US 12,422,161 B2
Air conditioner and method of controlling air conditioner
Changmin Choi, Seoul (KR); Seungjun Lee, Seoul (KR); Soonyong Choi, Seoul (KR); Hyuntak Lee, Seoul (KR); and Daewoo Kim, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Filed on Oct. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/958,706.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2021-0133406 (KR), filed on Oct. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0109940 A1, Apr. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. F24F 11/79 (2018.01); F24F 11/62 (2018.01); F24F 110/10 (2018.01); F24F 130/00 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/79 (2018.01) [F24F 11/62 (2018.01); F24F 2110/10 (2018.01); F24F 2130/00 (2018.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling an air conditioner, the air conditioner comprising at least one outdoor unit, and a plurality of indoor units disposed in at least one indoor space, connected to the at least one outdoor unit, and each respectively provided with at least one vane for adjusting a wind direction, the method comprising:
classifying, via a controller, indoor units for each indoor space of the at least one indoor space by comparing an air temperature distribution over time for each indoor unit detected by a first temperature sensor respectively provided in each indoor unit that detects an air temperature of the indoor unit;
determining, via the controller, a relative position between indoor units disposed in a same indoor space by comparing a floor temperature distribution of a floor area around each indoor unit detected by a second temperature sensor that detects the floor temperature of the floor area in which the indoor unit is disposed; and
determining, via the controller, a vane direction of each of the plurality of indoor units disposed in the same indoor space based on the relative position between the indoor units, wherein the vane direction is a direction in which a vane of each indoor unit is oriented, and wherein determining the vane direction of each of the plurality of indoor units comprises:
selecting an arbitrary indoor unit from among the indoor units disposed in the same indoor space as a reference indoor unit;
adjusting each vane of indoor units adjacent to the reference indoor unit, each indoor unit including a plurality of vanes, each vane having an individual vane direction;
detecting a change in indoor air temperature of the reference indoor unit according to an operation of each individual vane of the indoor units adjacent to the reference indoor unit; and
determining the vane direction of each individual vane of the indoor units adjacent to the reference indoor unit based on the change in the indoor air temperature of the reference indoor unit according to the operation of each individual vane of each indoor unit adjacent to the reference indoor unit.