Patent Description:
Air conditioners such as coolers have become one of daily necessaries along with improvement of standards of living. In the related art, in order to operate such an air conditioner, buttons provided on a main body of the air conditioner or a remote controller for manipulating the air conditioner was used.

However, in order to manipulate the air conditioner using the buttons provided on the main body of the air conditioner as in the related art, it was inconvenient since a user needed to reach to the peripheral portion of the air conditioner, and in a case of using the remote controller for manipulating the air conditioner, it was also inconvenient since the user needed to find the remote controller.

In addition, the air conditioner in the related art was operated at a temperature with a wind strength in a cooling mode directly set by the user without considering a cooling tendency of the user, which leaded a deterioration in usability for the user.

<CIT> discloses a method for controlling an electronic device. According to the method, if the state of a user is given, the electronic device delays performing an operation corresponding to the user voice. Further, the electronic device may determine operation candidates corresponding to the user voice. The electronic device may monitor an additional event after determining the operation candidate. Document <CIT> discloses an air conditioner that communicates with an external server to control the air conditioner. It can be controlled by user voice and takes into account usage history. Document <CIT> also discloses an air conditioner with voice control.

The disclosure is made in view of the above-mentioned problems and an object of the disclosure is to control an air conditioner by obtaining a control command according to a user cooling tendency based on a user voice including a state of the user.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling an air conditioner as defined in claim <NUM>.

The control command may be obtained by inputting the user voice to an artificial intelligence model trained based on the cooling tendency of the user.

The receiving may include receiving the control command together with information regarding a voice message corresponding to the control command from the external server, the controlling may include controlling the air conditioner according to the control command, and the control method may further include outputting a voice message corresponding to the control command.

The control method may further include: detecting a user of the air conditioner, and the transmitting may include transmitting information regarding the detected user to the external server together with the user voice.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure for achieving the above object, there is provided an air conditioner as defined in claim <NUM>.

The air conditioner may further include: an output unit configured to output a voice message, and the processor may be configured to receive the control command together with information regarding a voice message corresponding to the control command from the external server, control the air conditioner according to the control command, and control the output unit to output a voice message corresponding to the control command.

The processor may be configured to, based on the user of the air conditioner being detected, transmit information regarding the detected user to the external server together with the user voice.

In accordance with a still another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method according to at least claim <NUM> for controlling an external server, the method including: receiving a user voice including a state of a user from an air conditioner; obtaining a control command for controlling the air conditioner based on a cooling tendency of the user determined based on a usage history of the air conditioner and the state of the user; and transmitting the obtained control command to the air conditioner.

The control method may includes receiving information regarding a user command, sensing data detected by the air conditioner, and information regarding weather of an area where the air conditioner is located from the air conditioner before transmitting the user voice to the external server; and determining the cooling tendency of the user based on the information regarding the user command, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner is located every preset cycle.

The obtaining may include obtaining the control command by inputting the user voice to an artificial intelligence model trained based on the cooling tendency of the user.

According to the present invention, the user may control the air conditioner through the user voice without a separate manipulating device and an indoor environment optimized for the user may be provided by controlling the air conditioner according to the cooling tendency of the user.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In relation to explanation of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar elements.

In this disclosure, the terms such as "comprise", "may comprise", "consist of", or "may consist of" are used herein to designate a presence of corresponding features (e.g., constituent elements such as number, function, operation, or part), and not to preclude a presence of additional features.

In this disclosure, expressions such as "A or B", "at least one of A [and/or] B", or "one or more of A [and/or] B" include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "A or B", "at least one of A and B", or "at least one of A or B" includes any of (<NUM>) at least one A, (<NUM>) at least one B, or (<NUM>) at least one A and at least one B.

The expressions "first," "second" and the like used in the disclosure may denote various elements, regardless of order and/or importance, and may be used to distinguish one element from another, and does not limit the elements.

If it is described that a certain element (e.g., first element) is "operatively or communicatively coupled with/to" or is "connected to" another element (e.g., second element), it should be understood that the certain element may be connected to the other element directly or through still another element (e.g., third element). On the other hand, if it is described that a certain element (e.g., first element) is "directly coupled to" or "directly connected to" another element (e.g., second element), it may be understood that there is no element (e.g., third element) between the certain element and the another element.

Also, the expression "configured to" used in the disclosure may be interchangeably used with other expressions such as "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," and "capable of," depending on cases. Meanwhile, the expression "configured to" does not necessarily refer to a device being "specifically designed to" in terms of hardware. Instead, under some circumstances, the expression "a device configured to" may refer to the device being "capable of" performing an operation together with another device or component. For example, the phrase "a unit or a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may refer, for example, and without limitation, to a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing the corresponding operations, a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor), or the like, that can perform the corresponding operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

An air conditioner according to various embodiments of the disclosure may refer to a device performing operations such as cooling, heating, purification, and the like of the air and may include, for example, at least one of a residential air conditioner, an air conditioner, a ceiling-mounted air conditioner, a car air conditioner, a dehumidifier, a cold air blower, and an air purifier. In this disclosure, a term "user" may refer to a person using the air conditioner or an apparatus (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic apparatus) using the air conditioner.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating usage of an air conditioner for controlling the air conditioner according to a cooling tendency of a user using a user voice according to an embodiment.

