Air-conditioning device with a heat medium heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11815281-B2
Application number	US-201817262519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Sep 26, 2018
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

An air-conditioning device includes: a heat medium cycle circuit including: a pump, a plurality of indoor heat exchangers, and a plurality of flow control devices configured to control a flow rate of the heat medium through the heat medium cycle circuit; a heat-source-side device configured to heat or cool the heat medium; and a controller that includes a determination processing unit to determine whether the heat medium is caused to pass through the plurality of indoor heat exchangers where heat exchange is stopped, a selection processing unit to select, based on a determination from the determination processing unit, an indoor heat exchanger through which the heat medium is caused to pass from the plurality of indoor heat exchangers where heat exchange is stopped, and an instruction processing unit to instruct a release of a flow control device that corresponds to the indoor heat exchanger selected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning device comprising:
a heat medium cycle circuit including:
a pump configured to pressurize a heat medium including water or brine, and forming a medium that delivers heat,
a plurality of indoor heat exchangers configured to exchange heat between the heat medium and indoor air being an object to be air-conditioned, and
a plurality of flow controllers provided corresponding to the plurality of indoor heat exchangers, and configured to control a flow rate of the heat medium passing through the plurality of indoor heat exchangers, the pump, the plurality of indoor heat exchangers, and the plurality of flow controllers being connected by pipes to allow the heat medium to cycle through the heat medium cycle circuit;

a heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit configured to heat or cool the heat medium to be fed to the plurality of indoor heat exchangers;
a plurality of heat medium temperature sensors corresponding to the plurality of indoor heat exchangers and configured to measure a heat medium temperature of the heat medium passing through a corresponding indoor heat exchanger;
a plurality of indoor temperature sensors corresponding to the plurality of indoor heat exchangers, each configured to measure an air temperature of air flowing into a corresponding indoor heat exchanger; and
a controller configured to control equipment of the heat medium cycle circuit,
wherein
the controller includes
a determination processor configured to determine whether the heat medium should be caused to pass through at least one of the plurality of indoor heat exchangers in which heat exchange has previously been stopped,
a selection processor configured to select, based on a determination from the determination processor, at least one indoor heat exchanger through which the heat medium is caused to pass from the plurality of indoor heat exchangers in which heat exchange has previously been stopped,
an instruction processor configured to instruct that at least one flow controller that corresponds to the selected at least one indoor heat exchanger be opened, and
a rotation setting processor configured to set a rotation of the plurality of indoor heat exchangers selected by the selection processor, the heat medium being caused to pass through the plurality of indoor heat exchangers by switching the plurality of indoor heat exchangers, and

the rotation setting processor is further configured to set the rotation of the plurality of indoor heat exchangers such that the heat medium is caused to pass through the plurality of indoor heat exchangers in order of increasing temperature difference between the temperature of the heat medium passing through the corresponding indoor heat exchanger and the temperature of the air flowing into the corresponding indoor heat exchanger.

2. The air-conditioning device of claim 1 , wherein the controller further includes a heat medium temperature setting processor configured to set a temperature of the heat medium to be fed to the indoor heat exchanger in causing the heat medium to pass through the indoor heat exchanger that is in a stopped state.

3. The air-conditioning device of claim 1 , wherein
the heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit includes a heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit including
a compressor configured to compress heat-source-side refrigerant,
a heat-source-side heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heat-source-side refrigerant and outdoor air,
an expansion device configured to decompress the heat-source-side refrigerant, and
a heat medium heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heat-source-side refrigerant and the heat medium, the compressor, the heat-source-side heat exchanger, the expansion device, and the heat medium heat exchanger being connected by pipes.

4. The air-conditioning device of claim 3 , wherein the controller causes the heat medium to cycle through the heat medium cycle circuit at a flow rate equal to or higher than a passing flow rate required at the heat medium heat exchanger.

5. The air-conditioning device of claim 3 , wherein
the compressor and the heat-source-side heat exchanger are provided to an outdoor unit, and
the heat medium heat exchanger and the pump are provided to a relay configured to relay heat transfer between the outdoor unit and an indoor unit including the plurality of indoor heat exchangers.

6. The air-conditioning device of claim 3 , wherein constituent equipment of the heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit and the pump are provided to an outdoor unit.

7. The air-conditioning device of claim 2 , wherein
the heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit includes a heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit including
a compressor configured to compress heat-source-side refrigerant,
a heat-source-side heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heat-source-side refrigerant and outdoor air,
an expansion device configured to decompress the heat-source-side refrigerant, and
a heat medium heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heat-source-side refrigerant and the heat medium, the compressor, the heat-source-side heat exchanger, the expansion device, and the heat medium heat exchanger being connected by pipes.

8. The air-conditioning device of claim 7 , wherein the controller causes the heat medium to cycle through the heat medium cycle circuit at a flow rate equal to or higher than a passing flow rate required at the heat medium heat exchanger.

9. The air-conditioning device of claim 7 , wherein
the compressor and the heat-source-side heat exchanger are provided to an outdoor unit, and
the heat medium heat exchanger and the pump are provided to a relay configured to relay heat transfer between the outdoor unit and an indoor unit including the plurality of indoor heat exchangers.

10. The air-conditioning device of claim 7 , wherein constituent equipment of the heat-source-side refrigerant cycle circuit and the pump are provided to an outdoor unit.

11. The air-conditioning device of claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises a heat medium temperature setting processor configured to
increase the temperature of the heat medium passing through the indoor heat exchanger that is in a stopped state when the heat medium is operating as a cooled medium, and
decrease the temperature of the heat medium passing through the indoor heat exchanger that is in a stopped state when the heat medium is operating as a heated medium.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kadowaki Kimitaka
• Takenaka Naofumi

Classifications

• F24F11/85 Primary

  using variable-flow pumps · CPC title

• F24F1/32

  for connecting the separate outdoor units to indoor units · CPC title

• F24F11/83 Primary

  by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers · CPC title

• F24F11/84

  using valves · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title