Air refrigerant type air conditioning device, control method for air refrigerant type air conditioning device, and program

Abstract

To provide an air refrigerant type air conditioning device, a control method for the air refrigerant type air conditioning device, and a program that realize a decrease in the temperature and an increase in the flow rate of air to be supplied to an air-conditioned room, and realize optimum air conditioning control according to an operation condition.SOLUTION: An air refrigerant type air conditioning device comprises: a compressor; a cooler; an air blower; a first flow passage into which air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the air blower flows, an expander; a second flow passage into which the air discharged by the expander flows; a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the air in the first flow passage and the air in the second flow passage; a third flow passage for making the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger flow into an air-conditioned room; a first valve for controlling the inflow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow passage; a second valve for controlling the inflow of the air discharged by the air blower into the first flow passage; and a control device for controlling the first valve and the second valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air refrigerant type air conditioner, and a control method and program for an air refrigerant type air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an air refrigerant type air conditioner that uses air as a refrigerant to perform air conditioning. This air refrigerant type air conditioner includes a compressor, a cooler, an expander, and a load heat exchanger, and configures a single-loop air cycle circuit in which the refrigerant air compressed by the compressor is cooled by the cooler, then expanded by the expander to a low temperature, the low-temperature refrigerant air absorbs heat from the load in the load heat exchanger, and the refrigerant air that has absorbed heat cools the compressed refrigerant air from the compressor in the cooling heat exchanger. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-314568 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to provide an air refrigerant type air conditioner that realizes lower temperatures and higher flow rates of air supplied to an air-conditioned room, and achieves optimal air conditioning control in accordance with operating conditions, and a control method and program for an air refrigerant type air conditioner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The air refrigerant type air conditioner in the present disclosure is an air refrigerant type air conditioner including a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, a blower that blows the air, a first flow path into which the air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the blower flows in, an expander that expands the air, a second flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows in, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path, a third flow path through which the air after heat exchange by the heat exchanger flows into an air-conditioned room, a first valve that controls the flow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow path, a second valve that controls the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, and a control device that controls the first valve and the second valve.

[0006] The air refrigerant type air conditioner in the present disclosure is an air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, an expander that expands the air discharged by the cooler, a sixth flow path through which the air discharged by the expander flows into an air-conditioned room, a blower that blows the air, a seventh flow path through which the air discharged by the blower flows into the air-conditioned room, a fourth valve provided in the sixth flow path, a fifth valve provided in the seventh flow path, and a control device that controls the fourth valve and the fifth valve.

[0007] The air refrigerant type air conditioner in the present disclosure is an air refrigerant type air conditioner including a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, an expander that expands the air cooled by the cooler, a blower that blows air, an eighth flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows, a ninth flow path into which the air discharged by the blower flows, a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the eighth flow path and the air in the 9th flow path, a tenth flow path through which the air after heat exchange by the heat exchanger flows into an air-conditioned room, an eleventh flow path that branches off from the eighth flow path and through which the air discharged by the expander flows into the air-conditioned room, a sixth valve that controls the amount of air discharged by the blower that flows into the 9th flow path, a seventh valve that controls the amount of air in the 9th flow path that is the air discharged by the expander that flows into the 10th flow path, and a control device that controls the sixth valve and the seventh valve.

[0008] The control method for an air refrigerant type air conditioner disclosed herein includes a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, a blower that blows the air, a first flow path into which the air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the blower flows, an expander that expands the air, a second flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path, a third flow path through which the air after heat exchange by the heat exchanger flows into an air-conditioned room, and a first valve for controlling the flow of the air to be cooled into the first flow path, a second valve for controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit for detecting an outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit for detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, wherein when the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the first valve is closed, the second valve is opened, and the blower is driven to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0009] The program of the present disclosure includes a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, a blower that blows the air, a first flow path into which the air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the blower flows, an expander that expands the air, a second flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path, a third flow path that flows the air after heat exchange by the heat exchanger into an air-conditioned room, and an inflow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow path. a second valve controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit detecting the outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit detecting the indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room. The program is executed by a computer mounted on an air-refrigerant type air conditioner having an air refrigerant type air conditioner including a first valve controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit detecting the outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit detecting the indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, the program causing the computer to execute a process of closing the first valve, opening the second valve, and driving the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path when the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The air refrigerant type air conditioner and the control method and program for the air refrigerant type air conditioner disclosed herein can supply air cooled by an expander or air cooled by heat exchange in a heat exchanger and air blown by a blower into an air-conditioned room, thereby realizing a lower temperature and a larger flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room and achieving optimal air conditioning control according to the operating conditions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] A diagram showing the configuration and connection configuration of a control device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5]11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] (The knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, the air refrigerant air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 was known as a conventional air refrigerant air conditioner. However, the air refrigerant air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot achieve both a large cooling capacity, such as when starting up cooling, that is, a low temperature and a large flow rate of the air blown into the air-conditioned room. In general, air conditioners are restricted by the lower limit of the blowing temperature to prevent condensation at the air outlet of the air-conditioned room, but in the configuration of the air refrigerant air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1, the blowing temperature and flow rate are determined by the compressor rotation speed. Therefore, after the blowing temperature reaches the lower limit, the compressor rotation speed cannot be increased any more, and the flow rate cannot be increased.

