Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797608-B2
Application number	US-201214441334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 30, 2012
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

In an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units connected to a heat medium converter and a plurality of remote controllers respectively provided for the indoor units, the remote controllers each include a temperature sensor that detect a temperature of a corresponding space to be air-conditioned, and are each configured to communicate with a heat medium converter controller of the heat medium converter and an indoor unit controller of the corresponding indoor unit, transmit an instruction to start and stop an operation and data related to rotation speed of an indoor air-sending device to the corresponding indoor unit controller, and transmit the instruction to start and stop the operation, and a target temperature and a temperature detected by the temperature sensor or a difference therebetween, to the heat medium converter controller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a heat source unit that exchanges heat between outdoor air and a heat source-side heat exchanger thereby generating cooling energy or heating energy;
a plurality of indoor units each connected to the heat source unit, and configured to exchange heat between air in a space to be air-conditioned supplied by an indoor air-sending device and a use-side heat exchanger and transmit the cooling energy or heating energy supplied from the heat source unit to the space to be air-conditioned thereby conditioning air in the space to be air-conditioned;
a plurality of remote controllers respectively provided for the plurality of indoor units to input an instruction to start and stop an operation of the corresponding indoor unit, an operation mode, and a target temperature of the space to be air-conditioned by the corresponding indoor unit;
a heat source unit controller provided in the heat source unit and configured to control devices constituting the heat source unit; and
a plurality of indoor unit controllers respectively provided in the indoor units and configured to control devices constituting the indoor unit,
wherein the remote controllers each include a temperature sensor that detect a temperature of the corresponding space to be air-conditioned, and are each configured to
communicate with the heat source unit controller and the indoor unit controller of the corresponding indoor unit,
transmit the instruction to start and stop the operation and data related to rotation speed of the indoor air-sending device to the corresponding indoor unit controller, and
transmit the instruction to start and stop the operation, and the target temperature and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor or a difference therebetween, to the heat source unit controller.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerant circuit in which heat source-side refrigerant circulates, the refrigerant circuit including a compressor, the heat source-side heat exchanger, a plurality of expansion devices, a refrigerant-side flow path in each of a plurality of intermediate heat exchangers, and a plurality of refrigerant flow switching devices that switch a circulation path connected via a refrigerant pipe; and
a heat medium circuit in which a heat medium circulates, the heat medium circuit including a pump, a plurality of the use-side heat exchangers, a heat medium flow switching device, and a heat medium-side flow path in each of the intermediate heat exchanger connected via a heat medium pipe,
wherein the compressor, the heat source-side heat exchanger, the plurality of expansion devices, the plurality of intermediate heat exchangers, the plurality of refrigerant flow switching devices, the pump, and the heat medium flow switching device are provided in the heat source unit,
the use-side heat exchangers are respectively provided in the indoor units, and
the cooling energy or the heating energy generated in the heat source-side heat exchanger is transported by the heat source-side refrigerant to the intermediate heat exchanger and transmitted to the heat medium, and transported by the heat medium to the use-side heat exchangers.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the heat source unit includes an outdoor unit and a heat medium converter,
the outdoor unit includes the compressor, the heat source-side heat exchanger, and a first refrigerant flow switching device that switches a flow path of the heat source-side refrigerant discharged from the compressor, the first refrigerant flow switching device being one of the plurality of refrigerant flow switching devices,
the heat medium converter includes the plurality of expansion devices, the plurality of intermediate heat exchangers, one or more refrigerant flow switching devices in the plurality of refrigerant flow switching devices other than the first flow switching device, the pumps, and the heat medium flow switching device,
the heat source unit controller is divided into an outdoor unit controller provided in the outdoor unit and a heat medium converter controller provided in the heat medium converter, and
the remote controllers each transmit the instruction to start and stop the operation, and the target temperature and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor or a difference therebetween, to the heat medium converter controller.

4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the remote controllers are separate from corresponding indoor units.

Assignees

• Shimamoto Daisuke
• Motomura Yuji
• Morimoto Osamu
• Honda Takayoshi
• Ono Tatsuo
• Nishioka Koji
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Shimamoto Daisuke
• Motomura Yuji
• Morimoto Osamu
• Honda Takayoshi
• Ono Tatsuo
• Nishioka Koji

Classifications

• F24F5/0003

  Exclusively-fluid systems · CPC title

• F24F3/065 Primary

  with a plurality of evaporators or condensers · CPC title

• F25B2700/1933

  Suction pressures · CPC title

• F25B2313/0231

  with simultaneous cooling and heating · CPC title

• F24F2110/10

  Temperature · CPC title