KR102436705B1 - Air Conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner.
An air conditioner according to the present invention includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant with outdoor air; an outdoor expansion valve that expands the flowing refrigerant; a first four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger or sending the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor; a first indoor unit combination including at least one indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger; a second indoor unit combination including at least one indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger; a second four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the first indoor unit combination or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the first indoor unit combination to the compressor; and a third four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the second indoor unit combination or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the second indoor unit combination to the compressor.

Description

Air Conditioner {Air Conditioner}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner capable of simultaneously heating and cooling a plurality of indoor units without a separate distributor.

In general, an air conditioner is a device that cools or heats a room using a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger. That is, the air conditioner may be configured as an air conditioner for cooling a room, a heater for heating the room, or may be configured as a combined heating and cooling device for cooling or heating the room.

Recently, there is a high demand for multi-type air conditioners that connect an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units to perform a cooling or heating operation on a plurality of indoor units. Each of the plurality of indoor units may be installed as a simultaneous type that operates simultaneously for cooling or heating.

In the case of a simultaneous multi-air conditioner that simultaneously operates a plurality of indoor units by cooling or heating, such as registered patent KR 10-1624529 B1, a separate distributor is installed to control the flow of refrigerant between the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units. A plurality of indoor units allowed cooling and heating operation.

However, since such a simultaneous type air conditioner requires a distributor to be installed, there are restrictions depending on the installation cost or installation space of the distributor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of simultaneously heating and cooling a plurality of indoor units without installing a separate distributor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of controlling a plurality of group-by-group indoor units.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant with outdoor air; an outdoor expansion valve that expands the flowing refrigerant; a first four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger or sending the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor; a first indoor unit combination including at least one indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger; a second indoor unit combination including at least one indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger; a second four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the first indoor unit combination or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the first indoor unit combination to the compressor; and a third four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the second indoor unit combination or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the second indoor unit combination to the compressor. Each cooling or heating operation can be performed for each combination of indoor units.

The air conditioner according to the present invention further includes a liquid pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger to the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination in parallel, so that the liquid pipe and the indoor unit are directly connected without a separate distributor.

Each of the indoor units included in the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination of the air conditioner according to the present invention is connected in parallel with the liquid pipe through an indoor gas liquid pipe, and the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination operate different from each other. when the refrigerant discharged to the indoor gas-liquid pipe of the indoor units belonging to the indoor unit combination for heating operation among the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination belongs to the indoor unit combination for cooling operation among the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination The refrigerant flows through the indoor gas-liquid pipe and the liquid pipe of the indoor unit, so that each of the indoor gas-liquid pipes is connected without a separate distributor.

The air conditioner according to the present invention further includes a first gas pipe connecting the second four-way valve and the first indoor unit combination, and a second gas pipe connecting the third four-way valve and the second indoor unit combination, Each of the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination includes at least two indoor units, the first gas pipe is connected in parallel with the indoor units included in the first indoor unit combination, and the second gas pipe is the second indoor unit The indoor units included in the combination may be connected in parallel and connected to a plurality of indoor units through the first gas pipe or the second gas pipe without a separate distribution pipe.

The air conditioner according to the present invention further includes a first gas pipe connecting the second four-way valve and the first indoor unit combination, and a second gas pipe connecting the third four-way valve and the second indoor unit combination, The second four-way valve is connected at three points with the first gas tube, a second four-way valve inlet tube connected to the discharge side of the compressor, and a second four-way valve discharge tube connected to the suction side of the compressor, and the third four-way valve At three points, the valve is connected to the second gas pipe, a third four-way valve inlet pipe connected to the discharge side of the compressor, and a third four-way valve discharge pipe connected to the suction side of the compressor.

The second four-way valve of the air conditioner according to the present invention switches the first gas pipe to the second four-way valve inlet pipe or the second four-way valve discharge pipe, and the third four-way valve is the second gas pipe is switched to the third four-way valve inlet pipe or the third four-way valve outlet pipe, so that the two indoor unit combinations can be simultaneously cooled or heated without a separate distributor.

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant and outdoor air; an expansion valve that expands the flowing refrigerant; a first four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger or sending the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor; a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger, both ends of which are respectively connected to an indoor equipment engine and an indoor gas-liquid tube; a second four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to some of the plurality of indoor units or for sending the refrigerant discharged from some of the plurality of indoor units to the compressor; a third four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the remaining part of the plurality of indoor units or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the remaining part of the plurality of indoor units to the compressor; a liquid pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger and the plurality of indoor units and connected in parallel to the plurality of indoor gas-liquid pipes; a first gas pipe connected to the second four-way valve and a part of the plurality of indoor units, and connected in parallel to each of the indoor device engines connected to the indoor unit of the part of the plurality of indoor units; and a second gas pipe connected to the third four-way valve and the other part of the plurality of indoor units and connected in parallel to each of the indoor equipment engines connected to the remaining part of the plurality of indoor units. Each cooling or heating operation can be performed for the indoor unit combination divided into two groups.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the air conditioner of the present invention, there are one or more of the following effects.

First, there is an advantage that the cooling operation and the heating operation of a plurality of indoor units can be performed simultaneously without a separate distributor.

Second, there is an advantage of reducing installation cost or providing convenience of installation by not installing a distributor for a multi-type air conditioner capable of simultaneous operation.

Third, since the distributor is not installed, there is an advantage in that the connection of the communication line between the distributors is unnecessary, so that the convenience of installation is improved.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units perform a cooling operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units perform a heating operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flow chart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units are heated and cooled at the same time according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flow chart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units are heated and cooled at the same time according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for explaining the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes at least one outdoor unit O and a plurality of indoor units I1, I2, I3, and I4.

<Indoor unit>

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units I1, I2, I3, and I4. The air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of combinations of indoor units. 1 , the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a first indoor unit combination IC1 and a second indoor unit combination IC2, and each of the first indoor unit combination IC1 and the second indoor unit combination IC2 is Includes two indoor units. This is divided for convenience of description, and the number of indoor unit combinations and the number of indoor units included in the indoor unit combination may be set differently.

For convenience of description, the first indoor unit combination IC1 includes the first indoor unit I1 and the second indoor unit I2, and the second indoor unit combination IC2 includes the third indoor unit I3 and the fourth indoor unit I4. include Each of the first indoor units I1 to I4 may include an indoor heat exchanger (not shown), an indoor expansion valve (not shown), and an indoor unit fan (not shown) therein.

Each indoor unit is connected to each gas pipe and liquid pipe. That is, the first indoor liquid pipe 90 and the first indoor unit engine 80 are connected to the first indoor unit I1, and the second indoor liquid pipe 92 and the second indoor unit engine 82 are connected to the second indoor unit I2. this is connected Similarly, a third indoor liquid pipe 94 and a third indoor unit engine 84 are connected to the third indoor unit I3, and a fourth indoor liquid pipe 96 and a fourth indoor unit engine 86 are connected to the fourth indoor unit I4. this is connected

<Outdoor unit>

The outdoor unit O according to this embodiment includes an outdoor unit case (not shown), a compressor 10 disposed therein, an outdoor heat exchanger 16 , an accumulator 12 , an oil separator 14 , and an outdoor expansion valve 20 . ), a supercooler 22 and a four-way valve 30, 32, 34 may be included. The four-way valves 30, 32, and 34 according to the present embodiment include a first four-way valve 30 connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 16, and a second four-way valve 32 connected to the first indoor unit combination IC1. and a third four-way valve 34 connected to the second indoor unit combination IC2.

The engine valves 68 and 70 to which the gas pipes 62 and 64 are connected and the liquid pipe valve 66 to which the liquid pipe 60 is connected are disposed in the outdoor unit case. The gas pipes 62 and 64 according to the present embodiment include a first gas pipe 62 and a second gas pipe 64, and a first engine valve to which the first gas pipe 62 is connected to the outdoor unit case. A second engine valve 70 to which 68 and the second gas pipe 64 are connected is installed.

The compressor 10 compresses the flowing gaseous refrigerant. The compressor 10 may use an inverter compressor that controls the amount of refrigerant and the discharge pressure of the refrigerant by adjusting the operating frequency.

The air conditioner according to this embodiment includes a compressor discharge pipe 40 through which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows, and the compressor discharge pipe 40 is a first compressor discharge connected to the first four-way valve 30 . It is branched into a second compressor discharge pipe 44 connected to the pipe 42 , the second four-way valve 32 , and the third four-way valve 34 . The second compressor discharge pipe 44 is branched into a second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 leading to the second four-way valve 32 and a third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 leading to the third four-way valve 34 . .

The outdoor heat exchanger 16 according to the present embodiment is a device for exchanging outdoor air and refrigerant. An outdoor blowing fan (18) is disposed to improve heat exchange of the outdoor heat exchanger (16). The outdoor heat exchanger 16 is connected to the first four-way valve 30 through an outdoor heat exchanger connecting pipe 50 . The outdoor heat exchanger 16 is connected to a plurality of indoor units (I1, I2, I3, I4) and a liquid pipe 60 .

The outdoor heat exchanger 16 may be used as a condenser for condensing the refrigerant or as an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 16 may be an air-cooled type that exchanges heat with air and a refrigerant or a water-cooled type that exchanges heat with water and a refrigerant.

The outdoor expansion valve 20 and the supercooler 22 are disposed on the liquid pipe 60 disposed inside the outdoor unit O according to the present embodiment.

The first four-way valve 30 according to the present embodiment sends the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 or to at least one indoor unit. The first four-way valve 30 according to this embodiment sends the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 or to send the refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 16 to the compressor 10 . Adjust the refrigerant pipe.

The first four-way valve 30 according to the present embodiment is connected to the first compressor discharge pipe 42 , the first compressor inlet pipe 54 , and the outdoor heat exchanger connecting pipe 50 at three points. The first four-way valve 30 connects the outdoor heat exchanger connecting pipe 50 to the first compressor discharge pipe 42 or the first compressor inlet pipe 54 . Accordingly, the first compressor discharge pipe 42 or the first compressor inlet pipe 54 that is not connected to the outdoor heat exchanger connection pipe 50 is in a closed state in which the refrigerant cannot flow.

The oil separator 14 is disposed on the discharge side of the compressor 10 . The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows through the oil separator 14 to the first four-way valve 30 , the second four-way valve 32 , or the third four-way valve 34 .

The oil separator 14 recovers oil contained in the discharged refrigerant and provides it to the compressor 10 again.

The oil separator 14 is disposed on the oil return pipe 15 and the oil return pipe 15 for guiding the oil to the compressor 10, and further includes a check valve (not shown) for allowing the refrigerant to flow in one direction. can The oil separator 14 is installed in the compressor discharge pipe 40 .

The accumulator 12 provides refrigerant to the compressor 10 . The accumulator 12 is disposed on the suction side of the compressor 10 and is connected to the first four-way valve 30 to the third four-way valve 34 . The accumulator 12 is connected to the compressor 10 through the compressor connection pipe 51 , and is connected to the first four-way valve 30 to the third four-way valve 34 through the compressor inlet tube 52 . The compressor inlet pipe 52 includes a first compressor inlet pipe 54 connected to the first four-way valve 30 and a second compressor inlet pipe connected to the second four-way valve 32 and the third four-way valve 34 ( 56). The second compressor inlet pipe 56 branches into a second four-way valve discharge pipe 58 connected to the second four-way valve 32 and a third four-way valve discharge pipe 59 connected to the third four-way valve 34 . do.

The outdoor expansion valve 20 expands the refrigerant flowing through the liquid pipe 60 . The outdoor expansion valve 14 expands the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 12 during heating operation, and during cooling operation, the outdoor expansion valve 20 may be set to pass the refrigerant without expanding it. do. The outdoor expansion valve 20 may be an electronic expansion valve capable of adjusting an opening value according to an input signal.

The outdoor expansion valve 20 is disposed on the liquid pipe 60 . The outdoor expansion valve 20 is disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger 16 and the indoor heat exchanger (not shown). During the heating operation of the indoor unit, the refrigerant condensed in the indoor unit in the heating operation is supplied to the outdoor expansion valve 14 . During the cooling operation of the indoor unit, the refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 16 is supplied to the outdoor expansion valve 20 .

A supercooler 22 may be disposed in the liquid pipe 60 .

The supercooler 22 is bypassed in the supercooling heat exchanger 24 and the liquid pipe 60 , the supercooling bypass pipe 28 connected to the supercooling heat exchanger 24 , and the supercooling bypass pipe 28 . and a supercooling expansion valve 26 for selectively expanding the flowing refrigerant.

The supercooler 22 according to the present embodiment may further include a supercooling bypass pipe 28 for connecting the refrigerant that has passed through the supercooling heat exchanger 24 to the accumulator 12 or the compressor 10 .

The second four-way valve 32 according to the present embodiment sends the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 to the first indoor unit combination IC1 or transfers the refrigerant discharged from the first indoor unit combination IC1 to the compressor 10 . send. The second four-way valve 32 is connected to the first gas pipe 62 , the second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 , and the second four-way valve discharge pipe 58 at three points. The second four-way valve 32 connects the first gas pipe 62 to the second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 or to the second four-way valve discharge pipe 58 according to an operation method. Accordingly, the second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 or the second four-way valve outlet pipe 58 that is not connected to the first gas pipe 62 is in a closed state in which the refrigerant does not flow.

