INTEGRAL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR HEATING AND COOLING

• US 20140083122A1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ha, Doyong, Yoo, Yoonho, Kwak, Taehee, Choi, Jaeheuk
• Granted Patent: US 9,599,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/159
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/16 Arrangement or mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/50 with outlet air in upward direction
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/30 Arrangement or mounting of heat-exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02741 using one four-way valve
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0294 related to the outdoor fan, e.g. controlling speed
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/111 of condenser fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1931 Discharge pressures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21152 at the discharge side of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 29/003 of the compression type system
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 40/02 Subcoolers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 40/06 Superheaters
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/20 Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves expansion valves F25B41/31
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/385 Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in parallel on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/39 Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in series, i.e. multi-stage expansion, on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/02 for compression type machines, plants or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 5/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 6/04 arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 7/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with cascade operation, i.e. with two or more circuits, the heat from the condenser of one circuit being absorbed by the evaporator of the next circuit F25B9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0443 Combination of units extending one beside or one above the other F28D1/0452 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0477 : the conduits being bent in a serpentine or zig-zag
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2001/0273 : having special shape, e.g. curved, annular
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 27/02 : for controlling the distribution of heat-exchange media between different channels static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026; arrangements of guide plates or guide vanes F28F9/22, F28F25/12
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/0275 : with multiple branch pipes

Abstract

An air conditioner includes a first compressor and a first indoor heat exchanger, and the air conditioner forming a first refrigeration cycle. A cooler includes a second compressor and a second indoor heat exchanger, and the cooler forming a second refrigeration cycle The cooler includes a sensing part to detect a pressure and/or temperature of a refrigerant circulating in the second refrigeration cycle; and a branch part includes a plurality of branches for dividing the refrigerant to be introduced into the second heat exchange part.

Claims

1. An integral air conditioning system for heating and cooling, the integral air conditioning system comprising:

an air conditioner comprising a first compressor and a first indoor heat exchanger, the air conditioner forming a first refrigeration cycle;

a cooler comprising a second compressor and a second indoor heat exchanger, the cooler forming a second refrigeration cycle;

an outdoor heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchange part being part of the first refrigeration cycle and a second heat exchange part being part of the second refrigeration cycle;

a blower fan for blowing outdoor air into the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part,

wherein the cooler comprises a sensing part being adapted to detect a pressure and/or temperature of a refrigerant circulating in the second refrigeration cycle; and

a branch part comprising a plurality of branches for dividing the refrigerant to be introduced into the second heat exchange part.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to compare the detection value received from the sensing part with a preset value, and configured to control the flow of refrigerant through the branches into the second heat exchange part depending on the comparison result.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of valves disposed in the branches of the branch part.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to control an open degree of each of the plurality of valves depending on the comparison result.

5. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to control the plurality of valves in accordance with a plurality of valve adjustment stages being previously set, wherein each of the valve adjustment stages represents an open degree of the plurality of valves.

6. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 5. wherein the plurality of valve adjustment stages is ranked according to the amount of the refrigerant condensed in each stage, wherein the higher the stage number is in the ranking, the lower is the pressure or temperature of the refrigerant being introduced into the second heat exchange part.

7. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 5, wherein the smaller an open degree of the plurality of valves is, the lower ranked is a valve adjustment stage in the ranking.

8. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 5, wherein the second heat exchange part comprises a plurality of branch heat exchange parts, respectively corresponding to the plurality of branches of the branch part, and

for the branch heat exchange part being disposed closest to the blower fan, a valve adjustment stage in which the branch heat exchange part is turned on is ranked higher than one in which the branch heat exchange part is turned off.

9. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 5, wherein, when the detection value is greater than the preset value, the control unit controls the plurality of valves to match a valve adjustment stage higher than the stage in which the detection is made.

10. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 5, wherein, when the detection value and the preset value are the same, the control unit controls the plurality of valves to maintain the current valve adjustment stage.

11. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 5, wherein, when the detection value is less than the preset value, the control unit controls the plurality of valves to match a valve adjustment stage lower than the stage in which the detection is made.

12. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising an intercooler in which the first and the second refrigeration cycles are heat-exchanged with each other.

13. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 12, wherein the intercooler is configured to have heat dissipated from the second refrigeration cycle to the first refrigeration cycle.

14. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing part is disposed at an outlet side of the second compressor.

15. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first heat exchange part is disposed closer to the blower fan than the second heat exchange part.

16. An integral air conditioning system for heating and cooling, the integral air conditioning system comprising:

an air conditioner comprising a first compressor and a first indoor heat exchanger, the air conditioner forming a first refrigeration cycle;

a cooler comprising a second compressor and a second indoor heat exchanger, the cooler forming a second refrigeration cycle;

an outdoor heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchange part being part of the first refrigeration cycle and a second heat exchange part being part of the second refrigeration cycle; and

a sensing part disposed in the cooler to detect a pressure of a refrigerant passing through the second compressor,

wherein the second heat exchange part is divided into a plurality of sections, and

the refrigerant pressure detected by the sensing part is compared to a reference pressure to adjust an inflow amount of refrigerant introduced into each of the plurality of sections.

17. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 16, wherein, when the refrigerant pressure detected by the sensing part is less than the reference pressure, the inflow amount of refrigerant introduced into each of the plurality of sections is decreased.

18. The integral air conditioning system according to claim 16, further comprising a blower fan disposed on a side of the outdoor heat exchanger to blow outdoor air into the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part,

wherein, when the refrigerant pressure detected by the sensing part is less than the reference pressure, a used section of the second heat exchange part is changed so that the refrigerant flows into a section corresponding to the second heat exchange part further away from the blower fan than a section corresponding to the second heat exchange part in which the refrigerant is flowing.