Air conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning systems with multiple indoor units struggle to efficiently control operations, as they do not effectively consider the correlation between indoor units during cooling and heating, leading to unnecessary operation controls.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioner system that groups multiple indoor units based on operational priority and considers the influence on adjacent regions, using a controller to determine which indoor unit to target for operation control and minimize unnecessary operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple indoor units operate independently to cool different regions, then each region can be cooled according to its specific needs, but unnecessary operation controls occur due to not considering the influence on adjacent regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of multiple indoor units by introducing a group leader unit that coordinates operations within a group. Instead of each unit operating independently, units are grouped and controlled through a leader that considers the cooling influence on adjacent regions, thereby reducing unnecessary operations and energy waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the group leader receives temperature information from all units in the group and makes control decisions based on the overall cooling effect. This feedback loop allows the system to adjust operations to avoid redundant cooling in adjacent regions, improving energy efficiency.
2Productivity
If the air conditioner controls each indoor unit independently, then the control system is simple, but it fails to consider the correlation between indoor units leading to inefficient operation
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into group leader units and group member units. The leader unit handles the complex decision-making for the group, while member units execute specific control actions. This segmentation allows the system to consider correlations between units without requiring all units to have full control capabilities, thus improving cooling efficiency while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The group leader unit serves multiple functions: it receives temperature data from all group members, determines the group leader status, decides on operation control actions, and transmits control signals. This multi-functionality allows a single unit to coordinate the entire group, improving overall cooling efficiency without proportionally increasing system complexity.
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
The system achieves efficient operation control by prioritizing indoor unit groups and determining target units based on regional influence, thereby minimizing unnecessary operation controls and optimizing energy use.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature of surrounding air is lowered while the refrigerant is expanded and vaporized in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit
Implementation Method 2
air which is warmed by energy emitted while the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant is liquefied
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner. An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include: an outdoor unit; a plurality of indoor units disposed to correspond to a plurality of regions, respectively; temperature sensors sensing indoor temperatures for the plurality of regions corresponding to the plurality of indoor units, respectively; and a controller, and the controller may group the plurality of indoor units into at least one group when powers of two or more indoor units adjacent to each other among the plurality of indoor units are on, determine at least one of the plurality of indoor units as a target of an operation control based on a priority for the at least one group, and stop an operation of the indoor unit determined as the target of the operation control. Various other embodiments are possible.