Patent ID: 8249750

Claim:
An air conditioner comprising: an indoor unit and an outdoor unit which are connected via connection wiring; the connection wiring comprising two power lines for supplying a power from an external power source via one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit to the other of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and one signal line for carrying out communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit; the indoor unit comprising an indoor side switch device which is connected between one of the power lines and the signal line and brought into a closed state at a startup time when operation starts from a standby state in which the supply of power of the outdoor unit is stopped, and the outdoor unit comprising: a startup power supply switch device which is brought into a closed state so that a power for startup is supplied from the indoor unit side via the signal line when the indoor side switch device of the indoor unit is brought into the closed state, an operating power supply switch device which is brought into a closed state so that the power for operation is supplied to a load via the power line in operation, and is brought into an open state in the standby state, and an outdoor control device which controls the operating power supply switch device and the startup power supply switch device, wherein the outdoor control device of the outdoor unit brings the startup power supply switch device into the open state when the operation starts from the standby state by supplying a power for startup from the indoor unit side via the signal line and the startup power supply switch device, said power being supplied from the indoor unit side as a consequence that the indoor side switch device of the indoor unit is brought into the closed state, and after the startup power supply switch is brought into the open state, the outdoor control device brings the operating power supply switch device into the closed state after a lapse of a prescribed time.