AIR CONDITIONER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

Abstract

An air conditioner and a method of controlling the same, which is capable of minimizing power consumed in an indoor unit and an outdoor unit by cutting off external power supplied to the outdoor unit in a standby mode when it is determined that the air conditioner has a standby operation condition. When a standby operation state is switched to a normal operation state, power is supplied from an indoor power supply unit to an outdoor power supply unit via a communication line to perform an initial operation of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner. Accordingly, external power supplied to the outdoor control board is completely cut off in the standby operation state and only an indoor unit is in a standby state, thereby minimizing standby power consumed in the air conditioner.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) from Korean Patent Application No. 2006-101481, filed on Oct. 18, 2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present general inventive concept relates to an air conditioner and a method of controlling the same, and, more particularly, to an air conditioner and a method of controlling the same, which is capable of reducing standby power during a standby operation of the air conditioner.

2. Description of the Related Art

An air conditioner is an appliance for cooling or heating a room using an indoor unit by connecting major components such as a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion device and an indoor heat exchanger using a pipe for circulating refrigerant to form a refrigeration cycle and separating and mounting the components in an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.

In general, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are mounted at different places and connected to each other via a power supply line and a communication line, and exchange information such as a control command related to an operation or an operation state via the communication line.

When external power is supplied to the outdoor unit, the external power is supplied to the indoor unit via the power supply line. When a user inputs an operation command to the indoor unit, the indoor unit transmits the input operation command to the outdoor unit via the communication line, receives a response corresponding to the operation command from the outdoor unit, and controls the operation of the air conditioner.

Accordingly, in order to perform the communication or the control operation, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit receive a driving power from respective power supply units connected to an external power supply unit. In order to minimize power consumption, a conventional air conditioner is switched to and operated in a standby mode for minimizing the control operation when the user gives pause to the operation of the air conditioner, for example, by not providing input operation commands for a predetermined period of time or providing a standby operation command.

However, in the conventional air conditioner, communication units included in the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are always in a standby state such that the communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit is performed even in the standby mode whenever the user inputs the operation command. Accordingly, when the air conditioner stops for a long period of time due to factors such as time or season, it is difficult to minimize the power consumption of the air conditioner due to the power being consumed for maintaining the standby state of the communication units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present general inventive concept provides an air conditioner and a method of controlling the same, which is capable of minimizing power consumed in an indoor unit and an outdoor unit by cutting off external power supplied to the outdoor unit when performing a standby mode in response to the air conditioner having a standby operation condition based on, for example, input operation commands not being input to the air conditioner by a user for a predetermined period of time or a standby operation command being input to the air conditioner by a user.

Additional aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing an air conditioner including an indoor unit having an indoor power supply unit and an indoor communication unit and an outdoor unit having an outdoor power supply unit and an outdoor communication unit, and the indoor and outdoor power supply units being connected to an external power supply unit to supply driving power. The air conditioner may also include switches to connect a communication line to at least one of the indoor power supply unit and the indoor communication unit and at least one of the outdoor power supply unit and the outdoor communication unit to establish a path between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit; a power cut-off unit for connecting or disconnecting the external power supply unit and the outdoor unit; and a control unit to determine whether the air conditioner has a standby operation condition and to control the switches and the power cut-off unit according to a result of determination.

The control unit may determine that the air conditioner has the standby operation condition, when at least one of a stop signal of the indoor unit is input, a stop signal of the outdoor unit is input and an operation signal is not input during a setting time after at least the one of the stop signals is input.

The control unit may control the power cut-off unit to disconnect the external power supply unit from the outdoor unit when the air conditioner has the standby operation condition.

The power cut-off unit having an on position and an off position may be provided in a power supply line to connect the external power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit. The power cut-off unit may also include at least one of a relay, a semiconductor and a bimetal switch.

The control unit may control the switches to connect the communication line between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit to allow power to be supplied from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when an operation signal is input after the external power supply unit is disconnected from the outdoor unit.

