AIR CONDITIONING APPLIANCE WITH EVENT DETECTION

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to air conditioning appliances, and more particularly to systems and methods for air conditioning appliances to detect events, such as water events, in a conditioned space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Air conditioner or air conditioning appliance units are conventionally utilized to adjust the temperature within structures such as dwellings and office buildings. In particular, one-unit type room air conditioner units, such as single-package vertical units (SPVU), or package terminal air conditioners (PTAC) may be utilized to adjust the temperature in, for example, a single room or group of rooms of a structure. A typical one-unit type air conditioner or air conditioning appliance includes an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. The indoor portion generally communicates (e.g., exchanges air) with the area within a building, and the outdoor portion generally communicates (e.g., exchanges air) with the area outside a building. Accordingly, the air conditioner unit generally extends through, for example, an outer wall of the structure. Generally, a fan may be operable to rotate to motivate air through the indoor portion. Another fan may be operable to rotate to motivate air through the outdoor portion. A sealed cooling system including a compressor is generally housed within the air conditioner unit to treat (e.g., cool or heat) air as it is circulated through, for example, the indoor portion of the air conditioner unit. One or more control boards are typically provided to direct the operation of various elements of the particular air conditioner unit.

An air conditioner or air conditioning appliance unit typically includes one or more sensors for measuring and/or tracking atmospheric conditions around the unit. Such sensors are conventionally used only for feedback-based control of the air conditioner unit. The data generated from such sensors, however, may also be useful for other purposes.

As a result, it would be useful to provide systems and methods for detecting events with an air conditioner unit.

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 exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating an air conditioner unit is provided. The method includes monitoring, by a sensor of the air conditioner unit, an atmospheric condition of indoor air from an indoor space in fluid communication with an indoor portion of the air conditioner unit. The method also includes detecting an event in the indoor space based on the monitored atmospheric condition of the indoor air and providing an emergency notification in response to the detected event in the indoor space.

In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner unit is provided. The air conditioner unit includes an indoor portion in fluid communication with an indoor space, a sensor, and a controller. The controller is configured for monitoring, with the sensor, an atmospheric condition of indoor air from the indoor space. The controller is further configured for detecting an event in the indoor space based on the monitored atmospheric condition of the indoor air and providing an emergency notification in response to the detected event in the indoor space.

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 conditioning appliance according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 provides a transverse cross section view of the exemplary air conditioner unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 provides a top down view of the exemplary air conditioner unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 provides a schematic lateral cross section view of the exemplary air conditioner unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 provides a perspective view of a make-up air module for an air conditioning appliance according to one or more additional exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 provides a diagrammatic illustration of an air conditioner unit in communication with a remote computing device and with a remote user interface device according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 7 provides a schematic illustration of a plurality of air conditioner units which are connected to each other and to a remote data server in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 8 provides a flow chart diagram of an exemplary method of operating an air conditioner unit according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

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 “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”). The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative flow direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the flow direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the flow direction to which the fluid flows.

As used herein, terms of approximation, such as “generally,” or “about” include values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. 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. For example, “generally vertical” includes directions within ten degrees of vertical in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Turning now to the figures, FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate an exemplary air conditioner appliance unit (e.g., air conditioner 100). FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of the exemplary air conditioner appliance unit 100. FIG. 2 provides a transverse cross section view of the exemplary air conditioner unit, e.g., the section of FIG. 2 is taken along a transverse-vertical plane defined by the transverse direction T and the vertical direction V. FIG. 3 is a top-down view of the air conditioner unit 100. FIG. 4 is a schematic section view taken along the section line 4-4 in FIG. 3. The line 4-4 in FIG. 3 extends along the lateral direction L, e.g., FIG. 4 is a lateral section view taken along a lateral-vertical plane defined by the lateral direction L and the vertical direction V. In some embodiments, the air conditioner unit 100 may be provided as a one-unit type air conditioner 100, such as a single-package vertical unit (SPVU), as illustrated, or a package terminal air conditioners (PTAC). Throughout the discussion herein, references to a “single-package air conditioner unit” are to be understood as referring to any suitable one-unit type air conditioner appliance, such as but not limited to an SPVU or a PTAC. Air conditioner unit 100 includes a package housing 114 supporting an indoor portion 112 (FIG. 2) and an outdoor portion 110 (FIG. 2) within an interior of the housing 114. A make-up air module 170 is positioned at least partially on an outside or exterior of the housing 114, e.g., on an external surface 113 of the housing 114, such as on a vertically upward facing top external surface 113, whereby at least a portion of the make-up air module 170 is mounted atop the housing 114.

