AIR CONDITIONER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING AIR CONDITIONER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application, claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 365(c), of an International application No. PCT/KR2025/013263, filed on Aug. 29, 2025, which is based on and claims the benefit of a Korean patent application number 10-2024-0118038, filed on Aug. 30, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, of a Korean patent application number 10-2024-0143267, filed on Oct. 18, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and of a Korean patent application number 10-2025-0068351, filed on May 26, 2025, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to an air conditioner, a method performed by the air conditioner, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording storage media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the air conditioner individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to perform operations.

BACKGROUND ART

An air conditioner may control the condition of air, such as temperature, humidity, or cleanliness of air. In general, an air conditioner may include a heat pump device including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator and may drive a refrigerant cycle by compressing, condensing, expanding, and evaporating a refrigerant by controlling the heat pump device.

An air conditioner may perform a dehumidification operation. A refrigerant cycle of the dehumidification operation may be implemented in the same way as a refrigerant cycle of a general cooling operation. That is, when the dehumidification operation continues, the indoor temperature may also decrease. For example, when the indoor space is dehumidified, the indoor temperature may also decrease close to a set temperature desired by a user. However, when the dehumidification operation continues even after the dehumidification of the indoor space is completed, a cold draft may occur, which may cause overcooling. The overcooling may provide an unwanted cold feeling to the user, and energy consumption may increase due to the overcooling. Thus, suitable control may be required to prevent overcooling during the dehumidification operation.

The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Solution

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide an air conditioner, a method of controlling the air conditioner, and a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for performing, in a computer, the method of controlling the air conditioner.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a method performed by an air conditioner is provided. The method includes obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner, determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an air conditioner is provided. The air conditioner includes an indoor fan, a compressor, an expansion valve configured to control a refrigerant flow rate, an indoor temperature sensor, memory, including one or more computer-readable storage media, storing instructions, and at least one processor including a processing circuit. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to obtain an indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor, determine a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and perform a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of the indoor fan, the compressor, or the expansion valve, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an air conditioner individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to perform operations, is provided. The operations include obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner, determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for describing a differential dehumidification operation for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing a refrigerant cycle in a dehumidification operation of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for describing a differential dehumidification operation method for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a graph for describing a dehumidification operation section classified according to an indoor temperature of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a table for describing a dehumidification operation section classified according to an indoor temperature of an air conditioner under the condition that the indoor temperature of the air conditioner falls, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7B is a table for describing a dehumidification operation section classified according to an indoor temperature of an air conditioner under the condition that the indoor temperature of the air conditioner rises, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8A is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling an indoor fan based on an indoor fan rotation speed for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8B is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling a compressor based on a target dew point for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8C is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling an expansion valve based on a target discharge temperature for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8D is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling an expansion valve based on an overheating degree for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioner, an external device, and a server, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing an artificial Intelligence (AI) dehumidification operation method considering an indoor environment of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing an operation of an air conditioner performing an AI dehumidification operation by using a dehumidification operation identification model, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a graph for describing an operation of an air conditioner switching from dehumidification operation for each section to an AI dehumidification operation, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13A is a table reflecting a target dew point temperature identified by a dehumidification operation identification model under the condition that an indoor temperature of an air conditioner falls, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13B is a table reflecting a target dew point temperature identified by a dehumidification operation identification model under the condition that an indoor temperature of an air conditioner rises, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a diagram for describing an operation of training a dehumidification operation identification model through training data, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an interface for displaying information about a dehumidification operation of an air conditioner on an external device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates graphs for comparing the results of a general dehumidification operation and a differential dehumidification operation for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

MODE FOR INVENTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

As used herein, each of the phrases “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in the phrase or any combinations thereof.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any one or any combination of the associated listed items.

Terms such as “first” and “second” may be merely used to distinguish an element from another element and are not intended to limit the elements in other aspects (e.g., importance or order).

When a certain (e.g., first) element is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., second) element with or without the term “functionally” or “communicatively,” it may mean that the certain element may be connected to the other element directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or through a third element.

It will be understood that terms such as “comprise”, “include”, and “have”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

When an element is referred to as being “connected”, “coupled”, “supported”, or “contacted” with another element, it may include not only a case where the elements are directly connected, coupled, supported, or contacted with each other but also a case where the elements are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or contacted with each other through a third element.

When an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it may include not only a case where the element contacts the other element but also a case where one or more other elements are between the two elements.

It should be appreciated that the blocks in each flowchart and combinations of the flowcharts may be performed by one or more computer programs which include instructions. The entirety of the one or more computer programs may be stored in a single memory device or the one or more computer programs may be divided with different portions stored in different multiple memory devices.

Any of the functions or operations described herein can be processed by one processor or a combination of processors. The one processor or the combination of processors is circuitry performing processing and includes circuitry like an application processor (AP, e.g. a central processing unit (CPU)), a communication processor (CP, e.g., a modem), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU) (e.g., an artificial intelligence (AI) chip), a wireless fidelity (WiFi) chip, a Bluetooth® chip, a global positioning system (GPS) chip, a near field communication (NFC) chip, connectivity chips, a sensor controller, a touch controller, a finger-print sensor controller, a display driver integrated circuit (IC), an audio CODEC chip, a universal serial bus (USB) controller, a camera controller, an image processing IC, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a system on chip (SoC), an IC, or the like.

The processor of the disclosure may generate a control signal for controlling an operation of an air conditioner based on instructions, applications, data, and/or programs stored in memory. The processor may be hardware and may include a logic circuit and an operation circuit. The processor may process data according to a program and/or instructions received from the memory and may generate a control signal according to the processing result. The memory and the processor may be implemented as a single control circuit or may be implemented as a plurality of circuits.

The processor may include various processing circuits and/or a plurality of processors. For example, the term “processor” as used herein, including in the claims, may include various processing circuits including at least one processor. In the at least one processor, one or more processors may be configured to individually and/or collectively perform various functions described herein in a distributed manner. As used herein, the “processor”, “at least one processor”, or “one or more processors” may be configured to perform various functions. However, these terms may cover, without limitation, a situation in which a processor may perform some of the functions and another processor or other processors may perform some others of the functions and a situation in which a single processor may perform all of the functions. Also, the at least one processor may include a combination of processors that perform various functions of the described functions in a distributed manner. The at least one processor may execute program instructions to achieve or perform various functions.

Herein, the processor may write data in the memory or read data stored in the memory, and particularly, may process data according to a predefined operation rule or an artificial intelligence model by executing a program or at least one instruction stored in the memory. Thus, the processor may perform operations described in the following embodiment, and operations described as being performed by the air conditioner or detailed components included in the air conditioner in the following embodiment may be considered as being performed by the processor unless otherwise described herein.

Herein, a function related to “artificial intelligence (AI)” may be operated through a processor and memory. The processor may include one or more processors. In this case, the one or more processors may include a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or a digital signal processor (DSP), a dedicated graphics processor such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a vision processing unit (VPU), or a dedicated artificial intelligence processor such as a neural processing unit (NPU). The one or more processors may control input data to be processed according to a predefined operation rule or artificial intelligence model stored in the memory. Alternatively, when the one or more processors include a dedicated artificial intelligence processor, the dedicated artificial intelligence processor may be designed with a hardware structure specialized for processing a particular artificial intelligence model.

The predefined operation rule or artificial intelligence model may be characterized as being generated through training. Here, being generated through training may mean that a basic artificial intelligence model is trained by a learning algorithm by using a plurality of pieces of training data and accordingly a predefined operation rule or artificial intelligence model set to perform a desired feature (or purpose) is generated. Such training may be performed in a machine itself in which artificial intelligence according to the disclosure is performed, or may be performed through a separate server and/or system. Examples of the learning algorithm may include, but are not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning.

Herein, the “artificial intelligence model” may be a model that analyzes a linear or nonlinear correlation between a plurality of operands (which may also be referred to as variables or parameters). For example, the artificial intelligence model may include at least one of a linear regression analysis model, a polynomial regression analysis model, a logistic regression analysis model, a decision tree model, a support vector machine (SVM) model, or a linear correlation neural network model; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the artificial intelligence model may infer one type of variables with an input of another type of variables. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the artificial intelligence model may infer a correlation coefficient between variables with an input of different types of variables. For example, the correlation coefficient may include a Pearson correlation coefficient, a Spearman correlation coefficient, a Kendall's Tau correlation coefficient, and a point-biserial correlation coefficient; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the “artificial intelligence model” may include a neural network model. The neural network model may include a plurality of neural network layers. Each of the plurality of neural network layers may have a plurality of weights (weight values) and may perform a neural network operation through an operation between the plurality of weights and the operation result of a previous layer. The plurality of weights of the plurality of neural network layers may be optimized by the learning results of the artificial intelligence model. For example, the plurality of weights may be updated (refined) such that a loss value or a cost value obtained by the artificial intelligence model during the learning process may be reduced or minimized. The artificial neural network model may include Deep Neural Network (DNN) and may include, for example, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM), Deep Belief Network (DBN), Bidirectional Recurrent Deep Neural Network (BRDNN), or Deep Q-Network; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Herein, the term “user” may refer to a person who controls a system, function, or operation and may include a developer, a manager, an installation engineer, or a service engineer.

Herein, a dehumidification load may refer to moisture or water in indoor air. For example, a high degree of dehumidification load may mean that the amount of moisture or water in indoor air is large. For example, a low degree of dehumidification load may mean that the amount of moisture or water in indoor air is small. The degree of the dehumidification load may be compared with a defined value.

Herein, a dehumidification operation section may include a plurality of dehumidification operation sections that are classified according to the degree of the dehumidification load. For example, when the dehumidification load is high, a dehumidification operation section corresponding to a high operation level may be determined. When the dehumidification load is low, a dehumidification operation section corresponding to a low operation level may be determined. Here, the degree of the dehumidification load may be identified through a sensor or other components provided in the air conditioner; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Herein, a differential dehumidification operation for each section may refer to an operation of controlling the components of the air conditioner according to the dehumidification operation section determined according to the degree of the dehumidification load. For example, in each dehumidification operation section, a control factor corresponding to each of the components of the air conditioner and a value of the control factor representing a particular numerical value set for the control factor may be set. The value of the control factor may vary depending on the dehumidification operation section. For example, as the degree of the dehumidification load increases, the air conditioner may gradually change the dehumidification operation section to gradually increase the level of the dehumidification operation. For example, as the degree of the dehumidification load decreases, the air conditioner may gradually change the dehumidification operation section to gradually decrease the level of the dehumidification operation.

Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for describing a differential dehumidification operation for each section of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

An air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be a device that performs functions such as air purification, ventilation, humidity control, cooling, or heating in an air conditioning space (hereinafter referred to as “indoor space”) and may refer to a device having at least one of these functions. The air conditioner 1000 may be implemented in the form of a cooler, a heater, a cooler/heater, an air cleaner, or a dehumidifier. Herein, a case where the air conditioner 1000 corresponds to a cooler will be mainly described. However, this is merely for convenience of description, and an embodiment of the disclosure is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may include an outdoor unit 100 and an indoor unit 200. The indoor unit 200 may be arranged in a target space to be cooled or heated. When the air conditioner 1000 includes a plurality of indoor units, the plurality of indoor units may be arranged in different target spaces. The plurality of indoor units may be connected to one outdoor unit or a plurality of outdoor units. The outdoor unit 100 may be arranged in an external space and may emit or absorb heat.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may include a heat pump device to perform a cooling function or a heating function. The heat pump device may include a refrigerant cycle in which a refrigerant is circulated along a compressor, an evaporator, an expansion valve, and a condenser. An outdoor heat exchanger included in the outdoor unit 100 may correspond to a condenser or an evaporator, and an indoor heat exchanger included in the indoor unit 200 may correspond to an evaporator or a condenser.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the indoor unit 200 may include an indoor temperature sensor (not illustrated), a relative humidity sensor (not illustrated), and a display 201. The indoor unit 200 may detect an indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor and may detect a relative humidity through the relative humidity sensor. The indoor unit 200 may provide, through the display 201, information about the air condition detected through the sensor, for example, the indoor temperature and the relative humidity. For example, the display 201 may provide information that the indoor temperature is 27 degrees and the relative humidity is 60%.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may be connected to a remote controller 300. The remote controller 300 may include an input device that may receive various control commands from the user, and a device that remotely controls at least one of the components of the air conditioner 1000 in response to the input control command. For example, the remote controller 300 may be an external input device connected to the indoor unit 200 through a wired/wireless communication network. When the air conditioner 1000 includes a plurality of indoor units, a plurality of remote controllers 300 may be arranged to respectively control the plurality of indoor units. Herein, for convenience of description, the use of the remote controller 300 as an input device for the air conditioner 1000 is illustrated; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the remote controller 300 may be replaced with any type of input interface or user terminal provided in the indoor unit 200.