First, when an event of receiving a user command for manipulating an air conditioner <NUM> occurs, the air conditioner <NUM> transmits information regarding the event to an external server <NUM>. The information regarding the event may include at least one of information regarding a user command, information regarding the air conditioner <NUM>, and sensing data sensed by the air conditioner <NUM>. In addition, the information regarding the event may further include information regarding a detected user, information regarding weather of an area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located, and the like.

Further, in addition to the event of receiving the user command, the air conditioner <NUM> may also transmit the information regarding the event, even in a case where other events (e.g., an event that the user is detected by the air conditioner <NUM>, an event that the user manipulates another electronic device connected to the air conditioner <NUM>, and the like) occur.

When the user command is input, the air conditioner <NUM> may store information regarding the user command and transmit the information regarding the event including the information regarding the user command to the external server <NUM> every preset cycle.

The external server <NUM> may store the information regarding the event received from the air conditioner <NUM>. The external server <NUM> determines the cooling tendency of the user based on pieces of the information regarding the event (in other words, usage history of the air conditioner <NUM>) received from the air conditioner <NUM> and stored.

Specifically, the external server <NUM> analyzes the cooling tendency of the user based on the information regarding the user command received from the air conditioner <NUM>, sensing data detected by the air conditioner, and information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner is located every preset cycle (e.g., <NUM> day).

The external server <NUM> determines a cooling tendency corresponding to the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> among a plurality of cooling tendencies. The plurality of cooling tendencies is determined with a combination of a cooling mode, a wind strength, and a preference temperature (temperature frequently set by the user) set by the user, and includes a rapid normal cooling tendency (or low-temperature and high-speed cooling tendency), a power-saving normal cooling tendency (or high-temperature and high-speed cooling tendency), a rapid windless cooling tendency (or low-temperature and low-speed cooling tendency), and a power-saving windless cooling tendency (or high-temperature and low-speed cooling tendency).

The external server <NUM> may match the air conditioner <NUM> to the cooling tendencies of the user and store these and transmit the cooling tendencies of the user to the air conditioner <NUM>. In addition, the external server <NUM> may analyze and store the cooling tendency for each user.

The air conditioner <NUM> obtains a user voice including a user state. The user state refers to a state of the user currently feeling about the weather such as a temperature and a humidity. The user state may include, for example, a user state such as "it is hot", as illustrated in <FIG>. However, this is merely an embodiment and the user state may include various states such as "it is cold", "it is very hot", "it is very cold", "it is humid", "it is dry", and the like.

In addition, the air conditioner <NUM> obtains the user voice including the user state. However, this is merely an embodiment and the air conditioner <NUM> may obtain various additional user commands indicating the user state. For example, the air conditioner <NUM> may obtain various user commands such as a touch input, a motion of the user, a button input of the user, and the like.

The air conditioner <NUM> transmits the obtained user voice to the external server <NUM>. The air conditioner <NUM> may transmit the obtained user voice to an STT server to obtain text information corresponding to the user voice, and then transmit the text information to the external server <NUM>.

In addition, the air conditioner <NUM> transmits the information regarding the air conditioner <NUM> and the sensing data sensed by the air conditioner <NUM>, in addition to the user voice, to the external server <NUM>.

The external server <NUM> receives the user voice and the sensing data sensed by the air conditioner <NUM> from the air conditioner <NUM>. In addition, the external server <NUM> may also receive information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located via the air conditioner <NUM> or a smart home service server.

The external server <NUM> determines a control command for controlling the air conditioner <NUM> based on the cooling tendencies of the user determined based on the user history of the air conditioner <NUM> and the state of the user included in the user voice. Specifically, the external server <NUM> may store control commands determined based on the plurality of cooling tendencies and the user state and the external server <NUM> may obtain the control command corresponding to the cooling tendencies of the user and the state of the user among the stored control commands. In addition, the external server <NUM> may obtain the control command based on the sensing data currently obtained by the air conditioner <NUM>.

The external server <NUM> may obtain information regarding a voice message corresponding to the control command together with the control command. For example, if the control command is a "control command for lowering a room temperature by <NUM> degrees", the external server <NUM> may obtain information regarding a voice message of "lowering by <NUM> degrees" as a voice message corresponding to the control command. The obtaining the information regarding the voice message as a message indicating the control command by the external server <NUM> is merely an embodiment, and the external server <NUM> may obtain information regarding various types of messages (e.g., a text message, a vibration message, and the like).

The external server <NUM> may transmit the control command to the air conditioner <NUM>. The external server <NUM> may transmit the voice message together with the control command to the air conditioner <NUM>.