Generally, air conditioner 100 defines a vertical direction V, lateral direction L, and transverse direction T. Each direction V, L, T is perpendicular to every other of the V, L, and T directions, such that an orthogonal coordinate system is generally defined.

In some embodiments, housing 114 contains various other components of the air conditioner 100. Housing 114 may include, for example, a rear opening 116 (e.g., with or without a grill or grate thereacross) and a front opening 118 (e.g., with or without a grill or grate thereacross) may be spaced apart from each other along the transverse direction T. The rear opening 116 may be part of the outdoor portion 110, while the front opening 118 is part of the indoor portion 112. Components of the outdoor portion 110, such as an outdoor heat exchanger 120, outdoor fan 124, and compressor 126 (FIG. 2) may be enclosed within housing 114 between front opening 118 and rear opening 116. In certain embodiments, one or more components of outdoor portion 110 are mounted on a basepan 136, as shown.

During certain operations, outdoor air 1000 (FIG. 2) may be drawn to outdoor portion 110 through rear opening 116. Specifically, an outdoor inlet 128 defined through housing 114 may receive outdoor air 1000 motivated by outdoor fan 124. Within housing 114, the received outdoor air 1000 may be motivated through or across outdoor fan 124. Moreover, at least a portion of the outdoor air 1000 may be motivated through or across outdoor heat exchanger 120 (FIG. 2) before exiting the rear opening 116 at an outdoor outlet 130. It is noted that although outdoor inlet 128 is illustrated as being defined above outdoor outlet 130, alternative embodiments may reverse this relative orientation (e.g., such that outdoor inlet 128 is defined below outdoor outlet 130) or provide outdoor inlet 128 beside outdoor outlet 130 in a side-by-side orientation, or another suitable discrete orientation.

As shown, indoor portion 112 may include an indoor heat exchanger 122 and a blower fan 142. These components may, for example, be housed behind the front opening 118. The indoor blower fan 142 may be mounted within a fan housing 134. As illustrated for example in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fan housing 134 may include a partial circular portion in which the blower fan 142 is mounted and a transition duct portion which extends from the partial circular portion and the blower fan 142 therein to an indoor outlet 140 above the indoor fan 142. Fan housing 134 may thereby at least partially separate and define the indoor portion 112 and outdoor portion 110 within housing 114. Additionally or alternatively, fan housing 134 or indoor heat exchanger 122 may be mounted on basepan 136 (e.g., at a higher vertical position than outdoor heat exchanger 120).

During certain operations, indoor air 1002 (FIG. 2) may be drawn to indoor portion 112 through front opening 118. Specifically, an indoor inlet 138 defined through housing 114 may receive indoor air 1002 motivated by blower fan 142. At least a portion of the indoor air 1002 may be motivated through or across indoor heat exchanger 122 (e.g., before passing to fan housing 134). From blower fan 142, indoor air 1002 may be motivated and returned to the indoor area of the room through an indoor outlet 140 defined through housing 114 (e.g., above indoor inlet 138 along the vertical direction V) and into a vertical exhaust duct (not shown) extending upward along the vertical direction V from the housing 114. It is noted that although indoor outlet 140 is illustrated as generally directing air 1002 upward, it is understood that indoor outlet 140 and exhaust duct 141 may be defined in alternative embodiments to direct air 1002 in any other suitable direction.

