Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191686-A1
Application number	US-201415320394-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 30, 2014
Priority date	Jul 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus prevents a compressor from not starting for a long time when an actual air conditioning load is low or when exhaust heat from heat-generating devices in an air-conditioned indoor space is not returned to an indoor unit, and reduces the number of times the compressor is started and stopped. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit sequentially annularly connecting the compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a use-side heat exchanger, a blowing temperature sensor detecting a blowing temperature of air brown into the air-conditioned indoor space after passing through the use-side heat exchanger in the indoor unit including the use-side heat exchanger, and a compressor control unit performing thermo-on and thermo-off controls to start and stop the compressor, to approximate the blowing temperature detected by the blowing temperature sensor to a preset temperature. A time for which the next thermo-on control is prohibited is set based on an air-conditioning operation state immediately preceding the thermo-off control or during thermo-off time.

First claim

1 . An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a refrigerant circuit sequentially annularly connecting a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a use-side heat exchanger; a blowing temperature sensor configured to detect a blowing temperature of air, the air being blown out into an air-conditioned indoor space after passing through the use-side heat exchanger in an indoor unit in which the use-side heat exchanger is disposed; a compressor control unit configured to perform thermo-on control to start the compressor, and thermo-off control to stop the compressor, to approximate the blowing temperature detected by the blowing temperature sensor to a preset temperature; a thermo-on time counting unit configured to count thermo-on time during which the thermo-on control is continuously performed immediately preceding the thermo-off control; a first thermo-on prohibition time setting unit configured to, based on the thermo-on time counted by the thermo-on time counting unit, calculate and set a thermo-on prohibition time for which the next thermo-on control is prohibited; and a first compressor forced-stop unit configured to disable the compressor from being started by the compressor control unit during the thermo-on prohibition time set by the first thermo-on prohibition time setting unit

2 . (canceled)

3 . An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a refrigerant circuit sequentially annularly connecting a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a use-side heat exchanger; a blowing temperature sensor configured to detect a blowing temperature of air, the air being blown out into an air-conditioned indoor space after passing through the use-side heat exchanger in an indoor unit in which the use-side heat exchanger is disposed; a compressor control unit configured to perform thermo-on control to start the compressor, and thermo-off control to stop the compressor, to approximate the blowing temperature detected by the blowing temperature sensor to a preset temperature; a compressor start-stop counting unit configured to count a number of starts and stops of the compressor having occurred in a plurality of predetermined time periods in past; a second thermo-on prohibition time setting unit configured to, based on the number of starts and stops counted by the compressor start-stop counting unit, calculate and set a thermo-on prohibition time for which the next thermo-on control is prohibited; and a second compressor forced-stop unit configured to disable the compressor from being started by the compressor control unit during the thermo-on prohibition time set by the second thermo-on prohibition time setting unit.

4 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a blowing temperature decrease rate calculating unit configured to calculate a rate of decrease of the blowing temperature detected by the blowing temperature sensor in a predetermined time period immediately preceding the thermo-off control; a third thermo-on prohibition time setting unit configured to, based on the rate of decrease of the blowing temperature calculated by the blowing temperature decrease rate calculating unit, calculate and set a thermo-on prohibition time for which the next thermo-on control is prohibited; and a third compressor forced-stop unit configured to disable the compressor from being started by the compressor control unit during the thermo-on prohibition time set by the third thermo-on prohibition time setting unit.

5 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a suction temperature sensor configured to detect a suction temperature of air sucked into the indoor unit; a suction temperature increase rate calculating unit configured to calculate rate of increase of the suction temperature detected by the suction temperature sensor in a predetermined time period during which the thermo-off control is continuously performed; a fourth thermo-on prohibition time setting unit configured to, based on the rate of increase of the suction temperature calculated by the suction temperature increase rate calculating unit, calculate and set a thermo-on prohibition time for which the next thermo-on control is prohibited; and a fourth compressor forced-stop unit configured to disable the compressor from being started by the compressor control unit during the thermo-on prohibition time set by the fourth thermo-on prohibition time setting unit.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kawai Kazuhiko
• Mochizuki Yuki
• Koyama Yusuke

Classifications

• F24F11/70

  Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof · CPC title

• F24F11/62

  characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values · CPC title

• F24F11/89

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F24F11/85

  using variable-flow pumps · CPC title

• F24F2110/10

  Temperature · CPC title