Each of the switches includes at least one of a relay, a semiconductor and a bimetal switch. Also, the at least one of the switches are provided in the outdoor unit and the other of the switches are provided in the indoor unit. Further, the at least one of the switches includes a first set of contacts, at least one of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor power supply unit and the other of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor communication unit. Further, at least the other of the switches includes a second set of contacts, at least one of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor power supply unit and the other of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor communication unit.

The control unit may control the switches to connect the communication line to the outdoor power supply unit before the operation signal is input.

Each of the switches includes at least one of a relay, a semiconductor and a bimetal switch. Also, at least one of the switches are provided in the outdoor unit and the other of the switches are provided in the indoor unit. Further, the at least one of the switches includes a first set of contacts, at least one of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor power supply unit and the other of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor communication unit. Further, at least the other of the switches includes a second set of contacts, at least one of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor power supply unit and at least the other of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor communication unit.

The control unit may control the power cut-off unit to connect the external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when the power is supplied from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit.

The power cut-off unit having an on position and an off position may be provided in a power supply line to connect the external power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit and include at least one of a relay, a semiconductor and a bimetal switch.

The control unit may control the switches to connect the communication line between the indoor communication unit and the outdoor communication unit to allow communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to be performed, when the external power supply unit is connected to the outdoor unit.

Each of the switches includes at least one of a relay, a semiconductor and a bimetal switch. Also, at least one of the switches are provided in the outdoor unit and the other of the switches are provided in the indoor unit. Further, the at least one of the switches includes a first set of contacts, at least one of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor power supply unit and the other of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor communication unit. Further, at least the other of the switches includes a second set of contacts, at least one of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor power supply unit and the other of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor communication unit.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of controlling an air conditioner which includes an indoor unit having an indoor power supply unit and an indoor communication unit and an outdoor unit having an outdoor power supply unit and an outdoor communication unit, at least one of the indoor and outdoor power supply units being connected to an external power supply unit to supply driving power, the method including determining whether the air conditioner has a standby operation condition, controlling the external power supply unit to be connected to or disconnected from the outdoor supply unit according to a result of the determining operation, and controlling a communication line to be connected to at least one of the indoor power supply unit and the indoor communication unit and at least one of the outdoor power supply unit and the outdoor communication unit to establish a a path between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit according to the result of the determination operation.

The determining operation may include determining that the air conditioner has the standby operation condition, when at least one of a stop signal of the indoor unit is input, a stop signal of the outdoor unit is input and an operation signal is not input during a setting time after at least the one of the stop signals is input.

The controlling the external power supply operation may include disconnecting the external power supply unit from the outdoor unit when the air conditioner has the standby operation condition.

The method may further include controlling the communication line to be connected between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit to supply power from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when an operation signal is input after the external power supply unit is disconnected from the outdoor unit in the controlling of the external power supply operation.

The controlling of the communication line to be connected between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit operation may include the communication line being connected to the outdoor power supply unit before the operation signal is input.

The method may further include connecting the external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when the power is supplied from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit in the controlling of the communication line to be connected between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit operation.

The method may further include connecting the communication line between the indoor communication unit and the outdoor communication unit to establish communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, when the external power supply unit is connected to the outdoor power supply unit in the controlling the connecting of the external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit operation.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing an air conditioner including an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, an indoor control unit to control a communication state between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and an outdoor unit control unit to control a connection between the outdoor unit and an external power source based on the control of the indoor control unit.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing an air conditioner usable with an external power supply unit including an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, a power cut-off unit disposed between the outdoor unit and the external power supply unit, the power cut-off unit to selectively connect and disconnect the outdoor unit and the external power supply and a control unit disposed in at least one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The control unit may also communicate with the power cut-off unit to place the air conditioner in one of a normal operation state and a standby operation state. Also, the power cut-off unit may disconnect the external power supply unit from the outdoor unit to prevent power from being supplied to the outdoor unit in response to a communication from the control unit to place the air conditioner in the standby operation state.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a method of switching an air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit between a normal operation state and a standby operation state including detecting a standby operation condition, connecting a communication line to an outdoor power supply unit of the outdoor unit in response to the detecting operation and disconnecting an external power supply unit from the outdoor unit to prevent power from being supplied to the outdoor unit to in response to the detecting operation.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a method of switching an air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit between a normal operation state and a standby operation state including detecting a normal operation condition, establishing an auxiliary power path between an indoor power supply unit of the indoor unit and an outdoor power supply unit of the outdoor unit to provide power to the outdoor unit in response to the detecting operation and connecting an external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit in response to the establishing the auxiliary power path operation.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a computer readable recording medium containing computer readable codes to perform a method of switching an air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit between a normal operation state and a standby operation state including detecting a standby operation condition, connecting a communication line to an outdoor power supply unit of the outdoor unit in response to the detecting operation and disconnecting an external power supply unit from the outdoor unit to prevent power from being supplied to the outdoor unit to in response to the detecting operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and utilities of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration in a normal operation state of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration when the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept is switched from the normal operation state to a standby operation state;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration when the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept is switched from the standby operation state to the normal operation state; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration in a normal operation state of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