Outdoor and indoor heat exchanger 120, 122 may be components of a thermodynamic assembly (i.e., sealed system), which may be operated as a refrigeration assembly (and thus perform a refrigeration cycle) or, in the case of the heat pump unit embodiment, a heat pump (and thus perform a heat pump cycle). Thus, as is understood, exemplary heat pump unit embodiments may be selectively operated perform a refrigeration cycle at certain instances (e.g., while in a cooling mode) and a heat pump cycle at other instances (e.g., while in a heating mode), such as by positioning a reversing valve to direct high pressure and high temperature vapor refrigerant from the compressor to one or the other of the outdoor heat exchanger or the indoor heat exchanger according to the selected mode. By contrast, exemplary A/C exclusive unit embodiments may be unable to perform a heat pump cycle (e.g., while in the heating mode), but still perform a refrigeration cycle (e.g., while in a cooling mode).

The sealed system may, for example, further include compressor 126 (e.g., mounted on basepan 136, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and an expansion device (e.g., expansion valve or capillary tube—not pictured), both of which may be in fluid communication with the heat exchangers 120, 122 to flow refrigerant therethrough, as is generally understood. The outdoor and indoor heat exchanger 120, 122 may each include coils 146, 148, as illustrated, through which a refrigerant may flow for heat exchange purposes, as is generally understood.

Additionally, a plenum 200 (FIG. 2) may be provided to direct air to or from housing 114. When installed, plenum 200 may be selectively attached to (e.g., fixed to or mounted against) housing 114 (e.g., via a suitable mechanical fastener, adhesive, gasket, etc.) and extend through a structure wall 150 (e.g., an outer wall of the structure within which air conditioner 100 is installed). In particular, plenum 200 extends along an axial direction (e.g., parallel to the transverse direction T) through a hole or channel in the structure wall 150 that passes from an internal (indoor) surface 154 of the structure wall 150 to an external (outdoor) surface 156 of the structure wall 150. The plenum 200 may include a divider wall 256 within the plenum 200. When assembled, divider wall 256 defines a separate upper passage 258 and lower passage 260. Generally, upper passage 258 and lower passage 260 may divide or define two discrete air flow paths for air through the plenum 200. When assembled, upper passage 258 and lower passage 260 may be fluidly isolated by divider wall 256 (e.g., such that air is prevented from passing directly between passages 258 and 260 through divider wall 256, or another portion of plenum 200). Upper passage 258 may be positioned upstream from outdoor inlet 128. Lower passage 260 may be positioned downstream from outdoor outlet 130.

The operation of air conditioner 100 including compressor 126 (and thus the sealed system generally), blower fan 142, outdoor fan 124, and other suitable components may be controlled by a control board or controller 158 (FIG. 3). Controller 158 may be in communication with (e.g., connected to, via for example a suitable wired or wireless connection) such components of the air conditioner 100. By way of example, the controller 158 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 air conditioner 100. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH.

Air conditioner 100 may additionally include a control panel 160 and one or more user inputs 162 (FIG. 3), which may be included in control panel 160. The user inputs 162 may be in communication with the controller 158. A user of the air conditioner 100 may interact with the user inputs 162 to operate the air conditioner 100, and user commands may be transmitted between the user inputs 162 and controller 158 to facilitate operation of the air conditioner 100 based on such user commands. A display may additionally be provided in the control panel 160, and may be in communication with the controller 158. Display 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 air conditioner 100.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an exemplary make-up air module 170 according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in greater detail. The make-up air module 170 is depicted in isolation in FIG. 5 (e.g., without the remainder of the air conditioner unit 100) and with external components of the make-up air module 170 illustrated in dashed lines in order to more clearly illustrate internal components of the make-up air module 170. As may be seen in FIG. 5, the make-up air module 170 may include a fan box 180 with a plurality of make-up air fans 182 positioned in the fan box 180. For example, the plurality of make-up air fans 182 may include two make-up air fans 182, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 5. The make-up air module 170 may also include a vent cover 186 and a door 184 between the fan box 180 and the vent cover 186. The plurality of make-up air fans 182 may be positioned and configured for parallel flow, e.g., with no fan 182 upstream or downstream of any other fan 182 of the plurality of make-up air fans 182, such that the make-up air fans 182 collectively provide a make-up air flow.

