US 11,994,309 B2
Air conditioner and method of controlling the same
Jong Won Bak, Suwon-si (KR); Tae Il Kim, Suwon-si (KR); Dong-Il Jung, Suwon-si (KR); Dong Hyun Goh, Suwon-si (KR); Hyeong Joon Seo, Suwon-si (KR); Suk Ho Lee, Suwon-si (KR); Byoung Guk Lee, Suwon-si (KR); Hyeong Seok Lim, Suwon-si (KR); and Yong Hee Jang, Suwon-si (KR)
Assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Appl. No. 17/277,129
Filed by SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
PCT Filed Aug. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/KR2019/010479
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 17, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/060038, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0111972 (KR), filed on Sep. 19, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0049871 A1, Feb. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. F24F 11/54 (2018.01); F24F 3/06 (2006.01); F24F 11/67 (2018.01); F24F 11/84 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/54 (2018.01) [F24F 3/065 (2013.01); F24F 11/67 (2018.01); F24F 11/84 (2018.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air conditioner comprising:
an outdoor unit comprising a processor configured to generate a control signal;
a plurality of mode change devices connected to the outdoor unit, including at least one mode changer including a branch duct and a changing valve, and configured to receive the control signal from processor of the outdoor unit to control an operation of the at least one mode changer; and
a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit or the plurality of mode change devices, each of the plurality of indoor units comprising a processor and an indoor heat exchanger,
wherein the processor of the outdoor unit is configured to:
set an address and an identifier to each of the plurality of mode change devices,
set an address to the at least one mode changer included in each of the plurality of mode change devices, and
based on the set identifier of the mode change device and the set address of the at least one mode changer, determine an operation mode of the plurality of mode change devices and an operation mode of the plurality of mode changers to operate the plurality of mode change devices a plurality of times; and
wherein the processor of each of the plurality of indoor units is configured to:
detect a temperature change of an indoor heat exchanger in response to the operation of the plurality of mode change devices,
determine a number of the mode changers that are connected and a mode changer candidate group of the mode changers that are connectable based on the temperature change of the indoor heat exchanger, and
extract and store the address of a valid mode changer, which is a mode changer related to the temperature change of the indoor heat exchanger, from the determined mode changer candidate group and obtain branch duct connection information.