Air conditioner and method of operating the same

• US 8,364,317 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Hee Woong, Kim, Dong Ju, Park, Nae Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US12/382,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20100168923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 250/342, 621/86
• 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 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, including a temperature detection unit configured to detect an indoor temperature, a human body detection unit configured to rotatably operate and detect a person within an indoor area, a position determination unit configured to determine a position of the person based on data detected by the human body detection unit, and a control unit configured to perform an automatic operation for controlling a current of air according to the position of the person, determined by the position determination unit, if the indoor temperature reaches a first reference temperature according to an entry of an automatic operation mode and to perform a preparation operation for executing the automatic operation if the indoor temperature does not reach the first reference temperature, in the case where the automatic operation mode has been set.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising:

a temperature detection unit configured to detect an indoor temperature;

a human body detection unit configured to rotatably operate and detect a person within an indoor area;

a position determination unit configured to determine a position of the person based on data detected by the human body detection unit; and

a control unit configured to control a current of air, wherein, the control unit performs an automatic operation for controlling a current of air according to the position of the person, which has been determined by the position determination unit, if the indoor temperature reaches a first reference temperature according to an entry of an automatic operation mode and performs a preparation operation for executing the automatic operation if the indoor temperature does not reach the first reference temperature, in the case where the automatic operation mode has been set, and stops the automatic operation and performs the preparation operation, if during the automatic operation, the indoor temperature reaches or exceeds a second reference temperature set higher than the first reference temperature, and wherein the control unit sets the volume of air to a maximum air volume and a direction of the wind to full swing so that the preparation operation is performed.

2. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the preparation operation is performed, the control unit sets a direction of a wind so that up and down discharge angles of the wind are horizontal to the surface of land.

3. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit compares the indoor temperature and each of a first reference temperature and a second reference temperature which have been set according to a desired temperature and are fetched from a previously stored reference temperature table, wherein the first reference temperature is a temperature value which is a criterion for switching the preparation operation to the automatic operation, and the second reference temperature is a temperature value which is a criterion for switching the automatic operation to the preparation operation.

4. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if at least one of termination conditions, including that the automatic operation mode is set in operation modes other than an air cooling mode, a supplementary function is set in the automatic operation mode, a sleep operation is set, and a direction of a wind or a volume of air is changed, is satisfied, the control unit terminates the automatic operation mode.

5. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if a person within the indoor area is not detected by the human body detection unit, the control unit maintains a last operating state according to the automatic operation unless the automatic operation mode is terminated by any one of the termination conditions.

6. A method of operating an air conditioner, comprising the steps of:

when an automatic operation mode is set, performing a preparation operation;

if, during the preparation operation, an indoor temperature reaches a first reference temperature for entering an automatic operation according to a desired temperature, stopping the preparation operation and performing the automatic operation;

while the automatic operation is being performed, detecting a person within an indoor area and calculating a position of the person;

changing a direction of a wind or a volume of air and providing a current of air according to the position of the person; and

the step of, if, during the automatic operation, the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a second reference temperature which is a reference value for switching to the preparation operation and is set to be higher than the first reference temperature, stopping the automatic operation and performing the preparation operation and wherein the control unit sets the volume of air to a maximum air volume and a direction of the wind to full swing so that the preparation operation is performed.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of, if, before the step of performing the preparation operation, the indoor temperature is equal to or lower than the first reference temperature, performing the automatic operation without performing the preparation operation.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the preparation operation is performed by a maximum air volume and through full swing according to the desired temperature.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of, in the step of calculating the position or the step of providing the current of air, if the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a second reference temperature which is a reference value for switching to the preparation operation and is set to be higher than the first reference temperature, stopping the automatic operation and performing the preparation operation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of providing the current of air comprises controlling the current of air so that the current of air reaches an area corresponding to the position of the person when direct wind is set and the current of air reaches neighbor areas on the basis of the position of the person when indirect wind is set.

11. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of, when the automatic operation mode is set, if at least one of termination conditions, including that the automatic operation mode is set in operation modes other than an air cooling mode, a supplementary function is set in the automatic operation mode, a sleep operation is set, and a direction of a wind or a volume of air is changed, is satisfied, terminating the automatic operation mode and performing an ordinary operation.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein, if a person is not detected within the indoor area while the step of calculating the position or the step of providing the current of air is performed, a last operating state according to the automatic operation is maintained unless the automatic operation mode is terminated by any one of the termination conditions.

13. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of, if the automatic operation or the preparation operation is performed or changed according to the setting of the automatic operation mode or the automatic operation mode is terminated, outputting at least one of alarm, a warning flare, and a warning message.