The air conditioner <NUM> may perform a cooling operation according to the received control command and output a voice message. For example, the air conditioner <NUM> may operate according to the control command for lowering the temperature by <NUM> degrees from the detected temperature and output a voice message of "lowering by <NUM> degrees".

As described above, the air conditioner <NUM> may perform the operation corresponding to the user state according to the cooling tendencies of the user to provide a cooling service optimized to the user.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the disclosure, the air conditioner <NUM> may obtain a control command using an artificial intelligence model trained based on a history of usage of the air conditioner <NUM> by the user.

Specifically, when the user command is input, the air conditioner <NUM> transmits the information regarding the user command and the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM> to the external server <NUM>. The external server <NUM> may train an artificial intelligence model based on the information regarding the user command and the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>. In other words, the artificial intelligence model may be trained based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> of the user.

When the user voice including the user state is received, the air conditioner <NUM> transmits the received user voice to the external server <NUM>. Then, the air conditioner <NUM> may obtain the control command for controlling the air conditioner <NUM> by inputting the user state to the trained artificial intelligence model.

The external server <NUM> transmits the obtained control command to the air conditioner <NUM> and the air conditioner <NUM> may perform the cooling operation based on the received control command.

The artificial intelligence model mentioned in the above embodiment may refer to an artificial intelligence model trained based on an artificial intelligence algorithm and may be, for example, a model based on a neural network. The trained artificial intelligence model may be designed to simulate a brain structure of human on the computer and may include a plurality of network nodes including weights and simulating neurons of the neural network of human. The plurality of network nodes may form connections to each other to simulate a synaptic activity in that the neurons transmit and receive signals through synapse. In addition, the trained artificial intelligence model may include, for example, a neural network model or a deep learning model developed from the neural network model. In a deep learning model, a plurality of network nodes may be positioned at depths (or on layers) different from each other and may transmit and receive data according to the convolution connection. Examples of the trained artificial intelligence model may include a deep neural network (DNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), and a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), but there is no limitation thereto.

In order to obtain the control command according to the cooling tendencies of the user, an artificial intelligence dedicated program (or artificial intelligence agent) may use a personal assistant program. The personal assistant program may refer to a dedicated program for providing a service based on artificial intelligence (AI) and may be executed by a general-purpose processor of the related art (e.g., CPU) or a separate AI dedicated processor (e.g., GPU).

In the embodiment described above, it is described that the air conditioner <NUM> is operated in association with the external server <NUM>, but this is merely an embodiment, and the air conditioner <NUM> may analyze and store the cooling tendencies of the user by itself or store the artificial intelligence model according to the cooling tendencies of the user, as long as falling within the scope of the claims.

<FIG> is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of the air conditioner <NUM> according to an embodiment. Referring to <FIG>, the air conditioner <NUM> includes a communicator <NUM>, a cooler <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and a processor <NUM>. The configuration illustrated in <FIG> is an example for implementing the embodiment of the disclosure and suitable hardware/software configuration apparent to those skilled in the art may be additionally included to the air conditioner <NUM> or the configuration illustrated in <FIG> may be omitted as long as falling within the scope of the claims.

The communicator <NUM> may communicate with other external devices using various communication methods. Particularly, the communicator <NUM> transmits the information regarding the event including the information regarding the user command and the user voice including the user state to the external server <NUM>. In addition, the communicator <NUM> receives a control command determined based on the cooling tendencies of the user from the external server <NUM>. Further, the communicator <NUM> may communicate with an external electronic device or a remote controller. The communicator <NUM> may receive a user voice or a user command via the remote controller and the like.

Particularly, the communicator <NUM> may communicate with various types of external devices according to various types of the communication methods. The communicator <NUM> may include at least one of a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth chip, a wireless communication chip, an IR chip, and a Zigbee chip. The processor <NUM> may communicate with an external device or various other external devices by using the communicator <NUM>. In addition, the communicator <NUM> may communicate with the external server <NUM> via various communication chips such as the Wi-Fi chip and the like.

The cooler <NUM> may perform a cooling operation of the air conditioner <NUM>. The cooler <NUM> may perform the cooling operation according to the user command input via the remote controller or a button provided on the air conditioner <NUM>. In addition, the cooler <NUM> may perform the cooling operation according to the user voice input from a microphone included in the air conditioner <NUM> or a microphone included in a device connected to the air conditioner <NUM>.

The cooler <NUM> may perform the cooling operation based on a temperature, a wind strength, a cooling mode, and a humid state set according to the user command or the user voice. In addition, the cooler <NUM> may also include an outside unit, not only an indoor unit of the air conditioner <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> store an instruction. The memory may store data related to at least one of other elements of the air conditioner <NUM>. Particularly, the memory <NUM> may be implemented as a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The memory <NUM> may be accessed by the processor <NUM> and reading, recording, editing, deleting, or updating of the data by the processor <NUM> may be executed. A term, memory, in the disclosure may include the memory <NUM>, a ROM (not illustrated) and RAM (not illustrated) in the processor <NUM>, or a memory card (not illustrated) (e.g., micro SD card or memory stick) mounted on the air conditioner <NUM>.

