Refrigerant control method and device, air conditioning system, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerant control method and device, an air conditioning system, a storage medium and a program product, and relates to the field of air conditioners. The refrigerant control method comprises the steps that before defrosting of the air conditioner system is finished and the air conditioner system enters a heating mode, the refrigerant amount per unit volume of a first refrigerant flow path and the refrigerant amount per unit volume of a second refrigerant flow path are controlled to be larger than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of a third refrigerant flow path, the first refrigerant flow path is a flow path between an outdoor unit throttling element and an indoor unit throttling element, and the second refrigerant flow path is a flow path between an outdoor unit throttling element and an indoor unit throttling element; the second refrigerant flow path is a flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is other flow paths except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path in a refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system; and in response to the condition that the air conditioning system enters the heating mode, a refrigerant of the refrigerant circulation loop is adjusted to participate in circulation heat exchange. The refrigerant distribution is actively intervened, so that the refrigerant can quickly participate in system circulation after the air conditioning system performs heating operation, and the heating effect after defrosting is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of air conditioning, and in particular to a refrigerant control method, device, air conditioning system, storage medium and program product. Background Art

[0002] At present, when the multi-split air conditioner is in heating operation, the outdoor side is the evaporation side. As the refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat, the temperature of the outdoor pipeline decreases and frost gradually forms. When entering defrosting, the four-way valve is generally switched to the cooling mode state, and the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant is used to enter the outdoor heat exchanger pipeline to achieve defrosting. After defrosting, the four-way valve switches back to the heating mode state and resumes the heating mode operation. At this time, since the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger on the low-pressure side of heating after defrosting has not been transferred in time, a large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulates on the outdoor low-pressure side, resulting in slow heating effect after defrosting and a long time to resume heating.

[0003] In the related art, a tank body and a control valve body are added to store the refrigerant in the tank body to realize the refrigerant transfer. Summary of the invention

[0004] A technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerant control method, device, air-conditioning system, storage medium and program product, which can improve the heating effect of the air-conditioning system after defrosting without adding tanks, valves and other connecting pipes.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerant control method is proposed, including: before the air conditioning system ends defrosting and enters the heating mode, controlling the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path, the first refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is the other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; and in response to the air conditioning system entering the heating mode, adjusting the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in the circulation heat exchange. This embodiment actively intervenes in the refrigerant distribution, so that the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation after the air conditioning system is in heating operation, thereby improving the heating effect after defrosting.

[0006] In some embodiments, when the air conditioning system is in the defrosting stage, the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path, and the fourth refrigerant flow path is a flow path other than the first refrigerant flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system. In this embodiment, after defrosting is completed, the refrigerant is quickly transferred to the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, thereby reducing the accumulation of refrigerant on the low-pressure side of heating and improving the heating efficiency during the subsequent heating operation of the air conditioning.

[0007] In some embodiments, controlling the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit throttling element to a maximum value; adjusting the opening of the indoor unit throttling element to a minimum value that satisfies the defrosting cycle. This embodiment only needs to adjust the opening of the throttling element, so it is easy to implement and simple to operate, and can make the refrigerant mainly stored in the medium-pressure pipeline.

[0008] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes a compressor stop phase and a compressor start phase before defrosting ends and entering the heating mode. In the compressor stop phase, controlling the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit throttling element to the maximum value; adjusting the opening of the indoor unit throttling element to the maximum value. This embodiment utilizes the pressure difference in the pipeline when the refrigerant is not balanced to promote the transfer of the refrigerant, and can achieve the maximum rapid migration of the refrigerant from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path.

[0009] In some embodiments, during the compressor startup phase, controlling the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit throttling element to a maximum value; adjusting the opening of the indoor unit throttling element to a minimum value or a closed state. This embodiment can reduce the flow of refrigerant in the low-pressure pipeline, so that the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange after the heating operation.

[0010] In some embodiments, adjusting the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in the circulation heat exchange includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element according to the heating needs of the air conditioning system. This embodiment realizes the on-demand provision of refrigerant during the air conditioning heating process.

[0011] In some embodiments, there are multiple indoor unit throttling elements, and each indoor unit heat exchanger of the air-conditioning system corresponds to an indoor unit throttling element.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerant control device is also proposed, including: a first control module, configured to control the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path before the air-conditioning system ends defrosting and enters the heating mode, the first refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is the other flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; and a second control module, configured to adjust the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in the circulation heat exchange in response to the air-conditioning system entering the heating mode.

