Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10317113-B2
Application number	US-201615296649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2016
Priority date	Oct 19, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

An air conditioner is provided that may include at least one compressor that compresses a refrigerant to a high pressure; a plurality of heat exchanger that condenses the refrigerant compressed in the at least one compressor; a plurality of outdoor valves, respectively, provided at an outlet side pipe of the plurality of heat exchangers; a gas liquid separator that separates the refrigerant into gas and liquid refrigerants and supplies the gas refrigerant to the at least one compressor; and one or more bypass devices connected to the outlet side pipe of one or more of the plurality of heat exchangers and an inlet side pipe of the gas liquid separator, the one or more bypass devices controlling a flow of the liquid refrigerant. During a cooling low load operation in which a portion of the plurality of heat exchangers is operating, a liquid refrigerant loaded into a heat exchanger of the plurality of heat exchangers, which is not operated, may flow through the one or more bypass device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner, comprising:
at least one compressor that compresses a refrigerant to a high pressure;
a plurality of heat exchangers that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the at least one compressor;
a plurality of outdoor valves, respectively, formed at an outlet side pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers;
a flow switch configured to guide the refrigerant compressed by the at least one compressor to the plurality of heat exchangers or an indoor device;
a gas liquid separator that separates the refrigerant into gas and liquid refrigerants and supplies the gas refrigerant to the at least one compressor;
a low pressure flow path through which a low pressure refrigerant discharged from the indoor device or the plurality of heat exchangers flows;
a bypass collection flow path extended from an outlet side pipe of at least one of the plurality of heat exchangers to the low pressure flow path; and
a bypass valve installed on the bypass collection flow path, wherein during a cooling low load operation in which only a portion of the plurality of heat exchanger is operating, the bypass valve operates to guide a liquid refrigerant loaded in a heat exchanger of the plurality of heat exchangers, which is not operated, through the bypass collection flow path.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein during a general cooling operation in which all of the plurality of heat exchangers are operating, the bypass valve is closed so that the liquid refrigerant does not flow into the bypass collection flow path.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein during the cooling low load operation, the bypass collection flow path is connected to an outlet side pipe of a non-operating heat exchanger of the plurality of heat exchangers is opened.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a super cooling heat exchanger connected to the outlet side pipe of the plurality of heat exchangers and that exchanges heat after a portion of the refrigerant is branched;
a super cooling flow path through which the branched refrigerant flows, the super cooling flow path being extended to the gas liquid separator; and
a super cooling sensor installed on the super cooling flow path.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heat exchangers include a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger that condense the refrigerant compressed in the at least one compressor, and wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to stop an operation during the cooling low load operation.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5 , wherein the air conditioner further comprises:
a variable flow path that connects an outlet side pipe of the first heat exchanger with an inlet side pipe of the second heat exchanger, and wherein the variable flow path allows selective flow of liquid refrigerant during the cooling low load operation.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6 , wherein the air conditioner further comprises:
a variable valve installed on the variable flow path and that selectively opens and closes the variable flow path.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of outdoor valves includes a first outdoor valve installed on the outlet side pipe of the first heat exchanger and a second outdoor valve installed on an outlet side pipe of the second heat exchanger, and wherein during the cooling low load operation, the first outdoor valve and the bypass valve are opened, and the second outdoor valve and the variable valve are closed.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Song Chiwoo
• Yoon Pilhyun
• Kim Kakjoong
• Jung Jaehwa

Classifications

• F25B2500/28

  Means for preventing liquid refrigerant entering into the compressor · CPC title

• F25B2400/0409

  for evaporators · CPC title

• F25B2600/2501

  Bypass valves · CPC title

• F25B2313/0254

  in series arrangements · CPC title

• F25B41/003

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic