Air conditioner and method of controlling air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner and a method performed by the air conditioner are provided. The method includes obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner, determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by an air conditioner, the method comprising:
 obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner;   determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user; and   performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the performing of the differential dehumidification operation comprises at least one of:
 controlling the indoor fan based on a rotation speed of the indoor fan corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section;   controlling the compressor at a defined frequency based on a target dew point temperature corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section;   controlling an opening degree of the expansion valve, based on a target discharge temperature of the compressor corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section; or   controlling the opening degree of the expansion valve based on a target overheating degree of an indoor heat exchanger of the air conditioner corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the determining of the dehumidification operation section corresponding to the indoor temperature comprises:
 determining a first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is greater than a reference value; and 
 determining a second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is less than the reference value, and 
   wherein an operation level of the first dehumidification operation section is higher than an operation level of the second dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section is higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the performing of the differential dehumidification operation comprises:
 calculating a target dew point temperature based on a relative humidity and a set temperature; 
 applying a temperature correction value according to the determined dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature; and 
 adjusting a frequency of the compressor based on the corrected target dew point temperature, and 
   wherein a second temperature correction value used in the second dehumidification operation section is greater than a first temperature correction value used in the first dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a second rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the second dehumidification operation section is less than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the first dehumidification operation section. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein a second target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the second dehumidification operation section is higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the first dehumidification operation section, and   wherein a refrigerant flow rate of the second dehumidification operation section is less than a refrigerant flow rate of the first dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein a second target overheating degree of an indoor heat exchanger set in the second dehumidification operation section is higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the first dehumidification operation section, and   wherein a refrigerant flow rate of the second dehumidification operation section is less than a refrigerant flow rate of the first dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a reference value for classifying a dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature falls is different from a reference value for classifying a dehumidification operation section when the indoor temperature rises. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 obtaining an indoor relative humidity through a relative humidity sensor of the air conditioner;   obtaining dehumidification operation information through a dehumidification operation identification model based on indoor environment information including the indoor relative humidity and the indoor temperature; and   performing a dehumidification operation of the air conditioner based on a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the dehumidification operation information,   wherein the dehumidification operation identification model is trained to identify dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the dehumidification operation information comprises at least one of a target dew point temperature or a set temperature according to a dehumidification operation section. 
     
     
         12 . An air conditioner comprising:
 an indoor fan;   a compressor;   an expansion valve configured to control a refrigerant flow rate;   an indoor temperature sensor;   memory, comprising one or more computer-readable storage media, storing instructions; and   at least one processor comprising a processing circuit,   wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to:
 obtain an indoor temperature through the indoor temperature sensor, 
 determine a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user, and 
 perform a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of the indoor fan, the compressor, or the expansion valve, based on the determined dehumidification operation section. 
   
     
     
         13 . The air conditioner of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 an indoor heat exchanger,   wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to at least one of:
 control the indoor fan based on a rotation speed of the indoor fan corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, 
 control the compressor at a defined frequency based on a target dew point temperature corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, 
 control an opening degree of the expansion valve based on a target discharge temperature of the compressor corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section, or 
 control the opening degree of the expansion valve based on a target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger corresponding to the determined dehumidification operation section. 
   
     
     
         14 . The air conditioner of  claim 12 ,
 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to:
 determine a first dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is greater than a reference value, and 
 determine a second dehumidification operation section when the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is less than the reference value, and 
   wherein an operation level of the first dehumidification operation section is higher than an operation level of the second dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         15 . The air conditioner of  claim 14 , wherein a second target dew point temperature set in the second dehumidification operation section is higher than a first target dew point temperature set in the first dehumidification operation section. 
     
     
         16 . The air conditioner of  claim 14 ,
 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to:
 calculate a target dew point temperature based on a relative humidity and a set temperature, 
 apply a temperature correction value according to the determined dehumidification operation section to the calculated target dew point temperature, and 
 adjust a frequency of the compressor based on the corrected target dew point temperature, and 
   wherein a second temperature correction value used in the second dehumidification operation section is greater than a first temperature correction value used in the first dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         17 . The air conditioner of  claim 14 , wherein a second rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the second dehumidification operation section is less than a first rotation speed of the indoor fan set in the first dehumidification operation section. 
     
     
         18 . The air conditioner of  claim 14 ,
 wherein one of:
 a second target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the second dehumidification operation section is higher than a first target discharge temperature of the compressor set in the first dehumidification operation section, or 
 a second target overheating degree of an indoor heat exchanger set in the second dehumidification operation section is higher than a first target overheating degree of the indoor heat exchanger set in the first dehumidification operation section, and 
   wherein a refrigerant flow rate of the second dehumidification operation section is less than a refrigerant flow rate of the first dehumidification operation section.   
     
     
         19 . The air conditioner of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a relative humidity sensor,   wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further cause the air conditioner to:
 obtain an indoor relative humidity through the relative humidity sensor, 
 obtain dehumidification operation information through a dehumidification operation identification model based on indoor environment information including the indoor relative humidity and the indoor temperature, and 
 perform a dehumidification operation of the air conditioner based on a dehumidification operation section corresponding to the dehumidification operation information, and 
   wherein the dehumidification operation identification model is trained to identify dehumidification operation information preferred by the user from the indoor environment information.   
     
     
         20 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an air conditioner individually or collectively, cause the air conditioner to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 obtaining an indoor temperature through an indoor temperature sensor of the air conditioner;   determining a dehumidification operation section among a plurality of different dehumidification operation sections according to a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and a set temperature set by a user; and   performing a differential dehumidification operation of the air conditioner by controlling at least one of an indoor fan of the air conditioner, a compressor of the air conditioner, or an expansion valve of the air conditioner, based on the determined dehumidification operation section.