WO2020174687A1 - Outdoor equipment for air-conditioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

Outdoor equipment (3) that has an electrical circuit (50). The electrical circuit (50) has: a first electrification selection switch (52A) and a second electrification selection switch (52B); an electrification on/off switch (53); and a first polarity switching switch (54A) and a second polarity switching switch (54B) that switch the direction of the current flowing in a heating/cooling switching electromagnetic valve coil (32A), a first defrost electromagnetic valve coil (330A), and a second defrost electromagnetic valve coil (330B). The electrical circuit (50) also has a control circuit (55) that, during a heating operation, controls the first electrification selection switch (52A), the second electrification selection switch (52B), the electrification on/off switch (53), the first polarity switching switch (54A), and the second polarity switching switch (54B) and, while maintaining the heating operation, makes one of a first auxiliary heat exchanger (31A) and a second auxiliary heat exchanger (31B) perform a defrost operation.

Description

Air conditioner outdoor unit

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that performs heating operation.

When the air conditioner performs heating operation, frost may form in the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. When frost is generated, the efficiency of heat exchange in the heat exchanger is reduced, so it is necessary to remove the frost. Removing frost is called defrosting. Conventionally, there is known a method in which an air conditioner temporarily suspends a heating operation to perform a cooling operation to raise the temperature of a heat exchanger of an outdoor unit to perform defrosting. In this method, since the heat exchanger of the indoor unit functions as an evaporator, the heat of the air in the room is transferred to the refrigerant in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit, which causes a problem of lowering the room temperature.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a technique has been proposed in which the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit that serves as an evaporator during heating is composed of a plurality of sub heat exchangers (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this technique, the outdoor unit has a plurality of paths that guide the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to each of the plurality of sub heat exchangers, and an on-off valve that controls the flow of the refrigerant. In this technology, when the air conditioner performs heating operation, each of the plurality of sub heat exchangers alternately performs defrost operation without the refrigeration cycle reversing from the refrigeration cycle during heating operation to the refrigeration cycle during cooling operation. To do. Thereby, the air conditioner can continue the heating operation while removing the frost without switching from the heating operation to the cooling operation.

JP, 2009-85484, A

However, an air conditioner that can perform the conventional defrost operation and heating operation at the same time requires multiple solenoid valves. Patent Document 1 does not disclose means for realizing simultaneous defrost operation and heating operation with an electric circuit having a small number of components.

Generally, as the solenoid valve that switches the flow path of the refrigerant, either a constant-current solenoid valve or a latch-type solenoid valve that is energized only when switching the flow path is often used. The normally energized solenoid valve always consumes electric power during energization, whereas the latch type solenoid valve consumes electric power only when energized to switch the flow paths. That is, the power consumption of the latch type solenoid valve is less than that of the constant current type solenoid valve.

However, the electric circuit for driving the latch-type solenoid valve includes an energizing switch for switching between an energized on state and an energized off state, and two polarity changeover switches for selecting the polarities of the coils forming the latch type solenoid valve. And need. Therefore, there is a problem in that the larger the number of sub heat exchangers, the larger the number of parts constituting the electric circuit.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is an air conditioner that realizes a function for simultaneously performing a defrosting operation and a heating operation with an electric circuit that suppresses power consumption and has relatively few components. The purpose is to obtain the outdoor unit of the machine.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention is an outdoor unit having n sub heat exchangers for performing heat exchange between a refrigerant and outside air. A heat exchanger, a cooling/heating switching solenoid valve for switching between cooling operation and heating operation, n defrost electromagnetic valves for causing n sub heat exchangers to perform defrost operation, and defrost operation and heating And an electric circuit for simultaneously performing driving. n is an integer of 2 or more. The electric circuit selects n energization selections to energize either the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil included in the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve or the defrost solenoid valve coil included in each of the n defrost solenoid valves. It has a switch, an energization on/off switch for energizing one of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil and the n defrost solenoid valve coils. The electric circuit has two polarity changeover switches for switching the direction of the current flowing through the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil and the n defrost solenoid valve coils, and n heating selection switches, conduction ON/OFF switches and 2 And a control circuit for controlling the polarity changeover switch of No. 1 and continuing the heating operation while causing one or more and n-1 or less of the n sub heat exchangers to perform the defrost operation. Further has.

The air conditioner outdoor unit according to the present invention can realize the function of performing the defrosting operation and the heating operation at the same time with an electric circuit that suppresses power consumption and has relatively few parts.

The figure which shows the structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure for demonstrating the example of operation|movement of an air conditioner and the flow of a refrigerant when the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 performs heating operation. The figure which shows the structure of the electric circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the air conditioner and the flow of the refrigerant when the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 performs a cooling operation. Operation of each of the first polarity changeover switch, the second polarity changeover switch, the first energization selection switch, the second energization selection switch, and the energization on/off switch before the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 starts execution of the heating operation Showing the timing of The figure which shows the 1st control state of the electric circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. Of the first polarity changeover switch, the second polarity changeover switch, the first energization selection switch, the second energization selection switch, and the energization on/off switch before the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 starts execution of the first operating state. Diagram showing the timing of each operation The figure which shows the 2nd control state of the electric circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. The figure for demonstrating the flow of the refrigerant when the 1st sub heat exchanger which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has performs a defrost operation, and a 2nd sub heat exchanger has heating operation. A first polarity changeover switch, a second polarity changeover switch, a first energization selection switch, a second energization selection when the operating state of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 is switched from the first operating state to the second operating state. The figure which shows the timing of each operation of the switch and the energization on/off switch The figure which shows the 3rd control state of the electric circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. The figure which shows the 4th control state of the electric circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. The figure for demonstrating the flow of the refrigerant when the 1st sub heat exchanger which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has a heating operation, and a 2nd sub heat exchanger performs a defrost operation. The figure which shows the structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2. The figure which shows the structure of the electric circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2 has. The figure which shows a processor in case a part or all function of the control circuit which the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 has is implement|achieved by a processor. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing circuit when some or all of the functions of the control circuit included in the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 are realized by the processing circuit.

The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment. The air conditioner 1 has an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3. The indoor unit 2 has an indoor heat exchanger 21 for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and indoor air. The outdoor unit 3 has an outdoor heat exchanger 31 including a first sub heat exchanger 31A and a second sub heat exchanger 31B for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air which is the outdoor air. The first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B are examples of n auxiliary heat exchangers. n is an integer of 2 or more.

The outdoor unit 3 includes a cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 for switching between cooling operation and heating operation, and a first defrost electromagnetic valve for causing the first sub heat exchanger 31A and the second sub heat exchanger 31B to perform defrost operation. The valve 33A and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B are further included. The cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32, the first defrost solenoid valve 33A, and the second defrost solenoid valve 33B are all latch-type solenoid valves.

The first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B are examples of n defrost electromagnetic valves. Both the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B are electromagnetic valves that switch between the flow of the refrigerant when the heating operation is performed and the flow of the refrigerant when the defrost operation is performed. The first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A corresponds to the first sub heat exchanger 31A, and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B corresponds to the second sub heat exchanger 31B.

The outdoor unit 3 further includes a compressor 34 that compresses the refrigerant, and an electric circuit that simultaneously performs the defrosting operation and the heating operation. The electrical circuit is not shown in FIG. Details of the electric circuit will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation of the air conditioner 1 and a flow of the refrigerant when the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment performs a heating operation. The arrow in FIG. 2 indicates the direction in which the refrigerant moves. When the air conditioner 1 performs the heating operation, the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 moves the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger 31 to the compressor 34, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 34 is transferred to the indoor heat exchanger 21. Move to.

The refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 21 branches and moves to each of the first sub heat exchanger 31A and the second sub heat exchanger 31B. That is, a part of the refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 21 moves to the first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A, and the remaining part of the refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 21 moves to the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B. .. The first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A moves the refrigerant discharged from the first sub heat exchanger 31A to the cooling/heating switching electromagnetic valve 32, and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B cools and heats the refrigerant discharged from the second sub heat exchanger 31B. It is moved to the switching solenoid valve 32.

When frost is generated in the outdoor heat exchanger 31 during the heating operation, the efficiency of heat exchange of the outdoor heat exchanger 31 is reduced, so that the heating capacity of the air conditioner 1 is reduced. When frost is generated in the entire outdoor heat exchanger 31, the outdoor heat exchanger 31 cannot perform the role of heat exchange. Therefore, the air conditioner 1 needs to perform the defrost operation to remove the frost. When performing a defrost operation, the conventional air conditioner switches the operation from a heating operation to a cooling operation and warms the outdoor heat exchanger to melt and remove frost. In that case, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger falls below room temperature, and as a result, the room temperature drops.

