Air conditioner for providing well-being index

• US 7,324,874 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Il Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabrera; Zoila
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAUGHLIN, NATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US11/314,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 700/278, 700/299, 700/300
• 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 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

Air conditioner including a temperature sensor for sensing a room temperature, a humidity sensor for sensing room humidity, a control unit for controlling to calculate well-being indices according to the room temperature or the room humidity sensed at the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor with reference to well-being index calculating data stored already, and to present the well-being index calculated thus, and well-being index related information corresponding to the well-being index, and output means for presenting the well-being index calculated thus, and the well-being index related information corresponding to the well-being index under the control of the control unit, thereby readily calculating well-being indices and providing information thereof by using an air conditioner provided to houses or offices without exception without requiring any extra equipment.

Claims

1. An air conditioner comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing a room temperature;

a storage unit storing a look-up table having a plurality of categories;

a control unit for calculating a food poisoning index according to the room temperature sensed at the temperature sensor, the control unit corresponding the food poisoning index to one of the categories based on a magnitude of the food poisoning index, each of the categories of the look-up table including information of at least food poisoning level, an estimated time period of putrefaction of food, and matters to be attended to corresponding to the calculated food poisoning index; and

output means for presenting the food poisoning index and the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the look-up table.

2. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output means includes a display unit for displaying the food poisoning index and the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the look-up table in a form of an image.

3. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output means includes a display unit for displaying the food poisoning index and the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the look-up table in a form of voice.

4. An air conditioner comprising:

a temperature sensor for sensing a room temperature;

a humidity sensor for sensing room humidity;

a control unit for calculating a food putrefaction index based on the room temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the room humidity sensed by the humidity sensor, and for corresponding the food putrefaction index to one of pre-stored food putrefaction levels based on a magnitude of the food putrefaction index; and

output means for presenting the food putrefaction index and the corresponding one of the pre-stored food putrefaction levels under control of the control unit.

5. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the output means includes a display unit for displaying the food putrefaction index and the corresponding one of the pre-stored levels in a form of an image.

6. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the output means includes voice output means for presenting the food putrefaction index and the corresponding one of the pre-stored levels in a form of voice.

7. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the air conditioner further comprises a storage unit storing a first look-up table, the control unit further calculating a food poisoning index based on the first look-up table, the first look-up table mapping the room temperature to a value representing the food poisoning index corresponding to the room temperature.

8. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the storage unit stores a second look-up table having a plurality of categories, the control unit corresponds the food poisoning index to one of the categories based on a magnitude of the food poisoning index, each of the categories of the second look-up table including information of at least a food poisoning level, an estimated time period of putrefaction of food, and matters to be attended to, the output means presenting the food poisoning index and the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the second look-up table.

9. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control unit further calculates a discomfort index based on the room temperature and the room humidity, the storage unit storing a third look-up table having a plurality of categories, the control unit corresponds the discomfort index to one of the categories based on a magnitude of the discomfort index, each of the categories of the third look-up table including information of at least a discomfort level and a user'"'"'s countermeasure, the output means presenting the discomfort index and the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the third look-up table.

10. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 9, further comprising an input unit for user'"'"'s application of an order for presenting at least one of the food poisoning index, the discomfort index and the food putrefaction index, and the control unit controls to present at least one of the food poisoning index with the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the second look-up table, the discomfort index the information of the corresponding one of the categories of the third look-up table, and the food putrefaction index with the corresponding one of the pre-stored food putrefaction levels according to the order.

11. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit calculates the discomfort index only based on the room temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the room humidity sensed by the humidity sensor.

12. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit calculates the food putrefaction index based on a daily average of the room temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and a daily average of the room humidity sensed by the humidity sensor.

13. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the control unit calculates the food putrefaction index only based on the daily average of the room temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the daily average of the room humidity sensed by the humidity sensor.