Refrigeration cycle apparatus

• US 6,868,686 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Makoto, Yakumaru, Yuuichi, Ueda, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US10/405,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20030213256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 622/281, 622/283, 622/284, 622/285, 622/29, 622/386, 62/6, 624/40, 417/44.1, 417/44.11, 417/45
• US Class Current: 62/228.4
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/02 with compressor of reciprocating-piston type F25B1/005, F25B1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0314 Temperature sensors near the indoor heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0315 Temperature sensors near the outdoor heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/073 Linear compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/021 Inverters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2104 of an indoor room or compartment
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2106 of fresh outdoor air
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21172 at the inlet
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 30/02 of the compression type
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/022 Compressor control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A refrigeration cycle apparatus having a linear compressor is provided with a volume circulation rate instruction unit for obtaining a volume circulation rate Vco of a refrigerant in accordance with refrigerating capacity required of the refrigeration cycle apparatus, on the basis of an ambient temperature of an indoor heat exchanger (evaporator), a target temperature set on the evaporator by the user, and an ambient temperature of an outdoor heat exchanger (condenser). A volume circulation rate detector is provided for detecting a volume circulation rate Vcd of the refrigerant that actually circulates in a refrigerant circulation path of the refrigeration cycle apparatus; and an inverter is provided for generating an AC current for driving the linear compressor. The inverter is controlled so as to decrease a difference between the volume circulation rate Vco and the volume circulation rate Vcd.

Claims

1. A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising:

a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger which form a circulation path for a refrigerant;

a linear compressor having a piston and having a variable-volume compression chamber;

a linear motor for reciprocating said piston so as to circulate the refrigerant in the circulation path by the reciprocating motion of said piston;

an inverter for generating an AC current for driving said linear motor;

an actual circulation rate detector for detecting an actual refrigerant circulation rate indicating the volume of the refrigerant that is discharged from or sucked into said linear compressor per unit time by the reciprocating motion of said piston;

a target circulation rate derivation unit for deriving a target refrigerant circulation rate indicating the volume of the refrigerant to be discharged from or sucked into said linear compressor per unit time, on the basis of an ambient temperature of at least one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger, and a target temperature that is set for at least one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger; and

a controller for controlling a driving current supplied from said inverter to said linear motor to adjust a stroke length of said piston so as to adjust a volume of said variable-volume compression chamber, thereby decreasing a difference between the actual refrigerant circulation rate and the target refrigerant circulation rate.

2. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a stroke detector for detecting the stroke length of said piston; and

a top dead point detector for detecting the top dead point of said piston; and

wherein said actual circulation rate detector is operable to calculate the volume of the refrigerant that is discharged or sucked by each stroke of said piston, on the basis of the detected stroke length and the detected top dead point, and is operable to obtain the actual refrigerant circulation rate by multiplying the calculated volume by the frequency of the AC current generated by said inverter.

3. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a discharge pressure estimation unit for estimating the pressure of the refrigerant to be discharged from said linear compressor, on the basis of the temperature of the refrigerant in one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger for condensing the refrigerant, said discharge pressure estimation unit being positioned on the refrigerant discharge side of said linear compressor; and

a suction pressure estimation unit for estimating the pressure of the refrigerant to be sucked into said linear compressor, on the basis of the temperature of the refrigerant in one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger for evaporating the refrigerant, said suction pressure estimation unit being positioned on the refrigerant suction side of said linear compressor; and

wherein said actual circulation rate detector is operable to perform an arithmetic operation using a pressure ratio between a maximum pressure and a minimum pressure of the refrigerant in the circulation path, which is obtained from the estimated pressure of the refrigerant to be sucked and the estimated pressure of the refrigerant to be discharged, and the detected stroke length and the detected top dead point, thereby to obtain the volume of the refrigerant to be discharged or sucked by each stroke of said piston.

4. An air conditioner having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein

said first heat exchanger is an outdoor heat exchanger, and

said second heat exchanger is an indoor heat exchanger.

5. A refrigerator having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein

said first heat exchanger is a condenser for discharging heat, and

said second heat exchanger is an evaporator for cooling the inside of the refrigerator.

6. A hot-water supply unit having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a storage tank for storing water, wherein said first heat exchanger is a water heat exchanger for heating the water stored in said storage tank, and wherein said second heat exchanger is an air heat exchanger for absorbing heat from the surrounding atmosphere.