The outdoor unit 3 has an electric circuit for simultaneously performing the defrost operation and the heating operation in order to suppress a decrease in the room temperature when the defrost operation is performed. 3: is a figure which shows the structure of the electric circuit 50 which the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. For convenience of explanation, inside the block showing the electric circuit 50 of FIG. 3, the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A included in the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 and the first defrost electromagnetic valve included in the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A are included. A coil 330A and a second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B included in the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B are shown.

The cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A is a solenoid valve coil for operating the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32. The first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A is a solenoid valve coil for operating the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A. The second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B is a solenoid valve coil for operating the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B. The first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A and the second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B are examples of n defrost electromagnetic valve coils.

The electric circuit 50 has a rectifier circuit 51 that converts an AC voltage applied from an AC power supply 60 into a DC voltage. The electric circuit 50 includes a first energization selection switch 52A and a second energization switch 52A and a second energization selection switch 52A that select to energize either the cooling/heating switching electromagnetic valve coil 32A, the first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A, or the second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B. And a selection switch 52B. The first energization selection switch 52A and the second energization selection switch 52B are examples of n energization selection switches.

The electric circuit 50 further includes an energization on/off switch 53 for energizing one of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A, the first defrost solenoid valve coil 330A, and the second defrost solenoid valve coil 330B. The energization on/off switch 53 is a switch for selecting whether to supply the AC voltage applied from the AC power supply 60 to the rectifier circuit 51.

The electric circuit 50 further includes a first polarity changeover switch 54A and a second polarity changeover switch 54B that change the direction of the current flowing through the cooling/heating switching electromagnetic valve coil 32A, the first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A, and the second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B. Have. The first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B are examples of two polarity changeover switches.

The electric circuit 50 controls the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the energization on/off switch 53, the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B during the heating operation to continue the heating operation. The control circuit 55 that causes one of the first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B to perform the defrosting operation is further included. Furthermore, the control circuit 55 causes the first sub heat exchanger 31A to perform defrost operation and the second sub heat exchanger 31B to perform heating operation, and the first sub heat exchanger. The control for realizing the second operation state in which 31A performs the heating operation and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B performs the defrost operation is performed.

Regarding the open/closed states of the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the energization on/off switch 53, the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the state shown in FIG. 3 is the initial state. Is defined as being. Regarding the open/closed states of the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the energization on/off switch 53, the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the state shown in FIG. 3 is off. Defined to be a state.

Regarding the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the energization on/off switch 53, the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the connection state shown in FIG. 3 is defined as the initial state. To be done. Regarding each of the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the first polarity changeover switch 54A, and the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the contact connected to the common contact is the contact connected to the common contact in FIG. Different states are defined to be on states. Regarding the energization on/off switch 53, the state in which the contact is on is defined as the on state.

Next, the operation when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is switched from the cooling operation to the heating operation will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the air conditioner 1 and the flow of the refrigerant when the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment performs the cooling operation. The arrow in FIG. 4 indicates the direction in which the refrigerant moves.

When the air conditioner 1 performs the cooling operation, the cooling/heating switching electromagnetic valve 32 moves the refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 21 to the compressor 34, and causes the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 34 to be the first sub heat exchange. It moves to the vessel 31A and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B. At that time, the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A moves the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 34 and passing through the cooling/heating switching electromagnetic valve 32 to the first sub heat exchanger 31A, and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B discharges from the compressor 34. The refrigerant that has been cooled and passes through the cooling/heating switching electromagnetic valve 32 is moved to the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B. The refrigerant discharged from the first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B moves to the indoor heat exchanger 21.

FIG. 5 is a first polarity changeover switch 54A, a second polarity changeover switch 54B, a first energization selection switch 52A, a second energization selection switch before the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment starts execution of heating operation. It is a figure which shows the timing of each operation|movement of 52B and the electricity supply on/off switch 53. The first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B and the energization on/off switch 53 also have signals for controlling the operation output from the control circuit 55. And works. The operation of the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the operation of the second polarity changeover switch 54B are the same.

The control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the energization on/off switch 53. When the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the energization on/off switch 53, the state of the electric circuit 50 shifts to the first control state shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first control state of the electric circuit 50 included in the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment. The arrow in FIG. 6 indicates the direction in which the current flows.

