Air conditioner and method for controlling same

Abstract

An air conditioner is disclosed. The air conditioner comprises: a compressor that compresses refrigerant; a memory storing previous installation information corresponding to whether refrigerant has been recovered and stored; and at least one processor that controls the compressor such that the refrigerant circulates, wherein the at least one processor identifies whether a test operation is required on the basis of the previous installation information, and if the test operation is required, performs the test operation.

Description

Air conditioner and its control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner forcing a test run and a control method thereof.

[0002] Air conditioners can include indoor and outdoor units, either wall-mounted or stand-mounted. When a user moves or sells their air conditioner to someone else, the air conditioner is often relocated to a different location from where it was originally installed.

[0003] Conventional air conditioners require a test run upon initial installation before their normal operation can begin. However, prior installations often require no subsequent test run to enable normal operation. Because test runs are not mandatory after a previous installation, problems like refrigerant leaks and damaged refrigerant pipes can often go unchecked, leading to problems like incomplete operation of the air conditioner.

[0004] Therefore, there has been a growing need for a technology that allows air conditioners to perform self-tests through test runs even after previous installations, and only allow users to use normal operation functions if the test results show no problems.

[0005] An air conditioner according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a memory for storing previous installation information corresponding to whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored, and at least one processor for controlling the compressor so that the refrigerant is circulated, wherein the at least one processor can identify whether a test run is necessary based on the previous installation information, and if the test run is necessary, perform the test run.

[0006] The air conditioner includes a heat exchanger and a sensor for detecting a temperature of the heat exchanger, and the at least one processor can store the previous installation information in the memory if the direction of the temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of the temperature change during normal operation.

[0007] The heat exchanger is an indoor heat exchanger (Evaporator), the sensor includes an indoor heat exchanger sensor (Evaporator sensor) that detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, and the at least one processor can store the previous installation information in the memory when it is determined that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time.

[0008] The indoor heat exchanger sensor includes a first sensor for detecting an inlet temperature (Teva_in) of the indoor heat exchanger and a second sensor for detecting an outlet temperature (Teva_out) of the indoor heat exchanger, and the at least one processor can store the previous installation information in the memory when it is determined that the inlet temperature has risen by a first threshold value or more during the preset time and that the outlet temperature has risen by a second threshold value or more during the preset time.

[0009] The heat exchanger is an outdoor heat exchanger (Condensor), the sensor includes an outdoor heat exchanger sensor (condensor sensor) that detects a middle temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the at least one processor can store the previous installation information in the memory when it is determined that the middle temperature (Tcond_mid) has decreased from the outdoor temperature (exterior temperature) to a temperature within a third threshold value for a preset period of time.

[0010] The air conditioner further includes a communication interface, and the at least one processor can store the previous installation information in the memory when a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner is received from an external device through the communication interface.

[0011] The air conditioner further includes a display, and if the test run needs to be performed, the display can be controlled to display a UI instructing the test run to be performed.

[0012] The at least one processor can diagnose the communication status between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, if the test run needs to be performed, and can diagnose whether the refrigerant pipe connection status and the amount of refrigerant are normal.

[0013] A method for controlling an air conditioner according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure may include, when a cooling operation command is input, a step of identifying whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information corresponding to whether a refrigerant is recovered and stored, and a step of performing the test run if the test run is necessary.

[0014] The above control method may include a step of detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger and a step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant if the direction of the temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of the temperature change during normal operation.

[0015] The step of detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger may detect the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, and the step of storing the previous installation information may store the previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is identified that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time.

[0016] The step of detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may include a step of detecting an inlet temperature (Teva_in) of the indoor heat exchanger and an outlet temperature (Teva_out) of the indoor heat exchanger, and the step of storing the previous installation information may include a step of storing the previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is determined that the inlet temperature has risen by a first threshold value or more during the preset time and that the outlet temperature has risen by a second threshold value or more during the preset time.

[0017] The step of detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger may include a step of detecting an intermediate temperature (Tcond_mid) of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the step of storing the previous installation information may include a step of storing the previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is determined that the intermediate temperature (Tcond_mid) has decreased to a temperature within a third threshold value from the outdoor temperature for a preset period of time.

[0018] The step of storing the above-mentioned previous installation information may include a step of storing the above-mentioned previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner is received from an external device.

[0019] The above control method may include a step of displaying a UI instructing the performance of a test drive if the test drive needs to be performed.

[0020] The step of performing the above test run may include a step of diagnosing the communication status between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner and a step of diagnosing whether the refrigerant pipe connection status and the amount of refrigerant are normal.

[0021] In a computer-readable recording medium including a program for executing an operation of an air conditioner according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of the air conditioner may include, when a cooling operation command is input, a step of identifying whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information corresponding to whether a refrigerant is recovered and stored, and a step of performing the test run if the test run is necessary.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the operation of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a temperature sensing method of an indoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining changes in the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of an indoor heat exchanger according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining a temperature sensing method of an outdoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining changes in the intermediate temperature of an outdoor heat exchanger according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a new registration method by an external device of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] It should be understood that the various embodiments and terms used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but rather to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments.

[0034] In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0035] The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0036] In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0037] The term "and / or" includes any combination of a plurality of related described elements or any one of a plurality of related described elements.

[0038] Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish one component from another and do not qualify the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0039] When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0040] The terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in this document, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0041] When a component is said to be “connected,” “coupled,” “supported,” or “in contact with” another component, this includes not only cases where the components are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact, but also cases where the components are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact through a third component.

[0042] When we say that a component is "on" another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where there is another component between the two components.

[0043] In addition, terms such as 'front end', 'rear end', 'upper end', 'lower end', 'top end', and 'bottom end' used in the present disclosure are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

[0044] In addition, the temperature used in the present disclosure is described assuming the Celsius temperature, but when implemented, the temperature value may be used as a value in Fahrenheit.

[0045] An air conditioner according to various embodiments is a device that performs functions such as air purification, ventilation, humidity control, cooling or heating in an air-conditioned space (hereinafter referred to as “indoor”), and means a device having at least one of these functions.

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be interpreted as having the meaning commonly known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0047] Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0048] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the operation of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] An air conditioner (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure refers to various types of devices that maintain a comfortable indoor environment through heating, cooling, dehumidification (or dehumidification), humidification, ventilation, etc. as an air conditioning device, air conditioning device, or air conditioning system.

[0050] For example, the air conditioner (100) may be implemented as a heater, a blower, or an air conditioner capable of both cooling and heating. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the air conditioner (100) may be implemented as various types of devices capable of increasing or decreasing the indoor temperature, and even devices capable of only one of cooling or heating operations may be applied to the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, the air conditioner (100) will be described below assuming that it is an air conditioner capable of both cooling and heating.

[0051] An air conditioner (100) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can identify whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information.

[0052] In the present disclosure, "previous installation information" may include information corresponding to whether the air conditioner (100) was installed in a space different from the existing installation space. Since refrigerant recovery of the air conditioner (100) is performed in advance for the previous installation of the air conditioner (100), the previous installation information may include information corresponding to whether the refrigerant was recovered and stored.

[0053] For example, if a user moves, the installation location of the air conditioner (100) may change as the user's living space changes. In this case, the previous installation information may include information that the air conditioner (100) was installed in a space different from the original installation space.