An outdoor unit 1 may be or include, for example, in an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, an outdoor control board. The outdoor unit 1 may include an outdoor power supply unit 11 to supply driving power necessary for operations of components, for example, mounted in the outdoor unit 1, an outdoor control unit 12 connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 via an outdoor power supply line 30 so as to receive the power supplied from the outdoor power supply unit 11 and control the operations of, for example, the components in the outdoor unit 1, and an outdoor communication unit 13 to communicate with an indoor unit 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the outdoor power supply unit 11 used in an embodiment of the present general inventive concept is, for example, a switching mode power supply (SMPS) unit that may include a rectifying circuit therein, which may be connected to an external AC power supply unit 3 via a first power supply line 4 and may perform a function to convert AC power supplied from the external power supply unit 3 into DC power having a predetermined level and may supply the DC power to the outdoor control unit 12 via the outdoor power supply line 30.

A power cut-off unit 15 to connect the external power supply unit 3 to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and to disconnect the external power supply unit 3 from the outdoor power supply unit 11 may be provided, for example, in the first power supply line 4. In a present embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the power cut-off unit 15 may include a relay having, for example, an on position and an off position for an ON/OFF-type operation. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the on position of the power cut-off unit 15 may connect the external power supply unit 3 to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and the off position may disconnect the external power supply unit 3 from the outdoor power supply unit 11. The power cut-off unit 15 may include a semiconductor circuit or a bimetal switch to perform the same function.

The outdoor control unit 12 may receive power supplied from the outdoor power supply unit 11, may control the outdoor communication unit 13 to communicate with an indoor communication unit 23, and may control the power cut-off unit 15 to perform a function to connect the external power supply unit 3 to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and to disconnect the external power supply unit 3 from the outdoor power supply unit 11.

The outdoor communication unit 13 may include, in an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, any one of known communication circuits, such as a RS-485 communication circuit, and may be connected to the indoor communication unit 23 via a communication line 6. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the communication line 6 may include, for example, one or more communication channels 6a and 6b.

A first switch 14 may be provided between the outdoor unit 1 and the communication line 6. In alternative embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the first switch 14 may be, for example, in the communication line 6 or part of the outdoor unit 1. The first switch 14 may include a first set of contacts 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d. The outdoor control unit 12 may control the first switch 14 such that the communication line 6 is connected to any one of the outdoor power supply unit 11 and the outdoor communication unit 13.

Accordingly, the outdoor power supply unit 11 and a contact 8a of the first switch 14 on the side of the outdoor power supply unit 11 are connected by an outdoor auxiliary power supply line 31. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the outdoor power supply unit 11 and a pair of contacts 8a and 8c of the first switch 14 on the side of the outdoor power supply unit 11 are connected by an outdoor auxiliary power supply line 31, and the outdoor auxiliary power supply line 31 may include, for example, one or more outdoor auxiliary power supply channels 31a, 31b.

The first switch 14 includes, but is not limited to, a relay connected to any one of the first set of contacts 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and the outdoor communication unit 13. The first switch 14 may include a semiconductor circuit or a bimetal switch to perform the same function.