In the first control state, the current is in the order of the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the first energization selection switch 52A, the cooling/heating changeover solenoid valve coil 32A, the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the rectifier circuit 51, and the first polarity changeover switch 54A. Flowing. As a result, the state of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 is switched, and as described with reference to FIG. 2, the air conditioner 1 performs the heating operation.

Time from when the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning on to the energization on/off switch 53, it is determined that the state of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 is switched to the state when the air conditioner 1 performs heating operation. After a lapse of time, the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it off to the energization on/off switch 53. As a result, the energization of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A is stopped. Since the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 is a latch type solenoid valve, the air conditioner 1 continues the heating operation even when the power supply to the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A is stopped. That is, compared with the case where the constant-energization solenoid valve is used for the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32, the energization time to the coil of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32, which is a latch-type solenoid valve, becomes shorter, so that the air conditioner 1 uses Power consumption can be suppressed.

Next, the operation when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is switched from the heating operation to the operation in the first operation state will be described. The first operation state is an operation state in which the first sub heat exchanger 31A is caused to perform defrost operation and the second sub heat exchanger 31B is caused to perform heating operation. Even when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is switched from the heating operation to the operation in the first state, the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B continues to be in the heating operation state.

FIG. 7 shows the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the first energization selection switch 52A, the second before the air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1 starts executing the first operating state. It is a figure which shows the timing of each operation|movement of the electricity supply selection switch 52B and the electricity supply on-off switch 53. The control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the first energization selection switch 52A. After the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning on the first energization selection switch 52A, after a lapse of time when it is determined that the state of the first energization selection switch 52A is switched from the off state to the on state, The control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the energization on/off switch 53.

When the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the energization on/off switch 53, the state of the electric circuit 50 shifts to the second control state shown in FIG. 8: is a figure which shows the 2nd control state of the electric circuit 50 which the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. The arrow in FIG. 8 indicates the direction in which the current flows. In the second control state, the current is the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A, the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the rectification circuit 51, It flows in order of the first polarity changeover switch 54A.

As a result, the state of the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A is switched, and as shown in FIG. 9, the state of the refrigerant flow in the first sub heat exchanger 31A is switched from the heating operation state to the cooling operation state. FIG. 9 illustrates the flow of the refrigerant when the first sub heat exchanger 31A included in the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment performs a defrost operation and the second sub heat exchanger 31B performs a heating operation. FIG. The arrow in FIG. 9 indicates the direction in which the refrigerant moves.

As described above, when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is switched from the heating operation to the operation in the first operation state, the control circuit 55 of FIG. 8 causes the relatively high temperature and relatively high pressure refrigerant to pass through the first sub heat exchanger. It moves to 31A and makes 1st auxiliary|assistant heat exchanger 31A perform a defrosting operation|movement, and makes 2nd auxiliary|assistant heat exchanger 31B continue heating operation.

Next, the operation when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is switched from the operation in the first operating state to the operation in the second operating state will be described. As described above, the first operation state is an operation state in which the first sub heat exchanger 31A is caused to perform defrost operation and the second sub heat exchanger 31B is caused to perform heating operation. The second operation state is an operation state in which the first sub heat exchanger 31A is caused to perform heating operation and the second sub heat exchanger 31B is caused to perform defrost operation.

FIG. 10 shows the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the second polarity changeover switch 54B, and the first energization when the operation state of the air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1 is switched from the first operation state to the second operation state. It is a figure which shows the timing of each operation|movement of the selection switch 52A, the 2nd electricity supply selection switch 52B, and the electricity supply on-off switch 53. The control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the second polarity changeover switch 54B, and the first energization selection switch 52A.

From when the control circuit 55 outputs the signal for turning on the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the second polarity changeover switch 54B and the first energization selection switch 52A, the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch The control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning on the energization on/off switch 53 after a lapse of time when it is determined that the states of 54B and the first energization selection switch 52A are switched from the off state to the on state.

When the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the energization on/off switch 53, the state of the electric circuit 50 shifts to the third control state shown in FIG. 11. 11: is a figure which shows the 3rd control state of the electric circuit 50 which the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. The arrow in FIG. 11 indicates the direction in which the current flows. In the third control state, the current is the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A, the second conduction selection switch 52B, the first conduction selection switch 52A, the second polarity selection switch 54B, the rectification circuit 51, It flows in order of the first polarity changeover switch 54A.