[0054] Additionally, previous installation information may be referred to by various expressions representing the same or similar concepts. For example, previous installation information may be referred to by terms such as "installation location change information," "installation space change information," "location change information," "refrigerant recovery storage information," and "refrigerant recovery information." In this disclosure, the term "previous installation information" will be used interchangeably.

[0055] Even if the air conditioner (100) has been inspected through a test run at the time of initial installation, if the previous installation information includes information that the installation location of the air conditioner (100) has changed, the test run can be performed again or a UI (20) that instructs the user to perform a test run can be displayed.

[0056] According to one embodiment, when a user attempts to execute a normal operation function of the air conditioner (100) via a remote control (10) after the air conditioner (100) has been previously installed as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner (100) may be in a standby state in which the normal operation function is not performed, and may display a UI (20) instructing the execution of a test run.

[0057] Here, the UI includes graphical interface elements that constitute a user interface used for interaction between the user and the air conditioning unit.

[0058] For example, the UI may be referred to as an item, an object, a UI object, etc., and may include icons, buttons, images, etc. that may be displayed on the display of the air conditioner to receive user input.

[0059] According to another embodiment, if a user attempts to perform normal operation functions of the air conditioner (100) via the remote control (10) after previous installation of the air conditioner (100), the air conditioner (100) may perform a test run.

[0060] In this disclosure, "test run" may refer to an operation to check whether the air conditioner (100) is operating normally. For example, the test run process may include a process of checking the communication status between the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioner (100) and a process of checking the connection status of the pipe through which the refrigerant flows.

[0061] Additionally, the term "test drive" may be replaced with various expressions representing the same or similar concepts. For example, the term "test drive" may be replaced with terms such as "inspection," "determining normal operation," "reading normal status," and "test operation." In this disclosure, the term "test drive" will be used interchangeably.

[0062] In this disclosure, "normal operation" may refer to a state in which the air conditioner (100) is operated to circulate refrigerant for the purpose of heat exchange with indoor air. For example, normal operation may include cooling operation, heating operation, dehumidification operation, and defrosting operation.

[0063] Additionally, "normal driving" may be referred to by various expressions representing the same or similar concepts. For example, "normal driving" may be replaced by terms such as "standard driving," "normal driving," "ordinary driving," and "typical driving." In this disclosure, the term "normal driving" will be used interchangeably.

[0064] Unlike conventional air conditioners that require a test run only upon initial installation, the air conditioner (100) according to the present disclosure can force a test run by the user even after a previous installation. Therefore, the present disclosure can prevent malfunctions of the air conditioner (100) by allowing the installation status of the air conditioner (100) to be checked even after a previous installation. Furthermore, even if the previous installer is not a professional previous installer, the previous installer can diagnose problems that occurred in the air conditioner (100) during the previous installation by forcing an inspection through a test run.

[0065] The air conditioner (100) according to the present disclosure can determine whether it has been previously installed based on whether the refrigerant has been recovered and stored. The flow of the refrigerant and the method of recovering and storing the refrigerant will be described in detail in FIG. 2 described below.

[0066] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] According to FIG. 2, the air conditioner (100) may include a refrigerant circuit circulating inside / outside the indoor unit (101) and the outdoor unit (102).

[0068] The refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant circuit and can absorb or release heat during a change of state (e.g., from gas to liquid, or from liquid to gas).

[0069] To induce a change in the state of the refrigerant, the refrigerant circuit may include a compressor (110), an indoor heat exchanger (171), an expansion valve (180), and an outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0070] The compressor (110) compresses the gaseous refrigerant to create a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The high-temperature / high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor (110) can be introduced into an outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0071] The outdoor heat exchanger (172) can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air by utilizing a phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. For example, while the refrigerant condenses in the outdoor heat exchanger (172), the refrigerant releases heat to the outdoor air, and while the refrigerant flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger (172) evaporates, the refrigerant can absorb heat from the outdoor air.

[0072] An outdoor fan may be provided near the outdoor heat exchanger (172). The outdoor fan may blow outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger (172) to promote heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air.

[0073] The outdoor heat exchanger (172) may include at least one sensor for measuring the outdoor environment. For example, the sensor may be provided as an environmental sensor. The outdoor unit sensor may be positioned at any location inside or outside the outdoor unit. For example, the sensor may include a temperature sensor for detecting the air temperature around the air conditioner (100), a humidity sensor for detecting the air humidity around the air conditioner, etc.

[0074] Additionally, the outdoor heat exchanger (172) side may include a temperature sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of the refrigerant pipe to check the operation within the air conditioner, or a pressure sensor for detecting the refrigerant pressure of the refrigerant pipe.

[0075] The expansion valve (180) can lower the pressure and temperature of the liquid refrigerant to create a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant. The low-temperature / low-pressure liquid refrigerant discharged from the expansion valve (180) can be introduced into the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0076] The indoor heat exchanger (171) can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air by utilizing a phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. For example, the indoor heat exchanger (171) can absorb heat from the indoor air while the refrigerant evaporates, and the indoor air can be cooled by blowing the cooled indoor air through the cooled indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0077] As described above, the refrigerant can release heat from the outdoor heat exchanger (172) and absorb heat from the indoor heat exchanger (171). Through this operation, the indoor heat exchanger (171) can cool the indoor air.

[0078] Meanwhile, for heat exchange with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger (171), the front area of ​​the air conditioner (100) may include an indoor intake port for sucking indoor air. Indoor air may be introduced into the interior of the air conditioner (100) through the indoor intake port. At this time, a filter may be arranged on one side of the intake port to filter out foreign substances in the air sucked through the indoor intake port.

[0079] And the front of the housing may include an indoor exhaust port. That is, air that has undergone heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger (171) may be discharged to the outside of the housing (i.e., indoor space) through the indoor exhaust port.

[0080] At this time, an airflow guide may be provided on one side of the indoor exhaust port to guide the direction of the exhausted air. For example, the airflow guide may include blades positioned on the indoor exhaust port. For example, the airflow guide may include an auxiliary fan to control the exhaust airflow. However, the airflow guide is not limited thereto and may be omitted.

[0081] Blowers may include indoor fans and fan motors. For example, indoor fans may include axial fans, diffusion fans, crossflow fans, and centrifugal fans.

[0082] An indoor heat exchanger (171) may be positioned between the blower and the indoor exhaust port, or between the indoor intake port and the blower. The indoor heat exchanger (171) may absorb heat from air introduced through the indoor intake port. The indoor heat exchanger (171) may include a heat exchange tube through which a refrigerant flows, and heat exchange fins in contact with the heat exchange tube to increase the heat transfer area.

[0083] And, one side of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may include a drain tray for collecting condensate generated in the indoor heat exchanger (171). The condensate collected in the drain tray may be drained to the outside through a drain hose. The drain tray may be provided to support the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0084] The gaseous refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger (171) flows into the compressor (110) and circulates through the refrigerant circuit again. Specifically, the air conditioner (100) performs a cooling or heating function through a phase change process of the refrigerant circulating through the outdoor heat exchanger (172) and the indoor heat exchanger (171). The compressor (110) can inhale refrigerant gas through the inlet and compress the refrigerant gas. The compressor (110) can discharge high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas through the discharge port.