[0013] In addition, because the only means of blowing air into the air-conditioned room is the compressor, even under load conditions such as when the outside temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the compressor must be driven to first increase the pressure, and then the expander must be used to reduce the pressure and expand the air to lower the temperature, resulting in unnecessary energy consumption. Therefore, the inventors discovered a problem in that conventional configurations do not allow optimal operation control according to the operating conditions of an air refrigerant type air conditioner, and have come up with the subject matter of the present disclosure in order to solve this problem. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air refrigerant type air conditioner that realizes lower temperatures and higher flow rates of air supplied to an air-conditioned room, and realizes optimal air conditioning control according to operating conditions, and a control method and program for an air refrigerant type air conditioner.

[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, in some cases, more detailed explanations than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or duplicate explanations of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0015] (Embodiment 1) The first embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [1-1. Configuration of the air refrigerant type air conditioner according to the first embodiment] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A. The solid lines shown in Fig. 1 indicate air flow paths, and the dashed lines shown in Fig. 1 indicate control signal lines through which control signals are transmitted and received. The air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A includes a housing 30, a heat exchanger 40, a blower 60, a first control valve 11, a second control valve 12, a third control valve 13, and a cooler 50. The housing 30 is provided with a rotating shaft 31, a compressor 33, an expander 35, and a motor 37.

[0016] The rotating shaft 31 is disposed along the axial direction of the housing 30. The rotating shaft 31 is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on both sides of the housing 30. A motor 37 for driving the rotating shaft 31 to rotate is connected to the rotating shaft 31. A compressor 33 is provided at one end of the rotating shaft 31, and an expander 35 is provided at the other end of the rotating shaft 31.

[0017] The compressor 33 includes an impeller (not shown) that is rotationally driven by the rotation of the rotary shaft 31. A flow path 3 is connected to the suction side 33A of the compressor 33. The other end of the flow path 3 is connected to the expander 35. A heat exchanger 40 is provided midway along the flow path 3. The flow path 3 constitutes a low-temperature side flow path through which low-temperature, low-pressure air discharged from the expander 35 flows. The flow path 3 corresponds to a second flow path.

[0018] A flow path 4 is connected to the discharge side 33B of the compressor 33. A third control valve 13 is provided in the flow path 4. By opening the third control valve 13 under the control of the control device 100, the air discharged from the compressor 33 is released into the atmosphere via the flow path 4. The third control valve 13 corresponds to the third valve. The flow path 4 corresponds to the fourth flow path.

[0019] In addition, a flow path 5 is connected to the flow path 4 between the discharge side 33B of the compressor 33 and the third control valve 13. The other end of the flow path 5 is connected to the air-conditioning chamber 80, and air discharged from the compressor 33 is supplied to the air-conditioning chamber 80 via the flow path 5. A part of the flow path 5 corresponds to the first flow path and the fifth flow path. Specifically, the flow path 5 between the connection point of the flow path 5 and the flow path 6 and the second inlet 43 of the heat exchanger 40 corresponds to the first flow path. In addition, the flow path 5 between the connection point of the flow path 4 and the connection point of the flow path 6 corresponds to the fifth flow path.

[0020] The flow path 5 is provided with a cooler 50, a first control valve 11, and a heat exchanger 40. The flow path 5 constitutes a high-temperature side flow path through which high-temperature, high-pressure air discharged from the compressor 33 flows. The first control valve 11 corresponds to a first valve.

[0021] The expander 35 is equipped with a wheel (not shown) that is driven by the rotation of the rotating shaft 31. The suction side 35A of the expander 35 is connected to the outside of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A via the inlet pipe 7. The expander 35 also rotates with the rotation of the motor 37, takes in outside air as refrigerant air, and expands the taken-in air. By expanding, the air becomes low-temperature, low-pressure air. The air expanded by the expander 35 is discharged from the discharge side 35B. The flow path 3 is connected to the discharge side 35B. The air discharged by the expander 35 undergoes heat exchange in the heat exchanger 40 via the flow path 3, and is sucked into the compressor 33.

[0022] The heat exchanger 40 is a plate heat exchanger and includes a first inlet 41, a first outlet 42, a second inlet 43, and a second outlet 44. The first inlet 41 is the inlet of a flow path 3 that is piped inside the heat exchanger 40, and the first outlet 42 is the outlet of the flow path 3. The second inlet 43 is the inlet of a flow path 5 that is piped inside the heat exchanger 40, and the second outlet 44 is the outlet of the flow path 5.

[0023] In the heat exchanger 40, a flow path 3 constituting a low-temperature side flow path and a flow path 5 constituting a high-temperature side flow path are arranged, and are piped and connected so that the two fluids that perform heat exchange are in counterflow. In other words, in the heat exchanger 40, low-temperature, low-pressure air flowing through the flow path 3 and high-temperature, high-pressure air flowing through the flow path 5 are in counterflow, and heat exchange is performed, cooling the high-temperature, high-pressure air flowing through the flow path 5. The air cooled in the heat exchanger 40 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 through the flow path 5. A part of the flow path 5 corresponds to the third flow path. Of the flow paths 5, the flow path 5 between the second outlet 44 and the air-conditioned room 80 corresponds to the third flow path.

[0024] The cooler 50 is a plate fin heat exchanger. The cooler 50 blows outside air using a fan (not shown), and exchanges heat between the high-temperature, high-pressure air discharged from the compressor 33 and the outside air.

[0025] A flow path 6 is connected to the flow path 5 between the first control valve 11 and the second inlet 43 of the heat exchanger 40. A blower 60 and a second control valve 12 are provided in the flow path 6. The second control valve 12 corresponds to a second valve.

[0026] The blower 60 is a centrifugal type blower. By opening the second control valve 12 under the control of the control device 100, the air blown by the blower 60 flows into the flow path 5 via the flow path 6. The air that has flowed into the flow path 5 is cooled by heat exchange with low-temperature, low-pressure air in the heat exchanger 40, and is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80.

[0027] The first control valve 11, the second control valve 12, and the third control valve 13 are electrically controlled valves that open and close the flow paths. The opening degrees of the first control valve 11, the second control valve 12, and the third control valve 13 are controlled by the control device 100.

[0028] In the air-conditioned room 80, an indoor temperature detection unit 81 and an operation signal receiving unit 83 are installed. The indoor temperature detection unit 81 includes a thermistor that measures the indoor temperature, which is the temperature inside the air-conditioned room 80. The indoor temperature detection unit 81 outputs the indoor temperature measured by the thermistor to the control device 100. The control device 100 temporarily stores the indoor temperature input from the indoor temperature detection unit 81 in a memory unit 110 included in the control device 100.

[0029] The operation signal receiving unit 83 receives and decodes an infrared signal transmitted from a remote control (not shown). The operation signal receiving unit 83 decodes the infrared signal and outputs an operation signal corresponding to an operation of a button provided on the remote control to the control device 100. The operation signal receiving unit 83 may receive a wireless signal such as Bluetooth from the remote control. Bluetooth is a registered trademark. When receiving a wireless signal, the operation signal receiving unit 83 may include an antenna and a receiving circuit. In addition, in the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the operation signal receiving unit 83 that receives an infrared signal transmitted from the remote control is provided in the air-conditioning room 80, but a configuration in which an operation unit that accepts user operations is provided may also be used. The operation signal receiving unit 83 corresponds to a reception unit.

[0030] The outdoor air temperature detection unit 85 includes a thermistor that measures the outdoor temperature outside the air-conditioned room 80. The outdoor air temperature detection unit 85 outputs the indoor temperature measured by the thermistor to the control device 100. The control device 100 temporarily stores the outdoor temperature input from the outdoor air temperature detection unit 85 in a memory unit 110 included in the control device 100.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration and connection configuration of the control device 100. The control device 100 is connected to the motor 37, the blower 60, the first control valve 11, the second control valve 12, and the third control valve 13. In addition, the control device 100 is connected to an outside air temperature detector 85, an indoor temperature detector 81, and an operation signal receiver 83.

[0032] The control device 100 is a computer device including a storage unit 110 and a processor 130.

[0033] The storage unit 110 includes a volatile storage device and a non-volatile storage device. The volatile storage device is, for example, a random access memory (RAM), etc. The non-volatile storage device is, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.

[0034] The volatile storage device is used as an operating area for the processor 130 . The non-volatile storage device stores the control program 150 executed by the processor 130 and setting data set in the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A.

[0035] The processor 130 is an arithmetic processing device including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processor 130 may be configured with a single processor, or may be configured with multiple processors. The processor 130 may be configured with a SoC integrated with a part or all of the storage unit 110 or other circuits. The processor 130 may be configured with a combination of a CPU that executes a program and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that executes a predetermined arithmetic processing. Furthermore, the processor 130 may be configured with all of its functions implemented in hardware, or may be configured using a programmable device.

[0036] [1-2. Operation of the air refrigerant type air conditioner according to the first embodiment] The operation of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A configured as above will be described below. When the motor 37 is driven to rotate under the control of the control device 100, the compressor 33 and the expander 35 start operating due to the rotation of the motor 37.

[0037] When the expander 35 starts operating, it draws in outside air from the suction side 35A. The expander 35 expands the air sucked in through the suction side 35A. The expanded air becomes low-temperature, low-pressure air. The expander 35 discharges the low-temperature, constant-pressure air from the discharge side 35B into the flow path 3.

[0038] The air discharged from the expander 35 from the discharge side 35B flows into the heat exchanger 40 via the flow path 3. The heat exchanger 40 exchanges heat between the low-temperature, low-pressure air flowing through the flow path 3 and the high-temperature, high-pressure air flowing through the flow path 5. The air heated by the heat exchanger 40 is sucked into the compressor 33 via the flow path 3.

[0039] The compressor 33 compresses the sucked air. The air compressed by the compressor 33 becomes high-temperature, high-pressure air. The compressor 33 discharges the compressed air from the discharge side 33B.

