AIR CONDITIONER APPLIANCE AND METHODS FOR GENERATING WHITE NOISE

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to air conditioner units, and more particularly to methods of operating air conditioner units for white noise generation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Air conditioners or conditioning units are conventionally utilized to adjust the temperature indoors, i.e., within structures such as dwellings and office buildings. Such units commonly include a closed refrigeration loop to heat or cool the indoor air. Typically, the indoor air is recirculated while being heated or cooled. A variety of sizes and configurations are available for such air conditioner units. For example, some units may have one portion installed within the indoors that is connected, by e.g., tubing carrying the refrigerant, to another portion located outdoors.

Noise or sound machines are commonly used to aid with sleep to block out background noises that may interrupt a person’s sleep. Standalone noise machines are commonly used and may be taken along during travel to use in different room spaces. However, transporting an extra machine may take up packing space and may be costly to a person seeking better sleep quality.

Accordingly, air conditioner units for generating noise and/or sound and methods of operating the same are desired. More specifically, an air conditioning system configured for selectively generating white noise would be particularly beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In one example aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating an air conditioning system is provided. The air conditioning system includes a microphone, and an air conditioner unit configured for conditioning a room. The air conditioning unit includes a fan, and a controller in signal communication with the fan and the microphone. The method includes receiving a command indicative of operating the air conditioning unit in a sound mode, activating the fan of the air conditioner unit in response to the received command, monitoring, through the microphone, an environment noise condition, and adjusting a speed of the fan in response to the monitored environment noise condition.

In another example aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioning system is provided. The air conditioning system includes a microphone, and an air conditioner unit configured for conditioning a room. The air conditioning unit includes a fan, and a controller in signal communication with the fan and the microphone. The controller is configured to perform an operation. The operation includes receiving a command indicative of operating the air conditioning unit in a sound mode, activating the fan of the air conditioner unit in response to the received command, monitoring, through the microphone, an environment noise condition, and adjusting a speed of the fan in response to the monitored environment noise condition.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of an air conditioner unit, with part of an indoor portion exploded from a remainder of the air conditioner unit for illustrative purposes, in accordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of components of the indoor portion of the example air conditioner unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a refrigeration loop in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an outdoor portion of the example air conditioner unit of FIG. 1, illustrating a vent aperture in a bulkhead assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the example bulkhead assembly of FIG. 4 with a vent door illustrated in the open position in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the example air conditioner unit and bulkhead assembly of FIG. 4 including a sealed system for conditioning make-up air in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart for a method for controlling an air conditioning system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. The terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). In addition, here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged. Such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise. For example, all ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independently combinable with each other. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “generally,” “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value, or the precision of the methods or machines for constructing or manufacturing the components and/or systems. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 10 percent margin, i.e., including values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. In this regard, for example, when used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction, e.g., “generally vertical” includes forming an angle of up to ten degrees in any direction, e.g., clockwise, or counterclockwise, with the vertical direction V.

The word “example” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” In addition, references to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Any implementation described herein as “example” or “an embodiment” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an air conditioner unit 10 is provided. The air conditioner unit 10 is a one-unit type air conditioner, also conventionally referred to as a room air conditioner or a packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC). The unit 10 includes an indoor portion 12 and an outdoor portion 14, and generally defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T. Each direction V, L, T is perpendicular to each other, such that an orthogonal coordinate system is generally defined.

A housing 20 of unit 10 may contain various other components of unit 10. Housing 20 may include, for example, a rear grill 22 and a room front 24 which may be spaced apart along the transverse direction T by a wall sleeve 26. The rear grill 22 may be part of the outdoor portion 14, and the room front 24 may be part of the indoor portion 12. Components of the outdoor portion 14, such as an outdoor heat exchanger 30, an outdoor fan 32 (FIG. 2), and a compressor 34 (FIG. 2) may be housed within the wall sleeve 26. A casing 36 may additionally enclose outdoor fan 32, as shown.