Providing the plurality of make-up air fans 182 in parallel, e.g., rather than a single make-up air fan, may advantageously provide a quieter operation of the make-up air module 170. Quieter operation may be particularly desirable in the exemplary configurations of the air conditioner unit 100 shown and described, where the make-up air module 170 is relatively close to an occupied space, e.g., the room which is conditioned by the air conditioner unit 100, for example, in contrast to a make-up air unit which is provided separately from the air conditioner unit 100 at a remote location.

The door 184 may, in some embodiments, be a motorized door, e.g., the door 184 may be coupled to a motor and the motor may be in operative communication with and controlled by the controller 158 to move the door 184 between a closed position (FIG. 4) where the door 184 prevents or limits air flow into the vent cover 186 and an open position (FIG. 5) where the door 184 permits air flow into the vent cover 186. In some embodiments, the door 184 may rotate between the closed position and the open position. For example, the door 184 may be rotatably mounted to the housing 114, such as to a top wall 115 of the housing 114, such that the door 184 is rotatable between the closed position and the open position. In some embodiments, the door 184 may be parallel to the external surface 113 of the housing 114 when the door 184 is in the closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

As may be seen, e.g., in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fan box 180 may be disposed within the housing 114, such as within the outdoor portion 110, and the vent cover 186 may be positioned outside of the housing 114. Thus, the make-up air module 170 may extend between the interior of the housing 114, e.g., the outdoor portion 110 of the housing 114, and an outside of the housing 114. For example, the make-up air module 170 may extend from an inlet 172 inside of the housing 114 to an outlet 176 outside of the housing 114. In some embodiments, the inlet 172 of the make-up air module 170 may be defined by an open bottom end of the fan box 180 and the outlet 176 may be defined by the vent cover 186. In some embodiments, the vent cover 186 of the make-up air module 170 may be mounted on an external surface of the housing 114, such as the vertically-facing external surface 113 of the top wall 115 of the housing 114. Thus, in such embodiments, the vent cover 186 of the make-up air module 170 may be mounted to the housing 114 atop the housing 114. Further, the outlet 176 of the make-up air module 170 may be positioned above the housing 114, e.g., along the vertical direction V.

In some embodiments, the make-up air module 170 may extend through the external surface 113 of the housing 114. For example, the external surface 113 may be an outer vertically upward-facing surface of a top wall 115 of the housing 114. In such example embodiments, the fan box 180 may be mounted on one side of the top wall 115, e.g., inside of the housing 114, and the vent cover 186 may be mounted to the other side of the top wall 115, e.g., at the external surface 113 of the top wall 115, whereby the make-up air module 170, which is at least partially defined by the fan box 180 and the vent cover 186 collectively, extends through the top wall 115 and through the external surface 113 thereof.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the make-up air module 170 may be in fluid communication with the outdoor portion 110 of the housing 114 to draw make-up air 1004 (which is a portion of the outside air 1000) from within the housing 114 into the make-up air module 170, e.g., via the inlet 172 of the make-up air module 170. For example, in at least some embodiments, the inlet 172 may be in direct fluid communication with the outdoor portion 110 to draw outside air (e.g., make-up air 1004 which, as mentioned, is a portion of the outside air 1000) from within the housing 114, e.g., from within the outdoor portion 110, directly into the make-up air module 170 at the inlet 172 of the make-up air module 170.

The portion of the outside air 1000 which is diverted from the exhaust flow (the exhaust flow is indicated by the left-pointing lower arrow 1000 coming out of the outdoor outlet 130 in FIG. 2) may depend at least in part on the relative capacity of the plurality of make-up air fans 182 and the outdoor fan 124. The capacity of the various fans is generally measured and described in terms of cubic feet per minute (“CFM”). For example, the plurality of make-up air fans 182 may collectively provide a make-up air flow and the outdoor fan 124 may provide an exhaust flow, and in various embodiments, the exhaust flow may be between about 300 CFM and about 900 CFM, while the make-up air flow may be between about 20 CFM and about 75 CFM.

