Multi-Room Air Conditioner Noise-Reduction Mode Allocation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Multi-room air conditioners lack the ability to individually adjust the operating mode of a heat source unit to accommodate varying noise reduction requirements across different rooms, leading to suboptimal noise reduction operations.

Innovation Solution

A control apparatus that allows the heat source unit to be switched among multiple operating modes with different noise-reduction levels, with an operating mode allocator determining the optimal mode for each conditioning unit based on user requests, ensuring that each room's requirements are met while minimizing noise.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single operating mode is selected for the heat source unit to serve all rooms, then the system structure remains simple, but the noise reduction requirements of different rooms cannot be individually met

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise reduction adaptabilityVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the control system into two functional modules: an operating mode allocator that distributes different operating modes to different conditioning units based on room requirements, and an operating mode setter that executes the allocation. This segmentation allows each room to have its noise reduction requirements met independently while keeping the overall system structure manageable through clear functional division.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the heat source unit operates in reduced-noise mode, then noise levels decrease, but air conditioning performance may be insufficient for rooms with high cooling/heating demands

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise levelVSAvoidair conditioning performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic operating mode selection where the heat source unit can switch between regular operating mode and multiple reduced-noise operating modes (with progressively higher noise-reduction levels) based on real-time room requirements. The system dynamically allocates appropriate operating modes to different conditioning units, ensuring that rooms with high performance needs receive adequate cooling/heating while noise-sensitive rooms operate in reduced-noise modes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Object-affected harmful factors

If multiple reduced-noise levels are provided, then noise reduction can be optimized for different rooms, but the control system becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise reduction levelVSAvoidoperating mode control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing multiple reduced-noise operating modes with progressively higher noise-reduction levels, allowing different rooms to receive appropriately tailored noise reduction. The operating mode allocator assigns specific noise-reduction levels to different conditioning units based on individual room requirements, enabling localized optimization without requiring complete system redesign.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2009361B1Control device and control method for multi-room air conditioner
Publication Date: 2018.05.02 DAIKIN INDUSTRIES LTD
  • EP2009361B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2009361B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2009361B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a multi-room air conditioner, requests from rooms are adjusted when one operating mode is selected from a plurality of operating modes having different noise-reduction levels. A heat source side controller (20) of an air conditioner (1) has an operating mode allocator (22) and an operating mode setter (23). The air conditioner (1) has a heat source unit (2) and a plurality of room units (3). The heat source unit (2) can be switched among a plurality of operating modes having different noise-reduction levels. The operating mode allocator (22) allocates one operating mode to each of the operating room units (3). The operating mode setter (23) sets the heat source unit (2) to one operating mode from among the plurality of operating modes on the basis of the operating modes allocated by the operating mode allocator (22) to each of the operating room units (3). In cases in which a specific operating mode is allocated to all of the operating room units (3), the operating mode setter (23) sets the heat source unit (2) to the specific operating mode.