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Air-conditioning apparatus

  • US 9,303,904 B2
  • Filed: 10/28/2009
  • Issued: 04/05/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
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Assignment
First Claim
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1. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

  • an outdoor unit having a compressor, a first flow switching device, and a heat source side heat exchanger;

    a heat medium relay unit having a plurality of heat medium heat exchangers, a plurality of expansion devices respectively correlated with the heat medium heat exchangers, and a plurality of pumps;

    a plurality of use side heat exchangers;

    a refrigerant cycle that includes the compressor, the first flow switching device, the heat source side heat exchanger, the expansion devices, and the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers, and wherein the compressor, the first flow switching device, the heat source side heat exchanger, the expansion devices, and the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers are connected by refrigerant pipes;

    a heat medium cycle that includes the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers, the pumps, and the use side heat exchangers, wherein the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers each exchange heat between refrigerant in the refrigerant cycle and a heat transfer medium in the heat medium cycle,wherein the air-conditioning apparatus is configured to operate in a heating only operation mode in which the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state flows into all of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers,wherein the air-conditioning apparatus is configured to operate in a cooling only operation mode in which the refrigerant in a low-temperature and low-pressure state flows into all of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers, andwherein the air-conditioning apparatus is configured to operate a cooling and heating mixed operation in which the refrigerant in the high-temperature and high-pressure state flows into one or some of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers to heat the heat transfer medium and the refrigerant in the low-temperature and low-pressure state flows into one or some of the other heat medium heat exchangers to cool the heat transfer medium;

    a bypass pipe that branches off from a portion of the refrigerant pipes between the heat source side heat exchanger and the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers, and the bypass pipe diverges into portions that respectively connect to each of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers;

    a plurality of second flow switching devices, each of which is respectively disposed on a refrigerant outlet side of each of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers, switching a passage between a passage connecting to the outdoor unit and the bypass pipe;

    a third flow switching device, which is disposed in a passage between the refrigerant inlet side of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers and a branching part of the bypass pipe, is configured to cause opening and closing of the passage;

    a control device configured to control the first flow switching device, the expansion devices, the plurality of second flow switching devices, and the third flow switching device; and

    at least one sensor configured to detect at least one of temperature and pressure information, and transmit the at least one of temperature and pressure information to the control device, whereinin response to a change in a switching state of the first flow switching device, the pressure state of the refrigerant in the bypass pipe is switched from a high pressure to a low pressure or from a low pressure to a high pressure,the refrigerant does not flow through the bypass pipe in the heating only operation mode and the cooling only operation mode,the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe in the cooling and heating mixed operation,the control device is configured to control the cooling and heating mixed operation, and the cooling and heating mixed operation includes;

    a cooling main operation mode in which, while the refrigerant in the high-temperature and high-pressure state flows into the heat source side heat exchanger, the refrigerant in the high-temperature and high-pressure state flows into at least one of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers to heat the heat transfer medium and the refrigerant in the low-temperature and low-pressure state flows into at least one other heat medium heat exchanger to cool the heat transfer medium; and

    a heating main operation mode in which, while the refrigerant in low-temperature and low-pressure state flows into the heat source side heat exchanger, the refrigerant in the high-temperature and high-pressure state flows into at least one of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers to heat the heat transfer medium and the refrigerant in the low-temperature and low-pressure state flows into at least one other heat medium heat exchanger to cool the heat transfer medium,the plurality of second flow switching devices are in the same switching state in both the cooling only operation mode and the heating only operation mode, whereinone or more of the plurality of second flow switching devices corresponding one-to-one to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of heat medium heat exchangers for cooling, and one or more of the remaining second flow switching devices corresponding one-to-one to a corresponding one or more of the remaining heat medium heat exchangers for heating are in opposite switching states for selecting the bypass pipe or the passage connecting to the outdoor unit in the cooling main operation mode and the heating main operation mode.

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