The user may input set data (e.g., set temperature (or desired indoor temperature), operation mode setting of cooling/heating/dehumidification/air cleaning, discharge port selection setting, and/or wind volume setting) through the remote controller 300.

For example, the remote controller 300 may include a dehumidification mode button 301, a wind-free mode button 302, an AI comfortable mode button 303, and a display 304. Information about the set data may be displayed on the display 304. For example, when the user sets the dehumidification operation and sets the set temperature to 24 degrees, the display 304 may display dehumidification operation information and set temperature information.

Herein, the dehumidification mode may be a function for removing moisture in indoor air and may be implemented through a dew point control method. According to the dehumidification mode, the amount of an indoor dehumidification load may be reduced and moisture in indoor air may be removed. The indoor dehumidification load may refer to moisture or water in indoor air. In the dehumidification mode, refrigerant cycle control may be performed to lower the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a dew point temperature or less for dehumidification. Here, the dew point temperature may be a temperature at which a dew point starts to occur. In the refrigerant cycle process, the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may be lowered, and thus, while the indoor moist air suctioned into the indoor unit 200 passes through the indoor heat exchanger, dew may be formed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger and moisture in the air may be removed accordingly. In order for the air conditioner 1000 to perform the dehumidification mode, the air conditioner 1000 may measure the air condition in the indoor space through the indoor temperature sensor and the relative humidity sensor and based on the measured information, set and control a target dew point temperature to be reached by the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner 1000 may control the rotation speed (or frequency) of the compressor by using the temperature difference between the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (i.e., a target factor) and the target dew point temperature (i.e., a control factor). As the rotation speed of the compressor increases, because a refrigerant flow rate (or refrigerant circulation amount) increases, the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may be rapidly lowered. That is, as the rotation speed of the compressor increases, the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may rapidly reach the target dew point temperature (e.g., 15 degrees) or less.

A refrigerant cycle of the dehumidification operation may be implemented in the same way as a refrigerant cycle of a general cooling operation. That is, when the dehumidification operation continues, the indoor temperature may also decrease. For example, when the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (e.g., 20 degrees) decreases to the target dew point temperature (e.g., 15 degrees) or less and thus the indoor space is dehumidified, the indoor temperature (e.g., 23 degrees) may also decrease close to the set temperature (e.g., 18 degrees) desired by the user. However, when the dehumidification operation continues even after the indoor space is dehumidified, a cold draft may occur, which may cause overcooling. The overcooling may provide an unwanted cold feeling to the user, and energy consumption may increase due to the overcooling. Thus, it may be necessary to perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section depending on the degree of the dehumidification load. For example, the differential dehumidification operation may be an operation of classifying sections according to the degree of the dehumidification load and controlling at least one of the rotation speed of the indoor fan, the frequency of the compressor, or the refrigerant flow rate differently for each section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a dehumidification operation by dividing the dehumidification operation into three sections according to the degree of the dehumidification load. For example, the dehumidification operation section may include a first dehumidification operation section (corresponding to “section 1” of FIG. 1), a second dehumidification operation section (corresponding to “section 2” of FIG. 1), and a third dehumidification operation section (corresponding to “section 3” of FIG. 1). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control factor may be set differently for each dehumidification operation section. For example, the control factor may include at least one of the rotation speed of the indoor fan, the target dew point temperature, the discharge temperature of the compressor, or the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger. Here, the frequency of the compressor may vary depending on the target dew point temperature. Here, each of the discharge temperature of the compressor and the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may be a control factor that varies depending on the refrigerant flow rate. The refrigerant flow rate may be adjusted by the opening degree of the expansion valve.

Herein, the number of dehumidification operation sections is illustrated as three; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the number of dehumidification operation sections may be less than three or greater than three.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a strong dehumidification operation when the amount of the indoor dehumidification load is large. This may correspond to the first dehumidification operation section. Here, a high degree of indoor dehumidification load may correspond to a great temperature difference between the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the target dew point temperature and may correspond to a great temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature. That is, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a strong dehumidification operation such that the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may rapidly reach the target dew point temperature or less.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the air conditioner 1000 performs a strong dehumidification operation, the speed and amount of moisture being removed from indoor air may increase. For example, the strong dehumidification operation (or a high-level dehumidification operation) may correspond to an operation of increasing the rotation speed of the indoor fan, decreasing the target dew point temperature, increasing the frequency of the compressor, increasing the refrigerant flow rate, decreasing the target discharge temperature of the compressor, and decreasing the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger. Accordingly, the indoor humidity may rapidly reach a comfortable humidity range (e.g., about 40% to about 60%). The comfortable humidity range may be a range of relative humidity that provides comfortableness to the user.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a weak dehumidification operation when the amount of the indoor dehumidification load is small. This may correspond to the third dehumidification operation section. Here, a low degree of indoor dehumidification load may correspond to a small temperature difference between the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger and the target dew point temperature and may correspond to a small temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature desired by the user. That is, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a weak dehumidification operation because the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger reaches the target dew point temperature.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the air conditioner 1000 performs a weak dehumidification operation, the speed and amount of moisture being removed from indoor air may decrease. For example, the weak dehumidification operation (or a low-level dehumidification operation) may correspond to an operation of decreasing the rotation speed of the indoor fan, increasing the target dew point temperature, decreasing the frequency of the compressor, decreasing the refrigerant flow rate, increasing the target discharge temperature of the compressor, and increasing the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger. Accordingly, energy consumption may be reduced by minimizing an indoor cold draft, maintaining humidity within a comfortable humidity range (e.g., about 40% to about 60%), and minimizing overcooling.

In summary, in an embodiment of the disclosure, as the indoor dehumidification load decreases, the dehumidification operation section of the air conditioner 1000 may change from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section. As the dehumidification operation section progresses from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section, the dehumidification operation level may decrease, the rotation speed of the indoor fan may decrease, the target dew point temperature may increase, the refrigerant flow rate may decrease, the target discharge temperature of the compressor may increase, and the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may increase. The air conditioner 1000 may increase the dew point temperature by increasing the frequency of the compressor. The air conditioner 1000 may decrease the refrigerant flow rate by reducing the opening degree of the expansion valve. This will be described below in more detail with reference to the table of FIG. 7A.

Likewise, in an embodiment of the disclosure, as the indoor dehumidification load increases, the dehumidification operation section of the air conditioner 1000 may change from the third dehumidification operation section to the first dehumidification operation section. As the dehumidification operation section progresses from the third dehumidification operation section to the first dehumidification operation section, the dehumidification operation level may increase, the rotation speed of the indoor fan may increase, the target dew point temperature may decrease, the refrigerant flow rate may increase, the target discharge temperature of the compressor may decrease, and the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may decrease. The air conditioner 1000 may lower the dew point temperature by decreasing the frequency of the compressor. The air conditioner 1000 may increase the refrigerant flow rate by increasing the opening degree of the expansion valve. This will be described below in more detail with reference to the table of FIG. 7B.

For example, in operation 10, when the user presses the dehumidification mode button 301 of the remote controller 300, the remote controller 300 may receive a dehumidification operation setting input. The remote controller 300 may receive a set temperature input together with the dehumidification operation setting input. The remote controller 300 may transmit the dehumidification operation setting input and the set temperature data to the indoor unit 200. The indoor unit 200 may receive the dehumidification operation setting input and the set temperature data from the remote controller 300. In operation 20, the indoor unit 200 may determine a dehumidification operation section based on the degree of the dehumidification load. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the indoor unit 200 may identify the degree of the dehumidification load based on the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature. For example, when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is great, the indoor unit 200 may identify that the amount of the dehumidification load is large. When the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is small, the indoor unit 200 may identify that the amount of the dehumidification load is small. The indoor unit 200 may determine a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of dehumidification operation sections according to the degree of the dehumidification load. In operation 30, the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

Also, in an embodiment of the disclosure, by performing wind-free control and differential dehumidification control together, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a dehumidification mode that does not cause overcooling. For example, when the user presses the wind-free mode button 302 of the remote controller 300, the air conditioner 1000 may operate in a wind-free mode. Alternatively, for example, when receiving the dehumidification operation setting input, the air conditioner 1000 may automatically perform the wind-free mode together with the dehumidification operation.

Herein, the wind-free mode may be a function for minimizing an airflow feeling such that the user is not directly exposed to an airflow, and may be implemented through a wind-free control method. In the wind-free mode, cold air may be discharged at a minimum flow rate that does not allow the user to feel an airflow feeling. In order to implement a fine airflow for the wind-free mode, fine porous holes may be formed in an indoor blade disposed on the front panel of the indoor unit 200, and a flow path structure shape for implementing both general wind and the wind-free mode may be applied to the inside of the indoor unit 200. The indoor unit 200 includes the indoor blade. The indoor blade is disposed on the discharge port of the indoor unit 200. The indoor blade may have a cover with a length and width so as to cover the discharge port when the indoor blade is closed. The cover of the indoor blade may be flat, or may include a curve in at least a portion thereof. The indoor blade may include the fine porous holes (or microporous holes). The fine porous holes may be distributed on the cover of the indoor blade. The indoor blade, based on at least one of a degree to which is opened or an angle it is disposed at, may control the direction and flow rate of air discharged to the indoor space in the general wind mode. The indoor blade may be at least one of opened/closed or disposed at an angle, based on a rotation of the indoor blade about an axis or based on movement of the indoor blade relative to the indoor unit 200. While a single indoor blade is described herein, a plurality of indoor blades may be used. For example, the wind-free control may include an operation of closing an indoor blade, performing control to discharge an airflow through the fine porous holes formed in the indoor blade disposed on the front panel of the indoor unit 200, and controlling the rotation speed of the indoor fan to a wind-free cooling rotation speed that is lower than a general cooling rotation speed. In the wind-free mode with the fine porous holes formed in the indoor blade, after the indoor blade included in the indoor unit 200 is closed and the discharge port of the indoor unit 200 is blocked, cold air may be discharged from the fine porous holes formed in the indoor blade. The term “indoor blade” denotes a blade of the indoor unit, the term “blade” may substitute to the terms “vane,” “deflector,” “flap,” “louver”, “airflow guide”, “opening/closing part of discharge port”, “cover of discharge port”, “door of discharge port” for the same component. The indoor blade may be disposed at a discharge port of the indoor unit 200. The discharge port of the indoor unit 200 may be in the front panel of the indoor unit 200, or any other portion of the indoor unit 200 from which air may be discharged to the indoor space. While fine porous holes are described herein as be formed in the front panel of the indoor unit 200, the fine porous holes may be formed in any other portion of the indoor unit 200 from which air may be discharged to the indoor space. Alternatively, to implement the fine airflow for the wind-free mode, instead of using fine porous holes, the indoor blade may be controlled in a slightly opened state. Here, the wind-free control may include an operation of controlling the indoor blade in the slightly opened state, performing control to discharge the airflow through one or more small openings formed by the indoor blade being in the slightly opened state, and controlling the rotation speed of the indoor fan to a wind-free cooling rotation speed that is lower than a general cooling rotation speed. In the wind-free mode with the indoor blade in the slightly opened state, after the indoor blade included in the indoor unit 200 is in the slightly opened state, cold air may be discharged from the one or more small openings formed by the indoor blade being in the slightly opened state. Because the fine airflow has a flow rate and a wind volume much smaller than those of general wind, it may be an airflow method that is advantageous in the dehumidification operation. That is, because the temperature of the heat exchanger decreases as the wind volume decreases, it may be advantageous for removing latent heat and may be effective for dehumidification. Also, because a sensible heat ratio decreases as the wind volume decreases, sensible heat may be less removed and accordingly an overcooling phenomenon in which the temperature of the indoor air also falls due to the dehumidification operation may be minimized.

Herein, the latent heat may be heat generated due to a phase change (e.g., from gas to liquid) and may be removed when the air conditioner 1000 performs a dehumidification operation. For example, in a case where a dehumidification load occurs as the indoor humidity increases, when the air conditioner 1000 performs a dehumidification operation, the dehumidification load may be removed, and in this process, the latent heat may be removed, and as a result, the indoor humidity may decrease. Herein, the sensible heat may be heat generated due to a temperature change and may be removed when the air conditioner 1000 performs a cooling operation. For example, in a case where a cooling load occurs as the indoor temperature increases, when the air conditioner 1000 performs a cooling operation, the cooling load may be removed, and in this process, the sensible heat may be removed, and as a result, the indoor temperature may decrease. Both the sensible heat and the latent heat may be removed in the general cooling operation, but it may be necessary to remove only the latent heat in the dehumidification operation. When the sensible heat is removed together during the dehumidification operation, the user will feel cold. Thus, when the air conditioner 1000 performs wind-free control, the wind volume may be small and thus the sensible heat may be less removed.

