KR20140139240A - An air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioning system according to the present invention comprises: an outdoor unit disposed in an outdoor space and provided with a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; multiple indoor units disposed in an indoor space and equipped with an indoor heat exchanger; and a division unit to divide a refrigerant and put the refrigerant into the indoor units. The outdoor unit includes: a compression pipe which is a moving path of the refrigerant which is discharged from the compressor; a first fluid path conversion unit disposed on one side of the compression pipe for guiding the moving direction of the refrigerant which flows along the compression pipe; and a second fluid path transition unit connected to the outdoor heat exchange for guiding the moving direction of the refrigerant.

Description

An air conditioning system

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system.

The air conditioner is a device for keeping the air in a predetermined space in a most suitable condition according to the purpose of use and purpose. Generally, the air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, and a refrigeration cycle for compressing, condensing, expanding, and evaporating the refrigerant is driven to cool or heat the predetermined space .

The predetermined space may be variously proposed depending on the place where the air conditioner is used. For example, when the air conditioner is installed in a home or an office, the predetermined space may be an indoor space of a house or a building. On the other hand, when the air conditioner is disposed in a car, the predetermined space may be a boarding space on which a person boarded.

When the air conditioner performs the cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger provided in the outdoor unit functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit functions as an evaporator. On the other hand, when the air conditioner performs the heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator.

1 is a view showing a configuration of a conventional simultaneous air conditioning system.

1A, an air conditioning system 1 includes an outdoor unit 2 having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, a plurality of distribution units 3 connected to the outdoor unit 2, and a plurality of distribution units 3 And a plurality of indoor units 4 each having an indoor heat exchanger.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the plurality of distribution units 3 include a first distribution unit and a second distribution unit, and the first indoor unit and the second indoor unit are included in the plurality of indoor units 4 . The first distribution unit may be connected to the first indoor unit, and the second distribution unit may be connected to the second indoor unit.

The plurality of distribution units 3 are devices for distributing the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor unit 2 to the plurality of indoor units 4 and are connected to the outdoor unit 1 and the plurality of indoor units 4 Can be connected.

In detail, the outdoor unit 2 and the distribution unit 3 can be connected through three pipes. The three pipes may include a low-pressure pipe 5, a liquid pipe 6 and a high-pressure pipe 7.

The low-pressure engine 5 is a pipe that flows until the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle is evaporated in the evaporator and then flows into the compressor. The liquid pipe 6 is a pipe that flows after being condensed in the condenser, It can be understood as a pipe flowing after being compressed in the compressor and flowing into the condenser.

The three pipelines may be branched and connected to the first distribution unit and the second distribution unit.

One of the plurality of distribution units 3 and one indoor unit 4 among the plurality of indoor units may be connected through two pipes. The two pipes include a gas pipe 8 through which the gaseous refrigerant flows and a liquid pipe 9 through which the liquid refrigerant flows.

That is, in the conventional simultaneous air-conditioning system, the outdoor unit 2 and the distribution unit 3 are connected through three pipes, and the distribution unit 3 and the indoor unit 4 are connected through two pipes.

1B is a view showing a conventional switching type air conditioning system.

1B is different from FIG. 1A only in the number of pipelines connecting the outdoor unit 2 and the distribution unit 3, so that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1A and 1B will be used.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the outdoor unit 2 and the distribution unit 3 may be connected through two pipes. The two pipes may include a liquid pipe 11 and an engine 12.

The liquid pipe (11) is a pipe through which the refrigerant condensed in the condenser flows, and the engine (12) is connected to the compressor after the refrigerant is evaporated in the evaporator in the refrigeration cycle It can be understood as a pipe that flows until it flows.

That is, in the switching type air conditioning system, the outdoor unit and the distribution unit are connected by two pipes, and in the simultaneous air conditioning system, the outdoor unit and the distribution unit are connected by three pipes. Accordingly, the outdoor units are similar in structure, but different types of outdoor units must be used depending on the type of each system due to the difference in the number of the connected piping.

In addition, there is a problem in that it is difficult to manage different outdoor units due to the capacity of each outdoor unit or the power source depending on the type of the system.

