Air conditioning system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system, which comprises: an outdoor unit; a plurality of indoor units, each of which comprises its own expansion valve; and a plurality of branch pipes, each of which is connected to the outdoor unit via a corresponding branch pipe, and a first on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipeline is provided on the bronchial pipe between the indoor unit and the corresponding branch pipe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system. Background Art

[0002] In existing multi-connected air conditioning systems, indoor units are connected to an outdoor unit via a manifold. Each indoor unit has its own expansion valve (MOV). The air conditioning system controls the passage size of the refrigeration circuit through the expansion valve. However, since the function of the expansion valve is to regulate the flow rate, it cannot fully achieve the on-off function of the pipeline, which may cause the following problems. For example, during start-up control and normal control, since indoor units other than the thermo-ON state also participate in the refrigeration cycle, energy is lost, resulting in poor comfort and air conditioning performance, and refrigerant noise will be generated. In addition, since the pipes are arranged on the outdoor side, a large amount of energy is wasted in a harsh low-temperature environment, resulting in extremely poor comfort and air conditioning performance. In addition, in extreme cases, when the refrigerant leaks, since the pipeline is fully open, the release of the refrigerant in the sealed local area is slow, and the concentration is high, posing a risk of suffocating personnel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides an air conditioning system that can at least partially solve the above problems.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, an air conditioning system includes: an outdoor unit; a plurality of indoor units, each indoor unit including its own expansion valve; and a plurality of manifolds, each indoor unit being connected to the outdoor unit via a corresponding manifold, and a first on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipeline is provided on the bronchus between the indoor unit and the corresponding manifold.

[0005] Optionally, a second on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipeline is provided on the liquid branch pipe between the indoor unit and the corresponding manifold.

[0006] Optionally, a third on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipeline is provided on the main liquid pipe and the main gas pipe between the manifold and the outdoor unit.

[0007] Optionally, the first on-off component and the second on-off component are arranged close to the manifold.

[0008] Optionally, the first on-off component and the second on-off component are integrally formed with the manifold.

[0009] Optionally, the third on-off component is arranged on the indoor side of the air conditioning system.

[0010] Optionally, the third on-off component is integrally formed with the manifold.

[0011] Optionally, the first on-off component, the second on-off component, and the third on-off component are valves.

[0012] According to the present invention, in addition to the original control of each refrigeration cycle state, the on-off of the refrigeration circuit is controlled by adding on-off components to the piping, which can improve air conditioning and comfort, reduce refrigerant noise, and at the same time improve safety in certain extreme cases. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the basic structure of a conventional air conditioning system.

[0014] Figure 2 : is a schematic diagram showing a basic structure of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following is a description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same symbols represent the same elements. In addition, the thickness of the lines, the size of the shapes, etc. in the accompanying drawings do not limit the present invention.

[0016] In addition, the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe components, which is only to distinguish one component from another component. The use of these ordinal numbers should not be interpreted as limiting the components described in time, space, order, level, or other aspects. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, a "first" component can be named a "second" component, and vice versa.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the basic structure of a conventional air conditioning system. Figure 2 : is a schematic diagram showing a basic structure of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the air conditioning system includes an outdoor unit 101 and multiple indoor units, such as a first indoor unit 102a and a second indoor unit 102b. The first indoor unit 102a includes a first expansion valve MOV1 103a and an evaporator, and the second indoor unit 102b includes a second expansion valve MOV2 103b and an evaporator. The first expansion valve MOV1 103a and the second expansion valve MOV2 103b can be used to adjust the refrigerant flow rate flowing into the first indoor unit 102a and the second indoor unit 102b, respectively. It should be understood that although Figure 1 and Figure 2 Only two indoor units are shown in the figure, but this is only for the convenience of description. The air conditioning system may include more than two indoor units, and each indoor unit may have its own expansion valve.

[0019] In addition, although not explicitly shown, as known to those skilled in the art, the outdoor unit 101 may include a compressor, a condenser, a throttling component, and the like.