[0085] The refrigerant may circulate in the order of a compressor (110), an outdoor heat exchanger (172), an expansion valve (180), and an indoor heat exchanger (171) through a refrigerant pipe, or may circulate in the order of a compressor (110), an indoor heat exchanger (171), an expansion valve (180), and an outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0086] For example, if an air conditioner has one outdoor unit and one indoor unit directly connected through a refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant may be arranged to circulate between one outdoor unit and one indoor unit through the refrigerant pipe.

[0087] For example, in an air conditioner, if one outdoor unit is connected to two or more indoor units via refrigerant pipes, the refrigerant may flow to multiple indoor units via refrigerant pipes branching from the outdoor unit. The refrigerant discharged from the multiple indoor units may be combined and circulated to the outdoor unit. For example, multiple indoor units may be directly connected in parallel to a single outdoor unit via separate refrigerant pipes.

[0088] Multiple indoor units can operate independently, each according to a user-defined operating mode. That is, some of the indoor units can operate in cooling mode, while others operate in heating mode.

[0089] For example, when an air conditioner has two or more outdoor units and two or more indoor units connected through multiple refrigerant pipes, the refrigerant discharged from the multiple outdoor units may merge and flow through a single refrigerant pipe, then branch off again at some point and flow into multiple indoor units.

[0090] Multiple outdoor units may all be driven, or at least some may not be driven, depending on the operating load corresponding to the operating capacity of multiple indoor units. In this case, the refrigerant may be introduced into the outdoor unit, which is selectively driven, through a flow switching valve and circulated. The air conditioner (100) may include an expansion device to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant introduced into the heat exchanger. For example, the expansion device may be located within the indoor unit or the outdoor unit, or may be located in both.

[0091] An expansion valve (180) can, for example, utilize a throttling effect to lower the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant. The expansion device may include an orifice capable of reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path. Refrigerant passing through the orifice may have its temperature and pressure lowered.

[0092] The expansion valve (180) can be implemented as an electronic expansion valve capable of controlling, for example, the opening ratio (the ratio of the cross-sectional area of ​​the valve's flow path in a partially opened state to the cross-sectional area of ​​the valve's flow path in a fully opened state). Depending on the opening ratio of the electronic expansion valve, the amount of refrigerant passing through the expansion valve (180) can be controlled.

[0093] The air conditioner may include an accumulator. The accumulator may be connected to the suction port of the compressor (210). The accumulator may receive low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant evaporated from an indoor heat exchanger or an outdoor heat exchanger.

[0094] The accumulator can separate the refrigerant liquid from the refrigerant gas when a refrigerant mixture of refrigerant liquid and refrigerant gas is introduced, and provide the refrigerant gas from which the refrigerant liquid has been separated to the compressor.

[0095] And the outdoor unit (102) can be electrically connected to the indoor unit (101). For example, information (or commands) for controlling the air conditioner can be input through an input interface provided in the outdoor unit (102) or the indoor unit (101), and the outdoor unit (102) and the indoor unit (101) can operate simultaneously or sequentially in response to the user input.

[0096] Additionally, the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner (100) may include a first valve (191) and a second valve (192). The air conditioner (100) may perform refrigerant recovery by controlling the operation of the first valve (191) and the second valve (192).

[0097] Here, "refrigerant recovery" may mean an operation to store all refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner (100) in the internal pipe of the outdoor unit (102). Refrigerant recovery may be performed primarily prior to previous installation of the air conditioner (100) to prevent refrigerant leakage that may occur during previous installation.

[0098] For example, the previous installer may separate the indoor unit (101), the outdoor unit (102) and the connecting pipes between the indoor unit (101) and the outdoor unit (102) of the air conditioner (100) and move the indoor unit (101), the outdoor unit (102) and the connecting pipes, respectively. In this case, if refrigerant remains in the connecting pipes, the refrigerant may leak to the outside when the connecting pipes are separated. Therefore, the previous installer may perform refrigerant recovery before the previous installation of the air conditioner (100) to prevent the refrigerant from leaking to the outside and recover and store all the refrigerant toward the outdoor unit (102).

[0099] According to one embodiment, when refrigerant recovery of the air conditioner (100) is in progress, the air conditioner (100) may close the second valve (192). Closing of the second valve (192) may be performed by the control of the air conditioner (100), or may be performed by a user directly closing the second valve (192). When the second valve (192) is closed, the flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant pipe connected from the outdoor heat exchanger (172) to the expansion valve (180) may be blocked.

[0100] The air conditioner (100) can drive the compressor (110) so that the refrigerant flows from the indoor heat exchanger (171) to the compressor (110) after the second valve (192) is completely closed. Since the compressor (110) is driven with the second valve (192) closed, the refrigerant can be recovered to the outdoor heat exchanger (172) and the compressor (110) and accumulated on the outdoor heat exchanger (172) side.

[0101] When the air conditioner (100) determines that the operation of the compressor (110) continues and all remaining refrigerant in the pipe has been recovered to the outdoor unit (102), the air conditioner (100) can stop the operation of the compressor (110) and close the first valve (191). The closing of the first valve (191) can be performed by the control of the air conditioner (100), or can be performed by a user directly closing the first valve (191).

[0102] Since both the first valve (191) and the second valve (192) are closed, all refrigerant in the air conditioner (100) is recovered and stored in the piping between the first valve (191) and the second valve (192). Through the refrigerant recovery operation, all refrigerant can be stored only on the outdoor unit (102) side, and the previous installer can re-install the air conditioner while preventing external leakage of refrigerant.

[0103] The air conditioner (100) according to the present disclosure can detect whether the refrigerant recovery operation described above is being performed through temperature changes in the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the outdoor heat exchanger (172). The method for detecting whether the refrigerant recovery operation is being performed will be described in detail together with the configuration of the air conditioner (100) in the drawings described below.

[0104] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0105] According to FIG. 3, the air conditioner (100) may include a compressor (110), a memory (120), and at least one processor (130).

[0106] The compressor (110) is configured to compress a gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. In addition, at least one processor (130) can control the compressor (110) so that the refrigerant can circulate along the refrigerant circuit.

[0107] And, the compressor (110) can be implemented as any one of a constant speed type, a step type (or TPS) type, and an inverter type. The constant speed type is a type that controls the operation of the compressor (110) on / off according to the cooling and heating load. The step type is a type that has multiple compressors and controls the number of compressors to be operated according to the cooling and heating load. The inverter type is a control type that linearly increases and decreases the operation capacity of the compressor (110) according to the cooling and heating load. At least one processor (130) can control the compressor (110) so that the refrigerant can circulate along the refrigerant circuit.

[0108] The memory (120) can store various information necessary for the operation of the air conditioner (100). The memory (120) can store instructions, applications, data, and / or programs necessary for the operation of the air conditioner (100). For example, the memory (120) can store various programs for the cooling operation, heating operation, dehumidification operation, and / or defrosting operation of the air conditioner.

[0109] Additionally, the memory (120) may store previous installation information. For example, at least one processor (130) may identify the recovery storage of refrigerant based on a temperature change of the heat exchanger, and when the recovery storage of refrigerant is identified, the processor (130) may store the previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0110] The memory (120) may be implemented in the form of memory embedded in the air conditioner (100) or may be implemented in the form of memory that can be attached or detached to the air conditioner (100) depending on the purpose of data storage.

