Air conditioning system

Abstract

An air conditioning system includes an indoor unit, a first wireless module, at least one thermostat sensor, at least one second wireless module and a processor. The indoor unit is disposed within an indoor space. The first wireless module is disposed inside the indoor unit. At least one thermostat sensor is disposed in the indoor space outside the indoor unit to sense at least one sensing temperature. The at least one second wireless module is coupled to the at least one thermostat sensor for transmitting the at least one sensing temperature to the first wireless module. The processor is coupled to the first wireless module to adjust the output power of the indoor unit according to the at least one sensing temperature and a target temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air conditioning system, and more particularly to an air conditioning system in which the temperature sensor is located outside the indoor unit in the indoor space. Prior Technology

[0002] Traditional air conditioning systems use temperature sensors on the indoor unit to measure the temperature and adjust the air conditioning power based on the measured temperature and the user's target temperature. Since the temperature sensor only measures the temperature at the location of the indoor unit, it does not accurately reflect the indoor temperature or the actual temperature situation where the user is located. Therefore, the adjustment of the air conditioning power cannot meet the user's needs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment provides an air conditioning system, including an indoor unit, a first wireless module, at least one temperature sensor, at least one second wireless module, and a processor. The indoor unit is disposed in an indoor space, the first wireless module is disposed inside the indoor unit, the at least one temperature sensor is disposed at a location outside the indoor unit in the indoor space for sensing at least one temperature, the at least one second wireless module is coupled to the at least one temperature sensor for transmitting the at least one temperature and at least one location to the first wireless module, and the processor is coupled to the first wireless module for adjusting the output power of the indoor unit according to the at least one temperature and a target temperature.

[0004] An embodiment provides a method for an air conditioning system, including setting at least one temperature sensor at a location outside an indoor unit in an indoor space, setting a first wireless module inside the indoor unit, using the at least one temperature sensor to sense at least one sensed temperature, using at least one second wireless module to transmit the at least one sensed temperature and at least one location to the first wireless module, and adjusting the output power of the indoor unit according to the at least one sensed temperature and a target temperature. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0005] Figure 1 is a block diagram of the air conditioning system in an embodiment of the present invention. The second figure shows a scenario where an air conditioning system operates with multiple temperature sensors. Figure 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for an air conditioning system. Implementation

[0006] An air conditioning system consists of major components such as a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator. Window-type air conditioners are a common type, with their compressor, condenser, evaporator, and fan integrated into a single unit. Advantages include direct installation in building vents or on windowsills, easy installation, and lower cost. Disadvantages include higher operating noise. Split-type air conditioners have a similar structure to window-type units, but the biggest difference is that they separate the evaporator, fan, condenser, compressor, and exhaust ductwork into independent enclosures—the indoor and outdoor units. These are connected by refrigerant pipes of different diameters, forming a closed refrigerant circuit. A control circuit is also connected, allowing the indoor unit to send control signals to the outdoor unit to control its operation. Advantages of split-type air conditioners include placing the compressor outdoors, reducing indoor noise; installation in rooms where window-type units cannot be installed; aesthetically pleasing indoor unit design, allowing for customization of indoor unit type (recessed, suspended, wall-mounted); and the ability to use one outdoor unit with multiple indoor units. The disadvantages are that the installation is complicated and time-consuming, the price is relatively high, the installation technology is highly demanding, and the efficiency will be reduced if the refrigerant pipe is too long or has too many bends.

[0007] Box-type air conditioners can be divided into two types: air-cooled and water-cooled. Air-cooled air conditioners are similar to split-type air conditioners, the only difference being that air-cooled box-type units have a stronger cooling capacity, resulting in a larger indoor and outdoor unit size. Water-cooled air conditioners differ significantly from the above types. Because of their generally higher cooling capacity, they use water cooling for better heat dissipation. The heat dissipation method involves guiding water into the condenser to absorb heat, then using a water pump to send it to a cooling tower for heat dissipation, and finally sending it back to the condenser to absorb heat, forming a cooling loop. These are typically used in large spaces such as shopping malls and offices. Central air conditioning systems use large air conditioning units, which then distribute cool air to different locations via ductwork. Central air conditioning systems are commonly used in large buildings such as office buildings and factories.

[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an air conditioning system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioning system 100 includes an indoor unit 104, a first wireless module 108, a temperature sensor 110, a second wireless module 112, and a processor 106. The indoor unit 104 is disposed in an indoor space 102. The first wireless module 108 is disposed inside the indoor unit 104. The temperature sensor 110 is disposed outside the indoor unit 104 in the indoor space to sense the temperature at its location. The second wireless module 112 is coupled to the temperature sensor 110 to transmit the sensed temperature to the first wireless module 108. The processor 106 is coupled to the first wireless module 108 to adjust the output power of the indoor unit 104 according to the sensed temperature and the target temperature. The target temperature is set by the user. When the target temperature is higher than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is used for cooling, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be reduced. Reducing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 reduces the operation of the compressor to increase the indoor temperature. When the target temperature is higher than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is used for heating, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be increased. Increasing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 increases the operation of the compressor to increase the indoor temperature. When the target temperature is lower than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is used for cooling, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be increased. Increasing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 increases the operation of the compressor to decrease the indoor temperature. When the target temperature is lower than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is used for heating, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be reduced. Reducing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 reduces the operation of the compressor to decrease the indoor temperature.