Referring now also to FIG. 2, indoor portion 12 may include, for example, an indoor heat exchanger 40 (FIG. 1), a blower fan 42, and a heating unit 44. These components may, for example, be housed behind the room front 24. Additionally, a bulkhead 46 may generally support and/or house various other components or portions thereof of the indoor portion 12, such as the blower fan 42 and the heating unit 44. Bulkhead 46 may generally separate and define the indoor portion 12 and outdoor portion 14.

Outdoor and indoor heat exchangers 30, 40 may be components of a refrigeration loop 48, which is shown schematically in FIG. 3. Refrigeration loop 48 may, for example, further include compressor 34 and an expansion device 50. As illustrated, compressor 34 and expansion device 50 may be in fluid communication with outdoor heat exchanger 30 and indoor heat exchanger 40 to flow refrigerant therethrough as is generally understood. More particularly, refrigeration loop 48 may include various lines for flowing refrigerant between the various components of refrigeration loop 48, thus providing the fluid communication there between. Refrigerant may thus flow through such lines from indoor heat exchanger 40 to compressor 34, from compressor 34 to outdoor heat exchanger 30, from outdoor heat exchanger 30 to expansion device 50, and from expansion device 50 to indoor heat exchanger 40. The refrigerant may generally undergo phase changes associated with a refrigeration cycle as it flows to and through these various components, as is generally understood. Suitable refrigerants for use in refrigeration loop 48 may include pentafluoro ethane, difluoromethane, or a mixture such as R410a, although it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such example and rather that any suitable refrigerant may be utilized.

As is understood in the art, refrigeration loop 48 may alternately be operated as a refrigeration assembly (and thus perform a refrigeration cycle) or a heat pump (and thus perform a heat pump cycle). As shown in FIG. 3, when refrigeration loop 48 is operating in a cooling mode and thus performs a refrigeration cycle, the indoor heat exchanger 40 acts as an evaporator and the outdoor heat exchanger 30 acts as a condenser. Alternatively, when the assembly is operating in a heating mode and thus performs a heat pump cycle, the indoor heat exchanger 40 acts as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 30 acts as an evaporator. The outdoor and indoor heat exchangers 30, 40 may each include coils through which a refrigerant may flow for heat exchange purposes, as is generally understood.

According to an example embodiment, compressor 34 may be a variable speed compressor. In this regard, compressor 34 may be operated at various speeds depending on the current air conditioning needs of the room and the demand from refrigeration loop 48. For example, according to an example embodiment, compressor 34 may be configured to operate at any speed between a minimum speed, e.g., 1500 revolutions per minute (RPM), to a maximum rated speed, e.g., 3500 RPM. Notably, use of variable speed compressor 34 enables efficient operation of refrigeration loop 48 (and thus air conditioner unit 10), minimizes unnecessary noise when compressor 34 does not need to operate at full speed, and ensures a comfortable environment within the room.

In example embodiments as illustrated, expansion device 50 may be disposed in the outdoor portion 14 between the indoor heat exchanger 40 and the outdoor heat exchanger 30. According to the example embodiment, expansion device 50 may be an electronic expansion valve that enables controlled expansion of refrigerant, as is known in the art. More specifically, electronic expansion device 50 may be configured to precisely control the expansion of the refrigerant to maintain, for example, a desired temperature differential of the refrigerant across the indoor heat exchanger 40. In other words, electronic expansion device 50 throttles the flow of refrigerant based on the reaction of the temperature differential across indoor heat exchanger 40 or the amount of superheat temperature differential, thereby ensuring that the refrigerant is in the gaseous state entering compressor 34. According to alternative embodiments, expansion device 50 may be a capillary tube or another suitable expansion device configured for use in a thermodynamic cycle.

