Air conditioner and operating method of air conditioner

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an operating method of an air conditioner comprising a first speaker and a microphone. The operating method comprises the operations of: receiving, through at least one microphone, a first reference sound signal output through a second speaker of a first home appliance; obtaining location information of the first home appliance on the basis of the first reference sound signal; obtaining output sound adjustment information of an air conditioner on the basis of the location information, the output sound adjustment information being used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner; receiving, through a communication circuit, data related to a first sound signal to be output from the first home appliance through the second speaker of the first home appliance; and outputting, on the basis of the data related to the first sound signal and the output sound adjustment information, a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the first speaker of the air conditioner. The output sound adjustment information can include output sound volume adjustment information for adjusting the volume or intensity of a sound signal to be output through a speaker of the air conditioner.

Description

Air conditioners and their operating methods

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

[0002] Recent advancements in electronic technology have led to the development and proliferation of home appliances with multiple functions. For example, with the advancement of voice recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, home appliances like air conditioners can now be equipped with speakers and microphones for sound signal processing.

[0003] However, these air conditioners only provide guidance and control functions related to the air conditioning function, which is the original function of the device, by using the microphone and speaker mounted on the air conditioner, and do not provide the function of outputting the sound of audio content such as movies, music, or games, which is the original function of the speaker.

[0004] As technology advances, the performance of speakers installed in home appliances will gradually improve, so it is necessary to consider ways to increase the usability of such speakers.

[0005] The above information may be provided as background art to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the above is applicable as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a method for outputting a sound signal associated with a sound signal of audio content or video content output from another home appliance (e.g., a TV) through an air conditioner including a speaker.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a method for outputting a sound signal associated with a sound signal of audio content or video content output from another home appliance (e.g., a TV) through a sound device paired with an air conditioner including a speaker.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioner may include a first speaker; a microphone; a communication circuit; and at least one processor. The at least one processor: receives a first reference sound signal output through a first speaker of a first home appliance through the microphone, obtains location information of the first home appliance based on the first reference sound signal, obtains output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on the location information, and the output sound adjustment information is used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner; receives data related to a first sound signal to be output through the second speaker of the first home appliance from the first home appliance through the communication circuit, and outputs a second sound signal related to the first sound signal through the first speaker of the air conditioner based on the data related to the first sound signal and the output sound adjustment information, and the output sound adjustment information may include output sound size adjustment information for adjusting an amplitude or intensity of a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for operating an air conditioner including a first speaker and a microphone comprises: receiving a first reference sound signal output through a second speaker of a first home appliance through the microphone; obtaining location information of the first home appliance based on the first reference sound signal; obtaining output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on the location information, the output sound adjustment information being used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner; receiving data related to the first sound signal to be output through the second speaker of the first home appliance from the first home appliance through the communication circuit; And an operation of outputting a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the first speaker of the air conditioner based on data related to the first sound signal and the output sound adjustment information, wherein the output sound adjustment information may include output sound size adjustment information for adjusting the size (amplitude) or intensity (intensity) of the sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner.

[0010] FIG. 1a schematically illustrates a configuration related to a refrigerant cycle of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 1b is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an air conditioner from the viewpoint of function and control according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating the arrangement of an air conditioner and a display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the placement position of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain position information of a display device using a reference sound signal, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain position information of a display device using one reference sound signal, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain position information of a display device using a plurality of reference sound signals according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the attenuation characteristics of sound size according to distance of an output sound signal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain output sound adjustment information based on position information of a display device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an operation mode of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device when a sound mode and an operation mode related to air conditioning are executed together, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device when a sound mode and an operation mode related to air conditioning are executed together, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for guiding the placement of a sound device associated with an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 15 is a drawing illustrating a layout relationship between an air conditioner and a sound device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 16 is a drawing illustrating a layout relationship between an air conditioner and a sound device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 17 is a drawing illustrating a screen for guiding the placement of a sound device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner associated with a sound device to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 19 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for outputting a sound signal associated with an air conditioner and a display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 20 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for outputting sound signals associated with an air conditioner, a display device, and a sound device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] The terms used in this document are used solely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the technical features of this document. For example, a component expressed in the singular should be understood to include both singular and plural components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0034] In this document, 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" each can include any one of the items listed with the phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. The term "and / or" as used herein should be understood to encompass any and all possible combinations of one or more of the items listed with the term. The terms "first", "second", "first", or "second" as used herein may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding element from other elements and do not limit the corresponding elements in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0035] When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled," "connected," "connected," "joined," "supported," "connected," or "in contact with" another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it includes instances where the component is directly coupled, connected, joined, supported, or in contact with the other component, as well as instances where the component is indirectly coupled, connected, joined, supported, or in contact with the other component through a third component.

[0036] The terms "include" or "have" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described herein, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. When it is said that a component is located "on" another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where another component is present between the two components.

[0037] The expression "configured to" as used herein can be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for," "capable of," "designed to," "modified to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" does not necessarily mean something that is "specially designed" in terms of hardware. Instead, in some contexts, the expression "a device configured to" can mean that the device is "capable of" doing something together with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "a device configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" can mean a dedicated device for performing the actions in question, or a general-purpose device that can perform various actions including the actions in question.

[0038] The terms “upper side,” “lower side,” and “front-rear direction” used in this document are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

[0039] While the description herein focuses on specific embodiments, it should be understood that this document is not limited to such specific embodiments, but rather encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the various embodiments described herein. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related components.

[0040] An air conditioner according to various examples in this document may be a device that maintains the air in a space to be air-conditioned (hereinafter referred to as an "indoor space") in a condition suitable for its purpose and use. For example, when operating in cooling mode, the air conditioner may cool the indoor space by drawing in hot air from the indoor space, exchanging heat with a low-temperature refrigerant, and then discharging the cooled air into the room. For example, when operating in heating mode, the air conditioner may heat the indoor space by drawing in cold air from the indoor space, exchanging heat with a high-temperature refrigerant, and then discharging the heated air into the room.

[0041] Hereinafter, various exemplary air conditioners will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0042] FIG. 1a schematically illustrates a configuration related to a refrigerant cycle of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] In one example, an air conditioner (10) may include a compressor (101) that compresses a refrigerant to change it into a high-temperature, high-pressure state, an outdoor heat exchanger (102) that allows heat exchange between outdoor air and the refrigerant, an expansion device (103) that expands the refrigerant to change it into a low-temperature, low-pressure state, and an indoor heat exchanger (104) that allows heat exchange between indoor air and the refrigerant. The air conditioner (10) may include a refrigerant pipe (105) that connects the compressor (101), the outdoor heat exchanger (102), the expansion device (103), and the indoor heat exchanger (104). In one example, the refrigerant may circulate in the order of the compressor (101), the outdoor heat exchanger (102), the expansion device (103), and the indoor heat exchanger (104) through the refrigerant pipe (105). In one example, the refrigerant may circulate in the following order: compressor (101), indoor heat exchanger (104), expansion device (103), and outdoor heat exchanger (102).

[0044] The air conditioner (10) may include a flow switching valve (106) that switches the circulation path of the refrigerant through the refrigerant pipe (105). The flow switching valve (106) may include, for example, a 4-way valve. The flow switching valve (106) may be connected to the suction side (101a) of the compressor (101). The flow switching valve (106) may be connected to the discharge side (101b) of the compressor (101). The flow switching valve (106) may be connected to the outdoor heat exchanger (102). The flow switching valve (106) may be connected to the indoor heat exchanger (104). The flow switching valve (106) may switch the circulation path of the refrigerant depending on the operating mode of the air conditioner (10) (e.g., cooling operation or heating operation mode). The flow switching valve (106) can cause the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor (101) through the discharge port (101b) to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger (101) or the indoor heat exchanger (104), depending on the operating mode of the air conditioner (10). The flow switching valve (106) can cause the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger (104) or the outdoor heat exchanger (102) to flow to the suction port (101a) of the compressor (101), depending on the operating mode of the air conditioner (10).

[0045] In one example, the air conditioner (10) may include an accumulator (107). One end of the accumulator (107) may be connected to a suction port (101a) of a compressor (101). The other end of the accumulator (107) may be connected to a flow switching valve (106). Through the flow switching valve (106), low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant from an indoor heat exchanger (104) or an outdoor heat exchanger (102) may be introduced into the accumulator (107). When a refrigerant mixed with refrigerant liquid and refrigerant gas is introduced, the accumulator (107) may separate the refrigerant gas and the refrigerant liquid, and provide the refrigerant gas from which the refrigerant liquid is separated to the suction port (101a) of the compressor (101).

[0046] The compressor (101) can suck in refrigerant gas through the suction portion (101a) and compress the sucked refrigerant gas to change it into a high temperature and high pressure state. The compressor (101) can discharge the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant gas through the discharge portion (101b). The compressor (101) is a variable capacity compressor, and the capacity can be varied by changing the frequency according to a driving control command.

[0047] The outdoor heat exchanger (102) can typically be placed outdoors. In the outdoor heat exchanger (102), heat exchange can occur between the refrigerant and the outdoor air by a phase change (e.g., condensation or evaporation) of the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger (102). For example, during cooling mode operation, the outdoor heat exchanger (102) can condense the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant introduced from the compressor (101). During cooling mode operation, latent heat can be released to the outdoor air while the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant is condensed while passing through the outdoor heat exchanger (102). During heating mode operation, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant can evaporate in the outdoor heat exchanger (102), and latent heat can be absorbed from the outdoor air while the refrigerant is evaporating. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1A, in one example, one or more temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of the outdoor air can be placed adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger (102).

[0048] The air conditioner (10) may include an outdoor blower (108) that generates forced circulation of outdoor air to ensure smooth heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger (102). The outdoor blower (108) may be positioned adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger (102). Although not specifically shown, the outdoor blower (108) may include one or more blower fans and fan motors. The fan motor of the outdoor blower (108) may provide driving force to the blower fan through a shaft.

[0049] The expansion device (103) can lower the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger (102) when operating in cooling mode. The expansion device (103) can lower the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant introduced from the indoor heat exchanger (104) when operating in heating mode. In one example, the expansion device (103) can lower the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant by using a throttling effect. The expansion device (103) can include an orifice that can reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage. The refrigerant passing through the orifice can have its temperature and pressure lowered. In one example, the expansion device (103) can be implemented as an electronic expansion valve capable of controlling the opening ratio (an electronic expansion valve capable of controlling the ratio of the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage of the valve in a partially opened state to the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage of the valve in a fully opened state). In such a case, the amount of refrigerant passing through the expansion device (103) can be controlled depending on the opening ratio of the electronic expansion valve. In one example, the expansion device (103) may be implemented as a capillary device.

[0050] An indoor heat exchanger (104) may be placed indoors. In the indoor heat exchanger (104), heat exchange may occur between the refrigerant and indoor air through a phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger (104). For example, during cooling mode operation, the refrigerant passing through the expansion device (103) may flow into the indoor heat exchanger (104) and evaporate in the indoor heat exchanger (104). While the refrigerant evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger (104), latent heat may be absorbed from the surrounding air, thereby cooling the surrounding air. During heating mode operation, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant from the compressor (101) may flow into the indoor heat exchanger (104) and condense, releasing latent heat to the indoor air. Although not shown in FIG. 1a, the indoor heat exchanger (104) may include a refrigerant passage through which refrigerant flows and a plurality of heat exchange fins arranged to increase the heat exchange area.

[0051] During cooling mode operation, due to heat exchange between the surrounding indoor air and the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger (104), water vapor contained in the air may condense and liquefy to form droplets on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger (130). The condensate formed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger (104) may fall downward. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1A, the air conditioner (10) may include a drain tray disposed below the indoor heat exchanger (104) to collect the condensate falling from the indoor heat exchanger (104). 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 (104) from below, but is not limited thereto.

[0052] The air conditioner (10) may include an indoor blower (109) that generates forced circulation of indoor air so that heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger (104) can be smoothly performed. The indoor blower (109) may be arranged adjacent to the indoor heat exchanger (104). Although not specifically illustrated, in one example, the indoor blower (109) may be arranged downstream of the indoor heat exchanger (104) based on the air flow direction in the space where the indoor blower (109) is installed, but this document is not limited thereto. The indoor blower (109) may include one or more blower fans and fan motors. The fan motor of the indoor blower (109) may provide driving force to the blower fan through a shaft. In one example, the blower fan may include one of an axial fan that draws air in the direction of the rotation axis of the fan motor and discharges the air in the direction of the rotation axis, a diagonal fan that draws air in the direction of the rotation axis of the fan motor and discharges the air between the axial and radial directions, a centrifugal fan that draws air in the direction of the rotation axis of the fan motor and discharges the air in the circumferential direction, and a crossflow fan, but this document is not limited thereto.

[0053] This document focuses on the case where an air conditioner (10) is equipped with refrigeration cycle-related components, but the scope of this document is not limited thereto. In one example, the air conditioner may be configured using a thermoelectric element. A thermoelectric element can cool or heat the surrounding air through heat generation and cooling through the Peltier effect.