The third four-way valve 34 according to the present embodiment sends the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 to the second indoor unit combination IC2 or transfers the refrigerant discharged from the second indoor unit combination IC2 to the compressor 10 . send. The third four-way valve 34 is connected to the second gas pipe 64 , the third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 , and the third four-way valve discharge pipe 59 at three points. The third four-way valve 34 connects the second gas pipe 64 to the third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 or to the third four-way valve discharge pipe 59 according to the operation method. Accordingly, the third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 or the third four-way valve outlet pipe 59 that is not connected to the second gas pipe 64 is in a closed state in which the refrigerant does not flow.

The liquid pipe 60 according to the present embodiment is connected in parallel to the first indoor liquid pipe 90 , the second indoor liquid pipe 92 , the third indoor liquid pipe 94 , and the fourth indoor liquid pipe 96 . The liquid pipe 60 according to the present embodiment includes a first indoor liquid pipe 90, a second indoor liquid pipe 92, and a third indoor liquid pipe 94 between the first indoor unit combination IC1 and the second indoor unit combination IC2. and the fourth indoor liquid pipe 96 may be connected in parallel.

The first gas pipe 62 according to the present embodiment is connected in parallel to the indoor unit engines 80 and 82 of the indoor units I1 and I2 of the first indoor unit combination IC1. That is, the first gas pipe 62 is connected in parallel to the first indoor unit engine 80 and the second indoor unit engine 82 .

Similarly, the second gas pipe 64 is connected in parallel to the indoor unit engines 84 and 86 of the indoor units I3 and I4 of the second indoor unit combination IC2, respectively. The second gas pipe 64 is connected in parallel to the third indoor unit engine 84 and the fourth indoor unit engine 86 .

<All cooling operation>

2 is a flowchart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units perform a cooling operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a refrigerant flow when a plurality of indoor units perform a cooling operation according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

The overall cooling operation means an operation in which the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor units belonging to all indoor unit combinations acts as an evaporator. Accordingly, the outdoor heat exchanger 16 is used as a condenser. In the overall cooling operation, the first four-way valve 30 connects the first compressor discharge pipe 42 and the outdoor heat exchanger connecting pipe 50 . In the overall cooling operation, the second four-way valve 32 connects the first gas pipe 62 and the second four-way valve discharge pipe 58 , and the third four-way valve 34 is connected to the second gas pipe 64 and Connect the third four-way valve discharge pipe (59).

In the entire cooling operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 through the first four-way valve 30 . The second four-way valve 32 and the third four-way valve 34 are in a state in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 does not flow.

The refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 16 flows to the first indoor unit combination IC1 and the second indoor unit combination IC2 through the liquid pipe 60 and flows to each indoor unit. The refrigerant evaporated in each indoor unit flows along the first gas pipe 62 and the second gas pipe 64 . The refrigerant flowing through the first gas pipe 62 and the second gas pipe 64 passes through the second four-way valve 32 and the third four-way valve, and flows to the compressor through the compressor inlet pipe 52 .

<Total heating operation>

3 is a flowchart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units perform a heating operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a refrigerant flow during a heating operation of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

The overall heating operation refers to an operation in which the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor units belonging to all indoor unit combinations operates as a condenser. Accordingly, the outdoor heat exchanger 16 is used as an evaporator. In the entire heating operation, the first four-way valve 30 connects the outdoor heat exchanger connecting pipe 50 and the first compressor inlet pipe 54 . In the entire heating operation, the second four-way valve 32 connects the second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 and the first gas pipe 62 , and the third four-way valve 34 connects the third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 ) and the second gas tube 64 are connected.

During the entire heating operation, the refrigerant compressed and discharged from the compressor 10 flows to the first indoor unit combination IC1 and the second indoor unit combination IC2 through the second four-way valve 32 and the third four-way valve 34 . do. The first four-way valve 30 is in a state in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 does not flow.

The refrigerant condensed through the indoor heat exchangers disposed inside each of the indoor units I1 , I2 , I3 , and I4 flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 through the liquid pipe 60 through the outdoor expansion valve 20 . The refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger (16) flows into the compressor (10) through the first four-way valve (30).