In some embodiments, the outlet 176 of the make-up air module 170 may be aligned with a front surface 117 of the housing 114. Thus, in at least some embodiments, for example as illustrated in FIG. 2, where the housing 114 of the air conditioner unit 100 is spaced apart from a partition 152, e.g., a wall, access door, or access panel, which separates the air conditioner unit 100 from the room, the make-up air module 170, in particular the outlet 176 thereof, may also be spaced apart from the partition 152 and the louvers 174 defined therethrough. Thus, the make-up air 1004 may be provided from the make-up air module 170 to an indoor area (room or rooms) within the structure via the louvers 174, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the make-up air module 170 may be in fluid communication with the room.

In some embodiments, the make-up air module 170 may include an air filter 188. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the air filter 188 may be positioned in or near the outlet 176 of the make-up air module 170.

In some embodiments, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2, the air conditioner unit 100 may further include a resistance heater 132. In such embodiments, the compressor 126 may be a variable-speed compressor and may, for example be operatively coupled to the controller 158 such that the controller 158 may control the speed of the compressor 126, e.g., vary the speed of the compressor 126 within a greater than zero range. Also in such embodiments, each make-up air fan 182 of the plurality of make-up air fans 182 may be a variable-speed fan. Thus, such embodiments may provide dehumidification as well as ventilation to the occupied space, e.g., room. For example, in such embodiments, the air conditioner unit 100 may be operable in a cooling mode wherein the variable speed compressor 126 operates at a first speed and in a dehumidification mode wherein the variable speed compressor 126 operates at a second speed less than the first speed and greater than zero. Also in the dehumidification mode, the plurality of make-up air fans 182 may be activated and the resistance heater 132 may be activated. The dehumidification mode may be useful to avoid over-cooling the room. For example, the variable speed make-up air fans 182 may be controlled by the controller 158 such that the controller 158 can adjust, e.g., increase or decrease within a greater than zero range, the speed of the make-up air fans 182 depending on, for example, the temperature and/or humidity of the outdoor air 1000. For example, the controller 158 may adjust the speed of the fans 182 using pulse width modulation.

The make-up air module 170, e.g., the door 184 and the fans 182 thereof, may be controlled based on input from an air humidity sensor. The air humidity sensor may be positioned in the outdoor portion 110 of the housing 114, for example. When the humidity of the outdoor air 1000 exceeds a threshold, the controller 158 may operate the air conditioner unit 100 in the dehumidification mode as described above in order to thereby reduce the humidity of the make-up air 1004 provided to the indoor environment as compared to the humidity of the outdoor air 1000. The threshold may be about fifty-five percent (55%) relative humidity, where “about” includes plus or minus ten percentage points of the stated value, e.g., about 55% includes between 45% and 65%.

Referring again to FIG. 2, one or more sensors 190 may be provided in the air conditioner unit 100, e.g., in the indoor portion thereof, and the sensor(s) 190 may be configured to measure, sense, track, and/or monitor one or more atmospheric conditions, such as temperature or humidity, of the indoor air 1002 from the indoor space. The sensor(s) 190 may be in communication with the controller 158, via a wired or wireless connection, to transmit a signal to the controller 158, such as a voltage proportional to the measured atmospheric condition(s). In various embodiments, more than one atmospheric condition may be measured by a single sensor, and/or multiple sensors may be provided to each measure the same atmospheric condition(s) or different atmospheric conditions. For example, providing multiple sensors to monitor the atmospheric condition may reduce the instance of false positives, such as may provide redundancy in case of a faulty sensor.