[0040] The air discharged from the compressor 33 is released into the atmosphere via the flow path 4 when the third control valve 13 is opened by the control device 100. In addition, the control device 100 adjusts the opening degree of the third control valve 13 so that the air discharged from the compressor 33 flows into a flow path 5 connected to the flow path 4.

[0041] The air flowing into the flow path 5 is cooled by the cooler 50. When the second control valve 12 is in a closed state, the air cooled by the cooler 50 flows into the heat exchanger 40 from the second inlet 43 of the heat exchanger 40. Furthermore, when the second control valve 12 is open and the blower 60 is operating, the air discharged by the blower 60 flows into the flow path 5 and is mixed with the air cooled by the cooler 50.

[0042] The air flowing into the heat exchanger 40 exchanges heat with the low-temperature, low-pressure air flowing through the flow path 3 within the heat exchanger 40, and the cooled air is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 5, cooling the air-conditioned room 80.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device 100. The operation of the control device 100 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. The control device 100 judges whether or not a button provided on a remote control for instructing to start cooling has been operated and an operation signal indicating that the button has been operated has been input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step S1). If an operation signal has not been input (step S1 / NO), the control device 100 waits to start processing until an operation signal is input.

[0044] When an operation signal is input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step S1 / YES), the control device 100 reads and acquires the indoor temperature T_in detected by the indoor temperature detection unit 81 and the outdoor temperature T_out detected by the outdoor temperature detection unit 85 from the memory unit 110 (step S2).

[0045] Next, the control device 100 subtracts the outside air temperature T_out from the indoor temperature T_in to obtain a subtraction value, and compares the obtained subtraction value with a preset temperature difference t1. If the subtraction value T_in-T_out is equal to or less than the temperature difference t1 (step S3 / YES), the control device 100 proceeds to the judgment of step S4. The temperature difference t1 is set, for example, within a range of 0°C or more and 3°C or less. A case in which the subtraction value T_in-T_out is greater than the temperature difference t1 corresponds to a case in which the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature. Also, a case in which the subtraction value T_in-T_out is equal to or less than the temperature difference t1 corresponds to a case in which the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature.

[0046] Next, the control device 100 subtracts the set temperature T_s of the air-conditioned room 80 from the room temperature T_in to obtain a subtraction value, and compares the obtained subtraction value with a predetermined temperature difference t2. The temperature difference t2 is set to a value within a range of, for example, 1° C. or more and 3° C. or less. The temperature difference t2 corresponds to a preset set value. When the control device 100 determines that the subtraction value T_in-T_s is equal to or greater than the temperature difference t2 (step S4 / YES), it performs control to close the third control valve 13 (step S5) and performs control to open the first control valve 11 (step S6). Furthermore, the control device 100 performs control to open the second control valve 12 (step S7), and drives the motor 37 to operate the compressor 33 and the expander 35 (step S8).

[0047] As a result, air discharged from the discharge side 33B of the compressor 33 flows into the second inlet 43 of the heat exchanger 40 via flow path 5, and air blown by the blower 60 flows into the second inlet 43 of the heat exchanger 40 via flow paths 6 and 5. Then, heat exchange with low-temperature, low-pressure air flowing through flow path 3 is carried out in the heat exchanger 40, and the cooled air is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via flow path 5, cooling the air-conditioned room 80.

[0048] When the control device 100 determines that the subtraction value T_in-T_s is smaller than the temperature difference t2 (step S4 / NO), it performs control to open the first control valve 11 (step S9) and drives the motor 37 (step S10). By driving the motor 37, the compressor 33 and the expander 35 start operating.

[0049] Next, the control device 100 performs control to close the second control valve 12 (step S11), and performs control to adjust the opening degree of the third control valve 13 (step S12).

[0050] As a result, the air discharged from the discharge side 33B of the compressor 33 flows into the heat exchanger 40 from the second inlet 43 via the flow path 5. At this time, because the second control valve 12 is closed, the air blown by the blower 60 does not flow into the flow path 5. Then, heat exchange with the low-temperature, low-pressure air flowing through the flow path 3 is carried out in the heat exchanger 40, and the cooled air is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 5, cooling the air-conditioned room 80.

[0051] Furthermore, when the subtraction value T_in-T_out is greater than the temperature difference t1 (step S3 / NO), the outside air temperature T_out is sufficiently lower than the room temperature T_in. In this case, the control device 100 performs control to close the third control valve 13 (step S13) and performs control to close the first control valve 11 (step S14). Furthermore, the control device 100 performs control to open the second control valve 12 (step S15), and operates the blower 60 (step S16). At this time, the motor 37 is not driven, and therefore the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are not operating.

[0052] As a result, air discharged from the blower 60 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow paths 6 and 5, cooling the air-conditioned room 80. At this time, the air discharged from the blower 60 flows into the heat exchanger 40 via the flow path 5, but since the rotation of the motor 37 is stopped, the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are not operating. For this reason, the air flowing through the flow path 5 is not cooled in the heat exchanger 40. However, since the outside air temperature T_out is sufficiently lower than the indoor temperature T_in, the outside air blown by the blower 60 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80, so that the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled.

[0053] The determinations in steps S3 and S4 define the operating conditions of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A. The operating conditions are such that the motor 37 is driven to operate the compressor 33 and the expander 35, or the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are operated and then the blower 60 is operated, or only the blower 60 is operated.

[0054] Next, the control device 100 judges whether or not a button provided on the remote control for instructing to end cooling has been operated and an operation signal indicating that the button has been operated has been input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step S17). If an operation signal has not been input (step S17 / NO), the control device 100 returns to the process of step S2.

[0055] Furthermore, when an operation signal is input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step S17 / YES), the control device 100 stops driving the motor 37 and the blower 60 (step S18). Next, the control device 100 performs control to close the third control valve 13 (step S19), performs control to close the first control valve 11 (step S20), and performs control to close the second control valve 12 (step S21).

[0056] [1-3. Effects, etc.] In the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A of the first embodiment, the control device 100 controls to open the first control valve 11 and close the second control valve 12, so that air discharged from the compressor 33 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 5. The air discharged from the compressor 33 is cooled by the cooler 50 and the heat exchanger 40, so that the inside of the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled.

[0057] Furthermore, by the control device 100 controlling the opening of the first control valve 11 and the second control valve 12, in addition to the air discharged from the compressor 33, the air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 5. Since the air discharged from the blower 60 is also air cooled by the heat exchanger 40, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled. Since the air discharged from the blower 60 can also be supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 5, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled and the flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 can be secured.

[0058] Furthermore, when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit 85 is lower than the room temperature of the air-conditioned room 80, the air outside the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A discharged by the blower 60 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 5. Therefore, even when the operation of the compressor 33 and the expander 35 is stopped, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0059] (Embodiment 2) The second embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [2-1. Configuration of the air refrigerant type air conditioner according to the second embodiment] Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B of embodiment 2. The solid lines shown in Fig. 4 indicate air flow paths, and the dashed lines shown in Fig. 4 indicate control signal lines through which control signals are transmitted and received. The air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B includes a housing 30, a cooler 70, a blower 60, a fourth control valve 15, a fifth control valve 16, a sixth control valve 17, an indoor temperature detector 81, an operation signal receiver 83, an outdoor temperature detector 85, and a control device 100. Note that among the components of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B, the same components as those of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0060] A rotating shaft 31, a compressor 33, an expander 35, and a motor 37 are provided within the housing 30. The suction side 33A of the compressor 33 communicates with the outside of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B via the inlet pipe 38. The discharge side 33B of the compressor 33 is connected to the flow path 101. When the compressor 33 starts operating by the rotation of the motor 37, it takes in air from the suction side 33A and compresses the taken-in air. The compressor 33 discharges the compressed air to the flow path 101.

[0061] The other end of the flow path 101 is connected to the suction side 35A of the expander 35. In addition, a cooler 70 is provided in the flow path 101. The cooler 70 blows outside air using a fan (not shown) and exchanges heat between the high-temperature, high-pressure air discharged from the compressor 33 and the outside air.

[0062] The air discharged from the cooler 70 is taken into the expander 35 from the suction side 35A. The expander 35 expands the air taken in from the suction side 35A. The air expanded by the expander 35 becomes low-temperature, low-pressure air. The expander 35 discharges the expanded air from the discharge side 35B. A flow path 102 is connected to the discharge side 35B of the expander 35. The flow path 102 corresponds to an eighth flow path.

[0063] The other end of the flow path 102 is connected to the air-conditioning room 80. Furthermore, a fourth control valve 15 is provided in the flow path 102. The flow path 102 corresponds to the sixth flow path. The fourth control valve 15 corresponds to the fourth valve. A flow path 103 is connected to the flow path 102 between the discharge side 35B of the expander 35 and the fourth control valve 15. The flow path 103 is provided with a sixth control valve 17.

[0064] A flow path 104 is connected to the flow path 102 between the fourth control valve 15 and the air-conditioning room 80. The other end of the flow path 104 is connected to the discharge side 60B of the blower 60. A fifth control valve 16 is provided in the flow path 104. The flow path 104 corresponds to the seventh flow path. The fifth control valve 16 corresponds to the fifth valve.

[0065] The intake side 60A of the blower 60 communicates with the outside of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B via the inlet pipe 105. When the blower 60 starts operating, it takes in air by rotating the blower 60 and discharges the taken-in air to the flow path 104. By opening the sixth control valve 17, the air discharged by the blower 60 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow paths 104 and 102.

[0066] Further, a flow path 106 is connected to the inlet pipe 105 connected to the suction side 60A of the blower 60. The other end of the flow path 106 is connected to the air-conditioning chamber 80. Air in the air-conditioning chamber 80 is sucked from the suction side 60A of the blower 60 via the inlet pipe 105 and the flow path 106.

[0067] [2-2. Operation of the air refrigerant type air conditioner according to the second embodiment] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the controller 100 of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B. The operation of the control device 100 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. The control device 100 judges whether or not a button on a remote control for instructing to start cooling has been operated and an operation signal indicating that the button has been operated has been input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step T1). If an operation signal has not been input (step T1 / NO), the control device 100 waits to start processing until an operation signal is input.

[0068] When an operation signal is input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step T1 / YES), the control device 100 acquires the indoor temperature T_in detected by the indoor temperature detection unit 81 and the outdoor temperature T_out detected by the outdoor temperature detection unit 85 by reading them from the memory unit 110 (step T2).

[0069] Next, the control device 100 subtracts the outside air temperature T_out from the room temperature T_in to obtain a subtraction value, and compares the obtained subtraction value with a preset temperature difference t1. The control device 100 judges whether the subtraction value T_in-T_out is equal to or smaller than the temperature difference t1. If the subtraction value T_in-T_out is equal to or smaller than the temperature difference t1 (step T3 / YES), the control device 100 proceeds to the judgment of step T4.

[0070] Next, the control device 100 subtracts the set temperature T_s of the air-conditioned room 80 from the room temperature T_in to obtain a subtraction value, and compares the obtained subtraction value with a predetermined temperature difference t2. When the control device 100 determines that the subtraction value T_in-T_s is equal to or greater than the temperature difference t2 (step T4 / YES), it performs control to open the fourth control valve 15 (step T5) and performs control to close the sixth control valve 17 (step T6). Furthermore, the control device 100 performs control to open the fifth control valve 16 (step T7), and drives the motor 37 to operate the compressor 33 and the expander 35 (step T8).

[0071] Since the fourth control valve 15 is opened and the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are driven, low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 through the flow path 102. In addition, since the fifth control valve 16 is opened, air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 through the flow paths 104 and 102. Therefore, the low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 and the air discharged from the blower 60 are supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80, and the air-conditioning chamber 80 can be cooled. In addition, since the air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80, the amount of air supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 can be ensured.

[0072] Next, when the subtraction value T_in-T_s is smaller than the temperature difference t2 (step T4 / NO), the control device 100 performs control to open the fourth control valve 15 (step T9) and to close the fifth control valve 16 (step T10). The control device 100 also drives the motor 37 to operate the compressor 33 and the expander 35 (step T11), and adjusts the opening of the sixth control valve 17 (step T12).

[0073] Since the fourth control valve 15 is opened and the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are driven, low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 via the flow path 102. This makes it possible to cool the air-conditioning chamber 80. In addition, the flow rate of the air discharged from the expander 35 that is supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the sixth control valve 17.

[0074] Next, when the subtraction value T_in-T_out is greater than the temperature difference t1 (step T3 / NO), the control device 100 performs control to close the fourth control valve 15 (step T13) and the sixth control valve (step T14).The control device 100 also performs control to open the fifth control valve 16 (step T15) and operates the blower (step T16).

[0075] When the subtraction value T_in-T_out is greater than the temperature difference t1, the outside air temperature T_out is sufficiently lower than the room temperature T_in. In this case, the fourth control valve 15 and the sixth control valve 17 are closed, and the outside air sucked in by the blower 60 from the suction side 60A is supplied into the air-conditioned room 80, thereby cooling the air-conditioned room 80.

[0076] Next, the control device 100 judges whether or not a button provided on the remote control for instructing to end cooling has been operated and an operation signal indicating that the button has been operated has been input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step T17). If an operation signal has not been input (step T17 / NO), the control device 100 returns to the process of step T2.

[0077] Furthermore, when an operation signal is input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step T17 / YES), the control device 100 stops driving the motor 37 and the blower 60 (step T18). After that, the control device 100 executes control to close the fourth control valve 15 (step T19), control to close the sixth control valve 17 (step T20), and control to close the fifth control valve 16 (step T21).

[0078] [2-3. Effects, etc.] In the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B of the second embodiment, the controller 100 controls to open the fourth control valve 15 and close the fifth control valve 16, so that low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied to the air-conditioning chamber 80 through the flow path 102. As a result, the inside of the air-conditioning chamber 80 can be cooled.

[0079] Furthermore, by the control device 100 controlling the opening of the fourth control valve 15 and the fifth control valve 16, in addition to the low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35, the air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 104. Therefore, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled and the flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 can be ensured.

[0080] Furthermore, when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit 85 is lower than the room temperature of the air-conditioned room 80, the air outside the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B discharged by the blower 60 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 104. Therefore, even when the operation of the compressor 33 and the expander 35 is stopped, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0081] (Embodiment 3) The third embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [3-1. Configuration of the air refrigerant type air conditioner according to the third embodiment] Fig. 6 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an air refrigerant type air conditioner 1C according to embodiment 3. The solid lines shown in Fig. 6 indicate air flow paths, and the dashed lines shown in Fig. 6 indicate control signal lines through which control signals are transmitted and received. The air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B includes a housing 30, a cooler 70, a heat exchanger 40, a blower 60, a seventh control valve 21, an eighth control valve 22, a ninth control valve 23, an indoor temperature detector 81, an operation signal receiver 83, an outdoor temperature detector 85, and a control device 100. Note that among the components of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1C, the same components as those of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1A and the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0082] The compressor 33, the expander 35, the motor 37, and the cooler 70 have the same configurations as those of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B. A flow path 112 is connected to the suction side 33A of the compressor 33. The other end of the flow path 112 is connected to the discharge side 35B of the expander 35. In addition, the flow path 112 is provided with a heat exchanger 40.