[0013] In some embodiments, the refrigerant control device also includes a third control module, which is configured to control the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path when the air-conditioning system is in a defrosting stage. The fourth refrigerant flow path is other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerant control device is further provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the refrigerant control method as described above based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioning system is also provided, comprising: the above-mentioned refrigerant control device.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned refrigerant control method is implemented.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is also proposed, including a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is executed by a processor, the above-mentioned refrigerant control method is implemented.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0020] The present disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of some embodiments of the refrigerant control method disclosed in the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the refrigerant control method disclosed in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the piping structure of the air conditioning system disclosed in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 A flow diagram of liquid storage in a pipeline of an air-conditioning system in a defrosting stage in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 A flow diagram of liquid storage in a pipeline during the shutdown process of an air-conditioning system at the end of defrosting in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6 A flow diagram of liquid storage in a pipeline in a four-way valve switching preparation stage of an air conditioning system in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 7 A flow diagram of liquid storage in a pipeline of an air conditioning system in some embodiments of the present disclosure during a four-way valve reversing action phase;

[0028] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed in the present invention;

[0029] Fig. 9 Schematic diagrams of structures of other embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed in the present invention;

[0030] Fig.10 Schematic diagrams of the structures of other embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0032] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0033] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0034] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0035] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0036] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0037] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] In the related art, in order to solve the problem that after defrosting, the system refrigerant accumulates on the outdoor low-pressure side in the air-conditioning system, resulting in poor heating effect in a short period of time after defrosting and a long time to restore heating, a tank body, a valve body and corresponding connecting pipelines are added to the conventional air-conditioning system, which makes the pipeline structure complicated and increases the production cost. The present disclosure provides a refrigerant control scheme, which solves the problem that the heating effect is poor in a short period of time after defrosting and a long time to restore heating without additionally setting a tank body and a valve body. The scheme of the present disclosure will be introduced below by taking a specific embodiment as an example.

[0039] Figure 1 1 is a flow chart of some embodiments of the refrigerant control method disclosed in the present invention, and the embodiments include steps S11-S12.

[0040] In step S11, before the air-conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters the heating mode, the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path, the first refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is the other flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path.

[0041] In some embodiments, the actions of key components of the air-conditioning system are differentially controlled, and the refrigerant distribution is actively intervened, so that before the air-conditioning system ends defrosting and enters the heating mode, the refrigerant is mainly distributed on the medium and high pressure side of heating, and the heating high pressure side is the heating condensation side. That is, during the defrosting period, the refrigerant is stored in the indoor unit and the pipeline between it and the gas-liquid separator, as well as the connecting pipeline between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. After heating starts, the refrigerant is on the medium and high pressure side of heating and can immediately participate in the heating cycle.

[0042] For example, the states of the indoor unit throttling element and the outdoor unit throttling element of the air-conditioning system are adjusted so that most of the refrigerant migrates to the evaporator and connecting pipes behind the indoor unit throttling element and before the four-way valve, as well as the connecting pipes between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.

[0043] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes a compressor stop phase and a compressor start phase before defrosting is completed and entering the heating mode. The compressor stop phase is the compressor shutdown phase after defrosting is completed, and the compressor start phase is the four-way valve reversing preparation phase, during which the compressor is started at a low frequency.

[0044] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes multiple indoor heat exchangers and multiple indoor throttling elements, that is, each indoor heat exchanger corresponds to an indoor throttling element, that is, the air conditioning system is a multi-split system. Since the multi-split system has the characteristics of one-to-many and high drop, the system connection pipeline is usually longer, so the refrigerant storage space is larger, making the solution more feasible.

[0045] In step S12, in response to the air conditioning system entering the heating mode, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop is adjusted to participate in the circulation heat exchange.

[0046] For example, after the four-way valve of the air-conditioning system is energized, the air-conditioning system enters the heating mode. A large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulated on the high-pressure side of the heating during the defrosting period also flows with the refrigerant and participates in the circulation heat exchange. After the heating operation is realized, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange.

