AIR-CONDITIONING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

An air-conditioning device, a control method and device, and a computer-readable storage medium are provided. The air-conditioning device includes a compressor, a four-way valve, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger and a flash evaporator. The four-way valve is connected to the compressor through a first refrigerant branch, and a first control valve is arranged on the first refrigerant branch. A second refrigerant branch is connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch; and a second control valve, and a hot-gas bypass pipe positioned at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger are arranged on the second refrigerant branch. A first refrigerant port of the flash evaporator is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger, a second refrigerant port of the flash evaporator is connected to the indoor heat exchanger, and an air outlet of the flash evaporator is connected to the compressor.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/084465 filed on Mar. 28, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310042052.4, filed on Jan. 12, 2023 and entitled “AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM”, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. No new matter has been introduced.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of air conditioning, and in particular, to an air-conditioning apparatus, a control method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium.

BACKGROUND

At present, when an air-conditioning system operates for heating, condensed water can be readily generated on the surface of an outdoor heat exchanger, and a large amount of condensed water may accumulate on the chassis of the outdoor heat exchanger. Especially under a low-temperature condition, the condensed water on the chassis condenses into ice, affecting normal operation of the air-conditioning system. In the related technology, an electric heating apparatus is further arranged on the chassis to melt the ice layer at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, which not only requires additional control over the electric heating apparatus, but also consumes additional electricity. Therefore, how to implement ice melting at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, while considering heat source utilization efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus, has become an urgent technical problem to be solved.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure, it is intended to at least partially solve one of the technical problems existing in the related technology. To this end, the present disclosure proposes an air-conditioning apparatus, a control method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium, to perform an ice melting operation at the bottom of an outdoor heat exchanger under a low-temperature condition by adjusting heat supply for a hot-air bypass pipe, while improving heat utilization of the air-conditioning apparatus.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an air-conditioning apparatus is provided according to an embodiment, the apparatus including:

    • a compressor;
    • a four-way valve, connected to the compressor through a first refrigerant branch, where a first control valve is arranged on the first refrigerant branch;
    • an indoor heat exchanger, connected to the four-way valve;
    • an outdoor heat exchanger, connected to the four-way valve;
    • a second refrigerant branch, connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch, where a second control valve and a hot-air bypass pipe located at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger are arranged on the second refrigerant branch; and
    • a flash evaporator, having a first refrigerant port connected to the outdoor heat exchanger, a second refrigerant port connected to the indoor heat exchanger, and an air outlet connected to the compressor.

In the air-conditioning apparatus, the air outlet of the flash evaporator is connected to the compressor through a third control valve.

The third control valve is controlled to control air replenishment for the compressor, such that air intake of the compressor can be increased under a low-temperature condition, to improve a low-temperature heating effect.

In the air-conditioning apparatus, a capillary component is arranged between the first refrigerant port and the outdoor heat exchanger.

The capillary component can throttle refrigerant flowing out of or into the outdoor heat exchanger, to improve a heat exchange effect of the refrigerant.

In the air-conditioning apparatus, an expansion valve is arranged between the second refrigerant port and the indoor heat exchanger.

The expansion valve can throttle refrigerant flowing out of or into the indoor heat exchanger, to reduce the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant and improve a heat exchange effect of the refrigerant.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment provides a control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, applied to the air-conditioning apparatus in the embodiment of the first aspect, the control method including:

    • controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively in response to an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus, to adjust heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe.

In the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively in response to an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus includes:

    • obtaining an outdoor ambient temperature in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a heating mode; and
    • controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively based on the outdoor ambient temperature and a preset ice condensation value.

During operation in a low-temperature environment, the outdoor heat exchanger is prone to ice formation. Therefore, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, whether the air-conditioning apparatus is in a low-temperature heating state needs to be determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature. If the air-conditioning apparatus is in the low-temperature heating state, the first control valve and the second control valve need to be controlled to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe to implement an ice melting operation. If the air-conditioning apparatus is in a normal heating state, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe does not need to be increased, such that heat supply efficiency is improved.

In the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, in response to the outdoor ambient temperature being lower than the preset ice condensation value, the first control valve is controlled to be closed, and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on.

When the outdoor ambient temperature is lower than the preset ice condensation value, it may be considered that the air-conditioning apparatus is in the low-temperature heating state. In this case, the first control valve needs to be controlled to be closed, and the second control valve needs to be controlled to be turned on, such that the first refrigerant branch is cut off, and the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor can only enter the second refrigerant branch and pass through the hot-air bypass pipe, to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe and implement an ice melting operation.

In the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, in response to the outdoor ambient temperature being higher than or equal to the preset ice condensation value, the first control valve is controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve is controlled to be closed.

During operation for heating at a high outdoor ambient temperature, ice will not be formed on the outdoor heat exchanger, and the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe does not need to be increased for an ice melting operation. Therefore, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor directly flows into the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch, to reduce a heat loss and improve heat source utilization.

