Air Conditioner Inter-Unit Data Storage for Power Consumption Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air conditioners without remote controllers face challenges in effectively storing and managing data, particularly power consumption data, which is crucial for operational monitoring and energy management.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner system implements a data storage and communication network among outdoor and indoor units, allowing power consumption data to be calculated and stored across multiple units, with a designated unit serving as a storage point, and transmitting data to a remote controller when connected, enabling efficient data management and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the air conditioner operates without a remote controller, then the device complexity is reduced, but the capability to store and manage power consumption data is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner system performs self-data-management by designating one outdoor unit as a storage unit that accumulates power consumption data from all units. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external remote controllers while maintaining data storage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The outdoor units are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as operational units and as potential data storage units. The storage unit among the outdoor units can accumulate power consumption data and transmit it to connected devices, making the system universally capable of data management without requiring separate remote controllers.
2Loss of information
If power consumption data is stored in the air conditioner units, then data availability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional communication and storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The data storage function is segmented and assigned to a specific outdoor unit (the storage unit) rather than requiring all units to have full storage capability. This segmentation reduces the overall system complexity while maintaining data availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage unit acts as an intermediary between the multiple outdoor units and any connected remote controllers or external devices. It receives power consumption data from all units and manages the communication, simplifying the data transmission architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for the accumulation and analysis of power consumption data even without a connected remote controller, facilitating energy management and operational monitoring by enabling the calculation and storage of power consumption quantities across units and transmission to a remote controller for further analysis.
Implementation Method 1
The refrigerant may be expanded by the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit with a result that the refrigerant is evaporated, and therefore, a temperature of surrounding air may be lowered.
Implementation Method 2
The high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant may be liquefied by the heat exchanger of the indoor unit with a result that air is heated.
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner that stores data through communication between a plurality of air conditioner devices and a method for operating an air conditioner are provided. Data regarding power consumption quantities of a plurality of outdoor devices may be accumulatively stored in a state in which an additional data collecting device or an additional storage device is not connected to the plurality of outdoor devices, and the data regarding power consumption quantities of the outdoor devices may be transmitted to a device further connected to the plurality of outdoor devices. Consequently, it is possible to utilize data regarding power consumption of the air conditioner, set a target value based on the power consumption of the air conditioner, easily determine a power consumption pattern, and easily take measures to save energy.