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

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a refrigerant control method, device, air conditioning system, storage medium and program product, and relates to the field of air conditioning. The refrigerant control method comprises: before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters a heating mode, controlling the unit volume of refrigerant of a first refrigerant flow path and a second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the unit volume of refrigerant of a third refrigerant flow path, the first refrigerant flow path being a flow path between an outdoor unit throttling element and an indoor unit throttling element, the second refrigerant flow path being a flow path between the indoor unit throttling element and a gas-liquid separator, and the third refrigerant flow path being other flow paths in a 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 participating in the circulation heat exchange of the refrigerant circulation loop. The present disclosure actively intervenes in the refrigerant distribution, so that after the air conditioning system runs in the heating mode, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation, and the heating effect after defrosting is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of air conditioning, and more particularly to a refrigerant control method, apparatus, air conditioning system, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, when a multi-split air conditioner is in heating mode, the outdoor unit is the evaporator side. As the refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat, the temperature of the outdoor pipes decreases, gradually causing frost to form. During defrosting, a four-way valve is typically used to switch to cooling mode, allowing high-temperature gaseous refrigerant to enter the outdoor heat exchanger pipes for defrosting. After defrosting, the four-way valve switches back to heating mode, resuming heating operation. However, because the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger on the low-pressure side of the heating system cannot be transferred in time after defrosting, a large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulates on the outdoor low-pressure side, resulting in slow heating performance after defrosting and a long recovery time for heating.

[0003] In related technologies, refrigerant is stored in a tank by adding a tank and a control valve body to achieve refrigerant transfer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One technical problem this disclosure aims to solve is to provide a refrigerant control method, device, air conditioning system, storage medium, and program product that can improve the heating effect of an air conditioning system after defrosting without increasing the number of tanks, valves, and other connecting pipes.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a refrigerant control method is proposed, comprising: before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode, controlling the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in a first refrigerant flow path and a second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in a third refrigerant flow path, wherein 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 any other flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system other than the first and second refrigerant flow paths; and adjusting the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in heat exchange in response to the air conditioning system entering heating mode. This embodiment, by actively intervening in the refrigerant distribution, enables the refrigerant to quickly participate in the system circulation after the air conditioning system enters heating mode, thereby improving the heating effect after defrosting.

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

[0007] In some embodiments, controlling the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than that in the fourth refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value; and adjusting the opening of the indoor unit's throttling element to the minimum value required for the defrost cycle. This embodiment only requires adjusting the opening of the throttling element, therefore it is easy to implement, simple to operate, and allows the refrigerant to be primarily stored in the medium-pressure pipeline.

[0008] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes a compressor shutdown phase and a compressor startup phase before defrosting ends and the system enters heating mode. During the compressor shutdown phase, controlling the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in the first and second refrigerant flow paths to be greater than that in the third refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value; and adjusting the opening of the indoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value. This embodiment utilizes the pressure difference within the pipeline when the refrigerant is unbalanced to drive refrigerant transfer, enabling the refrigerant to migrate as quickly as possible from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path.

[0009] In some embodiments, during the compressor start-up phase, controlling the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in the first and second refrigerant flow paths to be greater than that in the third refrigerant flow path includes: adjusting the opening of the outdoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value; and adjusting the indoor unit's throttling element to its minimum value or to a closed state. This embodiment can reduce refrigerant flow in the low-pressure pipeline, thereby facilitating the rapid participation of the refrigerant in system heat exchange after heating operation.

[0010] In some embodiments, adjusting the refrigerant participation in the refrigerant circulation loop for heat exchange includes adjusting the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element according to the heating needs of the air conditioning system. This embodiment enables the air conditioning heating process to provide refrigerant on demand.

[0011] In some embodiments, there are multiple indoor unit throttling elements, with each indoor unit heat exchanger of the air conditioning system corresponding to one indoor unit throttling element.

[0012] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a refrigerant control device is also proposed, comprising: a first control module configured to control the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of a first refrigerant flow path and a second refrigerant flow path to be greater than the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of a third refrigerant flow path before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode, wherein 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 any other flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system other than the first and second refrigerant flow paths; and a second control module configured to adjust the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in circulating heat exchange in response to the air conditioning system entering heating mode.

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

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

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an air conditioning system is also proposed, comprising: the aforementioned refrigerant control device.

