US 11,835,288 B2
Air conditioner system and method to control defrosting using camera and sensor data
Kyungwon Kang, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Filed on Apr. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/238,364.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2020-0050775 (KR), filed on Apr. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0333039 A1, Oct. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. F25D 21/00 (2006.01); F25B 13/00 (2006.01); F25B 49/02 (2006.01)
CPC F25D 21/006 (2013.01) [F25B 13/00 (2013.01); F25B 49/02 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air conditioner system, comprising:
an air conditioner comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange using a refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a camera module configured to photograph the outdoor heat exchanger, a sensor unit comprising a plurality of sensors, and a communication unit configured to transmit an image of the outdoor heat exchanger photographed by the camera module and sensor data detected by the sensor unit; and
a server comprising a server communication unit configured to receive the image of the outdoor heat exchanger photographed by the camera module and the sensor data detected by the sensor unit, and a defrosting control device configured to determine whether the outdoor heat exchanger is frosted based on the image data of the outdoor heat exchanger photographed by the camera module, and predict a frosting timing based on the sensor data detected by the sensor unit, wherein the defrosting control device comprises:
a frost detector configured to classify the image data of the outdoor heat exchanger into image data of frosted and normal states, using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based image classification model;
a frosting start timing predictor configured to predict a remaining time until frosting, using one or more machine learning models, when cycle operation data of the air conditioner is input;
a defrosting controller configured to control the air conditioner to perform a defrosting operation when the frost detector determines a frosted state; and
a frost prevention controller configured to control performing a frost prevention operation, when the remaining time until frosting predicted by the frosting start timing predictor is less than or equal to a threshold value, wherein the frosting start timing predictor predicts a corresponding frosting timing and predicts the remaining time until frosting using a frosting start point prediction model, when receiving cycle operation data obtained from the sensor unit, and wherein the frosting start point prediction model received the cycle operation data detected by the sensor unit as input data and predict the remaining time until the frosting start timing, based on a pattern of corresponding operating data.