[0020] The outdoor unit 101 is connected to the first indoor unit 102a and the second indoor unit 102b through the first manifold 106 and the second manifold 107 (sometimes, the manifold is also called a "branch pipe"). Specifically, the outdoor unit 101 is connected to the first manifold 106 via the main pipe 108, and the first manifold 106 is respectively connected to the first expansion valve MOV1 103a of the first indoor unit 102a and the second expansion valve MOV2 103b of the second indoor unit 102b via the branch pipes 104a and 104b. Similarly, the outdoor unit 101 is connected to the second manifold 107 via the main pipe 109, and the second manifold 107 is respectively connected to the first indoor unit 102a and the second indoor unit 102b via the branch pipes 105a and 105b. In the refrigeration cycle, the liquid refrigerant flows out of the outdoor unit 101, flows through the main pipe 108 and the manifold 106, then respectively flows through the branch pipes 104a and 104b, and then flows into the first indoor unit 102a and the second indoor unit 102b. Similarly, the gaseous refrigerant flows out of the first indoor unit 102a and the second indoor unit 102b, respectively flows through the branch pipes 105a and 105b, then flows through the manifold 107 and the main pipe 109, and then flows into the outdoor unit 101. Therefore, in this article, the main pipe 108, the first branch liquid pipe 104a, and the second branch liquid pipe 104b are respectively referred to as the "main liquid pipe 108", the "first branch liquid pipe 104a", and the "second branch liquid pipe 104b", and the main pipe 109, the first branch gas pipe 105a, and the second branch gas pipe 105b are respectively referred to as the "main gas pipe 109", the "first branch gas pipe 105a", and the "second branch gas pipe 105b".

[0021] In addition, in this article, terms such as "サ一モON (constant temperature start)", "サ一モOFF (constant temperature stop)", and "stop (shutdown)" may be used for the indoor unit. The indoor unit in the "サ一モON" state may refer to the indoor unit being in the on state and participating in the refrigeration cycle. The indoor unit in the "サーモOFF" state may refer to the indoor unit being in the on state but not participating in the refrigeration cycle. The indoor unit in the "stop" state may refer to the indoor unit not being turned on.

[0022] Next, return to refer to Figure 1 . As described above, in the conventional air conditioning system, the passage size of the refrigeration circuit is controlled by the expansion valve (MOV). However, because the function of the expansion valve is to regulate the flow rate, it cannot completely achieve the on-off function of the pipeline, which will bring a series of problems.

[0023] For example, during normal refrigeration, the indoor unit in the thermo ON state uses superheat (SH) control to achieve refrigeration. To avoid the influence of indoor units other than the thermo ON state, the opening degree of the expansion valve of indoor units other than the thermo ON state is set to, for example, 20. However, since the indoor units not participating in the refrigeration cycle are not completely isolated, a small amount of cold loss will occur, affecting the air-conditioning performance in actual use. In addition, since there is still refrigerant flowing in the pipeline, refrigerant noise will be generated.

[0024] In addition, during normal heating, the indoor unit in the thermo ON state uses subcooling (SC) control to achieve refrigerant balance among indoor units. To avoid the influence of indoor units other than the thermo ON state, the opening degree of the expansion valve of indoor units other than the thermo ON state is set to, for example, 65 - 80 (this is because the expansion valve must retain a certain opening degree to prevent refrigerant from accumulating in indoor units other than the thermo ON state, thereby reducing the refrigerant amount in the system during the refrigeration cycle and resulting in a deteriorated heating effect of the indoor unit in the actual thermo ON state). However, since the indoor units not participating in the refrigeration cycle are not completely isolated, a small amount of heat loss will occur, affecting the air-conditioning performance in actual use. In addition, since there is still refrigerant flowing in the pipeline, refrigerant noise will be generated.