[0054] The air conditioner (10) may include one or more outdoor units installed outdoors, one or more indoor units installed indoors, and one or more indoor units. In one example, the compressor (101), the outdoor heat exchanger (102), and the expansion device (103) described above may be arranged in the outdoor unit. In one example, the indoor heat exchanger (104) described above may be arranged in the indoor unit. However, the arrangement positions of each of the aforementioned components are not limited. For example, the position of the expansion device (103) is not limited to the outdoor unit, and may be arranged in the indoor unit as needed.

[0055] In this document, the air conditioner (10) is described mainly as a separate type having an outdoor unit installed separately outdoors and an indoor unit installed indoors, but this document is not limited thereto. In one example, the air conditioner (10) may be configured as an integrated type in which a compressor (101), an outdoor heat exchanger (102), an expansion device (103), and an indoor heat exchanger (104) are placed in a single case placed indoors.

[0056] In the case of a separate type air conditioner (10), the outdoor unit may be connected to the indoor unit through a refrigerant pipe so as to enable fluid communication. The outdoor unit may be communicatively connected to the indoor unit. In one example, control information (or commands) of the air conditioner (10) input by a user or received from the outside may be transmitted from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

[0057] In air conditioners with multiple indoor units, some of the indoor units can be operated simultaneously and individually in cooling mode, while others can be operated in heating mode. To effectively address the cooling or heating loads associated with the number of indoor units in operation, air conditioners can use multiple compressors or multiple outdoor units connected in parallel.

[0058] Air conditioners (10) can be classified according to the installation type / location of the indoor unit. For example, air conditioners can be classified into a stand-alone type in which the indoor unit is placed upright in an indoor space, a wall-mounted type in which the indoor unit is installed to be attached to a wall, and a ceiling-mounted type in which the indoor unit is installed on the ceiling. In one example, the air conditioner (10) may include multiple indoor units, some of which may be stand-alone types, and some of which may be wall-mounted types. This document is not limited to a specific type.

[0059] FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure from the viewpoint of function and control. In FIG. 1B, the air conditioner (10) is illustrated as including one indoor unit (20) and one outdoor unit (30), but the present document is not limited thereto. In FIG. 1B, among the configurations related to the refrigerant cycle described above with reference to FIG. 1A, the indoor heat exchanger (104) and the indoor blower (109) are illustrated as being included in the indoor unit (20), and the compressor (101), the outdoor heat exchanger (102), the outdoor blower (108), the expansion device (103), and the flow path switching valve (106) are illustrated as being included in the outdoor unit (30), but this is merely an example and the present document is not limited thereto.

[0060] Although not explicitly illustrated in FIG. 1b, the indoor unit (20) may include a housing. The indoor unit (20) may include one or more air intakes (211) formed in the housing. Indoor air may be introduced into the interior of the housing through the air intakes (211).

[0061] In one example, the indoor unit (20) may include a filtration filter (212) that filters foreign substances in air flowing into the interior of the housing through the air intake port (211). Although not specifically illustrated, the filtration filter (212) may include a plurality of filter modules, and the present document is not limited thereto. For example, various types of filters, including an electrostatic precipitator filter, a sea wave filter, an antibacterial filter, and a deodorizing filter, may be provided on the inside of the air intake port (211) in the housing, and the type and number of specific filters are not limited thereto.

[0062] In one example, the indoor unit (20) may include one or more air outlets (213) formed in the housing. In one example, the air outlets (213) may have an opening shape configured to open and close depending on the operating state of the air conditioner (10). In one example, the air outlets (213) may be configured to include a plurality of microscopic air penetration holes distributed over the entire or a portion of one surface of the housing, but the present document is not limited thereto. In one example, the air outlets (213) of the indoor unit (20) may be arranged in any area of ​​the front, side, top, and / or rear of the housing, and are not limited to a specific shape. Air that is introduced into the interior of the housing through the air intake port (211) and flows inside the housing may be discharged to the outside of the housing through the air outlets (213). When the indoor unit (20) includes a plurality of air outlets (213), air can be selectively discharged to the outside of the housing through one or more of the plurality of air outlets (213).

[0063] The indoor unit (20) may include an airflow guide (214) that controls whether air is discharged through the air outlet (213) and guides the direction of the air discharge. For example, the airflow guide (214) may include a door blade that is located near each air outlet (213) to open and close the corresponding air outlet (213) and guide the direction of air discharge through the corresponding air outlet (213). For example, the airflow guide (214) may include one or more blower fans for controlling the discharge airflow, but is not limited thereto. In an example, the airflow guide may be omitted.

[0064] In one example, the indoor unit (20) may include a communication unit (215) that supports signal transmission and reception with the outside. In one example, the communication unit (215) may receive and / or transmit wired / wireless signals between an external wired / wireless communication system, an external server, and / or other devices according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol. In one example, the communication unit (215) may include one or more modules that connect the air conditioner (10) to one or more networks. In one example, the communication unit (215) may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, a short-range communication module, and / or a location information module.

[0065] In one example, the mobile communication module may transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of an external base station, an external terminal, and an external server through a mobile communication network according to any of various communication protocols for mobile communication. The wireless signals may include various types of data signals. In one example, the wireless signals may include voice call signals, video call call signals, and text / multimedia message signals, but this document is not limited thereto.

[0066] In one example, the wired / wireless Internet module may support, but is not limited to, wireless LAN (WLAN), wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, digital living network alliance (DLNA), wireless broadband (WiBro), world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), long term evolution (LTE), or long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A). In one example, the wired / wireless Internet module of the communication unit (215) may transmit and receive data according to at least one wired / wireless Internet technology among the Internet technologies not listed above.

[0067] The short-range communication module is for short-range communication, and can support short-range communication using at least one of Bluetooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra-Wide Band), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) technologies, for example. The short-range communication module can support wireless communication between the air conditioner (10) and a wireless communication system, between the air conditioner (10) and another device, or between the air conditioner (10) and a network in which another device is located, for example, through a short-range wireless communication network.

[0068] The location information module is, for example, a module for obtaining the location of the air conditioner (10), and may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) module or a Wi-Fi module. When the air conditioner (10) utilizes a GPS module, information regarding the location of the air conditioner (10) can be received using signals transmitted from GPS satellites. When the air conditioner (10) utilizes a Wi-Fi module, information regarding the location of the air conditioner (10) can be received based on information from a wireless AP (Wireless Access Point) that transmits and receives wireless signals with the Wi-Fi module.

[0069] In one example, the communication unit (215) may receive a setting data signal input by a user from the user's mobile terminal in the form of a wireless signal according to a predetermined wireless communication protocol. In one example, the communication unit (215) may receive information and / or commands for controlling the operation of the air conditioner (10) from an external server in the form of signals according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol. The communication unit (215) may transmit various received signals to the first control unit (220) described below. In one example, the communication unit (215) may transmit various data generated or acquired on the air conditioner (10) in the form of wired / wireless signals according to a predetermined wired / wireless communication protocol, for example, to the user's mobile terminal or an external server.

[0070] In one example, the indoor unit (20) may include an input unit (216). The input unit (216) may include any type of user input means, including buttons, switches, or touchpads. The user may directly input setting data (e.g., desired indoor temperature, operation mode settings for cooling / heating / dehumidification / air purification, outlet selection settings, and / or wind speed settings) through the input unit (216). In one example, the input unit (216) may include an infrared sensor. The user may input setting data remotely through a remote control, and the input setting data may be received by the input unit (216) as an infrared signal. In one example, the input unit (216) may include a microphone. Setting data by the user's voice may be acquired through the microphone. Setting data from a user obtained through the input unit (216) (e.g., desired indoor temperature, operation mode setting for cooling / heating / dehumidification / air purification, outlet selection setting, and / or wind volume setting) can be transmitted to the first control unit (220) described below. In one example, setting data from a user obtained through the input unit (216) can be transmitted externally through the communication unit (215).

[0071] In one example, the indoor unit (20) may include a camera (217). The camera (217) may acquire image information of the surrounding space surrounding the indoor unit (20). The camera (217) may be disposed, for example, on the upper front side of the housing of the indoor unit (20), but is not limited thereto. The image information of the surrounding space acquired by the camera (217) may be transmitted to the first control unit (220) described below. In one example, the image information of the surrounding space acquired by the camera (217) may be transmitted to the outside via the communication unit (215).

[0072] In one example, the indoor unit (20) may include one or more indoor unit environment detection sensors (218) arranged in a space inside or outside the housing. For example, the indoor unit environment detection sensor (218) may include one or more temperature sensors and / or humidity sensors arranged in a predetermined space inside or outside the housing of the indoor unit (20) (for example, but not limited to, a location above the air intake (211)). In one example, the indoor unit environment detection sensor (218) may include a refrigerant temperature detection sensor for detecting a refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant pipe passing through the indoor unit (20) (for example, a refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant pipe (105) passing through an indoor heat exchanger (104), etc.). For example, the indoor unit environment detection sensor (218) may include a respective refrigerant temperature detection sensor that detects the inlet, middle, and / or outlet temperatures of the refrigerant pipe (105) passing through the indoor heat exchanger (104), and this document is not limited thereto. In one example, each environmental information detected by the indoor unit environment detection sensor (218) may be transmitted to the first control unit (220) described below. In one example, the environmental information detected by the indoor unit environment detection sensor (218) may be transmitted to the outside through the communication unit (215).

[0073] The indoor unit (20) may include a display unit (219). In one example, the display unit (219) may display various setting data obtained from a user or the outside through a communication unit (215) and / or an input unit (216). The display unit (218) may display various sensing information obtained from an indoor unit environment detection sensor (218) and / or an outdoor unit environment detection sensor (311) described below (e.g., current indoor temperature measured by a temperature sensor, current indoor humidity measured by a humidity sensor, etc.), the current operating status of the air conditioner (10), and / or various warning / error messages. The display unit (218) may be one of various visual display means capable of displaying images, characters, numbers, etc., including an LED panel, an LCD panel, an OLED panel, and a Micro LED panel, and is not limited to a specific type of display means. In one example, the display unit (218) may include any form of audio display means, including a speaker, and may display each of the above-described information as an auditory signal through such audio display means.

[0074] The indoor unit (20) may include a first control unit (220). The first control unit (220) may include a processor (221) and a memory (222). In one example, the memory (222) may store a control algorithm and related data for operating the air conditioner (10). In one example, the processor (221) may generate an operation control command for one or more components of the air conditioner (10) based on information stored in the memory (222) and information acquired from other components.

[0075] In one example, the processor (221) of the first control unit (218) can receive various input / setting information from the communication unit (215) and / or the input unit (216) described above. The processor (221) can receive image information acquired from the camera (217) and, from the received image information, can acquire information on the environmental conditions of the space in which the indoor unit (20) is installed, such as the size of the indoor space, the number of occupants, or the location of occupants. The processor (221) can receive various sensing information acquired from each environmental detection sensor provided in the air conditioner (10), such as the indoor unit environmental detection sensor (218) and / or the outdoor unit environmental detection sensor (311) described below.

[0076] In one example, the processor (221) of the first control unit (220) may generate an operation control command for each component of the indoor unit (20) based on various pieces of information received from the communication unit (215), the input unit (216), the camera (217), and / or each environmental detection sensor. For example, the processor (221) may generate a command to control whether to drive and the rotation speed of the indoor blower (109). For example, the processor (221) may generate a command to control the operation status of the airflow guide (214). For example, the processor (221) may generate a command to control whether and how information is displayed through the display unit (219). For example, the processor (221) may generate a command to control the operation status of each of the aforementioned communication unit (215), the input unit (216), the camera (217), and / or the indoor unit environmental detection sensor (218).

[0077] In one example, the processor (221) of the first control unit (220) can transmit data to be used for controlling the operation of each component of the outdoor unit (30) to the second control unit (320) of the outdoor unit (30) described below. The data transmitted to the second control unit (320) can include, for example, at least a portion of input / setting information or environmental detection information acquired by the first control unit (220). In one example, the processor (221) of the first control unit (220) can generate a control command for each component of the outdoor unit (30) and transmit the generated control command to the second control unit (320).

[0078] The outdoor unit (30) may include one or more outdoor unit environment detection sensors (311). The outdoor unit environment detection sensors (311) may be placed at any location inside or outside the outdoor unit (30). The outdoor unit environment detection sensors (311) may include, but are not limited to, a temperature detection sensor for detecting air temperature around the outdoor unit (30), a humidity detection sensor for detecting air humidity around the outdoor unit (30), and / or a refrigerant temperature detection sensor for detecting refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant pipe (105) passing through the outdoor unit (30). In one example, the outdoor unit environment detection sensor (311) may include, but is not limited to, a refrigerant temperature detection sensor for detecting refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant pipe (105) at a discharge portion (101b) of the compressor (101). In one example, each environmental information detected by the outdoor unit environmental detection sensor (311) can be transmitted to the second control unit (320).

[0079] The outdoor unit (30) may include the second control unit (320) described above. The second control unit (320) may be communicatively coupled with the first control unit (220) of the indoor unit (20). Like the first control unit (220), the second control unit (320) may include a processor (321) and a memory (322). In one example, the memory (322) may store a control algorithm and related data for operating the air conditioner (10). In one example, the processor (321) may generate an operation control command for one or more of the components of the outdoor unit (30), such as the compressor (101), the outdoor blower (108), the expansion device (103), and / or the flow switching valve (106), based on information stored in the memory (322), information received from the first control unit (220), and / or information received from the outdoor unit environment detection sensor (311).