Moreover, for example, when the user presses the AI comfortable mode button 303 of the remote controller 300, the air conditioner 1000 may operate in an AI comfortable mode. Herein, the AI comfortable mode may be a function for automatically performing an AI dehumidification operation within a comfortable humidity range through indoor environment information without the user's set temperature input. The AI comfortable mode will be further described below with reference to FIGS. 10, 11. 12, 13A, 13B, and 14.

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, an air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include an outdoor unit 100 and an indoor unit 200. The outdoor unit 100 may include an outdoor unit controller 110, an outdoor heat exchanger 120, an outdoor unit communicator 130, an outdoor unit sensor 140, an outdoor unit driver 150, a compressor 160, an expansion valve 170, an outdoor fan 180, and a four-way valve 190. The indoor unit 200 may include an indoor unit controller 210, an indoor heat exchanger 220, an indoor unit communicator 230, an indoor unit sensor 240, an input interface 250, an output interface 260, an indoor unit driver 270, an indoor fan 280, and an indoor blade 290. However, not all of the components illustrated in FIG. 2 are essential components. The outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may include more components than the components illustrated in FIG. 2, or the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may include fewer components than the components illustrated in FIG. 2.

All components of a heat pump device may be embedded in a single housing forming the exterior of the air conditioner 1000, and a window-type air conditioner or a portable air conditioner may correspond to the air conditioner 1000. On the other hand, some components of the heat pump device may be divided and embedded in a plurality of housings forming one air conditioner 1000, and this may include a wall-mounted air conditioner, a stand-type air conditioner, a system air conditioner, or the like.

The air conditioner 1000 including a plurality of housings may include at least one outdoor unit 100 installed outdoors and at least one indoor unit 200 installed indoors. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may be arranged such that one outdoor unit 100 and one indoor unit 200 are connected through a refrigerant pipe. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may be arranged such that one outdoor unit 100 is connected to two or more indoor units 200 through a refrigerant pipe. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may be arranged such that two or more outdoor units 100 and two or more indoor units 200 are connected through a plurality of refrigerant pipes.

The outdoor unit 100 may be electrically connected to the indoor unit 200. For example, information (or commands) for controlling the air conditioner 1000 may be input through an input interface arranged in the outdoor unit 100 or the indoor unit 200, and the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may operate simultaneously or sequentially in response to a user input.

The air conditioner 1000 may include an outdoor heat exchanger 120 arranged in the outdoor unit 100, an indoor heat exchanger 220 arranged in the indoor unit 200, and a refrigerant pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger 120 and the indoor heat exchanger 220 to each other.

The outdoor heat exchanger 120 may perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air by using a phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. For example, while the refrigerant condenses in the outdoor heat exchanger 120, the refrigerant may emit heat to the outdoor air, and while the refrigerant flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger 120 evaporates, the refrigerant may absorb heat from the outdoor air.

The indoor unit 200 may be arranged indoors. For example, the indoor unit 200 may be classified into a ceiling-type indoor unit 200, a stand-type indoor unit 200, and a wall-mounted indoor unit 200, depending on the arrangement method thereof. For example, the ceiling-type indoor unit 200 may be classified into a four-way indoor unit 200, a one-way type indoor unit 200, and a duct-type indoor unit 200, depending on the air discharge method thereof.

Likewise, the indoor heat exchanger 220 may perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the indoor air by using a phase change (e.g., evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. For example, the refrigerant may absorb heat from the indoor air while the refrigerant evaporates in the indoor unit 200, and the indoor space may be cooled by blowing the indoor air cooled while passing through the cooled indoor heat exchanger 220. Also, the refrigerant may emit heat to the indoor air while the refrigerant is condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 220, and the indoor space may be heated by blowing the indoor air heated while passing through the high-temperature indoor heat exchanger 220.

That is, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a cooling or heating function through a phase change process of the refrigerant circulating through the outdoor heat exchanger 120 and the indoor heat exchanger 220, and for this refrigerant circulation, the air conditioner 1000 may include a compressor 160 that compresses the refrigerant. The compressor 160 may suction a refrigerant gas through a suction portion and compress the refrigerant gas. The compressor 160 may discharge a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas through a discharge portion. The compressor 160 may be arranged in the outdoor unit 100.

The refrigerant may circulate in the order of the compressor 160, the outdoor heat exchanger 120, the expansion valve 170, and the indoor heat exchanger 220 through a refrigerant pipe or may circulate in the order of the compressor 160, the indoor heat exchanger 220, the expansion valve 170, and the outdoor heat exchanger 120.

For example, in the air conditioner 1000, when one outdoor unit 100 and one indoor unit 200 are directly connected through a refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant may be circulated between the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 through the refrigerant pipe.

For example, in the air conditioner 1000, when one outdoor unit 100 is connected to two or more indoor units 200 through a refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant may flow in the indoor units 200 through the refrigerant pipe branching from the outdoor unit 100. The refrigerants discharged from the indoor units 200 may be combined with each other and circulated to the outdoor unit 100. For example, each of the indoor units 200 may be directly connected in parallel to one outdoor unit 100 through a separate refrigerant pipe.

Each of the indoor units 200 may operate independently according to the operation mode set by the user. That is, some of the indoor units 200 may operate in a cooling mode and simultaneously some others may operate in a heating mode. In this case, the refrigerant may be selectively introduced into each indoor unit 200 in a high or low-pressure state along a designated circulation path through a flow path switching valve described below and may be discharged and circulated to the outdoor unit 100.

For example, in the air conditioner 1000, when two or more outdoor units 100 and two or more indoor units 200 are connected through a plurality of refrigerant pipes, the refrigerants discharged from the outdoor units 100 may be combined with each other and flow through one refrigerant pipe and then may be branched again at a defined point and introduced into the indoor units 200.

All of the outdoor units 100 may be driven or at least some thereof may not be driven, depending on the operation load according to the operation amount of the indoor units 200. In this case, the refrigerant may be circulated by being introduced into the outdoor unit 100 that is selectively driven through the flow path switching valve. The air conditioner 1000 may include an expansion valve 170 to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant introduced into the heat exchanger. For example, the expansion valve 170 may be arranged in the indoor unit 200 or in the outdoor unit 100 or may be arranged in both the indoor unit 200 and the outdoor unit 100.

The expansion valve 170 may lower the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant by using, for example, a throttling effect. The expansion valve 170 may include an orifice that may reduce the cross-sectional area of the flow path. The temperature and pressure of the refrigerant that has passed through the orifice may be lowered.

For example, the expansion valve 170 may be implemented as an electronic expansion valve (EEV) that may adjust an opening ratio (the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the valve in a partially opened state to the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the valve in a completely opened state). The amount of the refrigerant passing through the expansion valve 170 may be controlled depending on the opening ratio of the EEV. For example, when the opening ratio is represented as 0% to 100%, 0% may mean a state in which the valve is completely closed and 100% may mean a state in which the valve is completely opened. When the opening ratio of the EEV is low, the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the EEV may decrease. When the opening ratio of the EEV is high, the refrigerant may pass freely through the EEV. Herein, the opening ratio of the expansion valve 170 may be represented as an opening degree.

The air conditioner 1000 may further include a flow path switching valve arranged on a refrigerant circulation path. The flow path switching valve may include, for example, a four-way valve 190. The flow path switching valve may determine the circulation path of the refrigerant, depending on the operation mode (e.g., cooling operation or heating operation) of the indoor unit 200. The flow path switching valve may be connected to the discharge portion of the compressor 160.

The air conditioner 1000 may include an accumulator. The accumulator may be connected to the suction portion of the compressor 160. The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant evaporated from the indoor heat exchanger 220 or the outdoor heat exchanger 120 may be introduced into the accumulator.

When the refrigerant with a mixture of a refrigerant liquid and a refrigerant gas is introduced thereinto, the accumulator may separate the refrigerant liquid from the refrigerant gas and provide the refrigerant gas with the refrigerant liquid separated therefrom to the compressor 160.

The outdoor fan 180 may be arranged near the outdoor heat exchanger 120. The outdoor fan 180 may blow the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 120 to promote heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air.

The outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioner 1000 may include at least one sensor. For example, the outdoor unit sensor 140 may be arranged as an environment sensor. The outdoor unit sensor 140 may be arranged at any position inside or outside the outdoor unit 100. For example, the outdoor unit sensor 140 may include an outdoor temperature sensor 142 for detecting the air temperature around the outdoor unit 100, a humidity sensor for detecting the air humidity around the outdoor unit 100, a refrigerant temperature sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of the refrigerant pipe passing through the outdoor unit 100, or a refrigerant pressure sensor for detecting the refrigerant pressure of the refrigerant pipe passing through the outdoor unit 100. For example, the outdoor unit sensor 140 may include a compressor discharge temperature sensor 144 for detecting the outlet temperature of the refrigerant pipe passing through the compressor 160.

The outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an outdoor unit communicator 130. The outdoor unit communicator 130 may be arranged to receive a control signal from a controller of the indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000, which will be described below. The outdoor unit 100 may control the operation of the compressor 160, the outdoor heat exchanger 120, the expansion valve 170, the flow path switching valve, the accumulator, or the outdoor fan 180 based on the control signal received through the outdoor unit communicator 130. The outdoor unit 100 may transmit a sensing value detected from the outdoor unit sensor 140, to the controller of the indoor unit 200 through the outdoor unit communicator 130.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include a housing, a blower for circulating air into or out of the housing, and an indoor heat exchanger 220 for exchanging heat with the air flowing into the housing.

The housing may include a suction port. The indoor air may be introduced into the housing through the suction port.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include a filter arranged to filter off foreign substances in the air introduced into the housing through the suction port.

The housing may include a discharge port. The air flowing in the housing may be discharged to the outside of the housing through the discharge port.

The housing of the indoor unit 200 may include an airflow guide that guides the direction of the air discharged through the discharge port. For example, the airflow guide may include a blade located on the discharge port. For example, the airflow guide may include an auxiliary fan for controlling a discharge airflow. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the airflow guide may be omitted.

The housing of the indoor unit 200 may include an indoor heat exchanger 220 and a blower arranged on a path connecting the suction port and the discharge port to each other. The blower may include an indoor fan 280 and a fan motor. For example, the indoor fan 280 may include an axial fan, a mixed flow fan, a crossflow fan, and/or a centrifugal fan.

The indoor heat exchanger 220 may be arranged between the blower and the discharge port or may be arranged between the suction port and the blower. The indoor heat exchanger 220 may absorb heat from the air introduced through the suction port or may transmit heat to the air introduced through the suction port. The indoor heat exchanger 220 may include a heat exchange pipe through which the refrigerant flows, and a heat exchange fin contacting the heat exchange pipe to increase the heat transmission area.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include a drain tray arranged under the indoor heat exchanger 220 to collect condensed water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 220. The condensed water accommodated in the drain tray may be drained to the outside through a drain hose. The drain tray may be arranged to support the indoor heat exchanger 220.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an indoor blade 290 arranged at the front panel of the housing of the indoor unit 200. The indoor blade 290 may be a component that controls the direction and flow rate of the discharged air, by at least one of opening/closing the indoor blade 290 or adjusting an angle, thereby uniformly distributing cold or warm air to the indoor space. The indoor blade 290 may be opened in a general cooling mode and closed in the wind-free mode; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In present disclosure, when the indoor blade 290 is open, it means that the cover blocking the outlet is open, and when the indoor blade 290 is closed, it means that the cover is closed to block the outlet. In the normal wind mode, the indoor blade 290 is open to allow cold air from the indoor unit 200 to be exhausted directly to the outside. On the other hand, in the no wind mode, the indoor blades 290 are closed so that the cold air provided by the indoor unit 200 can be discharged through the microporous holes at a predetermined flow rate or less.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an input interface 250. The input interface 250 may include any type of user input unit including a button, a switch, a touch screen, and/or a touch pad. The user may directly input set data (e.g., desired indoor temperature, operation mode setting of cooling/heating/dehumidification/air cleaning, discharge port selection setting, and/or wind volume setting) through the input interface 250.

The input interface 250 may be connected to an external input device. For example, the input interface 250 may be electrically connected to a remote controller through a wired/wireless communication network. The remote controller may include an input device that may receive various control commands from the user, and a device that remotely controls at least one of the components of the air conditioner 1000 in response to the input control command. For example, the remote controller may include a button, a key, a pad, and a touch screen. For example, the remote controller may be a user terminal. For example, the user terminal may include, but is not limited to, a smart phone or a wearable device in the form of glasses or a watch.

For example, the input interface 250 may be electrically connected to a wired remote controller. The wired remote controller may be installed at a particular position in the indoor space (e.g., a portion of a wall surface). The user may input set data about the operation of the air conditioner 1000 by operating the wired remote controller. An electrical signal corresponding to the set data obtained through the wired remote controller may be transmitted to the input interface 250. Also, the input interface 250 may include an infrared sensor. The user may remotely input set data about the operation of the air conditioner 1000 by using a wireless remote controller. The set data input through the wireless remote controller may be transmitted to the input interface 250 as an infrared signal.