[0016] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the above-described refrigerant control method.

[0017] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is also proposed, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the refrigerant control method described above.

[0018] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0020] This disclosure will become clearer with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of some embodiments of the refrigerant control method disclosed herein;

[0022] Figure 2 The following are schematic flowcharts illustrating other embodiments of the refrigerant control method disclosed herein;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the piping structure of the air conditioning system disclosed herein;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a flow diagram of the liquid retention in the piping of an air conditioning system during the defrosting stage in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a flow diagram of liquid retention in the pipeline during the defrosting stage and shutdown process of the air conditioning system in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a flow diagram of the liquid storage in the piping of the air conditioning system during the four-way valve switching preparation stage in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a flow diagram of the liquid retention in the pipeline of the air conditioning system in some embodiments of this disclosure during the four-way valve switching action phase;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed herein;

[0029] Figure 9 Schematic diagrams of other embodiments of the refrigerant control device of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed herein. Detailed Implementation

[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, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to actual scale.

[0033] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use.

[0034] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

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

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

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0038] In related technologies, to address the problem of refrigerant accumulation on the outdoor low-pressure side after defrosting in air conditioning systems, resulting in poor heating performance and prolonged recovery time in the short term after defrosting, conventional air conditioning systems typically incorporate refrigerant tanks, valves, and corresponding connecting pipes. This leads to complex piping structures and increased production costs. This disclosure provides a refrigerant control scheme that solves the problems of poor heating performance and prolonged recovery time in the short term after defrosting without requiring additional tanks or valves. The solution described below will be illustrated with specific embodiments.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of some embodiments of the refrigerant control method disclosed herein, which includes 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 besides the first and second refrigerant flow paths.

[0041] In some embodiments, the operation of key components of the air conditioning system is differentially controlled, and the refrigerant distribution is actively intervened. This ensures that before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode, the refrigerant is mainly distributed on the high-pressure side during heating, while the high-pressure side serves as the condensing side. That is, during defrosting, the refrigerant is stored in the indoor unit and the piping between it and the gas-liquid separator, as well as the connecting piping between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. Once heating begins, the refrigerant is on the high-pressure side during heating and can immediately participate in the heating cycle.

[0042] For example, the state of the throttling elements of the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioning system can be adjusted so that most of the refrigerant migrates to the evaporator and connecting pipes after the indoor unit's throttling element and before the four-way valve, as well as to 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 ends and the system enters heating mode. The compressor stop phase is the compressor shutdown phase after defrosting ends, and the compressor start phase is the four-way valve reversing preparation phase, during which the compressor starts at a low frequency.

[0044] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes multiple indoor unit heat exchangers and multiple indoor unit throttling elements, meaning each indoor unit heat exchanger corresponds to one indoor unit throttling element; that is, the air conditioning system is a multi-split system. Because multi-split systems have characteristics such as multi-split operation and significant elevation differences, the system connection pipes are typically longer, thus allowing for a larger refrigerant storage space, making this 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, when the four-way valve of the air conditioning system is energized, the air conditioning system enters the heating mode. During the defrosting period, a large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulated on the high-pressure side of the heating system also flows with the refrigerant and participates in the circulation heat exchange, so that the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation heat exchange after the heating operation.

[0047] In the above embodiment, by actively intervening in the refrigerant distribution, before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters the heating mode, 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. Thus, after the heating operation, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation, improving the heating effect after defrosting. Furthermore, since this embodiment does not require the addition of tanks, valves, or other connecting pipes, it can also reduce the increase in production costs.

[0048] In other embodiments of this disclosure, such as Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerant control method further includes step S21.

[0049] In step S21, when the air conditioning system is in the defrosting stage, the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the first refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the fourth refrigerant flow path. The fourth refrigerant flow path is any other flow path in the air conditioning system's refrigerant circulation loop besides the first refrigerant flow path.

[0050] For example, by controlling the states of the throttling elements in both the outdoor and indoor units, the refrigerant is primarily stored in the piping between the outdoor and indoor units. This allows the refrigerant to quickly migrate to the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit's throttling element and the gas-liquid separator after defrosting, thereby reducing refrigerant accumulation on the low-pressure side during heating and improving the heating efficiency during subsequent air conditioning operation.