The sensor(s) 190 may be positioned in any suitable location within the indoor portion of the air conditioner unit 100 to monitor the atmospheric condition(s) of the indoor air 1002 from the indoor space. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensor(s) 190 may be located upstream of the coils 148 in the indoor heat exchanger 122, such that the sensor(s) 190 obtain a more direct and representative reading of the atmospheric condition(s) in the indoor space, e.g., with little or no influence on the sensor readings from the indoor heat exchanger 122. In additional embodiments, the sensor(s) 190 may be located downstream of the indoor heat exchanger 122 and/or indoor fan 142. In some embodiments, multiple sensors 190 may be provided in different locations within the indoor portion of the air conditioner unit.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a general schematic is provided of an air conditioner unit 10 (such as air conditioner unit 100 described above, or another suitable air conditioner unit), which communicates wirelessly with a remote user interface device 1200 and a network 1100. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the air conditioner unit 10 may include an antenna 90 by which the air conditioner unit 10 communicates with, e.g., sends and receives signals to and from, the remote user interface device 1200 and/or network 1100. The antenna 90 may be part of, e.g., onboard, a communications module 92. The communications module 92 may be a wireless communications module operable to connect wirelessly, e.g., over the air, to one or more other devices via any suitable wireless communication protocol. For example, the communications module 92 may be a WI-FI® module, a BLUETOOTH® module, or a combination module providing both WI-FI® and BLUETOOTH® connectivity. The remote user interface device 1200 may be a laptop computer, smartphone, tablet, personal computer, wearable device, smart speaker, smart home system, and/or various other suitable devices. The communications module 92 may be onboard the controller 158 or may be a separate module.

The air conditioner unit 10 may be in communication with the remote user interface device 1200 device through various possible communication connections and interfaces. The air conditioner unit 10 and the remote user interface device 1200 may be matched in wireless communication, e.g., connected to the same wireless network. The air conditioner unit 10 may communicate with the remote user interface device 1200 via short-range radio such as BLUETOOTH® or any other suitable wireless network having a layer protocol architecture. As used herein, “short-range” may include ranges less than about ten meters and up to about one hundred meters. For example, the wireless network may be adapted for short-wavelength ultra-high frequency (UHF) communications in a band between 2.4 GHz and 2.485 GHz (e.g., according to the IEEE 802.15.1 standard). In particular, BLUETOOTH® Low Energy, e.g., BLUETOOTH® Version 4.0 or higher, may advantageously provide short-range wireless communication between the air conditioner unit 10 and the remote user interface device 1200. For example, BLUETOOTH® Low Energy may advantageously minimize the power consumed by the exemplary methods and devices described herein due to the low power networking protocol of BLUETOOTH® Low Energy.

The remote user interface device 1200 is “remote” at least in that it is spaced apart from and not physically connected to the air conditioner unit 10, e.g., the remote user interface device 1200 is a separate, stand-alone device from the air conditioner unit 10 which communicates with the air conditioner unit 10 wirelessly. Any suitable device separate from the air conditioner unit 10 that is configured to provide and/or receive communications, information, data, or commands from a user may serve as the remote user interface device 1200, such as a smartphone (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 6), smart watch, personal computer, smart home system, or other similar device. For example, the remote user interface device 1200 may be a smartphone operable to store and run applications, also known as “apps,” and some or all of the method steps disclosed herein may be performed by a smartphone app.

The remote user interface device 1200 may include a memory for storing and retrieving programming instructions. Thus, the remote user interface device 1200 may provide a remote user interface which may be an additional user interface to the user interface panel 160. For example, the remote user interface device 1200 may be a smartphone operable to store and run applications, also known as “apps,” and the additional user interface may be provided as a smartphone app.

As mentioned above, the air conditioner unit 10 may also be configured to communicate wirelessly with a network 1100. The network 1100 may be, e.g., a cloud-based data storage system including one or more remote computing devices such as remote databases and/or remote servers (such as the exemplary remote device 700 illustrated in FIG. 7), which may be collectively referred to as “the cloud.” For example, the air conditioner unit 10 may communicate with the cloud 1100 over the Internet, which the air conditioner unit 10 may access via WI-FI®, such as from a WI-FI® access point.

Turning now to FIG. 7, in various embodiments of the present subject matter, a plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may be commonly located, e.g., may be located in the same building, and each air conditioner unit 10 may be in fluid communication with a respective portion of the building, e.g., a specific indoor space such as a particular room or group of rooms, within the building for each air conditioner unit 10 of the plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10. For example, the building in which the plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 is located may be an apartment building, hotel, office building or other similar multi-unit structure (e.g., including multiple rooms, suites, apartment units, and/or other indoor spaces defined within the building).

The plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may each be configured in the same manner as the example air conditioner unit 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 and described above, or may include some of the same or similar features as shown in FIGS. 1-5 and described above. In some embodiments, all of the air conditioner units 10 of the plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may be the same as or similar to the example air conditioner unit 100. It also should be understood that the present subject matter may be used with any type of air conditioner unit, and is not necessarily limited to the example air conditioner unit 100 of FIGS. 1-5, e.g., in some embodiments, the plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may include a plurality of window units or other PTACs, among other possible example air conditioner units, as well as or instead of the vertical unit in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1-5.

The plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may be connected to a remote data server 700. As mentioned above, the remote data server 700 may be one exemplary remote device which is a part of a distributed computing system such as the cloud. The plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may each be in mutual wireless communication with every other air conditioner unit 10 in the plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 (thus, not every possible wireless signal between air conditioner units 10 is specifically illustrated in FIG. 7 for the sake of simplicity and clarity). Accordingly, regardless of the particular type of air conditioner unit 10, each air conditioner unit 10 of the plurality 710 of air conditioner units 10 may include a controller, such as the example controller 158 described above, and a wireless communication module, such as the example communication module 92 described above, connected to the controller or incorporated therein.

As mentioned, the controller 158 may include one or more memory devices. The memory devices may also store data that can be retrieved, manipulated, created, or stored by the one or more processors or portions of controller 158. The data can include, for instance, data to facilitate performance of methods described herein. The data can be stored locally (e.g., on controller 158), in one or more databases (e.g., on remote data server 700), and/or may be split up so that the data is stored in multiple locations. In addition, or alternatively, the one or more database(s) can be connected to controller 158 through any suitable network(s), such as through a high bandwidth local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). In this regard, for example, controller 158 may further communicate with one or more other component(s) of air conditioner 10, an external controller, or any other suitable device, e.g., via any suitable communication lines or network(s) and using any suitable communication protocol. The communication interface can include any suitable components for interfacing with one or more network(s), including for example, transmitters, receivers, ports, controllers, antennas, or other suitable components.

Exemplary methods for operating an air conditioner unit, such as but not limited to air conditioner unit 100 described above, are provided. In this regard, for example, a controller of the air conditioner unit, e.g., controller 158, may be configured for implementing some or all steps of one or more of the following exemplary methods. It should be appreciated, however, that the exemplary methods are discussed herein only to describe exemplary aspects of the present subject matter, and are not intended to be limiting.

Now that the construction of an air conditioner unit and the configuration of controller 158 according to exemplary embodiments have been presented, exemplary methods of operating an air conditioner unit will be described. In exemplary embodiments, the various method steps as disclosed herein may be performed locally, e.g., by controller 158 and/or a separate, dedicated controller integrated into the air conditioner unit. Furthermore, some or all of the various method steps may be performed remotely, e.g., in a distributed computing environment such as the cloud, fog, or edge, wherein the controller 158 communicates with one or more remote computing devices of the distributed computing environment, such as data processing and/or analysis, may be performed in the cloud and the output of such process may be transmitted to and received by the air conditioner unit 10, such as by the controller 158 thereof via the communications module 92.

FIG. 8 depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes of illustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, using the disclosures provided herein, will understand that (except as otherwise indicated) the steps of method 800 can be modified, adapted, rearranged, omitted, interchanged, or expanded in various ways without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

An exemplary method 800 of operating an air conditioner unit is illustrated in FIG. 8. Method 800 may include (810) monitoring an atmospheric condition of indoor air from an indoor space in fluid communication with an indoor portion of the air conditioner unit. Such monitoring may be performed using a sensor, e.g., by a sensor, of the air conditioner, such one or more sensor(s) 190 as described above. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor may be a single sensor. In additional embodiments, the sensor may be a first sensor, and the air conditioner may further include a second sensor. In such embodiments, exemplary methods according to the present disclosure may further include monitoring the atmospheric condition of the indoor air with the second sensor (e.g., the atmospheric condition, such as humidity, in the indoor air may be monitored by both the first sensor and the second sensor). In such embodiments, the event may be detected based on atmospheric condition data from all of the sensors, e.g., both sensors, such as the first sensor and the second sensor, or more than two sensors, e.g., all three sensors when three sensors are included, etc. For example, multiple sensors may be provided across multiple air conditioner units, such as two or more air conditioner units with at least one sensor in each air conditioner unit, and each sensor may be used to monitor the same atmospheric condition, e.g., humidity, such that the sensors collectively monitor the atmospheric condition in one or more indoor spaces, e.g., one or more rooms.