[0083] In the heat exchanger 40, a flow path 112 constituting a low-temperature side flow path and a flow path 113 constituting a high-temperature side flow path are arranged, and the two fluids that perform heat exchange are connected by piping so that they flow in counterflow. That is, in the heat exchanger 40, low-temperature, low-pressure air flowing through the flow path 112 and high-temperature, high-pressure air flowing through the flow path 113 flow in counterflow, and heat exchange is performed, cooling the high-temperature, high-pressure air flowing through the flow path 113. The air cooled in the heat exchanger 40 is supplied into the air-conditioning room 80 through the flow path 113. Of the flow paths 113, the flow path that connects the second outlet 44 of the heat exchanger 40 and the air-conditioning room 80 corresponds to the tenth flow path.

[0084] The suction side 60A of the blower 60 communicates with the outside of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1B via the inlet pipe 105. A flow path 113 is connected to the discharge side 60B of the blower 60. The other end of the flow path 113 is connected to the air-conditioned room 80. The eighth control valve 22 and the heat exchanger 40 are provided in the flow path 113. The flow path 113 constitutes a high-temperature side flow path of the heat exchanger 40. A part of the flow path 113 corresponds to the ninth flow path. Specifically, the flow path of the flow path 113 that connects the discharge side 60B of the blower 60 and the second inlet 43 of the heat exchanger 40 corresponds to the ninth flow path. The eighth control valve 22 corresponds to the sixth valve.

[0085] A flow path 114 is connected to the flow path 112 between the discharge side 35B of the expander 35 and the first inlet 41 of the heat exchanger 40. The other end of the flow path 114 is connected to the air-conditioning room 80. The flow path 114 corresponds to an eleventh flow path.

[0086] Further, a seventh control valve 21 is provided in the flow path 114. When the seventh control valve 21 is opened under the control of the control device 100, low-temperature air discharged from the discharge side 35B of the expander 35 is supplied into the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow paths 112 and 114. The seventh control valve 21 corresponds to a seventh valve.

[0087] In addition, a flow path 115 is connected to the flow path 112. The flow path 115 is connected to the flow path 112 at a position closer to the discharge side 35B of the expander 35 than the connection point of the flow path 114 and the flow path 112. A ninth control valve 23 is provided in the flow path 115. By adjusting the opening degree of the ninth control valve 23 under the control of the controller 100, the flow rate of air flowing into the air-conditioned room 80 can be adjusted.

[0088] [3-3. Operation of the air refrigerant type air conditioner of the third embodiment] The operation of the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1C will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. Incidentally, the operations in steps U1 to U4 shown in FIG. 7 are the same as the operations in steps T1 to T4 shown in FIG. 5, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0089] When the control device 100 determines that the subtraction value T_in-T_s is equal to or greater than the temperature difference t2 (step U4 / YES), it performs control to open the seventh control valve 21 (step U5) and performs control to close the ninth control valve 23 (step U6). Furthermore, the control device 100 performs control to open the eighth control valve 22 (step U7), and drives the motor 37 to operate the compressor 33 and the expander 35 (step U8).

[0090] Since the seventh control valve 21 is opened and the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are driven, low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied into the air-conditioned chamber 80 through the flow path 112. In addition, since the eighth control valve 22 is also opened, the air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied into the air-conditioned chamber 80 through the flow paths 104 and 102. Therefore, the low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 and the air discharged from the blower 60 are supplied into the air-conditioned chamber 80, and the air-conditioned chamber 80 can be cooled. In addition, since the air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied into the air-conditioned chamber 80, the amount of air supplied into the air-conditioned chamber 80 can be ensured.

[0091] Next, when the subtraction value T_in-T_s is smaller than the temperature difference t2 (step U4 / NO), the control device 100 controls the seventh control valve 21 to open (step U9) and controls the eighth control valve 22 to close (step U10). The control device 100 also drives the motor 37 to operate the compressor 33 and the expander 35 (step U11) and adjusts the opening of the ninth control valve 23 (step U12).

[0092] Since the seventh control valve 21 is opened and the compressor 33 and the expander 35 are driven, low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 via the flow paths 112 and 114. The low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80, thereby cooling the air-conditioning chamber 80. In addition, the flow rate of the air discharged from the expander 35 that is supplied into the air-conditioning chamber 80 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the ninth control valve 23.

[0093] Next, when the subtraction value T_in-T_out is greater than the temperature difference t1 (step U3 / NO), the control device 100 performs control to close the seventh control valve 21 (step U13) and the sixth control valve (step U14).The control device 100 also performs control to open the eighth control valve 22 (step U15) and operates the blower (step U16).

[0094] When the subtraction value T_in-T_out is greater than the temperature difference t1, the outside air temperature T_out is sufficiently lower than the room temperature T_in. In this case, the seventh control valve 21 and the ninth control valve 23 are closed, and the outside air sucked in by the blower 60 from the suction side 60A is supplied into the air-conditioned room 80, thereby cooling the air-conditioned room 80.