[0080] The outdoor unit (30) may include a compressor (101). The compressor (101) may receive a driving control command from the second control unit (320). The compressor (101) may be operated or stopped based on the received driving control command. The compressor (101) may be operated at a predetermined capacity based on the received driving control command. The compressor (101) may suck in a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas through the suction portion (101a) at a predetermined capacity based on the received driving control command, and may compress the sucked refrigerant gas. As described above, the compressor (101) may discharge the compressed high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas through the discharge portion (101b).

[0081] The outdoor unit (30) may include an outdoor heat exchanger (102). In the outdoor heat exchanger (102), heat exchange may occur between a refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger (102) and outdoor air. In one example, as described above, the outdoor unit (30) may include an outdoor blower (108) that generates forced air for heat exchange between the outdoor heat exchanger (102) and the outdoor air. In one example, the outdoor blower (108) may receive a driving control command from the second control unit (320). The outdoor blower (108) may include one or more blower fans and fan motors. The fan motor of the outdoor blower (108) may rotate at a predetermined speed based on the driving control command received from the second control unit (320) and may transmit a rotational driving force to the blower fan through a shaft. By the rotation of the blower fan of the outdoor blower (108), air flow and heat exchange around the outdoor heat exchanger (102) of the air conditioner (10) can be smoothly achieved.

[0082] The outdoor unit (30) may include an expansion device (103). The expansion device (103) may receive a control command from the second control unit (320). As described above, the expansion device (103) may lower the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant introduced from the outdoor heat exchanger (102) or the indoor heat exchanger (104). In one example, the expansion device (103) may be implemented as an electronic expansion valve. In one example, the electronic expansion valve constituting the expansion device (103) may adjust the opening degree based on a control command from the second control unit (320).

[0083] The outdoor unit (20) may include a flow switching valve (106). The flow switching valve (106) may receive a control command from the second control unit (320). The flow switching valve (106) may switch the circulation path of the refrigerant through the refrigerant pipe (105) based on the received control command. For example, the flow switching valve (106) may be controlled to open / close and the opening degree may be adjusted according to the control command from the second control unit (320). In one example, the flow switching valve (106) may allow the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor (101) (for example, during cooling mode operation) to be transferred to the outdoor heat exchanger (102) according to the control command from the second control unit (320). For example, the euro switching valve (106) can allow high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor (101) (e.g., when operating in heating mode) to be transferred to the indoor heat exchanger (104) according to a control command from the second control unit (320).

[0084] In FIG. 1b and the related description, the air conditioner (10) is illustrated and described as including a first control unit (220) disposed separately in the indoor unit (20) and a second control unit (320) disposed separately in the outdoor unit (30), but this document is not limited thereto. In one example, the operation control units disposed in the indoor unit (20) and / or the outdoor unit (30) may collectively control the operation of each component of the air conditioner (10).

[0085] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 2, the system (1) may include an air conditioner (100), a display device (200), a sound device (300), a user's electronic device (hereinafter, user device) (400), and / or a server (500). According to one embodiment, the system (1) may be a system for providing a multi-device environment (MDE).

[0087] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) may be an air conditioner of various forms (e.g., an air conditioner having a stand-type indoor unit) that provides an air conditioning function and various additional functions. For example, the air conditioner (100) may perform various functions such as air conditioning, a communication function (e.g., a BLE communication function, a Wi-Fi communication function, etc.), an input function (e.g., a sound signal input function), and / or an output function (e.g., a sound signal output function). The air conditioner (100) may include all or part of the components included in the air conditioner (10) illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B and / or the electronic device (22000) of FIG. 22, for example, and may further include additional components.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) may include at least one microphone for receiving a sound signal and at least one speaker for outputting a sound signal. In the present disclosure, the microphone may be abbreviated as a microphone (MIC).

[0089] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) may be a variety of display devices (e.g., a TV, a monitor, etc.) that provide a display function and various additional functions. For example, the display device (200) may perform various functions such as a display function, a communication function (e.g., a BLE communication function, a Wi-Fi communication function, etc.), an input function (e.g., a sound signal input function), and / or an output function (e.g., a sound signal output function). The display device (200) may include all or part of the components included in the electronic device (22000) of FIG. 22, for example, and may further include additional components.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) may include at least one microphone for receiving a sound signal and at least one speaker for outputting a sound signal. In the present disclosure, the display device (200) may be an example of a first home appliance that provides a sound signal of a sound source (e.g., audio content or video content) to the air conditioner (100).

[0091] According to one embodiment, the sound device (300) may be a variety of sound devices (e.g., a Bluetooth (BT) speaker, etc.) that provide a sound function and various additional functions. For example, the sound device (300) may perform various functions, such as a communication function (e.g., a BLE communication function, a Wi-Fi communication function, etc.), an input function (e.g., a sound signal input function), and / or an output function (e.g., a sound signal output function). The sound device (300) may include all or part of the components included in the electronic device (22000) of FIG. 22, for example, and may further include additional components.

[0092] In one embodiment, the sound device (300) may include at least one microphone for receiving a sound signal and at least one speaker for outputting a sound signal. In the present disclosure, the sound device (300) may be an example of a second home appliance that includes a speaker paired with a speaker of the air conditioner (100).

[0093] According to one embodiment, the user device (400) may be various types of electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) that provide communication functions and various additional functions. For example, the user device (400) may perform various functions, such as a communication function (e.g., cellular communication function (e.g., LTE, 5G, 6G, etc.), BLE communication function, Wi-Fi communication function, etc.), an input function (e.g., a sound signal input function), and / or an output function (e.g., a sound signal output function). The user device (400) may include all or part of the components included in the electronic device (22000) of FIG. 22, for example, and may further include additional components.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the user device (400) may include at least one microphone for receiving a sound signal and at least one speaker for outputting a sound signal.

[0095] According to one embodiment, an electronic device within the system (1) can communicate with another electronic device via a server (500). For example, an air conditioner (100) can communicate with another electronic device (e.g., a display device (200), a sound device (300), a user device (400)) via the server (500).

[0096] According to one embodiment, an electronic device within the system (1) can communicate directly with another electronic device. For example, an air conditioner (100) can communicate directly with another electronic device (e.g., a display device (200), a sound device (300), a user device (400)) without going through a server (500).

[0097] According to one embodiment, the system (1) may operate as a sound system for providing surround sound using a plurality of electronic devices including speakers. When the system (1) operates as a surround system, the speaker of the display device (200) may be set to operate as a center speaker, and the speakers of the air conditioner (100) and the speakers of the sound device (300) may be set to operate as a pair of left / right front speakers or left / right rear speakers. However, this is merely an example, and the center speaker and satellite speakers (e.g., left / right front speakers, left / right rear speakers) may be set in various combinations. In the present disclosure, for the convenience of explanation, the speaker of the display device (200) is described as operating as a center speaker of a surround system, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the speaker of the sound device (300) may also operate as a center speaker. In the present disclosure, the operation of the air conditioner may also be understood as the operation of any one of at least one indoor unit included in the air conditioner.

[0098] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the display device (200) will be described as an example of a first home appliance that provides a sound signal of a sound source (e.g., audio content or video content) to the air conditioner (100), and the sound device (300) will be described as an example of a second home appliance that includes a speaker paired with the speaker of the air conditioner (100). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various types of home appliances or electronic devices that provide a sound signal of a sound source (e.g., audio content or video content) to the air conditioner (100) may be used as the first home appliance, and various types of home appliances or electronic devices that include a speaker paired with the speaker of the air conditioner (100) may be used as the second home appliance.

[0099] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating the arrangement of an air conditioner and a display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 3, an air conditioner (100) (e.g., the air conditioner (10) of FIGS. 1A and 1B or the indoor unit of the air conditioner (10)) may be placed in a living room. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, if the air conditioner (100) is a stand-type air conditioner, the air conditioner (100) may be placed near a corner of the living room space to provide wide coverage for air conditioning.

[0101] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) may include at least one speaker (130) and at least one microphone (140).

[0102] According to one embodiment, at least one speaker (130) may be placed at various locations of the air conditioner (100). For example, at least one speaker (130) may be placed away from the air discharge portion of the air conditioner (100). This allows noise caused by the air discharge to have a small effect on the speaker (130). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at least one speaker (130) may be placed below an air discharge port of the air conditioner (100) (e.g., air discharge port (213) of FIG. 1B). However, despite this being an example, at least one speaker (130) may be placed at various locations of the air conditioner (100).

[0103] In one embodiment, at least one microphone (140) may be positioned at various locations in the air conditioner (100). For example, at least one microphone (140) may be positioned adjacent to a speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100). As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at least one microphone (140) may be positioned below the speaker (130). However, despite this being an example, at least one microphone (140) may be positioned at various locations in the air conditioner (100).

[0104] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) may be placed in the same space as the air conditioner (100). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the display device (200) may be placed in a living room space together with the air conditioner (100).

[0105] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) may include at least one speaker (230) and at least one microphone (240).

[0106] According to one embodiment, at least one speaker (230) may be positioned at various locations of the display device (200). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at least one speaker (230) may be positioned at a central portion of the display device (200). However, although this is an example, at least one speaker (230) may be positioned at various locations of the display device (200).

[0107] According to one embodiment, at least one microphone (240) may be positioned at various locations of the display device (200). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at least one microphone (240) may be positioned at a side portion of the display device (200). However, although this is an example, at least one microphone (240) may be positioned at various locations of the display device (200).

[0108] In one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200) are placed in the same space and the air conditioner (100) includes a speaker (130), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can be used to reinforce or assist the sound output through the speaker (230) of the display device (200). For example, the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can be used as a front speaker or a rear speaker of a surround sound system that includes the speaker (230) of the display device (200) as a center speaker. In this case, the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can be used for a surround speaker function in addition to a guidance function related to air conditioning, thereby increasing the usability of the speaker (130).

[0109] Below, an exemplary arrangement position of an air conditioner (100) and a display device (200) is described, and an exemplary method of using a speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) in such an arrangement position to reinforce / assist sound output through a speaker (230) of the display device (200) is described.

[0110] FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the placement position of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0111] In the embodiment of Fig. 4, it is assumed that the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200) are placed in the same space (e.g., the living room space of Fig. 3). In the embodiment of Fig. 4, for convenience of explanation, it is understood that, based on the viewing direction, the position of the display device (200) having the speaker (230) set as the center speaker corresponds to the front center position, the first position (401) corresponds to the front left position, the second position (402) corresponds to the front right position, the third position (403) corresponds to the rear left position, and the fourth position (404) corresponds to the rear right position. However, although this is an example of expressing positions, positions may be expressed in various other ways.

[0112] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) may be placed at various locations (e.g., various corner locations) in the space in which the display device (200) is placed. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the air conditioner (100) may be placed at a first location (401) (e.g., front left location), a second location (402) (e.g., front right location), a third location (403) (e.g., rear left location), or a fourth location (404) (e.g., rear right location) in the space.

[0113] According to one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) is placed at the first position (401), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can provide a sound signal to a user at the front left side of a user viewing the display device (200). For example, when the air conditioner (100) is placed at the first position (401), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can operate as a left front speaker.

[0114] In one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) is placed at the second position (402), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can provide a sound signal to the user from the front right side of the user viewing the display device (200). For example, when the air conditioner (100) is placed at the second position (402), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can operate as a right front speaker.

[0115] In one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) is placed at the third position (403), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can provide a sound signal to a user at the rear left side of the user viewing the display device (200). For example, when the air conditioner (100) is placed at the third position (403), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can operate as a left rear speaker.

[0116] In one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) is positioned at the fourth position (404), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can provide a sound signal to a user at the rear left side of the user viewing the display device (200). For example, when the air conditioner (100) is positioned at the fourth position (404), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can operate as a right rear speaker.

[0117] Depending on the arrangement of the air conditioner (100), the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) can operate as a satellite speaker such as a front speaker or a rear speaker, and together with the center speaker of the display device (200), can provide a surround sound signal to the user.

[0118] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0119] In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, and the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance.

[0120] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0121] Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 5010, the air conditioner can obtain position information of the display device.

[0122] According to one embodiment, the position information of the display device may include information indicating the position of the display device. For example, the position information of the display device may include information indicating the two-dimensional position or the three-dimensional position of the display device.

[0123] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can obtain the location information of the display device using a preset method. For example, the air conditioner can obtain the location information of the display device using a method that uses a reference sound signal output from the display device. When using such a reference sound signal, the location information of the display device can be obtained even without a separate communication technology (or communication chip) for obtaining the location information of the display device. For example, the air conditioner can obtain the location information of the display device using a method that uses ranging with the display device (e.g., ranging using UWB communication or ranging using BLE communication). The ranging may include, for example, two-way ranging for obtaining information about the distance (relative distance) between the air conditioner and the display device and / or one-way ranging for obtaining information about the direction of the display device.

[0124] In operation 5020, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on position information of the display device.