An outdoor memory 16 can store a program necessary to allow the outdoor control unit 12 to control an operation of the outdoor unit 1. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the outdoor memory 16 may be, for example, located in the outdoor unit 1. In another embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the outdoor memory 16 may be, for example, located outside the outdoor unit 1.

An indoor unit 2 may be or include, for example, in an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, an indoor control board. The indoor unit 2 may include an indoor power supply unit 21, an indoor control unit 22 and an indoor communications unit 23. An indoor power supply unit 21 may supply driving power necessary for operations of components, for example, mounted in the indoor unit 2, an indoor control unit 22 may be connected to the indoor power supply unit 21 via an indoor power supply line 40 so as to receive power supplied from the indoor power supply unit 21 and to control operations of the components in the indoor unit 2, and the indoor communication unit 23 may communicate with the outdoor unit 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the indoor power supply unit 21 may be an SMPS unit and may include a rectifying circuit therein, which may be connected to the external power supply unit 3 via a second power supply line 5 and may perform a function to convert, for example, the AC power supplied from the external power supply unit 3 into DC power having a predetermined level and to supply the DC power to the indoor control unit 22 via the indoor power supply line 40.

The indoor control unit 22 receives power supplied from the indoor power supply unit 21 and controls the indoor communication unit 23 to communicate with the outdoor communication unit 13. The indoor communication unit 23 may include any one of known communication circuits, such as a RS-485 communication circuit.

A second switch 24 may be provided between the indoor unit 2 and the communication line 6 to connect the indoor communication unit 23 and the outdoor communication unit 13. In alternative embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the second switch 24 may be, for example, in the communication line 6 or part of the indoor unit 2. The second switch 24 may include a second set of contacts 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d. The indoor control unit 22 may control the second switch 24 such that the communication line 6 is connected to any one of the indoor power supply unit 21 and the indoor communication unit 23.

Accordingly, the indoor power supply unit 21 and a contact 28a of the second switch 24 on a side of the indoor power supply unit 21 are connected by an indoor auxiliary power supply line 41. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the indoor power supply unit 21 and a pair of contacts 28a and 28c of the second switch 24 on the side of the indoor power supply unit 21 are connected by an indoor auxiliary power supply line 41, and the indoor auxiliary power supply line 41 may include, for example, one or more indoor auxiliary power supply channels 41a and 41b.

The second switch 24 may include, for example, a relay connected to any one of the second set of contacts 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d connected to the indoor power supply unit 21 and the indoor communication unit 23. The second switch 24 may include a semiconductor circuit or a bimetal switch to perform the same function.

The indoor control unit 22 receives an operation signal input by a user via an input unit 25 and performs a necessary control operation or communication.

An indoor memory 26 can store a program necessary to allow the indoor control unit 22 to control the operation of the indoor unit 2. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the indoor memory 26 may be, for example, located in the indoor unit 2. In another embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the indoor memory 26 may be, for example, located external 2 the indoor unit 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates the circuit configuration in the normal operation state, in which the power cut-off unit 15 is controlled such that the external power supply unit 3 is connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and the first and second switches 14 and 24 are controlled such that the communication line 6 is connected to the outdoor communication unit 13 and the indoor communication unit 23 to establish a communication path between the outdoor communication unit 13 and the indoor communication unit 23.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the external power supply unit 3 is connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11, and the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1 exchange one or more control signals necessary to operate the air conditioner in a state that the communication is possible.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration when the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept is switched from a normal operation state to a standby operation state. The same components as those of FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

When the normal operation state is switched to the standby operation state, the indoor control unit 22 and the outdoor control unit 12 perform a standby operation to reduce power consumption.

The outdoor control unit 12 controls the first switch 14 such that the communication line 6 is connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 via the outdoor auxiliary power supply line 31 and controls the power cut-off unit 15 such that the external AC power supply unit 3 is disconnected from the outdoor power supply unit 11, thereby completely cutting off power supplied to the outdoor control unit 1 to prevent the power from being consumed in the outdoor unit 1 in the standby operation state.

