US 12,222,119 B2
Air conditioner and method for controlling same
Kilsoo Son, Suwon-si (KR); Sukho Kang, Suwon-si (KR); Taewoo Kim, Suwon-si (KR); Seungjun Park, Suwon-si (KR); Hyeongjoon Seo, Suwon-si (KR); Wonfa Song, Suwon-si (KR); Younguk Yun, Suwon-si (KR); Byoungguk Lim, Suwon-si (KR); and Youngju Joo, Suwon-si (KR)
Assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed by SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-Si (KR)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/848,591.
Application 17/848,591 is a continuation of application No. PCT/KR2020/016196, filed on Nov. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2020-0000387 (KR), filed on Jan. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0316732 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. F24F 11/43 (2018.01); F24F 11/63 (2018.01); F24F 11/81 (2018.01); F24F 11/83 (2018.01); F24F 110/20 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/43 (2018.01) [F24F 11/63 (2018.01); F24F 11/81 (2018.01); F24F 11/83 (2018.01); F24F 2110/20 (2018.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air conditioner comprising:
an indoor unit comprising a heat exchanger and an indoor fan;
an outdoor unit comprising a compressor;
a first sensor configured to sense a relative humidity of a space in which the indoor unit is installed; and
a processor configured to clean the heat exchanger by controlling the indoor fan and the compressor to perform a freezing process in which ice-capsules are formed on a surface of the heat exchanger, and, after the freezing process is performed, perform a thawing process in which the ice-capsules formed on the surface of the heat exchanger are thawed and the heat exchanger is dried,
wherein the processor is configured to control the indoor fan and the compressor to operate in a pre-freezing operation to form dew on the surface of the heat exchanger based on a user command to clean the heat exchanger being received,
wherein based on the relative humidity sensed by the first sensor being less than a threshold humidity, the freezing process is performed, and includes:
performing a first freezing operation in which the compressor is controlled to operate at a preset first revolution per minute (RPM),
after the first freezing operation is performed, performing a second freezing operation in which the compressor is controlled to operate at a preset second RPM that is lower than the preset first RPM, and
after performing the second freezing operation, repeating the first freezing operation again.