Refrigeration – Automatic control – Refrigeration producer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-17
2002-12-31
Tanner, Harry B. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Refrigeration producer
C062S228400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06499308
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a compressor, a heat exchanger for evaporation, and a heat exchanger for condensation in a refrigeration cycle constituting a refrigerating air conditioner and a method of controlling the refrigeration cycle.
2. Discussion of Background
FIG. 14
schematically shows a refrigeration circuit of a conventional multi-chamber type air conditioner disclosed in JP-A-8-2534926. In
FIG. 14
, numerical reference
31
designates an outdoor unit; numerical reference
32
designates a variable capacity compressor; numerical reference
33
designates a four-way valve; numerical reference
34
designates an outdoor heat exchanger; numerical reference
37
designates a distributor; numerical references
41
a
through
41
c
designate three indoor units; numerical references
42
a
through
42
c
designate indoor electronic expansion valves; numerical references
43
a
through
43
c
designate electromagnetic switching valves; numerical references
44
a
through
44
c
designate electromagnetic switching valves; numerical reference
45
designates a controller; numerical reference
46
designates an outdoor blower; numerical reference
47
designates an electronic expansion valve; numerical references
48
a
through
48
c
designate indoor heat exchangers; numerical reference
49
designates a gas-liquid separator; numerical references
51
and
52
designate connection pipes for connecting the outdoor unit
31
to the distributor
37
; numerical reference
53
designates a high-pressure pipe in the distributor
37
; numerical reference
54
designates a low-pressure pipe in the distributor
37
; numerical reference
55
designates an intermediate pressure pipe; numerical reference
56
designates a four-way valve; numerical reference
57
designates an accumulator; numerical reference
58
designates a pressure detector for a high pressure; and numerical reference
59
designates a pressure detector for a low pressure.
The distributor
37
and each of the indoor units
41
a
through
41
c
are connected by two pipes. The indoor units
41
a
through
41
c
are composed of the indoor heat exchangers
48
a
through
48
c
and the electronic expansion valves
42
a
through
42
c,
wherein the electronic expansion valves
42
a
through
42
c
are connected to the intermediate pressure pipe
55
, and the indoor heat exchangers
48
a
through
48
c
are connected to the low-pressure pipe
54
and the high-pressure pipe
53
through the electromagnetic switching valves
43
a
through
43
c
and
44
a
through
44
c.
Further, the pressure detectors
58
and
59
are installed in the outdoor unit
31
, wherein detection signals from the pressure detectors are inputted in the controller
45
. The controller
45
controls a capability of exchanging heat between a refrigerant circulating in piping and the outdoor heat exchanger
34
using the compressor
32
, the four-way valve
33
, and the blower
46
.
In the next, operation will be described. A case that the indoor unit
41
a
is in a heating mode and the indoor units
41
b
and
41
c
in a cooling mode will be described. A high-temperature high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor
32
passes through the four-way valve
33
and is partially condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger
34
to be transformed into a two-phase refrigerant. Thereafter, the refrigerant passes through the high-pressure connection pipe
51
and flows into the distributor
37
located in a room.
The two-phase refrigerant in the distributor
37
passes through the four-way valve
56
and is separated into a gas and a liquid by the gas-liquid separator
49
. Thus obtained high-pressure gas refrigerant flows into the indoor unit
41
a
through the electronic switching valve
44
a,
and dissipates heat to be condensed by the indoor heat exchanger
48
a.
Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the intermediate pressure pipe
55
through the electronic expansion valve
42
a
and joins with a liquid refrigerant flowing into the intermediate pressure pipe. from a liquid-phase portion through the electronic expansion valve
47
and flows into the indoor units
41
b
and
41
c.
In the indoor units
41
b
and
41
c,
the refrigerant is respectively changed to have a low pressure by the electronic expansion valves
42
b
and
42
c
and is endothermically evaporated by the indoor heat exchangers
48
b
and
48
c.
Thereafter, it joins with the low-pressure pipe
54
through the electromagnetic switching valves
43
b
and
43
c.
Further, it passes through the four-way valve
56
and circulates by passing through the low-pressure connection pipe
52
, the four-way valve
33
, and the accumulator
57
and returning to the compressor
32
. As described, a refrigeration circuit for simultaneously heating and cooling, in which a cooling operation is conducted in the indoor heat exchanger
48
a
and a heating operation is conducted in the indoor heat exchangers
48
b
and
48
c,
is realized.
In the above refrigeration circuit, a high pressure discharged from the compressor
32
and a low pressure sucked by the compressor
32
are detected by the pressure detector
58
provided in the high-pressure pipe in the outdoor unit
31
and the pressure detector
59
provided in the low-pressure pipe, and the result of this detection is transmitted to the controller
45
. The controller
45
compares each detected value respectively with preset high-pressure or low-pressure target value after receiving signals transmitted from the detectors
58
and,
59
. Further, the controller
45
calculates a requisite capacity of the compressor
32
based on a result of this comparison and a requisite capacity of the outdoor heat exchanger
34
based on a result of this calculation. Further, the controller
45
controls a capacity of compressor
32
based on the result of this calculation and simultaneously controls a capability of exchanging heat in the outdoor heat exchanger
34
by adjusting the revolutional numbers of the blower
46
.
Further, when a variation of a load is estimated large, a capacity of the compressor
32
and a capacity of the outdoor heat exchanger
34
are controlled and simultaneously the four-way valve
33
is switched based on determination of whether or not the outdoor heat exchanger
34
is used as a condenser of heat dissipator or as an evaporator of heat absorber from the result of calculation, whereby a drastic variation of the load is managed.
By such a control, it is possible to deal with changes of a load on an outdoor unit side in response to environmental conditions of weather and a climate, opening and closing of side doors of the indoor units
41
a
through
41
c,
a change of a preset indoor temperature, and a change of the load of the indoor unit caused by switching between cooling and heating modes.
In controlling thus constructed conventional multi-chamber type air conditioner, the high-pressure target value and the low-pressure target value necessary for calculating a degree of controlling the compressor, of the outdoor heat exchanger, and of the four-way valve were fixedly preset in designing the refrigeration cycle and were constant regardless of a preset value of indoor air temperature and an outdoor air temperature.
Specifically, the high-pressure target value and the low-pressure target value were set so as to be able to deal with a large load for obtaining a general purpose apparatus which can deal with any load.
Since the method of controlling the conventional multi-chamber type air conditioner had the above-mentioned structure and operation, the air conditioner was not always energy-saving as a whole as long as the capability for exchanging heat of the indoor heat exchangers
41
a
through
41
c
were not controlled by the controller
45
in the outdoor unit
31
.
Further, energy consumption of the compressor
32
, which occupied the largest ratio in the entire energy consumption of the air conditioner, was substantially constant irre
Inoue Seiji
Miyamoto Moriya
Nonami Keiji
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Tanner Harry B.
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