According to the illustrated example embodiment, outdoor fan 32 is an axial fan and indoor blower fan 42 is a centrifugal fan. However, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, outdoor fan 32 and blower fan 42 may be any suitable fan type. In addition, according to an example embodiment, outdoor fan 32 and blower fan 42 are variable speed fans. For example, outdoor fan 32 and blower fan 42 may rotate at different rotational speeds, thereby generating different air flow rates. It may be desirable to operate fans 32, 42 at less than their maximum rated speed to ensure safe and proper operation of refrigeration loop 48 at less than its maximum rated speed, e.g., to reduce noise when full speed operation is not needed. In addition, according to alternative embodiments, fans 32, 42 may be operated to urge make-up air into the room.

According to the illustrated embodiment, blower fan 42 may operate as an evaporator fan in refrigeration loop 48 to encourage the flow of air through indoor heat exchanger 40. Accordingly, blower fan 42 may be positioned downstream of indoor heat exchanger 40 along the flow direction of indoor air and downstream of heating unit 44. Additionally, or alternatively, blower fan 42 may be positioned upstream of indoor heat exchanger 40 along the flow direction of indoor air and may operate to push air through indoor heat exchanger 40.

Heating unit 44 in example embodiments includes one or more heater banks 60. Each heater bank 60 may be operated as desired to produce heat. In some embodiments as shown, three heater banks 60 may be utilized. Additionally, or alternatively, however, any suitable number of heater banks 60 may be utilized. Each heater bank 60 may further include at least one heater coil or coil pass 62, such as an example embodiments two heater coils or coil passes 62. Additionally, or alternatively, other suitable heating elements may be utilized.

The operation of air conditioner unit 10 including compressor 34 (and thus refrigeration loop 48 generally) blower fan 42, outdoor fan 32, heating unit 44, expansion device 50, and other components of refrigeration loop 48 may be controlled by a processing device such as a controller 64. Controller 64 may be in communication (via for example a suitable wired or wireless connection) to such components of the air conditioner unit 10. As described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 8, the controller 64 may include a memory and one or more processing devices such as microprocessors, CPUs, or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of unit 10. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor.

Unit 10 may additionally include a control panel 66 and one or more user inputs 68, which may be included in control panel 66. The user inputs 68 may be in communication with the controller 64. A user of the unit 10 may interact with the user inputs 68 to operate the unit 10, and user commands may be transmitted between the user inputs 68 and controller 64 to facilitate operation of the unit 10 based on such user commands. A display 70 may additionally be provided in the control panel 66 and may be in communication with the controller 64. Display 70 may, for example be a touchscreen or other text-readable display screen or alternatively may simply be a light that can be activated and deactivated as required to provide an indication of, for example, an event or setting for the unit 10.

Referring briefly to FIG. 4, a vent aperture 80 may be defined in bulkhead 46 providing fluid communication between indoor portion 12 and outdoor portion 14. Vent aperture 80 may be utilized in an installed air conditioner unit 10 to allow outdoor air to flow into the room through the indoor portion 12. In this regard, in some cases it may be desirable to allow outside air (i.e., “make-up air”) to flow into the room in order, e.g., to meet government regulations, or to compensate for negative pressure created within the room. In this manner, according to an example embodiment, make-up air may be provided into the room through vent aperture 80 when desired.

As shown in FIG. 5, a vent door 82 may be pivotally mounted to the bulkhead 46 proximate to vent aperture 80 to open and close vent aperture 80. More specifically, as illustrated, vent door 82 is pivotally mounted to the indoor facing surface of indoor portion 12. Vent door 82 may be configured to pivot between a first, closed position where vent door 82 prevents air from flowing between outdoor portion 14 and indoor portion 12, and a second, open position where vent door 82 is in an open position (as shown in FIG. 5) and allows make-up air to flow into the room. According to the illustrated embodiment vent door 82 may be pivoted between the open and closed position by an electric motor 84 controlled by controller 64, or by any other suitable method.