Also, the input interface 250 may include a microphone. A user's voice command may be obtained through the microphone. The microphone may convert the user's voice command into an electrical signal and transmit the electrical signal to the indoor unit controller 210. The indoor unit controller 210 may control the components of the air conditioner 1000 to execute a function corresponding to the user's voice command. The set data (e.g., desired indoor temperature, operation mode setting of cooling/heating/dehumidification/air cleaning, discharge port selection setting, and/or wind volume setting) obtained through the input interface 250 may be transmitted to the indoor unit controller 210 described below. As an example, the set data obtained through the input interface 250 may be transmitted to the outside, that is, to the outdoor unit 100 or a server, through the indoor unit communicator 230 described below.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an output interface 260. The output interface 260 may be electrically connected to the indoor unit controller 210 and may output information related to the operation of the air conditioner 1000 under the control by the indoor unit controller 210. For example, information such as the operation mode, the wind direction, the wind volume, and the temperature selected by a user input may be output. Also, the output interface 260 may output a warning/error message and sensing information obtained from the indoor unit sensor 240 or the outdoor unit sensor 140.

The output interface 260 may include a display and a speaker. As an audio device, the speaker may output various sounds. The display may display information input by the user or information provided to the user, as various graphic elements. For example, operation information of the air conditioner 1000 may be displayed as at least one of an image or a text. Also, the display may include an indicator that provides particular information. The display may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a light emitting diode (LED) panel, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, a micro LED panel, and/or a plurality of LEDs.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include a power module. The power module may be connected to an external power supply to supply power to the components of the indoor unit 200.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an indoor unit sensor 240. The indoor unit sensor 240 may be an environment sensor arranged in the space inside or outside the housing. For example, the indoor unit sensor 240 may include one or more indoor temperature sensors 242 and/or relative humidity sensors 246 arranged in a predetermined space inside or outside the housing of the indoor unit 200. For example, the indoor unit sensor 240 may include a refrigerant temperature sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature of the refrigerant pipe passing through the indoor unit 200. For example, the indoor unit sensor 240 may include each heat exchanger temperature sensor 244 that detects the inlet, intermediate, and/or outlet temperature of the refrigerant pipe passing through the indoor heat exchanger 220.

For example, each environment information detected by the indoor unit sensor 240 may be transmitted to the indoor unit controller 210 described below or transmitted to the outside through the indoor unit communicator 230 described below.

The indoor unit 200 may include an indoor unit communicator 230. The indoor unit communicator 230 may include at least one of a short-range wireless communication module or a long-range wireless communication module. The indoor unit communicator 230 may include at least one antenna for wirelessly communicating with other devices. The outdoor unit 100 may include an outdoor unit communicator 130. The outdoor unit communicator 130 may also include at least one of a short-range wireless communication module or a long-range wireless communication module.

The short-range wireless communication module may include, but is not limited to, a Bluetooth communication module, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication module, a Near Field Communication (NFC) module, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (WiFi) communication module, a ZigBee communication module, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) communication module, a WiFi Direct (WFD) communication module, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) communication module, an Ant+ communication module, and/or a microwave (μWave) communication module.

The long-range wireless communication module may include a communication module performing various types of long-range wireless communication and may include a mobile communicator. The mobile communicator may transmit/receive wireless signals to/from at least one of a base station, an external terminal, or a server on a mobile communication network.

The indoor unit communicator 230 may communicate with an external device such as a server, a mobile device, or other home appliances through an access point (AP) therearound.

The outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may perform bidirectional communication. Each of the outdoor unit communicator 130 and the indoor unit communicator 230 may include a port for connecting a wired cable for performing wired communication between the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200. The indoor unit communicator 230 may transmit, to the outdoor unit communicator 130, a control signal generated by the indoor unit controller 210 described below or transmit, to the indoor unit controller 210, a control signal received from the outdoor unit communicator 130. The outdoor unit communicator 130 may transmit, to the indoor unit communicator 230, a control signal generated by the outdoor unit controller 110 described below or transmit, to the outdoor unit controller 110, a control signal received from the indoor unit communicator 230. The outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may transmit and receive various signals generated during the operation of the air conditioner 1000.

The indoor unit 200 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an indoor unit controller 210 that controls the components of the indoor unit 200. The outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioner 1000 may include an outdoor unit controller 110 that controls the components of the outdoor unit 100. The outdoor unit controller 110 may be electrically connected to the components of the outdoor unit 100 and may control the operation of each of the components. For example, the outdoor unit controller 110 may provide the outdoor unit driver 150 with a control signal for controlling the compressor 160, the expansion valve 170, the outdoor fan 180, and the four-way valve 190. The outdoor unit driver 150 may generate a driving current based on the control signal and provide the driving current to the compressor 160, the expansion valve 170, the outdoor fan 180, and the four-way valve 190. The outdoor unit controller 110 may control the frequency of the compressor 160 and control the flow path switching valve to switch the circulation direction of the refrigerant. Also, the outdoor unit controller 110 may generate a control signal for controlling the opening degree of the expansion valve 170. Also, the outdoor unit controller 110 may control the rotation speed or rotation number of the outdoor fan 180. Under the control by the outdoor unit controller 110, the refrigerant may circulate along a refrigerant circulation circuit including the compressor 160, the four-way valve 190, the outdoor heat exchanger 120, the expansion valve 170, and the indoor heat exchanger 220.

Each of the various temperature sensors included in the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the detected temperature to the outdoor unit controller 110 and/or the indoor unit controller 210. For example, each of the humidity sensors included in the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the detected humidity to the outdoor unit controller 110 and/or the indoor unit controller 210.

The indoor unit controller 210 may obtain an user input from a user device including a mobile device or the like through the indoor unit communicator 230 and may obtain a user input directly through the input interface 250 or through the remote controller.

The indoor unit controller 210 may control the components of the indoor unit 200 in response to the received user input. For example, the indoor unit controller 210 may provide the indoor unit driver 270 with a control signal for controlling the indoor fan 280 and the indoor blade 290. The indoor unit driver 270 may generate a driving current based on the control signal and provide the driving current to the indoor fan 280 and the indoor blade 290. The indoor unit controller 210 may adjust the rotation speed or rotation number of the indoor fan 280. The indoor unit controller 210 may control the indoor blade 290 to close or open the indoor blade 290.

The indoor unit controller 210 may transmit information about the received user input to the outdoor unit controller 110 of the outdoor unit 100. The outdoor unit controller 110 may control the components of the outdoor unit 100, including the compressor 160, based on information about the user input received from the indoor unit 200. For example, when a control signal corresponding to a user input for selecting an operation mode such as a cooling operation, a heating operation, a ventilation operation, a defrosting operation, or a dehumidification operation is received from the indoor unit 200, the outdoor unit controller 110 may control the components of the outdoor unit 100 such that the operation of the air conditioner 1000 corresponding to the selected operation mode is performed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2 in association with FIG. 3, the air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include a processor 1001, a communicator 1002, and memory 1003. Some or all of the operations of the processor 1001 may be performed separately by the indoor unit controller 210 and the outdoor unit controller 110 or may be performed individually by each of the indoor unit controller 210 and the outdoor unit controller 110. For example, the indoor unit controller 210 may include at least one first processor and at least one first memory, and the outdoor unit controller 110 may include at least one second processor and at least one second memory.

The memory 1003 may memorize/store various information necessary for the operation of the air conditioner 1000. The memory 1003 may store instructions, applications, data, and/or programs necessary for the operation of the air conditioner 1000. For example, the memory 1003 may store various programs for the cooling operation, heating operation, dehumidification operation, and/or defrosting operation of the air conditioner 1000. The memory 1003 may include a volatile memory such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) for temporarily storing data. Also, the memory 1003 may include a nonvolatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) for long-term storage of data.

The processor 1001 may control an overall operation of the air conditioner 1000. The processor 1001 may include one or more processors. The one or more processors included in the processor 1001 may include circuitry such as a system-on-chip (SoC) or an integrated circuit (IC). The processor 1001 may perform a defined operation by executing the instruction or command stored in the memory 1003. Also, the processor 1001 may control the operations of the components included in the air conditioner 1000. The one or more processors included in the processor 1001 may include a general-purpose processor such as a CPU, an MPU, an AP, or a DSP, a dedicated graphics processor such as a GPU or a VPU, a dedicated artificial intelligence processor such as an NPU, or a dedicated communication processor such as a CP. When the one or more processors included in the processor 1001 include a dedicated artificial intelligence processor, the dedicated artificial intelligence processor may be designed with a hardware structure specialized for processing of a particular artificial intelligence model.

The communicator 1002 may correspond to the outdoor unit communicator 130 and the indoor unit communicator 230.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may obtain the indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor 242.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may determine a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature set by the user. The processor 1001 may obtain the user's set temperature data through at least one of the input interface 250 or the remote controller connected to the input interface 250. The processor 1001 may identify the degree of the dehumidification load based on the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature set by the user. The processor 1001 may determine a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the degree of the dehumidification load.

In order to determine a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the indoor temperature, the processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may determine the first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is greater than a reference value. The processor 1001 may determine the second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is smaller than the reference value. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the operation level of the first dehumidification operation section may be higher than the operation level of the second dehumidification operation section. Herein, for convenience of description, two dehumidification operation sections among the plurality of dehumidification operation sections will be described.

As another example, the processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may determine the first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is greater than a first reference value. The processor 1001 may determine the second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is smaller than the first reference value and greater than a second reference value. The processor 1001 may determine the third dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is smaller than the second reference value. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the operation level may be lowered in the order of the first dehumidification operation section, the second dehumidification operation section, and the third dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 1001 may perform hysteresis control. For example, a reference value for classifying the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature falls may be different from a reference value for classifying the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature rises. Accordingly, the processor 1001 may perform control such that the dehumidification operation section does not change in real time at the temperature boundary.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may perform a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner 1000 by controlling at least one of the indoor fan 280, the compressor 160, or the expansion valve 170 provided in the air conditioner 1000, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the indoor fan 280 based on the rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 set in the second dehumidification operation section may be lower than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 set in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the compressor 160 at a defined frequency based on the target dew point temperature corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. For example, the processor 1001 may calculate the target dew point temperature based on the relative humidity and the set temperature. The processor 1001 may apply a temperature correction value according to the determined dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature. The processor 1001 may adjust the frequency of the compressor 160 based on the corrected target dew point temperature. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second temperature correction value used in the second dehumidification operation section may be greater than a first temperature correction value used in the first dehumidification operation section. Here, the processor 1001 may obtain the relative humidity through the relative humidity sensor 246.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 provided in the air conditioner 1000, based on the target discharge temperature of the compressor 160 corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target discharge temperature of the compressor 160 set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor 160 set in the first dehumidification operation section.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 based on the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger 220 corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger 220 set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger 220 set in the first dehumidification operation section.

As the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature, the processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may perform control to lower the rotation speed of the indoor fan 280, perform control to lower the frequency of the compressor 160, and perform control to lower the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 to reduce the refrigerant flow rate. The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may reduce energy consumption by minimizing the indoor cold draft, maintaining the humidity within the comfortable humidity range, and minimizing the overcooling, through the differential dehumidification control according to the dehumidification load.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may automatically perform the dehumidification operation within the comfortable humidity range through the indoor environment information without the user's set temperature input by performing the AI dehumidification operation. For example, the processor 1001 may obtain the indoor relative humidity through the relative humidity sensor 246. The processor 1001 may obtain dehumidification operation information through a dehumidification operation identification model based on the indoor environment information including the indoor relative humidity and the indoor temperature. The processor 1001 may perform a dehumidification operation of the air conditioner 1000 based on the dehumidification operation section corresponding to the dehumidification operation information. The dehumidification operation identification model according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be trained to identify the dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing a refrigerant cycle in a dehumidification operation of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an outdoor unit 100 and an indoor unit 200 included in the air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The outdoor unit 100 illustrated in FIG. 4 may include an outdoor heat exchanger 120, a compressor discharge temperature sensor 144, a compressor 160, an expansion valve 170, an outdoor fan 180, and a four-way valve 190. The indoor unit 200 illustrated in FIG. 4 may include an indoor heat exchanger 220, an indoor temperature sensor 242, a first heat exchanger temperature sensor 244a, a second heat exchanger temperature sensor 244b, a relative humidity sensor 246, and an indoor fan 280. FIG. 4 illustrates that the first heat exchanger temperature sensor 244a is a heat exchanger temperature sensor for detecting the outlet temperature of the refrigerant pipe passing through the indoor heat exchanger 220 and the second heat exchanger temperature sensor 244b is a heat exchanger temperature sensor for detecting the inlet temperature of the refrigerant pipe passing through the indoor heat exchanger 220; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto. At least one of the first heat exchanger temperature sensor 244a or the second heat exchanger temperature sensor 244b may be located to detect at least one of the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, or intermediate temperature of the refrigerant pipe. Because the respective components thereof have been described above in detail with respect to FIG. 2, redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted for conciseness.

