Air conditioner and pipe communication method therefor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioners face challenges in achieving smooth communication between multiple indoor units and a single outdoor unit using refrigerant pipes due to issues such as the need for separate communication lines, impedance problems, and potential physical shorts, which can disrupt communication quality and compliance with electromagnetic interference (EMI) standards.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner employs a piping communication method using a master and slave piping communication device system that converts information into communication signals through refrigerant pipes, switching between differential and single modes based on signal reception levels to maintain stable communication, thereby adapting to varying communication states and ensuring compliance with EMI standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If piping communication is used to eliminate separate communication lines, then installation complexity is reduced, but communication reliability deteriorates due to impedance issues and potential physical shorts in the refrigerant pipes
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes communication parameters by switching between differential mode and single mode based on detected communication conditions. When impedance issues or physical shorts are detected, the system transitions from differential mode to single mode, adjusting the communication parameters to maintain reliability while using the existing refrigerant pipe infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The communication mode is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system continuously monitors communication quality and automatically switches between differential mode and single mode depending on the detected conditions, allowing the communication system to adapt to changing impedance characteristics and physical conditions in the refrigerant pipes
2Length of stationary object
If communication signal is increased to secure communication distance, then communication range is extended, but EMI standard compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the communication signal parameters by switching between differential mode and single mode. This allows the system to achieve adequate communication distance without excessively increasing signal strength, as the differential mode provides noise immunity that enables reliable communication at lower signal levels over long distances, thus maintaining EMI compliance
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple indoor units are connected to single outdoor unit, then system versatility is improved, but communication smoothness deteriorates due to increased number of branch pipes affecting impedance characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The system compensates for impedance variations caused by multiple branch pipes by dynamically switching between differential mode and single mode communication. This parameter change allows the system to maintain communication smoothness and reliability even as the number of connected indoor units and branch pipes increases
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from communication quality detection to automatically adjust the communication mode. When impedance issues are detected due to multiple branch pipes, the system receives feedback about the degraded communication conditions and switches to single mode to restore smooth communication, enabling the system to handle versatile multi-unit configurations reliably
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention proposes an air conditioner capable of smoothly performing communication between an outdoor unit and indoor units by using pipe communication, and a pipe communication method therefor. When communication between an outdoor unit and indoor units is performed using pipe communication, a communication mode is automatically changed to a differential mode and a single mode according to a communication state and a communication method most suitable to the characteristics of a site is thus determined, so that the communication between the outdoor unit and the indoor units can be smoothly performed. Accordingly, it is possible to implement smooth pipe communication by increasing a communication success rate even when a physical short-circuiting between refrigerant pipes occurs or the number of branch pipes for branching the refrigerant pipes increases in a multi-system air conditioner that connects a plurality of indoor units to one outdoor unit.