In addition, when the indoor unit operates in the all-room cooling mode in the simultaneous-type air conditioning system, the refrigerant becomes high in the high-pressure gas pipe, so that the efficiency of the air conditioning system is lowered and noise is generated.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system in which the same outdoor unit can be used for both the switching type air conditioner and the simultaneous type air conditioner.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system capable of effectively treating refrigerant accumulated in a high-pressure gas pipe when the indoor unit is operated in the all-room cooling mode in the simultaneous-type air conditioning system.

An air conditioning system according to the present invention includes: an outdoor unit disposed in an outdoor space, the outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; A plurality of indoor units disposed in the indoor space and having an indoor heat exchanger; And a distribution unit for distributing and introducing the refrigerant into the plurality of indoor units, wherein the outdoor unit is provided with a compression pipe, which is a passage for the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; A first flow path switching unit disposed at one side of the compression pipe and guiding a moving direction of the refrigerant moving along the compression pipe; And a second flow path switching unit connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and guiding a moving direction of the refrigerant.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that the simultaneous operation in which the cooling or heating operation of the air conditioning system is realized at the same time, and the switching operation in which the cooling or heating operation is switched and operated are performed for the same outdoor unit configuration.

In addition, since three pipes are connected between the outdoor unit and the distribution unit, both the simultaneous operation and the switching operation can be performed in one outdoor unit, so that the system can be easily managed.

Further, in the simultaneous-type operation, the piping used as the high-pressure gas pipe is changed to the low-pressure gas pipe during the all-room cooling operation in which all the indoor units perform the cooling operation.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the system from being deteriorated in efficiency caused by the liquid accumulation in the piping, and the noise can be reduced.

1 is a view showing a configuration of an air conditioning system according to the related art.
2 is a view showing a configuration of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cycle diagram showing a detailed configuration of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view showing the flow of refrigerant during cooling operation in the operating system for cooling / heating switching according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing the flow of refrigerant during heating operation in the operating system for cooling / heating switching according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a refrigerant flow during a cooling-only operation in the simultaneous cooling and heating operation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a refrigerant flow when the cooling operation is additionally operated during the heating operation in the cooling / heating simultaneous operation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a configuration of an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the difference that the embodiments of the present invention are not conclusive.

2 is a view showing a configuration of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the air conditioning system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include an outdoor unit 100, a distribution unit 200, and a plurality of indoor units 300.

The air conditioning system 10 includes three pipes 160, 170 and 180 for connecting the outdoor unit 100 and the distribution unit 200. The first connection pipe 160, the second connection pipe 170, and the third connection pipe 180, which are connected to one side of the distribution unit 200, may be included in the three pipes 160, 170, have.

A plurality of pipe connection units 201, 202, and 203 may be provided at one side of the distribution unit 200, to which the plurality of connection pipes 160, 170, and 180 are detachably coupled.

Also, the air conditioning system 10 may include a plurality of distribution pipes 205 connecting the distribution unit 200 and the plurality of indoor units 300. The distribution pipe connecting the distribution unit 200 and the indoor unit 300 is provided with an inlet pipe for guiding the inflow of the refrigerant into the indoor unit 300 and an outlet pipe for guiding the refrigerant from the indoor unit 300, May be included. For example, if the number of the indoor units 300 is three, each of the inflow pipe and the outflow pipe may be three.

Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of the air conditioning system 10 will be described.

3 is a cycle diagram showing a detailed configuration of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3, the air conditioning system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an outdoor unit 100 disposed outdoors, a distribution unit 200 connected to the outdoor unit 100 to distribute the refrigerant, And a plurality of indoor units 300 for allowing the refrigerant distributed in the distribution unit 200 to flow into the indoor unit 300 for heat exchange.

The indoor unit 300 may include an indoor heat exchanger 310 for exchanging heat with the air in the indoor space and an expansion unit 320 for expanding the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 310.

The outdoor unit 100 includes a compressor 101 and an accumulator 105 disposed at the inlet side of the compressor 101 and separating the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant from the refrigerant to be introduced into the compressor 101. The gaseous refrigerant separated from the accumulator 105 may be introduced into the compressor 101.

The outdoor unit 100 may further include an oil separator 103 for moving the oil to the compressor 101. Specifically, the oil separator 103 may be configured to separate the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 101 and the oil from the oil and introduce the separated oil into the compressor 101 again.

The outdoor unit 100 may include an outdoor heat exchanger 110 for condensing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 101 during a cooling operation of the air conditioner. The outdoor heat exchanger 110 may be a device for exchanging heat between the outside air and the refrigerant moved along the outdoor heat exchanger 110. The outdoor unit (100) may further include an outdoor fan (111) for raising the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger (110).

Between the compressor (101) and the outdoor heat exchanger (110), a plurality of flow path switching parts (130, 140) for guiding the movement path of the refrigerant may be disposed. The plurality of flow path switching units 130 and 140 includes a first flow path switching unit 130 for moving the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 101 to the indoor unit 300 during the heating operation of the air conditioner, And a second flow path switching unit (140) for moving the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (101) to the outdoor heat exchanger (110) during a cooling operation.

The first and second flow path switching units 130 and 140 may be four-way valves. However, the types of the first and second flow path switching units 130 and 140 are not limited thereto. For example, the first and second flow path switching units 130 and 140 may be three-way valves.

The compressor (101) and the first flow path switching unit (130) may be connected by a compression pipe (120). That is, the compression piping 120 can guide the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 101 to move to the first flow path switching part 130.

The air conditioning system according to the present embodiment may further include moving pipes 121 and 122 connecting the first flow path switching unit 130 and the second flow switching unit 140. [

The moving pipes 121 and 122 include a first moving pipe 121 connecting one side of the first passage switching unit 130 and one side of the second passage switching unit 140, And a second moving pipe 122 connecting the other side of the first flow path switching unit 130 and the other side of the second flow switching unit 140. The first moving pipe 121 and the second moving pipe 122 may be connected in parallel.

The outdoor unit 100 according to the present embodiment may further include a subcooler 150 for subcooling the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 110. The subcooler 150 can subcool the gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 110 with the liquid refrigerant based on the cooling operation of the air conditioner. At this time, the gaseous refrigerant can be moved to the inlet of the accumulator 105, and the liquid refrigerant can be moved to the indoor unit 300.

The outdoor unit 100 can be moved to the distribution unit 200 by a plurality of connection pipes 160, 170 and 180. The plurality of connection pipes 160, 170 and 180 may include a first connection pipe 160, a second connection pipe 170 and a third connection pipe 180.

A joint portion 135 may be formed at one side of the second connection pipe 170 so that a refrigerant moving in the outdoor unit 100 and a refrigerant moving along the second connection pipe 170 can be joined together have. That is, at one side of the second connection pipe 170, a joint part 135 is formed in which a refrigerant moving along the first connection pipe 160 and a refrigerant moving along the second connection pipe 170 are joined together .

A plurality of valves 161, 171 and 181 for controlling the movement of the refrigerant moving along the plurality of connection pipes 160, 170 and 180 are installed in the plurality of connection pipes 160, Can be installed. Specifically, the refrigerant moving along the first connection pipe 160 can be determined by the first valve 161 whether or not the refrigerant is moved.

Similarly, in the refrigerant moving along the second connection pipe 170, whether or not the refrigerant is moved is determined by the second valve 171, and the refrigerant moving along the third connection pipe 180 flows through the third valve It is possible to determine whether or not the refrigerant is moved by the refrigerant circuit 181.

The distribution unit 200 connected to the outdoor unit 100 is provided with a first flow path switching pipe 265 for guiding the refrigerant to move between the first connection pipe 160 and the second connection pipe 170, And a second flow path switching pipe 275 for guiding the refrigerant to move between the second connection pipe 170 and the third connection pipe 180.

A first flow path switching valve 264 and a second flow path switching valve 274 may be provided in the first flow path switching pipe 265 and the second flow path switching pipe 275 to control the refrigerant movement, have.

The distribution unit 200 includes a plurality of distribution pipes 210, 212, and 214 for guiding the inflow of the refrigerant into the one indoor unit 300 or the refrigerant passing through the one indoor unit 300 among the plurality of indoor units do. The plurality of distribution pipes 210, 212 and 214 may include a first distribution pipe 210, a second distribution pipe 212 and a third distribution pipe 214.

Wherein the first distribution pipe 210 is a pipe communicating with the third connection pipe 180 and the second distribution pipe 212 is a pipe communicating with the first connection pipe 160, The pipe 214 can be understood as a pipe communicating with the second connecting pipe 170.

The first distribution pipe 210 is provided with a first distribution valve 221 to control the flow rate of the refrigerant and the second distribution pipe 212 is provided with a second distribution valve 223, Can be controlled.

The plurality of distribution pipes 210, 212 and 214 and the distribution valves 221 and 223 are provided corresponding to the respective indoor units. The plurality of distribution pipes 210, 212 and 214 provided in the one indoor unit may be branched and extended from the plurality of distribution pipes 210, 212 and 214 provided in the other indoor units.

The indoor unit 300 may include an indoor heat exchanger 310 and an indoor expansion unit 320. That is, when the one indoor unit 300 performs the cooling operation, the refrigerant introduced into the indoor unit 300 may be decompressed in the indoor expansion unit 320 and then evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger 310.

The air conditioning system 10 according to the present embodiment can be operated in two modes according to the operation state of the air conditioner. Concretely, in the air conditioning system 10, a simultaneous operation in which the cooling or heating operation is simultaneously implemented, and a switching operation in which the cooling or heating operation is switched and operated can be performed.

Hereinafter, the movement path of the refrigerant circulating through the air conditioning system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described when the switching operation is performed.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a refrigerant flow during a cooling operation in the operating system for switching heating and cooling according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. Fig. 5 is a view showing a flow of refrigerant during operation.

Referring to FIG. 4, the flow of the refrigerant during the cooling operation of the cooling / heating switching system will be described. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 101 flows into the first moving pipe 121 along the compression pipe 120 Can be moved. The refrigerant branched in the first moving pipe 121 may be moved to the second flow path switching unit 140. The second flow path switching unit 140 guides the movement of the refrigerant in the direction of the outdoor heat exchanger 110. The refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 110 is a two- Lt; / RTI >

The refrigerant having the two-phase state is transferred to the subcooler 150. The subcooler 150 may move the gaseous refrigerant in the direction of the accumulator 105 and move the liquid refrigerant to the third connection pipe 180.

The air conditioning system 10 according to the present embodiment may further include a controller (not shown) for controlling the opening / closing of a plurality of valves. The control unit (not shown) may control the third valve 181 provided in the third connection pipe 180 to be opened.

Therefore, the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor unit 100 can be moved to the distribution unit 200 that distributes the introduced refrigerant to the plurality of indoor units 300. The distribution unit 200 includes a first flow path switching pipe 265 for connecting the first connection pipe 160 and the second connection pipe 170 and a second flow path switching pipe for connecting the second connection pipe 170 and the third connection pipe 180 And a second flow path switching pipe 275 communicating with the second flow path switching pipe 275. A first flow path switching valve 264 may be provided in the first flow path switching pipe 265 and a second flow path switching valve 274 may be provided in the second flow path switching pipe 275.

In the switching operation system, the control unit (not shown) may control the first flow path switching valve 264 to be closed and the second flow path switching valve 274 to be opened during the cooling operation.

Therefore, the refrigerant flowing along the third connection pipe 180 may flow into the plurality of indoor units 300 along the second flow path switching pipe 275. The plurality of indoor units 300 may include an indoor heat exchanger 310 for exchanging heat between the introduced refrigerant and the outside air, and an indoor expansion valve 320 for expanding the refrigerant. That is, the refrigerant moved along the second flow path switching pipe 275 can cool the room while passing through the indoor expansion valve 320 and the indoor heat exchanger 310.

The refrigerant having passed through the indoor heat exchanger 310 may be moved to the first connection pipe 160 along the second distribution pipe 312. That is, the control unit (not shown) may control the first distribution valve 221 to be closed and the second distribution valve 223 to be opened. The control unit (not shown) opens the first valve 161 provided at one side of the first connection pipe 160 and opens the second valve 171 provided at one side of the second connection pipe 170 Can be controlled to be closed.

The refrigerant moved along the first connection pipe 160 may be moved to the compressor 101 again via the first flow path switching unit 130 and the accumulator 105. [

In summary, in the switching operation system, the first connection pipe 160 during the cooling operation is a pipe through which the low-pressure gas moves, and the second connection pipe 170 is closed by the second valve 171, And the third connection pipe 180 may be defined as a pipe through which the refrigerant in the high-pressure liquid phase is moved.

Referring to FIG. 5, the refrigerant flow during the heating operation in the operation system for cooling / heating switching will be described. The gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and high pressure compressed by the compressor 101 passes through the first flow path switching part 130, (Not shown). A first valve (161) may be disposed on one side of the first connection pipe (160). The controller (not shown) may control the first valve 161 to be opened.

The refrigerant having passed through the first connection pipe 160 may be introduced into the distribution unit 200. The refrigerant transferred to the distribution unit 200 can pass through the first flow path switching pipe 265 and the second flow path switching pipe 275. In other words, the control unit (not shown) may control the first flow path switching valve 264 and the second flow path switching valve 274 to be opened.

The refrigerant traveling along the second flow path switching pipe 275 may flow into the plurality of indoor units 300 along the first distribution pipe 210. That is, the control unit (not shown) may control the first distribution valve 221 to be opened and the second distribution valve 223 to be closed.

The refrigerant traveling along the first distribution pipe 210 can heat the room while passing through the plurality of indoor units 300. The refrigerant on which the heating has been performed can be moved to the third connection pipe 180 after passing through the third distribution pipe 214 and the second flow path switching pipe 275. That is, the control unit (not shown) may open the third valve 181 disposed at one side of the third connection pipe 180. In addition, the control unit (not shown) may control the second valve 171 to close so as to restrict the movement of the refrigerant.

The refrigerant moved along the third connection pipe 180 may be evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger 110. The refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 110 may be introduced into the compressor 101 via the second flow path switching unit 140 and the accumulator 105.

In summary, in the switching operation system, the first connecting pipe 160 is a pipe through which the high-pressure gas moves during the heating operation, and the second connecting pipe 170 is closed by the second valve 171, And the third connection pipe 180 may be defined as a pipe through which the refrigerant in the high-pressure liquid phase is moved.

Hereinafter, the movement paths of the refrigerant in various operation modes in the simultaneous operation system will be described.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a refrigerant flow during a cooling-only operation in the simultaneous cooling and heating operation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The cooling-only operation means that all the indoor units perform the cooling operation.

The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor 101 can be moved to the first moving pipe 121 along the compression pipe 120 to explain the flow of the refrigerant during the cooling operation of the cooling / heating simultaneous operation system. The refrigerant transferred to the first moving pipe 121 may be moved to the second flow path switching unit 140. The second flow path switching unit 140 guides the movement of the refrigerant in the direction of the outdoor heat exchanger 110. The refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 110 is a two- Lt; / RTI >

The refrigerant having the two-phase state is transferred to the subcooler 150. The subcooler 150 may move the gaseous refrigerant in the direction of the accumulator 105 and move the liquid refrigerant to the third connection pipe 180.

The control unit (not shown) may control the third valve 181 provided in the third connection pipe 180 to be opened. Therefore, the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor unit 100 can be moved to the distributor 200 that distributes the introduced refrigerant to the plurality of indoor units 300.

The control unit (not shown) may control the first flow path switching valve 264 to close and the second flow path switching valve 274 to open when the air conditioner is operated only for cooling in the simultaneous operation system.

Therefore, the refrigerant flowing along the third connection pipe 180 may flow into the plurality of indoor units 300 along the second flow path switching pipe 275. That is, the refrigerant moved along the second flow path switching pipe 275 can cool the room while passing through the indoor expansion valve 320 and the indoor heat exchanger 310.

The refrigerant having passed through the indoor heat exchanger 310 may be moved to the first connection pipe 160 along the second distribution pipe 312. That is, the control unit (not shown) may control the first distribution valve 221 to be closed and the second distribution valve 223 to be opened.

The control unit may further include a first valve 161 provided at one side of the first connection pipe 160 and a second valve 171 provided at one side of the second connection pipe 170 .

Therefore, the refrigerant traveling along the first connection pipe 160 may flow into the outdoor unit 100 through the first connection pipe 160 and the second connection pipe 170.

The refrigerant moved along the first connection pipe 160 is moved to the compressor 101 through the first flow path switching unit 130 and the accumulator 105 and is then moved along the second connection pipe 170 The refrigerant can be moved to the compressor 101 by being joined to the refrigerant moving along the third connecting pipe 180 at the joint portion 135. [

In summary, in the simultaneous operation system, the first connection pipe 160 and the second connection pipe 170 during the cooling-only operation are pipes through which the low-pressure gas is moved, and the third connection pipe 180 is a high- May be defined as a pipe through which the water is moved.

