Air-conditioning apparatus and air-conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12529499-B2
Application number	US-202118550140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2021
Priority date	May 14, 2021
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit including a compressor configured to compress refrigerant, a relay unit connected to the outdoor unit, and an indoor unit connected to the relay unit. The compressor is driven to circulate the refrigerant between the outdoor unit, the relay unit, and the indoor unit. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a supplementary heat source unit in parallel with the indoor unit and connected to the relay unit. The outdoor unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger and a fluid. The supplementary heat source unit includes a supplementary heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the supplementary heat exchanger and hot water.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An air-conditioning apparatus that includes an outdoor unit including a compressor configured to compress refrigerant, a relay unit connected to the outdoor unit, and an indoor unit connected to the relay unit, the compressor being driven to circulate the refrigerant between the outdoor unit, the relay unit, and the indoor unit, the air-conditioning apparatus comprising
a supplementary heat source unit in parallel with the indoor unit and connected to the relay unit; and a controller, the outdoor unit including
an outdoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger and fluid, and
a flow switching valve configured to switch between passages for the refrigerant,
the supplementary heat source unit including a supplementary heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the supplementary heat exchanger and water, and heat the refrigerant, the relay unit including multiple valves configured to switch between presence and absence of flow of the refrigerant in the relay unit, the indoor unit, and the supplementary heat source unit, the indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger and fluid, the controller being configured to control the flow switching valve and the multiple valves depending on an operation mode, the controller being configured to perform a heating operation by switching the flow switching valve to a state that causes a discharge side of the compressor to be connected to the relay unit and switching the multiple valves to a state that causes the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow through the indoor heat exchanger and causes the refrigerant having flowed through the indoor heat exchanger to be supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger via the supplementary heat exchanger.

2 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the relay unit is connected to the outdoor unit by a first refrigerant pipe through which low-pressure refrigerant flows and a second refrigerant pipe through which high-pressure refrigerant flows, wherein the relay unit is connected to the indoor unit and the supplementary heat source unit by multiple third refrigerant pipes branching off from the first refrigerant pipe and multiple fourth refrigerant pipes branching off from the second refrigerant pipe, wherein each of the multiple third refrigerant pipes branches into one end and an other end in the relay unit, the one end is connected to the first refrigerant pipe, and the other end is connected to the second refrigerant pipe, and wherein the multiple valves are each disposed at a corresponding one of the one ends and the other ends of the multiple third refrigerant pipes.

3 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the supplementary heat source unit further includes
a pump pipe connected to at least one third refrigerant pipe of the multiple third refrigerant pipes or at least one fourth refrigerant pipe of the multiple fourth refrigerant pipes, and
a refrigerant pump disposed at the pump pipe and configured to deliver the refrigerant, and
wherein the controller is configured to perform a pump heating operation by stopping the compressor in the outdoor unit, driving the refrigerant pump, and switching the multiple valves to a state that causes the refrigerant having flowed through the indoor heat exchanger to return to the indoor heat exchanger via the supplementary heat exchanger and the refrigerant pump.

4 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the supplementary heat source unit further includes
a supplementary compressor pipe connected to at least one third refrigerant pipe of the multiple third refrigerant pipes or at least one fourth refrigerant pipe of the multiple fourth refrigerant pipes, and
a supplementary compressor disposed at the supplementary compressor pipe and configured to compress the refrigerant, and
wherein the controller is configured to perform a supplementary heating operation by stopping the compressor in the outdoor unit, driving the supplementary compressor, and switching the multiple valves to a state that causes the refrigerant having flowed through the indoor heat exchanger to return to the indoor heat exchanger via the supplementary heat exchanger and the supplementary compressor.

5 . An air-conditioning system comprising:
the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ; and a hot water tank configured to heat water and to supply water that is heated to the supplementary heat exchanger.

6 . An air-conditioning apparatus that includes an outdoor unit including a compressor configured to compress refrigerant, a relay unit connected to the outdoor unit, and an indoor unit connected to the relay unit, the compressor being driven to circulate the refrigerant between the outdoor unit, the relay unit, and the indoor unit, the air-conditioning apparatus comprising
a supplementary heat source unit in parallel with the indoor unit and connected to the relay unit; and a controller, the outdoor unit including
an outdoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger and fluid, and
a flow switching valve configured to switch between passages for the refrigerant,
the supplementary heat source unit including a supplementary heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the supplementary heat exchanger and water, and heat the refrigerant, the relay unit including multiple valves configured to switch between presence and absence of flow of the refrigerant in the relay unit, the indoor unit, and the supplementary heat source unit, the indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger and fluid, the controller being configured to control the flow switching valve and the multiple valves depending on an operation mode, the controller being configured to perform a defrosting operation by switching the flow switching valve to a state that causes a discharge side of the compressor to be connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and switching the multiple valves to a state that causes the refrigerant delivered from the compressor to flow through the outdoor heat exchanger, pass in parallel through the indoor heat exchanger and the supplementary heat source unit, and return to the compressor.

7 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the relay unit is connected to the outdoor unit by a first refrigerant pipe through which low-pressure refrigerant flows and a second refrigerant pipe through which high-pressure refrigerant flows, wherein the relay unit is connected to the indoor unit and the supplementary heat source unit by multiple third refrigerant pipes branching off from the first refrigerant pipe and multiple fourth refrigerant pipes branching off from the second refrigerant pipe, wherein each of the multiple third refrigerant pipes branches into one end and an other end in the relay unit, the one end is connected to the first refrigerant pipe, and the other end is connected to the second refrigerant pipe, and wherein the multiple valves are each disposed at a corresponding one of the one ends and the other ends of the multiple third refrigerant pipes.

8 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 7 ,
wherein the supplementary heat source unit further includes
a pump pipe connected to at least one third refrigerant pipe of the multiple third refrigerant pipes or at least one fourth refrigerant pipe of the multiple fourth refrigerant pipes,

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Maruyama Hiroki
• Motomura Yuji
• Okano Hiroyuki
• Shinozaki Kazuyoshi

Classifications

• F25B2313/0233

  in parallel arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2313/006

  two pipes connecting the outdoor side to the indoor side with multiple indoor units · CPC title

• F25B2313/003

  Indoor unit with water as a heat sink or heat source · CPC title

• F25B2600/2519

  On-off valves · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title