[0111] The memory (120) may include volatile memory such as Static Random Access Memory (S-RAM) and Dynamic Random Access Memory (D-RAM) for temporarily storing data. In addition, the memory (120) may include nonvolatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) for long-term storage of data.

[0112] At least one processor (130) can control the overall operation of the air conditioner (100).

[0113] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one processor (130) may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON) for processing a digital signal. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), an ARM processor, or an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or may be defined by the relevant terms. In addition, at least one processor (130) may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) having a built-in processing algorithm, a large scale integration (LSI), or may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA). At least one processor (130) may perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in a memory.

[0114] At least one processor (130) may include one or more of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a Many Integrated Core (MIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator. The at least one processor (130) may control one or any combination of other components of the air conditioner, and may perform operations related to communication or data processing. The at least one processor (130) may execute one or more programs or instructions stored in a memory. For example, the at least one processor (130) may perform a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by executing one or more instructions stored in a memory.

[0115] When a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one processor or by multiple processors. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to an embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by the first processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by the first processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor) and the third operation may be performed by the second processor (e.g., an artificial intelligence-specific processor).

[0116] At least one processor (130) may be implemented as a single core processor including one core, or may be implemented as one or more multicore processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multicores or heterogeneous multicores). When at least one processor (130) is implemented as a multicore processor, each of the multiple cores included in the multicore processor may include an internal processor memory, such as a cache memory or an on-chip memory, and a common cache shared by the multiple cores may be included in the multicore processor. In addition, each of the multiple cores (or some of the multiple cores) included in the multicore processor may independently read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, or all (or some) of the multiple cores may be linked to read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0117] When a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations may be performed by one core among the plurality of cores included in a multi-core processor, or may be performed by the plurality of cores. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to an embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, and the third operation may be performed by a second core included in the multi-core processor.

[0118] In embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor (130) may mean a system on a chip (SoC) in which one or more processors and other electronic components are integrated, a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, or a core included in a single-core processor or a multi-core processor, wherein the core may be implemented as a CPU, a GPU, an APU, a MIC, a DSP, an NPU, a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, at least one processor (130) will be referred to as a processor (130).

[0119] The processor (130) can control the compressor (110) to circulate the refrigerant. For example, the processor (130) can drive the compressor (110) to compress the refrigerant and create a pressure difference between the front and rear ends of the compressor (110) to allow the refrigerant to circulate in the refrigerant circuit.

[0120] Additionally, the processor (130) can identify whether the test run needs to be performed based on previous installation information.

[0121] In one embodiment, if the previous installation information corresponds to information that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored on the outdoor unit side, the processor (130) may identify the air conditioner (100) as having been previously installed and determine that a test run is required.

[0122] In another embodiment, if the previous installation information corresponds to information that the refrigerant is not recovered to the outdoor unit side, the processor (130) may identify that the air conditioner (100) has not been previously installed and thus does not require a test run.

[0123] Previous installation information may include information on whether refrigerant is recovered and stored, as well as the number of test runs performed and the number of previous installations. In this case, the processor (130) may compare the number of test runs performed with the number of previous installations to determine whether a test run is necessary. Since a test run is necessarily performed upon initial installation of the air conditioner (100), the processor (130) may determine that a test run has not been performed since the previous installation if the number of test runs is less than or equal to the number of previous installations.

[0124] In one embodiment, if the previous installation information includes information that a test drive has been performed once and a previous installation has been performed once, the processor (130) may identify that a test drive needs to be performed because the number of test drives is the same as the number of previous installations.

[0125] In another embodiment, if the previous installation information includes information that the test run was performed twice and the previous installation was performed once, the processor (130) may identify that the number of test runs is greater than the number of previous installations, and therefore, no test run needs to be performed.

[0126] Additionally, the processor (130) may perform a test run if a test run is required. The test run may include a first test run stage and a second test run stage.

[0127] In the first test run phase, the processor (130) can diagnose the communication status between the indoor unit (101) and the outdoor unit (102) and whether there is a misassembly of the components. Specifically, the processor (130) can check the communication status between the indoor unit (101) and the outdoor unit (102) by confirming whether the components of the air conditioner (100) operate normally in response to a control signal. In addition, the processor (130) can confirm whether there is a misassembly of the components by confirming a response that may occur when the components are normally assembled.

[0128] In the second test run stage, the processor (130) can diagnose whether the refrigerant pipe connection status and the refrigerant amount are normal. The processor (130) can diagnose whether the refrigerant pipe connection status and the refrigerant amount are normal based on the temperature change of the indoor heat exchanger (171) of the refrigerant. For example, the processor (130) can identify that there is a problem with the refrigerant pipe connection status when the difference between the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the indoor air temperature is lower than or equal to a certain reference value, and when the difference between the indoor air temperature and the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) is lower than or equal to another certain reference value. In addition, the processor (130) can diagnose that the refrigerant amount is insufficient when the difference between the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) exceeds another certain reference value.

[0129] Although the above description explains that the test run may include a first test run stage and a second test run stage, this is only one example, and the test run may be performed by various diagnostic methods that can check whether the air conditioner (100) is operating normally.

[0130] The air conditioner (100) of the present disclosure can identify whether a test run of the air conditioner (100) is necessary by including the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2. Since the air conditioner (100) can accurately identify whether a test run is necessary, problems that occurred in the air conditioner (100) during the previous installation can be accurately diagnosed even if the air conditioner (100) was not previously installed by a professional previous installer. However, the air conditioner (100) of the present disclosure can include various configurations in addition to the compressor (110) and memory (120) illustrated in FIG. 2, and the description of FIG. 4 below will describe in detail various configurations that the air conditioner (100) can include.

[0131] FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0132] According to FIG. 4, the air conditioner (100) may include a compressor (110), a memory (120), at least one processor (130), a communication interface (140), a display (150), a speaker (160), an indoor heat exchanger sensor (173), and an outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174).

[0133] The compressor (110) and memory (120) that can be included in the air conditioner (100) have been described in detail in the description of FIG. 3 described above, and in the description of FIG. 4, any description that overlaps with the description of FIG. 3 will be omitted.

[0134] The communication interface (140) communicates with external devices and receives various types of data and information. For example, the communication interface (140) can receive various types of data and information from home appliances (e.g., display devices, indoor units of air conditioners, air purifiers, etc.), external storage media (e.g., USB memory), external servers (e.g., web hard drives) through communication methods such as AP-based Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN network), Bluetooth, Zigbee, wired / wireless LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), Ethernet, IEEE 1394, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), USB (Universal Serial Bus), MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), AES / EBU (Audio Engineering Society / European Broadcasting Union), optical, coaxial, etc.

[0135] The processor (130) can communicate with an external device through a communication interface (140). For example, the processor (130) can receive a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner (100) from the external device through the communication interface (140).

[0136] The display (150) is configured to display various information. For example, the display (150) can display information regarding the operation of the air conditioner (100) and information regarding the indoor environment. For example, the display (150) can display a set temperature, an indoor temperature, an operation mode, etc. The display (150) can include various types of displays, such as an LCD (liquid crystal display), an OLED (organic light-emitting diode), an LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon), a DLP (Digital Light Processing), a QD (quantum dot) display panel, a QLED (quantum dot light-emitting diodes), etc.