Conventionally, in the switching operation system and the simultaneous operation system, the piping connecting the outdoor unit 100 and the distributor 200 is composed of two pipes and three pipes, respectively. However, according to the present invention, Since the piping connecting the outdoor unit 100 and the distributor 200 is composed of three pipes in the system, there is an advantage that the two systems can be switched over through one outdoor unit.

In the related art, in the conventional operation system, the first connection pipe 160 is constituted of the high-pressure gas pipe during the cooling-only operation, and the liquid pipe in the pipe occurs. However, in the first connection pipe 160 according to the present invention, And the gas is moved. Therefore, there is an advantage that the phenomenon of liquid sticking can be solved.

The air conditioning system 10 describes the refrigerant flow when all the indoor units are operated in the cooling mode. That is, it can be understood that the entire room is cooled during the operation of the air conditioner.

On the contrary, the present system can be applied when all the indoor units are operated in the heating mode. The all-room heating operation may differ from the full-room cooling operation in that the flow of the refrigerant can be shifted in the opposite direction.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a refrigerant flow path in a case where a part of indoor units of a plurality of indoor units perform cooling or heating operation in the simultaneous operation system and other indoor units perform heating or cooling operation.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a refrigerant flow when the cooling operation is additionally operated during the heating operation in the cooling / heating simultaneous operation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the refrigerant flow when the cooling operation is further operated during the heating operation in the simultaneous operation system will be described. The refrigerant having passed through the compressor 101 flows through the first flow path switching portion 130 and the first connection And may be introduced into the distribution unit 200 through the pipe 160. That is, the control unit (not shown) for controlling the opening and closing of the plurality of valves can control the first valve 161 to be opened. In addition, the control unit (not shown) may control the first flow path switching valve 264 and the second flow path switching valve 274 to be opened.

The refrigerant flowing along the first connection pipe 160 may flow into the plurality of indoor units 300 through the first flow path switching pipe 265 and the second flow path switching pipe 275. The plurality of indoor units 300 may include a first indoor unit 301 and a second indoor unit 302 in which heating operation is performed and a third indoor unit 303 in which a cooling operation is performed.

Therefore, the refrigerant that has passed through the flow path switching pipes 265 and 275 flows into the first and second indoor units 301 and 302 along the first distribution pipe 210 to heat the room. The refrigerant that has passed through the first and second indoor units 301 and 302 may flow into the third indoor unit 303 through the third distribution pipe 214 to cool the room.

A part of the refrigerant that has passed through the third indoor unit 303 may be moved to the second connection pipe 170 through the first distribution pipe 212 and the first flow path switching pipe 265. Another portion of the refrigerant that has passed through the third indoor unit 303 passes through the first distribution pipe 212, the first flow path switching pipe 265, and the second flow path switching pipe 275, 180 < / RTI >

The air conditioning system 10 describes the action of the heating operation as a main body and the cooling operation of some of the indoor units (heating main body cooling operation) and the refrigerant flow. Here, the term " heating main body cooling operation "may be understood to mean that the number of indoor units in which heating is performed is larger than that in cooling.

On the other hand, in contrast to this, the present system can also be applied to the cooling operation of the cooling subject. The cooling subject heating operation may differ from the heating main cooling operation in that the flow of the refrigerant can be moved in the opposite direction.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a configuration of an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the air conditioning system 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an outdoor unit 100, a plurality of distribution units 291 and 292, and a plurality of indoor units 300.

In detail, the plurality of distribution units 291 and 292 may be detachably coupled to the outdoor unit 100. The air conditioning system 10 includes three pipes 160, 170 and 180 connecting the outdoor unit 100 and the plurality of distribution units 291 and 292. The three pipes 160, 170 and 180 include a first connection pipe 160, a second connection pipe 170 and a third connection pipe 180.

The air conditioning system 10 includes a plurality of distribution pipes 205 connecting one of the distribution units 291 and 292 and the plurality of indoor units 300. An inlet pipe for guiding the inflow of the refrigerant to the one indoor unit 300 and an outlet pipe for guiding the outflow of the refrigerant from the one indoor unit 300 are provided in the distribution pipe connecting the one- May be included.

