EP2980497A1 - Wärmepumpe und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer damit - Google Patents

Wärmepumpe und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer damit Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2980497A1
EP2980497A1 EP15180055.4A EP15180055A EP2980497A1 EP 2980497 A1 EP2980497 A1 EP 2980497A1 EP 15180055 A EP15180055 A EP 15180055A EP 2980497 A1 EP2980497 A1 EP 2980497A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
frost formation
evaporator
detecting means
formation state
compressor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP15180055.4A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP2980497B1 (de
Inventor
Mamoru Hamada
Kouji Yamashita
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Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Publication date
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Priority to EP15180055.4A priority Critical patent/EP2980497B1/de
Publication of EP2980497A1 publication Critical patent/EP2980497A1/de
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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B47/00—Arrangements for preventing or removing deposits or corrosion, not provided for in another subclass
    • F25B47/02—Defrosting cycles
    • F25B47/022—Defrosting cycles hot gas defrosting
    • F25B47/025—Defrosting cycles hot gas defrosting by reversing the cycle
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
    • F25D21/002—Defroster control
    • F25D21/006—Defroster control with electronic control circuits
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/30—Control or safety arrangements for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
    • F24F11/41—Defrosting; Preventing freezing
    • F24F11/42—Defrosting; Preventing freezing of outdoor units
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F2140/00—Control inputs relating to system states
    • F24F2140/20—Heat-exchange fluid temperature
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2500/00—Problems to be solved
    • F25B2500/19—Calculation of parameters
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2600/00—Control issues
    • F25B2600/23—Time delays
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25B2700/11—Sensor to detect if defrost is necessary
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25B2700/17—Speeds
    • F25B2700/171—Speeds of the compressor
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25B2700/19—Pressures
    • F25B2700/197—Pressures of the evaporator
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25B2700/21—Temperatures
    • F25B2700/2117—Temperatures of an evaporator
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25B2700/21—Temperatures
    • F25B2700/2117—Temperatures of an evaporator
    • F25B2700/21171—Temperatures of an evaporator of the fluid cooled by the evaporator
    • F25B2700/21172—Temperatures of an evaporator of the fluid cooled by the evaporator at the inlet

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a heat pump and an air conditioner or a water heater having the same, and more particularly to a heat pump which detects capacity deterioration caused by frost formation on an evaporator accurately and starts a defrosting operation at an appropriate timing and an air conditioner or a water heater having the same.
  • Step S16 As for an air conditioner, which is one of prior-art heat pumps, a device is proposed "that decides at step S16 whether or not a liquid injection circuit constituted by 20, 21, 22, 23a, 23b, 24, 25a, 25b is in use, and a calculation equation for deciding defrosting start is changed in accordance with the result.
  • Step S17 is a decision of starting a defrosting operation if the liquid injection circuit is used.
  • Step S18 is the decision of starting the defrosting operation if the liquid injection circuit is not used.
  • the defrosting operation is started.
  • a device in which "during a heating operation, a calculation circuit 21 monitors the time elapsed from the start of an operation by using an output of a timer circuit 22 initiated at the same time as the operation start. If a given time (15 minutes, for example) elapsed, a temperature of an outdoor heat exchanger 3, that is, an evaporator temperature Te is detected by a signal from an evaporator temperature detection circuit 9 at that time, and it is stored in a temperature storage portion 23 as Te 0 . In this case, the given time T 1 is the time till the evaporator temperature Te becomes stable. Moreover, the calculation circuit 21 sequentially detects the evaporator temperature Te and calculates the following equation.
  • A is a specific numeral value, and "20", for example. That is, a ratio is set to be calculated between a value obtained by adding the numeral value A to the evaporator temperature Te 0 after the given time T 1 elapsed and a value obtained by adding the numeral value A to the sequentially detected evaporator temperature Te.
  • the calculation circuit 21 compares a calculated value B and a set value C (0.5, for example), and if B is larger than C, the heating operation is continued as it is and the above calculation is repeated (at a rate of several times per second).
  • the frost formation state of the evaporator might not be able to be detected due to snow covering the detecting means, for example.
  • the prior-art frost formation detecting means See Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example
  • the frost formation state on the evaporator can be accurately detected.
  • an outdoor temperature is used as a parameter for detecting the frost formation state on the evaporator, and a false decision of a change in the evaporation temperature of the evaporator with the change in the outdoor temperature as frost formation on the evaporator can be also prevented.
  • the configuration of Patent Document 2 for example, since the outdoor temperature is not used as a parameter for detecting the frost formation state on the evaporator, even if the outdoor temperature cannot be detected due to snow covering the outdoor temperature detecting means, for example, the frost formation state on the evaporator can be accurately detected.
  • misdetection of the frost formation state on the evaporator caused by the outdoor environment is given consideration
  • misdetection of the frost formation on the evaporator caused by a change in an indoor environment (change of a set temperature or the like) or a change in a compressor frequency which occur during a heating operation is not considered, which is a problem. That is, if the evaporation temperature of the evaporator is lowered due to a change in the indoor environment and a change in the compressor frequency, for example, there is a problem that the drop of the evaporation temperature is erroneously decided as frost formation on the evaporator.
  • the present invention was made in order to solve the above problems and has an object to obtain a heat pump that can detect a frost formation state on an evaporator accurately without being affected by a change in an indoor environment or a change in a compressor frequency and an air conditioner or a water heater having this heat pump.
  • the heat pump according to the present invention is provided with, in a heat pump having a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are connected sequentially, evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means for detecting an evaporation temperature of the evaporator, evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means for detecting an evaporator sucked air temperature of the evaporator, compressor frequency detecting means for detecting a compressor frequency of the compressor, and first frost formation state detecting means for detecting a frost formation state of the evaporator, and the first frost formation state detecting means sets a calculation value obtained by dividing a difference between the evaporator sucked air temperature and the evaporation temperature by the compressor frequency to a characteristic amount and detects a drop in heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator on the basis of the characteristic amount.
  • the heat pump according to the present invention is provided with, in a heat pump having a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are connected sequentially, evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means for detecting an evaporation pressure of the evaporator, evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means for detecting an evaporator sucked air temperature of the evaporator, compressor frequency detecting means for detecting compressor frequency of the compressor, and first frost formation state detecting means for detecting a frost formation state on the evaporator, and the first frost formation state detecting means sets a calculation value obtained by dividing a difference between the evaporator sucked air temperature and the evaporation temperature calculated from the evaporation pressure by the compressor frequency to a characteristic amount and detects a drop in heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator on the basis of the characteristic amount.
  • the heat pump according to the present invention is provided with, in a heat pump having a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are connected sequentially, evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means for detecting an evaporation temperature of the evaporator and first frost formation state detecting means for detecting a frost formation state on the evaporator, and the first frost formation state detecting sets the evaporation temperature to a characteristic amount and detects a drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator on the basis of a time change amount of the characteristic amount.
  • the heat pump according to the present invention is provided with, in a heat pump having a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are connected sequentially, evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means for detecting an evaporation pressure of the evaporator and first frost formation state detecting means for detecting a frost formation state of the evaporator, and the first frost formation state detecting means sets the evaporation pressure to a characteristic amount and detects a drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator on the basis of a time change amount of the characteristic amount.
  • a calculation value obtained by dividing a difference between the evaporator sucked air temperature and the evaporation temperature by the compressor frequency is used as a characteristic amount, and drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator is detected on the basis of the characteristic amount, therefore, a frost formation state on the evaporator can be detected accurately without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • a calculation value obtained by dividing a difference between the evaporator sucked air temperature and the evaporation temperature calculated from the evaporation pressure by the compressor frequency is used as a characteristic amount, and drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator is detected on the basis of the characteristic amount, therefore, a frost formation state on the evaporator can be detected accurately without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • a calculation value obtained by dividing a difference between the evaporator sucked air temperature and the evaporation temperature by the compressor frequency is used as a characteristic amount, and drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator is detected on the basis of a time change amount of the characteristic amount, therefore, frost formation state on the evaporator can be detected accurately without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment even if detected values of the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means, and the compressor frequency detecting means deviate by a secular change.
  • a calculation value obtained by dividing a difference between the evaporator sucked air temperature and the evaporation temperature calculated from the evaporation pressure by the compressor frequency is used as a characteristic amount, and drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator is detected on the basis of a time change amount of the characteristic amount, therefore, a frost formation state on the evaporator can be detected accurately without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment even if detected values of the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means, and the compressor frequency detecting means deviate by a secular change.
  • the evaporation temperature is used as a characteristic amount, and drop in the heat exchange performance caused by the frost formation on the evaporator is detected on the basis of a time change amount of the characteristic amount, therefore, even in an environment where the evaporator sucked air temperature cannot be detected due to snow coverage or the like (an environment where the evaporator sucked air temperature might be misdetected), a frost formation state on the evaporator can be accurately detected without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • the evaporation pressure is used as a characteristic amount, and drop in the heat exchange performance caused by a frost formation on the evaporator is detected on the basis of a time change amount of the characteristic amount, therefore, even in an environment where the evaporator sucked air temperature cannot be detected due to snow coverage or the like (an environment where the evaporator sucked air temperature might be misdetected), a frost formation state on the evaporator can be accurately detected without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • Fig. 1 is an outline configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using a heat pump in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
  • the air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2, which are connected by piping.
  • a compressor 3 that can vary a frequency
  • a four-way valve 4 for switching a flow passage between cooling and heating an expansion valve 5
  • an outdoor heat exchanger 6 that will become an evaporator in a heating operation
  • an outdoor heat exchanger fan 7 are provided as components of a refrigerant circuit.
  • evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10 is provided for detecting a refrigerant saturation temperature (evaporation temperature in a heating operation) of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 (evaporator), and evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11 for detecting an air temperature (outdoor temperature) of air flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger is provided in the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • compressor frequency detecting means 12 for detecting a compressor frequency f is provided in the compressor 3.
  • a control portion 100 is provided in the outdoor unit 1.
  • the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10 may be provided between the expansion valve 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6. Also, though the control portion 100 is provided in the outdoor unit 1, it may be provided in the indoor unit 2 or may be provided outside.
  • an indoor heat exchanger 8 that will become a condenser in a heating operation and an indoor heat exchanger fan 9 are provided as components of the refrigerant circuit.
  • Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration for detecting performance drop caused by a frost formation of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 using the heat pump in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with a timer 101, a memory 102, frost formation state detecting means 103 corresponding to first frost formation state detecting means of the present invention and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores an evaporation temperature Te, an evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, a compressor frequency f and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, and the compressor frequency detecting means 12, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a characteristic amount T1, which will be described later, using the evaporation temperature Te, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, and the compressor frequency f to detect a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9 on the basis of information of the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like.
  • a flow passage of the four-way valve 4 is set in the direction of a solid line in Fig. 1 .
  • a high temperature and high pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 8 provided in the indoor unit 2 through the four-way valve 4. After that, it is condensed and liquefied while radiating heat to the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 8 to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant.
  • the indoor air blown to the indoor heat exchanger 8 by the indoor heat exchanger fan 9 is heated by the indoor heat exchanger 8 to perform heating operation.
  • the high-pressure liquid refrigerant exited from the indoor heat exchanger 8 returns to the outdoor unit 1.
  • the high-pressure liquid refrigerant returned to the outdoor unit 1 is decompressed by the expansion valve 5 to turn into a low-pressure two-phase state and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the outdoor air blown from the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7 to evaporate and become a low-pressure gas refrigerant.
  • the refrigerant flows into the compressor 3 through the four-way valve 4.
  • the compressor 3 raises the pressure of the low-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges it.
  • the flow passage of the four-way valve 4 is set in the direction of a broken line in Fig. 1 .
  • a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 6 through the four-way valve 4.
  • the refrigerant is condensed and liquefied in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant.
  • frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is melted and removed by a heat of the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the defrosting operation is not limited to that shown in Embodiment 1.
  • the defrosting operation can be realized without switching the four-way valve 4 or providing the four-way valve 4 in the outdoor unit 1.
  • Fig. 3 is a flowchart of defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
  • a command value sent from the control portion 100 to the compressor 3 may be used as the compressor frequency f.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 decides whether the characteristic amount T1 exceeds a threshold value S1 set in advance. If the characteristic amount T1 exceeds the threshold value S1, the processing proceeds to step S-4, where the defrosting operation is started. If the characteristic amount T1 does not exceed the threshold value S1, the processing returns back to step S-2, where the process is repeated.
  • the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 might be lowered due to a factor other than drop in the evaporation temperature Te caused by a frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the control portion 100 increases the compressor frequency f of the compressor 3 in order to raise a condensation temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 8. At this time, since a refrigerant speed in the refrigerant circuit is increased, the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is lowered.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is detected using the characteristic amount T1 shown in the equation (1).
  • the evaporation temperature Te is lowered, that is, a value of (Ta - Te), which is a numerator of the characteristic amount T1 is raised, the compressor frequency f, which is a denominator of the characteristic amount T1, is also raised. Therefore, if the evaporation temperature Te is lowered by the increase of the compressor frequency f, a rise (fluctuation) in the characteristic amount T1 can be suppressed.
  • Fig. 4 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relationship between the characteristic amount T1 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
  • the vertical axis indicates the characteristic amount T1 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the characteristic amount T1 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the characteristic amount T1 is not changed much, and as frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 increases with time, the characteristic amount T1 is raised gradually.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be accurately detected without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • Embodiment 1 a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is detected by the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, but since the evaporation temperature Te and the evaporation pressure of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 show similar changes, a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected by using the evaporation pressure of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • Embodiment 2 those not particularly described are supposed to be the same as in Embodiment 1, and the same functions will be described using the same reference numerals.
  • Fig. 5 is an outline configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
  • Embodiment 2 instead of the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10 in Embodiment 1, evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13 for detecting a refrigerant pressure (evaporation pressure in a heating operation) of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is provided in the refrigerant circuit.
  • Fig. 6 is a configuration block diagram for detecting performance drop caused by a frost formation of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 using the heat pump in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores an evaporation pressure Pe, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, the compressor frequency f and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, and the compressor frequency detecting means 12, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a characteristic amount T2, which will be described later, using an evaporation temperature Tep calculated from the evaporation pressure Pe, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, and the compressor frequency f to detect a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • Fig. 7 is a flowchart of defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
  • a command value to be sent to the compressor 3 from the control portion 100 may be used as the compressor frequency f.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 decides if the characteristic amount T2 exceeds a preset threshold value S2 or not. If the characteristic amount T2 exceeds the threshold value S2, the processing proceeds to step S-14, where the defrosting operation is started. If the characteristic amount T2 does not exceed the threshold value S2, the processing returns back to step S-12, where the above process is repeated.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is detected using the characteristic amount T2 shown in the equation (2). Therefore, similarly to Embodiment 1, if the evaporation temperature Tep (evaporation pressure Pe) is lowered by the increase of the compressor frequency f, a rise (fluctuation) in the characteristic amount T2 can be suppressed.
  • Fig. 8 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a characteristic amount T2 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
  • the vertical axis indicates the characteristic amount T2 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the characteristic amount T2 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the characteristic amount T2 is not changed much, and as a frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 increases with time, the characteristic amount T2 is raised gradually.
  • the characteristic amount T2 is used for detecting the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, that is, since the difference (Ta - Tep) between the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta and the evaporation pressure Pe is divided by the compressor frequency f, a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be accurately detected without being affected by a change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • Embodiment 1 a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is detected using the characteristic amount T1, but the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected more accurately by using a time change amount of the characteristic amount T1.
  • Embodiment 3 those not particularly described are supposed to be the same as in the above embodiments, and the same functions will be described using the same reference numerals.
  • Fig. 9 is an outline configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
  • compressor operation time measuring means 14 for measuring a compressor operation time t of the compressor 3 is provided in addition to the refrigerant circuit of Embodiment 1.
  • Fig. 10 is a configuration block diagram for detecting performance drop caused by a frost formation of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 using the heat pump in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores an evaporation temperature Te, an evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, a compressor frequency f, and a compressor operation time t and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, the compressor frequency detecting means 12, and the compressor operation time measuring means 14, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T1 at the compressor operation time t using the evaporation temperature Te, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, and the compressor frequency f to detect a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • Fig. 11 is a flowchart of defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring device 14 at step S-22.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T1 shown by the equation (1) from the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta at the compressor operation time t detected by the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, the evaporation temperature Te detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, and the compressor frequency f detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12 and stores it in the memory 102.
  • a change amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) set in advance elapsed or not. If the change amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) elapsed, the processing proceeds to step S-25, while if the time did not elapse, the processing returns back to step S-22, where the above process is repeated.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the characteristic amount T1(t - D) at a compressor operation time (t - D) from the characteristic amount T1(t) at the compressor operation time t, that is, T1(t) - T1(t - D), as the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than a threshold value S3, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing proceeds to step S-26, where the defrosting operation is started. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is smaller than the threshold value S3, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is not lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing returns back to step S-22, where the heating operation is continued.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring means 14 but it may be measured by the timer 101.
  • the compressor frequency f is detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12, but a command value sent from the control portion 100 to the compressor 3 may be used.
  • Fig. 12 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
  • the vertical axis indicates the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the characteristic amount T1 is not changed much.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is not changed much, as well, if the evaporation temperature Te is lowered by the increase of the compressor frequency f, and as the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is increased as time elapses, the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is raised gradually.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately without being affected by the change in the compressor frequency in addition to that of the outdoor environment.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is used for detecting the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, even if detected values of the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, and the compressor frequency detecting means 12 deviate by a secular change, the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately.
  • Embodiment 3 while a frost formation state of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is detected using the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1, the frost formation state of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be also detected using the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2.
  • items not particularly described are supposed to be the same as those in the above embodiments, and the same functions will be described using the same reference numerals.
  • Fig. 13 is an outline configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using a heat pump in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
  • the compressor operation time measuring means 14 for measuring the compressor operation time t of the compressor 3 is provided in addition to the refrigerant circuit of Embodiment 2.
  • Fig. 14 is a configuration block diagram for detecting performance drop caused by a frost formation of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 using the heat pump in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores the evaporation pressure Pe, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, the compressor frequency f, the compressor operation time t and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, the compressor frequency detecting means 12, and the compressor operation time measuring means 14, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T2 at the compressor operation time t using the evaporation temperature Tep calculated from the evaporation pressure Pe, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, and the compressor frequency f to detect a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • Fig. 15 is a flowchart of a defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring device 14 at step S-32.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T2 shown by the equation (2) from the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta at the compressor operation time t detected by the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, the evaporation temperature Tep calculated by the evaporation pressure Pe detected by the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13, and the compressor frequency f detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12 and stores it in the memory 102.
  • step S-34 it is decided if a change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) set in advance elapsed or not. If the change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) elapsed, the processing goes on to step S-35. If the time did not elapse, the processing returns back to step S-32, where the above process is repeated.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the characteristic amount T2(t - D) at a compressor operation time (t - D) from the characteristic amount T2(t) at the compressor operation time t, that is, T2(t) - T2(t - D), as the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 is larger than a threshold value S4, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing goes on to step S-36, where the defrosting operation is started. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 is smaller than the threshold value S4, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is not lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing returns back to step S-32, where the heating operation is continued.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring means 14 but it may be measured by the timer 101.
  • the compressor frequency f is detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12, but a command value sent from the control portion 100 to the compressor 3 may be used.
  • Fig. 16 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
  • the vertical axis indicates the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the characteristic amount T2 is not changed much.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 is not changed much, as well, if the evaporation temperature Te is lowered by the increase of the compressor frequency f, and as the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is increased as time elapses, the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 is raised gradually.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately without being affected by the change in the compressor frequency in addition to a change in the outdoor environment.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T2 is used for detecting the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, similarly to Embodiment 3, even if detected values on the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, and the compressor frequency detecting means 12 deviate by a secular change, the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately.
  • Embodiment 5 In an environment in which the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11 is covered with snow, for example, and cannot detect the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta (environment in which the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta is falsely detected), a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately by the means shown in Embodiment 5.
  • items not particularly described are supposed to be the same as those in the above embodiments, and the same functions will be described using the same reference numerals.
  • Fig. 17 is an outline configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using a heat pump in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
  • the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11 for detecting the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta and the compressor frequency detecting means 12 for detecting the compressor frequency f are removed from the refrigerant circuit of Embodiment 3.
  • Fig. 18 is a configuration block diagram for detecting performance drop caused by a frost formation of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 using the heat pump in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores the evaporation temperature Te, the compressor operation time t and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10 and the compressor operation time measuring means 14, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a time change amount of a characteristic amount T3, which will be described later, or the like to detect a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • control portion 100 On the basis of information from the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like, the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • Fig. 19 is a flowchart of defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring device 14 at step S-42.
  • a change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) set in advance elapsed or not. If the change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) elapsed, the processing goes on to step S-45. If the time did not elapse, the processing returns back to step S-42, where the above process is repeated.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the characteristic amount T3(t) at a compressor operation time t from the characteristic amount T3(t - D) at the compressor operation time (t - D), that is, T3(t - D) - T3(t), as the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 is larger than a threshold value S5, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing goes on to step S-46, where the defrosting operation is started. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 is smaller than the threshold value S5, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is not lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing returns back to step S-42, where the heating operation is continued.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring means 14 but it may be measured by the timer 101.
  • Fig. 20 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
  • the vertical axis indicates the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 is raised gradually.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be accurately detected under an environment in which the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta cannot be detected due to snow coverage or the like (environment in which the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta is falsely detected).
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T3 is used for detecting the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, even if a detected value of the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10 deviates by a secular change, the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately.
  • the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is used for detecting a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, but since the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and the evaporation pressure show the same change, the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be also detected using the evaporation pressure of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • items not particularly described are supposed to be the same as those in the above embodiments, and the same functions will be described using the same reference numerals.
  • Fig. 21 is an outline configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
  • the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13 for detecting a refrigerant pressure (evaporation pressure in a heating operation) of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is provided in the refrigerant circuit.
  • Fig. 22 is a configuration block diagram for detecting performance drop caused by a frost formation of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 using the heat pump in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores an evaporation pressure Pe, the compressor operation time t and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13 and the compressor operation time measuring means 14, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a time change amount of a characteristic amount T4, which will be described later, or the like to detect a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • control portion 100 On the basis of information from the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103 and the like, the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • Fig. 23 is a flowchart of defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring device 14 at step S-52.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the characteristic amount T4(t) at a compressor operation time t from the characteristic amount T4(t - D) at the compressor operation time (t - D), that is, T4(t - D) - T4(t) as the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 is larger than a threshold value S6, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing goes on to step S-56, where the defrosting operation is started. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 is smaller than the threshold value S6, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is not lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing returns back to step S-52, where the heating operation is continued.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring means 14 but it may be measured by the timer 101.
  • Fig. 24 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
  • the vertical axis indicates the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 is raised gradually.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be accurately detected under an environment in which the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta cannot be detected due to snow coverage or the like (environment in which the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta is falsely detected).
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T4 is used for detecting the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, even if a detected value of the evaporator refrigerant pressure detecting means 13 deviates by a secular change, the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected accurately.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T(1 to 4) is set as a difference between a current characteristic amount T(t) and a characteristic amount T(t - D) before a change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example). This is because malfunctions can be prevented caused by a temperature change in an outside-air in the case of a frost formation over a long time, but if a frost formation state can be detected accurately, D is not particularly limited but it may be 4 minutes or 10 minutes, for example.
  • the time change amount of the characteristic amount T may be a difference between a characteristic amount T(t - D) before a certain reference time (20 minutes after start of the compressor 3, for example) and a current characteristic amount T(t).
  • the reference time of 20 minutes is set since it is confirmed that a refrigerating cycle is sufficiently stable and detection of a frost formation state is possible, but if the refrigerating cycle is sufficiently stable and detection of the frost formation state is possible, the reference time may be 10 minutes or 30 minutes, for example.
  • Embodiments 1 to 6 detection of a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is started immediately after the start of the compressor 3 (start of the heating operation), but by starting the detection of a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 after a certain time elapsed (th) from the start of the compressor 3, a frost-formation state decision in a state in which the refrigerating cycle is unstable due to pull-down can be avoided, and malfunction of the defrosting operation can be prevented.
  • the configuration of Embodiment 3 will be used in the following explanation of Embodiment 7. Items not particularly described are supposed to be the same as those in the above embodiments, and the same functions will be described using the same reference numerals.
  • Fig. 25 is a flowchart of the defrosting start decision control of an air conditioner using a heat pump in Embodiment 7 of the present invention.
  • step S-21 When the heating operation is started at step S-21, the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring means 14 at step S-22. At step S-22-1, it is decided whether the compressor operation time t exceeds a defrosting non-operation time th set in advance. If t exceeds th, the processing goes to step S-23. If not, the processing returns back to step S-22, where the above process is repeated.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T1 shown by the equation (1) from the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta detected by the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11 at the compressor operation time t, the evaporation temperature Te detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, and the compressor frequency f detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12 and stores it in the memory 102.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the characteristic amount T1(t - D) at a compressor operation time (t - D) from the characteristic amount T1(t) at the compressor operation time t, that is, T1(t) - T1(t - D), as the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than a threshold value S3, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing goes on to step S-26, where the defrosting operation is started. If the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is smaller than the threshold value S3, it is decided that the heating operation capacity is not lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing returns back to step S-22, where the heating operation is continued.
  • Fig. 26 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 and an operation time of the compressor 3 when the air conditioner in Embodiment 7 of the present invention is in a pull-down operation.
  • the vertical axis indicates the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time of the compressor 3, and a change with time of the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3 is illustrated.
  • the air conditioner performs the pull-down operation in which the frequency of the compressor 3 is temporarily raised and indoor heating is quickly conducted.
  • the evaporation temperature Te is rapidly lowered (the characteristic amount T1 is rapidly raised), that is, the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is rapidly raised, and the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 temporarily shows an overshoot as shown in Fig. 26 .
  • Embodiment 7 since the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is detected after the defrosting non-operation time th elapsed, false detection can be prevented of a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 by the temporary overshoot of the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 in the pull-down operation.
  • the defrosting non-operation time th is not made to be a predetermined certain time, but a next defrosting non-operation time th_next may be determined on the basis of a defrosting operation time(t_def) before a heating operation.
  • Fig. 27 is a flowchart for determining the next defrosting non-operation time th_next.
  • step S-63 When the defrosting operation is finished at step S-63, the defrosting operation time t_def is measured by the timer 101 at step S-64. At step S-65, the next defrosting non-operation time th_next is calculated on the basis of the defrosting operation time t_def. After that, the processing goes onto step S-66, where the heating operation is started.
  • next defrosting non-operation time th_next detection accuracy of the frost formation state can be improved without performing an unnecessary defrosting operation.
  • the defrosting non-operation time th according to an installation environment of the outdoor unit 1 can be calculated, drop of the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 caused by too long defrosting non-operation time th can be prevented.
  • the defrosting operation is started when the characteristic amount T or the time change amount of the characteristic amount T exceeds a certain threshold value S, but the defrosting operation may be started if a state in which the threshold value S is exceeded lasts for a predetermined time (X minutes).
  • a predetermined time X minutes.
  • Fig. 28 is a configuration block diagram illustrating detection of performance drop of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 caused by frost formation using the heat pump in Embodiment 8 of the present invention.
  • the control portion 100 is provided with the timer 101, the memory 102, the frost formation state detecting means 103, defrosting allowing means 104 and the like.
  • the timer 101 measures an operation time or the like.
  • the memory 102 stores the evaporation temperature Te, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, the compressor frequency f, the compressor operation time t and the like detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, the compressor frequency detecting means 12, and the compressor operation time measuring means 14, respectively.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T1 at the compressor operation time t using the evaporation temperature Te, the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta, and the compressor frequency f to detect a frost formation state of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • Defrosting allowing means 104 allows a defrosting operation on the basis of detection results of the frost formation state detecting means.
  • the control portion 100 sends a control signal to each driving portion of the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger fan 7, and the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • Fig. 29 is a flowchart of defrosting start decision control of the air conditioner using the heat pump in Embodiment 8 of the present invention.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring device 14 at step S-22.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates the characteristic amount T1 shown by the equation (1) from the evaporator sucked air temperature Ta at the compressor operation time t detected by the evaporator sucked air temperature detecting means 11, the evaporation temperature Te detected by the evaporator refrigerant saturation temperature detecting means 10, and the compressor frequency f detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12 and stores it in the memory 102.
  • a change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) set in advance elapsed or not. If the change-amount detection time D minutes (5 minutes, for example) elapsed, the processing goes on to step S-25. If not, the processing returns back to step S-22, where the above process is repeated.
  • the frost formation state detecting means 103 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the characteristic amount T1(t - D) at a compressor operation time (t - D) from the characteristic amount T1(t) at the compressor operation time t, that is, T1(t) - T1(t - D), as a time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 and decides if the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than a threshold value S3 or not. Also, the defrosting allowing means 104 decision whether a state in which the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than the threshold value S3 continues for equal to or larger than a frost formation decision time (X minutes) set in advance.
  • step S-26 If the state in which the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than the threshold value S3 continues for equal to or larger than the frost formation decision time (X minutes), it is decided that the heating capacity is lowered by frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing goes on to step S-26, where the defrosting operation is started. If the state in which the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than the threshold value S3 does not continue for equal to or larger than the frost formation decision time (X minutes), it is decided that the heating capacity is not lowered by frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the processing returns to step S-22, where the heating operation is continued.
  • the compressor operation time t is measured by the compressor operation time measuring means 14 but it may be measured by the timer 101.
  • the compressor frequency f is detected by the compressor frequency detecting means 12, but a command value sent from the control portion 100 to the compressor 3 may be used.
  • the control potion 100 raises the frequency of the indoor heat exchanger fan 9.
  • the frequency of the indoor heat exchanger fan 9 By the increase of the frequency of the indoor heat exchanger fan 9, a heat exchange between the indoor heat exchanger 8 and air sent from the indoor heat exchanger fan 9 to the indoor heat exchanger 8 is promoted, a condensation temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 8 is lowered, and with the drop of the condensation temperature, the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is also temporarily lowered.
  • a detected value of the evaporation temperature Te of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 might also be temporarily lowered due to a noise or the like.
  • Embodiment 8 if the state in which the time change amount of the characteristic amount T1 is larger than the threshold value S3 continues for equal to or larger than the frost formation determination time (X minutes) set in advance, it is decided that the heating capacity is lowered by a frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6. Thus, even if the evaporation temperature Te is temporarily lowered, false detection that the heating capacity is lowered by the frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be prevented.