[0051] The refrigerant control process of this disclosure will now be described using a specific multi-split air conditioner as an example.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the piping structure of the air conditioning system disclosed herein. The air conditioning system includes an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2. The outdoor unit 1 houses 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. The indoor unit 2 houses 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, thereby facilitating control of their on / off states via electrical signals.

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

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

[0055] As shown in Table 1, the overall machine status is divided into the defrosting stage, the defrosting end and compressor stop stage, the four-way valve reversing preparation stage, and the four-way valve reversing action stage. The following will combine... Figures 4 to 7 This paper introduces the characteristics of the refrigerant at each stage and the operating status of key components.

[0056] Table 1 Summary of Action Control of Key Components

[0057] Overall status Refrigerant distribution characteristics compressor Four-way valve Outdoor unit throttling element Indoor unit throttling element defrosting stage First refrigerant flow path open close Open - Maximum Value Open - Minimum After defrosting, the compressor stops. Migration from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path close close Open - Maximum Value Open - Maximum Value Four-way valve reversing preparation stage The first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path open close Open - Maximum Value Off or On - Minimum Value Four-way valve reversing action stage Moving from the second refrigerant flow path towards the first refrigerant flow path Up-frequency open On - Automatic On - Automatic

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

[0059] like Figure 4As shown, during the defrosting stage, the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 101 and flows through the four-way valve 102 (which is in a de-energized state) into the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103. After the refrigerant condenses into liquid refrigerant in the outdoor unit heat exchanger 103, it passes through the outdoor unit throttling element 104. At this time, the outdoor unit throttling element 104 is adjusted to its maximum opening, i.e., its state is ON-MAX, allowing the refrigerant on the outdoor side to enter the first refrigerant flow path 10, i.e., the heating medium-pressure pipeline, more quickly. Afterward, the refrigerant enters the indoor unit through the liquid line valve 105. At this time, the indoor unit throttling element 201 is closed to the minimum opening required for normal defrosting, i.e., its state is ON-MIN. This portion of refrigerant enters the indoor unit heat exchanger 202 through the indoor unit throttling element 201, then returns to the outdoor unit through the gas line valve 106, enters the gas-liquid separator 103, and finally returns to the suction side of the compressor 101. Most of the remaining refrigerant is stored in the piping between the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201. Since most of the refrigerant is stored in the piping 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. This enables rapid operation of the heating mode after defrosting. Because 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 this disclosure, during the compressor stop operation phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to the maximum value; the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is also adjusted to the maximum value.

[0061] like Figure 5 As shown, after defrosting, compressor 101 stops running, four-way valve 102 remains de-energized, and outdoor unit throttling element 104 remains at its maximum opening, i.e., outdoor unit throttling element 104 is in the ON-MAX state. At this time, the pipeline between outdoor unit throttling element 104 and indoor unit throttling element 201 is a medium-pressure pipeline, and the pipeline between indoor unit throttling element 201 and gas-liquid separator 107 is a low-pressure pipeline. Adjusting indoor unit throttling element 201 from its minimum opening to its maximum opening, i.e., indoor unit throttling element 201 is in the ON-MAX state, utilizes the medium and low pressure difference inside the air conditioning system when compressor 101 is off, to allow the liquid refrigerant stored in the medium-pressure pipeline during the defrosting stage to migrate to the low-pressure pipeline, i.e., the refrigerant migrates from the first refrigerant flow path 10 to the second refrigerant flow path 20. Since the compressor 101 is in a stopped state and there is no compressor suction power, and there are many indoor units with long connecting pipes, most of the refrigerant will migrate to the evaporator and connecting pipes after the throttling element 201 of the indoor unit 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 their maximum opening, the pressure difference in the pipeline when the refrigerant is unbalanced is used to drive the refrigerant transfer. This allows the refrigerant to migrate from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path as quickly as possible, reducing the time it takes for the heating capacity to recover to its maximum output after defrosting and improving the heating capacity of the subsequent air conditioning system.

[0063] In some embodiments of this disclosure, during the compressor start-up phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to the maximum value; the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is adjusted to the minimum value or to the closed state.

[0064] like Figure 6 As shown, when compressor 101 starts running, the indoor unit throttling element 201 is either at its minimum opening or closed. Specifically, 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. This reduces refrigerant flow in the low-pressure lines, allowing the refrigerant to quickly participate in system heat exchange after heating begins. This state is maintained until the air conditioning system establishes a high-low pressure difference, satisfying the switching function of the four-way valve 102.

