Method and apparatus of automatically switching between cooling and heating modes of an air conditioner

• US 4,841,738 A
• Filed: 03/03/1988
• Issued: 06/27/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Minakawa, Katsumasa, Shimizu, Masayuki, Katsuki, Hikaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US07/163,847
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 62/160, 62/159, 62/158, 62/157, 62/231, 165/26, 236/46 R, 236/46 F
• US Class Current: 62/160
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/84 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/86 by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/871 by controlling outdoor fans
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/54 Heating and cooling, simultaneously or alternatively
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1912 whose output amplitude can take more than two discrete values

Abstract

A method and an apparatus of automatically switching between cooling and heating of an air conditioner, has which is a first temperature higher than a desired room temperature, a second temperature which lower than the desired room temperature, a first temperature zone not less than the first temperature, and a second temperature zone not more than the second temperature. The method includes the steps of changing an operation mode from a cooling mode to a heating mode during the cooling mode when the room temperature after duration of a first time remains in the second temperature zone, and changing the operation mode from the heating mode to the cooling mode during the heating mode when the room temperature after duration of a second time remains in the first temperature zone.

Claims

1. A method of automatically switching between a cooling mode and a heating mode of an air conditioner;

wherein said air conditioner comprises a control means for controlling said cooling mode to cool a room when a room temperature of said room is not lower than a desired temperature and for controlling said heating mode to heat said room when said room temperature is not higher than said desired temperature;

wherein said control means sets temperature A so that said temperature A is higher than said desired temperature by a first value, and sets temperature B so that said temperature B is lower than said desired temperature by a second value, and wherein said control means defines a first temperature range not lower than said temperature A and defines a second temperature range not higher than said temperature B;

comprising the steps of;

changing from said cooling mode to said heating mode when said room temperature remains within said second temperature range after a first duration of time, said first duration of time commencing at a time when said room temperature reaches said temperature A during said cooling mode;

changing from said heating mode to said cooling mode when said room temperature remains within said first temperature range after a second duration of time, said second duration of time commencing at a time when said room temperature reaches said temperature B during said heating mode.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first value is made equal to said second value.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first duration of time is made equal to said second duration of time.

4. A method of automatically switching between a cooling mode and a heating mode of an air conditioner;

wherein said air conditioner comprises a control means for controlling said cooling mode to cool a room when a room temperature of said room is not lower than a desired temperature and for controlling said heating mode for heating said room when said room temperature is not higher than said desired temperature;

wherein said control means sets a temperature A so that said temperature A is higher than said desired temperature by a first value, and sets temperature B so that said temperature B is lower than said desired temperature by a second value and defines a first temperature range not lower than said temperature A and defines a second temperature not higher than said temperature B;

comprising the steps of;

changing from said cooling mode to said heating mode when said room temperature remains within said second temperature range after a first duration of time, said first duration of time commencing at a time when cooling is stopped during said cooling mode;

changing from said heating mode to said cooling mode when said room temperature remains within said first temperature range after a second duration of time, said second duration of time commencing at a time when said heating is stopped during said heating mode.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said first value is made equal to said second value.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said first duration of time is made equal to said second duration of time.

7. A method of automatically switching between a cooling mode and a heating mode of an air conditioner:

wherein said air conditioner comprises a control means for controlling said cooling mode to cool a room when a room temperature of said room is not lower than a desired temperature for controlling said heating mode for heating said room when said room temperature is not higher than said desired temperature;

wherein said control means sets temperature A so that said temperature A is higher than said desired temperature by a first value, and sets temperature B so that said temperature B is higher than said temperature A by a second value, and sets temperature C so that said temperature C is lower than said desired temperature by a third value, and sets temperature D so that said temperature D is lower than said desired temperature by a fourth value, and

wherein said control means has five temperature ranges comprising, from higher temperature to lower temperature, a first temperature range, a second temperature range, a third temperature range, a fourth temperature range, and a fifth temperature range;

said five temperature ranges being defined by temperatures A, B, C, and D, comprising the steps of;

changing from said cooling mode to said heating mode when said room temperature remains within said fifth temperature range, or otherwise remains within said fourth temperature range after a first duration of time during said cooling mode, and changing from said heating mode to said cooling mode when said room temperature remains within said first temperature range or otherwise remains within said second temperature range after a second duration of time during said heating mode.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said first duration of time commences when said room temperature reaches said temperature A, and said second duration of time commences when said room temperature reaches said temperature C.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said first duration of time commences when cooling is stopped and said second duration of time commences when heating is stopped.

10. An apparatus having a cooling mode for a cooling operation, a heating mode for a heating operation and an automatic switching mode for automatically switching between the cooling mode and the heating mode to thereby provide a desired room temperature, comprising:

a first operation means for storing data of one of a cooling signal for said cooling operation and a heating signal for said heating operation in a memory device on the basis of a difference between a room temperature and a room temperature setting value at a starting time of the operation in accordance with said automatic switching mode;

a second operation means for automatically switching said data stored in said memory device to one of said cooling signal and said heating signal in accordance with said room temperature and said room temperature setting value;

an operation controlling means for controlling cooling and heating in accordance with said cooling signal and said heating signal, and a time switch means for starting timing at a time when said automatic switching is switched to one of said cooling mode and said heating mode, or when said apparatus is stopped, and

a masking means for retaining the signal stored in said memory device during the time that said time switch means is timing.