HEAT PUMP DEVICE, AIR CONDITIONER, AND FREEZER

• US 20150089972A1
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Kamiya, Shota, Hatakeyama, Kazunori, Yuasa, Kenta, Matsushita, Shinya, Kusube, Shinsaku, Makino, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 9,739,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/467
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2210/00 Fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/403 with inverter for speed control
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/12 Vibration
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 28/06 specially adapted for stopping, starting, idling or no-load operation
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/04 Heating; Cooling of machines or engines in general F01P; Heat insulation heat insulation in general F16L59/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/005 of the single unit type F25B1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/053 between the storage receiver and another part of the system
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/054 between the suction tube of the compressor and another part of the cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/13 Economisers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/021 Inverters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/15 Power, e.g. by voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 30/02 of the compression type
• 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 49/022 Compressor control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/025 Motor control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/48 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/53876 based on synthesising a desired voltage vector via the selection of appropriate fundamental voltage vectors, and corresponding dwelling times
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A heat pump device includes a compressor including a compression mechanism that compresses a refrigerant and a motor that drives the compression mechanism, an inverter that applies a voltage for driving the motor, a converter that applies a voltage to the inverter, an inverter control unit that generates a driving signal for driving the inverter, and a converter control unit that generates a driving signal for driving the converter, wherein the inverter control unit includes a heating operation mode in which a heating operation of the compressor is performed and a normal operation mode in which a refrigerant is compressed by performing a normal operation of the compressor and the converter control unit sets, in the heating operation mode of the inverter control unit, a voltage applied to the inverter on the basis of a voltage command value for the motor.

Claims

1. A heat pump device comprising:

a compressor including a compression mechanism that compresses a refrigerant and a motor that drives the compression mechanism;

an inverter that applies a voltage for driving the motor;

a converter that applies a voltage to the inverter;

an inverter control unit that generates a driving signal for driving the inverter; and

a converter control unit that generates a driving signal for driving the converter, wherein

the inverter control unit includes a heating operation mode in which a heating operation of the compressor is performed by applying a high-frequency alternating-current voltage to the motor, and

the converter control unit changes, in the heating operation mode of the inverter control unit, a voltage applied to the inverter according to a voltage applied to the motor.

2. The heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein the inverter control unit is capable of changing at least any one of a frequency, a phase, and an amplitude of a high-frequency alternating-current voltage applied to the motor in the heating operation mode of the inverter control unit.

3. The heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein

the converter is a step-down converter that steps down a bus voltage applied to the inverter.

4. The heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein the converter control unit performs control such that a ratio of a voltage applied to the inverter to a voltage applied to the motor by the inverter is set to 50% or higher.

5. The heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of switching elements configuring the inverter is formed from a wide bandgap semiconductor.

6. The heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of diodes of switching elements configuring the inverter is formed from a wide bandgap semiconductor.

7. The heat pump device according to claim 5, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor is silicon carbide, a gallium nitride material, or diamond.

8. The heat pump device according to claim 1, wherein, when a frequency of the high-frequency alternating-current voltage exceeds 10 kilohertz, input power to the motor is controlled to 50 watts or less.

9. An air conditioner comprising the heat pump device according to claim 1.

10. A freezer comprising the heat pump device according to claim 1.

11. The heat pump device according to claim 6, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor is silicon carbide, a gallium nitride material, or diamond.