[0125] According to one embodiment, the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner may be used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through a speaker of the air conditioner. The air conditioner may acquire the output sound information of the air conditioner by adjusting the output sound information of the display device received from the display device using the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the output sound information of the display device may include information on at least one parameter (e.g., sound amplitude, sound frequency, sound phase, sound time, sound waveform, etc.) associated with a sound signal output through a speaker of the display device (hereinafter, the output sound signal of the display device). For example, the output sound information of the display device may include at least one of output sound amplitude information, output sound frequency information, output sound phase information, output sound time information, or output sound waveform information for the output sound signal of the display device. Through such output sound information, the characteristics of the corresponding output sound signal can be identified.

[0127] According to one embodiment, the output sound level information may indicate the amplitude (or intensity) of the output sound signal. The amplitude of the output sound signal may be expressed in units of, for example, decibels (dB). As the amplitude of the output sound signal increases, a stronger sound may be generated. According to one embodiment, the amplitude of the output sound signal may correspond to the volume level of the speaker. According to one embodiment, the amplitude of the output sound signal corresponding to each volume level may be set differently for each device.

[0128] In one embodiment, the output sound frequency information may indicate the frequency of the output sound signal. The frequency of the output sound signal may be expressed in units of hertz (Hz), for example. As the frequency of the output sound signal increases, a higher-pitched sound may be generated.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the output sound phase information may indicate the phase of the output sound signal. The phase of the output sound signal may, for example, correspond to the starting point (or temporal position) of a wave of the output sound signal.

[0130] In one embodiment, the output sound time information may indicate the length of time during which the output sound signal occurs. The length of time during which the output sound signal occurs may be expressed in units of seconds, for example.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the output sound waveform information may indicate the wave shape of the output sound signal. The wave shape of the output sound signal may be, for example, a triangular wave, a sine wave, or a square wave, but is not limited thereto.

[0132] According to one embodiment, the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner may include at least one piece of information for generating / acquiring output sound information of the air conditioner by adjusting the output sound information of the display device. For example, the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner may include at least one of output sound size adjustment information, output sound frequency adjustment information, output sound phase adjustment information, output sound time adjustment information, or output sound waveform adjustment information.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the output sound size adjustment information may indicate an adjustment value (or offset) (e.g., 0 dB, ±3 dB, ±4 dB, ±5 dB, ±6 dB, etc.) for adjusting the value of the output sound size indicated by the output sound size information of the display device. For example, if the value of the output sound size indicated by the output sound size information of the display device is 80 dB and the adjustment value indicated by the output sound size adjustment information of the air conditioner is 0 dB, 80 dB may be set as the value of the output sound size information of the air conditioner. In this case, both the display device and the air conditioner may output sound signals set to the same output sound size of 80 dB. For example, if the value of the output sound size indicated by the output sound size information of the display device is 80 dB and the adjustment value indicated by the output sound size adjustment information of the air conditioner is -3 dB, 77 dB may be set as the value of the output sound size information of the air conditioner. In this case, the display device can output a sound signal set to an output sound size of 80 dB, and the air conditioner can output a sound signal set to an output sound size of 77 dB.

[0134] According to one embodiment, the output sound frequency adjustment information may indicate an adjustment value (or offset) (e.g., 0 Hz, ±1 Hz, ±2 Hz, etc.) for adjusting the value of the magnitude of the output frequency indicated by the output sound frequency information of the display device.

[0135] According to one embodiment, the output sound phase adjustment information may indicate an adjustment value (or offset) (e.g., 0 degrees, ±5 degrees, ±10 degrees, etc.) for adjusting the value of the output sound phase indicated by the output sound phase information of the display device.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the output sound time adjustment information may indicate an adjustment value (or offset) (e.g., 0 seconds, ±1 second, ±2 seconds, etc.) for adjusting the value of the output sound time indicated by the output sound time information of the display device.

[0137] According to one embodiment, the output sound waveform adjustment information may include information for adjusting an output sound waveform indicated by the output sound waveform information of the display device.

[0138] In operation 5030, the air conditioner may output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal based on data related to the first sound signal received from the display device and output sound information of the air conditioner. The second sound signal associated with the first sound signal may be, for example, a sound signal having the same sound source (e.g., audio content) as the first sound signal.

[0139] According to one embodiment, the display device may transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner. For example, the display device may transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner while outputting the first sound signal through a speaker of the display device. For example, the display device may transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner before outputting the first sound signal through the speaker of the display device. The data related to the first sound signal may be transmitted through a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module) of the display device.

[0140] In one embodiment, the air conditioner may receive data related to a first sound signal from a display device. The data related to the first sound signal may be received via a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module) of the air conditioner.

[0141] According to one embodiment, the data related to the first sound signal may include, but is not limited to, data of the first sound signal itself and / or information describing the first sound signal. For example, the data related to the first sound signal (or information describing the first sound signal) may include output sound information of the first sound signal.

[0142] According to one embodiment, the output sound information of the first sound signal may include information about at least one parameter (e.g., sound size, sound frequency, sound phase, sound time, sound waveform, etc.) associated with the first sound signal output through a speaker of the display device. For example, the output sound information of the first sound signal may include at least one of output sound signal information, output sound frequency information, output sound time information, output sound phase information, or output sound waveform information of the first sound signal.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can obtain output sound information of a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal based on output sound information of the first sound signal received from the display device and output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner. For example, the air conditioner can obtain output sound information of the second sound signal associated with the first sound signal by adjusting the output sound information of the first signal received from the display device using the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner. According to one example, the air conditioner can adjust a value of an output sound magnitude indicated by the output sound magnitude information of the first sound signal received from the display device by an adjustment value indicated by the output sound magnitude adjustment information of the air conditioner, and set the adjusted output sound magnitude value as a value of the output sound magnitude information of the second sound signal.

[0144] According to one embodiment, the output sound information of the second sound signal may include information about at least one parameter (e.g., sound size, sound frequency, sound phase, sound time, sound waveform, etc.) associated with the second sound signal output through the speaker of the air conditioner. For example, the output sound information of the second sound signal may include at least one of output sound signal information, output sound frequency information, output sound time information, output sound phase information, or output sound waveform information of the second sound signal.

[0145] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through a speaker of the air conditioner using output sound information of the second sound signal.

[0146] According to one embodiment, a first sound signal output from a display device may be output simultaneously with a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal output from an air conditioner. The first sound signal may be enhanced through the second sound signal associated with the first sound signal.

[0147] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain position information of a display device using a reference sound signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain position information of a display device using a single reference sound signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain position information of a display device using a plurality of reference sound signals according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a sound level attenuation characteristic according to a distance of an output sound signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0148] In the embodiments of FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3. In the embodiments of FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance.

[0149] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0150] Referring to FIG. 6, at operation 6010, the air conditioner can receive a reference sound signal output from the display device.

[0151] According to one embodiment, the reference sound signal may be a sound signal set to, for example, a reference frequency (e.g., 17 Hz to 20 Hz) and / or a reference sound level (e.g., a sound level corresponding to a reference volume level (e.g., volume level 12)).

[0152] According to one embodiment, when establishing a communication connection, the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200) may exchange (or negotiate) information related to a reference frequency. The information related to the reference frequency may include, for example, information indicating a reference frequency, information indicating a reference sound level, and / or information on an attenuation level of a sound level according to a distance with respect to a reference sound signal (e.g., an attenuation level information graph of FIG. 9).

[0153] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can output a reference sound signal through the speaker (230) of the display device (200). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the display device (200) can output a reference sound signal (701) through the speaker (230) of the display device (200). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the display device (200) can output a first reference sound signal (801) through the speaker (230) of the display device (200).

[0154] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can receive a reference sound signal output through the speaker (230) of the display device (200) through a plurality of microphones of the air conditioner (100). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the air conditioner (100) can receive a reference sound signal (701) output through the speaker (230) of the display device (200) through the first microphone (141) and the second microphone (142) of the air conditioner (100), respectively. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the air conditioner (100) can receive a first reference sound signal (801) output through the speaker (230) of the display device (200) through the first microphone (141) and the second microphone (142) of the air conditioner (100), respectively.

[0155] In one embodiment, the plurality of microphones may be positioned a specified distance (d) apart from each other. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first microphone (141) and the second microphone (142) of the air conditioner (100) may be positioned a first distance (d1) apart from each other. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the first microphone (241) and the second microphone (242) of the display device (200) may be positioned a second distance (d2) apart from each other. The first distance (d1) and the second distance (d2) may be the same or different.

[0156] In operation 6020, the air conditioner (100) can obtain distance information about the distance between the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) based on information about the measured sound size of the reference sound signal.

[0157] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can obtain information about the measured sound level by measuring the magnitude of the received reference sound signal. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the air conditioner (100) can obtain information about the measured sound level by measuring the magnitude of the reference sound signal (701) received through the first microphone (141) and / or the second microphone (142). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the air conditioner (100) can obtain information about the first measured sound level by measuring the magnitude of the first reference sound signal (801) received through the first microphone (141) and / or the second microphone (142).

[0158] According to one embodiment, the information about the measured sound level may include an average value of the measured sound level measured through each microphone, and / or may include a value of the measured sound level measured through any one of the plurality of microphones.

[0159] According to one embodiment, the sound level of the output sound signal has a characteristic of being attenuated according to distance. For example, the sound level of the output sound signal may have a sound level attenuation characteristic according to distance (e.g., -20*log(r), where r is distance), as exemplified in the attenuation level information graph of FIG. 9. Accordingly, the air conditioner (100) can obtain distance information between the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200) by using the attenuation level (or attenuation value) calculated based on the attenuation level information (e.g., the attenuation level information graph of FIG. 9) and the information on the measured sound level. For example, if the sound level measured at a distance of 1 m from a reference sound signal having an output sound level of 80 dB is 75 dB, and the sound level measured at a distance of 1 m from the air conditioner (100) is 63 dB, the distance (r) between the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200) can be calculated as 4 m by the following mathematical formula: 75-20*log(r)=60. The information about the sound level measured at a distance of 1 m from the reference sound signal may be, for example, information known in advance by the air conditioner (100) and / or the display device (200).

[0160] In operation 6030, the air conditioner (100) can obtain direction information of the display device (200) based on information about the measured reception angle of the reference sound signal. The measured reception angle may be, for example, the reception angle or angle of arrival (AoA) of the reference sound signal measured in the air conditioner (100). The direction information of the display device (200) may include, for example, information indicating a direction or angle at which the display device (200) is located with respect to the air conditioner (100).

[0161] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can measure the reception angle (or arrival angle) of the received reference sound signal, and obtain information about the measured reception angle. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the air conditioner (100) can measure the phase difference between the reference sound signal (701) received through the first microphone (141) and the second microphone (142), obtain information about the measured reception angle based on the phase difference, and obtain direction information of the display device (200) based on the information about the measured reception angle. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the air conditioner (100) can measure the phase difference between the first reference sound signal (801) received through the first microphone (141) and the second microphone (142), obtain information about the first measured reception angle based on the phase difference, and obtain first direction information of the display device (200) based on the information about the first measured reception angle.

[0162] In operation 6040, the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information of the display device based on the obtained distance information and direction information.

[0163] According to one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) knows the position information (e.g., two-dimensional position coordinates or three-dimensional position coordinates) of the air conditioner (100), the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information (e.g., two-dimensional position coordinates or three-dimensional position coordinates) indicating the absolute position of the display device (200) by using the position information of the air conditioner (100), the acquired distance information, and the direction information.

[0164] According to one embodiment, when the air conditioner (100) does not know the location information of the air conditioner (100), it can obtain location information indicating the relative location of the display device (200) by using the obtained distance information and direction information.

[0165] According to one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information of the display device (200) by cooperating with the display device (200) using a plurality of reference sound signals.

[0166] For example, the display device (200) can output a first reference sound signal (801) through the speaker (230) of the display device (200), and the air conditioner (100) can receive the first reference sound signal (801) and obtain first position information of the display device (200) using the received first reference sound signal (801). The operation of the air conditioner (100) receiving the first reference sound signal (801) and obtaining first position information of the display device (200) using the received first reference sound signal (801) is the same as the operations 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6 described above. Therefore, a duplicate description will be omitted. In addition, the air conditioner (100) can output a second reference sound signal (802) through the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100), and the display device (200) can receive the second reference sound signal (802) and obtain second location information of the display device (200) using the received second reference sound signal (802). The operation of obtaining the second location information of the display device (200) using the second reference sound signal (802) may be substantially the same operation as the operation of obtaining the first location information of the display device (200) using the first reference sound signal (801), except that the subject performing the operation is opposite. Accordingly, the descriptions given above in operations 6010 to 6040 may also be equally applied to the operation of obtaining the second location information of the display device (200) using the second reference sound signal (802). Therefore, duplicate descriptions are omitted. Hereinafter, an operation of obtaining second position information of a display device (200) using a second reference sound signal (802) is exemplarily described with reference to FIG. 8. The following operations may be performed after or before the above-described operations 6010 to 6040, or may be performed together with or in parallel with operations 6010 to 6040.

[0167] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can receive a second reference sound signal (802) output from the air conditioner (100). For example, the air conditioner (100) can output the second reference sound signal (801) through the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100). The display device (200) can receive the second reference sound signal (802) output through the speaker (130) of the air conditioner (100) through the first microphone (241) and the second microphone (242) of the display device (200), respectively.

