Ventilation System, Integrated Air Conditioning System and Control Method Thereof

This is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/566,033 filed Dec. 30, 2021 which is a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. § 111 (a) of International Application No. PCT/KR2021/017777 filed Nov. 29, 2021 which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0170638 filed on Dec. 8, 2020 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0108551 filed on Aug. 18, 2021, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a ventilation system, an integrated air conditioning system, and a control method thereof, capable of providing fresh air to an indoor space.

A ventilation device is a device that supplies outdoor air to an indoor space or exchanges indoor air with outdoor air to ventilate the indoor space.

A conventional ventilation device has no choice but to control an indoor temperature and humidity only through total heat exchange that is performed between outdoor air and indoor air while the outdoor air and the indoor air pass through a total heat exchanger. Accordingly, the dehumidification of the outdoor air supplied to the indoor space is incomplete, and it is difficult to maintain the indoor temperature and humidity in a fresh state.

The present disclosure is directed to providing a ventilation system, an integrated air conditioning system, and a control method thereof, capable of regulating a temperature and humidity of air supplied to an indoor space in a fresh state.

Further, the present disclosure is directed to providing a ventilation system, an integrated air conditioning system, and a control method thereof, capable of being operated using a conventional outdoor unit of air conditioner.

Further, the present disclosure is directed to providing a ventilation system, an integrated air conditioning system, and a control method thereof, capable of improving cooling efficiency and dehumidification efficiency by operating a ventilation device and an indoor unit of an air conditioner in conjunction with each other.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides an integrated air conditioning system including a ventilation device including a first temperature sensor, a first humidity sensor, an inlet flow path provided to suck outdoor air and guide the sucked air to an indoor space, an outlet flow path provided to guide indoor air to an outdoor space, and a heat exchanger installed on the inlet flow path; an indoor unit including a second temperature sensor, a second humidity sensor, and an indoor heat exchanger, the indoor unit configured to discharge heat-exchanged air into an indoor space; an outdoor unit configured to supply a refrigerant to the ventilation device and the indoor unit; and a controller electrically connected to the ventilation device, the indoor unit, and the outdoor unit. The controller is configured to obtain an indoor temperature from the first temperature sensor provided in the ventilation device or the second temperature sensor provided in the indoor unit; configured to obtain indoor humidity from the first humidity sensor provided in the ventilation device or the second humidity sensor provided in the indoor unit; and configured to control at least one of the ventilation device and the indoor unit based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a control method of an integrated air conditioning system including a ventilation device configured to suck outdoor air, discharge the sucked air to an indoor space, and discharge indoor air to an outdoor space, the ventilation device including a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with outdoor air, an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger, the indoor unit configured to cool the indoor space, and an outdoor unit configured to supply a refrigerant to the ventilation device and the indoor unit, the control method including obtaining an indoor temperature from a first temperature sensor provided in the ventilation device or a second temperature sensor provided in the indoor unit; obtaining indoor humidity from a first humidity sensor provided in the ventilation device or a second humidity sensor provided in the indoor unit; and controlling at least one of the ventilation device and the indoor unit based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity.

It is possible to adjust a temperature and humidity of sucked outdoor air by using a plurality of heat exchangers arranged on an inlet flow path of a ventilation device, and to discharge the conditioned air to an indoor space. Therefore, it is possible maintain the temperature and humidity of the indoor space in a fresh state.

Further, it is possible to connect a ventilation device to a conventional outdoor unit of air conditioner so as to miniaturize the ventilation device and to reduce a production cost.

Further, by operating a ventilation device and an indoor unit of an air conditioner in conjunction with each other, it is possible to improve energy efficiency and dehumidification efficiency and to reduce energy for cooling and dehumidification.

Further, by appropriately switching an operation of an indoor unit and an operation of a ventilation device based on a load of an indoor temperature, it is possible to improve energy efficiency.

Detailed Description Embodiments described in the disclosure and configurations shown in the drawings are merely examples of the embodiments of the disclosure, and may be modified in various different ways at the time of filing of the present application to replace the embodiments and drawings of the disclosure.

In addition, the same reference numerals or signs shown in the drawings of the disclosure indicate elements or components performing substantially the same function. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clear description.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” another element, it can be directly or indirectly connected to the other element, wherein the indirect connection includes “connection via a wireless communication network”.