Hereinafter, the flow of the refrigerant in the dehumidification operation of the air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure will be described. The refrigerant in a low-temperature/low-pressure gas state may be compressed by passing through the compressor 160 into a high-temperature/high-pressure refrigerant. The high-temperature/high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the outlet (e.g., the upper end) of the compressor 160 may pass through the four-way valve 190 and flow toward the outdoor heat exchanger 120. The high-temperature/high-pressure refrigerant flowing toward the outdoor heat exchanger 120 may pass through the inlet, such as the top, of the outdoor heat exchanger 120 and be discharged from the outlet, such as the bottom, of the outdoor heat exchanger 120. While the refrigerant passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 120 and condenses, heat may be released to the outside through heat exchange. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant, after performing heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger 120, may be depressurized into a low-temperature/low-pressure refrigerant through the expansion valve 170. The refrigerant flow rate is controlled according to the opening degree of the expansion valve 170, and the low-temperature/low-pressure refrigerant may flow toward the indoor unit 200. The low-temperature/low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the outdoor unit 100 and flowing toward the indoor unit 200 may pass through the inlet (e.g., the lower end) of the indoor heat exchanger 220 and then may be discharged through the outlet (e.g., the upper end) of the indoor heat exchanger 220. While the refrigerant passes through the indoor heat exchanger 220 and evaporates, the refrigerant may absorb heat from the indoor air. The indoor space may be cooled by blowing the air cooled while passing through the cooled indoor heat exchanger 220. Accordingly, the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 220 may fall to the dew point temperature or less.

The refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 220 may again pass through the four-way valve 190 and enter the inlet (e.g., the right side) of the compressor 160.

When the air conditioner 1000 performs a dehumidification operation, the dehumidification load may be removed, and in this process, the latent heat may be removed, and as a result, the indoor humidity may decrease. The above-described process corresponds to the refrigerant flow during dehumidification operation or heating operation, and during heating operation, the refrigerant flow may proceed in the opposite direction to the above-described process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for describing a differential dehumidification operation method for each section of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, the differential dehumidification operation method for each section according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be performed by the processor 1001 (see FIG. 3) of the air conditioner 1000. The differential dehumidification operation method for each section according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be performed by the indoor unit controller 210 (see FIG. 2), but is not limited thereto and may also be performed by the indoor unit controller 210 (see FIG. 2) and the outdoor unit controller 110 (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 5, redundant descriptions with those given above will be omitted for conciseness.

In operation 510, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the set temperature. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may receive a user's dehumidification operation setting input through at least one of the input interface or the remote controller. The air conditioner 1000 may obtain the indoor set temperature data desired by the user, through at least one of the input interface or the remote controller.

In operation 520, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may detect the indoor temperature when receiving the dehumidification operation setting input.

Herein, the dehumidification mode may be a function for removing moisture in indoor air and may be implemented through a dew point control method. According to the dehumidification mode, the amount of an indoor dehumidification load may be reduced and moisture in indoor air may be removed. In the dehumidification mode, refrigerant cycle control may be performed to lower the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a dew point temperature or less for dehumidification. This has been described above with reference to FIG. 1.

In operation 530, the air conditioner 1000 may determine a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature set by the user.

The dehumidification operation according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a plurality of dehumidification operation sections. Each of the plurality of dehumidification operation sections may be determined according to the degree of the dehumidification load. The degree of the dehumidification load may be determined according to the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may use the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature to determine the degree of the dehumidification load. For example, as the temperature difference is greater, the air conditioner 1000 may determine that the dehumidification load is higher and may increase the level of the dehumidification operation. For example, as the temperature difference is smaller, the air conditioner 1000 may determine that the dehumidification load is lower and may decrease the level of the dehumidification operation. The air conditioner 1000 may determine a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the level of the dehumidification operation.

For example, in the case of two dehumidification operation sections, the air conditioner 1000 may determine the first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is greater than a reference value. The air conditioner 1000 may determine the second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is smaller than the reference value. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a first operation level of the first dehumidification operation section may be higher than a second operation level of the second dehumidification operation section.

Alternatively, in the case of three dehumidification operation sections, the air conditioner 1000 may determine the first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is greater than a first reference value. The air conditioner 1000 may determine the second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is smaller than the first reference value and greater than a second reference value. The air conditioner 1000 may determine the third dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is smaller than the second reference value. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the operation level may be lowered in the order of the first dehumidification operation section, the second dehumidification operation section, and the third dehumidification operation section.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may change to a weaker dehumidification operation section as the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature. That is, when the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, because the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger approaches the target dew point temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may change to perform a weaker dehumidification operation. This will be further described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7A.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may change to a stronger dehumidification operation section as the indoor temperature rises above the set temperature. That is, when the indoor temperature rises above the set temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may change to perform a stronger dehumidification operation such that the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may reach the target dew point temperature or less. This will be further described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7B.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may perform hysteresis control. For example, a reference value for classifying the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature falls may be different from a reference value for classifying the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature rises. Accordingly, the air conditioner 1000 may perform control such that the dehumidification operation section does not change in real time at the temperature boundary.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 is illustrated as using the temperature difference information between the indoor temperature and the set temperature to determine the degree of the dehumidification load; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may identify the degree of the dehumidification load through the sensor or other components included in the air conditioner 1000.

In operation 540, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may control the components of the air conditioner 1000 with a control factor set for the determined dehumidification operation section. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may control at least one of the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2), the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2), and the expansion valve 170 (see FIG. 2) provided in the air conditioner 1000, with a value of a control factor corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. Here, the control factor may represent an input variable for controlling the components of the air conditioner 1000. The value of the control factor may represent a particular numerical value set for the control factor. For example, the control factor may include at least one of the rotation speed of the indoor fan, the target dew point temperature, the discharge temperature of the compressor, or the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may operate according to a dehumidification operation section for gradually increasing the level of the dehumidification operation when the dehumidification load increases. The air conditioner 1000 may operate according to a dehumidification operation section for gradually decreasing the level of the dehumidification operation when the dehumidification load decreases.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2) based on the rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may apply a rotation speed correction value (e.g., 0, C, or D) for each dehumidification operation section to the wind-free cooling rotation speed. The air conditioner 1000 may control the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2) based on the corrected rotation speed. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2) set in the second dehumidification operation section may be lower than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2) set in the first dehumidification operation section. This will be described below with reference to FIG. 8A.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2) at a defined frequency based on the target dew point temperature corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may calculate the target dew point temperature based on the relative humidity and the set temperature. The air conditioner 1000 may apply a temperature correction value (e.g., 0, E, or F) according to the determined dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature. The air conditioner 1000 may adjust the frequency of the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2) based on the corrected target dew point temperature. Here, the relative humidity may be a value obtained through the relative humidity sensor 246 (see FIG. 2) of the air conditioner 1000. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section. This will be described below with reference to FIG. 8B.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 (see FIG. 2) provided in the air conditioner 1000, based on the target discharge temperature of the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may apply a temperature correction value (e.g., 0, G, or H) for each dehumidification operation section to the target discharge temperature. The air conditioner 1000 may adjust the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 (see FIG. 2) based on the corrected target discharge temperature. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target discharge temperature of the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2) set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2) set in the first dehumidification operation section. This will be described below with reference to FIG. 8C.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may control the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 (see FIG. 2) based on the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger 220 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may apply a temperature correction value (e.g., 0, I, or J) for each dehumidification operation section to the target overheating degree. The air conditioner 1000 may adjust the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 (see FIG. 2) based on the corrected target overheating degree. In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger 220 (see FIG. 2) set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger 220 (see FIG. 2) set in the first dehumidification operation section. This will be described below with reference to FIG. 8D.

As the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature, the air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may perform control to lower the rotation speed of the indoor fan 280 (see FIG. 2), perform control to lower the frequency of the compressor 160 (see FIG. 2), and perform control to lower the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 (see FIG. 2) to reduce the refrigerant flow rate. The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may reduce energy consumption by minimizing the indoor cold draft, maintaining the humidity within the comfortable humidity range, and minimizing the overcooling, through the differential dehumidification control according to the dehumidification load.

FIG. 6 is a graph for describing a dehumidification operation section classified according to an indoor temperature of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Graph 600 of FIG. 6 may represent a change in the indoor temperature. Here, Tr may be the indoor temperature measured through the indoor temperature sensor, and Ts may be the set temperature input by the user. A may be a first reference value for distinguishing between the first dehumidification operation section and the second dehumidification operation section under the condition that the indoor temperature falls. B may be a second reference value for distinguishing between the second dehumidification operation section and the third dehumidification operation section under the condition that the indoor temperature falls. A′ may be a first reference value for distinguishing between the first dehumidification operation section and the second dehumidification operation section under the condition that the indoor temperature rises. B′ may be a second reference value for distinguishing between the second dehumidification operation section and the third dehumidification operation section under the condition that the indoor temperature rises.

The dehumidification operation according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a plurality of dehumidification operation sections. Each of the plurality of dehumidification operation sections may be determined according to the degree of the dehumidification load. The degree of the dehumidification load may be determined according to the temperature difference between the indoor temperature Tr and the set temperature Ts.

Referring to the indoor temperature fall condition of FIG. 6, as the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, the dehumidification operation section may progress from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature Tr is higher than the set temperature Ts by the first reference value A or more, the first dehumidification operation section may be determined. The determination condition for the first dehumidification operation section may be represented as “Tr≥Ts+A ° C.”.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature Tr is greater than or equal to the set temperature Ts plus the second reference value B and is less than or equal to the set temperature Ts plus the first reference value A, the second dehumidification operation section may be determined. The determination condition for the second dehumidification operation section may be represented as “Ts+B ° C.≤Tr≤Ts+A ° C.”.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature Tr is less than or equal to the set temperature Ts plus the second reference value B, the third dehumidification operation section may be determined. The determination condition for the third dehumidification operation section may be represented as “Tr≤Ts+B ° C.”.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, because the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger approaches the target dew point temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a weaker dehumidification operation. That is, the dehumidification operation may be more weakly performed as it goes from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section. This will be further described below with reference to FIG. 7A.

Referring to the indoor temperature rise condition of FIG. 6, as the indoor temperature rises above the set temperature, the dehumidification operation section may progress from the third dehumidification operation section to the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature Tr is less than or equal to the set temperature Ts plus the second reference value B′, the third dehumidification operation section may be determined. The determination condition for the third dehumidification operation section may be represented as “Tr≤Ts+B′ ° C.”.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature Tr is greater than or equal to the set temperature Ts plus the second reference value B′ and is less than or equal to the set temperature Ts plus the first reference value A′, the second dehumidification operation section may be determined. The determination condition for the second dehumidification operation section may be represented as “Ts+B′ ° C.≤Tr≤Ts+A′ ° C.”.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature Tr is higher than the set temperature Ts by the first reference value A′ or more, the first dehumidification operation section may be determined. The determination condition for the first dehumidification operation section may be represented as “Tr≥Ts+A′ ° C.”.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, when the indoor temperature rises above the set temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a stronger dehumidification operation because the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may reach the target dew point temperature or less. That is, the dehumidification operation may be more strongly performed as it goes from the third dehumidification operation section to the first dehumidification operation section. This will be further described below with reference to FIG. 7B.

Herein, the determination condition for the dehumidification operation section is represented as “less than or equal to” and “greater than or equal to”, but may be replaced with “greater than” and “less than” depending on the design change.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may perform hysteresis control using different reference values in the rise and fall conditions of the indoor temperature Tr. For example, the reference values (e.g., A and B) for classifying the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature Tr falls may be different from the reference values (e.g., A′ and B′) for distinguishing the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature Tr rises. Accordingly, when a small change occurs in the indoor temperature Tr near the boundary value of the dehumidification operation section, the dehumidification operation section may be prevented from being unnecessarily changed. The air conditioner 1000 may maintain stable control such that the dehumidification operation section does not change in real time. FIG. 6 illustrates that the reference values (e.g., A and B) for classifying the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature Tr falls are smaller than the reference values (e.g., A′ and B′) for distinguishing the dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature Tr rises; however, the disclosure is not limited thereto and the former may be greater than the latter.