Particularly, the memory <NUM> may store the artificial intelligence dedicated program. The artificial intelligence dedicated program may refer to a program personalized to provide various services regarding the air conditioner <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may be electrically connected to the communicator <NUM>, the cooler <NUM>, and the memory <NUM> to control general operations and functions of the air conditioner <NUM>. Particularly, the processor <NUM> obtains a control command corresponding to a user tendency using various programs (or instructions) stored in the memory <NUM> and control the air conditioner <NUM> to perform the cooling operation according to the obtained control command.

Specifically, when the user voice including the state of the user is obtained, the processor <NUM> controls the communicator <NUM> to transmit the user voice to the external server <NUM>. The processor <NUM> receives the control command obtained by using the cooling tendency of the user determined based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> and the state of the user from the external server <NUM> via the communicator <NUM>. The processor <NUM> controls the cooler <NUM> based on the control command.

Particularly, when the user command for controlling the air conditioner <NUM> is obtained before transmitting the user voice to the external server <NUM>, the processor <NUM> controls the communicator <NUM> to transmit the information regarding the user command, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located to the external server <NUM>. In other words, the processor <NUM> transmits information regarding the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> used to determine the cooling tendencies of the user by the external server <NUM> to the external server <NUM>.

The cooling tendency of the user may be determined based on the information regarding the user command transmitted to the external server <NUM>, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner is located every preset cycle.

In addition, the cooling tendency of the user refers to a cooling tendency corresponding to the usage history of the air conditioner among the plurality of cooling tendencies, and the plurality of cooling tendencies are determined with a combination of the cooling mode, the wind strength, and the preference temperature set by the user. The plurality of cooling tendencies include a rapid normal cooling tendency, a power-saving normal cooling tendency, a rapid windless cooling tendency, and a power-saving windless cooling tendency.

In addition, the processor <NUM> controls the communicator <NUM> to transmit the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM> and identification information of the air conditioner <NUM> together with the user voice to the external server <NUM>.

Further, the processor <NUM> receives the control command corresponding to the cooling tendency of the user from the external server <NUM> via the communicator <NUM>. The control command includes information regarding a set temperature, a cooling mode, and a wind strength of the air conditioner determined based on the cooling tendency of the user, the user voice, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner is located. According to another embodiment of the disclosure, the control command may be obtained by inputting the user voice to the artificial intelligence model trained based on the cooling tendency of the user.

In addition, the processor <NUM> receives the control command and the information regarding the voice message corresponding to the control command from the external server via the communicator <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may control the cooler <NUM> according to the control command and output the voice message corresponding to the control command.

<FIG> is a block diagram specifically illustrating the configuration of the air conditioner according to an embodiment. Referring to <FIG>, the air conditioner <NUM> includes a microphone <NUM> and the communicator <NUM>, the cooler <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, a sensor <NUM>, an output unit <NUM>, an input unit <NUM>, and the processor <NUM>. Meanwhile, the communicator <NUM>, the cooler <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> have been described in <FIG>, and therefore the overlapped description will not be repeated.

The sensor <NUM> may obtain various pieces of information of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located. Referring to <FIG>, the sensor <NUM> may include a temperature sensor <NUM>, a humidity sensor <NUM>, and the like, but this is merely an embodiment, and the sensor <NUM> may also include various sensors (e.g., an IR sensor, a proximity sensor, a camera, and the like for detecting presence of the user).

The output unit <NUM> may output a message provided by the air conditioner <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, the output unit <NUM> may include a speaker <NUM> for providing a voice message, a display <NUM> and an LED <NUM> for providing a visual message, and the like, but there is no limitation thereto.

The microphone <NUM> is provided in the air conditioner <NUM> as an element for obtaining the user voice, but this is merely an embodiment, and the microphone <NUM> may be provided outside of the air conditioner <NUM> and electrically connected to the air conditioner <NUM>.

The input unit <NUM> may receive the user command and transmit the user command to the processor <NUM>. The input unit <NUM> may include a touch sensor, a (digital) pen sensor, a pressure sensor, a key, and the like. The touch sensor may use, for example, at least one type of an electrostatic type, a pressure-sensitive type, an infrared type, or an ultrasonic type. The (digital) pen sensor may be, for example, a part of a touch panel or may include a separate sheet for recognition. The key may include, for example, a physical button, an optical key, or a keypad.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the external server according to an embodiment. Referring to <FIG>, the external server <NUM> may include a communicator <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and a processor <NUM>. The configuration illustrated in <FIG> is an example for implementing the embodiments of the disclosure and suitable hardware/software configuration apparent to those skilled in the art may be additionally included to the external server <NUM> or the configuration illustrated in <FIG> may be omitted. Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the external server <NUM> may be implemented as a server implemented outside, but this is merely an embodiment, and the external server <NUM> may be implemented as one of electronic devices provided at home (e.g., home gateway, TV, and the like).