[0168] According to one embodiment, the second reference sound signal (802) may be the same sound signal as the first reference sound signal (801). For example, the reference frequency and the reference sound magnitude of the second reference sound signal (802) may be the same as the reference frequency and the reference sound magnitude of the first reference sound signal (801). According to one embodiment, the second reference sound signal (802) may be a different sound signal than the first reference sound signal (801). For example, the reference frequency and / or the reference sound magnitude of the second reference sound signal (802) may be different from the reference frequency and / or the reference sound magnitude of the first reference sound signal (801).

[0169] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can obtain second distance information about the distance between the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) based on information about the measured sound level of the second reference sound signal (802). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the display device (200) can obtain information about the second measured sound level by measuring the level of the second reference sound signal (802) received through the first microphone (241) and / or the second microphone (242). The display device (200) can obtain second distance information between the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200) by using attenuation level information (e.g., the attenuation level information graph of FIG. 9) and an attenuation level (or attenuation value) calculated based on the information about the second measured sound level.

[0170] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can obtain second direction information of the display device (200) based on information about the measured reception angle of the second reference sound signal (802). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the display device (200) can measure a phase difference of the second reference sound signal (802) received through the first microphone (241) and the second microphone (242), obtain information about the second measured reception angle based on the phase difference, and obtain second direction information of the display device (200) based on the information about the second measured reception angle. The second measured reception angle may be, for example, a reception angle (or arrival angle) of the second reference sound signal (802) measured by the display device (200). The second direction information of the display device (200) may include, for example, information indicating a direction or angle at which the air conditioner (100) is located with respect to the display device (200).

[0171] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can obtain second location information of the display device (200) based on the obtained second distance information and second direction information, and transmit the second location information to the air conditioner (100). In this case, the air conditioner (100) can obtain final location information of the display device (200) based on the first location information obtained from the air conditioner (100) and the second location information received from the display device (200). The final location information of the display device (200) can be, for example, an average value of the location value of the first location information and the location value of the second location information.

[0172] According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can transmit second distance information and second direction information to the air conditioner (100). In this case, the air conditioner (100) can obtain final distance information of the display device (200) based on the first distance information obtained from the air conditioner (100) and the second distance information received from the display device (200). The final distance information of the display device (200) may be, for example, an average value of a distance value of the first distance information and a distance value of the second distance information. The air conditioner (100) can obtain final direction information of the display device (200) based on the first direction information obtained from the air conditioner (100) and the second direction information received from the display device (200). The final direction information of the display device (200) may be, for example, an average value of a direction value (or an angle value) of the first direction information and a direction value (or an angle value) of the second direction information. The air conditioner (100) can obtain final position information of the display device (200) based on the final distance information and final direction information.

[0173] In this way, when the air conditioner (100) cooperates with the display device (200) using multiple reference sound signals to obtain the final position information of the display device (200), position information of the display device (200) can be obtained with higher accuracy compared to when using one reference sound.

[0174] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to obtain output sound adjustment information based on position information of a display device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0175] In the embodiment of Fig. 10, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, and the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. In the embodiment of Fig. 10, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance.

[0176] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0177] According to one embodiment, in operation 10010, the air conditioner can obtain speaker type information of the air conditioner based on position information of the display device.

[0178] According to one embodiment, the speaker type information of the air conditioner may indicate the type (or operation type) of the speaker of the air conditioner. The type of the speaker of the air conditioner may be, for example, one of a first type in which the speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a front speaker, or a second type in which the speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a rear speaker.

[0179] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may set the speaker type of the air conditioner to the first type when the air conditioner and the display device are identified as being located on the same line (e.g., on a line parallel to a plane forming a wall in FIG. 4) based on the position information of the display device (e.g., when the air conditioner is identified as being located at the first position (401) or the second position (402) in FIG. 4).

[0180] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may set the speaker type information of the air conditioner to the first type or the second type based on the value of the direction information of the display device included in the position information of the display device. For example, the air conditioner may set the speaker type of the air conditioner to the first type (or identify the air conditioner and the display device as being located on the same line) when the value of the direction information of the display device is within a preset first range (e.g., -2 degrees to +2 degrees).

[0181] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may set the speaker type of the air conditioner to the second type when the air conditioner and the display device are identified as not being located on the same line (e.g., on a plane forming a wall in FIG. 4) based on the position information of the display device (e.g., when the air conditioner is identified as being located at the third position (403) or the fourth position (404) in FIG. 4).

[0182] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may set the speaker type information of the air conditioner to the first type or the second type based on the value of the direction information of the display device included in the position information of the display device. For example, the air conditioner may set the speaker type of the air conditioner to the second type (or identify that the air conditioner and the display device are not located on the same line) when the value of the direction information of the display device is outside a preset first range (e.g., -2 degrees to +2 degrees).

[0183] In operation 10020, the air conditioner can determine (or identify) whether the type of the speaker is the first type based on the speaker type information.

[0184] In operation 10030, if the type of the speaker is identified as the first type, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information including output sound size adjustment information (first output sound size adjustment information) corresponding to the first type. In this case, the air conditioner can obtain output sound information of the air conditioner based on the first output sound size adjustment information.

[0185] In operation 10040, if it is identified that the type of the speaker is not the first type (e.g., the second type), the air conditioner may obtain output sound adjustment information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (second output sound size adjustment information). In this case, the air conditioner may obtain output sound information of the air conditioner based on the second output sound size adjustment information.

[0186] According to one embodiment, the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type and the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type may be set to a first value and a second value, respectively, such that the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type has a higher value than the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type. Here, the second sound signal is a signal output from the air conditioner and may be associated with the first sound signal output from the display device.

[0187] Table 1 illustrates the values ​​for output sound size adjustment information corresponding to each type. The values ​​shown in Table 1 are merely examples and can vary depending on the settings.

[0188] Speaker Type Output Sound Size Adjustment Information Value Type 1 V1 (e.g. 0 dB) Type 2 V2 (e.g. -3 dB)

[0189] Referring to Table 1, the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type may be set to a preset V1 value (e.g., 0 dB), and the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type may be set to a preset V2 value (e.g., -3 dB). As illustrated, when the speaker of the air conditioner operates as the first type, which is a front speaker, the output sound size may be set to be the same in the display device and the air conditioner in order to provide a role / characteristic as a front speaker. As illustrated, when the speaker of the air conditioner operates as the second type, which is a rear speaker, the output sound size in the air conditioner may be set to be lower (e.g., 3 dB to 6 dB lower) than the output sound size in the display device in order to provide a role / characteristic as a rear speaker, compared to the case where the speaker of the air conditioner operates as the first type, which is a front speaker.

[0190] For the sake of understanding, as illustrated in Table 1, let us assume that the value (V1) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type is set to 0 dB, the value (V2) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type is set to -3 dB, and the size value of the first sound signal (S1) output from the display device is 80 dB. In this case, the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) output from the air conditioner associated with the first sound signal (S1) output from the display device can be set as follows.

[0191] For example, according to the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (V1=0dB), the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 80dB (=S1+V1).

[0192] For example, according to the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (V2=-3dB), the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 77dB (=S1+V1).

[0193] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an operation mode of an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0194] In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3.

[0195] Referring to FIG. 11, the operating mode (11000) of the air conditioner may include a sound mode (11100) and / or at least one air conditioning-related operating mode (11200).

[0196] According to one embodiment, the sound mode (11100) may be a mode for outputting a sound signal through a speaker of the air conditioner. When the sound mode (11100) is executed, the air conditioner may initiate an operation (e.g., operation 3010 of FIG. 3) for outputting the sound signal. In the present disclosure, the sound mode (11100) may also be referred to as a music appreciation mode.

[0197] According to one embodiment, the at least one air conditioning-related operation mode (11200) may include at least one operation mode for providing an air conditioning function. For example, the at least one air conditioning-related operation mode (11200) may include, but is not limited to, a cooling mode (11210), a windless mode (11220), a power saving mode (11230), and / or a sleep mode (11240). When the cooling mode (11210) is executed, the air conditioner may perform a basic cooling operation. When the windless mode (11220) is executed, the air conditioner may perform a windless cooling operation that allows a user to feel a gentle coolness without being directly exposed to wind. When the power saving mode (11230) is executed, the air conditioner may perform a power saving cooling operation to reduce power consumption. When the sleep mode (11240) is running, the air conditioner can perform a sleep cooling operation that provides cooling optimized for a sleeping user.

[0198] In one embodiment, the air conditioner can execute the sound mode (11100) independently. For example, the air conditioner can execute the sound mode (11100) independently to output a sound signal without providing an air conditioning function.

[0199] In one embodiment, the air conditioner may execute at least one of the air conditioning-related operation modes (11200) together with the sound mode (11100). For example, the air conditioner may execute the sound mode (11100) and the cooling mode (11210) together. In this case, the air blowing resulting from the execution of the air conditioning-related operation mode (11200) may act as noise to the sound signal resulting from the execution of the sound mode (11100). Therefore, when the sound mode (11100) and the air conditioning-related operation mode (11200) are executed together, unlike when the sound mode (11100) is executed alone, an operation must be performed to acquire and / or modify output sound adjustment information to remove the associated noise. The following will exemplarily describe the operations related thereto.

[0200] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device when a sound mode and an operation mode related to air conditioning are executed together, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0201] In the embodiment of Fig. 12, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, and the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. In the embodiment of Fig. 12, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance.

[0202] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0203] Referring to FIG. 12, at operation 12010, the air conditioner may identify that one of a sound mode (e.g., a sound mode (11100) of FIG. 11) and one of operation modes related to air conditioning (e.g., operation modes related to air conditioning (11200) of FIG. 11) (e.g., a cooling mode (11200) of FIG. 11) is being executed. In one embodiment, the operation mode related to air conditioning may be executed before the sound mode is executed, or may be executed simultaneously with the sound mode.

[0204] In operation 12020, the air conditioner may obtain position information of the display device. Based on the identification that the sound mode and the air conditioning-related operation mode are being executed, the air conditioner may obtain position information of the display device. The air conditioner may obtain position information of the display device by performing, for example, operation 5010 of FIG. 5 and / or operation 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6 .

[0205] In operation 12030, the air conditioner may obtain output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on position information of the display device and information about an operation mode associated with the running air conditioner. For example, the air conditioner may obtain output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on a correction value corresponding to the position information of the display device and an operation mode associated with the running air conditioner.

[0206] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can obtain speaker type information of the air conditioner based on the location information of the display device. The operation of obtaining speaker type information of the air conditioner can be performed, for example, according to operation 10010 of FIG. 10.

[0207] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can determine whether the type of the speaker of the air conditioner is the first type based on speaker type information. The operation of determining whether the type of the speaker is the first type can be performed, for example, according to operation 10020 of FIG. 10.

[0208] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information including modified output sound size adjustment information by modifying a value of output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the type based on speaker type information of the air conditioner using a modification value of an operation mode related to the air conditioner corresponding to the type.

[0209] According to one embodiment, a modification value (first modification value) of an operation mode related to air conditioning corresponding to the first type may be the same as or different from a modification value (second modification value) of an operation mode related to air conditioning corresponding to the second type.

[0210] According to one embodiment, the modification value of the operation mode related to air conditioning may be set differently for each operation mode related to air conditioning. For example, the modification value of the operation mode related to air conditioning corresponding to the first type may be set differently for each operation mode related to air conditioning. For example, the modification value of the operation mode related to air conditioning corresponding to the second type may be set differently for each operation mode related to air conditioning. This is because noise affecting the sound signal differs for each operation mode related to air conditioning.

[0211] Table 2 illustrates the values ​​of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to each type and the values ​​of the air conditioning-related operating modes corresponding to each type. The values ​​illustrated in Table 2 are merely examples and may vary depending on the settings.

[0212] Speaker type Output sound size adjustment information value Correction value for cooling mode (A mode) Correction value for windless mode (B mode) Correction value for power saving mode (C mode) Correction value for sleep mode (D mode) Type 1 V1 (e.g. 0 dB) A1 (e.g. +1 dB) B1 (e.g. +0.5 dB) C1 (e.g. +0.1 dB) D1 (e.g. +0.3 dB) Type 2 V2 (e.g. -3 dB) A2 (e.g. +0.9 dB) B2 (e.g. +0.5 dB) C2 (e.g. +0.15 dB) D2 (e.g. +0.2 dB)

[0213] Referring to Table 2, the value of the output sound size adjustment information (first output sound size adjustment information) corresponding to the first type may be set to a preset V1 value (e.g., 0 dB), and the value of the output sound size adjustment information (second output sound size adjustment information) corresponding to the second type may be set to a preset V2 value (e.g., -3 dB). The correction value of the cooling mode (A mode) corresponding to the first type may be set to the A1 value (e.g., +1 dB), and the correction value of the cooling mode (A mode) corresponding to the second type may be set to the A2 value (e.g., +0.9 dB). The correction value of the windless mode (B mode) corresponding to the second type may be set to the B1 value (e.g., +0.5 dB), and the correction value of the windless mode (B mode) corresponding to the second type may be set to the B2 value (e.g., +0.5 dB). The correction value of the power saving mode (C mode) corresponding to the third type may be set to the C1 value (e.g., +0.1 dB), and the correction value of the power saving mode (C mode) corresponding to the third type may be set to the C2 value (e.g., +0.15 dB). The correction value of the sleep mode (D mode) corresponding to the fourth type may be set to the D1 value (e.g., +0.3 dB), and the correction value of the sleep mode (D mode) corresponding to the fourth type may be set to the D2 value (e.g., +0.2 dB). According to one embodiment, when it is identified that the type of the speaker is the first type, the air conditioner may acquire output sound adjustment information including the corrected first output sound size information by adjusting the value of the first output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type by the first correction value of the operation mode related to the running air conditioner corresponding to the first type. In this case, the air conditioner can obtain output sound information including first output sound size information set to a modified first output sound size based on the modified first output sound size adjustment information.