[0137] Additionally, if a test drive is required, the processor (130) can control the display (150) to display a UI instructing the test drive to be performed. The UI instructing the test drive to be performed can be implemented with a phrase such as "Perform a test drive" as shown in FIG. 1, and can also be implemented with a numeric code (e.g., "88") indicating that a test drive is required.

[0138] The speaker (160) is configured to output various audio signals under the control of the processor (130). According to an example, the speaker (160) can output information regarding the operation of the air conditioner (100) as audio signals. For example, the speaker (160) can output a set temperature, an indoor temperature, an operating mode, etc. as audio signals.

[0139] Additionally, the processor (130) can control the speaker to output a voice commanding a test drive if a test drive is required. The voice commanding a test drive can be implemented as a voice signal for text such as "Perform a test drive," or can be implemented as a voice signal for a numeric code (e.g., "88") indicating that a test drive is required.

[0140] The processor (130) can detect the temperature of the heat exchanger through a sensor that detects the temperature of the heat exchanger. The sensor that detects the temperature of the heat exchanger can be implemented as an indoor heat exchanger sensor (173) and an outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174). The indoor heat exchanger sensor (173) detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, and the outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174) detects the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger.

[0141] The indoor heat exchanger sensor (173) may be a temperature sensor installed in the piping area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger (171) to measure the temperature of the piping area. Specifically, the indoor heat exchanger sensor (173) may include a first sensor that detects the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and a second sensor that detects the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (172).

[0142] The first sensor may be a temperature sensor attached to an inlet area where the refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger (171) and measures the temperature of the inlet area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger (171). In addition, the second sensor may be a temperature sensor attached to an outlet area where the refrigerant is discharged outside the indoor heat exchanger (171) and measures the temperature of the outlet area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0143] The outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174) may be a temperature sensor installed in the piping area of ​​the outdoor heat exchanger (172) to measure the temperature of the piping area. In particular, the outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174) may be implemented as a temperature sensor installed in the middle area of ​​the piping of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) to detect the middle temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0144] However, the configurations as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are merely exemplary, and it is obvious that new configurations may be added or some configurations may be omitted in addition to the configurations as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 when implementing the present disclosure.

[0145] The processor (130) can identify whether refrigerant is recovered based on the temperature change detected by the indoor heat exchanger sensor (173) and the outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174). Specifically, if the direction of the temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of the temperature change during normal operation, the processor can store previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant in the memory (120). The method for identifying whether refrigerant is recovered by the processor (130) will be described in detail in FIGS. 5 to 8 described below.

[0146] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a temperature sensing method of an indoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0147] According to FIG. 5, a first sensor may be installed in the inlet area (510) of the indoor heat exchanger (171), and a second sensor may be installed in the outlet area (520).

[0148] The indoor heat exchanger (171) can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air by utilizing the evaporation of the refrigerant. Therefore, when the air conditioner (100) is operated in a general cooling mode, the temperature of the inlet area (510) may be lower than the temperature of the outlet area (520). That is, when the air conditioner (100) is operated in a cooling mode, indoor air must be cooled, so a low-temperature liquid refrigerant is introduced through the inlet area (510), and the low-temperature liquid refrigerant receives heat from the indoor air, changes into a gaseous refrigerant having a relatively high temperature, and is discharged through the outlet area (520), so the temperature of the inlet area (510) is lower than the temperature of the outlet area (520).

[0149] For example, if the indoor air temperature is 30 degrees and the user's desired set temperature is 24 degrees, the temperature of the inlet area (510) can be detected as about 13 degrees by the first sensor, and the temperature of the outlet area (520) can be detected as about 17 degrees by the second sensor.

[0150] The first sensor can detect the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171). The first sensor can be attached to a piping area provided on the side of the indoor heat exchanger (171), as illustrated in FIG. 5. The first sensor can be attached to the piping area to detect the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0151] Although the above description describes that the first sensor can be attached to the inlet area (510) of the indoor heat exchanger (171), it is to be understood that the location of the first sensor may be in the piping area connecting the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the expansion valve (180). For example, the first sensor may be installed at a midpoint of the connecting piping between the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the expansion valve (180), or may be installed at the discharge portion of the expansion valve (180).

[0152] The second sensor can detect the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171). The second sensor can be attached to a piping area connected to the side of the indoor heat exchanger (171) as illustrated in FIG. 5. The second sensor can be attached to the piping area to detect the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0153] Although the above description describes that the second sensor can be attached to the outlet area (520) of the indoor heat exchanger (171), it is to be understood that the location of the second sensor may be in the piping area connecting the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the compressor (110). For example, the second sensor may be installed at a midpoint of the connecting piping between the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the compressor (110), or may be installed at the inlet portion of the compressor (110).

[0154] In Fig. 5, it is only described that two sensors can detect the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171), but this is only one example, and it is of course possible for two or more sensors to be installed in the internal piping of the indoor heat exchanger (171) to detect the temperature of two or more areas of the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0155] For example, four temperature sensors may be installed in the inlet area, the first intermediate area, the second intermediate area, and the outlet area of ​​the indoor heat exchanger (171). In this case, the processor (130) may identify whether the refrigerant is being recovered and stored based on temperature changes in the inlet area, the first intermediate area, the second intermediate area, and the outlet area.

[0156] The inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may change depending on the operation mode of the air conditioner (100). The temperature change depending on the operation mode will be described in detail in the description of FIG. 6.

[0157] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining changes in the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of an indoor heat exchanger according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0158] According to FIG. 6, changes in the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger can be represented as an inlet temperature curve (610) and an outlet temperature curve (620).

[0159] The horizontal axis of the graph shown in Figure 6 represents time, and the vertical axis represents temperature. The numbers 30, 25, 20, etc. displayed on the vertical axis can represent 30 degrees Celsius, 25 degrees Celsius, 20 degrees Celsius, etc., respectively.

[0160] Time 1 may be the time during which the air conditioner (100) operates in normal cooling mode. When the air conditioner (100) operates in normal cooling mode, the inlet and outlet temperatures of the indoor heat exchanger may decrease. Accordingly, the inlet temperature curve (610) and outlet temperature curve (620) may appear as decreasing curves during Time 1.

[0161] Let's assume that the indoor air temperature is about 30 degrees. Before the air conditioner (100) starts operating in the normal cooling mode, the indoor heat exchanger (171) is in thermal equilibrium with the indoor air, so the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature can be maintained at about 28 degrees and about 26 degrees, respectively. However, when the air conditioner starts operating in the normal cooling mode, the indoor air must be cooled, so low-temperature refrigerant starts flowing into the indoor heat exchanger (171). Due to the inflow of low-temperature refrigerant, the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature can decrease. After the air conditioner (100) starts operating in the normal cooling mode, if a sufficient amount of time passes, the indoor heat exchanger (171) reaches thermal equilibrium with the indoor air, so it can reach a saturation state where the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature remain unchanged. Accordingly, the inlet temperature curve (610) and the outlet temperature curve (620) may have the form of a downward convex curve with a negative slope at Time 1 when the air conditioner operates in the normal cooling mode, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0162] Time 2 may be a time when the air conditioner (100) operates in refrigerant recovery mode. When the air conditioner (100) operates in refrigerant recovery mode, the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may increase. Accordingly, the inlet temperature curve (610) and the outlet temperature curve (620) may appear as increasing curves at Time 2. In other words, the temperature change direction of the indoor heat exchanger during the time when the air conditioner (100) operates in normal cooling mode and the temperature change direction of the indoor heat exchanger during the time when the air conditioner (100) operates in refrigerant recovery mode may be opposite.

