Control system for air conditioner and air conditioner

• US 7,178,738 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Mitsuhiko, Imada, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang; Chen Wen
• Application Number:
  US10/492,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20040261432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 621/75, 621/26, 621/27, 621/29, 621/30, 621/32, 236/51, 236/94, 165/11.1, 165/11.2, 165/208, 165/209
• US Class Current: 236/51
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values

Abstract

A control system for an air conditioner is configured that can wirelessly transmit control signals, and allow the output power settings of transceiver units arranged in the outdoor unit and indoor units to be reduced. The air conditioner control system includes an outdoor unit transceiver unit, indoor unit transceiver units, and a center. The outdoor unit transceiver unit is arranged in an outdoor unit, and transmits and receives control signals. The indoor unit transceiver units are respectively arranged in the indoor units, and transmit and receive control signals. The center wirelessly relays control signals between the outdoor unit transceiver unit and the indoor unit transceiver units.

Claims

1. A control system for an air conditioner comprising:

an outdoor unit transceiver unit configured to be arranged in an outdoor unit of the air conditioner and to transmit and receive control signals;

an indoor unit transceiver unit configured to be arranged in an indoor unit of the air conditioner and to transmit and receive control signals, each of the outdoor and indoor unit transceiver units having a first output power level for transmitting the control signals; and

a center configured to wirelessly relay said transmitted control signals of the outdoor unit transceiver unit to the indoor unit transceiver unit and wirelessly relay the transmitted control signals of the indoor unit transceiver unit to the outdoor unit transceiver unit, the center having a second output power level larger than the first output power level for amplifying and transmitting the control signals received from the indoor unit transceiver unit or the outdoor unit transceiver unit without materially changing the control signals.

2. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the outdoor unit transceiver unit is not capable of directly transmitting the control signals to the indoor unit transceiver unit and the indoor unit transceiver unit is not capable of directly transmitting the control signals to the outdoor unit transceiver unit.

3. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the outdoor unit transceiver unit is dependent on the center for transmission of the control signals to the indoor unit transceiver unit.

4. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the indoor unit transceiver unit is dependent on the center for transmission of the control signals to the outdoor unit transceiver unit.

5. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the center is a communication network.

6. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the center is a portion of a communication network.

7. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 6, wherein

the center includes a cellular telephone.

8. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the center includes one or more base stations and a communication network that connects the one or more base stations and the center.

9. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 8, wherein

the one or more base stations includes a cellular telephone.

10. The control system for an air conditioner as recited in claim 1, wherein

the center stores the control signals and uses the control signals to monitor the air conditioner.

11. A method of controlling an air conditioner comprising:

providing an outdoor transceiver unit configured to wirelessly transmit and receive control signals, an indoor transceiver unit configured to wirelessly transmit and receive control signals and a center configured to wirelessly relay control signals between the outdoor transceiver unit and the indoor transceiver unit, each of the outdoor and indoor transceiver units having a first output power level for transmitting the control signals, the center having a second output power level for transmitting the control signals that is larger than the first output power level; and

relaying the control signals from the outdoor transceiver unit or the indoor transceiver unit to the other of the outdoor transceiver unit and the indoor transceiver unit via the center at the second output power level.

12. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the outdoor transceiver unit is not capable of directly transmitting the control signals to the indoor transceiver unit and the indoor transceiver unit is not capable of directly transmitting the control signals to the outdoor transceiver unit.

13. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the outdoor transceiver unit is dependent on the center for transmission of the control signals to the indoor transceiver unit.

14. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the indoor transceiver unit is dependent on the center for transmission of the control signals to the outdoor transceiver unit.

15. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the center is a communication network.

16. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the center is a portion of a communication network.

17. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 16, wherein

the center includes a cellular telephone.

18. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the center includes one or more base stations and a communication network that connects the one or more base stations and the center.

19. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 18, wherein

the one or more base stations includes a cellular telephone.

20. The method of controlling an air conditioner as recited in claim 11, wherein

the center stores the control signals and uses the control signals to monitor the air conditioner.