[0025] In particular, during the start-up control of heating, regardless of whether it is the indoor unit in the thermo ON state or the indoor unit other than the thermo ON state, the expansion valve of the indoor unit will be maintained at a relatively large opening degree until the refrigerant and the compressor oil truly circulate in the system. During this start-up process, there is a large amount of energy loss, affecting the comfort in actual use. In addition, since there is refrigerant flowing in the pipeline, refrigerant noise will be generated.

[0026] In particular, under heating low temperature and even more severe extremely low temperature working conditions, due to the longest main distribution pipe being set on the outdoor side (that is, a large amount of refrigerant remains in the outdoor unit body and the outdoor connecting main pipe), during the start-up in this case, a large amount of the energy consumed by the compressor is spent on the temperature rise process of the refrigerant, so the comfort is extremely poor.

[0027] In addition, since the refrigeration circuit pipelines are all connected and not truly isolated, if a copper pipe rupture occurs indoors in a sealed small room (including the indoor unit itself and the connecting pipes), all the refrigerant in the system will quickly fill the entire room. Since the refrigerant amount of the multi-split system is large, if it is a small local area, it is easy to cause the refrigerant leakage concentration to be too high, posing a risk of suffocating people.

[0028] In this embodiment, as Figure 2As shown, the branch liquid pipes 104a, 104b connected to the indoor units 102a, 102b are respectively provided with on-off components 201a, 201b for connecting or disconnecting the branch liquid pipes. When the on-off components 201a, 201b are turned on (ON), the branch liquid pipes 104a, 104b are connected, and the refrigerant can flow through the branch liquid pipes 104a, 104b and then flow into the indoor units 102a, 102b. When the on-off components 201a, 201b are turned off (OFF), the branch liquid pipes 104a, 104b are disconnected, and the refrigerant cannot flow in the branch liquid pipes 104a, 104b.

[0029] In addition, the bronchial tubes 105a and 105b connected to the indoor units 102a and 102b are respectively provided with on-off components 202a and 202b for connecting or disconnecting the bronchial tubes. When the on-off components 202a and 202b are opened, the bronchial tubes 105a and 105b are connected, and the refrigerant can flow out from the indoor units 102a and 102b and then flow through the bronchial tubes 105a and 105b. When the on-off components 201a and 201b are closed, the bronchial tubes 105a and 105b are disconnected, and the refrigerant cannot flow in the bronchial tubes 105a and 105b.

[0030] In addition, a switching component 203 for connecting or disconnecting the main liquid pipe may be provided on the main liquid pipe 108 connected to the outdoor unit 101. When the switching component 203 is opened, the main liquid pipe 108 is connected, and the refrigerant can flow out of the outdoor unit 101 and then flow through the main liquid pipe 108. When the switching component 203 is closed, the main liquid pipe 108 is disconnected, and the refrigerant cannot flow in the main liquid pipe 108.

[0031] In addition, a switching component 204 for connecting or disconnecting the main gas pipe may be provided on the main gas pipe 109 connected to the outdoor unit 101. When the switching component 204 is opened, the main gas pipe 109 is connected, and the refrigerant can flow through the main gas pipe 109 and then flow into the outdoor unit 101. When the switching component 204 is closed, the main gas pipe 109 is disconnected, and the refrigerant cannot flow in the main gas pipe 109.

[0032] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned on-off components can be implemented by valves. Therefore, in the following, for ease of understanding and description, the on-off components 201a, 201b are described as "branch liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLV", the on-off components 202a, 202b are described as "bronchial auxiliary valve SGV", the on-off component 203 is described as "main liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS", and the on-off component 204 is described as "main gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS". However, it should be understood that the implementation of the on-off component is not limited to valves. As long as it is a component that can connect and disconnect the pipeline, it can be used as the on-off component of the present invention and falls within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0033] Compared with the past, the air-conditioning system realizes the on-off of the refrigeration circuit by adding one or more corresponding valve bodies (for example, the liquid branch pipe auxiliary valve SLV, the gas branch pipe auxiliary valve SGV, the total liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS, and the total gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS), thereby optimizing the use effect and safety of the air conditioner.

[0034] For example, during refrigeration, the indoor unit in the THERMO ON state uses SH control to achieve refrigeration. To avoid the influence of indoor units other than the THERMO ON state, the liquid branch pipe auxiliary valve and the gas branch pipe auxiliary valve of indoor units other than the THERMO ON state can be shut off, so as to ensure that they do not participate in the refrigeration cycle, achieve true indoor unit isolation, avoid cold loss, and affect the air-conditioning performance in actual use. In addition, since the liquid branch pipe and the gas branch pipe are completely cut off and there is no refrigerant flowing in the pipeline, the refrigerant noise is basically eliminated.

[0035] During heating, the indoor unit in the THERMO ON state uses SC control to achieve refrigerant balance among indoor units. To avoid the influence of indoor units other than the THERMO ON state, the liquid branch pipe auxiliary valve and the gas branch pipe auxiliary valve of indoor units other than the THERMO ON state can be shut off, ensuring that they do not participate in the refrigeration cycle, achieve true indoor unit isolation, avoid heat loss, and affect the air-conditioning performance in actual use. In addition, since the liquid branch pipe and the gas branch pipe are completely cut off and there is no refrigerant flowing in the pipeline, the refrigerant noise is basically eliminated.

[0036] In particular, during the start-up control of heating, to avoid the influence of indoor units other than the THERMO ON state (a large amount of energy loss), the liquid branch pipe auxiliary valve and the gas branch pipe auxiliary valve of indoor units other than the THERMO ON state can be shut off, ensuring that they do not participate in the refrigeration cycle, achieve true indoor unit isolation, avoid heat loss, and affect the comfort in actual use and the air-conditioning performance in the final stable state. In addition, since the liquid branch pipe and the gas branch pipe are completely cut off and there is no refrigerant flowing in the pipeline, the refrigerant noise is basically eliminated.

[0037] When a refrigerant leakage occurs, true section isolation is achieved by shutting off the liquid pipe auxiliary valve and the gas pipe auxiliary valve. At this time, even if the copper pipe in the indoor side of the enclosed small room (including the indoor unit itself and the connecting pipe) breaks, since only the refrigerant in the local pipeline fills the room, the amount of refrigerant will not be too much, and opening the door and window can quickly evacuate it, so it will not cause the concentration in the local small area to be too high and suffocate people.

[0038] In the case of refrigerant recovery under refrigeration, by closing the main liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS, keeping the branch liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLV and the branch pipe auxiliary valve SGV of the indoor unit in the samo ON state and the indoor unit in the samo OFF state open, and keeping the main gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS open until the compressor stops and then immediately closing it, the refrigerant can be recovered outdoors, avoiding the risk of suffocation caused by indoor refrigerant leakage, and facilitating replacement and relocation of indoor units.

[0039] In the case of refrigerant recovery under heating, by closing the main liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS, keeping the branch liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLV and bronchial auxiliary valve SGV of the indoor unit in the samo ON state and the indoor unit in the samo OFF state, as well as the main gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS open until the compressor stops and then immediately shut down, the refrigerant can be recovered indoors, which can significantly improve the heating and air-conditioning performance and comfort especially in severe cold weather.

[0040] Table 1 below shows a schematic diagram of controlling the additional auxiliary valves under a common state of the air conditioning system.

[0041] [Table 1]

[0042]

[0043]

[0044] In addition, there is no particular restriction on the installation position of the branch liquid auxiliary valve SLV and the bronchial auxiliary valve SGV, but it is preferably close to the branch pipe. This can reduce the amount of refrigerant retained in the branch liquid pipe and the bronchial pipe, avoid wasting refrigerant, and also reduce refrigerant noise.

[0045] Furthermore, the branch pipe auxiliary valve SLV and the bronchial auxiliary valve SGV may be formed integrally with the branch pipe. In other words, the branch pipe may be a branch pipe with on / off functions at each port.