In some cases, it may be desirable to treat or condition make-up air flowing through vent aperture 80 prior to blowing it into the room. For example, outdoor air which has a relatively high humidity level may require treating before passing into the room. In addition, if the outdoor air is cool, it may be desirable to heat the air before blowing it into the room. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 6, unit 10 may further include an auxiliary sealed system 90, or referred to as make-up air module 90, for conditioning make-up air. As shown, make-up air module 90 and/or an auxiliary fan 92 are positioned within outdoor portion 14 adjacent vent aperture 80 and vent door 82 is positioned within indoor portion 12 over vent aperture 80, though other configurations are possible. According to the illustrated embodiment auxiliary sealed system 90 may be controlled by controller 64, by another dedicated controller, or by any other suitable method.

As illustrated, make-up air module 90 includes auxiliary fan 92 that is configured as part of auxiliary sealed system 90 and may be configured for urging a flow of air through auxiliary sealed system 90. Auxiliary sealed system 90 may further includes one or more compressors, heat exchangers, and any other components suitable for operating auxiliary sealed system 90 similar to refrigeration loop 48 described above to condition make-up air. For example, auxiliary system 90 can be operated in a dehumidification mode, an air conditioning mode, a heating mode, a fan only mode where only auxiliary fan 92 is operated to supply outdoor air, an idle mode, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an air conditioning system 100 that is operably coupled with a room 102 for conditioning the room 102 will be described according to example embodiments of the present subject matter. Specifically, according to the illustrated embodiment, room 102 may be a studio room that includes a primary living space 104 accessed by a room door 106 and a bathroom 108 separated from the primary living space 104 by a bathroom door 110. In this regard, room door 106 may generally be used to exit room 102, while bathroom door 110 is an interior door that does not provide for egress from room 102. While bathroom door 110 is described and illustrated, it should be appreciated that other example interior doors include closet doors, bedroom doors, or any other non-exit doors. It should further be noted that the example room provided in FIG. 7 is but one example of a room, building, or other structure to which air conditioning system 100 may be applied. For instance, air conditioning system 100 may be applicable to such structures as homes, apartments, assisted living facilities, retail stores or shops, public gymnasiums, office buildings and suites, seasonal buildings (e.g., remote hotels or extended stays), shared spaces (e.g., rental houses), or the like.

In addition, air conditioning system 100 may include an air conditioner unit, illustrated herein as air conditioner unit 10, e.g., as a packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC) mounted on an exterior wall of room 102. However, it should be appreciated that aspects of the present subject matter may be generally directed to air conditioning systems for heating, cooling, dehumidifying, or otherwise conditioning any suitable room or area. In addition, although air conditioner unit 10 is described herein as a PTAC, aspects of the present subject matter may also utilize single package vertical units (SPVU), split heat pump systems, etc. Other system configurations are possible while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.

According to the illustrated embodiment, air conditioning system 100 further includes a thermostat 112 that is mounted within room 102 (e.g., on a wall within primary living space 104). In general, thermostat 112 is used to regulate operation of air conditioner unit 10, e.g., by providing temperature and/or humidity setpoints. In this regard, for example, the room occupant, hotel owner, or other user of air conditioning system 100 may interact with thermostat 112 to input desired room conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) to be targeted. As such, thermostat 112 may include one or more temperature and/or humidity sensors (not shown) for detecting the room conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) to ensure that air conditioner unit 10 operates to maintain the desired room conditions input by the user.

According to the illustrated embodiment, thermostat 112 may be mounted on a wall of primary living space 104 and may be communicatively coupled with air conditioner unit 10 using any suitable wired or wireless connection. For example, thermostat 112 and other various components of air conditioning system 10 may be in direct or indirect communication with each other and/or air conditioner unit 10 using any suitable wired or wireless connection and one or more networks 114. However, it should be appreciated that thermostat 112 could be positioned at any other suitable location and may communicate with air conditioner unit 10 using any suitable wired or wireless connection. For example, thermostat 112 may be part of air conditioner unit 10, e.g., integrated into control panel 66.