In the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling mode, the first control valve is controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve is controlled to be closed.

During operation for cooling, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe does not need to be increased for an ice melting operation, either. Therefore, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor directly flows into the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch, to reduce a heat loss and improve heat exchange efficiency.

In the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling and defrosting mode, the first control valve is controlled to be closed, and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on.

During operation in the cooling and defrosting mode, it is considered that an outer surface of the outdoor heat exchanger is frosted, and to prevent condensed water obtained after melting of a frost layer due to a defrosting operation from condensing into ice at the bottom and affecting normal operation of the air-conditioning apparatus, the high-temperature refrigerant needs to pass through the hot-air bypass pipe first to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, so as to heat the condensed water at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger or melt an ice layer at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger.

In the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, the air outlet of the flash evaporator is connected to the compressor through the third control valve, and the control method further includes:

    • in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in the cooling mode or the cooling and defrosting mode, controlling the third control valve to be closed; and
    • in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in the heating mode, controlling the third control valve to be turned on.

When the air-conditioning apparatus operates in different modes, refrigerant flows in different directions. During operation for heating, to increase air intake of the compressor, the third control valve is controlled to allow part of refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger to be transferred to the flash evaporator, which is evaporated by the flash evaporator into a vapor state and enters the compressor to improve a heating effect. During operation for cooling, the compressor does not need air replenishment, the flash evaporator stops operating, and the third control valve is controlled to prevent liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor to cause a liquid hammer, thereby protecting the compressor.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment provides an operation control apparatus, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the computer program, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the embodiment of the second aspect.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer-executable instruction which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the embodiment of the second aspect.

Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in the description, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the present disclosure. The objectives and other advantages of the present disclosure can be realized and obtained by the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described below in conjunction with accompanying drawings and embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a structural layout of an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control method for an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of S101 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of S202 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of S202 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of S101 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of S101 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a control method for an air-conditioning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an operation control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are used to supplement the descriptions of the text section of the specification with graphics, to enable a person to understand each technical feature and the overall technical scheme of the present disclosure intuitively and vividly, but shall not be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that in the description of embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms such as “first”, “second” and the like are used to distinguish technical features, and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance or to imply the number or a precedence order of indicated technical features. The term “at least one” means one or more, and the term “a plurality of/multiple” means two or more. “At least one of the following items” and similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items.

In the present disclosure, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted/connected” and the like are used broadly, and may be, for example, fixed or movable connections, detachable or undetachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical connections, or electric or communication connections; may also be direct connections, or indirect connections via intervening structures.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment/implementation”, “another embodiment/implementation” or “some embodiments/implementations”, “in the above embodiment/implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or implementation of the present disclosure. In the specification, expressions of the above terms are not necessarily referring to the same embodiments or implementations. It should be noted that although logical orders have been shown in the flowcharts, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be executed in an order different from the orders as shown in the flowcharts.

It is to be noted that the features described in the implementations of the present disclosure may be combined with each other if not in collision.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air-conditioning apparatus, a control method and apparatus, and a storage medium. In the air-conditioning apparatus, a first refrigerant branch is arranged between a four-way valve and a compressor, and a first control valve for controlling on/off of the first refrigerant branch is arranged on the first refrigerant branch. A second refrigerant branch is connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch. A second control valve for controlling on/off of the second refrigerant branch, and a hot-air bypass pipe for melting ice at the bottom of an outdoor heat exchanger are arranged on the second refrigerant branch. By controlling the first control valve and the second control valve, a flow path of high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be changed to adjust heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe. In this way, part of heat in the refrigerant circulation process can be used to melt ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby improving heat source utilization.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

It can be understood that the air-conditioning apparatus includes a compressor 110, a four-way valve 120, an indoor heat exchanger 130, a hot-air bypass pipe 150, a flash evaporator 160, a first refrigerant branch 170, and a second refrigerant branch 180. The four-way valve 120 is connected to an intake port 113 and an exhaust port 111 of the compressor 110, the indoor heat exchanger 130, and the outdoor heat exchanger 140. A first refrigerant port 161 of the flash evaporator 160 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 140, a second refrigerant port 162 of the flash evaporator 160 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 130, and an air outlet 163 of the flash evaporator 160 is connected to an air replenishment port 112 of the compressor 110.

The four-way valve 120 is connected to the exhaust port 111 of the compressor 110 through the first refrigerant branch 170, and a first control valve 190 for controlling on/off of the first refrigerant branch 170 is arranged on the first refrigerant branch 170. The second refrigerant branch 180 is connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch 170, and a second control valve 200 for controlling on/off of the second refrigerant branch 180 is arranged on the second refrigerant branch 180. In addition, the hot-air bypass pipe 150 is also arranged on the second refrigerant branch 180, and the hot-air bypass pipe 150 is located at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger 140.

The air-conditioning apparatus further includes a controller. The controller is configured to control the first control valve 190 and the second control valve 200 based on an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus to adjust heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe 150.