[0047] In the above embodiment, by actively intervening in the refrigerant distribution, the refrigerant is mainly distributed in the first refrigerant flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element and the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator before the air-conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters the heating mode. Therefore, after the heating operation, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation, thereby improving the heating effect after defrosting. Moreover, since this embodiment does not require the addition of a tank body, a valve body and other connecting pipes, it can also reduce the increase in production costs.

[0048] In other embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerant control method also includes step S21.

[0049] In step S21, when the air-conditioning system is in the defrosting stage, the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path, and the fourth refrigerant flow path is other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path.

[0050] For example, by controlling the states of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the refrigerant is mainly stored in the pipeline between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. Therefore, after defrosting, the refrigerant can be quickly transferred to the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, thereby reducing the storage of refrigerant on the low-pressure side of heating and improving the heating efficiency during the subsequent heating operation of the air conditioner.

[0051] The refrigerant control process of the present disclosure is introduced below by taking a specific multi-split unit as an example.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3Schematic diagram of the piping structure of the air conditioning system of the present disclosure, the air conditioning system includes an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2. The outdoor unit 1 is provided with a compressor 101, a four-way valve 102, an outdoor unit heat exchanger 103, an outdoor unit throttling element 104, a liquid pipe valve 105, a gas pipe valve 106, and a gas-liquid separator 107, and the indoor unit 2 is provided with an indoor unit throttling element 201 and an indoor unit heat exchanger 202. The outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 can be expansion valves, such as electronic expansion valves, so that their switch states can be controlled by electrical signals.

[0053] In the heating mode, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 101, passes through the four-way valve 102, passes through the high-pressure pipeline section where the gas pipe valve 106 is located, and enters the indoor unit heat exchanger 202. Through heat exchange, the refrigerant becomes a high-pressure liquid. After the refrigerant flows out of the indoor unit throttling element 201, it passes through the pipeline where the liquid pipe valve 105 is located, passes through the outdoor unit throttling element 104, and the refrigerant becomes a low-pressure and low-temperature liquid. After heat exchange in the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103, it becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure gas. The refrigerant then passes through the four-way valve 102 and enters the gas-liquid separator 107, and returns to the suction side of the compressor 101.

[0054] In the cooling mode or defrosting mode, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 101, and the refrigerant passes through the four-way valve 102 and enters the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103, and becomes a high-pressure liquid through heat exchange. After the refrigerant flows out of the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103, it passes through the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and becomes a low-pressure and low-temperature liquid, and then passes through the liquid pipe valve 105 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 to enter the indoor unit heat exchanger 202. After heat exchange, the refrigerant becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure gas. The refrigerant returns to the outdoor side through the gas pipe valve 106, enters the gas-liquid separator 103, and returns to the suction side of the compressor 101.

[0055] As shown in Table 1, the whole machine state is divided into the defrosting stage, the compressor stopping stage after defrosting, the four-way valve reversing preparation stage and the four-way valve reversing action stage. Figures 4 to 7 , and introduces some characteristics of the refrigerant in each stage and the operating status of key components.

[0056] Table 1 Summary of key components action control

[0057] Machine status Refrigerant distribution characteristics compressor Four-way valve Outdoor unit throttling element Indoor unit throttling element Defrosting stage First refrigerant flow path open close On-Max On-Min Defrosting ends and the compressor stops Migration from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path close close On-Max On-Max Four-way valve reversing preparation stage The first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path open close On-Max Off or On - minimum Four-way valve reversing action stage Move from the second refrigerant flow path to the first refrigerant flow path On-Upscaling open On-Auto On-Auto

[0058] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the air-conditioning system is in the defrosting stage, the opening degree of the throttling element of the outdoor unit is adjusted to the maximum value; and the opening degree of the throttling element of the indoor unit is adjusted to the minimum value that satisfies the defrosting cycle.