According to example embodiments, an external, or remote device 116 of the user or room occupant may operate as an input device for entering the target temperatures or regulating operation of air conditioner unit 10. In general, remote device 116 may be any suitable device separate from air conditioner unit 10 that is configured to provide and/or receive communications, information, data, or commands from a user. In this regard, remote device 116 may be, for example, a personal phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop or personal computer, a wearable device, a smart home system, or another mobile or remote device. In addition, the remote device 116 associated with a user (e.g., a user’s cell phone) may be in operable communication with controller 64 for providing audio input to controller 64, as will be described further below.

In general, network 114 may generally be configured for permitting interaction, data transfer, and other communications between air conditioner unit 10 and one or more device, sensors, or inputs of air conditioning system 10, e.g., to improve performance of and/or improve user interaction with air conditioning system 100. Network communications may be carried using any type of wired or wireless connection and using any suitable type of communication network, non-limiting examples of which are provided below. For example, remote device 116 may be in direct or indirect communication with air conditioner unit 10 through any suitable wired or wireless communication connections or interfaces, such as network 114. For example, network 114 may include one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), the Internet, a cellular network, any other suitable short- or long-range wireless networks, etc. In addition, communications may be transmitted using any suitable communications devices or protocols, such as via Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, wireless radio, laser, infrared, Ethernet type devices and interfaces, etc. In addition, such communication may use a variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).

Network 114 is described herein according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter. However, it should be appreciated that the example functions and configurations of network 114 provided herein are used only as examples to facilitate description of aspects of the present subject matter. System configurations may vary, other communication devices may be used to communicate directly or indirectly with one or more associated appliances or devices, other communication protocols and steps may be implemented, etc. These variations and modifications are contemplated as within the scope of the present subject matter.

During operation, air conditioner unit 10 may generally be configured to operate in various operating modes. For example, air conditioner unit 10 may operate in a “normal” mode, an “sound” mode, an “energy savings” or “energy management” mode, etc. In general, the terms sound mode and the like are generally intended to refer to the desired or target operation of air conditioner unit 10 to generate white noise within room 102. By contrast, the terms “normal” mode and the like are generally intended to refer to the desired or target operation of air conditioner unit 10 to provide conditioned air within room 102. According to example embodiments, the energy savings mode may generally refer to the desired operation of air conditioner unit 10 when it is desirable to conserve energy. For example, the energy savings mode may generally be the same or similar as the normal mode, but this mode may be manually entered using control panel 66, thermostat 112, or through external sensors.

In general, controller 64 may be in signal communication with one or more microphones 200. In particular, microphones 200 may monitor an environment noise condition, e.g., an ambient noise level, around/within room 102. In general, the environment noise condition may include an ambient noise level monitored by the microphone 200, or, in other words, the environment noise condition may be noise coming from external sources, such as a television, a radio, roadway noise, or other common sources of commotion, etc. Such noises from external sources may be undesirable for a person attempting to sleep uninterrupted.

As such, air conditioner unit 10 may include a microphone 202, such as an integrated microphone 202 included with air conditioner unit 10, e.g., controller 64 may include integrated microphone 202. Additionally, or alternatively, air conditioner unit 10 may communicate with remote device 116 over network 114 and utilize onboard microphones of remote device 116, such as a smartphone microphone (not labeled). As such, other devices, such as remote device 116 and thermostat 112 may include microphones 200 in communication with controller 64. In general, audio input from microphones 200 (e.g., either on air conditioner unit 10, or connected devices) may feed environment noise data to controller 64 in order to cycle on blower fan 142 and vary the speed of blower fan 142 to account for the environment noise (e.g., noise potentially increasing sleep interruption), thus, air conditioner unit 10 may generate and provide continuously adapting white noise in response to the environment noise. Additionally, or alternatively, a user may input a desired sound level from air conditioner unit 10, such as through user inputs 68 on air conditioner unit 10 or remotely via remote device 116.

