Air conditioner and control method thereof
An air conditioner includes a cabinet including a front opening provided at a front surface thereof and a rear opening provided at a rear surface thereof; a heat exchanger provided inside the cabinet; a plurality of fans provided inside the cabinet and configured to allow air to pass through the heat exchanger; and a processor configured to control the plurality of fans so that in a cooling operation mode and a dehumidification operation mode, the plurality of fans are rotated in one direction so that the air is sucked through the rear opening, passes through the heat exchanger, and then is discharged through the front opening, and in an automatic cleaning operation mode, the plurality of fans are rotated in an opposite direction so that the air is sucked through the front opening, passes through the heat exchanger, and then is discharged through the rear opening.
1 . An air conditioner comprising:
a cabinet including
a front opening formed at a front surface of the cabinet, and
a rear opening formed at a rear surface of the cabinet so that the front opening and the rear opening form an air flow passage inside the cabinet;
a heat exchanger provided in the air flow passage inside the cabinet;
a plurality of fans inside the cabinet and configured to guide air to pass through the heat exchanger; and
a processor configured to control the plurality of fans so that
in a cooling operation mode and a dehumidification operation mode, the plurality of fans are rotated in a first direction so that air is suctioned through the rear opening of the cabinet to flow through the air flow passage and pass through the heat exchanger, and the air is discharged through the front opening to an exterior of the cabinet, and
in an automatic cleaning operation mode, the plurality of fans are rotated in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, until the automatic cleaning operation mode is completed, so that air is suctioned through the front opening of the cabinet to flow through the air flow passage and pass through the heat exchanger, and the air is discharged through the rear opening to the exterior of the cabinet,
wherein in the automatic cleaning operation mode, the processor controls a rotation speed of a fan located at a bottom of the plurality of fans to be fastest among the plurality of fans, and controls rotation speeds of remaining fans among the plurality of fans located thereover to be sequentially slowed, such that a rotation speed of a fan among the remaining fans is slower than a rotation speed of another fan among the remaining fans located below the fan.
2 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fans are positioned along a vertical axis inside the cabinet.
3 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fans are positioned in between the front opening and the heat exchanger.
4 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger has an area corresponding to the plurality of fans.
5 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein during the cooling operation mode, the processor controls a rotation speed of a fan located at a top of the plurality of fans to be fastest among the plurality of fans, and controls rotation speeds of remaining fans among the plurality of fans located thereunder to be sequentially slowed.
6 . The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein the processor rotates the fan located at the top of the plurality of fans at a maximum rotation speed during the cooling operation mode.
7 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the processor rotates the fan located at the bottom of the plurality of fans at a maximum rotation speed during the automatic cleaning operation mode.
8 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the front opening of the cabinet includes a plurality of micro holes.
9 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , further comprising:
a humidity sensor in the cabinet and configured to transmit humidity information of the air to the processor,
wherein the processor is configured to adjust an operating time of the plurality of fans based on the humidity information transmitted from the humidity sensor when performing the automatic cleaning operation mode.
10 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the automatic cleaning operation mode includes an automatic mode, a rapid mode, and a low noise mode.
11 . A control method of an air conditioner comprising:
operating a compressor so that refrigerant flows through an inside of a heat exchanger;
rotating a plurality of fans in a first direction while the compressor is in operation, so that indoor air is suctioned through a rear opening of a cabinet to flow through an air flow passage and pass through the heat exchanger, and the indoor air is discharged through a front opening of the cabinet to an exterior of the cabinet;
stopping the compressor and the plurality of fans; and
rotating the plurality of fans in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, until an automatic cleaning operation mode is completed, to perform the automatic cleaning operation in which the indoor air is suctioned through the front opening of the cabinet to flow through an air flow passage and pass through the heat exchanger, and the indoor air is discharged through the rear opening of the cabinet to an exterior of the cabinet,
wherein during rotation of the plurality of fans in the second direction to perform the automatic cleaning operation, a rotation speed of a fan located at a bottom of the plurality of fans is fastest among the plurality of fans, and rotation speeds of remaining fans among the plurality of fans located thereover are sequentially slowed, such that a rotation speed of a fan among the remaining fans is slower than a rotation speed of another fan among the remaining fans located below the fan.
12 . The control method of the air conditioner of claim 11 , wherein during rotation of the plurality of fans in the second direction to perform the automatic cleaning operation, the fan located at the bottom of the plurality of fans is rotated at a maximum rotation speed.
13 . The control method of the air conditioner of claim 11 , wherein during rotation of the plurality of fans in the second direction to perform the automatic cleaning operation comprises adjusting an operating time of the plurality of fans based on a humidity of the indoor air.