When the first control valve 190 is turned on, high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port 111 of the compressor 110 can flow through the first refrigerant branch 170 and directly enter the four-way valve 120. When the first control valve 190 is closed, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 cannot flow through the first refrigerant branch 170. If the second control valve 200 is turned on, the high-temperature refrigerant can pass through the second refrigerant branch 180 and enter the hot-air bypass pipe 150 to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe 150, and then enter the four-way valve 120 after flowing through the second refrigerant branch 180.

In a low-temperature environment, condensed water formed by defrosting the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 140 is prone to condense and form an ice layer at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger 140, affecting heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 140. Therefore, a flow path of the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 may be changed by controlling the first control valve 190 and the second control valve 200, to adjust the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe 150 and implement an ice melting operation at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger 140. In addition, the hot-air bypass pipe 150 in the second refrigerant branch 180 is part of a refrigerant pipeline in the air-conditioning apparatus, and adjusting the first control valve 190 and the second control valve 200 changes only whether the high-temperature refrigerant passes through the hot-air bypass pipe 150, that is, only part of heat in the refrigerant circulation process of the air-conditioning apparatus is used for the ice melting operation. Therefore, no additional heating apparatus is needed, heat source utilization of the air-conditioning apparatus is improved, and resource waste is reduced.

It is to be noted that the compressor 110 is an air-jet enthalpy-increasing compressor. Different from a conventional compressor, the air-jet enthalpy-increasing compressor further includes the air replenishment port 112 in addition to the air outlet 163 and the intake port 113. The flash evaporator 160 can evaporate part of the refrigerant flowing therein into a vapor state, and separate and transfer the vapor-state refrigerant to the air replenishment port 112. The air-jet enthalpy-increasing compressor can mix and compress refrigerant in a cavity and the refrigerant input from the air replenishment port 112, which may be considered as a throttling operation. Therefore, compared with the refrigerant circulation process of the conventional compressor, refrigerant circulation using the air-jet enthalpy-increasing compressor has an extra throttling operation, which can reduce an exhaust temperature to achieve stable low-temperature operation. The flash evaporator 160 can separate the vapor-state refrigerant from liquid refrigerant, and the vapor-state refrigerant is transferred to the air replenishment port 112 through the air outlet 163, while the liquid refrigerant flows out from the first refrigerant port 161 to continue the refrigerant circulation.

It is to be noted that, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a structural layout of the air-conditioning apparatus. In the air-conditioning apparatus, the compressor 110 and the outdoor heat exchanger 140 may be integrated into an outdoor unit 320 and installed on an outdoor wall or windowsill, while the indoor heat exchanger 130, a water pump 321, and a fan 322 are integrated into an indoor unit 310 and installed indoors. The indoor unit 310 and the outdoor unit 320 are connected through a refrigerant pipeline, to enable indoor and outdoor heat exchange through refrigerant. The compressor 110 drives the refrigerant to circulate in the refrigerant pipeline, and the water pump 321 assists the refrigerant in circulating between the indoor unit 310 and the outdoor unit 320. The indoor unit 310 cools or heats an indoor space through the indoor heat exchanger 130, and the fan 322 can assist in cooling or heating the indoor space. The outdoor unit 320 dissipates heat or absorbs heat outdoors through the outdoor heat exchanger 140.

When the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 140 may be frosted, and then the air-conditioning apparatus melts a frost layer on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 140 through a defrosting operation. Therefore, a water receiving tray 311 is arranged at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger 140. The water receiving tray 311 is provided with a drain hole and is configured to receive water formed after the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 140 is defrosted, and then discharge the water through the drain hole.

However, in a low-temperature environment, the water after defrosting may condense into ice in the water receiving tray 311, thereby blocking the drain hole and affecting operation of the air-conditioning apparatus. Therefore, the hot-air bypass pipe 150 may be arranged at the water receiving tray 311, that is, arranged at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger 140. When ice is formed in the water receiving tray 311, the first control valve 190 and the second control valve 200 in the air-conditioning apparatus may be controlled to cause the high-temperature refrigerant to flow through the hot-air bypass pipe 150, so as to melt the ice in the water receiving tray 311 into water and discharge the water through the drain hole.

It can be understood that a third control valve 210 is connected between the air outlet 163 of the flash evaporator 160 and the air replenishment port 112 of the compressor 110. When the air-conditioning apparatus operates for heating, as refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger 130 passes through the flash evaporator 160, part of the refrigerant becomes a vapor state under an evaporation action of the flash evaporator 160. Therefore, by controlling the third control valve 210 to be turned on, the vapor-state refrigerant can enter the compressor 110 for air replenishment, to increase air intake of the compressor 110 and improve efficiency of the compressor 110. In addition, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates for cooling, the flash evaporator 160 is in a disabled state, that is, incoming refrigerant is not evaporated, such that liquid refrigerant can easily enter the compressor 110 through the air outlet 163 of the flash evaporator 160, causing a liquid hammer and damaging the compressor 110. Therefore, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates for cooling, the third control valve 210 may be controlled to be closed, such that the refrigerant cannot enter the compressor 110 through the air outlet 163 of the flash evaporator 160, thereby strengthening the protection over the compressor 110.

