System and method for managing indoor air through cooperation between air conditioner and mobile assistant device

• US 7,366,588 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jay-woo, Kim, Dong-kwan
• Primary Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US11/220,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 700276-278, 700299-300, 165/247, 621/80
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0328 with means for purifying supplied air perfuming or deodorising means F24F1/0355
• 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 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/125 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/42 Mobile autonomous air conditioner, e.g. robots
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/12 characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/80 Self-contained air purifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A method and system for efficiently managing indoor air through cooperation between a mobile device and a stationary air conditioner. The system may include at least one stationary air conditioner and at least one mobile assistant device that move with a predetermined management area and cooperates with the air conditioner. The air conditioner may include an air quality improving unit improving a value of a predetermined air quality index into an appropriate range, a first forced flow unit generating a main flow to transport improved air toward the abnormal region, and a control unit controlling the air quality improving unit and the first forced flow unit to perform a main operation on the abnormal region and transmitting a command instructing the assistant device to perform an assistant operation on the abnormal region to the assistant device.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system including at least one stationary air conditioner and at least one mobile assistant device which moves within a predetermined management area and performs an operation of improving air quality on a predetermined abnormal region within the management area by cooperating with the air conditioner, wherein the air conditioner comprises:

an air quality improving unit improving a value of a predetermined air quality index into an appropriate range;

a first forced flow unit generating a main flow to transport improved air toward the abnormal region; and

a control unit controlling the air quality improving unit and the first forced flow unit to perform a main operation on the abnormal region and transmitting a command instructing the assistant device to perform an assistant operation on the abnormal region, and wherein the assistant device comprises;

a traveling unit moving the assistant device to the abnormal region in response to the command; and

a second forced flow unit generating an assistant flow to transport the improved air transported by the main flow into the abnormal region.

2. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the air quality improving unit comprises at least one of an air cooler, an air heater, an ion generator, a dust remover, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, and a filter.

3. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the first and second forced flow units comprise a fan forcibly blowing the improved air and a plurality of tilt bars adjusting a direction of air flow.

4. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the air conditioner further comprises a reference signal transmitting unit transmitting a predetermined signal referred to by the assistant device to detect a position thereof and compensate for the position, and the assistant device further comprises a position calculator determining coordinates of a position on the basis of the air conditioner based on the predetermined signal.

5. The air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein the reference signal transmitting unit transmits a first signal and a second signal in synchronization with each other, and

the position calculator receives the first and second signals, calculates a distance between the air conditioner and the assistant device using a propagation speed between the first signal and the second signal, and calculates an incident angle of the second signal using a time difference between receptions of the second signal by a plurality of second signal receivers that are equiangularly disposed on the assistant device.

6. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the air conditioner further comprises a map management unit updating an air quality map of the management area using an air quality map element received from the assistant device, determining abnormal regions based on the updated air quality map, and allocates a priority order to each of the determined abnormal regions, and

the air quality map element comprises coordinate information of a measurement point and air quality information of the measurement point.

7. The air conditioning system of claim 6, wherein the air quality map is created by expressing a value of the air quality index measured at each of a plurality of measurement points within the management area as a height at each measurement point.

8. The air conditioning system of claim 7, wherein the air quality map is created by connecting the index values corresponding to adjacent measurement points in a triangle.

9. The air conditioning system of claim 7, wherein each abnormal region is determined based on whether the measured value is beyond a predetermined threshold range, and the priority order is determined based primarily on an importance of the air quality index and secondarily on an offset of the measured value from the predetermined threshold range.

10. A method of improving air quality of a predetermined abnormal region in a management area through cooperation between at least one stationary air conditioner and at least one mobile assistant device, the method comprising:

transmitting an assistant operation command to the assistant device using the air conditioner;

moving the assistant device to the abnormal region in response to the assistant operation command;

improving a value of a predetermined air quality index into an appropriate range and generating a main flow using the air conditioner to transport improved air toward the abnormal region; and

generating an assistant flow using the assistant device to transport the improved air, which has been transported by the main flow, into the abnormal region.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculating shift displacement between a current position of the assistant device and the abnormal region to move the assistant device to the abnormal region,

wherein the current position is calculated using a reference signal transmitted from the air conditioner, and the shift displacement is calculated using a relationship between displacement and each of wheel rotation and a traveling angle which are provided from an encoder.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising compensating for an error in the relationship between the displacement and each of the wheel rotation and the traveling angle provided from the encoder by continuously tracking, using the assistant device, a portion where an infrared signal transmitted from the air conditioner reaches, while the assistant device moves around the air conditioner maintaining a predetermined distance from the air conditioner, until the assistant device goes beyond a transmission range of the infrared signal.

13. The method claim 11, wherein after the assistant device receives a first signal and a second signal in synchronization with each other transmitted from the air conditioner, the current position is calculated based on a distance between the air conditioner and the assistant device using a propagation speed between of the first signal and the second signal and an incident angle of the second signal using a time difference between receptions of the second signal by a plurality of second signal receivers that are equiangularly disposed on the assistant device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

updating an air quality map of the management area using an air quality map element received from the assistant device;

determining abnormal regions based on the updated air quality map; and

allocating a priority order to each of the determined abnormal regions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the air quality map is created by expressing a value of the air quality index measured at each of a plurality of measurement points within the management area as a height at each measurement point.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the air quality map is created by connecting index values corresponding to adjacent measurement points in triangle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein each abnormal region is determined based on whether the measured value is beyond a predetermined threshold range, and the priority order is determined based primarily on importance of the air quality index and secondarily on an offset of the measured value from the predetermined threshold range.