to manage each one from the user's perspective, an automatic drying function is provided to perform air blowing operation for a specified time at the end of operation to dry the condensed water. However, since the appropriate time for air blowing operation is not provided, the set time may be insufficient or may be too long.

[0208] Therefore, the air conditioner is designed to be able to independently determine how long the drying operation is necessary and to perform the drying operation for the necessary time.

[0209] Although most customers know that drying time is required to prevent odor from the heat exchanger generated by the air conditioner, it is difficult to judge how long the drying should be run and whether the currently set drying time is appropriate. In addition, from the customer's point of view, running the drying for an unnecessary long time can be judged as wasting unnecessary electricity, so a technology that can determine the appropriate drying time and provide it to customers is needed.

[0210] Fig.11 It is a flow chart related to an air conditioner and a control method thereof according to an embodiment.

[0211] Reference Figures 1 to 11 The home appliance 800 may be exemplified as an air conditioner, and the air conditioner may download a program including an AI automatic drying function from the server 100. The home appliance 800 may be upgraded using the downloaded program.

[0212] As an example, the user can select a home appliance for program upgrade through an application installed on the user terminal 700. The application can generate a download pop-up window when there is a program that adds new functions related to the home appliance.

[0213] Users can choose to download through the application's pop-up window, and the application can provide an upgrade appointment pop-up window.

[0214] The user can select the upgrade method in the appointment pop-up window. As an example, the user can choose to automatically upgrade after downloading. Alternatively, the user can choose to specify the upgrade start time.

[0215] At this time, the application can provide a dialog box for time selection, and the user can select the time through the dialog box. Alternatively, the user can choose to be notified if the download is completed.

[0216] The application program of the user terminal 700 may provide the management server 100 with the upgrade method selected by the user.

[0217] The management server 100 may transmit the upgrade method selected by the user to the communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800. The communication unit 810 may perform functions such as sending and receiving data, storing downloaded programs, setting program upgrade schedules, and tracking upgrade reservation times.

[0218] The communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800 may be configured to update the download schedule to trigger a schedule alarm.

[0219] The communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800 may provide the set scheduled over-the-air firmware upgrade information to the management server 100. As an example, the scheduled over-the-air firmware upgrade information may include scheduled information updated between the home appliance 800 and the management server 100 for program upgrade.

[0220] In addition, regarding the home appliance 800 , when an upgrade trigger occurs according to a user's request, the communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800 may communicate with the processing unit 821 to determine the state of the home appliance 800 .

[0221] The communication unit 810 can perform the upgrade when the home appliance 800 is in an upgradeable state, and can postpone the upgrade time when the home appliance 800 is not in an upgradeable state.

[0222] When the upgrade is in progress, the communication unit 810 can notify the user terminal 700 that the upgrade is in progress, and when the upgrade is postponed, the communication unit 810 can notify the user terminal 700 that the upgrade is postponed.

[0223] The communication unit 810 can determine the status of the home appliance based on whether the home appliance is abnormal or not, whether the home appliance is operating or not, etc. If the home appliance is not abnormal and is not operating, it can be upgraded using the downloaded program.

[0224] The communication unit 810 can automatically postpone the upgrade when an abnormality occurs or the upgrade is in progress, and can request the user to turn on the power of the home appliance when the power of the home appliance is turned off.

[0225] In addition, when there is an upgrade reservation setting, the communication unit 810 of the home appliance 800 can trigger the upgrade according to the set reservation schedule. The communication unit 810 can determine the state of the home appliance when the upgrade trigger occurs.

[0226] As an example, when determining the status of the home appliance, the communication unit 810 can determine whether the program download is complete, whether there is an error in the home appliance, and whether the home appliance is in operation.

[0227] The communication unit 810 can perform the upgrade when the download is complete, the product has no errors, and the product is not in operation. The communication unit 810 can postpone the upgrade when the download is not complete, the product has errors, or the product is in operation.

[0228] As an example, when the update is postponed, the communication unit 810 may delay the update time by a predetermined time set in advance, and provide the changed reservation schedule to the management server 100 to synchronize the reservation schedules with each other.

[0229] Then, the communication unit 810 can trigger an upgrade at the changed reservation time, and perform an action to re-determine the status of the home appliance, and can upgrade or postpone according to the status of the home appliance.

[0230] The user can select the AI ​​automatic drying function through the application of the user terminal 700 or the display module of the product.

[0231] An air conditioner of one embodiment includes: a communication unit 120, which downloads program data containing the automatic drying function of the air conditioner from a management server 100 for upgrading when the automatic drying function is activated; and a control unit 110, which controls the inherent functions of the air conditioner and determines the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and indoor humidity when the automatic drying function is activated.

[0232] The control unit 110 calculates the absolute humidity using the area of ​​the heat exchanger, the air volume, the indoor temperature, and the indoor humidity, and calculates the drying operation time based on the absolute humidity.

[0233] The control unit 110 activates the drying determination index calculation at a time point when the remaining time of the drying operation time still has a first time left. As an example, the first time can be set to 10 minutes.