It can be understood that a capillary component 220 is provided between the first refrigerant port 161 of the flash evaporator 160 and the outdoor heat exchanger 140, and an expansion valve 230 is provided between the second refrigerant port 162 of the flash evaporator 160 and the indoor heat exchanger 130. Both the capillary component 220 and the expansion valve 230 can throttle refrigerant flowing therethrough, to reduce the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, facilitate subsequent heat exchange, and improve heat exchange efficiency.

The air-conditioning apparatus according to this embodiment of the present disclosure has at least the following beneficial effects. The hot-air bypass pipe is connected in parallel between the compressor and the four-way valve, and the hot-air bypass pipe is located at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. In this way, when ice is formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, on-state of the first control valve and the second control valve is respectively controlled, such that high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor passes through the hot-air bypass pipe first and then flows to the four-way valve, that is, heat supply at the hot-air bypass pipe is increased, and an ice layer at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger can be quickly melted. The hot-air bypass pipe is part of a refrigerant pipeline in the air-conditioning apparatus, part of heat in a refrigerant circulation process is transferred to the hot-air bypass pipe for ice melting, and the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe can be flexibly adjusted based on an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus. Therefore, no additional heating apparatus is needed for ice melting, heat utilization efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus is improved, and resource waste is reduced.

The air-conditioning system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is intended to clearly illustrate the technical schemes in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation to the technical schemes provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Those having ordinary skills in the art may know that with the evolution of the air-conditioning apparatus and emergence of new application scenarios, the technical schemes provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Those having ordinary skills in the art may understand that the structure of the air-conditioning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 does not constitute a limitation to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and may include more or fewer components than those shown in the drawings, or combine some components, or have a different component arrangement.

Based on the foregoing structure of the air-conditioning apparatus, various embodiments of a control method for an air-conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure are proposed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control method for an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control method for the air-conditioning apparatus may be applied to the air-conditioning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and the flowchart of the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus includes, but not limited to, a following step.

In a step of S101, the first control valve and the second control valve are controlled respectively in response to an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus, to adjust heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe.

It can be understood that, by controlling the first control valve and the second control valve, on-off states of two refrigerant flow paths from the exhaust port of the compressor to the four-way valve, that is, the first refrigerant branch and the second refrigerant branch, can be changed. When the first control valve is turned on, high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor can enter the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch. Since only the first control valve is arranged on the first refrigerant branch, it is equivalent to that the high-temperature refrigerant flows directly from the exhaust port of the compressor to the four-way valve without heat exchange. When the second control valve is turned on, the second refrigerant branch is available, and the high-temperature refrigerant can enter the four-way valve from the exhaust port of the compressor through the second refrigerant branch. The second control valve and the hot-air bypass pipe are arranged on the second refrigerant branch, and the hot-air bypass pipe is located at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, when the high-temperature refrigerant flows through the second refrigerant branch, that is, flows through the hot-air bypass pipe, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe is increased, such that the temperature at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger is increased, and an ice layer at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger can be quickly melted. Since the hot-air bypass pipe in the second refrigerant branch is part of the refrigerant pipeline in the air-conditioning apparatus, it is equivalent to that only by changing a flow path of the high-temperature refrigerant from the compressor to the four-way valve, heat exchange of the ice melting operation can participate in the refrigerant circulation process, such that part of the heat in the refrigerant circulation is used for ice melting, thereby improving heat source utilization.

When the air-conditioning apparatus operates for heating, condensed water is easily generated on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the condensed water flows downward to the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. In a low-temperature environment, the condensed water at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger easily condenses into ice, thereby affecting normal operation of the outdoor heat exchanger. In addition, in the low-temperature environment, the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger is easily frosted. After the air-conditioning apparatus performs a cooling and defrosting operation, condensed water formed due to defrosting also accumulates at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, resulting in a risk of condensing into an ice layer and affecting operation of the air-conditioning apparatus. Therefore, the first control valve and the second control valve may be controlled based on an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus. To be specific, when there is a risk of ice condensation at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, the first control valve and the second control valve may be controlled to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, so as to use part of the heat in the refrigerant circulation to quickly melt the ice layer at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. When there is no risk of ice condensation at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, no ice melting operation is needed. In this case, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe is adjusted to improve operation efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus, save a heat source, and improve heat source utilization.

It is to be noted that, the first control valve and the second control valve may be turned on at the same time, such that part of the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor can directly enter the four-way valve, and another part of the high-temperature refrigerant can flow through the hot-air bypass pipe first and then enter the four-way valve to supply part of heat for the hot-air bypass pipe. Alternatively, the first control valve and the second control valve may be turned on separately, that is, only one control valve is in an on state at a time, such that the high-temperature refrigerant passes through the hot-air bypass pipe only or does not pass through the hot-air bypass pipe at all, to quickly increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe or completely stop the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe. In this way, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe can be flexibly adjusted, and heat source utilization is improved.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of S101 in FIG. 3. In an example of FIG. 4, S101 includes, but not limited to, the following steps.

In a step of S201, an outdoor ambient temperature is obtained in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a heating mode.

In a step of S202, the first control valve and the second control valve are controlled respectively based on the outdoor ambient temperature and a preset ice condensation value.

It can be understood that, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, whether there is an ice condensation risk at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger needs to be further determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature and the preset ice condensation value. When the outdoor ambient temperature is high, that is, the preset ice condensation value is not met, it may be considered that ice will not be formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, the second refrigerant branch does not need to be turned on to cause the high-temperature refrigerant to flow through the hot-air bypass pipe for ice melting, thereby saving a heat source. When the outdoor ambient temperature is low, that is, the preset ice condensation value is met, it may be considered that ice will be easily formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger and there is a risk of ice condensation. Therefore, the second refrigerant branch needs to be turned on, and the first refrigerant branch may be closed at the same time, such that the high-temperature refrigerant flows through the second refrigerant branch only to quickly increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, and the hot-air bypass pipe is used to heat the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, so as to melt ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. In addition, since the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger is heated, the outdoor heat exchanger can be effectively prevented from ice formation again in a short time and leading to frequent ice melting operations.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of S202 in FIG. 4. In an example of FIG. 5, S202 includes, but not limited to, a following step.

In a step of S301, in response to the outdoor ambient temperature being lower than the preset ice condensation value, the first control valve is controlled to be closed, and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on. It can be understood that, when the outdoor ambient temperature is lower than the preset ice condensation value, it may be considered that the air-conditioning apparatus is in a low-temperature environment and operates in the heating mode, and ice is easily formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe needs to be increased to melt ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, that is, the first control valve is controlled to be closed, and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on, such that the first refrigerant branch is cut off and the second refrigerant branch is available. In this way, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor cannot directly enter the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch, but needs to pass through the hot-air bypass pipe in the second refrigerant branch to enter the four-way valve. Thus, all the high-temperature refrigerant passes through the hot-air bypass pipe, such that the temperature of the hot-air bypass pipe can be quickly increased to melt ice quickly. The preset ice condensation value may be a preset fixed temperature value, or may be a temperature value calculated based on a current outdoor ambient temperature and a current outdoor ambient humidity.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of S202 in FIG. 4. In an example of FIG. 6, S202 includes, but not limited to, a following step.

In a step of S401, in response to the outdoor ambient temperature being higher than or equal to the preset ice condensation value, the first control valve is controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve is controlled to be closed.

It can be understood that, when the outdoor ambient temperature is higher than or equal to the preset ice condensation value, it may be considered that there is no risk of ice condensation when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, that is, neither ice melting nor the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe is needed. Therefore, the first control valve may be controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve may be controlled to be closed at the same time, such that the first refrigerant branch is available and the second refrigerant branch is cut off. In this way, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor cannot flow through the second refrigerant branch to the four-way valve, that is, cannot increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, and can only directly enter the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch, which is equivalent to that heat exchange in the refrigerant circulation process does not participate in heating of the hot-air bypass pipe, and the hot-air bypass pipe does not need to be heated. Compared with a scheme in which the high-temperature refrigerant always flows through the hot-air bypass pipe to keep heating the hot-air bypass pipe, a heat loss of the refrigerant can be reduced and heating efficiency can be improved.

It is to be noted that when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, the outdoor ambient temperature may be obtained periodically, to determine periodically whether there is a risk of ice condensation in the outdoor heat exchanger, and then the first control valve and the second control valve can be adjusted to change the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, so as to perform heating and ice melting operations at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. For example, in a case where the first control valve is controlled to be closed and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on, that is, the air-conditioning apparatus performs an ice melting operation, when the outdoor ambient temperature is higher than or equal to the preset ice condensation value, it may be considered that the air-conditioning apparatus currently has no risk of ice condensation and does not need to continue the ice melting operation. The first control valve may be controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve may be controlled to be closed, such that the high-temperature refrigerant is directly supplied for the four-way valve, thereby reducing a heat loss.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of S101 in FIG. 3. In an example of FIG. 7, S101 includes, but not limited to, a following step.

In a step of S501, in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling mode, the first control valve is controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve is controlled to be closed.

It can be understood that, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the cooling mode, refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger is in a low-temperature state, and it may be considered that there is no risk of ice condensation at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe is not needed. The first control valve may be controlled to be turned on, and the second control valve may be controlled to be closed at the same time, such that the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor can only flow into the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch, but cannot enter the four-way valve through the second refrigerant branch, which is equivalent to that the refrigerant cannot flow through the hot-air bypass pipe, and the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe cannot be increased. Since the high-temperature refrigerant directly enters the four-way valve, a heat loss is reduced. Therefore, the first control valve and the second control valve can be flexibly adjusted based on whether there is a risk of ice condensation at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, to change the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, thereby improving heat source utilization.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of S101 in FIG. 3. In an example of FIG. 8, S101 includes, but not limited to, a following step.