The communicator <NUM> communicates with the air conditioner <NUM>. Particularly, the communicator <NUM> receives information regarding the event including the information regarding the user command (or usage history information of the air conditioner) from the air conditioner <NUM> and receive the information regarding the user voice including the user state. In addition, the communicator <NUM> transmits the control command determined according to the cooling tendency of the user to the air conditioner <NUM>. Particularly, the communicator <NUM> may communicate with various types of air conditioner <NUM> according to various types of the communication methods. The communicator <NUM> may include at least one of a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth chip, and a wireless communication chip.

The memory <NUM> may store an instruction or data related to at least one of other elements of the external server <NUM>. Particularly, the memory <NUM> may be implemented as a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The memory <NUM> may be accessed by the processor <NUM> and reading, recording, editing, deleting, or updating of the data by the processor <NUM> may be executed. A term, memory, in the disclosure may include the memory <NUM>, a ROM (not illustrated) and RAM (not illustrated) in the processor <NUM>, or a memory card (not illustrated) (e.g., micro SD card or memory stick) mounted on the external server <NUM>.

Particularly, the memory <NUM> may store the cooling tendencies corresponding to the air conditioner (or user). In addition, the memory <NUM> may store a matching table including a control command matched to the cooling tendency and the user state. In addition, the memory <NUM> may store an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may refer to a model trained based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> and may obtain the control command for controlling the air conditioner <NUM> by inputting the information regarding the user state to the artificial intelligence model.

The memory <NUM> may include various modules for providing control command according to the cooling tendency of the user by analyzing the cooling tendency of the user illustrated in <FIG>.

The processor <NUM> (or controller) may control general operations of the external server <NUM> using various programs stored in the memory <NUM>. Specifically, the processor <NUM> obtains the cooling tendency of the user using the air conditioner <NUM> by receiving the information regarding the user command, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located which are received from the air conditioner <NUM>. In other words, the processor <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> every preset cycle (e.g., <NUM> day).

The processor <NUM> determines the cooling tendency corresponding to the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> among the plurality of cooling tendencies. Particularly, the plurality of cooling tendencies include a rapid normal cooling tendency, a power-saving normal cooling tendency, a rapid windless cooling tendency, and a power-saving windless cooling tendency.

The processor <NUM> may match the information regarding the air conditioner <NUM> to the cooling tendency corresponding to the air conditioner <NUM> and store these.

Then, the processor <NUM> receives the user voice including the user state from the air conditioner <NUM> via the communicator <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> obtains the control command for controlling the air conditioner <NUM> based on the cooling tendency of the user determined based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> and the state of the user. In an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may obtain the control command for the user voice by using the matching table in which the control command is matched to the cooling tendency and the user state and stored. In another embodiment, the processor <NUM> may obtain the control command by inputting the user voice to the artificial intelligence model trained based on the cooling tendency of the user.

The processor <NUM> controls the communicator <NUM> to transmit the obtained control command to the air conditioner <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram including modules for providing a control command according to the cooling tendency of the user by analyzing the cooling tendency of the user according to an embodiment. Referring to <FIG>, the external server <NUM> may include a data collection module <NUM>, a user cooling tendency analysis module <NUM>, a voice recognition module <NUM>, a control command obtaining module <NUM>, and a voice message obtaining module <NUM>.

The data collection module <NUM> may collect data received from the air conditioner <NUM>. The data collection module <NUM> may obtain the information regarding the event received from the air conditioner <NUM>. The information regarding the event may include the information regarding the user command (e.g., preference temperature set by the user, the wind strength set by the user, the mode set by the user, and the like), the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>, the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located, and the like.

The data collection module <NUM> may collect data based on the air conditioner <NUM>, but this is merely an embodiment, and the data collection module <NUM> may collect data based on the user of the air conditioner <NUM>.

The user cooling tendency analysis module <NUM> may analyze the cooling tendency of the user based on the data (that is, the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM>) collected by the data collection module <NUM>.

The cooling tendency of the user is one of the plurality of cooling tendencies. The plurality of cooling tendencies are classified with a combination of the cooling mode, the wind strength, and the preference temperature set by the user.

Specifically, the user cooling tendency analysis module <NUM> may determine a cooling strength based on the cooling mode, the wind strength, and the like set by the user. The cooling strength may refer to a cooling performance of the air conditioner <NUM>. In the cooling mode (e.g., rapid cooling mode) which needs strong cooling performance or as the strength of the wind is strong, the cooling strength may increase, and in the cooling mode (e.g., power-saving cooling mode) which needs weak cooling performance or as the strength of the wind is weak, the cooling strength may be reduced. In addition, the cooling strength may relate to power consumption of the air conditioner <NUM>. The user cooling tendency analysis module <NUM> may determine one of the plurality of cooling tendencies based on the determined cooling strength and the preference temperature preferred by the user. The plurality of cooling tendencies may include the rapid normal cooling tendency, the rapid windless cooling tendency, the power-saving normal cooling tendency, and the power-saving windless cooling tendency.