[0163] When the air conditioner (100) performs refrigerant recovery, low-temperature refrigerant no longer flows into the indoor heat exchanger. Returning to FIG. 2, when the air conditioner (100) performs refrigerant recovery, the second valve (192) is closed, so low-temperature refrigerant no longer flows into the indoor heat exchanger (171). As low-temperature refrigerant no longer flows into the indoor heat exchanger (171), the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) can change to temperatures similar to the temperature of the indoor air.

[0164] At Time 2, the processor (130) can identify that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) has risen above a threshold value for a preset period of time and store previous installation information that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0165] According to one embodiment, if the processor (130) identifies that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) has risen by more than 3 degrees for 1 minute, it may store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0166] When the air conditioner (100) cools the indoor air through normal operation and then stops normal operation, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may rise because the indoor heat exchanger (171) returns to a state of thermal equilibrium with the indoor air even if refrigerant recovery is not performed.

[0167] In other words, even if the air conditioner (100) does not perform refrigerant recovery, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may rise, but the temperature increase of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may be greater when refrigerant recovery is performed than when refrigerant recovery is not performed. For example, if the air conditioner (100) has stopped normal operation and has not performed refrigerant recovery, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may rise by 1 degree per minute, but if refrigerant recovery is performed, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may rise by 3 degrees or more per minute.

[0168] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120) when it is determined that the inlet temperature has risen by a first threshold value or more for a preset period of time and that the outlet temperature has risen by a second threshold value or more for a preset period of time. Here, the first threshold value and the second threshold value may have the same value or may have different values.

[0169] For example, let's assume that the preset time is 1 minute and the first threshold value and the second threshold value are 3 degrees. In this case, if the processor (130) identifies that the inlet temperature has increased by 3 degrees and the outlet temperature has increased by 4 degrees in 1 minute, it can store the previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120). On the other hand, if the processor (130) identifies that the inlet temperature has increased by 2 degrees and the outlet temperature has increased by 3 degrees in 1 minute, it can not store the previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0170] For example, let's assume that the preset time is 1 minute, the first threshold is 5 degrees, and the second threshold is 3 degrees. In this case, if the processor (130) identifies that the inlet temperature has risen by 5 degrees and the outlet temperature has risen by 3 degrees over a period of 1 minute, it can store the previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0171] At this time, the first threshold value may have a value greater than the second threshold value. In other words, for a preset period of time, the slope of the inlet temperature curve (610) may be greater than the slope of the outlet temperature curve (620).

[0172] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the inlet temperature curve (610) may have a negative slope in the early part of Time 2. That is, the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may drop rapidly at the time when the air conditioner (100) starts recovering refrigerant.

[0173] Returning to FIG. 2, when the refrigerant recovery of the air conditioner (100) begins, the processor (130) may close the second valve (192). The degree of openness of the second valve (192) may decrease from 100 to 0. As the degree of openness of the second valve (192) decreases rapidly, the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the expansion valve (180) and the pressure of the refrigerant may decrease rapidly. As the pressure drop of the refrigerant occurs rapidly, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger (171) may decrease rapidly, and the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) detected by the first sensor may also decrease rapidly.

[0174] After the opening of the second valve (192) reaches 0, there is no refrigerant flowing into the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger (171), so the inlet temperature increases again. In other words, in the early part of Time 2, the inlet temperature drops momentarily due to the pressure drop of the refrigerant and then increases again. Due to this, the slope of the inlet temperature curve (610) at Time 2 may have a value greater than the slope of the outlet temperature curve (620), and the first threshold value may have a value greater than the second threshold value.

[0175] In the above description, the preset time is described as 1 minute, but this is only an example, and the preset time can be set to any time, such as less than 1 minute or more than 1 minute.

[0176] In the above description, the explanation was made based on the change in the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171), but if a temperature sensor is installed at the midpoint of the internal pipe of the indoor heat exchanger (171), the processor (130) can also identify whether refrigerant is recovered based on the change in the midpoint temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171).

[0177] That is, if the processor (130) identifies that the intermediate temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) has risen by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time, it may store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0178] Additionally, the processor (130) may identify whether refrigerant has been recovered based on a change in at least one of the inlet temperature, intermediate temperature, and outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171). For example, if the processor (130) identifies that the inlet temperature, intermediate temperature, and outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) have increased by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time, the processor (130) may store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0179] In the above description, it is assumed that the first threshold value and the second threshold value are 5 degrees and 3 degrees, but this is only an example, and it is obvious that the first threshold value and the second threshold value can be set to various values ​​based on the space in which the air conditioner (100) is installed, the temperature of the indoor and outdoor air, and the operating frequency of the air conditioner (100).

[0180] The processor (130) can store previous installation information corresponding to whether or not the refrigerant is recovered and stored in the memory (120) based on the temperature change of the outdoor heat exchanger (172), which will be described in detail in the description of FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

[0181] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining a temperature sensing method of an outdoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0182] According to FIG. 7, an outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174) can be installed in the middle region (720) of the indoor heat exchanger (172).

[0183] The outdoor heat exchanger (172) can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air by utilizing the condensation of the refrigerant. Therefore, when the air conditioner (100) operates in a general cooling mode, the temperature of the inlet area (710) may be higher than the temperature of the outlet area (730). That is, when the air conditioner (100) is operated in a cooling mode, heat must be released to the outdoor air, so a high-temperature gaseous refrigerant is introduced through the inlet area (710), and the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant releases heat to the outdoor air, changes into a liquid refrigerant with a relatively low temperature, and is discharged through the outlet area (730), so the temperature of the inlet area (710) is higher than the temperature of the outlet area (730).

[0184] The temperature of the intermediate region (720) of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) can have any value between the temperature value of the inlet region (710) and the temperature value of the outlet region (730) of the outdoor heat exchanger (172). For example, the temperature of the intermediate region (720) can be an average value of the temperature of the inlet region (710) and the temperature of the outlet region (730).

[0185] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120) when it is determined that the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) has decreased from the outdoor temperature to a temperature within a third threshold value for a preset period of time. Here, the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) refers to the temperature of the intermediate region of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) detected by the outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174).

[0186] For example, assuming that the preset time is 4 minutes, the third threshold is 3 degrees, and the outdoor temperature is 30 degrees, the processor (130) can store in the memory (120) the previous installation information that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored if it is determined that the intermediate temperature has decreased to 33 degrees within 4 minutes after the end of the normal operation.

[0187] At this time, the processor (130) can obtain the outdoor temperature based on the sensing value of a temperature sensor installed inside or outside the outdoor unit (102). The temperature sensor can detect the temperature around the outdoor unit (102) and transmit it to the processor (130). The temperature sensor can be implemented as a contact temperature sensor or a non-contact temperature sensor.

[0188] Although the above description only explains that the outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174) can be installed in the middle area (720) of the internal piping of the outdoor heat exchanger (172), it is of course possible to install it in the inlet area (710) or the outlet area (730) of the outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0189] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining changes in the intermediate temperature of an outdoor heat exchanger according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0190] According to Fig. 8, the change in the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) can be represented as an intermediate temperature curve (810).