In a step of S601, in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling and defrosting mode, the first control valve is controlled to be closed, and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on.

It can be understood that, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the cooling and defrosting mode, it may be considered that a current outdoor ambient temperature is low, that is, the air-conditioning apparatus is in a low-temperature environment, the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger currently has been frosted, and a defrosting operation is needed to cause the high-temperature refrigerant to pass through the outdoor heat exchanger first for heat exchange and then flows to the indoor heat exchanger, so as to increase the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger and melt a frost layer on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger. However, condensed water formed after defrosting flows downward to the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. In the low-temperature environment, the condensed water easily condenses into ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, there is a risk of ice condensation at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe needs to be increased to heat the condensed water at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, so as to avoid ice formation.

In this way, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the cooling and defrosting mode, the first control valve is controlled to be closed, and the second control valve is controlled to be turned on, to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, so as to implement heating and ice melting operations.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a control method for the air-conditioning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In an example of FIG. 9, the control method further includes, but not limited to, the following steps.

In a step of S701, in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling mode or a cooling and defrosting mode, the third control valve is controlled to be closed.

In a step of S702, in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a heating mode, the third control valve is controlled to be turned on.

It can be understood that, the third control valve is connected between the air outlet of the flash evaporator and the air replenishment port of the compressor. When the air-conditioning apparatus operates for heating, as refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger passes through the flash evaporator, part of the refrigerant becomes a vapor state under an evaporation action of the flash evaporator. Therefore, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, the third control valve may be controlled to be turned on, such that the vapor-state refrigerant can enter the compressor for air replenishment, thereby increasing air intake of the compressor and improving efficiency of the compressor.

In addition, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates for cooling, the flash evaporator is in a disabled state, that is, incoming refrigerant is not evaporated, such that liquid refrigerant can easily enter the compressor through the air outlet of the flash evaporator, causing a liquid hammer and damaging the compressor.

Therefore, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates for cooling, that is, the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the cooling mode or the cooling and defrosting mode, the third control valve may be controlled to be closed, such that the refrigerant cannot enter the compressor through the air outlet of the flash evaporator, thereby strengthening protection over the compressor.

Through the foregoing steps, when the air-conditioning apparatus operates for cooling or heating, the first control valve can be controlled to be closed and the second control valve can be controlled to be turned on to cause high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor to flow through the hot-air bypass pipe first and then enter the four-way valve. That is, regardless of any mode in which the air-conditioning apparatus operates, a refrigerant flow path between the compressor and the four-way valve can be adjusted by controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively, to adjust the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe. Since the hot-air bypass pipe is part of a refrigerant circulation path, that is, part of heat in a refrigerant circulation process is used to implement an ice melting operation, heat source utilization is improved.

The control method for the air-conditioning apparatus according to this embodiment of the present disclosure has at least the following beneficial effects. On-state of the first control valve and the second control valve is flexibly and respectively controlled based on operating modes of the air-conditioning apparatus to adjust a flow path of refrigerant and change the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe. When ice is formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be controlled to pass through the hot-air bypass pipe first and then flow into the four-way valve, such that the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe can be quickly increased, and ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger can be quickly melted. The hot-air bypass pipe is part of a refrigerant pipeline in the air-conditioning apparatus, and part of heat in a refrigerant circulation process is transferred to the hot-air bypass pipe for ice melting. Therefore, no additional heating apparatus is needed for ice melting, heat source utilization efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus is improved, and resource waste is reduced.

The air-conditioning apparatus and the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure are described below by way of an example.

EXAMPLE ONE

Referring to an architectural diagram of the air-conditioning apparatus in FIG. 1, a first control valve is arranged on a first refrigerant branch between an exhaust port of a compressor and a four-way valve, a second refrigerant branch is connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch, and a second control valve and a hot-air bypass pipe located at the bottom of an outdoor heat exchanger are arranged on the second refrigerant branch. An air outlet of a flash evaporator is connected to an air replenishment port of the compressor through an enthalpy injection pipeline, and a third control valve is arranged on the enthalpy injection pipeline.

Operation in a Cooling Mode:

When the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the cooling mode, the first control valve is turned on, the second control valve is closed, and the third control valve is closed. After discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor, refrigerant enters the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch. In this case, no refrigerant flows through the second refrigerant branch, that is, no refrigerant flows through the hot-air bypass pipe. After passing through the four-way valve, the refrigerant enters the outdoor heat exchanger for heat exchange. The refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger is further throttled through a capillary component and an expansion valve. The refrigerant passes through the flash evaporator in a disabled state, and the refrigerant can directly pass through a first refrigerant port of the flash evaporator to a second refrigerant port. After throttling, low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant further enters the indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange, and finally returns to an intake port of the compressor through the four-way valve.