Also, the terms used herein are used to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit and/or restrict the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, the terms “including”, “having”, and the like are used to specify features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more of the features, elements, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, but elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, a first element may be termed as a second element, and a second element may be termed as a first element. The term of “and/or” includes a plurality of combinations of relevant items or any one item among a plurality of relevant items.

In the following description, terms such as “unit”, “part”, “block”, “member”, and “module” indicate a unit for processing at least one function or operation. For example, those terms may refer to at least one process processed by at least one hardware such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), at least one software stored in a memory or a processor.

An identification code is used for the convenience of the description but is not intended to illustrate the order of each step. The each step may be implemented in the order different from the illustrated order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

is a view illustrating a ventilation system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.is a view illustrating a circulation of a refrigerant in the ventilation system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.is a control block diagram illustrating the ventilation system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to, a ventilation systemmay include a ventilation deviceprovided to communicate with an indoor space and an outdoor space and configured to exchange indoor air with outdoor air, and an outdoor unitconfigured to circulate a refrigerant supplied to the ventilation device. The ventilation devicemay also be referred to as ventilator.

The outdoor unitmay include a compressorand a condenser. The compressormay include an accumulatorand a compressor body. The condensermay be referred to as an ‘outdoor heat exchanger’. The compressorand the condensermay be connected through a refrigerant pipe. The outdoor unitmay include a cooling fanconfigured to control a temperature of the condenser. The cooling fanmay discharge air toward the condenserand may cool the condenser. When the condenseris cooled by the cooling fan, a temperature of the refrigerant passing through the condensermay be reduced in comparison with a case in which the cooling fanis not provided.

All drawings in the present disclosure schematically and exemplarily illustrate a configuration of the outdoor unitat a practicable level. Because the outdoor unitcorresponds to an outdoor unit for an air conditioner commonly known in the art, a person skilled in the art can easily change or easily add various configurations necessary for the implementation of the outdoor unit. The outdoor unitmay be provided at a technical level that is generally understood by those skilled in the art based on the contents of the present disclosure.

As described above, because the ventilation systemmay be operated by using the outdoor unitthat is commonly used, the ventilation devicedoes not include a separate compressor, and thus it is possible to miniaturize the ventilation deviceand reduce production costs.

The ventilation devicemay include a housingprovided to form an exterior. The housingmay be provided in a substantially box shape. The housingmay include an inlet flow pathguiding outdoor air into the indoor space and an outlet flow pathguiding indoor air to the outdoor space. The inlet flow pathand the outlet flow pathmay be partitioned from each other by a plurality of partition walls.

The housingmay include a first inlet chamberand a second inlet chamber. The first inlet chambermay include a first inletprovided to communicate with the outdoor space to allow the outdoor air to be sucked into the inside of the housing, and the inlet flow pathmay be formed in the first inlet chamber. The second inlet chambermay include a first outletprovided to communicate with the indoor space to allow the outdoor air, which is to be sucked into the housing, to be discharged to the indoor space and the inlet flow pathmay be formed in the second inlet chamber. The inlet flow pathmay connect the first inletto the first outlet

The housingmay include a first outlet chamberand a second outlet chamber. The first outlet chambermay include a second inletprovided to communicate with the indoor space to allow the indoor air to be sucked into the inside of the housing, and the outlet flow pathmay be formed in the first outlet chamber. The second outlet chambermay include a second outletprovided to communicate with the outdoor space to allow the indoor air, which is to be sucked into the housing, to be discharged to the outside and the outlet flow pathmay be formed in the second outlet chamber. The outlet flow pathmay connect the second inletto the second outlet

The ventilation devicemay include an intake blowerarranged inside the second inlet chamber, and configured to generate a force required to suck the outdoor air into the indoor space, and provided to communicate with the first outlet. The ventilation devicemay include an exhaust blowerarranged inside the second outlet chamber, and configured to generate a blowing force required to discharge the indoor air into the outside, and provided to communicate with the second outlet. The intake blowermay be referred to as ‘a first blower’ and the exhaust blowermay be referred to as ‘a second blower’.