[0234] When the drying determination index is activated, the control unit 110 calculates the pipe temperature difference at a predetermined time interval. The pipe temperature difference may be defined as the difference between the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature.

[0235] The control unit 110 determines whether the pipe temperature difference is equal to or greater than a reference temperature at predetermined time intervals. As an example, the reference temperature may be set to 2° C., and the predetermined time may be set to 1 minute.

[0236] When the duct temperature difference is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the control unit 110 recalculates the drying operation time based on the duct temperature difference and updates it.

[0237] When the pipe temperature difference at the current time is less than the reference temperature and the pipe temperature difference before the second time is less than the reference temperature, the control unit 110 determines that the drying is finished. As an example, the second time can be set to 5 minutes.

[0238] The control unit 110 performs the sleep wind operation for the third time from the drying end time point and then ends. As an example, the third time can be set to 5 minutes, and the sleep wind operation can be set to the air volume with the lowest baseline noise. Of course, the user can change the air supply operation time and air supply mode at the drying end time point through the terminal. As an example, it can be set to a natural wind operation with variably adjustable air volume.

[0239] As mentioned above, the AI ​​drying function uses sensors inside the product to obtain real-time information on indoor temperature (dry-bulb temperature), indoor humidity (relative humidity), and heat exchanger temperature to calculate the drying time.

[0240] Then, calculate an initial estimated drying time based on the absolute humidity calculated using the product's heat exchanger area, air volume, room temperature, and room humidity.

[0241] As an example, the calculation may be performed as “initial estimated drying time = (heat exchange area / air volume)×(α×(saturated absolute humidity-absolute humidity)+β+exp(γ×relative humidity))”, where α, β, and γ may be parameter values ​​of the air conditioner.

[0242] Then, at a point in time when there are 10 minutes left in the estimated drying time, the pipe temperature difference (heat exchanger temperature - indoor temperature) is calculated, and if it is above 2°C, the estimated end time is recalculated and updated.

[0243] As an example, the calculation can be performed as "temperature drop rate per minute = (current operating time - 10 minutes) / (pipe temperature difference at the time of 10 minutes of drying operating time - current pipe temperature difference + 0.1)", and the calculation can be performed as "estimated end time = current operating time + (current pipe temperature difference - 2) × temperature drop rate + 10 minutes".

[0244] Then, if the pipe temperature difference is less than 2°C and the pipe temperature difference 5 minutes ago is also less than 2°C, it is determined as the drying end time point, and the drying function is ended after running at the lowest air volume for 5 minutes.

[0245] When an upgrade trigger occurs, the communication unit 120 upgrades the automatic drying function according to the operation state of the control unit 110 .

[0246] The communication unit 120 generates an upgrade trigger according to a request from the user terminal or a set reservation schedule.

[0247] When an upgrade trigger is generated by a request from the user terminal, if the control unit 110 controls the operation state of the unique function of the air conditioner, the communication unit 120 performs the upgrade after the operation is completed.

[0248] When an upgrade trigger occurs according to the reservation schedule, while the control unit 110 controls the operation state of the unique function of the air conditioner, the communication unit 120 delays the upgrade reservation time to the set time and synchronizes the reservation time with the server 10 .

[0249] A control method for an air conditioner according to one embodiment includes: a step of downloading and storing program data including an automatic drying function of the air conditioner from a server 100; a step of upgrading with the program data when an upgrade trigger occurs; and a step of determining a drying operation time based on indoor temperature and indoor humidity when the drying function is activated.

[0250] After the air conditioner performs cooling or dehumidification operation, if the operation is terminated, it starts drying operation (S201).

[0251] When the automatic drying function is activated, the air conditioner determines the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and indoor humidity (S202). At this time, the air conditioner calculates the absolute humidity using the area, air volume, indoor temperature and indoor humidity of the heat exchanger, and calculates the drying operation time based on the absolute humidity.

[0252] If the air conditioner calculates the drying operation time, it performs the drying operation and displays the remaining drying time (S203).

[0253] The air conditioner displays the remaining drying time and confirms whether the drying judgment index calculation is activated (S204). The drying judgment index calculation activation can be defined as activating the time point when the remaining time of the drying operation time is still the first time, and calculating the pipeline temperature difference by obtaining the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature.

[0254] When the remaining time of the drying operation time still has the first time left, the air conditioner activates the drying determination index calculation (S205, S206). As an example, the first time can be set to 10 minutes.

[0255] When the drying determination index is activated, the air conditioner calculates the duct temperature difference at a predetermined time interval and determines whether the duct temperature difference is equal to or greater than a reference temperature at a predetermined time interval (S207). For example, the reference temperature may be set to 2°C and the predetermined time may be set to 1 minute.

[0256] When the duct temperature difference is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the air conditioner recalculates the drying operation time based on the duct temperature difference and updates it (S208).