Operation in a Heating Mode:

When the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the heating mode, it needs to be determined whether an outdoor ambient temperature is lower than a preset ice condensation value. The preset ice condensation value may be 5° C. When the outdoor ambient temperature is higher than or equal to 5° C., it may be considered that ice will not be formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, and high-temperature refrigerant does not need to flow through the hot-air bypass pipe, that is, heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe does not need to be increased for ice melting. Therefore, the first control valve is turned on, the second control valve is closed, and the third control valve is turned on. After discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor, the high-temperature refrigerant can only enter the four-way valve through the first refrigerant branch, since the second refrigerant branch is cut off. After flowing through the four-way valve, the refrigerant enters the indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange, and the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger enters the expansion valve for throttling. The refrigerant after throttling enters the flash evaporator where the refrigerant is evaporated and undergoes vapor-liquid separation. Vapor-state refrigerant is discharged through the air outlet of the flash evaporator and enters the air replenishment port of the compressor through the third control valve. Liquid refrigerant flows out through the first refrigerant port of the flash evaporator and is throttled through the capillary component. The refrigerant after secondary throttling enters the outdoor heat exchanger for heat exchange, and finally returns to the intake port of the compressor through the four-way valve.

When the outdoor ambient temperature is lower than 5° C., it may be considered that ice will be formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger. Therefore, the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe needs to be increased for ice melting. In this case, the first control valve is closed, the second control valve is turned on, and the third control valve is turned on. After the high-temperature refrigerant is discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor, since the first control valve is closed, the first refrigerant branch is cut off, and the high-temperature refrigerant can only enter the second refrigerant branch and flow through the hot-air bypass pipe to heat the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger for ice melting. After flowing out of the hot-air bypass pipe and entering the four-way valve, the refrigerant further flows into the indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange. The refrigerant after heat exchange passes through the expansion valve, the flash evaporator, the capillary component, the outdoor heat exchanger, and the four-way valve in sequence, and finally enters the intake port of the compressor. After flowing into the flash evaporator, the refrigerant is evaporated and undergoes vapor-liquid separation. The vapor-state refrigerant enters the air replenishment port of the compressor through the air outlet of the flash evaporator and the third control valve, and the liquid refrigerant enters the outdoor heat exchanger through the first refrigerant port.

Operation in a Cooling and Defrosting Mode:

When the air-conditioning apparatus operates in the cooling and defrosting mode, it may be considered that the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger needs to be defrosted, condensed water formed after defrosting needs to be heated, and the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger needs ice melting. Therefore, the first control valve needs to be controlled to be closed, the second control valve needs to be controlled to be turned on, and the third control valve needs to be controlled to be closed. The high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the exhaust port of the compressor cannot pass through the first refrigerant branch, but can only enter the second refrigerant branch and flow through the hot-air bypass pipe to increase the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe, and then flow into the four-way valve. After passing through the four-way valve, the refrigerant enters the outdoor heat exchanger for heat exchange. The refrigerant after heat exchange becomes low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant after passing through the capillary component and the expansion valve, and enters the indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange. The refrigerant after heat exchange returns to the intake port of the compressor through the four-way valve.

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an operation control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation control apparatus 1000 includes: a memory 1010, one or more processors 1020, and a computer program stored in the memory 1010 and executable on the processor 1020, where the computer program, when executed by the processor 1020, causes the processor 1020 to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the foregoing embodiments.

The memory 1010 is a non-transient computer-readable storage medium, and may be configured to store a non-transient software program and a non-transient computer-executable program, such as the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor 1020 executes the non-transient software program and instructions stored in the memory 1010 to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure.

The memory 1010 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store an operating system and an application program required for at least one function. The data storage area may store data needed to execute the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the foregoing embodiments, and the like. In addition, the memory 1010 may include a high-speed random access memory 1010, and may further include a non-transient memory 1010, for example, at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory, or another non-transient solid-state storage device. It is to be noted that the memory 1010 may optionally include a memory 1010 located remotely from the processor 1020, and the remote memory 1010 may be connected to the operation control apparatus through a network. Examples of the network include, but not limited to, the internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

The non-transient software program and instructions needed to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the foregoing embodiments are stored in the memory which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus in the foregoing embodiments, for example, implement the above-described method step S101 in FIG. 3, method steps S201 and S202 in FIG. 4, method step S301 in FIG. 5, method step S401 in FIG. 6, method step S501 in FIG. 7, method step S601 in FIG. 8, or method steps S701 and S702 in FIG. 9.

The operation control apparatus according to this embodiment of the present disclosure has at least the following beneficial effects. On-state of the first control valve and the second control valve is flexibly and respectively controlled based on operating modes of the air-conditioning apparatus to adjust a flow path of refrigerant and change the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe. When ice is formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be controlled to pass through the hot-air bypass pipe first and then flow into the four-way valve, such that the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe can be quickly increased, and ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger can be quickly melted. The hot-air bypass pipe is part of a refrigerant pipeline in the air-conditioning apparatus, and part of heat in a refrigerant circulation process is transferred to the hot-air bypass pipe for ice melting. Therefore, no additional heating apparatus is needed for ice melting, heat utilization efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus is improved, and resource waste is reduced.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium, storing a computer-executable instruction which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus of the embodiments in accordance with the second aspect of the present disclosure, for example, implement the above-described method step S101 in FIG. 3, method steps S201 and S202 in FIG. 4, method step S301 in FIG. 5, method step S401 in FIG. 6, method step S501 in FIG. 7, method step S601 in FIG. 8, or method steps S701 and S702 in FIG. 9.