FIG. 7A is a table for describing a dehumidification operation section classified according to an indoor temperature of an air conditioner under the condition that the indoor temperature of the air conditioner falls, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to 701 of FIG. 7A, the indoor blade may be set to be closed in the first dehumidification operation section, the second dehumidification operation section, and the third dehumidification operation section. That is, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a wind-free operation in the first dehumidification operation section, the second dehumidification operation section, and the third dehumidification operation section. As the wind volume decreases, because the dehumidification may be more effectively performed and the overcooling may be minimized, the wind-free control and the differential dehumidification control may be performed together. This has been described above with reference to FIG. 1.

Referring to 702 of FIG. 7A, as the dehumidification operation section progresses from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section, the rotation speed of the indoor fan may decrease. Here, the rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the first dehumidification operation section, the second dehumidification operation section, and the third dehumidification operation section may correspond to the wind-free cooling rotation speed that is lower than the general cooling rotation speed. This has been described above with reference to FIG. 1.

A second rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the second dehumidification operation section may be less than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the first dehumidification operation section. A third rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the third dehumidification operation section may be less than the second rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the second dehumidification operation section. The second rotation speed may be a value that is the difference between the first rotation speed and a first rotation speed correction value (e.g., C). The third rotation speed may be a value that is the difference between the first rotation speed and a second rotation speed correction value (e.g., D). Here, the rotation speed correction value may be a value set to correct the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature. For example, when the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature, the rotation speed correction value may be a correction value for lowering the first rotation speed to reduce the overcooling of the dehumidification operation. For example, the rotation speed correction value may increase as the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature. That is, the second rotation speed correction value may be greater than the first correction value.

The reason for lowering the rotation speed of the indoor fan as the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature is that, as the indoor air volume decreases, because the sensible heat is less removed, the phenomenon of the indoor temperature falling to the set temperature or less may be prevented. Thus, the rotation speed of the indoor fan may be set to be lower as it goes from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section.

Referring to 703 of FIG. 7A, as the dehumidification operation section progresses from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section, the target dew point temperature may decrease.

A second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section. A third target dew point temperature set in the third dehumidification operation section may be higher than the second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section. The second target dew point temperature may be a value obtained by applying a first temperature correction value (e.g., E) to the first target dew point temperature. The third target dew point temperature may be a value obtained by applying a second temperature correction value (e.g., F) to the first target dew point temperature. The first target dew point temperature may be a dew point temperature calculated based on the set temperature input by the user when setting the dehumidification operation and the relative humidity sensed by the relative humidity sensor (see Equation 1).

Here, the temperature correction value may be a value set to correct the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature. For example, when the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature, the temperature correction value may be a correction value for increasing the first target dew point temperature to reduce the overcooling of the dehumidification operation. For example, the temperature correction value may increase as the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature. That is, the second temperature correction value (e.g., F is 2 degrees) may be greater than the first correction value (e.g., E is 1 degree).

The reason for increasing the target dew point temperature as the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature is that, by setting the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to be higher as the target dew point temperature increases, the cooling operation may be prevented from continuing and the overcooling may be prevented. Thus, the target dew point temperature may be set to be higher as it goes from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section.

Referring to 704 and 705 of FIG. 7A, as the dehumidification operation section progresses from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section, the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may increase. Here, the overheating degree may correspond to the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature (or the intermediate temperature) of the indoor heat exchanger. For example, when the inlet temperature of the evaporator is 7 degrees and the outlet temperature thereof is 10 degrees, the overheating degree may be 3 degrees. The air conditioner 1000 may set the target discharge temperature of the compressor to indirectly control the overheating degree or may set the target overheating degree to directly control the overheating degree. Each of the target discharge temperature of the compressor and the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may be a control factor related to the refrigerant flow rate. The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may use at least one of the target discharge temperature of the compressor or the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger as a control factor.

For example, when the discharge temperature of the compressor increases, the refrigerant flow rate may decrease, the inlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger may decrease, the outlet temperature (or intermediate temperature) of the indoor heat exchanger may increase, and accordingly, the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may increase. When the temperature of a particular area (e.g., the outlet temperature) of the indoor heat exchanger increases, the overall temperature of the indoor unit may increase and the indoor temperature may be prevented from being lower than the set temperature. For example, when the amount of the refrigerant flowing in the compressor is small, because the amount of the refrigerant for cooling a heated motor in the compressor is small, the discharge temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor may increase. That is, the reason for increasing the target discharge temperature of the compressor or the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger as the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature is that the overcooling may be prevented by decreasing the circulated refrigerant flow rate and increasing the temperature of the cold draft throughout the indoor unit.

Referring to 704 of FIG. 7A, as the dehumidification operation section progresses from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section, the target discharge temperature of the compressor may decrease. A second target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the first dehumidification operation section. A third target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the third dehumidification operation section may be higher than the second target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the second dehumidification operation section. The second target discharge temperature may be a value obtained by applying a first temperature correction value (e.g., G) to the first target discharge temperature. The third target discharge temperature may be a value obtained by applying a second temperature correction value (e.g., H) to the first target discharge temperature. Here, when the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature, the temperature correction value may be a correction value for increasing the first target discharge temperature to reduce the overcooling of the dehumidification operation.

Also, referring to 705 of FIG. 7A, as the dehumidification operation section progresses from the first dehumidification operation section to the third dehumidification operation section, the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may increase. A second target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the first dehumidification operation section. A third target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the third dehumidification operation section may be higher than the second target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the second dehumidification operation section. The second target overheating degree may be a value obtained by applying a first temperature correction value (e.g., I) to the first target overheating degree. The third target overheating degree may be a value obtained by applying a second temperature correction value (e.g., J) to the first target overheating degree. Here, when the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature, the temperature correction value may be a correction value for increasing the first target overheating degree to reduce the overcooling of the dehumidification operation.

By delaying the phenomenon of the indoor temperature falling by using various control factors, the air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may prevent the frequent on/off of the indoor unit, allow continuous operation, and prevent the uncomfortability due to cold from being provided to the user.

FIG. 7B is a table for describing a dehumidification operation section classified according to an indoor temperature of an air conditioner under the condition that the indoor temperature of the air conditioner rises, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7B may be applied in the same manner as FIG. 7A, except that reference values (e.g., A′ and B′) for the indoor temperature rise condition are different from the reference values (e.g., A and B) for the indoor temperature fall condition of FIG. 7A. Because 711, 712, 713, 714, and 715 of FIG. 7B may respectively correspond to 701, 702, 703, 704, and 705 of FIG. 7A, redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted for conciseness.

FIG. 8A is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling an indoor fan based on an indoor fan rotation speed for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The operation of FIG. 8A may corresponding to 702 of FIG. 7A and 712 of FIG. 7B.

Referring to FIG. 8A, the air conditioner 1000 may apply a rotation speed correction value (e.g., 0, C, or D) for each dehumidification operation section to the wind-free cooling rotation speed at operation 810. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may use the wind-free cooling rotation speed as it is, corresponding to the first dehumidification operation section. The wind-free cooling rotation speed may be a preset value or a value calculated based on the indoor environment information. The wind-free cooling rotation speed may correspond to the first rotation speed. For example, corresponding to the second dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the second rotation speed by applying the first rotation speed correction value C to the first rotation speed. For example, corresponding to the third dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the third rotation speed by applying the second rotation speed correction value D to the first rotation speed.

Here, the rotation speed correction values (e.g., C and D) may be determined according to the specifications of the air conditioner 1000.

The air conditioner 1000 may control the indoor fan 280 based on the corrected rotation speed at operation 815. The indoor fan 280 may be controlled at a different rotation speed for each section, and the air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section. For example, when the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may gradually lower the rotation speed of the indoor fan 280. That is, when the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, the indoor wind volume may be weakly controlled to prevent the indoor temperature from falling to the set temperature or less.

FIG. 8B is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling a compressor based on a target dew point for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The operation of FIG. 8B may corresponding to 703 of FIG. 7A and 713 of FIG. 7B.

Referring to FIG. 8B, the air conditioner 1000 may calculate the target dew point temperature based on the relative humidity and the set temperature at operation 820. The air conditioner 1000 may detect the relative humidity of the indoor space through the relative humidity sensor 246 (see FIG. 2). The air conditioner 1000 may obtain data on the set temperature of the indoor space desired by the user through the input interface 250 (see FIG. 2). The air conditioner 1000 may calculate the target dew point temperature through Equation 1.

T_Dew = 0.94 * Ts + 0.25 * RH - 2 ⁢ 2 . 4 Equation ⁢ 1

In Equation 1, T_Dew may be the target dew point temperature, Ts may be the set temperature, and RH may be the relative humidity. According to Equation 1, as the set temperature decreases, the target dew point temperature may decrease.

The air conditioner 1000 may apply a temperature correction value (e.g., 0, E, or F) for each dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature at operation 825. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may use the calculated target dew point temperature as it is, corresponding to the first dehumidification operation section. Here, the target dew point temperature calculated through Equation 1 may correspond to the first target dew point temperature. For example, corresponding to the second dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the second target dew point temperature by applying the first temperature correction value E to the target dew point temperature. For example, corresponding to the third dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the third target dew point temperature by applying the second temperature correction value F to the target dew point temperature.

Here, the temperature correction values (e.g., E and F) may be determined according to the specifications of the air conditioner 1000.

The air conditioner 1000 may adjust the frequency of the compressor 160 based on the corrected target dew point temperature at operation 830. The compressor 160 may be controlled at a different frequency for each section, and the air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section. For example, the frequency of the compressor 160 corresponding to the first target dew point temperature may be higher than the frequency of the compressor 160 corresponding to the third target dew point temperature. The air conditioner 1000 may gradually lower the frequency of the compressor 160 when the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature. That is, when the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, because the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger approaches the target dew point temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may prevent the overcooling by lowering the frequency of the compressor 160 to reduce the refrigerant flow rate.

FIG. 8C is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling an expansion valve based on a target discharge temperature for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The operation of FIG. 8C may corresponding to 704 of FIG. 7A and 714 of FIG. 7B.

Referring to FIG. 8C, the air conditioner 1000 may apply a temperature correction value (e.g., 0, G, or H) for each dehumidification operation section to the target discharge temperature at operation 840. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may use the target discharge temperature as it is, corresponding to the first dehumidification operation section. The target discharge temperature may be a preset value or a value calculated based on the indoor environment information. The target discharge temperature may correspond to the first target discharge temperature. For example, corresponding to the second dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the second target discharge temperature by applying the first temperature correction value G to the first target discharge temperature. For example, corresponding to the third dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the third target discharge temperature by applying the second temperature correction value H to the first target discharge temperature.

Here, the temperature correction values (e.g., G and H) may be determined according to the specifications of the air conditioner 1000.

The air conditioner 1000 may adjust the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 based on the corrected target discharge temperature at operation 845. The expansion valve 170 may be controlled at a different opening degree for each section, and the air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section. For example, the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 corresponding to the first target discharge temperature may be higher than the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 corresponding to the third target dew point temperature. When the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may gradually lower the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 to increase the discharge temperature by the target value. As the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 decreases, the refrigerant flow rate may decrease and the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may increase, thereby preventing the overcooling.

FIG. 8D is a diagram for describing an operation of differentially controlling an expansion valve based on an overheating degree for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The operation of FIG. 8D may corresponding to 705 of FIG. 7A and 715 of FIG. 7B.

Referring to FIG. 8D, the air conditioner 1000 may apply a temperature correction value (e.g., 0, I, or J) for each dehumidification operation section to the target overheating degree at operation 850. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may use the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger as it is, corresponding to the first dehumidification operation section. Here, the target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger may correspond to the first target overheating degree. For example, corresponding to the second dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the second target overheating degree by applying the first temperature correction value I to the first target overheating degree. For example, corresponding to the third dehumidification operation section, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the third target overheating degree by applying the second temperature correction value J to the first target overheating degree.

Here, the temperature correction values (e.g., I and J) may be determined according to the specifications of the air conditioner 1000.

The air conditioner 1000 may adjust the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 based on the corrected target overheating degree at operation 855. The expansion valve 170 may be controlled at a different opening degree for each section, and the air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section. For example, the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 corresponding to the first target overheating degree may be higher than the opening degree of the expansion valve 170 corresponding to the third target overheating degree. When the indoor temperature falls close to the set temperature, the air conditioner 1000 may gradually lower the opening degree of the expansion valve 170, thereby reducing the refrigerant flow rate. By reducing the refrigerant flow rate, the air conditioner 1000 may increase the overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger by the target value and prevent the overcooling.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioner, an external device, and a server according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may communicate with an external device 3000 and a server 2000 through the communicator 1002 (see FIG. 3). The air conditioner 1000 may be connected to another home appliance, the external device 3000, or the server 2000 through a network NET.

The server 2000 may include one or more servers. For example, the server 2000 may include a device management server and a data learning server. Herein, the device management server and the data learning server are illustrated as being configured as one server; however, the device management server and the data learning server may be separated from each other.