As a result, the state of the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A is switched, and the air conditioner 1 performs heating operation as shown in FIG. After the time when it is determined that the state of the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A is switched from the time when the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning on the energization on/off switch 53, the control circuit 55 is turned off. A signal for causing the electric power is output to the energization on/off switch 53.

After the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it off to the energization on/off switch 53, the control circuit 55 turns off after the time when it is determined that the energization on/off switch 53 is switched from the on state to the off state. A signal for setting the state is output to the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B. The control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the first energization selection switch 52A and the second energization selection switch 52B.

Note that the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning on the energization on/off switch 53 for a period from switching from the on state to the off state to outputting a signal for turning on the second energization selection switch 52B. The output to the first energization selection switch 52A may be continued. The control circuit 55 may output a signal for turning on the first energization selection switch 52A to the first energization selection switch 52A, and then output a signal for turning on the first energization selection switch 52A.

The control circuit 55 outputs the signal for turning on to the first energization selection switch 52A and the second energization selection switch 52B, and then the first energization selection switch 52A and the second energization selection switch 52B are turned on from the off state. After a lapse of time determined to be switched to the state, a signal for turning on the state is output to the energization on/off switch 53.

When the control circuit 55 outputs a signal for turning it on to the energization on/off switch 53, the state of the electric circuit 50 shifts to the fourth control state shown in FIG. 12: is a figure which shows the 4th control state of the electric circuit 50 which the air conditioner 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 has. The arrow in FIG. 12 indicates the direction in which the current flows. In the fourth control state, the current is the first polarity changeover switch 54A, the first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, the second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B, the second polarity changeover switch 54B, the rectifying circuit 51, It flows in order of the first polarity changeover switch 54A.

As a result, the state of the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B is switched, and as shown in FIG. 13, the state of the refrigerant flow in the second sub heat exchanger 31B is switched from the heating operation state to the cooling operation state. FIG. 13 illustrates the flow of the refrigerant when the first sub heat exchanger 31A included in the air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1 performs the heating operation and the second sub heat exchanger 31B performs the defrost operation. FIG. The arrow in FIG. 13 indicates the direction in which the refrigerant moves.

When the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B performs the defrosting operation and the removal of the frost generated in the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B ends, the control circuit 55 causes the operation of the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B to change from the heating operation to the defrosting operation. A signal for outputting a current in the opposite direction to that in the case of switching to the operation of No. 2 to the second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B is output. As a result, the state of the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B is switched, and the air conditioner 1 performs the heating operation as shown in FIG.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of the air conditioner 1A according to the second embodiment. The air conditioner 1A includes an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3A. The indoor unit 2 of the second embodiment is the same as the indoor unit 2 of the first embodiment. The outdoor unit 3A includes an outdoor heat exchanger 31D including a first sub heat exchanger 31A, a second sub heat exchanger 31B, and a third sub heat exchanger 31C for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air. Have. The first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A, the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B, and the third auxiliary heat exchanger 31C are examples of n auxiliary heat exchangers. The first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B of the second embodiment are the same as the first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A and the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B of the first embodiment.

The outdoor unit 3A operates the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 for switching between the cooling operation and the heating operation, and the defrost operation for the first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A, the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B, and the third auxiliary heat exchanger 31C. It further includes a first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A, a second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B, and a third defrost electromagnetic valve 33C for performing the operation. The cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 of the second embodiment is the same as the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve 32 of the first embodiment.

The first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B of the second embodiment are the same as the first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A and the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B of the first embodiment. The third defrost electromagnetic valve 33C is a latch type electromagnetic valve. The third defrost electromagnetic valve 33C corresponds to the third sub heat exchanger 31C. The first defrost electromagnetic valve 33A, the second defrost electromagnetic valve 33B, and the third defrost electromagnetic valve 33C are examples of n defrost electromagnetic valves. The third defrost electromagnetic valve 33C is an electromagnetic valve that switches between the flow of the refrigerant when the heating operation is performed and the flow of the refrigerant when the defrost operation is performed.

