Compressor capacity control operation mechanism and air conditioner provided with same

Abstract

A compressor capacity control operation mechanism includes a pilot valve (flow channel switching valve) having capillary tubes, a suction branching pipe, an intermediate pipe, and a discharge branching pipe. The suction branching pipe is connected to a first capillary tube and branches off from a compressor suction pipe. The intermediate pipe is connected to a second capillary tube and a compressor cylinder intermediate part. The discharge branching pipe is connected to a third capillary tube and branches off from a compressor discharge pipe. Preferably, the suction, intermediate and discharge branching pipes have larger diameters than the first second and third capillary tubes. Also, the pilot valve preferably has a flow channel configuration switchable between first and second states in which the first, second and third capillary tubes are connected differently in the first and second states.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a compressor capacity control operation mechanism and an air conditioner provided with the same; and particularly relates to a compressor capacity control operation mechanism connected to a compressor and capable of controlling the capacity of the compressor, and to an air conditioner provided with this mechanism.BACKGROUND ART[0002]Conventionally, there have been air conditioners including a vapor-compression refrigerant circuit. Among air conditioners including this type of refrigerant circuit, there are those that use a configuration in which a compressor capacity control operation circuit is connected to a compressor, thereby making it possible to perform capacity control for switching the operating state of the compressor between a full load operation for bringing the discharge capacity to 100% with respect to the suction capacity, and an unload operation for reducing the discharge capacity relative to the suction capacity. ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]To overcome this problem, an electromagnetic valve functioning as a two-way valve is provided not only to the bypass pipe but to the pilot pipe as well, and the electromagnetic valve provided to the bypass pipe is opened and the electromagnetic valve provided to the pilot pipe is closed during the unload operation, thereby making it possible to ensure that refrigerant does not flow from the discharge pipe into the bypass pipe through the pilot pipe. However, in this case, the compressor capacity control operation circuit requires two electromagnetic valves functioning as two-way valves, and the cost increases.

[0018]In this air conditioner, components can be shared, thereby contributing to reducing the cost of the entire air conditioner, because the pilot valve for use as a four-way switching valve used in the compressor capacity control operation mechanism is the same pilot valve for use as a four-way switching valve constituting the four-way switching valve included in the main refrigerant circuit.

Problems solved by technology

However, in the compressor capacity control operation circuit described above, since merely the capillary tube is provided to the pilot pipe, the refrigerant flowing from the discharge pipe into the bypass pipe through the pilot pipe is added to the refrigerant flowing from the cylinder intermediate part into the suction pipe through the bypass pipe during the unload operation, and a situation occurs in which some of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is needlessly bypassed to the suction pipe, which is a cause of an increase in power consumption in the compressor during the unload operation.

However, in this case, the compressor capacity control operation circuit requires two electromagnetic valves functioning as two-way valves, and the cost increases.

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