[0059] like Figure 4As shown, in the defrosting stage, after the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 101, it flows through the four-way valve 102 in the power-off state and enters the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103. After the refrigerant passes through the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103 and condenses into liquid refrigerant, it passes through the outdoor unit throttling element 104. At this time, the outdoor unit throttling element 104 is adjusted to the maximum opening, that is, the state of the outdoor unit throttling element 104 is ON-MAX, so that the refrigerant on the outdoor side enters the first refrigerant flow path 10, that is, the heating medium-pressure pipeline, more quickly. After that, the refrigerant enters the indoor unit through the liquid pipe valve 105. At this time, the indoor unit throttling element 201 is closed to the amount of refrigerant passing through to meet the minimum opening limit for normal defrosting, that is, the state of the indoor unit throttling element 201 is ON-MIN. This part of the refrigerant enters the indoor unit heat exchanger 202 through the indoor unit throttling element 201, and then returns to the outdoor unit through the gas pipe valve 106. After entering the gas-liquid separator 103, it returns to the suction side of the compressor 101. Most of the remaining refrigerant is stored in the pipeline between the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201. Since most of the refrigerant is stored in the pipeline between the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201, in subsequent operations, the refrigerant can be quickly transferred to the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator through the control of the throttling element, thereby realizing the rapid operation of the heating mode after defrosting. Since this step only requires adjusting the opening of the throttling element, it is easy to implement and simple to operate.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the compressor stops running, the opening degree of the throttling element of the outdoor unit is adjusted to the maximum value; and the opening degree of the throttling element of the indoor unit is adjusted to the maximum value.

[0061] like Figure 5 As shown, after defrosting is completed, the compressor 101 stops running, the four-way valve 102 maintains the power-off state, and the outdoor unit throttling element 104 maintains the maximum opening, that is, the outdoor unit throttling element 104 is in the ON-MAX state. At this time, the pipeline between the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 is a medium-pressure pipeline, and the pipeline between the indoor unit throttling element 201 and the gas-liquid separator 107 is a low-pressure pipeline. The indoor unit throttling element 201 is adjusted from the minimum opening to the maximum opening, that is, the state of the indoor unit throttling element 201 is ON-MAX, and the medium and low pressure difference inside the air-conditioning system when the compressor 101 is stopped is used to make the liquid refrigerant stored in the medium-pressure pipeline migrate to the low-pressure pipeline during the defrosting stage, that is, the refrigerant migrates from the first refrigerant flow path 10 to the second refrigerant flow path 20. Since the compressor 101 is in a shutdown state and has no compressor suction power, and there are a large number of indoor units and the connecting pipes are long, most of the refrigerant will migrate to the evaporator and connecting pipes after the indoor unit throttling element 201 and before the four-way valve 102.

[0062] In this embodiment, by adjusting the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element to the maximum opening, the pressure difference in the pipeline when the refrigerant is not balanced is used to promote the transfer of the refrigerant, so that the refrigerant can migrate from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path as quickly as possible, reducing the time for the heating capacity to recover to the maximum output after defrosting, and improving the heating capacity of the subsequent air-conditioning system.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, during the compressor startup phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to a maximum value; and the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is adjusted to a minimum value or a closed state.

[0064] like Figure 6 As shown, the compressor 101 starts running, and the indoor unit throttling element 201 is opened to the minimum value or closed, that is, the outdoor unit throttling element 104 is in the ON-MAX state, and the indoor unit throttling element 201 is in the OFF or ON-MIN state, which can reduce the flow of refrigerant in the low-pressure pipeline, so that the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange after the heating operation. This state is maintained until the air-conditioning system establishes a high and low pressure difference and satisfies the reversal of the four-way valve 102.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the heating stage, the opening degrees of the throttling elements of the outdoor unit and the throttling elements of the indoor unit are adjusted according to the heating needs of the air-conditioning system.

[0066] like Figure 7 As shown, in the heating stage, i.e., the stage of the reversing action of the four-way valve 102, the four-way valve 102 is energized, and the above-mentioned defrosting low-pressure side is converted into the heating high-pressure side. At this time, the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 resume automatic adjustment, i.e., the states of the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 are both ON-AUTO. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 101, flows through the four-way valve 102 in the energized state, and passes through the high-pressure pipeline section where the gas pipe valve 106 is located. During this period, a large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulated on the heating high-pressure side during the defrosting period also flows with the refrigerant, and enters the indoor unit heat exchanger 202 for condensation heat exchange. The refrigerant flows out from the indoor unit throttling element 201, enters the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103 through the liquid pipe valve 105 for evaporation heat exchange, enters the gas-liquid separator 107 through the four-way valve 102, and returns to the suction side of the compressor 101. By automatically controlling the opening of the throttling element, refrigerant can be provided on demand during the air conditioning heating process.