[0191] The horizontal axis of the graph shown in Figure 8 represents time, and the vertical axis represents temperature. The numbers 50, 45, 40, etc. displayed on the vertical axis can represent 50 degrees Celsius, 45 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees Celsius, etc., respectively.

[0192] Time 3 may be the time when the air conditioner (100) operates in normal operation mode. At Time 3, the intermediate temperature curve (810) may be an upward curve. When the air conditioner (100) operates in normal operation mode, the intermediate temperature increases because the high-temperature gas passing through the compressor (110) flows into the outdoor heat exchanger (172). After a sufficient amount of time has passed since the air conditioner (100) began operating in normal operation mode, the intermediate temperature no longer increases and can be maintained at a constant value because it reaches thermal equilibrium with the outdoor air. As illustrated in FIG. 8, in the latter half of Time 3, the intermediate temperature can be maintained at a value of approximately 50 degrees.

[0193] Time 4 may be the time when the air conditioner (100) operates in refrigerant recovery mode. At Time 4, the intermediate temperature curve (810) may be a downward convex descending curve with a negative slope.

[0194] That is, while operating in the normal operation mode, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) rises, while operating in the refrigerant recovery mode, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) falls. In other words, the direction of temperature change of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) in the normal operation mode may be opposite to the direction of temperature change of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) in the refrigerant recovery mode.

[0195] Returning to FIG. 2, when the air conditioner (100) starts operating in refrigerant recovery mode, the second valve (192) may be closed. As the second valve (192) is closed, the refrigerant, which has been cooled through heat exchange with the outdoor air, cannot flow to the expansion valve (180) and accumulates in the outdoor heat exchanger (172), so that the intermediate temperature may decrease and reach a state of thermal equilibrium with the outdoor air. After reaching a state of thermal equilibrium, the intermediate temperature may no longer decrease and may remain at a constant value.

[0196] Even when the air conditioner (100) is operating in normal operation mode and then stops operating, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) may decrease. However, in this case, since low-temperature refrigerant does not accumulate in the outdoor heat exchanger (172), the rate of decrease in the intermediate temperature may be slower than the rate of decrease in the intermediate temperature when the air conditioner (100) is operating in refrigerant recovery mode.

[0197] For example, when the air conditioner (100) operates in refrigerant recovery mode, the outdoor heat exchanger (172) can reach thermal equilibrium with the outdoor air 5 minutes after the refrigerant recovery mode starts operating. On the other hand, when the air conditioner (100) operates in normal operation mode and then stops operating, the outdoor heat exchanger (172) can reach thermal equilibrium with the outdoor air only after 15 minutes have passed after the operation stops.

[0198] In the above description, the preset time is described as 4 minutes, but this is only an example, and the preset time can be set to any time, such as less than 4 minutes or more than 4 minutes.

[0199] In the above description, it has been described that the processor (130) can identify whether refrigerant is recovered based on a change in the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172), but this is only one example, and the processor (130) can also identify whether refrigerant is recovered based on a change in the inlet temperature and / or outlet temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0200] For example, if an outdoor heat exchanger sensor (174) is installed in an inlet area (710) and / or an outlet area (730), the processor (130) may store in the memory (120) previous installation information that refrigerant has been recovered and stored when it is determined that the inlet temperature and / or the outlet temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) has decreased to a temperature within a third threshold value from the outdoor temperature for a preset period of time.

[0201] Although the above description assumes that the third threshold value is 3 degrees, this is only an example, and the third threshold value can be set to various values ​​based on the space in which the air conditioner (100) is installed, the temperature of the indoor and outdoor air, and the operating frequency of the air conditioner (100).

[0202] In the description of FIGS. 5 to 8 described above, it was described in detail that the processor (130) can store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120) based on the temperature change of the heat exchanger. The processor (130) can also store previous installation information in the memory (120) based on receiving a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner (100) from an external device. This operation will be described in detail in the description of FIG. 9.

[0203] In the present disclosure, FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate that the processor (130) can identify whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored based on a temperature change in the indoor heat exchanger (171), and FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate that the processor (130) can identify whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored based on a temperature change in the outdoor heat exchanger (172). However, the processor (130) may also identify whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored based on a temperature change in the indoor heat exchanger (171) and a temperature change in the outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0204] For example, if the temperature change direction of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the temperature change direction of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) are both opposite to the temperature change direction during normal operation, the processor (130) can store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0205] For example, if the processor (130) identifies that the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) has risen by a first threshold value or more for a preset period of time, the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (171) has risen by a second threshold value or more for a preset period of time, and the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (172) has decreased to a temperature within a third threshold value from the outdoor temperature for a preset period of time, the processor (130) may store previous installation information indicating that the refrigerant has been recovered and stored in the memory (120).

[0206] The above description only describes one example of how the processor (130) identifies whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored based on the temperature change of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the temperature change of the outdoor heat exchanger (172). It is of course possible to identify whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored through various methods based on the temperature change of the indoor heat exchanger (171) and the temperature change of the outdoor heat exchanger (172).

[0207] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a new registration method by an external device of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0208] According to FIG. 9, the air conditioner (100) can receive a signal requesting new address information from an external device (300).

[0209] The processor (130) can receive a signal from an external device (300) via a communication interface (140). For example, the processor (130) can be connected to a Wi-Fi network via the communication interface (140), and a signal requesting new address information can be received from the external device (300) via the Wi-Fi network.

[0210] As illustrated in FIG. 9, when a user moves, the user can register the air conditioner (100) as a new device on the external device (300) through the device registration UI (40) displayed on the external device (300).

[0211] In other words, if a user moves, the air conditioner (100) will be connected to a new Wi-Fi network, so the user must register the air conditioner (100) as a new device on the external device (300) after moving. In this case, the external device (300) can request new address information for the air conditioner (100).

[0212] When a signal requesting new address information is received from an external device, the processor (130) can identify the air conditioner (100) as having been previously installed and store the previous installation information indicating that the air conditioner (100) was previously installed in the memory (120).

[0213] Although the above description explains that the processor (130) can store previous installation information in the memory (120) when it receives a signal requesting new address information from the external device (300), the processor (130) can also store previous installation information when it receives a signal requesting identification information of a new device from the external device (300). In addition, the processor (130) can also store previous installation information when it receives a control signal instructing the progress of the refrigerant recovery mode from the external device (300).

[0214] In FIG. 9, the external device (300) is illustrated as a smart phone, but this is only one example, and the external device (300) may be implemented as various electronic devices capable of communicating with the air conditioner (100), such as a remote control, a tablet PC, or a laptop PC.

[0215] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0216] According to FIG. 10, in operation 1010, the air conditioner (100) can detect the temperature of the heat exchanger through a sensor.

[0217] In one embodiment, the step of detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger may include the step of detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger. Additionally, the step of detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may include the step of detecting the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger.

[0218] In one embodiment, the step of sensing the temperature of the heat exchanger may include the step of sensing an intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger.

[0219] The air conditioner (100) can identify whether the direction of temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of temperature change during normal operation (S1020).

[0220] The air conditioner (100) can store previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant (S1030) when the direction of temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of temperature change during normal operation (S1020:Y).