  • a frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is indirectly detected on the basis of the evaporation temperature or the like, but by using second frost formation state detecting means for directly detecting a frost formation state of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 at the same time, the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be detected more accurately.
  • Fig. 30 is an outline configuration diagram illustrating an example of the second frost formation state detecting means in Embodiment 9.
  • An optical frost formation sensor 21 is constituted by a light emitting portion 21a of an optical sensor such as an LED and a light receiving portion 21b.
  • the light emitting portion 21a emits light toward a fin 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the light reflected by the fin 6a is received by the light receiving portion 21b.
  • a light emission amount from the light emitting portion 21a that is, an output voltage of the light emitting portion 21a is controlled by a light-amount decision control portion 22 so that a light receiving amount by the light receiving portion 21b is made constant.
  • Fig. 31 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between an output voltage [V] of a light emitting portion 21a and an operation time.
  • the vertical axis indicates the output voltage [V] of the light emitting portion 21a and the horizontal axis indicates an operation time of the compressor 3 to illustrate a change over time of the output voltage [V] of the light emitting portion 21a.
  • frost begins to form on the fin 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the light emitted by the light emitting portion 21a toward the fin 6a is diffused by the frost and the light receiving amount of the light receiving portion 21b is decreased.
  • the output voltage of the light emitting portion 21a is increased so that the light receiving amount of the light receiving portion 21b becomes constant.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be directly directed. It may be so configured that the output voltage of the light emitting portion 21a is made constant, and the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is detected by a decrease in the light receiving amount of the light receiving portion 21b.
  • an electrode is installed at a position in contact with frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 to make it second frost formation state detecting means.
  • Fig. 32 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between capacitance [F] between a fin and an electrode of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 9.
  • the horizontal axis indicates the capacitance [F] and the lateral axis indicates an operation time of the compressor 3 to show a change with time in the capacitance [F] with respect to the operation time of the compressor 3.
  • another electrode of the electrode is made as a fin of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and the capacitance between the both electrodes is measured.
  • frost begins to form on the fin of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the capacitance [F] between the fin and the electrode of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is decreased.
  • the frost formation state on the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be directly detected.
  • radiation temperature detecting means may be installed for measuring a radiation temperature (frost layer surface temperature) on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 as second frost formation state detecting means.
  • Fig. 33 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relation between a radiation temperature (frost layer surface temperature) [°C] on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and an operation time of the compressor 3 in Embodiment 9 of the present invention. In Fig. 33 , an evaporation temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is also shown.
  • frost begins to form on the fin of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.
  • the radiation temperature frost layer surface temperature
  • the frost formation state of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be directly detected.
  • Embodiment 1 to 9 the air conditioner using the heat pump of the present invention is shown, but it is needless to say that the heat pump of the present invention can be used for a water heater.
  • various sensors can be used for detecting means for pressure and temperature.
  • control portion 100 in each embodiment is constituted by a CPU, a microcomputer and the like in which each of the frost formation state detecting means 103 is programmed.

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EP15180055.4A 2008-01-21 2008-01-21 Wärmepumpe und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer damit Active EP2980497B1 (de)

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PCT/JP2008/050671 WO2009093297A1 (ja) 2008-01-21 2008-01-21 ヒートポンプ装置及びこのヒートポンプ装置を搭載した空気調和機又は給湯器
EP08703521.8A EP2157380B1 (de) 2008-01-21 2008-01-21 Wärmepumpenvorrichtung und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer mit der daran angebrachten wärmepumpenvorrichtung
EP15180055.4A EP2980497B1 (de) 2008-01-21 2008-01-21 Wärmepumpe und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer damit

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EP08703521.8A Division EP2157380B1 (de) 2008-01-21 2008-01-21 Wärmepumpenvorrichtung und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer mit der daran angebrachten wärmepumpenvorrichtung
EP08703521.8A Division-Into EP2157380B1 (de) 2008-01-21 2008-01-21 Wärmepumpenvorrichtung und klimaanlage oder wassererhitzer mit der daran angebrachten wärmepumpenvorrichtung

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EP2980498A1 (de) 2016-02-03
EP2157380A4 (de) 2015-02-18
JPWO2009093297A1 (ja) 2011-05-26
EP2980497B1 (de) 2022-09-14
EP2157380B1 (de) 2019-10-02
EP2157380A1 (de) 2010-02-24
EP2980498B1 (de) 2022-09-07
WO2009093297A1 (ja) 2009-07-30

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