The outdoor unit 3A further includes a compressor 34 that compresses the refrigerant, and an electric circuit that simultaneously performs the defrosting operation and the heating operation. The electrical circuit is not shown in FIG. Details of the electric circuit will be described later.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit 50A included in the air conditioner 1A according to the second embodiment. Note that, for convenience of description, the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A, the first defrost solenoid valve coil 330A, the second defrost solenoid valve coil 330B, and the third defrost solenoid are provided inside the block showing the electric circuit 50A of FIG. A third defrost solenoid valve coil 330C included in valve 33C is shown. The third defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330C is an electromagnetic valve coil for operating the third defrost electromagnetic valve 33C. The first defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330A, the second defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330B, and the third defrost electromagnetic valve coil 330C are examples of n defrost electromagnetic valve coils.

The electric circuit 50A has a rectifying circuit 51. The electric circuit 50A selects to energize either the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A, the first defrost solenoid valve coil 330A, the second defrost solenoid valve coil 330B, or the third defrost solenoid valve coil 330C. An energization selection switch 52A, a second energization selection switch 52B, and a third energization selection switch 52C are further included. The first energization selection switch 52A, the second energization selection switch 52B, and the third energization selection switch 52C are examples of n energization selection switches.

The electric circuit 50A further includes an energization on/off switch 53 for energizing any of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A, the first defrost solenoid valve coil 330A, the second defrost solenoid valve coil 330B, and the third defrost solenoid valve coil 330C. Have. The energization on/off switch 53 is a switch for selecting whether to supply the AC voltage applied from the AC power supply 60 to the rectifier circuit 51.

The electric circuit 50A includes a first polarity changeover switch 54A for changing the direction of current flowing through the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil 32A, the first defrost solenoid valve coil 330A, the second defrost solenoid valve coil 330B, and the third defrost solenoid valve coil 330C. It further has a second polarity changeover switch 54B. The first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B of the second embodiment are the same as the first polarity changeover switch 54A and the second polarity changeover switch 54B of the first embodiment.

The electric circuit 50A includes a first energization selection switch 52A, a second energization selection switch 52B, a third energization selection switch 52C, an energization on/off switch 53, a first polarity changeover switch 54A and a second polarity changeover switch 54B during heating operation. While controlling and continuing the heating operation, one or two sub heat exchangers of the first sub heat exchanger 31A, the second sub heat exchanger 31B, and the third sub heat exchanger 31C are defrosted. It further has a control circuit 55A for performing the operation. The control circuit 55A controls the remaining two or one of the first auxiliary heat exchanger 31A, the second auxiliary heat exchanger 31B, and the third auxiliary heat exchanger 31C during the heating operation. Make heating operation.

In the first embodiment described above, the outdoor unit 3 of the air conditioner 1 is an outdoor unit that includes the first sub heat exchanger 31A and the second sub heat exchanger 31B for causing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air. It has a heat exchanger 31. In the second embodiment, the outdoor unit 3A of the air conditioner 1A includes the first sub heat exchanger 31A, the second sub heat exchanger 31B, and the third sub heat for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air. The outdoor heat exchanger 31D including the exchanger 31C is included.

Thus, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of the present application has a heat exchanger including n sub heat exchangers for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air. The outdoor unit includes a cooling/heating switching solenoid valve for switching between cooling operation and heating operation, n defrost electromagnetic valves for causing the n sub heat exchangers to perform defrost operation, and defrost operation and heating. And an electric circuit for simultaneously performing driving. n is an integer of 2 or more. For example, the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve and the n defrost solenoid valves are all latch solenoid valves. The latch type solenoid valve consumes electric power only when energizing for switching the flow path.

The electric circuit has n number of energizations that select to energize either the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil included in the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve or the defrost electromagnetic valve coil included in each of the n defrost electromagnetic valves. It has a selection switch. The electric circuit further includes an energization on/off switch for energizing either the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil or the n defrost solenoid valve coils.

The electric circuit further has two polarity changeover switches that change the direction of the current flowing through the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil and the n defrost solenoid valve coils. The electric circuit controls the n energization selection switches, the energization on/off switches and the two polarity changeover switches during the heating operation so that one of the n auxiliary heat exchangers can be operated while continuing the heating operation. It further has a control circuit for operating the defrost operation for at least n-1 sub heat exchangers.

Furthermore, the control circuit of the present application controls the n energization selection switches, the energization on/off switches, and the two polarity changeover switches during the heating operation, and one or more of the n sub heat exchangers are controlled. , N−1 or less auxiliary heat exchangers perform defrost operation, and at least one of the n auxiliary heat exchangers performs heating operation. Examples of the control circuit are the control circuit 55 and the control circuit 55A.