The voice recognition module <NUM> may convert the user voice received from the air conditioner <NUM> into a text. In addition, the voice recognition module <NUM> may perform a natural language processing operation and a natural language understanding operation regarding the received user voice.

The control command obtaining module <NUM> may obtain the control command of the user voice based on the cooling tendency of the user analyzed via the user cooling tendency analysis module <NUM>. Specifically, the control command obtaining module <NUM> may store a matching table in which the control command is matched to the user cooling tendency and the user state included in the user voice and stored. The control command obtaining module <NUM> may obtain the control command corresponding to the user state included in the user voice and the user cooling tendency by using the matching table.

The voice message obtaining module <NUM> may obtain a voice message corresponding to the obtained control command. The voice message may refer to a voice message to be output by the air conditioner <NUM> and may include information regarding the control command (e.g., set temperature, wind strength, cooling mode, and the like).

Meanwhile, in the above embodiment, it is described that one external server <NUM> is implemented, but this is merely an embodiment, and a plurality of external servers <NUM> may be implemented. For example, the voice recognition module <NUM> may be implemented as a separate server and the data collection module <NUM> may also be implemented as a separate server.

Hereinafter, referring to <FIG>, an embodiment in which the air conditioner <NUM> and the external server <NUM> provide the control command corresponding to the user voice by determining the user cooling tendency will be described in detail.

<FIG> and <FIG> are diagrams for illustrating a method for determining the user cooling tendency according to an embodiment.

First, the air conditioner <NUM> detects occurrence of an event of receiving a user command for manipulating the air conditioner <NUM> (S410). For example, when the user inputs a user command for setting the preference temperature, the wind strength, the cooling mode, sleep mode setting, and the like of the air conditioner <NUM>, the air conditioner <NUM> may detect the occurrence of the event of receiving the user command.

In addition, the air conditioner <NUM> detects the sensing data within a predetermine period of time from the point when the event occurrence is detected.

Further, the air conditioner <NUM> may detect a user who has input the user command among a plurality of users in a house. At this time, the air conditioner <NUM> may detect the user by analyzing an image captured by a camera included in the air conditioner <NUM> or an electronic device electrically connected to the air conditioner <NUM>, and may detect the user who has input the user command through various pieces of information such as the voice uttered by the user, identification information input by the user, and the like.

The air conditioner <NUM> transmits information regarding the event to the server <NUM> (S420). The information regarding the event refers to information regarding the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> and includes the information regarding the user command (e.g., information regarding the preference temperature, the wind strength, the cooling mode, and the like set by the user), the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM> (e.g., temperature data, humidity data, and the like), and the like. According to still another embodiment, the information regarding the event may include identification information of the air conditioner <NUM> (e.g., model name, product number, manufacturer, MAC address, and the like of the air conditioner <NUM>). The information regarding the event may further include information regarding the user who detected by the air conditioner <NUM>. The information regarding the event may further include the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located.

The server <NUM> analyzes the user cooling tendency based on the information regarding the event (S430).

Specifically, the server <NUM> may analyze the user cooling tendency based on the information regarding the event received from the air conditioner <NUM>. The cooling tendency of the user may be updated every preset cycle (e.g., <NUM> day) and the user cooling tendency may be analyzed by applying weights to the pieces of information regarding the event received recently.

Particularly, the server <NUM> may determine the cooling strength based on the cooling mode, the wind strength, and the like set by the user included in the information regarding the event. The cooling strength may refer to cooling performance of the air conditioner <NUM> and may relate to the power consumption of the air conditioner <NUM>. The user cooling tendency analysis module <NUM> may determine one of the plurality of cooling tendencies based on the determined cooling strength and the preference temperature preferred by the user.

The plurality of cooling tendencies include the rapid normal cooling tendency, the rapid windless cooling tendency, the power-saving normal cooling tendency, and the power-saving windless cooling tendency. Specifically, referring to <FIG>, if the user command for a low preference temperature of the user and a high cooling strength is frequently input, the server <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user as a raid normal cooling tendency <NUM>, if the user command for a low preference temperature of the user and a low cooling strength is frequently input, the server <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user as a rapid windless cooling tendency <NUM>, if the user command for a high preference temperature of the user and a high cooling strength is frequently input, the server <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user as a power-saving normal cooling tendency <NUM>, and if the user command for a high preference temperature of the user and a low cooling strength is frequently input, the server <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user as a power-saving windless cooling tendency <NUM>. In addition, if the preference temperature of the user and the cooling strength are approximately at the moderate level, the server <NUM> may determine the cooling tendency of the user as a normal cooling tendency <NUM>.

The cooling strength and the preference temperature as criteria for dividing the plurality of cooling tendencies may be set by a manufacturer or a service provider, but this is merely an embodiment, and these may be set by the pieces of information received from the plurality of air conditioners.

