Air conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioners face challenges in indoor-to-outdoor communication due to the need for highly coordinated operation of indoor and outdoor controllers, leading to increased complexity and difficulty in achieving effective communication between the units.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of separate loops in the communication circuit, allowing the indoor and outdoor units to communicate independently by triggering control signals during different half-cycles of AC power, enabling independent operation of the indoor and outdoor controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If transmitting optocoupler and receiving optocoupler are arranged in a series loop for communication, then communication between indoor and outdoor units can be achieved, but the indoor and outdoor controllers must be highly coordinated and operate simultaneously, increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The communication circuit is divided into two independent loops: a first loop for indoor-to-outdoor communication and a second loop for outdoor-to-indoor communication. Each loop operates independently with its own optocoupler configuration, allowing the indoor and outdoor controllers to communicate without requiring simultaneous coordinated operation, thus reducing controller coordination complexity while maintaining communication reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the communication functions into a single integrated communication circuit that handles both indoor-to-outdoor and outdoor-to-indoor communication through two loops sharing common signal lines. This merging approach simplifies the overall system architecture compared to having completely separate communication systems, while still achieving independent operation through the loop structure
2Adaptability or versatility
If indoor and outdoor units use a shared communication loop, then communication can be established, but signals from one unit may interfere with or affect the operation of the other unit
Solution Approach 1:
The communication circuit is segmented into two functionally independent loops within the same physical communication line. The first loop is dedicated to indoor-to-outdoor signal transmission while the second loop handles outdoor-to-indoor signals. This segmentation allows each direction of communication to operate independently, preventing signal interference between units while maintaining the flexibility of a shared communication infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
Optocouplers are used as intermediary devices in each loop to transmit signals while providing electrical isolation. The optocoupler converts electrical signals to optical signals and back, acting as a mediator that prevents direct electrical connection between indoor and outdoor units, thereby eliminating signal interference while maintaining communication flexibility
Data Source
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AI summary
An air conditioner includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit includes an indoor-unit main control circuit and an indoor-unit communication circuit. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor-unit main control circuit and an outdoor-unit communication circuit. A first part of the indoor-unit communication circuit and a first part of the outdoor-unit communication circuit constitute a first loop. The outdoor-unit main control circuit is capable of receiving a first signal transmitted by the first loop. A second part of the indoor-unit communication circuit and a second part of the outdoor-unit communication circuit constitute a second loop. The indoor-unit main control circuit is capable of receiving a second signal transmitted by the second loop.