[0214] According to one embodiment, if it is identified that the type of the speaker is not the first type (e.g., the second type), the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information including modified second output sound size information by adjusting the value of the second output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type by a second modification value of an operation mode associated with the running air conditioner corresponding to the second type. In this case, the air conditioner can obtain output sound information including the second output sound size information set to the modified second output sound size based on the modified second output sound size adjustment information.

[0215] In operation 12040, the air conditioner may output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal based on data related to the first sound signal and output sound adjustment information received from the display device. For a description of operation 12040, reference may be made to the description of operation 5030 of FIG. 5 . Therefore, any duplicate description will be omitted.

[0216] For the sake of understanding, as illustrated in Table 2, let us assume that the value (V1) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type is set to 0 dB, the value (V2) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type is set to -3 dB, the operating mode related to the running air conditioner is the cooling mode (A mode), the correction value (A1) of the cooling mode corresponding to the first type is set to +1 dB, the correction value (A2) of the cooling mode corresponding to the second type is set to +0.9 dB, and the size value of the first sound signal (S1) output from the display device is 80 dB. In this case, the values ​​of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) output from the air conditioner associated with the first sound signal (S1) according to each mode can be set as follows.

[0217] For example, when only the sound mode is executed for the first type, the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 80 dB (=S1+V1) according to the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (V1=0 dB).

[0218] For example, when the sound mode and the operation mode related to air conditioning are executed together for the first type, the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (V1=0dB) is modified by the modification value (A1=+1dB) of the cooling mode corresponding to the first type, so that the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 81dB (=S1+V1+A1).

[0219] For example, when only the sound mode is executed for the second type, the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 77 dB (=S1+V2) according to the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (V2=-3 dB).

[0220] For example, when the sound mode and the air conditioning-related operation mode are executed together for the second type, the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (V2=-3dB) is modified by the modification value (A2=+0.9dB) of the cooling mode corresponding to the second type, so that the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 77.9dB (=S1+V2+A2).

[0221] By modifying the output sound adjustment information considering the type of operation mode related to air conditioning, the air conditioner can output an appropriate output sound signal even when the sound mode and the operation mode related to air conditioning are performed together.

[0222] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device when a sound mode and an operation mode related to air conditioning are executed together, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0223] In the embodiment of Fig. 13, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, and the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. In the embodiment of Fig. 13, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance.

[0224] In the embodiment of FIG. 13, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 12, it is assumed that the operation mode related to air conditioning (e.g., the operation modes related to air conditioning (11200) of FIG. 11) is executed after the sound mode (e.g., the sound mode (11100) of FIG. 11) is executed.

[0225] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0226] Referring to FIG. 13, at operation 13010, the air conditioner can identify that the sound mode is running.

[0227] In operation 13020, the air conditioner can obtain position information of the display device. Based on the sound mode being identified, the air conditioner can obtain position information of the display device. The air conditioner can obtain position information of the display device by performing, for example, operation 5010 of FIG. 5 and / or operations 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6 .

[0228] In operation 13030, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on the position information of the display device. The air conditioner can obtain the first output sound adjustment information by performing, for example, operation 5020 of FIG. 5 and / or operations 10010 to 10040 of FIG. 10.

[0229] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can determine whether the type of the speaker is the first type based on the speaker type information.

[0230] According to one embodiment, when the type of the speaker is identified as the first type, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (first output sound size adjustment information).

[0231] According to one embodiment, if it is identified that the type of the speaker is not the first type (e.g., the second type), the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (second output sound size adjustment information).

[0232] For the sake of understanding, as exemplified in Tables 1 and 2, it is assumed that the value (V1) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type is set to 0 dB, the value (V2) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type is set to -3 dB, and the size value of the first sound signal (S1) output from the display device is 80 dB. In this case, the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) output from the air conditioner associated with the first sound signal (S1) according to each mode can be set as follows.

[0233] For example, according to the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (V1=0dB), the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 80dB (=S1+V1).

[0234] For example, according to the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (V2=-3dB), the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal (S2) associated with the first sound signal (S1) can be set to 77dB (=S1+V1).

[0235] In operation 13040, the air conditioner may output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal based on data related to the first sound signal and output sound adjustment information received from the display device. The air conditioner may output the second sound signal by performing, for example, operation 5030 of FIG. 5 .

[0236] At operation 13050, the air conditioner may identify that one of the operating modes related to air conditioning (e.g., cooling mode (11200) of FIG. 11) is being executed.

[0237] In operation 13060, the air conditioner may modify output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on information about the operating mode associated with the air conditioner in operation. For example, the air conditioner may modify output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on a modification value corresponding to the operating mode associated with the air conditioner in operation. The modification value of the operating mode associated with the air conditioner may be, for example, as exemplified in Table 2.

[0238] According to one embodiment, when the type of the speaker is the first type, the air conditioner can modify the output sound size adjustment information by modifying the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type by the first modification value of the operation mode related to the running air conditioner corresponding to the first type.

[0239] For example, if the type of the speaker is not the first type (e.g., the second type), the air conditioner can modify the output sound size adjustment information by modifying the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type by the second modification value of the operating mode associated with the running air conditioner corresponding to the second type.

[0240] In operation 13070, the air conditioner may output a fourth sound signal associated with the third sound signal based on data related to the third sound signal received from the display device and modified output sound adjustment information. The fourth sound signal associated with the third sound signal may be, for example, a sound signal having the same sound source (e.g., audio content) as the third sound signal. According to one embodiment, the data related to the third sound signal may include, but is not limited to, data of the third sound signal itself and / or information for describing the third sound signal. For example, the data related to the third sound signal (or information for describing the third sound signal) may include output sound information of the first sound signal.

[0241] For the sake of understanding, as illustrated in Table 2, let us assume that the value (V1) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type is set to 0 dB, the value (V2) of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type is set to -3 dB, the operating mode related to the running air conditioner is the cooling mode (A mode), the correction value (A1) of the cooling mode corresponding to the first type is set to +1 dB, the correction value (A2) of the cooling mode corresponding to the second type is set to +0.9 dB, and the magnitude value of the third sound signal (S3) output from the display device is 80 dB. In this case, the values ​​of the output sound size information of the fourth sound signal (S3) output from the air conditioner associated with the third sound signal (S3) according to each mode can be set as follows.

[0242] For example, when the sound mode and the operation mode related to air conditioning are executed together for the first type, the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (V1=0dB) is modified by the modification value (A1=+1dB) of the cooling mode corresponding to the first type, so that the value of the output sound size information of the fourth sound signal (S4) associated with the third sound signal (S3) can be set to 81dB (=S3+V1+A1).

[0243] For example, when the sound mode and the air conditioning-related operation mode are executed together for the second type, the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (V2=-3dB) is modified by the modification value (A2=+0.9dB) of the cooling mode corresponding to the second type, so that the value of the output sound size information of the fourth sound signal (S4) associated with the third sound signal (S3) can be set to 77.9dB (=S3+V2+A2).

[0244] Meanwhile, when the speakers of an air conditioner are used as satellite speakers (e.g., front speakers, rear speakers) for the speakers of a display device (e.g., center speakers), if additional speakers are located symmetrically with respect to the positions of the speakers of the air conditioner with respect to the display device, better sound can be provided to the user through a pair of satellite speakers located on both sides of the display device. Hereinafter, a method for identifying the positions where sound devices that provide sound signals from both sides of the display device in pair with an air conditioner are to be placed and guiding the placement of the sound devices will be described.

[0245] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for guiding the placement of sound devices associated with an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the placement relationship between an air conditioner and a sound device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the placement relationship between an air conditioner and a sound device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a screen for guiding the placement of sound devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0246] In the embodiments of FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of FIG. 2 or 3, the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of FIG. 2 or 3, and the sound device may be, for example, the sound device (300) of FIG. 2. In the embodiments of FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance, and the sound device may be an example of the second home appliance.

[0247] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0248] Referring to FIG. 14, in operation 14010, the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information of the display device (200). The air conditioner can obtain position information of the display device by performing, for example, operation 5010 of FIG. 5 and / or operation 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6.

[0249] In operation 14020, the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information of the sound device (300) based on position information of the display device (200). The position information of the sound device (300) can indicate the position (e.g., two-dimensional position or three-dimensional position) of the sound device (300).

[0250] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can determine the position of the sound device (300) as a position symmetrical to the position of the air conditioner (100) based on the position of the display device (200).

[0251] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, if the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) are identified as being located on the same line (e.g., on a line parallel to the plane forming the wall of FIG. 4), the air conditioner (100) may determine the position of the sound device (300) as a position symmetrical to the position of the air conditioner (100) based on the position of the display device (200) on the line. For example, if the position of the air conditioner (100) is identified as being a position that is a distance r away to the left of the display device (200), the air conditioner (100) may determine the position of the sound device (300) as a position that is the same distance r away to the right of the display device (200). In this case, the sound device (300), the display device (200), and the air conditioner (100) are positioned on the same line, and the distance (r) between the sound device (300) and the display device (200) is the same as the distance (r) between the display device (200) and the air conditioner. The line on which the sound device (300), the display device (200), and the air conditioner (100) are positioned may be, for example, a line parallel to a plane forming a wall, as illustrated in FIG. 15.

[0252] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16, if it is identified that the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) are not located on the same line (e.g., on a line parallel to the plane forming the wall of FIG. 4), the air conditioner (100) may determine a position symmetrical to the position of the air conditioner (100) based on the position of the display device (200) as the position of the sound device (300). Since the position of the sound device (300) is determined to be symmetrical to the position of the air conditioner (100) based on the position of the display device (200), the distance (first distance = r) between the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) is the same as the distance (second distance) between the display device (200) and the sound device (300), and the angle (first angle = r) formed by the line segment between the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) and the line segment between the air conditioner (100) and the sound device (300) ) is the same as the size of the angle (second angle) formed by the line segment between the display device (200) and the sound device (300) and the line segment between the sound device (300) and the air conditioner (100). In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the distance between the air conditioner (100) and the sound device (300) is It corresponds to .

[0253] In operation 14030, the air conditioner (100) can provide guide information to guide the placement of the sound device (300) based on the position information of the sound device (300).

[0254] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can visually provide guide information through a map (e.g., an indoor map) showing the locations of the air conditioner (100) and the display device (200). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the air conditioner (100) can visually provide guide information by showing the location of the sound device (300) and / or the distance between the display device (200) and the sound device (300) on the indoor map showing the locations of the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100). At this time, a message such as "Please place the sound device (300) at the location of the sound device (300) shown on the map" may also be provided.

[0255] According to one embodiment, the map on which guide information is provided may be displayed on the display of the display device (200) or on the display of a user device (e.g., the user device (400) of FIG. 2) connected to the air conditioner (100). For example, if the air conditioner (100) does not include a display, the map on which guide information is provided may be displayed on the display of the display device (200) or on the display of the user device connected to the air conditioner (100). To this end, the air conditioner (100) may transmit location information of the sound device (300) and / or data of the map on which guide information is provided to the display device (200) or the user device.

[0256] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can provide guidance information audibly through a voice message output through the speaker of the air conditioner (100). The voice message may be, for example, a message such as, "Please place the sound device (300) at a position symmetrical to the position of the air conditioner (100) with respect to the display device (200). The distance between the air conditioner (100) and the sound device (300) is approximately 5 m."

[0257] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an air conditioner associated with a sound device to output a sound signal associated with a sound signal output from a display device, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0258] In the embodiment of Fig. 18, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, the display device may be, for example, the display device (200) of Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, and the sound device may be, for example, the sound device (300) of Fig. 2. In the embodiment of Fig. 18, the display device may be an example of the first home appliance, and the sound device may be an example of the second home appliance.

[0259] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0260] Referring to FIG. 18, in operation 18010, an air conditioner (e.g., an air conditioner (100) of FIGS. 2 and 3) can obtain position information of a display device (e.g., a display device (200) of FIGS. 2 and 3). The air conditioner can obtain position information of the display device by performing, for example, operation 5010 of FIG. 5 and / or operation 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6.

[0261] In operation 18020, the air conditioner can obtain location information of a sound device (e.g., sound device (300) of FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0262] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner can obtain position information of the sound device based on position information of the display device. The air conditioner can obtain position information of the sound device by, for example, performing operation 14020 of FIG. 14. The position of the sound device thus obtained is determined to be symmetrical with respect to the position of the air conditioner relative to the display device.