As described above, for example, the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve and the n defrost solenoid valves are all latch-type solenoid valves. Generally, one latch-type solenoid valve requires an energization on/off switch for switching on/off of energization and two polarity changeover switches for switching the direction of flowing current. As can be understood from the description of the first and second embodiments, in the present application, when the number of latch-type solenoid valves increases, the number of energization on/off switches increases, but the number of polarity changeover switches is 2. It does not increase as it is.

Therefore, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of the present application can realize the function of performing the defrosting operation and the heating operation at the same time with an electric circuit that suppresses power consumption and has relatively few parts.

Note that a part of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve and the n defrost solenoid valves of the present application may be a latch solenoid valve. Even in that case, the air conditioner of the present application can suppress the power consumption and perform the defrosting operation and the heating operation at the same time.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the processor 91 when some or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 of the air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1 are realized by the processor 91. That is, some or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 may be realized by the processor 91 that executes the program stored in the memory 92. The processor 91 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, a computing device, a microprocessor, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory 92 is also shown in FIG.

When some or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 are realized by the processor 91, some or all of the functions are realized by the processor 91 and software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 92. The processor 91 realizes a part or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 92.

When part or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 are realized by the processor 91, the air conditioner 1 executes a program that results in some or all of the steps executed by the control circuit 55. It has a memory 92 for storing. It can be said that the program stored in the memory 92 causes a computer to execute part or all of the procedure or method executed by the control circuit 55.

The memory 92 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Alternatively, it is a volatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the processing circuit 93 when some or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 of the air conditioner 1 according to Embodiment 1 are realized by the processing circuit 93. That is, some or all of the functions of the control circuit 55 may be realized by the processing circuit 93.

The processing circuit 93 is dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 93 is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Is.

Regarding the plurality of functions of the control circuit 55, a part of the plurality of functions may be realized by software or firmware, and the rest of the plurality of functions may be realized by dedicated hardware. As described above, the plurality of functions of the control circuit 55 can be realized by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

A part or all of the functions of the control circuit 55A included in the air conditioner 1A according to the second embodiment may be realized by a processor that executes a program stored in the memory. The memory is a memory for storing a program that results in some or all of the steps executed by the control circuit 55A. A part or all of the functions of the control circuit 55A may be realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit is a processing circuit similar to the processing circuit 93.

The configurations described in the above embodiments are examples of the content of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and the configurations of the configurations are not deviated from the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change parts.

1,1A air conditioner, 2 indoor unit, 3,3A outdoor unit, 21 indoor heat exchanger, 31,31D outdoor heat exchanger, 31A first auxiliary heat exchanger, 31B second auxiliary heat exchanger, 31C third Sub heat exchanger, 32 cooling/heating switching solenoid valve, 32A cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil, 33A first defrost solenoid valve, 33B second defrost solenoid valve, 33C third defrost solenoid valve, 34 compressor, 50, 50A electric circuit, 51 Rectifier circuit, 52A first energization selection switch, 52B second energization selection switch, 52C third energization selection switch, 53 energization on/off switch, 54A first polarity changeover switch, 54B second polarity changeover switch, 55, 55A control circuit, 60 AC power supply, 91 processor, 92 memory, 93 processing circuit, 330A first defrost solenoid valve coil, 330B second defrost solenoid valve coil, 330C third defrost solenoid valve coil.

Claims (2)

An outdoor heat exchanger having n sub heat exchangers for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air;
A cooling/heating switching solenoid valve for switching between cooling operation and heating operation,
N defrost solenoid valves for causing the n sub heat exchangers to perform defrost operation,
An electric circuit for simultaneously performing defrost operation and heating operation,
n is an integer of 2 or more,
The electric circuit is
N energization selection switches that select to energize either the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil included in the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve or the defrost electromagnetic valve coil included in each of the n defrost electromagnetic valves. ,
An energization on/off switch for energizing either the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil or the n defrost solenoid valve coils;
Two polarity changeover switches for switching the directions of the currents flowing through the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve coil and the n defrost solenoid valve coils;
During heating operation, one of the n auxiliary heat exchangers is controlled while controlling the n number of energization selection switches, the energization on/off switch, and the two polarity changeover switches to continue heating operation. As described above, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, which has a control circuit that causes n−1 or less sub heat exchangers to perform defrost operation. The outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the cooling/heating switching solenoid valve and the n defrost solenoid valves are latch solenoid valves.

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