Air conditioner and method of controlling the same

• US 20100138048A1
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Nae Hyun, Park, Hee Woong, Kim, Dong Ju
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a discharge driving unit for discharging an air-conditioned air, a sensor module for detecting first and second radiation signals for heat sources while the sensor module rotates and performs scan in first and second rotation directions and for outputting a human body detection signal based on the detected first and second radiation signals, and a control unit for calculating position information of human bodies based on the human body detection signal and controlling the discharge driving unit based on the calculated position information.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising:

a discharge driving unit for discharging an air-conditioned air;

a sensor module for detecting first and second radiation signals for heat sources while the sensor module rotates and performs scan in first and second rotation directions and for outputting a human body detection signal based on the detected first and second radiation signals; and

a control unit for calculating position information of human bodies based on the human body detection signal and controlling the discharge driving unit based on the calculated position information.

2. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying the position information of the human bodies and at least one of a direction of a wind and the intensity of the wind of the air-conditioned air.

3. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises:

a sensor unit for outputting the first and second radiation signals;

a step motor for rotating the sensor; and

a sensor control unit for outputting the human body detection signal from which a human body mistake factor from among the heat sources has been removed based on the first and second radiation signals.

4. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor unit comprises at least one infrared sensor.

5. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor unit comprises:

a first sensor for, when the first sensor rotates and performs scan in the first and second rotation directions, detecting the heat sources within a first rotation recognition area; and

a second sensor for, when the second sensor rotates and performs scan in the first and second rotation directions, detecting the heat sources within a second rotation recognition area.

6. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first radiation signal comprises first and second rotation radiation signals, respectively, detected by the first and second sensors within the first and second rotation recognition areas when the sensor unit rotates and performs scan in the first rotation direction.

7. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second radiation signal comprises third and fourth rotation radiation signals, respectively, detected by the first and second sensors within the first and second rotation recognition areas when the sensor unit rotates and performs scan in the second rotation direction.

8. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step motor moves the sensor unit at a first speed when the sensor unit rotates and performs scan in the first rotation direction and moves the sensor unit at a second speed when the sensor unit rotates and performs scan in the second rotation direction.

9. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor control unit comprises:

an amplification unit for amplifying the first and second radiation signals and outputting respective first and second amplification radiation signals;

a converter unit for converting the first and second amplification radiation signals into respective first and second digital signals; and

a calculation processing unit for outputting the human body detection signal from which the human body mistake factor from among the heat sources has been removed based on the first and second digital signals.

10. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the converter unit converts the first and second amplification radiation signals into the first and second digital signals each of which has been sampled according to a set sampling cycle.

11. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the calculation processing unit checks portions of the first and second digital signals, each having a first set value or more, based on the human body mistake factor, removes the portions of the first and second digital signals D1 and D2, each having the first set value or more, by composing the first and second digital signals, and generates the human body detection signal.

12. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit calculates the position information of the human bodies based on an intensity of the human body detection signal.

13. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the position information of the human bodies comprises at least one of an interval between the human bodies, and directions and heights of the human bodies.

14. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 13, wherein the control unit controls the discharge driving unit based on at least one of the interval between the human bodies, and directions and heights of the human bodies so that a direction of a wind and the intensity of the wind of the air-conditioned air are changed.

15. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the sensor module so that the sensor module rotates and performs scan in the second rotation direction after the sensor module has rotated and performed scan in the first rotation direction.