[0263] However, even though a guide is provided to place the sound device at the determined position, the actual position placed by the user may differ from the determined position. In this case, it may be necessary to correct the position of the sound device to an accurate position. For this position correction, a method of obtaining position information of the sound device using a reference sound signal output from the sound device may be used. The description of the method by which the air conditioner obtains position information of the sound device using the reference sound signal output from the sound device may be identically applied to the description of the method by which the air conditioner obtains position information of the display device using the reference sound signal output from the display device described above in FIG. 6. For example, the air conditioner may receive the reference sound signal output from the sound device, obtain distance information about the distance between the sound device and the air conditioner based on information about the measured sound level of the reference sound signal, obtain direction information about the sound device based on information about the measured reception angle of the reference sound signal, and obtain position information about the sound device based on the obtained distance information and direction information. The reference sound signal of the sound device may be identical to the reference sound signal of the display device and / or the air conditioner. The description of each operation of the air conditioner and the display device described above in Fig. 6 can be equally applied to each operation of the air conditioner and the sound device, except that the subject of the operation is changed from the display device to the sound device.

[0264] According to one embodiment, if the air conditioner identifies that the position information (first position information) of the sound device obtained based on the position information of the display device is different from the position information (second position information) of the sound device obtained based on the reference sound signal output from the sound device, the air conditioner may correct the position information of the sound device from the first position information to the second position information. In this case, the final position of the sound device may be determined as the position of the second position information.

[0265] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may provide guide information for correcting the position information of the sound device when the position information (first position information) of the sound device obtained based on the position information of the display device is identified to be different from the position information (second position information) of the sound device obtained based on a reference sound signal output from the sound device. Through this guide information, the user may reposition the position of the sound device to the position of the first position information. In this case, the final position of the sound device may be determined to be the position of the first position information.

[0266] In operation 18030, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on the position information of the display device. For a description of operation 18030, reference may be made to, for example, the descriptions of operation 5020 of FIG. 5 and operations 10010 to 10040 of FIG. 10. Operation 18030 may be performed before operation 18020 or may be performed together with operation 18020.

[0267] In operation 18040, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information of the sound device based on position information of the sound device and / or output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner, and transmit the output sound adjustment information of the sound device to the sound device.

[0268] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may set the output sound adjustment information of the sound device to be the same as or different from the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner. For example, if the air conditioner identifies, by using a reference sound signal output from the sound device, that the setting values ​​of parameters associated with the speakers of the sound device (e.g., an output sound size parameter, an output sound frequency parameter, etc.) are the same as the setting values ​​of the parameters associated with the speakers of the air conditioner, the air conditioner may set the output sound adjustment information of the sound device to be the same as the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner. For example, if the air conditioner identifies, by using a reference sound signal output from the sound device, that the setting values ​​of parameters associated with the speakers of the sound device (e.g., an output sound size parameter, an output sound frequency parameter, etc.) are the same as the setting values ​​of the parameters associated with the speakers of the air conditioner, the air conditioner may set the output sound adjustment information of the sound device to be the same as the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner. Through this, optimized sound can be output through the air conditioner and the sound device, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the display device. In other words, the speakers of the air conditioner and the speakers of the sound device placed on both sides of the front or rear speakers can output appropriate sounds in sync.

[0269] In operation 18050, the air conditioner may output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal based on data related to the first sound signal received from the display device and output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner. For a description of operation 18050, reference may be made to the description of operation 5030 of FIG. 5 . Therefore, a duplicate description will be omitted.

[0270] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the speaker of the air conditioner while the first sound signal is output through the speaker of the display device. The sound device may output a third sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the speaker of the sound device while the second sound signal is output through the speaker of the air conditioner. The first sound signal, the second sound signal, and the third sound signal may be associated sound signals having the same sound source (e.g., audio content).

[0271] FIG. 19 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for outputting a sound signal associated with an air conditioner and a display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0272] In the embodiment of FIG. 19, the display device (200) may be an example of a first home appliance.

[0273] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0274] Referring to FIG. 19, in operation 19010, the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) can establish a communication connection (e.g., a BLE communication connection). During the communication connection establishment process, the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) can negotiate the setting of a reference sound signal. The setting of the reference sound signal can include, for example, a reference frequency of the reference sound signal (e.g., 17 Hz to 20 Hz) and / or a reference sound level of the reference sound signal (e.g., a sound level corresponding to a reference volume level (e.g., volume level 12)). Through the negotiation for the setting of the reference sound signal, the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) can know each other in advance the reference sound signal used to obtain position information of the display device (200).

[0275] In operation 19020, the air conditioner (100) can execute a sound mode. In one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can execute the sound mode based on a user input.

[0276] In operation 19030, the display device (200) can output a reference sound signal, and the air conditioner (100) can receive the reference sound signal. According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can output the reference sound signal through a speaker of the display device (200), and the air conditioner (100) can receive the reference sound signal through a plurality of microphones of the air conditioner (100).

[0277] In operation 19040, the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information of the display device (200) based on the reference sound signal. For a description of operation 19040, reference may be made to, for example, the descriptions of operation 5010 of FIG. 5 and operations 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6 . Therefore, any duplicate description will be omitted.

[0278] In operation 19050, the air conditioner (100) can obtain output sound adjustment information (or modified output sound adjustment information) of the air conditioner (100). For a description of operation 19050, reference may be made to, for example, the descriptions of operation 5020 of FIG. 5, operations 10010 to 10040 of FIG. 10, operation 12030 of FIG. 12, and operation 13030 or operation 13060 of FIG. 13. Duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0279] In operation 19060, the display device (200) can transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner (100) through a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module). In operation 19070, the display device (200) can output the first sound signal through a speaker of the display device (200). In operation 19080, the air conditioner (100) can output a second sound signal related to the first sound signal through the speaker of the air conditioner (100) based on the data related to the first sound signal and the output sound adjustment information (or, modified output sound adjustment information) of the air conditioner (100). For a description of operations 19060 to 19080, reference may be made to, for example, the description of operation 5030 of FIG. 5, operation 12040 of FIG. 12, and operation 13040 or operation 13070 of FIG. 13. Duplicate explanations are omitted. Actions 19070 and 19080 can be performed simultaneously.

[0280] FIG. 20 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for outputting sound signals associated with an air conditioner, a display device, and a sound device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0281] In the embodiment of FIG. 20, the display device (200) may be an example of a first home appliance, and the sound device (300) may be an example of a second home appliance.

[0282] In the following examples, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily sequential. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0283] Referring to FIG. 20, in operation 20010a, the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) may establish a communication connection (e.g., a BLE communication connection). During the communication connection establishment process, the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) may negotiate the setting of a first reference sound signal. The setting of the first reference sound signal may include, for example, a reference frequency of the first reference sound signal (e.g., 17 Hz to 20 Hz) and / or a reference sound level of the first reference sound signal (e.g., a sound level corresponding to a reference volume level (e.g., volume level 12)). Through the negotiation of the setting of the first reference sound signal, the display device (200) and the air conditioner (100) may know in advance the first reference sound signal used to obtain position information of the display device (200).

[0284] In operation 20010b, the air conditioner (100) and the speaker device (300) can establish a communication connection (e.g., a BLE communication connection). During the communication connection establishment process, the speaker device (300) and the air conditioner (100) can negotiate the setting of a second reference sound signal. The setting of the second reference sound signal can include, for example, a reference frequency of the reference sound signal (e.g., 17 Hz to 20 Hz) and / or a reference sound level of the second reference sound signal (e.g., a sound level corresponding to a reference volume level (e.g., volume level 12)). Through the negotiation of the setting of the reference sound signal, the speaker device (300) and the air conditioner (100) can know each other in advance the second reference sound signal used to obtain position information of the speaker device (300).

[0285] Actions 20010a and 20010b may be performed in parallel, or one action may be performed before the other. Although not illustrated in FIG. 20, a communication connection may also be established between the display device (200) and the sound device (300). In this case, the display device (200) may directly transmit communication data (e.g., data related to the first sound signal of action 20090) to the sound device (300).

[0286] In operation 20020, the air conditioner (100) can execute a sound mode. According to one embodiment, the air conditioner (100) can execute the sound mode based on a user input.

[0287] In operation 20030, the display device (200) can output a first reference sound signal, and the air conditioner (100) can receive the first reference sound signal. According to one embodiment, the display device (200) can output the first reference sound signal through a speaker of the display device (200), and the air conditioner (100) can receive the first reference sound signal through a plurality of microphones of the air conditioner (100).

[0288] In operation 20040, the air conditioner (100) can obtain position information of the display device (200) based on the first reference sound signal. For a description of operation 20040, reference may be made to, for example, the descriptions of operation 5010 of FIG. 5, operations 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6, and operation 18010 of FIG. 18. Therefore, any duplicate description will be omitted.

[0289] In operation 20050, the air conditioner (100) can obtain location information of the sound device (300). For a description of operation 20050, reference may be made to, for example, the description of operation 14020 of FIG. 14 and operation 18020 of FIG. 18. Duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0290] In operation 20060, the air conditioner (100) can obtain output sound adjustment information (or modified output sound adjustment information) of the air conditioner (100). For a description of operation 20060, reference may be made to, for example, operation 5020 of FIG. 5, operations 10010 to 10040 of FIG. 10, operations 12030 of FIG. 12, operations 13030 or 13060 of FIG. 13, and operation 18030 of FIG. 18. Duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0291] In operation 20070, the air conditioner (100) can obtain output sound adjustment information of the sound device (300). In operation 20080, the air conditioner (100) can transmit the output sound adjustment information of the sound device (300) to the sound device (300) via a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module). For a description of operations 20070 and 20080, reference may be made to the description of operation 18040 of FIG. 18, for example. Duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0292] In operation 20090, the display device (200) can transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner (100) and the speaker device (300). For example, the display device (200) can transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner (100) through a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module), and the air conditioner (100) can transmit data related to the first sound signal to the sound device (300) through a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module). For example, the display device (200) can directly transmit data related to the first sound signal to the air conditioner (100) and the sound device (300), respectively, through a communication unit (e.g., a BLE communication module).

[0293] In operation 20100a, the display device (200) can output a first sound signal through a speaker of the display device (200). In operation 20100b, the air conditioner (100) can output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the speaker of the air conditioner (100) based on data related to the first sound signal and output sound adjustment information (or modified output sound adjustment information) of the air conditioner (100). In operation 20100c, the sound device (300) can output a third sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the speaker of the sound device (300) based on data related to the first sound signal and output sound adjustment information of the sound device (300). Descriptions of operations 20090, 20100a, 20100b, and 20100c may refer to, for example, descriptions of operations 5030 of FIG. 5, 12040 of FIG. 12, 13040 or 13070 of FIG. 13, and 18050 of FIG. 18. Duplicate descriptions are omitted. Operations 20100a, 20100b, and 20100c may be performed simultaneously.

[0294] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0295] In the embodiment of FIG. 21, the air conditioner may be, for example, the air conditioner (100) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the first home appliance may be, for example, the display device (200) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and the second home appliance may be, for example, the sound device (300) of FIG. 2. As described above, the first home appliance may be a home appliance or electronic device that provides a sound signal of a sound source (e.g., audio content or video content) to the air conditioner, and the second home appliance may be a home appliance or electronic device that includes a speaker paired with a speaker of the air conditioner.

[0296] In the embodiment of Fig. 21, the operation of the air conditioner can be performed by at least one processor of the air conditioner. In the embodiment of Fig. 21, any description that overlaps with the description described above in Figs. 1 to 20 is omitted.

[0297] Referring to FIG. 21, in operation 21010, the air conditioner can receive a first reference sound signal output through a speaker of the first home appliance through a microphone (e.g., multiple microphones).

[0298] In operation 21020, the air conditioner can obtain location information of the first home appliance based on the first reference sound signal. For descriptions of operations 21010 and 21020, reference may be made to, for example, operation 5010 of FIG. 5 and operations 6010 to 6040 of FIG. 6 . Therefore, any duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0299] In operation 21030, the air conditioner can obtain output sound adjustment information (or modified output sound adjustment information) of the air conditioner based on the location information. The output sound adjustment information can be used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through a speaker of the air conditioner. For a description of operation 21030, reference may be made to, for example, the description of operation 5020 of FIG. 5, operations 10010 to 10040 of FIG. 10, operation 12030 of FIG. 12, and operation 13030 or operation 13060 of FIG. 13. Duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0300] In operation 21040, the air conditioner may receive data related to a first sound signal to be output from the first home appliance through the speaker of the first home appliance through the communication unit. The data related to the first sound signal may include, for example, output sound information of the first sound signal.

[0301] In operation 21050, the air conditioner can output a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through a speaker of the air conditioner based on data related to the first sound signal and output sound adjustment information. For a description of operations 21040 to 21050, reference may be made to, for example, the description of operations 5030 of FIG. 5, operations 12030 to 12040 of FIG. 12, and operations 13030 to 13070 of FIG. 13. Therefore, any duplicate description will be omitted.

[0302] According to one embodiment, the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner may include output sound size adjustment information for adjusting the size (amplitude) or intensity (intensity) of a sound signal to be output through a speaker of the air conditioner.