The server <NUM> may match the cooling tendency of the user using the air conditioner <NUM> to the air conditioner <NUM> and store these. The server <NUM> may match the cooling tendency to the air conditioner <NUM> and store these, but this is merely an embodiment, and the server <NUM> may match the cooling tendency for each user using the air conditioner <NUM> and store these.

<FIG> and <FIG> are diagrams for illustrating a method for obtaining a control command based on the user cooling tendency and the user voice according to an embodiment.

The air conditioner <NUM> receives a user voice (S610). The user voice includes a text indicating the user state. For example, the user voice may include a state of the user currently feeling about the temperature such as "it is hot".

The air conditioner <NUM> transmits the user voice and the sensing data to the server <NUM> (S620). Specifically, the air conditioner <NUM> transmits not only the user voice, but also the sensing data collected within the predetermined period of time based on a point when the user voice is input, to the air conditioner <NUM>. In addition, the air conditioner <NUM> may detect a user who uttered the user voice, transmit the information regarding the detected user, and also transmit the data of the weather of the area where the air conditioner <NUM> is located.

The server <NUM> determines the control command based on the user voice, the sensing data, the weather data, and the cooling tendency (S200). Specifically, the server <NUM> may store a matching table storing by matching the state of the user uttered by the user, the cooling tendency of the user, the current temperature state, the voice message, and the control command to each other. For example, referring to <FIG>, the server <NUM> may match a user state <NUM> uttered by the user, a current temperature state <NUM>, a user cooling tendency <NUM>, a voice message <NUM>, and a control command <NUM> to each other and store these.

In an example, when the user utters a voice including the user state such as "it is very hot", the server <NUM> may determine the control command for setting the cooling mode to the "rapid cooling mode", regardless of the set temperature, the preference temperature, and the cooling tendency of the user. In another example, when the user utters a voice such as "it is hot", the set temperature is higher than the preference temperature, and the cooling tendency of the user is the high-temperature and high-speed cooling, the server <NUM> may determine the control command for lowering the temperature by a "difference between the set temperature and the preference temperature" and increasing the wind strength. In still another example, when the user utters a voice such as "it is cold", the set temperature is higher than the preference temperature, and the user cooling tendency is the low-temperature and low-speed cooling, the server <NUM> may determine the control command for changing the cooling mode into the "windless mode". In still another example, when the user utters a voice such as "it is very cold", the server <NUM> may determine the control command for setting the cooling mode of the user to the "windless mode", regardless of the set temperature, the preference temperature, and the cooling tendency of the user.

The server <NUM> may obtain the voice message corresponding to the control command (S640). Specifically, the server <NUM> may obtain the voice message corresponding to the control command obtained by using the matching table as illustrated in <FIG>. For example, when the user utters a voice including the user state such as "it is very hot", the server <NUM> may obtain a voice message such as "changing to a speed operation for rapid cooling" as the voice message corresponding to the control command.

The server <NUM> transmits the obtained control command and the voice message to the air conditioner <NUM> (S650).

The air conditioner <NUM> may perform the cooling operation according to the control command (S660). For example, the air conditioner <NUM> may perform the cooling operation by controlling the cooler <NUM> based on the set temperature, the wind strength, the cooling mode and the like included in the control command.

The air conditioner <NUM> may output the voice message corresponding to the control command (S670). The output of the voice message to provide the information regarding the control command is merely an embodiment, and the voice message may be implemented as various types of voice messages (e.g., visual message, tactile message, and the like) corresponding to the control command.

Meanwhile, the matching table illustrated in <FIG> is merely an embodiment and may be implemented as a matching table in different forms. For example, the user state included in the voice uttered by the user is not simply limited to "it is very hot", "it is hot", "it is cold", and "it is very cold", but also include user state in various forms such as "it's hot", "it is so hot", "it is chilly", and the like. The server <NUM> (or air conditioner <NUM>) may obtain the control command corresponding to the user state by processing the user voice through natural language understanding.

<FIG> is a sequence diagram for illustrating an embodiment of obtaining a control command using an artificial intelligence model trained based on the user cooling tendency according to another embodiment.

The air conditioner <NUM> detects the event of receiving the user command for manipulating the air conditioner (S810). For example, when the user inputs the user command for setting the preference temperature, the wind strength, the cooling mode, the sleep mode setting, and the like of the air conditioner <NUM>, the air conditioner <NUM> may detect the occurrence of the event of receiving the user command. In addition, the air conditioner <NUM> detects the sensing data within the predetermined period of time from the point when the event occurrence is detected.

The air conditioner <NUM> transmits the information regarding the event to the server <NUM> (S820). The information regarding the event refers to information regarding the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> by the user and includes the information regarding the user command (e.g., information regarding the preference temperature, the wind strength, the cooling mode, and the like set by the user), the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM> (e.g., temperature data, humidity data, and the like), and the like.