[0065] In some embodiments of this disclosure, during the heating phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element is adjusted according to the heating needs of the air conditioning system.

[0066] like Figure 7 As shown, during the heating phase, i.e., the reversing phase of the four-way valve 102, the four-way valve 102 is energized, and the aforementioned low-pressure side of defrosting is converted into the high-pressure side of heating. At this time, the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 resume automatic adjustment, i.e., both the outdoor unit throttling element 104 and the indoor unit throttling element 201 are in the ON-AUTO state. High-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 101, flows through the energized four-way valve 102, 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 high-pressure side of heating during defrosting 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, the refrigerant can be supplied 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 refrigerant distribution, the refrigerant is mainly distributed on the high-pressure side during heating before defrosting ends and heating mode begins. This prevents refrigerant from accumulating on the low-pressure side during heating, allowing the refrigerant to quickly participate in system circulation and heat exchange after heating begins. Since this disclosure eliminates the need for additional tanks to store refrigerant, it saves internal space in the air conditioning system, is more conducive to air conditioning design, and reduces production costs.

[0068] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed herein, which 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 finishes 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 besides the first and second refrigerant flow paths.

[0070] In some embodiments, the operation of components in the air conditioning system is differentially controlled, and refrigerant distribution is actively intervened. This ensures that before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode, the refrigerant is mainly distributed on the high-pressure side during heating, which is the condensing side during heating. For example, the states of the throttling elements in the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioning system are adjusted, so that most of the refrigerant migrates to the evaporator and connecting pipes after the indoor unit's throttling element and before the four-way valve, as well as to the connecting pipes between the outdoor and indoor units.

[0071] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system includes a compressor stop phase and a compressor start phase before defrosting ends and the system enters heating mode.

[0072] During the compressor shutdown phase, the first control module 810 adjusts the opening of the outdoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value; it also adjusts the opening of the indoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value. By adjusting both the outdoor and indoor unit throttling elements to their maximum opening, the pressure difference in the pipeline during refrigerant imbalance drives refrigerant transfer. This allows for the refrigerant to migrate as quickly as possible from the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path, reducing the time required for heating capacity to recover to maximum output after defrosting and enhancing the subsequent heating capacity of the air conditioning system.

[0073] During compressor startup, the first control module 810 adjusts the opening of the outdoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value; and adjusts the indoor unit's throttling element to its minimum value or to the closed state. This reduces refrigerant flow in the low-pressure pipeline, thus facilitating the rapid participation of the refrigerant in system circulation and heat exchange after 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 one indoor unit throttling element. In other words, the air conditioning system is a multi-split system. Since multi-split systems have characteristics such as one-to-many and high drop, the system connection pipes are usually longer. Therefore, the space that can store refrigerant is larger, 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 heat exchange in response to the air conditioning system entering the heating mode.

[0076] In some embodiments, during the heating phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element is adjusted according to the heating needs of the air conditioning system.

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

[0078] In the above embodiment, by actively intervening in the refrigerant distribution, before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters the heating mode, 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. Thus, after the heating operation, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system circulation, improving the heating effect after defrosting. Furthermore, since this embodiment does not require the addition of tanks, valves, or other connecting pipes, it can also reduce the increase in production costs.

[0079] Figure 9 The diagram below shows the structure of some other embodiments of the refrigerant control device disclosed herein. The refrigerant control device further includes a third control module 910, which is configured to control the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the fourth refrigerant flow path when the air conditioning system is in the defrosting stage. The fourth refrigerant flow path is any other flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system other than the first refrigerant flow path.

[0080] For example, by controlling the states of the throttling elements in both the outdoor and indoor units, the refrigerant is primarily stored in the piping between the outdoor and indoor units. This allows the refrigerant to quickly migrate to the second refrigerant flow path between the indoor unit's throttling element and the gas-liquid separator after defrosting, thereby reducing refrigerant accumulation on the low-pressure side during heating and improving the heating efficiency during subsequent air conditioning operation.

[0081] Figure 10 The diagram below illustrates the structure of another embodiment of the refrigerant control device 1000 of this disclosure. The refrigerant control device 1000 includes a memory 1010 and a processor 1020. The memory 1010 can be a disk, flash memory, or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory is used to store instructions from the above embodiments. The processor 1020 is coupled to the memory 1010 and can be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or 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 bus 1030. The refrigerant control device 1000 can also be connected to an external storage device 1050 via a storage interface 1040 to access external data, and can also be connected to a network or another computer system (not shown) via a network interface 1060. Further details are omitted here.