The indoor unit 2 is in a communication standby state. For example, in the indoor unit 2, the second switch 24 is connected to the communication line 6 and the indoor communication unit 23. However, since the communication line 6 on the side of the outdoor unit 1 is connected by the first switch 14 to the outdoor power supply unit 11, and not to the outdoor communication unit 13, a communication path between the indoor communication unit 23 and the outdoor communication unit 13 is not established. Thus, communication between the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1 is not performed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration when the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept is switched from a standby operation state to a normal operation state. The same components as those of FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

When the standby operation state is switched to the normal operation state, the indoor control unit 22 controls the second switch 24 such that the communication line 6 is connected to the contacts 28a and 28c connected to the indoor auxiliary power supply line 41. In the outdoor unit 1, the first switch 14 connects the communication line 6 to the outdoor power supply unit 11. Thus, an auxiliary power supply path is established and power is supplied from the indoor power supply unit 21 to the outdoor power supply unit 11 via the indoor auxiliary power supply line 41, the communication line 6 and the outdoor auxiliary power supply line 31.

When the power is supplied to the outdoor power supply unit 11 from the indoor power supply unit 21, the outdoor power supply unit 11 supplies the driving power to the outdoor control unit 12 via the outdoor power supply line 30. The indoor control unit 22 controls the second switch 24 and the outdoor control unit 12 controls the power cut-off unit 15 and the first switch 14, thereby realizing the circuit configuration in the normal operation state illustrated in FIG. 1.

Accordingly, the external power supply unit 3 is connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and the normal communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit is performed.

Although the power cut-off unit 15 is illustrated as being included in the outdoor unit 1 in an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. The power cut-off unit 15, for example, may be included in the indoor unit 2.

Accordingly, in the standby operation state, the external power supply unit 3 is disconnected from the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1 is in the communication standby state.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an air conditioner as described above according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

When the air conditioner is normally operated, the indoor control unit 22 determines whether the air conditioner has a standby operation condition (Operations S10 and S20). If it is determined that the air conditioner does not have the standby operation condition, Operation S20 is performed again.

At this time, the indoor control unit 22 may determine that the air conditioner has the standby operation condition, when an operation stop signal of the air conditioner is input to the input unit 25, or when an operation signal is not input during a first setting time stored in the indoor memory 26 after the operation stop signal is input, in order to prevent unnecessary operation mode switching in a case where the air conditioner is operated again in a short period of time, in accordance with the contents of the program stored in the indoor memory 26. In an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the input unit 25 may be, for example, located in the input unit 25. In another embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the input unit 25 may be, for example, located outside the indoor unit 2.

If it is determined that the air conditioner has the standby operation condition in Operation 20, the indoor control unit 22, for example, transmits a standby operation signal to the outdoor control unit 12 via the indoor communication unit 23 and the outdoor communication unit 13 (Operation S30).

The indoor control unit 22 maintains the communication standby state after transmitting the standby operation signal to the outdoor control unit 12. In the communication standby state, the power consumption may be reduced since a clocking activity, for example, a clock number of the indoor control unit 22 and a switching activity, for example, a switching number of the indoor power supply unit 21 are reduced to be smaller than those of the normal operation state.

The outdoor control unit 12, which receives the standby operation signal, controls the first switch 14 such that the communication line 6 is connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 according to the operation program stored in the outdoor memory 16 and controls the power cut-off unit 15 such that the external power supply unit 3 is disconnected from the outdoor power supply unit 11, thereby completely cutting off the power supplied to the outdoor unit 1 (Operation S40).

Alternatively, the external power supply unit 3 may be disconnected from the outdoor power supply unit 11 and then the first switch 14 may be controlled. In this case, although the external power supply unit 3 is disconnected, the driving power to control the first switch 14 may be supplied by discharge of a capacitor included, for example, in the outdoor power supply unit 11.

As described above, since the air conditioner according to the present general inventive concept disconnects the external power supply unit 3 from the outdoor unit 1 in the standby operation state, the outdoor unit 1, which is in the standby operation state, according to the an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, consumes less power, compared with convention air conditioners continue to provide communication between the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1 in a communication standby state.

During the standby operation in Operation 40, the indoor control unit 22 determines whether an operation signal is input by a user (Operation S50) and, if not, Operation S50 is performed again.