The server <NUM> may train the artificial intelligence model based on the received information regarding the event (S830). The server <NUM> may train the artificial intelligence model so that the artificial intelligence model outputs the control command according to the cooling tendency of the user, by inputting the received information regarding the user included in the event to the artificial intelligence model.

The air conditioner <NUM> obtains the user voice (S840). The user voice includes the text indicating the user state. For example, the user voice may include the state of the user feeling about the temperature such as "it is hot".

The air conditioner <NUM> transmits the user voice to the server <NUM> (S850). The air conditioner <NUM> transmits not only the user voice, but also the sensing data collected within the predetermined period of time based on the point when the user voice is input, to the air conditioner <NUM>.

The server <NUM> may obtain the control command by inputting the user voice to the artificial intelligence model (S860). Specifically, the server <NUM> may obtain the control command corresponding to the user state included in the user voice by inputting the user voice to the artificial intelligence model trained based on the cooling tendency of the user according to the usage history of the user.

The server <NUM> may transmit the obtained control command to the air conditioner <NUM> (S870). The server <NUM> may transmit the control command together with the voice message corresponding to the control command to the air conditioner <NUM>.

The air conditioner <NUM> may perform the cooling operation according to the control command (S880). Specifically, the air conditioner <NUM> may perform the cooling operation by controlling the cooler <NUM> based on the set temperature, the wind strength, the cooling mode, and the like included in the control command. In addition, the air conditioner <NUM> may output the voice message while performing the cooling operation according to the control command.

<FIG> is a flowchart for illustrating a method for controlling the air conditioner according to an embodiment.

The air conditioner <NUM> obtains the user voice including the user state (S910).

The air conditioner <NUM> transmits the user voice to the external server <NUM> (S920). The air conditioner <NUM> transmits the user voice together with the sensing data detected by the air conditioner <NUM>.

The air conditioner <NUM> receives the obtained control command by using the cooling tendency of the user determined based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> and the user state (S930). The cooling tendency of the user is determined every preset cycle based on the information regarding the user command for controlling the air conditioner <NUM>, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner is located which are transmitted to the external server <NUM> before the user voice is transmitted to the external server <NUM>.

The air conditioner <NUM> controls the air conditioner according to the control command (S940).

<FIG> is a flowchart for illustrating a method for controlling an external server according to an embodiment.

The external server <NUM> receives the user voice including the user state (S1010).

The external server <NUM> obtains the control command using the cooling tendency of the user determined based on the usage history of the air conditioner <NUM> and the user state (S1020). The external server <NUM> determines the cooling tendency of the user as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, and determines the control command based on the determined cooling tendency of the user and the usage state as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>.

The external server <NUM> transmits the control command to the air conditioner <NUM> (S1030).

According to various embodiments of the disclosure described above, the user controls the air conditioner through the user voice without a separate manipulating device and an indoor environment optimized for the user is provided by controlling the air conditioner according to the cooling tendency of the user.

Various details of the invention may be implemented as software including instructions stored in machine (e.g., computer)-readable storage media. The machine is a device which invokes instructions stored in the storage medium and is operated according to the invoked instructions, and may include an electronic device (e.g., air conditioner <NUM>) according to the disclosed embodiments. In a case where the instruction is executed by a processor, the processor may perform a function corresponding to the instruction directly or using other elements under the control of the processor. The instruction may include a code made by a compiler or a code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in a form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the "non-transitory" storage medium is tangible and may not include signals, and it does not distinguish that data is semi-permanently or temporarily stored in the storage medium.

Claim 1:
A method for controlling an air conditioner (<NUM>), the method comprising:
obtaining a user voice including a state of a user that refers to a state of the user currently feeling about a weather (S910);
transmitting the user voice to an external server (<NUM>) (S920);
receiving, from the external server, a control command obtained using a cooling tendency of the user and the state of the user (S930), the cooling tendency of the user being determined based on a usage history of the air conditioner; and
controlling the air conditioner (<NUM>) based on the control command (S940),
the method further comprising:
based on a user command for controlling the air conditioner (<NUM>) being obtained before transmitting the user voice to the external server, transmitting, to the external server, information regarding the user command, sensing data detected by the air conditioner, and information regarding weather of an area where the air conditioner (<NUM>) is located,
wherein the cooling tendency of the user is determined every preset cycle based on the information regarding the user command, the sensing data detected by the air conditioner, and the information regarding the weather of the area where the air conditioner (<NUM>) is located which are transmitted to the external server, and
wherein the user command is for setting preference temperature, wind strength, cooling mode,
wherein among a plurality of cooling tendencies the cooling tendency of the user is a cooling tendency corresponding to the usage history of the air conditioner (<NUM>), and
wherein the plurality of cooling tendencies includes a rapid normal cooling tendency, a power-saving normal cooling tendency, a rapid windless cooling tendency, and a power-saving normal cooling tendency determined with a combination of a cooling mode, a wind strength, and a preference temperature set by the user.