<General for simultaneous cooling/heating operation>

In case of simultaneous operation of heating and cooling, the outdoor heat exchanger 16 operates as an evaporator. Accordingly, the first four-way valve 30 switches the flow path so that the refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger 16 flows to the compressor 10 .

In the case of the simultaneous operation of heating and cooling, the indoor unit belonging to the indoor unit combination that performs the heating operation performs the heating operation, and thus the indoor heat exchanger disposed in the corresponding indoor unit operates as a condenser. In the case of simultaneous operation of heating and cooling, the indoor unit belonging to the indoor unit combination that performs the cooling operation performs the cooling operation, so the indoor heat exchanger disposed in the corresponding indoor unit operates as an evaporator.

The four-way valve connected to the indoor unit combination for heating operation switches the flow path so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows to the corresponding indoor unit combination, and the four-way valve connected to the indoor unit combination for cooling operation is discharged from the indoor unit combination. The flow path is switched so that the refrigerant flows to the compressor (10).

4 is a flow chart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units are heated and cooled at the same time according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flow chart of a refrigerant when a plurality of indoor units are heated and cooled at the same time according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the flow of the refrigerant during the simultaneous operation of heating and cooling of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 5 .

<Cooling/heating test operation case 1>

The flow of refrigerant when the first indoor unit combination IC1 performs a heating operation and the second indoor unit combination IC2 performs a cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

In this embodiment, the indoor heat exchangers of the first indoor unit I1 and the second indoor unit I2 belonging to the first indoor unit combination IC1 operate as condensers, and the third indoor unit I3 belonging to the second indoor unit combination IC2. and the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger 16 of the fourth indoor unit I4 are used as evaporators. In the simultaneous operation of heating and cooling as shown in FIG. 4 , the first four-way valve 30 connects the outdoor heat exchanger connecting pipe 50 and the first compressor inlet pipe 54 . In the entire heating operation, the second four-way valve 32 connects the second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 and the first gas pipe 62 , and the third four-way valve 34 connects the second gas pipe 64 and Connect the third four-way valve discharge pipe (59).

In the air conditioner according to this embodiment, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows to the second compressor discharge pipe 44 and the second four-way valve inlet pipe 46 , and passes through the second four-way valve 32 . It flows to the first indoor unit combination IC1. The compressed refrigerant flows to the first indoor unit I1 and the second indoor unit I2 through the first gas pipe 62 and is condensed.

The refrigerant condensed in the first indoor unit combination IC1 flows to the first indoor liquid pipe 90 and the second indoor liquid pipe 92 , and the third indoor liquid pipe 94 , the fourth indoor liquid pipe 96 , and the liquid pipe 60 . ) to flow.

The refrigerant flowing along the liquid pipe (60) is expanded in the outdoor expansion valve (20) and then flows to the outdoor heat exchanger (16). The refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger (16) flows to the compressor (10) through the first four-way valve (30).

The refrigerant flowing through the third indoor liquid pipe 94 and the fourth indoor liquid pipe 96 flows to the third indoor unit I3 and the fourth indoor unit I4 belonging to the second indoor unit combination IC2, It is evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger, and the second gas pipe 64 is discharged. The refrigerant discharged to the second gas pipe 64 flows into the compressor inlet pipe 52 through the third four-way valve 34 and flows into the compressor 10 .

<Cooling/heating test operation case 2>

The flow of refrigerant when the first indoor unit combination IC1 performs a cooling operation and the second indoor unit combination IC2 performs a heating operation will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .

In this embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger 16 of the first indoor unit I1 and the second indoor unit I2 belonging to the first indoor unit combination IC1 operate as evaporators, and the second indoor unit combination IC2 operates as an evaporator. The indoor heat exchangers of the third indoor unit I3 and the fourth indoor unit I4 belonging to them are used as condensers. In the simultaneous heating and cooling operation as shown in FIG. 5 , the first four-way valve 30 connects the outdoor heat exchanger connection pipe 50 and the first compressor inlet pipe 54 . In the entire heating operation, the second four-way valve 32 connects the first gas pipe 62 and the second four-way valve discharge pipe 58 , and the third four-way valve 34 connects the third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 . ) and the second gas tube 64 are connected.

In the air conditioner according to this embodiment, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows to the second compressor discharge pipe 44 and the third four-way valve inlet pipe 48 , and passes through the third four-way valve 34 . It flows to the second indoor unit combination IC2. The compressed refrigerant flows to the third indoor unit I3 and the fourth indoor unit I4 through the second gas pipe 64 and is condensed.