The server 2000 may include a device management server that manages user account information and information of the air conditioner 1000 connected to the user account. For example, the user may access the server 2000 through the external device 3000 and generate a user account. The user account may be identified by the ID and the password set by the user. The server 2000 may register the air conditioner 1000 to the user account according to a predetermined procedure. For example, the server 2000 may register the air conditioner 1000 by connecting the identification information (e.g., serial number or MAC address) of the air conditioner 1000 to the user account.

The external device 3000 may include a communication module capable of communicating with the air conditioner 1000 and the server 2000, a user interface for receiving an user input or outputting information to the user, at least one processor for controlling the operation of the external device 3000, and at least one memory that stores a program for controlling the operation of the external device 3000.

The external device 3000 may be carried by the user or arranged in the user's home or office or the like. For example, the external device 3000 may include, but is not limited to, a personal computer, a terminal, a portable telephone, a smart phone, a handheld device, and/or a wearable device.

The memory of the external device 3000 may store a program (e.g., an application) for controlling the air conditioner 1000. The external device 3000 may be sold with an application for controlling the air conditioner 1000 installed therein or may be sold without the application installed therein. When the external device 3000 is sold without an application for controlling the air conditioner 1000 installed therein, the user may download the application from an external server providing the application and install the downloaded application in the external device 3000.

The user may control the air conditioner 1000 by using the application installed in the external device 3000. For example, when the user executes the application installed in the external device 3000, the identification information of the air conditioner 1000 connected to the same user account as the external device 3000 may appear in an application execution window. The user may perform desired control on the air conditioner 1000 through the application execution window. When the user inputs a control command for the air conditioner 1000 through the application execution window, the external device 3000 may directly transmit the control command to the air conditioner 1000 through a short-range network or may transmit the control command to the air conditioner 1000 via the server 2000.

The application of the external device 3000 may receive various user inputs for controlling the air conditioner 1000. The application may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for receiving various user inputs and may receive a user input through the GUI. While communicating with the server 2000, the external device 3000 may update the status information of the air conditioner 1000 and provide the same through the application. Also, while communicating with the server 2000, the external device 3000 may transmit the user input received through the application, to the air conditioner 1000.

The network NET may include both a wired network and a wireless network. The wired network may include a cable network or a telephone network, and the wireless network may include any networks for transmitting/receiving signals through radio waves. The wired network and the wireless network may be connected to each other.

The network NET may include a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN) formed around an access point (AP), and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) that does not use an access point. The wireless personal area network (WPAN) may include, but is not limited to, Bluetooth (Bluetooth™, IEEE 802.15.1), ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4), WiFi Direct, Near Field Communication (NFC), and/or Z-Wave.

The access point (AP) may connect the local area network (LAN) to which the air conditioner 1000 and the external device 3000 are connected, to the wide area network (WAN) to which the server 2000 is connected. The air conditioner 1000 or the external device 3000 may be connected to the server 2000 through the wireless personal area network (WPAN).

The AP may include a device that allows devices to be connected by using the related standard using WiFi in a computer network.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the AP may include a hardware-implemented AP and a software-implemented AP.

For example, the AP may relay data between a wireless device and a wired device on the network. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the AP may relay data between wired devices or may relay data between wireless devices. Moreover, the AP may also be called a relay device.

The access point (AP) may communicate with the air conditioner 1000 and the external device 3000 by using wireless communication such as WiFi (WiFi™ IEEE 802.11) and may connect to the wide area network (WAN) by using wired communication.

The air conditioner 1000 may transmit information about its operation or status to the server 2000 through the network NET. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may transmit information about its operation or status to the server 2000 through WiFi (WiFi™, IEEE 802.11) communication.

When the air conditioner 1000 does not include a WiFi communication module, the air conditioner 1000 may transmit information about its operation or status to the server 2000 through another home appliance including a WiFi communication module. For example, when the air conditioner 1000 transmits information about its operation or status to another home appliance through a short-range wireless network (e.g., BLE communication), the other home appliance may transmit the information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the server 2000. Also, for example, when the air conditioner 1000 does not include a WiFi communication module, the air conditioner 1000 may be wirelessly connected to a communication relay device and may perform WiFi communication and 485 communication through the communication relay device.

The air conditioner 1000 may provide information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the server 2000 according to pre-approval from the user. The information transmission to the server 2000 may be performed when a request is received from the server 2000, may be performed when a particular event occurs in the air conditioner 1000, or may be performed periodically or in real time.

When receiving the information about the operation or status from the air conditioner 1000, the server 2000 may update the prestored information in relation to the air conditioner 1000. The server 2000 may transmit information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the external device 3000 through the network NET.

The server 2000 may transmit information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the external device 3000 when a request is received from the external device 3000. For example, when the user executes an application connected to the server 2000 in the external device 3000, the external device 3000 may request and receive information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 from the server 2000 through the application. When the information about the operation or status is received from the air conditioner 1000, the server 2000 may transmit the information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the external device 3000 in real time. The server 2000 may periodically transmit the information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the external device 3000. The external device 3000 may transmit information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 to the user by displaying the information about the operation or status of the air conditioner 1000 in the application execution window.

The air conditioner 1000 may obtain various information from the server 2000 and provide the obtained information to the user. Also, the air conditioner 1000 may receive a file for updating pre-installed software or data related to the pre-installed software, from the server 2000 and may update the pre-installed software or the data related to the pre-installed software, based on the received file.

The air conditioner 1000 may operate according to a control command received from the server 2000. For example, when the air conditioner 1000 has obtained a pre-approval of the user to operate according to a control command of the server 2000 even without a user input, the air conditioner 1000 may operate according to a control command received from the server 2000. The control command received from the server 2000 may include, but is not limited to, a control command input by the user through the external device 3000 or a control command generated by the server 2000 based on a preset condition.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing an AI dehumidification operation method considering an indoor environment of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10, the AI dehumidification operation method according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be performed by the processor 1001 (see FIG. 3) of the air conditioner 1000.

In operation 1010, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the indoor relative humidity through the relative humidity sensor.

In operation 1020, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain the indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor.

In operation 1030, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain dehumidification operation information through a dehumidification operation identification model based on the indoor environment information including the indoor relative humidity and the indoor temperature. The dehumidification operation identification model according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be trained to identify the dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.

For example, the dehumidification operation information may include at least one of a target dew point temperature or a set temperature according to a dehumidification operation section.

For example, the air conditioner 1000 may receive an optimal target dew point temperature for each dehumidification operation section from the server 2000. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may receive a target dew point temperature of the dehumidification operation section that may be controlled within the comfortable humidity range. For example, when the dehumidification operation is performed in the second dehumidification operation section and the third dehumidification operation section, when the comfortable humidity range may be maintained, the air conditioner 1000 may receive a second target dew point temperature of the second dehumidification operation section and a third target dew point temperature of the third dehumidification operation section from the server 2000.

In operation 1040, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a dehumidification operation of the air conditioner 1000 based on the dehumidification operation section corresponding to the dehumidification operation information. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section based on the optimal target dew point temperature for each dehumidification operation section received from the server 2000.

For example, when the optimal target dew point temperature is lower than the target dew point temperature according to the general dehumidification mode, the air conditioner 1000 may increase the frequency of the compressor based on the decreased target dew point temperature. Accordingly, because the dehumidification amount of the air conditioner 1000 increases and the indoor relative humidity decreases to the comfortable humidity, the user's feeling may be improved.

For example, when the optimal target dew point temperature is higher than the target dew point temperature according to the general dehumidification mode, the air conditioner 1000 may decrease the frequency of the compressor based on the increased target dew point temperature. Accordingly, because the dehumidification amount of the air conditioner 1000 decreases and the indoor relative humidity increases to the comfortable humidity, the overcooling may be suppressed and the energy consumption may be reduced.

The processor 1001 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may automatically perform the dehumidification operation within the comfortable humidity range through the indoor environment information without the user's set temperature input by performing the AI dehumidification operation. Hereinafter, the AI dehumidification operation method will be further described with reference to FIGS. 11, 12, 13A, 13B, and 14.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing an operation of an air conditioner performing an AI dehumidification operation by using a dehumidification operation identification model, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11, the air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may operate in an AI comfortable mode based on a user's input of pressing an AI comfortable mode button 303.

Herein, the AI comfortable mode may be a function for automatically performing an AI dehumidification operation within a comfortable humidity range through indoor environment information without the user's set temperature input. The AI dehumidification operation may be performed by using a dehumidification operation identification model 2500 in which a user's preferred dehumidification operation pattern is learned according to the indoor environment information.

For example, even in the same indoor environment, the user's preferred dehumidification operation method may vary depending on the experienced temperature felt by the user or the installation environment of the air conditioner 1000. For example, in an environment with the same relative humidity and indoor temperature, the preferred dehumidification degree may be different for each user and the set temperature and the target dew point temperature used for the dehumidification operation may vary.

The air conditioner 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may obtain dehumidification operation information (e.g., user-customized set temperature and user-customized target dew point temperature) by using a trained dehumidification operation identification model 2500 with an input of the indoor environment information (e.g., indoor temperature and indoor relative humidity). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 may be an artificial intelligence model trained to identify the dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, training data used to train the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 may include indoor environment information corresponding to input data and dehumidification operation information corresponding to correct data. The indoor environment information included in each training data may be labeled with dehumidification operation information that is correct data for training the dehumidification operation identification model 2500. The training data for the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 may be collected from the air conditioner 1000 and transmitted to the server 2000. The server 2000 may store the training data in a training data set database (DB) and use the same to train the dehumidification operation identification model 2500. This will be described below with reference to FIG. 14.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the indoor environment information may be a sensing value obtained through the indoor unit sensor of the air conditioner. For example, the indoor environment information may include at least one of the indoor temperature obtained through the indoor temperature sensor 242 (see FIG. 2) or the indoor relative humidity obtained through the relative humidity sensor 246 (see FIG. 2).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the dehumidification operation information may include at least one of the user-customized set temperature or the user-customized target dew point temperature. For example, the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 may identify the target dew point temperature corresponding to the indoor environment information. Alternatively, for example, the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 may identify the set temperature corresponding to the indoor environment information. In this case, at least one of the server 2000 or the air conditioner 1000 may calculate the target dew point temperature by applying the set temperature output by the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 to Equation 1.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may transmit the indoor environment information to the server 2000. The server 2000 may receive the indoor environment information from the air conditioner 1000. The server 2000 may obtain dehumidification operation information (e.g., user-customized set temperature and user-customized target dew point temperature) by using the trained dehumidification operation identification model 2500 with an input of the indoor environment information. The server 2000 may transmit the dehumidification operation information to the air conditioner 1000 and the external device 3000.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the external device 3000 may display dehumidification operation information 3001 according to the AI comfortable mode through the display. For example, the dehumidification operation information 3001 may include information about whether the AI comfortable mode operates and AI-recommended set temperature information (e.g., 24 degrees).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one of the function or operation of the server 2000 may be implemented by the air conditioner 1000 or the external device 3000. For example, the external device 3000 may directly receive the indoor environment information from the air conditioner 1000 and may generate the dehumidification operation information by using a neural network model stored in the memory of the external device 3000. The neural network model stored in the memory of the external device 3000 may be a lightweight model of the neural network model pre-trained in the server 2000.

FIG. 12 is a graph for describing an operation of an air conditioner switching from a dehumidification operation for each section to an AI dehumidification operation, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Graph 1200 of FIG. 12 illustrates a relative humidity variation over time in the same indoor environment in which the relative humidity is 60% and the indoor temperature is 27 degrees. Here, the user's preferred comfortable humidity range is illustrated as being about 40% to about 60% relative humidity.

Three slopes illustrated in graph 1200 may be classified according to the set temperature value. For example, a first slope 1210 may represent a relative humidity variation when the user inputs the set temperature as 26 degrees according to the general dehumidification operation. For example, a second slope 1220 may represent a relative humidity variation when the user inputs the set temperature as 18 degrees according to the general dehumidification operation. For example, an optimal slope 1230 may represent a relative humidity variation based on the user-customized set temperature identified according to the AI dehumidification operation. It is assumed that the relative humidity is high at the first slope 1210 and low at the second slope 1220 throughout the dehumidification operation section. At the optimal slope 1230, the relative humidity may be within the comfortable humidity range.

For example, it is assumed that the air conditioner 1000 performs a general dehumidification operation based on the user's set temperature data according to the first slope 1210 or the second slope 1220 and then the user sets the AI dehumidification operation. The air conditioner 1000 may transmit the indoor environment information (e.g., relative humidity 60%, and indoor temperature 27 degrees) to the server 2000 for the AI dehumidification operation. The server 2000 may identify the dehumidification operation information corresponding to the optimal slope 1230 from the dehumidification operation identification model 2500 with an input of the indoor environment information. The air conditioner 1000 may receive the set temperature (e.g., a) corresponding to the optimal slope 1230 from the server 2000. Alternatively, the air conditioner 1000 may receive the target dew point temperature corresponding to the optimal slope 1230 from the server 2000.