[0067] Through the above four stages, by differentially controlling the components of the air-conditioning system and actively intervening in the distribution of the refrigerant, the refrigerant is mainly distributed on the medium and high pressure side of the heating mode before defrosting is completed and the heating mode is entered, so as to avoid the accumulation of the refrigerant on the low pressure side of the heating mode, and realize that the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange after the heating operation. Since the present disclosure does not need to add a tank to store the refrigerant, the internal space of the air-conditioning system is saved, which is more conducive to the design of the air-conditioning and reduces the production cost.

[0068] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed herein, the refrigerant control device includes a first control module 810 and a second control module 820 .

[0069] The first control module 810 is configured to control the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path before the air-conditioning system ends defrosting and enters the heating mode. The first refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is the other flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path.

[0070] In some embodiments, the actions of the components of the air-conditioning system are differentially controlled, and the distribution of the refrigerant is actively intervened, so that the refrigerant is mainly distributed on the medium and high pressure side of the heating mode before the air-conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters the heating mode, and the medium and high pressure side of the heating mode is the heating condensation side. For example, the state of the throttling element of the indoor unit and the throttling element of the outdoor unit of the air-conditioning system is adjusted, so that most of the refrigerant migrates to the evaporator and the connecting pipeline after the throttling element of the indoor unit and before the four-way valve, as well as the connecting pipeline between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.

[0071] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes a compressor stopping stage and a compressor starting stage before defrosting is completed and entering the heating mode.

[0072] When the compressor stops running, the first control module 810 adjusts the opening of the outdoor unit throttling element to the maximum value; and adjusts the opening of the indoor unit throttling element to the maximum value. By adjusting the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element to the maximum opening, the pressure difference in the pipeline when the refrigerant is not balanced is used to promote the transfer of the refrigerant, so that the refrigerant can be transferred from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path as quickly as possible, reducing the time for the heating capacity to recover to the maximum output after defrosting, and improving the subsequent heating capacity of the air conditioning system.

[0073] During the compressor startup phase, the first control module 810 adjusts the opening of the outdoor unit throttling element to the maximum value, and adjusts the opening of the indoor unit throttling element to the minimum value or the closed state, which can reduce the flow of refrigerant in the low-pressure pipeline, so that the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange after the heating operation.

[0074] In some embodiments, the air-conditioning system includes multiple indoor unit heat exchangers and multiple indoor unit throttling elements, that is, each indoor unit heat exchanger corresponds to an indoor unit throttling element, that is, the air-conditioning system is a multi-split system. Since the multi-split system has the characteristics of one-to-many and high drop, the system connecting pipes are usually longer. Therefore, there is more space for storing refrigerant, making the solution more feasible.

[0075] The second control module 820 is configured to adjust the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in circulation heat exchange in response to the air-conditioning system entering the heating mode.

[0076] In some embodiments, during the heating stage, the openings of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element are adjusted according to the heating needs of the air conditioning system.

[0077] For example, after the four-way valve of the air-conditioning system is energized, the air-conditioning system enters the heating mode. A large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulated on the high-pressure side of the heating during the defrosting period also flows with the refrigerant and participates in the circulation heat exchange. After the heating operation is realized, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange.

[0078] In the above embodiment, by actively intervening in the refrigerant distribution, the refrigerant is mainly distributed in the first refrigerant flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element and the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator before the air-conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters the heating mode. Therefore, after the heating operation, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation, thereby improving the heating effect after defrosting. Moreover, since this embodiment does not require the addition of a tank body, a valve body and other connecting pipes, it can also reduce the increase in production costs.

[0079] Fig. 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of some other embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed in the present invention, wherein the refrigerant control device also includes a third control module 910, which is configured to control the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path when the air-conditioning system is in a defrosting stage, and the fourth refrigerant flow path is other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path.

[0080] For example, by controlling the states of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the refrigerant is mainly stored in the pipeline between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. Therefore, after defrosting, the refrigerant can be quickly transferred to the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, thereby reducing the storage of refrigerant on the low-pressure side of heating and improving the heating efficiency during the subsequent heating operation of the air conditioner.

[0081] Fig.10 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the refrigerant control device of the present disclosure, wherein the refrigerant control device 1000 includes a memory 1010 and a processor 1020. The memory 1010 may be a disk, a flash memory, or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory is used to store the instructions in the above embodiments. The processor 1020 is coupled to the memory 1010 and may be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or a microcontroller. The processor 1020 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory.