The plurality of distribution units 291 and 292 includes a first distribution unit 291 and a second distribution unit 292 detachably coupled to the first distribution unit 291, The second distribution unit 291 and the second distribution unit 292 can be connected by the distribution unit connection pipe 295. [ The refrigerant discharged from the outdoor unit (100) may be branched into the first distribution unit (291) and the second distribution unit (292).

The outdoor unit 100 and the first distribution unit 291 and the second distribution unit 292 may be connected in series.

In Fig. 8, the first and second dispensing units 291 and 292 are shown as being coupled, however, an additional dispensing unit may be further coupled. In one example, an additional distribution unit may be connected in series to one side of the second distribution unit 292.

As described above, since a plurality of distribution units can be continuously installed on one side of the gas-liquid separation unit as required, additional installation of the system becomes easy.

In addition, since three pipes are connected between the outdoor unit and the distribution unit, both the simultaneous operation and the switching operation can be performed in one outdoor unit, so that the system can be easily managed.

Further, in the simultaneous-type operation, the piping used as the high-pressure gas pipe is changed to the low-pressure gas pipe during the all-room cooling operation in which all the indoor units perform the cooling operation.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

10: air conditioning system 100: outdoor unit
130: first flow path switching part 140: second flow path switching part
160: first connection pipe 170: second connection pipe
180: Third connection piping 200: Distribution unit
265: first flow path switching pipe 275: second flow path switching pipe
300: indoor unit

Claims (12)

An outdoor unit disposed in the outdoor space and having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger;
A plurality of indoor units disposed in the indoor space and having an indoor heat exchanger; And
And a distribution unit for distributing and introducing the refrigerant into the plurality of indoor units,
In the outdoor unit,
A compression pipe which is a passage of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor;
A first flow path switching unit disposed at one side of the compression pipe and guiding a moving direction of the refrigerant moving along the compression pipe; And
And a second flow path switching unit connected to the outdoor heat exchanger to guide a moving direction of the refrigerant. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a moving pipe connecting the first passage switching part and the second passage switching part,
The moving pipe includes:
A first moving pipe connecting one side of the first flow path switching part and one side of the second flow path switching part; And
And a second moving pipe connecting the other side of the first flow path switching part and the other side of the second flow path switching part. The method according to claim 1,
During the cooling operation, the refrigerant having passed through the first flow path switching portion is moved to the second flow path switching portion,
Wherein the refrigerant having passed through the second flow path switching portion is moved to the first flow path switching portion during the heating operation. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first moving pipe and the second moving pipe are connected in parallel. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the outdoor unit and the distribution unit comprise:
A first connection pipe extending from the first flow path switching part to one side of the distribution unit;
A second connecting pipe extending from one of the first moving pipe and the second moving pipe to the other one of the distributing units; And
And a third connecting pipe extending from the outdoor heat exchanger to another side of the distribution unit. 6. The method of claim 5,
In each of the first connection pipe, the second connection pipe, and the third connection pipe,
A first valve, a second valve, and a third valve for determining whether or not the refrigerant moves. The method according to claim 6,
During the first mode operation in which the cooling or heating operation is simultaneously implemented, the second valve is turned off,
And the second valve is turned on in a second mode operation in which the cooling or heating operation is switched and operated. 8. The method of claim 7,
In operation of the all-room cooling mode of the first mode,
A part of the refrigerant flowing into the distribution unit along the third connection pipe is moved to the outdoor unit along the first connection pipe,
And another part of the refrigerant flowing into the distribution unit along the third connection pipe is moved to the outdoor unit along the second connection pipe. 9. The method of claim 8,
And at one side of the second connection pipe,
Wherein a joint portion in which a refrigerant moving along the first connection pipe and a refrigerant moving along the second connection pipe are joined together is formed. 8. The method of claim 7,
In the first mode and the second mode,
Wherein the first valve and the third valve are turned on. 6. The method of claim 5,
The distribution unit includes:
A first flow path switching pipe for providing a path for the refrigerant moving along the first connecting pipe and the refrigerant moving along the second connecting pipe to communicate with each other; And
And a second flow path switching pipe for providing a path for the refrigerant moving along the second connection pipe and the refrigerant moving along the third connection pipe to communicate with each other. 12. The method of claim 11,
The first flow path switching pipe and the second flow path switching pipe,
And a first flow path switching valve and a second flow path switching valve for determining whether or not the refrigerant moves.

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