[0303] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner obtains type information of a speaker of the air conditioner based on location information of the first home appliance, and determines whether the type of the speaker of the air conditioner is a first type based on the type information, wherein the first type may correspond to a type in which the speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a front speaker. When the type of the speaker is identified as the first type, the air conditioner obtains output sound volume information including output sound volume adjustment information corresponding to the first type, and when the type of the speaker is identified as not being the first type, the air conditioner obtains output sound volume information including output sound volume adjustment information corresponding to a second type different from the first type. According to one embodiment, the second type corresponds to a type in which the speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a rear speaker, and the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type and the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type may be set to a first value (e.g., 0 dB) and a second value (e.g., -3 dB), respectively, such that the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type (e.g., 80 dB) has a higher value than the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type (e.g., 77 dB). For a description thereof, reference may be made to the description of the embodiment of FIG. 10.

[0304] According to one embodiment, the first reference sound signal is a sound signal set to a reference frequency and a reference signal magnitude, and the air conditioner obtains distance information about a distance between the first home appliance and the air conditioner based on information about a sound magnitude obtained by measuring the first reference sound signal and the reference signal magnitude of the first reference sound signal, obtains direction information about the first home appliance based on information about a reception angle obtained by measuring the first reference sound signal, and obtains location information about the first home appliance based on the distance information and the direction information. For a description thereof, reference may be made to the description of the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0305] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner outputs a second reference sound signal through a speaker of the air conditioner to obtain location information of the first home appliance, and the outputted second reference sound signal is received through at least one microphone of the first home appliance, and the second reference sound signal may be set to have the same reference frequency and reference signal magnitude as the first reference sound signal. For a description thereof, reference may be made to the description of the embodiment of FIG. 8.

[0306] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may identify that a first operation mode among operation modes related to air conditioning is executed after outputting a second sound signal associated with a first sound signal, modify output sound adjustment information based on information about the first operation mode, receive data related to a third sound signal to be output through a speaker of the first home appliance from the first home appliance through a communication unit, and output a fourth sound signal related to the third sound signal through the speaker of the air conditioner based on the data related to the third sound signal and the modified output sound adjustment information. For a description thereof, reference may be made to the description of the embodiment of FIG. 13.

[0307] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner obtains location information of a second home appliance based on location information of a first home appliance, the second home appliance includes a speaker paired with a speaker of the air conditioner, and transmits the location information of the second home appliance to an electronic device of a user connected to the air conditioner through the communication unit, and guide information for guiding the placement of the second home appliance can be provided by the electronic device based on the location information of the second home appliance. For a description thereof, reference may be made to the description of the embodiment of FIG. 14.

[0308] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may set a position of the second home appliance symmetrical to the position of the air conditioner based on the position information of the first home appliance. For a description of this, please refer to the description of the embodiment of FIG. 17.

[0309] According to one embodiment, the air conditioner may acquire output sound adjustment information of the second home appliance based on the location information of the second home appliance and the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner, and transmit the output sound adjustment information of the second home appliance to the second home appliance via the communication unit. For a description thereof, please refer to the description of the embodiment of FIG. 18.

[0310] According to one embodiment, the first home appliance may be a display device including a speaker that operates as a center speaker, and the second home appliance may be a sound device including a speaker that operates as a satellite speaker paired with a speaker of the air conditioner.

[0311] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0312] The electronic device of the embodiment of FIG. 22 may be, for example, an air conditioner (e.g., an air conditioner (10) of FIG. 1, an air conditioner (100) of FIGS. 2 and 3), a display device (e.g., a display device (200) of FIGS. 2 and 3), a sound device (e.g., a sound device (300) of FIGS. 2 and 3), a user device (e.g., a user device (400) of FIG. 2), or a server (e.g., a server (500) of FIG. 2).

[0313] Referring to FIG. 22, an electronic device (2200) may include a memory (2210), a communication unit (transceiver) (2220), at least one processor (2230), at least one speaker (2240), at least one microphone (2250), and / or a display (2210). In one example, the electronic device may include additional components (e.g., an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor blower, etc.) other than the illustrated components, or may omit at least one of the illustrated components.

[0314] According to one embodiment, depending on the type of electronic device, at least some of the configurations disclosed in FIG. 22 may be omitted, or additional configurations may be included. For example, if the electronic device is a server, the display (2260) may be omitted from the configuration of FIG. 22. For example, if the electronic device is an air conditioner, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 22, all or some of the configurations of FIGS. 1A and 1B (e.g., an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor blower, an air inlet, an air outlet, etc.) may be added.

[0315] According to one embodiment, the memory (2210) may store various information or data related to the operation of the electronic device. For example, the memory (2210) may include one or more storage media that store at least one instruction. For example, the memory (2210) may include instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor (2230), cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation. According to one example, the memory (2210) may include instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by at least one processor (2230), cause the electronic device to perform at least one of the operations described in FIGS. 1 to 21 .

[0316] According to one embodiment, the communication unit (2220) includes a communication circuit and can support wired or wireless communication between the electronic device and an external electronic device. The wireless communication method may include, for example, the LTE method, the 5G NR method, the Wi-Fi method, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, infrared communication (IrDA: Infrared Data Association), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0317] According to one embodiment, at least one processor (2230) may be electrically or operatively connected to a speaker (2240), a microphone (2250), a display (22600), a communication unit (2220), and a memory (2210). The at least one processor (2230) may include a processing circuit that executes at least one instruction stored in the memory (2210).

[0318] According to one embodiment, at least one processor (2230) may include various processing circuits and / or multiple processors. One or more of the at least one processor (2230) may be individually and / or collectively configured to perform various functions described in the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, when "a processor," "at least one processor," and "one or more processors" are described as being configured to perform numerous functions, these terms encompass, for example, but are not limited to, a situation where one processor performs some of the recited functions and other processor(s) perform other parts of the recited functions, and also encompass a situation where a single processor can perform all of the recited functions. Additionally, the at least one processor (2230) may include a combination of processors that perform the various recited / disclosed functions, for example, in a distributed manner. At least one processor (2230) can execute program instructions to achieve or perform various functions.

[0319] According to one embodiment, at least one processor (2230) may include at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), a system on chip (SoC), or an integrated circuit (IC), a sensor hub, a supplementary processor, a communication processor, an application processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and may have multiple cores.

[0320] According to one embodiment, at least one speaker (2240) can output a sound signal. The speaker (2240) can convert an electrical signal into a sound signal. The speaker (2240) can be, but is not limited to, a portable speaker, a system speaker, a sound bar, or a smart speaker.

[0321] According to one embodiment, at least one microphone (2250) can receive a sound signal. The microphone (2250) can convert the sound signal into an electrical signal and record or transmit the sound signal. The microphone (2250) can be, but is not limited to, a dynamic microphone, an electrically-based microphone, a condenser microphone, or a label microphone.

[0322] According to one embodiment, the display (2260) may be implemented as a display of various forms, such as an LCD, an OLED, an LCoS, a DLP, a QD display panel, a QLED, a μLED, a Mini LED, etc. According to one embodiment, the display (2260) may also be implemented as a touch screen combined with a touch sensor, a flexible display, a rollable display, a 3D display, a display in which a plurality of display modules are physically connected, etc.

[0323] According to one embodiment, the display (2260) can display status information of the electronic device under the control of at least one processor (2230).

[0324] The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0325] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In air conditioners, Air intake for taking in air; A blower that creates air circulation; Air vent for exhausting air; First speaker; microphone; communication circuit; and At least one processor comprising a processing circuit, At least one processor of the above: A first reference sound signal output through a second speaker of a first home appliance is received through the microphone, Based on the first reference sound signal, location information of the first home appliance is obtained, Based on the above location information, output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner is obtained, and the output sound adjustment information is used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner. Receive data related to a first sound signal to be output through the second speaker of the first home appliance from the first home appliance through the communication circuit, Based on the data related to the first sound signal and the output sound adjustment information, a second sound signal related to the first sound signal is output through the first speaker of the air conditioner, An air conditioner, wherein the output sound adjustment information includes output sound size adjustment information for adjusting the size (amplitude) or intensity (intensity) of a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner.

2. In the first paragraph, the at least one processor: Based on the location information of the first home appliance, type information of the first speaker of the air conditioner is obtained, Based on the above type information, it is determined whether the type of the first speaker of the air conditioner is the first type, and the first type corresponds to a type in which the first speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a front speaker. If the type of the first speaker is identified as the first type, output sound size information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type is obtained, An air conditioner that obtains output sound size information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to a second type different from the first type when the type of the first speaker is identified as not being the first type.

3. In the second paragraph, the second type corresponds to a type in which the first speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a rear speaker, An air conditioner, wherein the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type and the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type are set to a first value and a second value, respectively, such that the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type has a higher value than the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type.

4. In any one of the first to third paragraphs, the first reference sound signal is a sound signal set to a reference frequency and a reference signal size, At least one processor of the above: Based on information about the sound size obtained by measuring the first reference sound signal and information about the reference signal size of the first reference sound signal, distance information about the distance between the first home appliance and the air conditioner is obtained, Based on information about the reception angle obtained by measuring the first reference sound signal, direction information of the first home appliance is obtained, An air conditioner that obtains the location information of the first home appliance based on the distance information and the direction information.

5. In the fourth paragraph, the at least one processor: In order to obtain location information of the first home appliance, a second reference sound signal is output through the first speaker of the air conditioner, An air conditioner, wherein the second reference sound signal outputted above is received through at least one microphone of the first home appliance, and the second reference sound signal is set to have the same reference frequency and reference signal size as the first reference sound signal.

6. In the first paragraph, the at least one processor: After outputting the second sound signal associated with the first sound signal, it is identified that the first operation mode among the operation modes related to air conditioning is executed, Based on the information about the first operation mode, the output sound adjustment information is modified, Receive data related to a third sound signal to be output through the second speaker of the first home appliance from the first home appliance through the communication circuit, An air conditioner that outputs a fourth sound signal associated with the third sound signal through the first speaker of the air conditioner based on data related to the third sound signal and the modified output sound adjustment information.

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, the at least one processor: Based on the location information of the first home appliance, location information of the second home appliance is obtained, and the second home appliance includes a third speaker paired with the first speaker of the air conditioner, Transmits the location information of the second home appliance to the user's electronic device connected to the air conditioner through the communication circuit, An air conditioner in which guide information for guiding the placement of the second home appliance is provided by the electronic device based on the location information of the second home appliance.

8. In paragraph 7, the at least one processor: An air conditioner, based on the location information of the first home appliance, which sets a location symmetrical to the location of the air conditioner based on the location of the first home appliance as the location of the second home appliance.

9. In paragraph 8, the at least one processor: Based on the location information of the second home appliance and the output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner, the output sound adjustment information of the second home appliance is obtained, An air conditioner that transmits output sound adjustment information of the second home appliance to the second home appliance through the communication circuit.

10. In paragraph 7, An air conditioner, wherein the first home appliance is a display device including the second speaker operating as a center speaker, and the second home appliance is a sound device including the third speaker operating as a satellite speaker paired with the first speaker of the air conditioner.

11. In a method of operating an air conditioner including a first speaker and a microphone, An operation of receiving a first reference sound signal output through a second speaker of a first home appliance through the microphone; An operation of obtaining location information of the first home appliance based on the first reference sound signal; An operation of obtaining output sound adjustment information of the air conditioner based on the position information, the output sound adjustment information being used to adjust at least one parameter associated with a sound signal to be output through the speaker of the air conditioner; An operation of receiving data related to a first sound signal to be output through the second speaker of the first home appliance from the first home appliance through the communication circuit; and An operation of outputting a second sound signal associated with the first sound signal through the first speaker of the air conditioner based on data related to the first sound signal and the output sound adjustment information, An operating method, wherein the output sound adjustment information includes output sound size adjustment information for adjusting the size (amplitude) or intensity (intensity) of a sound signal to be output through the first speaker of the air conditioner.

12. In paragraph 11, the method: An operation of obtaining type information of the first speaker of the air conditioner based on the location information of the first home appliance; An operation for determining whether the type of the first speaker of the air conditioner is a first type based on the type information, wherein the first type corresponds to a type in which the first speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a front speaker; When the type of the first speaker is identified as the first type, an operation is performed to obtain output sound size information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type; An operating method comprising an operation of obtaining output sound size information including output sound size adjustment information corresponding to a second type different from the first type, when the type of the first speaker is identified as not being the first type.

13. In the 12th paragraph, the second type corresponds to a type in which the first speaker of the air conditioner is set to operate as a rear speaker, An operating method, wherein the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type and the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type are set to a first value and a second value, respectively, such that the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the first type has a higher value than the value of the output sound size information of the second sound signal adjusted based on the value of the output sound size adjustment information corresponding to the second type.

14. In any one of paragraphs 11 to 13, the first reference sound signal is a sound signal set to a reference frequency and a reference signal size, The above method is: An operation of obtaining distance information about a distance between the first home appliance and the air conditioner based on information about a sound size obtained by measuring the first reference sound signal and information about the reference signal size of the first reference sound signal; An operation of obtaining direction information of the first home appliance based on information about the reception angle obtained by measuring the first reference sound signal; and An operating method including an operation of obtaining the location information of the first home appliance based on the distance information and the direction information.

15. In paragraph 14, the method: An operation of outputting a second reference sound signal through the first speaker of the air conditioner to obtain location information of the first home appliance; An operating method wherein the second reference sound signal outputted above includes an operation received by the first home appliance, and the second reference sound signal is set to have the same reference frequency and reference signal size as the first reference sound signal.

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