[0046] In addition, there is no particular restriction on the installation positions of the main liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS and the main gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS, but they are preferably installed on the indoor side (such as Figure 2 As shown), the refrigerant can be recovered indoors as much as possible, reducing the refrigerant retained outdoors, which can greatly reduce the temperature rise process of the refrigerant and improve the comfort of the heating condition.

[0047] Furthermore, the main liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS and the main gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS may be formed integrally with the branch pipe. In other words, the branch pipe may be a branch pipe with on / off functions at each port.

[0048] In addition, in some embodiments, the branch liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLV may not be provided, and the branch liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLV may be replaced by an expansion valve of the indoor unit, thereby saving costs.

[0049] In addition, although Figure 1 and Figure 2 Only one level of branching is shown, that is, after the main liquid pipe 108 branches through a branch pipe 106, the branch pipes 104a, 104b are directly connected to the indoor units 102a, 102b, and after the main gas pipe 109 branches through a branch pipe 107, the branch pipes 105a, 105b are directly connected to the indoor units 102a, 102b, but there can be multiple levels of branches between the outdoor unit 101 and the indoor units 102a, 102b of the air conditioning system. For example, if it is a two-level branch, after the main liquid pipe and the main gas pipe are branched through a branch pipe, each branched pipeline is further branched through a branch pipe, and the pipelines branched for the second time are connected to their respective indoor units, and so on for other multiple levels of branches. In this case, it is also possible to set a switch component on the pipeline of the middle branch, that is, on the pipeline other than the main pipe directly connected to the outdoor unit and the branch pipe directly connected to the indoor unit mentioned above. These on-off components can cooperate with the main liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLVS, the main gas pipe auxiliary valve SGVS, the branch liquid pipe auxiliary valve SLV and the bronchial auxiliary valve SGV to realize the on-off of the refrigeration circuit, thereby optimizing the use of air conditioning and improving safety.

[0050] According to the present invention, in addition to the original control of each refrigeration cycle state, by adding an on-off component to the piping to control the on-off of the refrigeration circuit, the air conditioning effect can be optimized and the safety can be improved. In particular, it can be found through actual testing that:

[0051] 1. Air conditioning performance has been improved. For example, the maximum blowing temperature during heating has been increased;

[0052] 2. Comfortability is improved. For example, in a low-temperature heating environment, the time it takes for the indoor unit to rise to high air volume based on the pipe temperature control is greatly shortened;

[0053] 3. Refrigerant noise is basically eliminated. This is because the indoor unit is completely isolated except when the air conditioner is in the ON state, and no refrigerant flows in the piping.

[0054] Although the present invention has been specifically described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, it is to be understood that the above description does not limit the present invention in any form. Those skilled in the art can deform and change the present invention as needed without departing from the essential spirit and scope of the present invention, and these deformations and changes all fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system, characterized in that: include: Outdoor unit; Multiple indoor units, each indoor unit including its own expansion valve; A plurality of branch pipes, each indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit via a corresponding branch pipe; Wherein, a first on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipeline is provided on the branch pipe between the indoor unit and the corresponding branch pipe, and a second on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipeline is provided on the branch liquid pipe between the indoor unit and the corresponding branch pipe, and the partition of the corresponding indoor unit is controlled by controlling the closing of the first on-off component and the second on-off component; A third on-off component for connecting and disconnecting the pipelines is provided on the main liquid pipe and the main gas pipe between the branch pipe and the outdoor unit, and the third on-off component is used for recovering the refrigerant.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first on-off component and the second on-off component are arranged close to the branch pipe.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first on-off component and the second on-off component are formed integrally with the branch pipe.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third on-off component is disposed on the indoor side of the air conditioning system.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third on-off component is formed integrally with the branch pipe.

6. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first on-off component is a valve.

7. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second on-off component is a valve.

8. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third on-off component is a valve.

Images