[0009] In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 110 and the second wireless module 112 can be housed within a wireless remote control. The remote control is placed near the user to obtain a more accurate temperature reading reflecting the user's location. During weighted calculation, the temperature reading closer to the user should receive a higher weight; therefore, the remote control closest to the user should have the highest weight. In one embodiment, the second wireless module 112 transmits the temperature reading and location data from the temperature sensor 110 to the first wireless module 108 via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology. In one embodiment, the indoor space 102 may include a combination of multiple temperature sensors 110 and multiple second wireless modules 112 to transmit the temperature readings and locations at various points within the indoor space 102 back to the first wireless module 108. The processor 106 then adjusts the output power of the indoor unit 104 based on the temperature readings at various points within the indoor space 102 and the user-set target temperature.

[0010] Figure 2 illustrates a scenario where an air conditioning system 200 operates with a plurality of temperature sensors 204, 206, and 208. The air conditioning system 200 includes an indoor unit 104, a first wireless module 108, temperature sensors 204, 206, and 208, and a processor 106. Temperature sensor 204 is located next to a desk lamp, temperature sensor 206 is located inside a remote control, and temperature sensor 208 is located next to a window. These three temperature sensors surround the user's activity area, forming an activity zone 202. In one embodiment, the processor 106 uses a weighted average calculation to calculate a weighted average temperature from the sensed temperatures of temperature sensors 204, 206, and 208. Based on the weighted average temperature and the user-set target temperature, the processor adjusts the output power of the indoor unit 104, where the output power of the indoor unit 104 refers to the output power of the compressor controlled by the indoor unit 104. The weighted average calculation may include removing extreme values ​​from the sensed temperatures, applying a larger weight to the sensed temperatures of important areas, and / or applying a smaller weight to the sensed temperatures of unimportant areas. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 206 closest to the user (e.g., a remote control) should receive the highest weight, while the temperature sensor 204 furthest from the user should receive the lowest weight. In another embodiment, the processor 106 uses an artificial intelligence model to calculate the sensed temperatures of the temperature sensors 204, 206, and 208 to generate an indoor temperature weight gradient model, and adjusts the output power of the indoor unit according to the indoor temperature weight gradient model and the target temperature set by the user. By establishing an indoor temperature model, the air conditioning system 200 can consider characteristics such as the user's location, temperature gradient, and ambient temperature distribution to adjust the appropriate output power of the indoor unit 104. The output power of the indoor unit 104 refers to the output power of the indoor unit 104 controlling the compressor. In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence model can be a deep neural network (DNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), etc., but the invention is not limited to these.

[0011] In one embodiment, temperature sensors 204, 206, and 208 can be placed at various locations within the indoor space 102, and the number is not limited to three; it can be four, five, six, etc., and one of the plurality of temperature sensors can be installed inside the indoor unit 104. The sensed temperature returned by the temperature sensor closer to the activity area is given a larger weight, while the sensed temperature returned by the temperature sensor farther from the activity area is given a smaller weight, so as to accurately reflect the sensed temperature of the user's area and provide the indoor unit 104 with the ability to adjust the output power. Adjusting the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 adjusts the compressor to change the indoor temperature.

[0012] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 300 for an air conditioning system 100. The method 300 for the air conditioning system 100 includes the following steps:

[0013] Step S302: Position the temperature sensor 110 outside the indoor unit 104 within the indoor space 102;

[0014] Step S304: Install the first wireless module 108 inside the indoor unit 104;

[0015] Step S306: Use temperature sensor 110 to sense the temperature;

[0016] Step S308: Use the second wireless module 112 to transmit the sensed temperature and location to the first wireless module 108; and

[0017] Step S310: Adjust the output power of the indoor unit 104 according to the sensed temperature and the target temperature.