[0257] When the pipe temperature difference at the current time is less than the reference temperature and the pipe temperature difference before the second time is less than the reference temperature, the air conditioner determines that the drying is finished (S209, S210). As an example, the second time can be set to 5 minutes.

[0258] That is, when the current pipe temperature difference is less than 2° C. and the pipe temperature difference 5 minutes ago is less than 2° C., the air conditioner can determine the drying end time point by determining that the drying determination index satisfies the reference index.

[0259] The air conditioner performs the sleep wind operation for the third time from the drying end time point and then ends the operation (S211). As an example, the third time can be set to 5 minutes, and the sleep wind operation can be set to the air volume with the lowest reference noise.

[0260] According to the air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the embodiments described above, an AI automatic drying function for automatically determining a drying time can be added by upgrading the software of the home appliance.

[0261] In addition, the drying operation time can be automatically determined based on the indoor temperature and indoor humidity.

[0262] In addition, the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature difference can be periodically checked to update the drying operation time so that the drying operation is performed until the temperature difference reaches a reference value.

[0263] In addition, since the drying operation time is automatically calculated according to the state of the air conditioner, the effectiveness of the drying operation can be improved.

[0264] In addition, by recalculating and updating the drying operation time during the drying operation, it is possible to flexibly dry out the moisture remaining on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger.

[0265] In addition, since the drying operation time is automatically calculated and set, user convenience can be improved.

[0266] As shown above, the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and various modifications can be made by ordinary technicians in the field within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. In addition, even if the effects of the configuration of the present invention are not clearly described when describing the embodiments of the present invention above, it should be recognized that the effects that can be predicted by the configuration are recognized.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, wherein: include: a communication unit, downloading program data including an automatic drying function of the air conditioner from a server for upgrading; and The control unit controls the inherent functions of the air conditioner and determines the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity when the automatic drying function is activated.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit calculates absolute humidity using the area of ​​the heat exchanger, the air volume, the indoor temperature, and the indoor humidity, and calculates the drying operation time based on the absolute humidity.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit activates the drying determination index calculation at a time point when a first time remains in the remaining time of the drying operation time.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein: When the drying determination index is activated, the control unit calculates a pipe temperature difference at predetermined time intervals, the pipe temperature difference being a difference between a temperature of the heat exchanger and a room temperature.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit determines whether the pipe temperature difference is equal to or higher than a reference temperature at every predetermined time period.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein: When the duct temperature difference is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the control unit recalculates the drying operation time based on the duct temperature difference to update the drying operation time.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein: If the pipeline temperature difference at the current time is less than the reference temperature and the pipeline temperature difference before the second time is less than the reference temperature, the control unit determines that it is the drying end time point.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein: The control unit performs the sleep wind operation for a third time from the drying end time point and then ends.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein: The sleep wind operation is set to an air volume with the lowest reference noise.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: When an upgrade trigger occurs, the communication unit upgrades the automatic drying function according to the operation state of the control unit.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein: The communication unit generates the upgrade trigger according to a request from a user terminal or a set reservation schedule.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 11, wherein When the upgrade trigger occurs in response to a request from the user terminal, if the control unit controls the operation state of the unique function of the air conditioner, the communication unit performs the upgrade after the operation is completed.

13. The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein: When the upgrade trigger occurs according to the reservation schedule, if the control unit controls the operation state of the unique function of the air conditioner, the communication unit delays the upgrade reservation time to the set time and synchronizes the reservation time with the server.

14. A method for controlling an air conditioner, wherein: include: The step of downloading and storing program data including the automatic drying function of the air conditioner from the server; When an upgrade trigger occurs, a step of upgrading with the program data; as well as The step of controlling the inherent functions of the air conditioner and determining the drying operation time based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity when the automatic drying function is activated.

15. The control method of the air conditioner according to claim 14, wherein: The step of determining the drying operation time is to calculate absolute humidity using the area of ​​the heat exchanger, the air volume, the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity, and to calculate the drying operation time based on the absolute humidity.

16. The control method of the air conditioner according to claim 14, wherein: The step further includes: activating a drying judgment index operation at a time point when the remaining time of the drying operation time still has the first time left.

17. The control method of the air conditioner according to claim 16, wherein: The step of activating the drying judgment index is to calculate the pipe temperature difference at a predetermined time interval, wherein the pipe temperature difference is the difference between the temperature of the heat exchanger and the indoor temperature.

18. The control method of the air conditioner according to claim 17, wherein: The step further includes: when the pipeline temperature difference is above a reference temperature, recalculating the drying operation time based on the pipeline temperature difference for updating.

19. The control method of the air conditioner according to claim 19, wherein: The method further includes: if the pipeline temperature difference is less than the reference temperature and the pipeline temperature difference before the second time is less than the reference temperature, determining that the drying end time point is the drying end time point.

20. The control method of the air conditioner according to claim 19, wherein: The method further includes: performing a third time of sleep wind operation from the drying end time point and then terminating the operation; The sleep wind operation is set to an air volume with the lowest reference noise.

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