The refrigerant condensed in the second indoor unit combination IC2 flows to the third indoor liquid pipe 94 and the fourth indoor liquid pipe 96, and the first indoor liquid pipe 90, the second indoor liquid pipe 92, and the liquid pipe 60 ) to flow.

The refrigerant flowing along the liquid pipe (60) is expanded in the outdoor expansion valve (20) and then flows to the outdoor heat exchanger (16). The refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger (16) flows to the compressor (10) through the first four-way valve (30).

The refrigerant flowing into the first indoor liquid pipe 90 and the second indoor liquid pipe 92 flows to the first indoor unit I1 and the first indoor unit I1 belonging to the first indoor unit combination IC1, It is evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger, and the first gas pipe 62 is discharged. The refrigerant discharged to the first gas pipe 62 flows into the compressor inlet pipe 52 through the second four-way valve 32 and flows into the compressor 10 .

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

10: compressor 12: accumulator
16: outdoor heat exchanger 20: outdoor expansion valve
22: supercooler 30: first four-way valve
32: second four-way valve 34: third four-way valve
40: compressor discharge pipe 52: compressor inlet pipe
60: liquid pipe 62: first gas pipe
64: 2nd gas tube IC1: 1st indoor unit combination
IC2 : 2nd indoor unit combination I1 : 1st indoor unit
I2 : 2nd indoor unit I3 : 3rd indoor unit
I4: 4th indoor unit

Claims (8)

a compressor that compresses the refrigerant;
an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant with outdoor air;
an outdoor expansion valve that expands the flowing refrigerant;
a first four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger or sending the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor;
a first indoor unit combination including a plurality of indoor units each having an indoor heat exchanger;
a second indoor unit combination including a plurality of indoor units each equipped with an indoor heat exchanger;
a liquid pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger to the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination;
an indoor gas-liquid pipe connecting the respective indoor units included in the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination and the liquid pipe in parallel;
a second four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the first indoor unit combination or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the first indoor unit combination to the compressor;
a third four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the second indoor unit combination or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the second indoor unit combination to the compressor;
a first gas pipe connecting the second four-way valve and the first indoor unit combination; and
a second gas pipe connecting the third four-way valve and the second indoor unit combination;
the first gas pipe is connected in parallel with a plurality of indoor units included in the first indoor unit combination;
and the second gas pipe is connected in parallel with a plurality of indoor units included in the second indoor unit combination. delete delete The method of claim 1,
When the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination operate different from each other,
Among the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination, the refrigerant discharged into the indoor gas-liquid pipe of the indoor unit belonging to the indoor unit combination for heating operation is the indoor unit of the indoor unit belonging to the indoor unit combination for cooling operation among the first indoor unit combination and the second indoor unit combination A liquid pipe and an air conditioner flowing through the liquid pipe. delete The method of claim 1,
The second four-way valve is connected to the first gas pipe, a second four-way valve inlet pipe connected to the discharge side of the compressor, and a second four-way valve discharge pipe connected to the suction side of the compressor at three points,
The third four-way valve is connected to the second gas pipe, a third four-way valve inlet pipe connected to the discharge side of the compressor, and a third four-way valve discharge pipe connected to the suction side of the compressor at three points. 7. The method of claim 6,
The second four-way valve switches the first gas pipe to the second four-way valve inlet pipe or the second four-way valve discharge pipe,
The third four-way valve is an air conditioner for switching the second gas pipe to the third four-way valve inlet pipe or the third four-way valve discharge pipe. a compressor that compresses the refrigerant;
an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant and outdoor air;
an expansion valve that expands the flowing refrigerant;
a first four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger or sending the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor;
a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger, both ends of which are respectively connected to an indoor equipment engine and an indoor gas-liquid tube;
a second four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to some of the plurality of indoor units or for sending the refrigerant discharged from some of the plurality of indoor units to the compressor;
a third four-way valve for sending the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the remaining part of the plurality of indoor units or for sending the refrigerant discharged from the remaining part of the plurality of indoor units to the compressor;
a liquid pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger and the plurality of indoor units, the plurality of indoor gas-liquid pipes being connected in parallel;
a first gas pipe connected to the second four-way valve and a portion of the plurality of indoor units, and each of the indoor equipment engines connected to the indoor units of the plurality of indoor units are connected in parallel; and
and a second gas pipe connected to the third four-way valve and the other part of the plurality of indoor units, and each of the indoor unit engines connected to the remaining part of the plurality of indoor units are connected in parallel.

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