Air Conditioner
An air conditioner that reverses and appropriately controls the stream of refrigerant between paths of a flow divider corresponding to an air conditioner heat exchanger having a plurality of paths to increase the heat exchange capacity is provided. The air conditioner includes a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a restriction device, and an indoor heat exchanger including a plurality of paths. These members are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigerant circuit. A flow divider including a plurality of paths is arranged between the indoor heat exchanger, which includes the plurality of paths, and the restriction device. A refrigerant flow amount regulation valve is provided for each of the plurality of paths in the flow divider. In a predetermined operation state, more refrigerant is distributed to a predetermined passage in which the processing capacity is large and the refrigerant temperature at an outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is high in comparison with other paths.
The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner including a flow divider for appropriately dividing the flow of refrigerant to a plurality of paths in an indoor heat exchanger of the air conditioner.
BACKGROUND ARTAn air passage 27 extends from the air intake grilles 23 and 24 to the air discharge port 25 in the main body casing 20. An indoor heat exchanger 26, which has a V-shaped cross-section so as to face toward the first and second air intake grilles 23 and 24, is arranged in an upstream region of the air passage 27. The indoor heat exchanger 26 is a lambda-type heat exchanger. A cross flow fan 29, a tongue 22, and a scroll 30 are arranged in the downstream region of the air passage 27. The cross flow fan 29 has an impeller (fan rotor) 29a, which is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in
The tongue 22 is located at a position facing toward the second air intake grill 24 and has a predetermined length along the outer circumference of the impeller (fan rotor) 29a in the cross flow fan 29.
The tongue 22 has a lower portion that is continuous with an air flow guide 22b, which also serves as a drain pan and which is arranged below the indoor heat exchanger 26. The air flow guide 22b has a downstream portion, which extends toward the air discharge port 25 together with a downstream portion 30b of the scroll 30 and which forms an air discharge passage 28 having a diffuser structure as shown in the drawing. As a result, the flow of air generated by the impeller (fan rotor) 29a of the cross flow fan 29 is efficiently discharged from the air discharge port 25.
A stream deflection plate 31 is arranged in the air discharge passage 28 between the scroll 30 and the air flow guide 22b, which is located at the lower portion of the tongue 22.
The tongue 22 is shaped as shown in
In the indoor heat exchanger 26 having such a structure, the heat exchanger 26 was divided into portions A, B, C, and D to analyze the flow velocity distribution. As a result, the flow velocity in portion D, which directly faces toward the second air intake grille 24, was the highest. The flow velocity was lower than portion D in portion C, which diagonally faces toward the first air intake grille 23. Further, the flow velocity was lower than portion C in portion B, which is covered by the upper portion of the front surface of the main body casing 20 and thus does not directly receive the flow of air. The flow velocity was lower than portion B in portion A, which is blocked by the tongue 22 from the flow of air.
An indoor heat exchanger 26 having a plurality of paths in an air conditioner as described above usually includes a flow divider 6 including branch flow paths 7a and 7b, as shown in.
Accordingly, as expressed by the width of the arrows in
As one solution for solving this problem, a refrigerant flow amount regulation valve V1 is arranged in the outlet of the paths 7b and 8B at which the temperature becomes low at least when the load is low. As a result, for example, as shown by the graph of
However, with such a structure, particularly when the proportions of the shadowed portions in
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that increases the heat exchanging capacity by appropriately controlling the refrigerant drift between the paths of a flow divider that corresponds to the heat exchanger of an air conditioner.
To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner including a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a restriction device, and an indoor heat exchanger provided with a plurality of paths. These members are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigerant circuit. A flow divider including a plurality of paths is arranged between the indoor heat exchanger, which includes the plurality of paths, and the restriction device. A refrigerant flow amount regulation valve is provided for each of the plurality of paths in the flow divider. In a predetermined operation state, more refrigerant is distributed to a predetermined path in which the processing capacity is large and the refrigerant temperature at an outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is high in comparison with other paths.
With this structure, in a predetermined operation state, more refrigerant is positively distributed to paths having margins in processing capacities to increase the in-pipe flow velocity in such paths. Further, the difference between the temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger and the intake temperature increases. This increases the capacity of the indoor heat exchanger and increases the refrigerant capacity.
Preferably, the predetermined operation state is an operation state in which the load is low, and in the low load state, an opening is decreased in the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve of the path at which the processing capacity is small and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is low so that a large amount of refrigerant flows to the predetermined path in which the processing capacity is large and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is high.
In this structure, when the load is low and the entire refrigerant flow amount decreases, the opening of the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve is decreased for the path at which the processing capacity is small and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is low. Further, by distributing more refrigerant to the predetermined path at which there is a margin in the processing capacity and the flow velocity is high, the in-pipe flow velocity of the path increases. Additionally, the difference between the temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger and the intake temperature increases. As a result, the capacity of the heat exchanger is effectively increased, and the refrigerant capacity is increased.