The computer-readable storage medium according to this embodiment of the present disclosure has at least the following beneficial effects. On-state of the first control valve and the second control valve is flexibly and respectively controlled based on operating modes of the air-conditioning apparatus to adjust a flow path of refrigerant and change the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe. When ice is formed at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be controlled to pass through the hot-air bypass pipe first and then flow into the four-way valve, such that the heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe can be quickly increased, and ice at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger can be quickly melted. The hot-air bypass pipe is part of a refrigerant pipeline in the air-conditioning apparatus, and part of heat in a refrigerant circulation process is transferred to the hot-air bypass pipe for ice melting. Therefore, no additional heating apparatus is needed for ice melting, heat utilization efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus is improved, and resource waste is reduced.

Those having ordinary skills in the art can understand that all or some of the steps and systems in the methods disclosed above can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. Some or all physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include a computer storage medium or non-transitory medium and a communication medium or transitory medium. As is known to those having ordinary skills in the art, the term “computer storage medium” includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). The computer storage medium includes, but not limited to, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a flash memory or other memory technology, a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or other optical storage, a cassette, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, as is known to those having ordinary skills in the art, the communication medium typically includes computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier or other transport mechanism, and can include any information delivery medium.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. Various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of those having ordinary skills in the art without departing from the essence of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

a compressor;
a four-way valve connected to the compressor through a first refrigerant branch;
a first control valve arranged on the first refrigerant branch;
an indoor heat exchanger connected to the four-way valve;
an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the four-way valve;
a second refrigerant branch connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch;
a second control valve and a hot-air bypass pipe located at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the second control valve and the hot-air bypass pipe are arranged on the second refrigerant branch; and
a flash evaporator, having a first refrigerant port connected to the outdoor heat exchanger, a second refrigerant port connected to the indoor heat exchanger, and an air outlet connected to the compressor.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air outlet of the flash evaporator is connected to the compressor through a third control valve.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein a capillary component is arranged between the first refrigerant port and the outdoor heat exchanger.

4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein an expansion valve is arranged between the second refrigerant port and the indoor heat exchanger.

5. A control method applicable to an air-conditioning apparatus,

the air-conditioning apparatus comprising: compressor; a four-way valve connected to the compressor through a first refrigerant branch; a first control valve arranged on the first refrigerant branch; an indoor heat exchanger connected to the four-way valve; an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the four-way valve; a second refrigerant branch connected in parallel to the first refrigerant branch; a second control valve and a hot-air bypass pipe located at the bottom of the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the second control valve and the hot-air bypass pipe are arranged on the second refrigerant branch; and a flash evaporator, having a first refrigerant port connected to the outdoor heat exchanger, a second refrigerant port connected to the indoor heat exchanger, and an air outlet connected to the compressor,
the control method comprising: controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively in response to an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus, to adjust heat supply for the hot-air bypass pipe.

6. The control method of claim 5, wherein the controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively in response to an operating mode of the air-conditioning apparatus comprises:

obtaining an outdoor ambient temperature in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a heating mode; and
controlling the first control valve and the second control valve respectively based on the outdoor ambient temperature and a preset ice condensation value.

7. The control method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to the outdoor ambient temperature being lower than the preset ice condensation value, controlling the first control valve to be closed, and controlling the second control valve to be turned on.

8. The control method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to the outdoor ambient temperature being higher than or equal to the preset ice condensation value, controlling the first control valve to be turned on, and controlling the second control valve to be closed.

9. The control method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling mode, controlling the first control valve to be turned on, and controlling the second control valve to be closed.

10. The control method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling and defrosting mode, controlling the first control valve to be closed, and controlling the second control valve to be turned on.

11. The control method of claim 5, wherein the air outlet of the flash evaporator is connected to the compressor through the third control valve, and the control method further comprises:

in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a cooling mode or a cooling and defrosting mode, controlling the third control valve to be closed; and
in response to the air-conditioning apparatus operating in a heating mode, controlling the third control valve to be turned on.

12. An operation control apparatus comprising:

a memory; and
at least one processor,
wherein a computer program is stored in the memory and executable by the at least one processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, storing a computer-executable instruction which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the control method for the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5.

Patent History
Publication number: 20250146700
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 13, 2025
Publication Date: May 8, 2025
Applicant: GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD. (Foshan,)
Inventors: Hui YU (Foshan,), Yangyang YUAN (Foshan)
Application Number: 19/019,034
Classifications
International Classification: F24F 11/84 (20180101);