Air conditioner

• US 20090178424A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Han Su, Lee, Chung Hun, Hwang, Sun Ho
• Application Number:
  US12/318,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178424A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/259.100
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/20 Electric components for separate outdoor units
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/40 Vibration or noise prevention at outdoor units for outdoor units compressors F24F1/12
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/86 by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/871 by controlling outdoor fans
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/88 Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/065 with a plurality of evaporators or condensers

Abstract

In an air conditioner including a plurality of outdoor units, a first outdoor unit includes: a converter that receives commercial AC power and converts the received commercial AC power into DC power; and at least one first outdoor fan inverter that converts the DC power into AC power to drive a motor for at least one first outdoor fan, and a second outdoor unit includes: at least one second outdoor fan inverter that receives the DC power which has been converted by the converter and converts the received DC power into AC power to drive a motor for at least one second outdoor fan.

Claims

1. An air conditioner comprising a plurality of outdoor units, wherein:

a first outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units comprises;

a converter adapted to receive AC power from an AC power source and convert the received AC power into DC power; and

at least one first outdoor unit fan inverter adapted to convert the DC power into AC power to drive a motor of the at least one first outdoor unit fan, and

a second outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units comprises;

at least one second outdoor unit fan inverter adapted to convert the DC power into AC power to drive a motor of at least one first outdoor unit fan.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1, further comprising:

a compressor motor; and

a compressor inverter adapted to convert the DC power into AC power to drive the compressor motor.

3. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein the first outdoor unit further comprises:

a first outdoor unit constant speed compressor driven by using the AC power.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the second outdoor unit further comprises:

at least one second outdoor unit constant speed compressor driven by using the AC power.

5. The air conditioner of claim 2, wherein the first outdoor unit further comprises:

a converter microcomputer adapted to control a converter;

a compressor microcomputer adapted to control the compressor inverter;

a first outdoor unit fan microcomputer adapted to control the first outdoor unit fan inverter; and

a first outdoor unit main microcomputer that controls the microcomputers and performs communication with an indoor unit and the second outdoor unit.

6. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the second outdoor unit further comprises:

a second outdoor unit fan microcomputer that controls the second outdoor unit fan inverter; and

a second outdoor unit main microcomputer that controls the second outdoor unit fan microcomputer and performs communication with the first outdoor unit.

7. The air conditioner of claim 5, wherein the first outdoor unit fan microcomputer controls a plurality of first outdoor unit fan inverters together.

8. The air conditioner of claim 6, wherein the second outdoor unit fan microcomputer controls a plurality of second outdoor unit fan inverters together.

9. The air conditioner of claim 5, wherein the first outdoor unit further comprises:

a first outdoor unit filter unit that removes electrical noise between the AC power source and the converter.

10. The air conditioner of claim 6, wherein the second outdoor unit further comprises:

a second outdoor unit filter unit that cancels noise between the AC power and the constant speed compressor.

11. The air conditioner of claim 9, wherein the first outdoor unit comprises:

a first substrate on which the compressor inverter is mounted;

a second substrate on which at least one first outdoor unit fan inverter is mounted;

a third substrate on which the first outdoor unit main microcomputer is mounted;

a fourth substrate on which the first outdoor unit filter unit is mounted; and

a fifth substrate on which a terminal to which the AC power is connected is mounted.

12. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the first substrate further includes the converter mounted thereon.

13. The air conditioner of claim 12, wherein the first substrate further includes the compressor microcomputer and the converter microcomputer mounted thereon.

14. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the second substrate further includes the fan microcomputer mounted thereon.

15. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the fourth substrate further includes a plurality of reactors mounted thereon.

16. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the fifth substrate further includes the first outdoor unit constant speed compressor mounted thereon.

17. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the first and second substrates are disposed to be adjacent to each other.

18. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the first and third substrates are disposed to be adjacent to each other.

19. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the fourth and fifth substrates are disposed to be adjacent to each other.

20. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the fourth substrate is disposed below the third substrate.

21. The air conditioner of claim 11, wherein the first and third substrates are disposed on a first side surface, and the second and fifth substrates are disposed on a second side surface facing the first side surface.

22. The air conditioner of claim 21, wherein the first and second substrates are disposed on a third side surface perpendicular to the first side surface.

23. The air conditioner of claim 22, wherein the third and fourth substrates are disposed on a fourth side surface facing the third side surface.

24. The air conditioner of claim 13, wherein the compressor microcomputer and the converter microcomputer are a single common microcomputer.

25. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the first and second outdoor unit fan motors are BLDC motors.