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  Air conditionerUSPTO Application #: 20070277541Title: Air conditioner Abstract: When an infrared ray transmitting and receiving part of an indoor unit receives a command signal for turning on ventilating operation from a wireless remote controller, information of the on-state of the ventilating operation is stored in a first EEPROM of the indoor unit and a second EEPROM of an outdoor unit. By starting up an air blower in a humidifying unit and switching a switchover damper connected to a ventilation pipe, indoor air is discharged to the outside of the room or outdoor air is taken into the room. When the ventilating operation is once stopped by power failure, the ventilating operation resumes on the basis of the information of the on-state of the ventilating operation stored in the first EEPROM after recovery from the power failure. The disadvantage that the ventilating operation stops though no command for turning off the ventilating operation has been received from the operator can be prevented. (end of abstract) Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch - Falls Church, VA, US Inventors: Akinori Nakai, Seiji Oka, Hidekazu Kudou, Takashi Tokui USPTO Applicaton #: 20070277541 - Class: 062182000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Automatic Control, Of External Fluid Or Means, Diverse Control Or Response, External Fluid And Refrigeration Producer, Sequential The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070277541. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to air conditioners, and in particular, to an air conditioner having a ventilating part that ventilates a room. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Conventionally, there is disclosed an air conditioner, in which an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are connected with each other via a ventilation pipe, and one end of the ventilation pipe is connected to the inlet side and the outlet side of an air blower provided for the outdoor unit switchably by means of a damper (JP 2003-176944 A). [0003] In the conventional air conditioner, the ventilation pipe is connected to the inlet side of the air blower, and the air blower takes in indoor air via the ventilation pipe and the indoor unit and discharges the air to the outside of the room in a first switch position of the damper. On the other hand, in a second switch position of the damper, the ventilation pipe is connected to the outlet side of the air blower, and the air blower supplies the outdoor air to the inside of the room via the ventilation pipe and the indoor unit. By thus discharging the indoor air to the outside of the room or supplying the outdoor air to the inside of the room by the air conditioner, indoor air ventilating operation is performed. [0004] The air conditioner also includes a remote controller that receives a command of an operating state from an operator and transmits a signal corresponding to the command to the indoor unit, and a control part that controls the operating state of the air conditioner in accordance with the signal from the remote controller. When the operator commands the remote controller to perform ventilating operation, the control part that receives the signal from the remote controller controls the damper and the air blower to perform the ventilating operation. [0005] However, in a case where power failure occurs while the ventilating operation is performed, the conventional air conditioner enters a stop state even if the power failure is recovered and sometimes fails in returning to the ventilating operation before the power failure. Moreover, when the battery of the remote controller is replaced while the ventilating operation is performed, the remote controller is set back to its initial state, and a signal of the initial state is transmitted to the indoor unit, sometimes stopping the air conditioner. [0006] Recently, all buildings are obliged to be equipped with a mechanical ventilation facility in principle as a countermeasure to the so-called sick house syndrome due to the revision of Building Standard Law. [0007] However, there is a problem that the conventional air conditioner, which sometimes stops the ventilating operation though it has not received the command of stopping the ventilating operation by the operator as described above, is therefore not able to function as a mechanical ventilation facility provided by Building Standard Law. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner capable of preventing the disadvantage that the ventilating operation stops though no command of stopping the ventilating operation has been received from the operator. [0009] In order to achieve the above object, there is provided an air conditioner comprising: [0010] a ventilating part that ventilates a room; [0011] a first nonvolatile memory that stores operation information representing an operating state of the ventilating part at a previous time of operation; and [0012] a control part that controls operation of the ventilating part on a basis of operation information stored in the first nonvolatile memory at a present time of operation. [0013] According to the above construction, when the ventilating part was in the operating state at the previous time of operation, the operation of the ventilating part is controlled to the operating state by the control part at the present time of operation on the basis of the operation information that is the operation information stored in the first nonvolatile memory and represents the operating state. For example, by controlling the ventilating part so that the operating state becomes identical to the operating state at the previous time of operation even when the ventilating operation stops due to, for example, power failure, the ventilating operation can be resumed at the present time of operation after recovery from the power failure. Therefore, the disadvantage that the ventilating operation stops though no command for stopping the ventilating operation has been received as in the conventional case can be prevented. [0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the air conditioner further comprises: [0015] an indoor unit having the first nonvolatile memory, a receiving part that receives a command signal for commanding the operating state of the ventilating part and a transmitting part that transmits an operation information signal representing the operation information stored in the first nonvolatile memory; and [0016] a remote controller having a transmitting part that transmits the command signal and a receiving part that receives the operation information signal. [0017] According to the embodiment, the command signal is transmitted from the transmitting part of the remote controller on the basis of the input to the remote controller by the operator. The command signal is received by the receiving part of the indoor unit, and the ventilating part is controlled to the operating state corresponding to the command signal. [0018] Moreover, the operation information signal that represents the operation information stored in the first nonvolatile memory of the indoor unit is transmitted by the transmitting part of the indoor unit. The operation information signal is received by the receiving part of the remote controller. Therefore, since the remote controller can obtain the information identical to the operation information stored in the first nonvolatile memory of the indoor unit even when the operating state is set back to the initial state due to, for example, replacement of the battery of the remote controller, the operation information can be prevented from differing between the remote controller and the indoor unit. Therefore, the disadvantage that the command signal of the initial state is transmitted from the remote controller set back to the initial state to the indoor unit and the operation of the ventilating part stops though no command of stopping the ventilating operation is inputted to the remote controller can be prevented. [0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the air conditioner further comprises: [0020] an outdoor unit having a second nonvolatile memory that stores the operation information of the ventilating part at the previous time of operation. [0021] According to the above embodiment, the operation information of the ventilating part at the previous time of operation is stored in the second nonvolatile memory of the outdoor unit. Therefore, the operation information of the ventilating part can be backed up in preparation for the vanishment of the operation information in the first nonvolatile memory due to, for example, the failure or replacement of the indoor unit. Continue reading... Full patent description for Air conditioner Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Air conditioner patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Air conditioner or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Continuously operating type showcase Next Patent Application: control device for refrigeration or air conditioning systems Industry Class: Refrigeration ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Air conditioner patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 3.51836 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Computers: Graphics , I/O , Processors , Dyn. Storage , Static Storage , Printers |
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