[0083] In this embodiment, by storing data instructions in the memory and then processing the instructions by the processor, the refrigerant can quickly participate in the system's 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 this disclosure, an air conditioning system is protected, which includes the refrigerant control device described in the above embodiments.

[0085] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system is a multi-split system, which includes multiple indoor unit heat exchangers and multiple indoor unit throttling elements. Due to the characteristics of multi-split systems, such as multiple units being connected to multiple units and having a large vertical drop, the system connection pipes are usually longer, thus allowing for a larger liquid storage space, making this solution more feasible.

[0086] In other embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the methods described above. Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, apparatus, or computer program products. Therefore, this disclosure can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory 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, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the methods described above. The computer program product includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the methods shown in the flowchart. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via a communication device, or installed from a storage device, or installed from ROM. When the computer program is executed by a CPU, it performs the functions defined in the methods of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0088] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create a machine for implementing the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0089] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0090] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0091] This concludes the detailed description of the present disclosure. To avoid obscuring the concept of the disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Those skilled in the art will fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein based on the above description.

[0092] The methods and apparatus of this disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, they may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above-described order of steps for the methods is for illustrative purposes only, and the steps of the methods of this disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, in some embodiments, this disclosure may also be implemented as a program recorded on a recording medium, the program including machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to this disclosure. Thus, this disclosure also covers recording media storing programs for performing the methods according to this disclosure.

[0093] While specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, those skilled in the art should understand that the examples are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerant control method, comprising: Before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode, the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in the first and second refrigerant flow paths is controlled to be greater than that in 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 any other flow path in the air conditioning system's refrigerant circulation loop besides the first and second refrigerant flow paths. The period before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode includes a compressor stop phase and a compressor start phase. During the compressor stop phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to its maximum value, and the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is also adjusted to its maximum value. During the compressor start phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to its maximum value, and the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is adjusted to its minimum value or to a closed state. In response to the air conditioning system entering 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 includes: When the air conditioning system is in the defrosting stage, the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the first refrigerant flow path is controlled to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the fourth refrigerant flow path. The fourth refrigerant flow path is any flow path in the refrigerant circulation loop of the air conditioning system other than the first refrigerant flow path.

3. The refrigerant control method according to claim 2, wherein, The control of the refrigerant quantity per unit volume in the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than that in the fourth refrigerant flow path includes: Adjust the opening of the outdoor unit's throttling element to its maximum value; and Adjust the opening of the indoor unit's throttling element to the minimum value required to satisfy the defrosting cycle.

4. The refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, Adjusting the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in heat exchange includes: Adjust the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element and the indoor unit throttling element according to the heating requirements of the air conditioning system.

5. The refrigerant control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The indoor unit has multiple throttling elements, and each indoor unit heat exchanger in the air conditioning system corresponds to one indoor unit throttling element.

6. A refrigerant control device, comprising: The first control module is configured to, before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode, control the refrigerant quantity per unit volume of the first and second refrigerant flow paths 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 any other flow path in the air conditioning system's refrigerant circulation loop besides the first and second refrigerant flow paths. The period before the air conditioning system finishes defrosting and enters heating mode includes a compressor stop phase and a compressor start phase. During the compressor stop phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to its maximum value, and the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is also adjusted to its maximum value. During the compressor start phase, the opening degree of the outdoor unit throttling element is adjusted to its maximum value, and the opening degree of the indoor unit throttling element is adjusted to its minimum value or to a closed state. The second control module is configured to adjust the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop to participate in heat exchange in response to the air conditioning system entering the heating mode.

7. The refrigerant control device according to claim 6, further comprising: The third control module is configured to control the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the first refrigerant flow path to be greater than the amount of refrigerant per unit volume in the fourth refrigerant flow path when the air conditioning system is in the defrosting stage. The fourth refrigerant flow path is any other flow path in the air conditioning system's refrigerant circulation loop besides the first refrigerant flow path.

8. A refrigerant control device, comprising: Memory; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the refrigerant control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 based on instructions stored in the memory.

9. An air conditioning system, comprising: The refrigerant control device according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the refrigerant control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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