FIG. 7 describes one example configuration of air conditioning system 100 for controlling the operation of air conditioner unit 10 for the purpose of explaining aspects of the present subject matter. However, it should be appreciated that although specific example embodiments are described, modifications and variations may be made to the illustrated air conditioning system 100 while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, the configuration of room 102 may vary, a different type of air conditioner unit 10 may be used, other microphone inputs may be used, etc.

Now that the construction of air conditioner unit 10 and the configuration of air conditioning system 100 according to example embodiments has been presented, an example method 300 of controlling an air conditioner unit will be described. Although the discussion below refers to the example method 300 of operating air conditioner unit 10 using air conditioning system 100, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the example method 300 is applicable to the operation of a variety of other air conditioning appliances using any suitable number and type of microphones. In example embodiments, the various method steps as disclosed herein may be performed by controller 64, although a dedicated controller may be used according to alternative embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 8, at (310), method 300 may generally include receiving a command indicative of operating the air conditioning unit in a sound mode. In particular, a user may select the sound mode operating mode through interacting with the user inputs 68 on air conditioner unit 10 or remotely via remote device 116. In general, the sound mode of air conditioner unit 10 may be integrated within other operating modes of air conditioner unit 10. For example, controller 64 may be configured to operate in the sound mode when air conditioner unit 10 is not actively cooling or heating air.

At (320), method 300 may generally include activating the fan of the air conditioner unit, e.g., in response to the command received at (310). Additionally, method 300 may further include receiving a command indicative of a sound level while operating the air conditioning unit in the sound mode. In general, the sound mode of air conditioner unit 10 may include activating blower fan 42 of air conditioner unit 10 at a specified speed, e.g., the command indicative of the sound level may indicate a desired speed of the fan. For example, as stated above, blower fan 42 may rotate at different rotational speeds, thereby generating different air flow rates (and thus different levels of noise). The different rotational speeds, for example, may include a “low” speed, a “medium” speed, and a “high” speed, where the “low” speed is slower than the “high” speed, while the “medium” speed is between the “low” speed and the “high” speed. In general, the speed of blower fan 42 may correlate to the sound level generated during the sound mode, e.g., the “high” speed may produce more white noise than the “low” speed, while the “medium” speed produces a noise level between that of the “low” speed and the “high” speed. As such, a user of air conditioner unit 10 may indicate, with the user inputs 68 on air conditioner unit 10 or remotely via remote device 116, the desired sound level, e.g., the desired speed, of air conditioner unit 10.

At (330), method 300 may generally include monitoring, through the microphone(s), an environment noise condition. As described above, microphones 200 may monitor the environment noise condition, e.g., the ambient noise level around and/or within a room, such as room 102 (FIG. 7). The noise from external sources, such as a television, a radio, roadway noise, or other common sources of commotion, etc., may be monitored by microphones 200 and transmitted to controller 64, whereby controller 64 may determine an operational response to the environment noise condition, e.g., an increase, decrease, or no change in the speed of blower fan 42.

At (340), method 300 may generally include adjusting a speed of the fan in response to the monitored environment noise condition. As stated above, controller 64 may determine an operational response to the environment noise condition, e.g., an increase, decrease, or no change in the speed of blower fan 42. For example, if the environment noise condition (e.g., the ambient noise level) increases, controller 64 may adjust the speed of blower fan 42, i.e., increase the speed of blower fan 42, in order to maintain the sound level set by the user., e.g., the increased the speed of blower fan 42 may generate more white noise, thus mitigating the increased environment noise condition. As such, air conditioner unit 10 may generate and provide continuously adapting white noise in response to the monitored environment noise condition.

As may be seen from the above, an air conditioner unit may advantageously include a microphone, and/or may be connected with existing device microphones via Wi-Fi®/Bluetooth®. The microphone, or connected devices, may monitor room noise levels, and direct the air conditioner unit to adjust a fan speed to produce consistent white noise, such as to be conducive to sleep. Users may customize the white noise levels based on sound level preferences.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.