7. A cryogenic freezer having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a freezing chamber, wherein said first heat exchanger is a heat radiator for radiating heat, and wherein said second heat exchanger is a heat storage for cooling the inside of said freezing chamber.

8. A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising:

a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger which form a circulation path for a refrigerant;

a linear compressor having a piston and having a variable-volume compression chamber;

a linear motor for reciprocating said piston so as to circulate the refrigerant in the circulation path by the reciprocating motion of said piston;

an inverter for generating an AC current for driving said linear motor;

an actual circulation rate detector for detecting an actual refrigerant circulation rate indicating the weight of the refrigerant that is discharged from or sucked into said linear compressor per unit time by the reciprocating motion of said piston;

a target circulation rate derivation unit for deriving a target refrigerant circulation rate indicating the weight of the refrigerant to be discharged from or sucked into said linear compressor per unit time, on the basis of an ambient temperature of at least one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger, and a target temperature that is set for at least one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger; and

a controller for controlling a driving current supplied from said inverter to said linear motor to adjust a stroke length of said piston so as to adjust a volume of said variable-volume compression chamber, thereby decreasing a difference between the actual refrigerant circulation rate and the target refrigerant circulation rate.

9. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

a stroke detector for detecting the stroke length of said piston;

a top dead point detector for detecting the top dead point of said piston; and

a discharge refrigerant concentration detector for detecting the concentration of the refrigerant discharged from said linear compressor; and

wherein said actual circulation rate detector is operable to calculate the volume of the refrigerant that is discharged by each stroke of said piston, on the basis of the detected stroke length and the detected top dead point, and is operable to obtain the weight of the refrigerant that is discharged from said linear compressor per unit time, on the basis of the calculated volume, the detected concentration of the refrigerant, and the frequency of the AC current generated by said inverter.

10. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a discharge temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from said linear compressor; and

a discharge pressure detector for detecting the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from said linear compressor; and

wherein said discharge refrigerant concentration detector is operable to derive the concentration of the refrigerant discharged from said linear compressor, on the basis of the detected temperature and the detected pressure of the refrigerant.

11. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

a stroke detector for detecting the stroke length of said piston;

a top dead point detector for detecting the top dead point of said piston; and

a discharge refrigerant concentration detector for detecting the concentration of the refrigerant discharged from said linear compressor; and

wherein said actual circulation rate detector is operable to calculate the volume of the refrigerant that is discharged by each stroke of said piston, on the basis of the detected stroke length and the detected top dead point, and is operable to obtain the weight of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor per unit time, on the basis of the calculated volume, the detected concentration of the refrigerant, and the frequency of the AC current generated by said inverter.

12. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising:

a suction temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor; and

a suction pressure detector for detecting the pressure of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor; and

wherein said suction refrigerant concentration detector is operable to obtain the concentration of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor, on the basis of the detected temperature and the detected pressure of the refrigerant.

13. A refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

a refrigerant temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant in an evaporator which is one of said first heat exchanger and said second heat exchanger for evaporating the refrigerant, the detected temperature being a saturation temperature of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor, said refrigerant temperature detector being positioned at the refrigerant suction side of said linear compressor in the circulation path; and

a super heat estimation unit for estimating the super heat of the refrigerant, the super heat of the refrigerant being a temperature difference between the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor and the saturation temperature thereof, on the basis of the operating state of said linear compressor; and

wherein said suction temperature detector is operable to obtain the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into said linear compressor, by adding the detected temperature of the refrigerant in said evaporator and the estimated degree of heating of the refrigerant.

14. An air conditioner having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein

said first heat exchanger is an outdoor heat exchanger, and

said second heat exchanger is an indoor heat exchanger.

15. A refrigerator having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein

said first heat exchanger is a condenser for discharging heat, and

said second heat exchanger is an evaporator for cooling the inside of the refrigerator.

16. A hot-water supply unit having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 8, including a storage tank for storing water, wherein said first heat exchanger is a water heat exchanger for heating the water stored in said storage tank, and said second heat exchanger is an air heat exchanger for absorbing heat from the surrounding atmosphere.

17. A cryogenic freezer having a refrigeration cycle apparatus as defined in claim 8, including a freezing chamber, wherein said first heat exchanger is a heat radiator for radiating heat, and wherein said second heat exchanger is a heat storage for cooling the inside of said freezing chamber.