The air conditioner 1000 may receive an optimal target dew point temperature for each dehumidification operation section from the server 2000. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may receive a second target dew point temperature of the second dehumidification operation section and a third target dew point temperature of the third dehumidification operation section, corresponding to the comfortable humidity range. The air conditioner 1000 may perform an operation according to the second dehumidification operation section or the third dehumidification operation section based on the target dew point temperature.

For example, in order to operate at the optimal slope 1230 after the first slope 1210, the target dew point temperature in the second dehumidification operation section and the third dehumidification operation section may decrease. The air conditioner 1000 may increase the frequency of the compressor based on the decreased target dew point temperature. Accordingly, because the dehumidification amount of the air conditioner 1000 increases and the indoor relative humidity decreases to the comfortable humidity, the user's feeling may be improved.

Alternatively, for example, in order to operate at the optimal slope 1230 after the second slope 1220, the target dew point temperature in the second dehumidification operation section and the third dehumidification operation section may increase. The air conditioner 1000 may lower the frequency of the compressor based on the increased target dew point temperature. Accordingly, because the dehumidification amount of the air conditioner 1000 decreases and the indoor relative humidity increases to the comfortable humidity, the overcooling may be suppressed and the energy consumption may be reduced.

FIG. 13A is a table reflecting a target dew point temperature identified by a dehumidification operation identification model under the condition that an indoor temperature of an air conditioner falls, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 13B is a table reflecting a target dew point temperature identified by a dehumidification operation identification model under the condition that an indoor temperature of an air conditioner rises, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In FIGS. 13A and 13B, redundant descriptions with those given above with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B will be omitted for conciseness.

Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, the air conditioner 1000 may receive an optimal target dew point temperature for each dehumidification operation section from the server 2000. For example, the air conditioner 1000 may receive a second target dew point temperature (here, “target dew point temperature 1”) of the second dehumidification operation section and a third target dew point temperature (here, “target dew point temperature 2”) of the third dehumidification operation section, corresponding to the comfortable humidity range. The air conditioner 1000 may perform a differential dehumidification operation for each section based on the optimal target dew point temperature for each dehumidification operation section received from the server 2000.

Alternatively, as another example, the air conditioner 1000 may receive an optimal temperature correction value for each dehumidification operation section from the server 2000. The air conditioner 1000 may directly calculate the second target dew point temperature of the second dehumidification operation section and the third target dew point temperature of the third dehumidification operation section by applying the temperature correction value for each dehumidification operation section to the target dew point temperature of the first dehumidification operation section.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for describing an operation of training a dehumidification operation identification model through training data, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 14, an operation of obtaining various training data based on the set data input by the user into the air conditioner 1000 in an indoor environment with a relative humidity of 60% and an indoor temperature of 27 degrees will be described. The training data may be used to train a dehumidification operation identification model 1450.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner 1000 may obtain various training data based on the dehumidification operation information input by the user into the air conditioner 1000 in a particular indoor environment. The training data may include a pair of indoor environment information and dehumidification operation information. The indoor environment information may be used as input data of the training data, and the dehumidification operation information may be used as correct data of the training data.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the dehumidification operation information may include user-input set data, such as the set temperature, the set humidity, and the level of the dehumidification mode input by the user. Also, in an embodiment of the disclosure, the dehumidification operation information may include the user's preference information for the set data. For example, the user's preference information may indicate information about feedback data, the user's usage time, usage frequency, and usage pattern. For example, when the user's usage time in a particular dehumidification mode is greater than or equal to a defined value in a particular indoor environment, the air conditioner 1000 may identify the dehumidification mode as preferred data. Alternatively, for example, the user may record feedback data including information about whether the user prefers a particular dehumidification mode in a particular indoor environment, in the air conditioner 1000.

For example, the dehumidification operation information included in first training data 1410 may include set temperature (e.g., 26 degrees) data. Also, the dehumidification operation information of the first training data 1410 may include user preference information for the set temperature of 26 degrees. For example, the dehumidification operation information included in second training data 1420 may include set temperature (e.g., 18 degrees) data. Also, the dehumidification operation information of the second training data 1420 may include user preference information for the set temperature of 18 degrees. For example, the dehumidification operation information included in third training data 1430 may include set temperature (e.g., “a”) data. Also, the dehumidification operation information may include user preference information for the set temperature of “a”.

The air conditioner 1000 may transmit various training data, for example, the first training data 1410, the second training data 1420, and the third training data 1430, to the server 2000, and the server 2000 may store the received training data in a training data set DB 2100. The server 2000 may train the dehumidification operation identification model 1450 by using the training data stored in the training data set DB 2100. The dehumidification operation identification model 1450 may be trained to identify the dehumidification operation information preferred by the user in an indoor environment in which the relative humidity is 60% and the indoor temperature is 27 degrees. In other words, the dehumidification operation identification model 1450 may be a model trained on the correlation between the indoor environment information (e.g., indoor temperature and indoor relative humidity) and the dehumidification operation method preferred by the user (e.g., set temperature, target dew point temperature, and dehumidification operation section).

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an interface for displaying information about a dehumidification operation of an air conditioner on an external device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15, the external device 3000 may provide information about the dehumidification operation of the air conditioner 1000 to the user through the application.

For example, referring to 1510, the external device 3000 may display information about a relative humidity variation of the indoor space. The information about the relative humidity variation may include a graph about a real-time relative humidity variation, a current relative humidity, and an average relative humidity. The graph about the real-time relative humidity variation may represent a relative humidity variation over time.

For example, referring to 1520, the external device 3000 may display information about the dehumidification amount of the indoor space. The information about the dehumidification amount of the indoor space may include a real-time dehumidification amount graph and an up-to-now accumulated dehumidification amount. The real-time dehumidification amount graph may represent the accumulated dehumidification amount over time (unit: L/hr).

FIG. 16 illustrates graphs for comparing the results of a general dehumidification operation and a differential dehumidification operation for each section of an air conditioner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates a first graph representing the average room temperature, the inlet temperature of the evaporator, and the intermediate temperature of the evaporator according to performance of a general dehumidification operation 1610 by the air conditioner 1000, and a second graph representing the indoor relative humidity, the power consumption, and the accumulated power according to performance of the general dehumidification operation 1610. Also, FIG. 16 illustrates a third graph representing the average room temperature, the inlet temperature of the evaporator, and the intermediate temperature of the evaporator according to performance of a differential dehumidification operation for each section 1620 by the air conditioner 1000, and a fourth graph representing the indoor relative humidity, the power consumption, and the accumulated power according to performance of the differential dehumidification operation for each section 1620. The first graph, the second graph, the third graph, and the fourth graph assume a case where the set temperature is 25° C.

As illustrated in the first graph of the general dehumidification operation 1610, the set temperature is 25° C. but the average room temperature is measured at 23.7° C. and the lowest temperature is lower at 22.4° C. This indicates that the user may feel cold due to overcooling.

As illustrated in the second graph of the general dehumidification operation 1610, the average relative humidity is 58.3% and is within the comfortable humidity range (e.g., about 40% to about 60%), but the humidity may still remain high or unstable.

As illustrated in the third graph of the differential dehumidification operation for each section 1620, the average room temperature is 24.8° C. and is substantially the same as the set temperature of 25° C., and the lowest temperature is maintained at 23.3° C., and thus, the overcooling may be prevented and the cold feeling due to the cold draft may be minimized.

As illustrated in the fourth graph of the differential dehumidification operation for each section 1620, the average relative humidity is 48.3% and is stably maintained within the comfortable humidity range, and thus, a more comfortable indoor environment may be provided to the user.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 17, the indoor unit 200 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a suction port 1710, a housing panel 1720, and an indoor blade 290.

The suction port 1710 may be an opening for introducing indoor air. External air may flow into the indoor heat exchanger through the suction port 1710.

The housing panel 1720 is a component forming the exterior of the indoor unit 200 and may include various surfaces such as the front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right sides of the indoor unit 200. The housing panel 1720 may expose or shield a discharge port through an opening and closing operation.

The indoor blade 290 may be disposed at the discharge port of the indoor unit 200. The indoor blade 290 may be disposed on the front surface of the housing panel 1720. The indoor blade 290 be a component that controls the direction and flow rate of the discharged air, by at least one of opening/closing the indoor blade 290 or adjusting an angle, thereby uniformly distributing cold or warm air to the indoor space. The indoor blade 290 may have a cover with a length and width so as to cover the discharge port when the indoor blade 290 is closed. The indoor blade 290 may include the fine porous holes for a wind-free mode. The description of the indoor blade 290 is as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a method performed by an air conditioner may be provided. The method may include obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner, determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the performing of the differential dehumidification operation may include at least one of controlling the indoor fan based on a rotation speed of the indoor fan corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, controlling the compressor at a defined frequency based on a target dew point temperature corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, controlling an opening degree of the expansion valve, based on a target discharge temperature of the compressor corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, or controlling opening degree of the expansion valve based on a target overheating degree of an indoor heat exchanger of the air conditioner corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the determining of the dehumidification operation section corresponding to the indoor temperature may include determining a first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is greater than a reference value, and determining a second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is less than the reference value, wherein an operation level of the first dehumidification operation section may be higher than an operation level of the second dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the performing of the differential dehumidification operation may include calculating a target dew point temperature based on a relative humidity and a set temperature, applying a temperature correction value according to the determined dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature, and adjusting a frequency of the compressor based on the corrected target dew point temperature, wherein a second temperature correction value used in the second dehumidification operation section may be greater than a first temperature correction value used in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the second dehumidification operation section may be less than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the first dehumidification operation section, and a refrigerant flow rate of the second dehumidification operation section may be less than a refrigerant flow rate of the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target overheating degree of an indoor heat exchanger set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the first dehumidification operation section, and a refrigerant flow rate of the second dehumidification operation section may be less than a refrigerant flow rate of the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a reference value for classifying a dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature falls may be different from a reference value for classifying a dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature rises.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the method may further include obtaining an indoor relative humidity through a relative humidity sensor of the air conditioner, obtaining dehumidification operation information through a dehumidification operation identification model based on indoor environment information including the indoor relative humidity and the indoor temperature, and performing a dehumidification operation of the air conditioner based on a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the dehumidification operation information, wherein the dehumidification operation identification model may be trained to identify dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the dehumidification operation information may include at least one of a target dew point temperature or a set temperature according to a dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, an air conditioner may be provided. The air conditioner may include an indoor fan, a compressor, an expansion valve configured to control a refrigerant flow rate, an indoor temperature sensor, memory, including one or more computer-readable storage media, storing instructions, and at least one processor including a processing circuit. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may cause the air conditioner to obtain an indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor, determine a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and perform a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of the indoor fan, the compressor, or the expansion valve, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner may further include an indoor heat exchanger. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may further cause the air conditioner to at least one of control the indoor fan based on a rotation speed of the indoor fan corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, control the compressor at a defined frequency based on a target dew point temperature corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, control an opening degree of the expansion valve based on a target discharge temperature of the compressor corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, or control the opening degree of the expansion valve based on a target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may further cause the air conditioner to determine a first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is greater than a reference value, and determine a second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is less than the reference value, wherein an operation level of the first dehumidification operation section is higher than an operation level of the second dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may further cause the air conditioner to calculate a target dew point temperature based on a relative humidity and a set temperature, apply a temperature correction value according to the determined dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature, and adjust a frequency of the compressor based on the corrected target dew point temperature, wherein a second temperature correction value used in the second dehumidification operation section is greater than a first temperature correction value used in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a second rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the second dehumidification operation section may be less than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, one of a second target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the first dehumidification operation section, or a second target overheating degree of an indoor heat exchanger set in the second dehumidification operation section may be higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the first dehumidification operation section. A refrigerant flow rate of the second dehumidification operation section may be less than a refrigerant flow rate of the first dehumidification operation section.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner may further include a relative humidity sensor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, may further cause the air conditioner to obtain an indoor relative humidity through the relative humidity sensor, obtain dehumidification operation information through a dehumidification operation identification model based on indoor environment information including the indoor relative humidity and the indoor temperature, and perform a dehumidification operation of the air conditioner based on a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the dehumidification operation information, wherein the dehumidification operation identification model is trained to identify dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an air conditioner individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to perform operations, may be provided. The operations may include obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner, determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

A computer-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Here, the term “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” may mean that the computer-readable storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and may mean that data may be semipermanently or temporarily stored in the computer-readable storage medium. For example, the “non-transitory storage medium” may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the method according to the embodiment of the disclosure described herein may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online through an application store or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media such as at least one of memory of a manufacturer server, memory of an application store server, or memory of a relay server.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.