Preferably, the predetermined path is a path in which the flow velocity is high, and in a low load state, an opening of the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve is decreased for a path in which the flow velocity is low so that more refrigerant flows to the path that has a margin in heat exchange capacity and a high flow velocity. With this structure, the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve is closed for a path having a low flow velocity and no margin in the processing capacity so that more refrigerant is distributed to a path that has a margin in the processing capacity and has a high flow velocity. This increases the in-pipe flow velocity of the path. Additionally, the difference between the temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger and the intake temperature increases. As a result, the capacity of the heat exchanger is effectively increased, and the refrigerant capacity is increased.
Preferably, the predetermined operation state is an operation state during a rated load, and in the rated load state, the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve for each path is completely open, and the capacity of the heat exchanger is fully used. With this structure, in an operation state during a rated load, the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve for each path is completely open, and the capacity of the heat exchanger can be fully used.
As shown in
The expansion valve V and the flow divider 6 are arranged between the indoor heat exchanger 26 and the restriction device 5. First and second refrigerant flow amount regulation valves V1 and V2 that are electromagnetic valves of which the opening degrees of each are electrically adjustable. The valves V1 and V2 are respectively arranged in first and second branch flow paths 7a and 7b of the flow divider 6. Under a predetermined operation state, more refrigerant is distributed to the one of the predetermined paths 7a and 7b at which the processing capacity is larger and the temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger 26 is higher. This refrigerant distribution amount control is performed by separately controlling the opening degrees of the first and second refrigerant flow amount regulation valves V1 and V2 with, for example, a predetermined control unit including a microcomputer.
In this case, the predetermined operation state is, for example, a low load operation state in which the amount of refrigerant flowing to the refrigerant inlet 6a of the flow divider 6 becomes low. For example, as shown in
In this manner, in a low load state in which the entire refrigerant flow amount decreases, the in-pipe flow velocity becomes high in the first branch flow path 7a in which the flow velocity is high by decreasing the opening degree for the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve V2 of the second branch flow path 7b in which the flow velocity is low to distribute more refrigerant to the first branch flow path 7a in which the flow velocity is high than the second branch flow path 7b. Further, as shown by the graph in
In a rated load state, the first and second refrigerant flow amount regulation valves V1 and V2 are completely open so that the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 26 is fully used. As a result, in the present embodiment, in comparison with the prior art structure that merely equalizes the temperatures at the outlets of the paths 8A and 8B of the indoor heat exchanger 26, the heat exchange capacity of the indoor heat exchanger 26 for an air conditioner is effectively increased.
Second EmbodimentIn this manner, in a low load state in which at least the entire refrigerant flow amount is low, even when using the first to fourth branch flow paths 7a to 7d, the opening degrees are decreased for the first to third refrigerant flow amount regulation valves V21 to V23 of the first to third branch flow paths 7a to 7c in which the flow velocity is low and no margin is provided for the processing capacity. Further, more refrigerant is distributed to the fourth branch flow path 7d in which the flow velocity is high and a margin is provided for the processing capacity. This increases the in-pipe flow velocity of the fourth branch flow path 7d and increases the difference between the temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 26 and the intake temperature. As a result, the capacity of the indoor heat exchanger 26 is increased, and the refrigerant capacity is increased. In a rated load state, the refrigerant flow amount regulation valves V21 to V24 are completely open so that the capacity of the heat exchanger 26 is fully used.
Claims
1. An air conditioner including a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a restriction device, and an indoor heat exchanger provided with a plurality of paths, wherein the four-way valve, outdoor heat exchanger, restriction device, and indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigerant circuit, with a flow divider including a plurality of paths being arranged between the indoor heat exchanger, which includes the plurality of paths, and the restriction device, the air conditioner being characterized by:
- a refrigerant flow amount regulation valve provided for each of the plurality of paths in the flow divider, wherein in a predetermined operation state, more refrigerant is distributed to a predetermined path in which the processing capacity is large and the refrigerant temperature at an outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is high in comparison with other paths.
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, being characterized in that the predetermined operation state is an operation state in which the load is low, and in the low load state, an opening is decreased in the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve for the path at which the processing capacity is small and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is low so that a large amount of refrigerant flows to the predetermined path in which the processing capacity is large and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger is high.
3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, being characterized in that the predetermined path is a path in which the flow velocity is high, and in a low load state, an opening is decreased in the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve for a path in which the flow velocity is low so that more refrigerant flows to the path that has a margin in heat exchange capacity and a high flow velocity.
4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, being characterized in that the predetermined operation state is an operation state during a rated load, and in the rated load state, the refrigerant flow amount regulation valve for each path is completely open, and the capacity of the heat exchanger is fully used.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 16, 2007
Publication Date: Jan 29, 2009
Inventors: Makoto Kojima (Sakai-shi), Takayuki Setoguchi (Sakai-shi)
Application Number: 12/087,100
International Classification: F25B 41/04 (20060101);