The ventilation devicemay include a total heat exchangerin which air, which flows through the outlet flow pathand air, which flows through the inlet flow path, exchange heat with each other. The total heat exchangermay correspond to a plate type total heat exchanger or a rotary type total heat exchanger. The total heat exchangermay be arranged on a point in which the inlet flow pathand the outlet flow pathintersect. That is, the total heat exchangermay be arranged on the inlet flow pathand at the same time, arranged on the outlet flow path. The total heat exchangermay be referred to as a ‘total heat exchange element’. The total heat exchangermay communicate the first inlet chamberwith the second inlet chamber. The total heat exchangermay communicate the first outlet chamberwith the second outlet chamber.

The ventilation devicemay include a first heat exchangerand a second heat exchangerconfigured to control humidity and temperature of the air flowing through the inlet flow path. The first heat exchangerand the second heat exchangermay be provided on the inlet flow path. The first heat exchangerand the second heat exchangermay be arranged inside the second inlet chamber. That is, the first heat exchangerand the second heat exchangermay be arranged on a downstream side of the inlet flow paththan the total heat exchanger.

The second heat exchangermay be arranged on an upstream side of the inlet flow paththan the first heat exchanger. In other words, the first heat exchangermay be arranged on the downstream side of the inlet flow paththan the second heat exchanger. The outdoor air sucked in through the first inletmay sequentially pass through the first inlet chamber, the total heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger, and the first heat exchanger, and then be discharged into the indoor space by passing through the first outlet

Air, which flows through the inlet flow pathfrom the first inlettoward the first outletmay be dehumidified by the second heat exchanger. The air passing through the second heat exchangermay be heated, cooled and dehumidified by the first heat exchanger.

The first heat exchangermay be connected to the outdoor unitthrough the first refrigerant pipe. The first heat exchangermay be connected to the condenserof the outdoor unitthrough the first refrigerant pipe.

The second heat exchangermay be connected to the first heat exchangerthrough a second refrigerant pipe. The second heat exchangermay be connected to the outdoor unitthrough a third refrigerant pipe. The second heat exchangermay be connected to the accumulatorof the outdoor unitthrough the third refrigerant pipe.

The ventilation devicemay include a first expansion deviceprovided in the first refrigerant pipe. The first expansion devicemay also be referred to as first expansion valve. The first expansion devicemay selectively expand a refrigerant supplied to the first heat exchangerthrough the first refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant passing through the first expansion devicemay be in a reduced pressure state than before passing through the first expansion device.

The ventilation devicemay include a second expansion deviceprovided in the second refrigerant pipe. The second expansion devicemay also be referred to as second expansion valve. The second expansion devicemay selectively expand a refrigerant that is discharged from the first heat exchangerand supplied to the second heat exchangerthrough the second refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant passing through the second expansion devicemay be in a reduced pressure state than before passing through the second expansion device.

The first expansion deviceand the second expansion devicemay be arranged inside the housing. The second refrigerant pipemay be arranged inside the housing.

The first expansion devicemay expand a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant by a throttling action, and may adjust a flow rate of the refrigerant supplied to the first heat exchanger. The first expansion devicemay reduce the pressure of the refrigerant by using a throttling action of the refrigerant in which the pressure of the refrigerant decreases without heat exchange with the outside when the refrigerant passes through a narrow flow path. For example, the first expansion devicemay include an electronic expansion valve (EEV). The EEVmay regulate a degree of opening to control a degree of expansion of the refrigerant and a flow rate of the refrigerant. When the EEVis fully opened, the refrigerant may pass through the EEVwithout resistance, and the refrigerant may not be expanded.

The second expansion devicemay expand a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant by the throttling action. For example, the second expansion devicemay include a solenoid valveand a capillary tubeconnected in parallel with the solenoid valve. When the solenoid valveis closed, the refrigerant may move to the capillary tubeand be expanded by the throttling action, and when the solenoid valveis opened, the refrigerant may flow without resistance through the solenoid valveand not be expanded. In order to efficiently control the flow and expansion of the refrigerant, the solenoid valvemay be replaced with an EEV.

However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, both the first expansion deviceand the second expansion devicemay include an EEV. The first expansion devicemay include a solenoid valve and a capillary tube connected in parallel to the solenoid valve, and the second expansion devicemay include an EEV. Both the first expansion deviceand the second expansion devicemay include a solenoid valve and a capillary tube connected in parallel with the solenoid valve. It should be understood that a solenoid valve connected in parallel with a capillary tube may be replaced with an EEV.

