Air conditioning system and control method thereof

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing air conditioning systems lack the ability to predict and prevent malfunctions by only diagnosing issues after they occur, failing to anticipate changes in state or performance deterioration.

Innovation Solution

An air conditioning system and control method that utilize a management server to analyze data from air conditioners, calculate performance and efficiency coefficients, and diagnose potential issues by monitoring changes over time, identifying problems such as performance deterioration, cold water quantity, freezing capacity, and heat balance anomalies, and deriving countermeasures for inspection or adjustment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If air conditioners only diagnose malfunctions after they occur, then the system structure remains simple, but the ability to predict and prevent problems is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemalfunction prediction capabilityVSAvoiddata analysis system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The management server performs preliminary analysis of operation data to identify trends and patterns that indicate potential malfunctions before they occur. By continuously monitoring performance parameters and comparing them against baseline data, the system can predict future failures and schedule preventive maintenance, transitioning from reactive to proactive problem management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The management server acts as an intermediary between the air conditioners and service centers. It collects, stores, and analyzes operation data from multiple air conditioners, then provides diagnostic information and predictions to service centers. This intermediary layer enables centralized intelligence without requiring complex diagnostic systems in each individual air conditioner.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If air conditioners monitor and analyze operation data continuously, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but data processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnostic accuracyVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential and relevant operation data parameters needed for diagnosis, such as running time, on/off cycles, and performance metrics. By selecting and monitoring only these key parameters rather than all possible data points, the system achieves high diagnostic accuracy while minimizing data processing time and computational resource requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous monitoring of critical parameters but performs comprehensive analysis only when anomalies are detected or at scheduled intervals. This partial action approach maintains high diagnostic accuracy for critical issues while reducing overall computational load by not continuously analyzing all parameters at full depth.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Loss of information

If air conditioners store large amounts of operation data, then diagnostic information completeness improves, but storage requirements and data management complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnostic information completenessVSAvoiddata storage volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The management server stores complete and detailed operation data for each individual air conditioner, while providing summarized and aggregated diagnostic information to service centers. This local quality approach ensures that complete diagnostic information is preserved in the database while reducing the data transmission and management burden on local systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system merges data from multiple air conditioners into aggregated statistical information and common diagnostic patterns. By combining individual unit data with fleet-wide trends, the system maintains complete individual diagnostic information while reducing overall storage requirements through data consolidation and pattern recognition across the network.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3607251B1Air conditioning system and control method thereof
Publication Date: 2023.09.27 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3607251B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3607251B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3607251B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An air conditioning system including a management server for analyzing data being received from at least one air conditioner at a predetermined time interval and for diagnosing a state of the air conditioner is provided. The condition of the air conditioner is diagnosed in real time through the analyzing of the data on the air conditioner. Performance deterioration on the air conditioner corresponding to variations over a certain period is diagnosed with data calculated or accumulated on a performance and an efficiency based on the data relating to the air conditioner.