When it is determined that the operation signal is input in Operation S50, the indoor control unit 22 controls the second switch 24 such that the communication line 6 is connected to the indoor power supply unit 21 (Operation S60).

With the first switch 14 connecting the communication line 6 to the outdoor power supply unit 11 in Operation S40 and the second switch 24 connecting the communication line 6 to the indoor power supply unit 21 in Operation S60, an auxiliary power supply path is established. Thus, when the communication line 6 is connected to the indoor power supply unit 21 in Operation S60, power is supplied to the outdoor power supply unit 11 via the communication line 6, and thus the driving power is supplied to the outdoor control unit 12.

When the driving power is supplied to the outdoor control unit 12, the outdoor control unit 12 controls the power cut-off unit 15 such that the external power supply unit 3 is connected to the outdoor power supply unit 11 and controls the first switch 14 such that the communication line 6 is connected to the outdoor communication unit 13, in accordance with the program stored in the outdoor memory 16 (Operation S70).

The indoor control unit 22 controls the second switch 24 to connect the communication line 6 to the indoor communication unit 23 such that the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1 communicate with each other, when a second setting time stored in the indoor memory 26 elapses after the communication line 6 is connected to the indoor power supply unit 21 (Operation S80). Thus, the air conditioner is switched from the standby operation state to the normal operation state. With the first switch 14 connecting the communication line 6 to the outdoor communication unit 13 in Operation S70 and the second switch 24 connecting the communication line 6 to the indoor communication unit 23 in Operation S80, communication between the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1 and normal operation control are realized according to the input operation signal (Operation S90).

The second setting time indicates a time period necessary to allow the outdoor control unit 12 to complete the control of the power cut-off unit 15 and the first switch 14 and may be experimentally obtained.

As described above, in an air conditioner and a method of controlling the same according to various embodiments of the present general inventive concept, when a standby operation state is switched to a normal operation state again, power is supplied from an indoor power supply unit to an outdoor power supply unit via a communication line such that an initial operation of an outdoor unit is performed.

Accordingly, since an external power supply unit is completely disconnected from the outdoor unit in the standby operation state and only an indoor unit is in the standby state, it is possible to minimize standby power consumed in the air conditioner.

The present general inventive concept can also be embodied as computer-readable codes on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is any data storage device that can store data which can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable recording media include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves (such as data transmission through the Internet). The computer-readable recording medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Also, functional programs, codes, and code segments to accomplish the present general inventive concept can be easily construed by programmers skilled in the art to which the present general inventive concept pertains.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention general inventive concept have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An air conditioner including an indoor unit having an indoor power supply unit and an indoor communication unit and an outdoor unit having an outdoor power supply unit and an outdoor communication unit, and the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit being connected to an external power supply unit to supply driving power thereto, the air conditioner comprising:

a plurality of switches to connect a communication line to at least one of the indoor power supply unit and the indoor communication unit and at least one of the outdoor power supply unit and the outdoor communication unit to establish a path between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit;

a power cut-off unit to connect or disconnect the external power supply unit and at least one of the indoor unit and outdoor unit; and

a control unit to determine whether the air conditioner has a standby operation condition and to control the plurality of switches and the power cut-off unit according to a result of the determination.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the air conditioner has the standby operation condition, when at least one of a stop signal of the indoor unit is input, a stop signal of the outdoor unit is input and an operation signal is not input during a setting time after at least one of the stop signals is input.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the power cut-off unit to disconnect the external power supply unit from the outdoor unit when the air conditioner has the standby operation condition.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3,

wherein the power cut-off unit having an on position and an off position is provided in a power supply line to connect the external power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit; and

wherein the power cut-off unit includes at least one of a relay, a semiconductor circuit and a bimetal switch.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the plurality of switches to connect the communication line between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit to allow power to be supplied from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when an operation signal is input after the external power supply unit is disconnected from the outdoor unit.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of switches includes at least one of a relay, a semiconductor and a bimetal switch.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of switches are provided in the outdoor unit and the other of the plurality of switches are provided in the indoor unit.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7,