The ventilation systemmay include a controllerconfigured to control the ventilation deviceand/or the outdoor unitbased on an indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and/or discharge temperature. The controllermay be provided in the ventilation device. The controllermay be electrically connected to the first expansion deviceand the second expansion device, and may control the first expansion deviceand the second expansion device. In addition, the controllermay be electrically connected to a controllerof an integrated air conditioning systemto be described later, and may transmit and receive electrical signals and/or data to and from the controller. For example, the controllermay control an operation of the ventilation devicebased on an electrical signal transmitted from the controller.

The controllermay control the first expansion deviceto expand or not expand the refrigerant by adjusting the opening and closing of the EEVof the first expansion deviceand the degree of opening/closing thereof. The controllermay control the second expansion deviceto expand or not expand the refrigerant by adjusting the opening and closing of the solenoid valveof the second expansion device.

The controllermay control a rotation speed of the cooling fanof the outdoor unit. The controllermay increase or decrease the rotation speed of the cooling fan. As the rotation speed of the cooling fanincreases, the condenserof the outdoor unitmay radiate more heat, and the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the condensermay be further reduced.

The ventilation systemmay include an indoor temperature sensorconfigured to measure an indoor temperature and an indoor humidity sensorconfigured to measure indoor humidity. The ventilation systemmay include a discharge temperature sensorconfigured to measure a discharge temperature, which is a temperature of air discharged into the indoor space after passing through the first and second heat exchangersand. The humidity may refer to relative humidity. The indoor temperature sensor, the indoor humidity sensor, and the discharge temperature sensormay be connected to the controllerby wire or wirelessly, and may transmit a measured value to the controller.

The ventilation systemmay include an inputterconfigured to receive a set temperature and set humidity. The inputtermay receive an input value for selecting a first dehumidification mode, a second dehumidification mode, or a ventilation mode. The inputtermay be provided in the ventilation deviceor may be provided in an inputter (e.g., remote controller) provided separately from the ventilation device. The inputtermay be connected to the controllerby wire or wirelessly, and may transmit an input value to the controller.

In addition, the controllermay transmit an input value received through the inputterof the ventilation deviceto the controllerof the integrated air conditioning systemto be described later. The controllermay control the respective operations of the ventilation device, the outdoor unit, and the indoor unitby comprehensively considering the input value, the indoor temperature, and the indoor humidity. The controllermay identify operation states of the ventilation device, the outdoor unit, and the indoor unit. The controllermay determine whether to operate each of the ventilation device, the outdoor unit, and the indoor unitand determine an operation mode of the ventilation device, the outdoor unit, and the indoor unit. For example, the set temperature and set humidity input through the inputterof the ventilation devicemay be transmitted to the controller, and the controllermay use the set temperature and the set humidity to operate at least one of the ventilation device, the outdoor unitor the indoor unit. In response to the ventilation devicebeing turned on and the indoor unitbeing turned off, the controllermay control the operation of the ventilation deviceto adjust the indoor temperature to be the set temperature and to adjust the indoor humidity to be the set humidity.

The indoor temperature sensorand the indoor humidity sensormay be provided on the outlet flow path. The indoor temperature sensorand the indoor humidity sensormay be arranged inside the first outlet chamber. The indoor temperature sensorand the indoor humidity sensormay be arranged on the upstream side of the outlet flow paththan the total heat exchanger. The indoor temperature sensorand the indoor humidity sensormay measure the temperature and humidity of the indoor air sucked through the second inlet. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the indoor temperature sensorand the indoor humidity sensormay be arranged outside the housing. The indoor temperature sensorprovided in the ventilation devicemay be referred to as a ‘first temperature sensor’, and the indoor humidity sensormay be referred to as a ‘first humidity sensor’.

The discharge temperature sensormay be provided on the inlet flow path. The discharge temperature sensormay be arranged inside the second inlet chamber. The discharge temperature sensormay be arranged on the downstream side of the inlet flow paththan the total heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger. The discharge temperature sensormay measure the temperature of the air discharged into the indoor space through the first outlet. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the discharge temperature sensormay be arranged outside the housing.