In some embodiments, method 800 may also optionally include (812) activating a fan, e.g., indoor fan 142, of the air conditioner unit to draw the indoor air from the indoor space towards the sensor of the air conditioner unit while monitoring the atmospheric condition of the indoor air. The additional air flow provided to the sensor by running the indoor fan may improve the responsiveness of the method in such embodiments, e.g., an event may be detected more quickly and/or at a lower level (e.g., a lower humidity in the indoor space) when the indoor fan is activated while monitoring the atmospheric condition, e.g., humidity, of the indoor air.

Method 800 may further include (820) detecting an event in the indoor space based on the monitored atmospheric condition of the indoor air. For example, in some embodiments, the monitored atmospheric condition may be humidity, and the detected event may be an accumulation of moisture in the indoor space. The accumulation of moisture may be a water event, such as a flood in the room or other conditioned space. The accumulation of moisture may, for example, be a flood comprising an accumulation of moisture of about one inch or more on a floor of the room. As an additional example, the accumulation of moisture may arise from a leak, a burst pipe, or other similar moisture sources. Also by way of example, the accumulation of moisture may result from moisture entering the room in various ways, such as through a wall, around a window or other fenestration, from a ceiling, and/or other avenues by which moisture may intrude into and accumulate in the room (or other conditioned space). Accordingly, the accumulation of moisture causes the humidity in the conditioned space to rise above an expected range, such as an expected range during operation of the air conditioner unit, whereby the event, e.g., moisture accumulation, may be detected based on the monitored humidity of indoor air from the indoor space. For example, detecting the event in the indoor space based on the monitored atmospheric condition of the indoor air may include determining the monitored atmospheric condition is outside of a predefined operating range of the air conditioner unit, such as determining the monitored atmospheric condition is above the predefined operating range by at least a predetermined threshold amount.

When the event, e.g., moisture accumulation in the indoor space, is detected, one or more responsive and/or remedial actions may be taken. For example, method 800 may include (830) providing an emergency notification in response to the detected event in the indoor space. The emergency notification may be provided, for example, to a smart thermostat in wireless communication with the air conditioner unit, a networked community, a central management device (e.g., in a building with multiple air conditioner units, such as where the air conditioner unit is one of a plurality of air conditioner units, e.g., plurality 710 as described above with reference to FIG. 7), to a remote user interface device (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 6), and/or to a remote device such as management software, e.g., which may be implemented remotely such as in the cloud, etc., e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 7. In particular where the indoor space is unoccupied (such as an unrented apartment unit or unoccupied hotel room), the hazard may be detected earlier by monitoring the atmospheric condition with the sensor in the air conditioner unit and providing the emergency notification.

In some embodiments, an internal alert may be recorded, and instances of detected events may thereby be tracked over time. For example, some embodiments may include recording an alert in a memory of a controller of the air conditioner unit in response to the detected event in the indoor space.

Also by way of example, responsive and/or remedial actions may include disabling at least one component of the air conditioner unit in response to the detected event. For example, in some embodiments, the at least one component may be the sealed system of the air conditioner unit, e.g., method 800 may include (832) disabling the sealed system in response to the detected event in the indoor space. As additional examples, when the detected event is moisture accumulation, responsive and/or remedial actions may include operating the air conditioner unit in heating mode (e.g., directing high pressure and high temperature refrigerant from the compressor to the indoor heat exchanger), operating a make-up air system of the air conditioner unit (e.g., opening a door of the make-up air system to allow outdoor air which may be drier than the indoor air into the indoor space, activating make-up air fan or fans to increase air circulation and thereby promote drying out the indoor space), and/or operating the air conditioner unit in a dehumidification mode which includes activating a resistance heater, e.g., as described above.

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.