wherein the at least one of the plurality of switches includes a plurality of a first set of contacts, at least one of the plurality of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor power supply unit and at least one of the other of the plurality of the first set of contacts is connected to the outdoor communication unit; and

wherein at least the other of the plurality of switches includes a plurality of a second set of contacts, at least one of the plurality of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor power supply unit and at least one of the other of the plurality of the second set of contacts is connected to the indoor communication unit.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the plurality of switches to connect the communication line to the outdoor power supply unit before the operation signal is input.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the power cut-off unit to connect the external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when the power is supplied from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 10,

wherein the power cut-off unit having an on position and an off position is provided in a power supply line to connect the external power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit; and

wherein the power cut-off unit includes at least one of a relay, a semiconductor circuit and a bimetal switch.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 10 wherein the control unit controls the plurality of switches to connect the communication line between the indoor communication unit and the outdoor communication unit to allow communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to be performed, when the external power supply unit is connected to the outdoor unit.

13. A method of controlling an air conditioner which includes an indoor unit having an indoor power supply unit and an indoor communication unit and an outdoor unit having an outdoor power supply unit and an outdoor communication unit, the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit being connected to an external power supply unit to supply driving power thereto, the method comprising:

determining whether the air conditioner has a standby operation condition

controlling the external power supply unit to be connected to or disconnected from the outdoor power supply unit according to a result of the determining operation; and

controlling a communication line to be connected to at least one of the indoor power supply unit and the indoor communication unit and at least one of the outdoor power supply unit and the outdoor communication unit to establish a path between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit according to the result of the determining operation.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the determining operation comprises determining that the air conditioner has the standby operation condition, when at least one of a stop signal of the indoor unit is input, a stop signal of the outdoor unit is input and an operation signal is not input during a setting time after at least one of the stop signals is input.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the controlling the external power supply operation comprises disconnecting the external power supply unit from the outdoor unit when the air conditioner has the standby operation condition.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising controlling the communication line to be connected between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit to supply power from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when an operation signal is input after the external power supply unit is disconnected from the outdoor unit in the controlling the external power supply operation.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein in the controlling the communication line to be connected between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit operation, the communication line is connected to the outdoor power supply unit before the operation signal is input.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising controlling connecting the external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit, when the power is supplied from the indoor power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit in the controlling the communication line to be connected between the indoor power supply unit and the outdoor power supply unit operation.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising connecting the communication line between the indoor communication unit and the outdoor communication unit to establish communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, when the external power supply unit is connected to the outdoor power supply unit in the controlling connecting the external power supply unit to the outdoor power supply unit operation.

20. An air conditioner usable with an external power supply unit, the air conditioner comprising:

an indoor unit;

an outdoor unit;

a power cut-off unit disposed between the outdoor unit and the external power supply unit to selectively connect and disconnect the outdoor unit and the external power supply; and

a control unit disposed in at least one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to communicate with the power cut-off unit to place the air conditioner in one of a normal operation state and a standby operation state;

wherein the power cut-off unit disconnects the external power supply unit from the outdoor unit to prevent power from being supplied to the outdoor unit in response to a communication from the control unit to place the air conditioner in the standby operation state.

21. The air conditioner according to claim 20, further comprising:

a communication line; and

wherein the indoor unit further comprises an indoor power supply unit, an indoor communication unit and an indoor switch, the indoor switch to selectively connect a first end of the communication line to one of the indoor power supply unit and the indoor communication unit; and

wherein the outdoor unit further comprises an outdoor power supply unit, an outdoor communication unit and an outdoor switch, the outdoor switch to selectively connect a second end of the communication line to at least one of the outdoor power supply unit and the outdoor communication unit;

wherein the outdoor switch connects the communication line to the outdoor power supply unit in response to the communication from the control unit to place the air conditioner in the standby operation state.

22. The air conditioner according to claim 21, wherein the control unit is an outdoor control unit.

23. The air conditioner according to claim 22, further comprising an indoor control unit disposed in the indoor unit; and

wherein the indoor switch connects the communication line to the indoor communication unit in response to a communication from the indoor control unit to place the air conditioner in the standby operation state.