[0221] In one embodiment, the step of storing previous installation information may include the step of storing previous installation information corresponding to a recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is identified that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time.

[0222] According to one embodiment, the step of storing previous installation information may include the step of storing previous installation information corresponding to a recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is determined that the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a first threshold value or more for a preset period of time and that the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a second threshold value or more for a preset period of time.

[0223] In one embodiment, the step of storing previous installation information may include the step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is identified that the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger has decreased from the exterior temperature to a temperature within a third threshold value for a preset period of time.

[0224] According to one embodiment, the step of storing previous installation information may include the step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner is received from an external device.

[0225] The control method of the air conditioner (100) according to the present disclosure can achieve the effect of forcing a test run after previous installation through the above-described operations, as described in the description section for FIG. 10.

[0226] Specifically, since the refrigerant recovery operation is performed prior to the previous installation of the air conditioner (100), the air conditioner (100) can identify the refrigerant recovery operation and store the previous installation information that the refrigerant was recovered and stored prior to the previous installation, and if the air conditioner (100) identifies that the information that the refrigerant was recovered and stored has been stored, the air conditioner (100) can lock the normal operation function so that the normal operation function is not performed. Since such locking is released only when a test run is performed, the air conditioner (100) can force the user to perform a test run after the previous installation.

[0227] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an air conditioner according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0228] According to Fig. 11, when a cooling operation command is input, the air conditioner (100) can identify whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information corresponding to whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored (S1110).

[0229] If a test run is required for the air conditioner (100) (S1110:Y), the test run can be performed (S1120).

[0230] According to one embodiment, the step of performing a test run may include a step of diagnosing a communication status between an indoor unit and an outdoor unit of an air conditioner and a step of diagnosing whether the refrigerant pipe connection status and the amount of refrigerant are normal.

[0231] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) may display a UI instructing the performance of a test run if a test run needs to be performed.

[0232] The method for controlling an air conditioner (100) according to the present disclosure can identify whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information, as described in the description section for FIG. 11, and perform a test run based on the identified result or display a UI that instructs the performance of a test run, thereby enabling a user to diagnose a problem that occurred during a previous installation on his / her own.

[0233] The various methods described in FIGS. 10 and 11 can be performed by an air conditioner having the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but are not necessarily limited thereto, and can be performed by air conditioners having various configurations.

[0234] Meanwhile, in FIGS. 10 and 11, the order of all steps is mapped for convenience of explanation, but it is of course not necessarily limited to the order of steps that are not related to the order or can be performed in parallel.

[0235] The various embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied and implemented in all types of air conditioners, and each embodiment can be combined with each other in whole or in part to be applied to one air conditioner.

[0236] Meanwhile, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in a computer-readable recording medium or similar device using software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the embodiments described herein may be implemented by the processor itself. In a software implementation, embodiments, such as the procedures and functions described herein, may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described herein.

[0237] Meanwhile, computer instructions for performing processing operations of the air conditioner (100) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0238] Computer instructions stored on such non-transitory computer-readable media, when executed by a processor of a specific device, cause the specific device to perform the setting methods according to the various embodiments described above.

[0239] A non-transitory computer-readable medium refers to a medium that permanently stores data and can be read by a device, rather than a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, cache, or memory. Specific examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include CDs, DVDs, hard disks, Blu-ray discs, USBs, memory cards, and ROMs.

[0240] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In the air conditioner, A compressor that compresses refrigerant; A memory storing previous installation information corresponding to whether the above refrigerant is recovered or stored; At least one processor controlling the compressor so that the refrigerant circulates; At least one processor, Identify whether a test run is necessary based on the above-mentioned previous installation information, If the above test run is required, the air conditioner performing the above test run.

2. In paragraph 1, heat exchanger; and A sensor for detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger; At least one processor, An air conditioner that stores the previous installation information in the memory when the direction of temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of temperature change during normal operation.

3. In paragraph 2, The above heat exchanger is an indoor heat exchanger (Evaporator), The above sensor includes an indoor heat exchanger sensor (Evaporator sensor) that detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, At least one processor, An air conditioner that stores the previous installation information in the memory when it is identified that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time.

4. In paragraph 3, The indoor heat exchanger sensor includes a first sensor that detects an inlet temperature (Teva_in) of the indoor heat exchanger and a second sensor that detects an outlet temperature (Teva_out) of the indoor heat exchanger, At least one processor, An air conditioner that stores the previous installation information in the memory when it is determined that the inlet temperature rises by a first threshold value or more during the preset time and that the outlet temperature rises by a second threshold value or more during the preset time.

5. In paragraph 2, The above heat exchanger is an outdoor heat exchanger (condenser), The above sensor includes an outdoor heat exchanger sensor (condenser sensor) that detects the intermediate temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger, At least one processor, An air conditioner that stores the previous installation information in the memory when it is identified that the above intermediate temperature (Tcond_mid) has decreased to a temperature within a third threshold value from the exterior temperature for a preset period of time.

6. In paragraph 1, further comprising a communication interface; At least one processor, An air conditioner that stores the previous installation information in the memory when a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner is received from an external device through the communication interface.

7. In paragraph 1, including display; An air conditioner that controls the display to display a UI instructing the performance of the test run when the above test run needs to be performed.

8. In paragraph 1, At least one processor, If the above test run needs to be performed, the communication status between the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioner is diagnosed, An air conditioner that diagnoses whether the refrigerant pipe connection status and refrigerant amount are normal.

9. In the control method of an air conditioner, When a cooling operation command is input, a step of identifying whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information corresponding to whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored; A control method comprising a step of performing the test drive if the test drive is required.

10. In paragraph 9, a step of detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger; and A control method comprising: a step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when the direction of temperature change of the heat exchanger is opposite to the direction of temperature change during normal operation; 11. In paragraph 10, The step of detecting the temperature of the above heat exchanger is: Detect the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger, The steps to save the above previous installation information are: A control method for storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is identified that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger has risen by a threshold value or more for a preset period of time.

12. In paragraph 11, The step of detecting the temperature of the above indoor heat exchanger is: A step of detecting an inlet temperature (Teva_in) of the indoor heat exchanger and an outlet temperature (Teva_out) of the indoor heat exchanger; The steps to save the above previous installation information are: A control method comprising: a step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is determined that the inlet temperature has risen by a first threshold value or more during the preset time and that the outlet temperature has risen by a second threshold value or more during the preset time; 13. In paragraph 10, The step of detecting the temperature of the above heat exchanger is: A step of detecting the middle temperature (Tcond_mid) of the outdoor heat exchanger; The steps to save the above previous installation information are: A control method comprising: a step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when it is identified that the intermediate temperature (Tcond_mid) has decreased to a temperature within a third threshold value from the exterior temperature for a preset period of time; 14. In paragraph 10, The steps to save the above previous installation information are: A control method comprising: a step of storing previous installation information corresponding to the recovery storage state of the refrigerant when a signal requesting new address information of the air conditioner is received from an external device; 15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor of an air conditioner, cause the air conditioner to perform an operation, wherein the operation is: When a cooling operation command is input, a step of identifying whether a test run is necessary based on previous installation information corresponding to whether the refrigerant is recovered and stored; and A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising a step of performing the test drive, if the test drive is required.

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