[0082] In some embodiments, the processor 1020 is coupled to the memory 1010 via a BUS 1030. The refrigerant control device 1000 can also be connected to an external storage device 1050 via a storage interface 1040 to call external data, and can also be connected to a network or another computer system (not shown) via a network interface 1060. No further detailed description will be given here.

[0083] In this embodiment, by storing data instructions in a memory and then processing the instructions through a processor, the refrigerant in the air-conditioning system can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange during heating operation after defrosting, thereby reducing the time required to resume heating and improving the heating effect.

[0084] In other embodiments of the present disclosure, an air-conditioning system is provided, which includes the refrigerant control device in the above embodiment.

[0085] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system is a multi-split system, that is, it includes multiple indoor heat exchangers and multiple indoor throttling elements. Due to the multi-split system's one-to-many and high drop characteristics, the system connection pipelines are usually longer, so there is more liquid storage space, making this solution more feasible.

[0086] In other embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, which implement the steps of the method in the above-mentioned embodiment when the instructions are executed by the processor. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided as methods, devices, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present disclosure can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0087] In some embodiments, a computer program product is protected, including a computer program or an instruction, which implements the above method when the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor. The computer program product includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program contains program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through a communication device, or installed from a storage device, or installed from a ROM. When the computer program is executed by the CPU, the above functions defined in the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure are executed.

[0088] The present disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0089] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0090] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process in the computer or other programmable device. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0091] So far, the present disclosure has been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0092] The method and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, the method and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above order of steps for the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above, unless otherwise specifically stated. In addition, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be implemented as a program recorded in a recording medium, which includes machine-readable instructions for implementing the method according to the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure also covers a recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to the present disclosure.

[0093] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerant control method, comprising: Before the air-conditioning system ends defrosting and enters the heating mode, the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path, the first refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path is the flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and the gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is the other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation circuit of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; as well as In response to the air conditioning system entering a heating mode, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop is adjusted to participate in circulating heat exchange.

2. The refrigerant control method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the air-conditioning system is in the defrosting stage, the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path, and the fourth refrigerant flow path is other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation circuit of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path.

3. The refrigerant control method according to claim 2, wherein: The controlling the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path comprises: adjusting the opening of the throttling element of the outdoor unit to a maximum value; and The throttling element of the indoor unit is adjusted to a minimum opening value that satisfies the defrost cycle.

4. The refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The air conditioning system includes a compressor stopping stage and a compressor starting stage before defrosting is completed and entering the heating mode. In the compressor stopping stage, controlling the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the throttling element of the outdoor unit to a maximum value; and The throttling element of the indoor unit is adjusted to have a maximum opening degree.

5. The refrigerant control method according to claim 4, wherein: In the compressor startup phase, controlling the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the throttling element of the outdoor unit to a maximum value; and The throttling element of the indoor unit is adjusted to a minimum opening value or a closed state.

6. The refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Regulating the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in the circulation heat exchange includes: According to the heating needs of the air conditioning system, the opening degrees of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element are adjusted.

7. The refrigerant control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: There are multiple indoor unit throttling elements, and each indoor unit heat exchanger of the air-conditioning system corresponds to one indoor unit throttling element.

8. A refrigerant control device, comprising: The first control module is configured to control the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant amount per unit volume of the third refrigerant flow path before the air-conditioning system ends defrosting and enters a heating mode, wherein the first refrigerant flow path is a flow path between an outdoor unit throttling element and an indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path is a flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and a gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path is other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation circuit of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; as well as The second control module is configured to adjust the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in circulation heat exchange in response to the air conditioning system entering a heating mode.

9. The refrigerant control device according to claim 8, further comprising: The third control module is configured to control the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume of the fourth refrigerant flow path when the air-conditioning system is in a defrosting stage. The fourth refrigerant flow path is other flow paths in the refrigerant circulation circuit of the air-conditioning system except the first refrigerant flow path.

10. A refrigerant control device, comprising: Memory; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 based on instructions stored in the memory.

11. An air conditioning system, comprising: The refrigerant control device according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

13. A computer program product, comprising a computer program or an instruction, wherein when the computer program or the instruction is executed by a processor, the refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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