[0018] In step S302, temperature sensors 110 are positioned outside the indoor unit 104 in the indoor space 102. The number of temperature sensors 110 can be multiple, and they can be located around the activity area 202 in the indoor space 102. In step S304, a first wireless module 108 is installed inside the indoor unit 104 to receive the sensed temperature and location transmitted back by multiple second wireless modules 112. In step S306, temperature sensors 110 are used to sense the sensed temperature. After the temperature sensors 110 at various locations in the indoor space 102 sense the sensed temperature at each location, in step S308, the second wireless modules 112 transmit the sensed temperature and location at each location to the first wireless module 108. Finally, in step S310, the processor 106 adjusts the output power of the indoor unit 104 according to the sensed temperature and the target temperature set by the user. The output power of the indoor unit 104 refers to the output power of the indoor unit 104 controlling the compressor. When the target temperature is higher than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is a cooling unit, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be reduced. Reducing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 reduces the operation of the compressor to increase the indoor temperature. When the target temperature is higher than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is a heating unit, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be increased. Increasing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 increases the operation of the compressor to increase the indoor temperature. When the target temperature is lower than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is a cooling unit, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be increased. Increasing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 increases the operation of the compressor to decrease the indoor temperature. When the target temperature is lower than the sensed temperature and the indoor unit 104 is a heating unit, the output power of the indoor unit 104 can be reduced. Reducing the output power of the indoor unit 104 means that the indoor unit 104 reduces the operation of the compressor to decrease the indoor temperature.

[0019] In summary, the present invention provides an air conditioning system 100 that uses temperature sensors 110 placed throughout the indoor space 102, rather than relying solely on the temperature sensor of the indoor unit 104 or additional fixed-direction infrared light, to sense the temperature. This allows the system to reflect the actual sensed temperature of the user's area and adjust the output power of the indoor unit 104 in the air conditioning system, thereby achieving a better user experience and better meeting the user's needs. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention shall be covered by the present invention.

[0020] 100: Air conditioning system 102: Interior Space 104: Indoor unit 106: Processor 108: First Wireless Module 110, 204, 206, 208: Temperature sensors 112: Second wireless module 200: Air conditioning system 202: Activity Area 300: Method S302, S304, S306, S308, S310: Steps

Claims

1. An air conditioning system, comprising: One indoor unit, installed in one indoor space; A first wireless module is installed inside the indoor unit; A plurality of temperature sensors are disposed at a plurality of locations outside the indoor unit in the indoor space to sense a plurality of sense temperatures; a plurality of second wireless modules are coupled to the temperature sensors to transmit the sense temperatures and the locations to the first wireless modules; and a processor is coupled to the first wireless modules to assign a plurality of weights to the plurality of sense temperatures measured by the temperature sensors according to the importance of the areas where the temperature sensors are located, generate a weighted average temperature based on the sense temperatures and the weights of the sense temperatures, and adjust an output power of the indoor unit based on the weighted average temperature and a target temperature.

2. The air conditioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the temperature sensors and one of the second wireless modules are disposed in a wireless remote control.

3. The air conditioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second wireless modules transmit the sensed temperatures and locations back to the first wireless module via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or quadrature frequency division multiplexing (QFDM).

4. An air conditioning system, comprising: One indoor unit, installed in one indoor space; A first wireless module is installed inside the indoor unit; A plurality of temperature sensors are disposed at a plurality of locations outside the indoor unit in the indoor space to sense a plurality of sensing temperatures; a plurality of second wireless modules are coupled to the temperature sensors to transmit the sensing temperatures and the locations to the first wireless modules; and a processor is coupled to the first wireless modules to use an artificial intelligence model to perform calculations on the sensing temperatures and the locations to generate an indoor temperature weighted gradient model, and to adjust an output power of the indoor unit according to the indoor temperature weighted gradient model and a target temperature.

5. A method for an air conditioning system, comprising: A plurality of temperature sensors are installed at a plurality of locations outside an indoor unit in an indoor space; a first wireless module is installed inside the indoor unit; The system uses temperature sensors to sense a plurality of sensed temperatures; uses a plurality of second wireless modules to transmit the sensed temperatures and locations to the first wireless module; assigns a plurality of weights to the plurality of sensed temperatures measured by the temperature sensors according to the importance of the areas where the temperature sensors are located; generates a weighted average temperature based on the sensed temperatures and the weights of the sensed temperatures; and adjusts an output power of the indoor unit based on the weighted average temperature and a target temperature.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one of the temperature sensors and one of the second wireless modules are disposed in a wireless remote control.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the transmission of the sensed temperatures and locations to the first wireless module using the second wireless modules is performed by transmitting the sensed temperatures and locations to the first wireless module using the second wireless modules via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or quadrature frequency division multiplexing (QFDM).

8. A method for an air conditioning system, comprising: A plurality of temperature sensors are installed at a plurality of locations outside an indoor unit in an indoor space; a first wireless module is installed inside the indoor unit; The system uses these temperature sensors to sense a plurality of sensed temperatures; uses a plurality of second wireless modules to transmit the sensed temperatures and the locations to the first wireless module; uses an artificial intelligence model to perform calculations on the sensed temperatures and the locations to generate an indoor temperature weighted gradient model; and adjusts an output power of the indoor unit according to the indoor temperature weighted gradient model and a target temperature.

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