[0095] Next, the control device 100 judges whether or not a button provided on the remote control for instructing to end cooling has been operated and an operation signal indicating that this button has been operated has been input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step U17). If an operation signal has not been input (step U17 / NO), the control device 100 returns to the process of step U2.

[0096] Furthermore, when an operation signal is input from the operation signal receiving unit 83 (step U17 / YES), the control device 100 stops driving the motor 37 and the blower 60 (step U18). After that, the control device 100 executes control to close the seventh control valve 21 (step U19), control to close the ninth control valve 23 (step U20), and control to close the eighth control valve 22 (step U21).

[0097] [3-3. Effects, etc.] In the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1C of the third embodiment, the controller 100 controls to open the fourth control valve 15 and close the fifth control valve 16, so that low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35 is supplied to the air-conditioning chamber 80 through the flow path 102. This makes it possible to cool the inside of the air-conditioning chamber 80.

[0098] Furthermore, by the control device 100 controlling the opening of the fourth control valve 15 and the fifth control valve 16, in addition to the low-temperature air discharged from the expander 35, the air discharged from the blower 60 is also supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 104. Therefore, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled and the flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 can be ensured.

[0099] Furthermore, when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit 85 is lower than the room temperature of the air-conditioned room 80, the air outside the air refrigerant type air conditioner 1C discharged by the blower 60 is supplied to the air-conditioned room 80 via the flow path 113. Therefore, even when the operation of the compressor 33 and the expander 35 is stopped, the air-conditioned room 80 can be cooled, and power consumption can be reduced.

[0100] [4. Other embodiments] (Additional Note) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0101] (Configuration 1) an air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising: a compressor that compresses air; a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor; a blower that blows the air; a first flow path into which the air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the blower flows; an expander that expands the air; a second flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path; a third flow path through which the air in the first flow path, after heat exchange by the heat exchanger, flows into an air-conditioned room; a first valve that controls the flow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow path; a second valve that controls the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path; and a control device that controls the first valve and the second valve.

[0102] According to this configuration, the control device controls to open the first valve and close the second valve, so that the air discharged from the compressor is supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path. The air discharged from the compressor is cooled by the cooler and the heat exchanger, so that the air-conditioned room can be cooled. Furthermore, by controlling the control device to open the first valve and the second valve, in addition to the air discharged by the compressor, the air discharged by the blower can also be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path. Since the air discharged by the blower is also cooled by the heat exchanger, the air-conditioned room can be cooled. Since the air discharged by the blower can also be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path, the air-conditioned room can be cooled while the flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room can be secured.

[0103] (Configuration 2) The air refrigerant type air conditioner according to configuration 1, further comprising an outside air temperature detection unit which detects an outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit which detects an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, wherein when the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the control device closes the first valve, opens the second valve, and drives the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0104] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is lower than the room temperature, the outside air discharged by the blower can be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the third flow path, thereby cooling the air-conditioned room and reducing power consumption.

[0105] (Configuration 3) an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outside air temperature, an indoor temperature detection unit that detects an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, and a reception unit that receives an operation to set a set temperature in the air-conditioned room, wherein when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the control device opens the first valve and the second valve, and causes the air discharged by the cooler and the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path; 2. The air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 1.

[0106] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, the indoor temperature is high, and the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the control device controls to open the first valve and the second valve. This allows the air discharged by the blower to be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path in addition to the air discharged by the compressor, thereby improving the cooling effect while ensuring the amount of air.

[0107] (Configuration 4) The air refrigerant type air conditioner according to configuration 1, comprising an outside air temperature detection unit which detects an outside air temperature, an indoor temperature detection unit which detects an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, and a reception unit which receives an operation to set a set temperature inside the air-conditioned room, wherein when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, the control device closes the first valve and opens the second valve, and causes the air discharged by the cooler to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0108] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is smaller than a preset value, the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened, and the air discharged from the cooler is supplied into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path. Therefore, the air discharged from the compressor and cooled by the cooler and the heat exchanger is supplied into the air-conditioned room, thereby cooling the air-conditioned room.

[0109] (Configuration 5) a fourth flow path which serves as a flow path for the air discharged from the compressor and in which a third valve is provided; and a fifth flow path which branches off from the fourth flow path between the compressor and the third valve and in which the cooler and the first valve are provided, and when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is lower than a preset set value, 5. The air refrigerant type air conditioner according to configuration 4, wherein an opening degree of the third valve is controlled to control an inflow amount of air discharged from the compressor flowing into the fifth flow path.

[0110] According to this configuration, the amount of air flowing into the fifth flow path is controlled by controlling the opening degree of the third valve, and therefore the flow rate of air supplied into the air-conditioned room can be adjusted by controlling the third valve.

[0111] (Configuration 6) An air refrigerant air conditioner comprising: a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, an expander that expands the air discharged by the cooler, a sixth flow path through which the air discharged by the expander flows into an air-conditioned room, a blower that blows the air, a seventh flow path through which the air discharged by the blower flows into the air-conditioned room, a fourth valve provided in the sixth flow path, a fifth valve provided in the seventh flow path, and a control device that controls the fourth valve and the fifth valve.

[0112] According to this configuration, the control device performs control to open the fourth valve and close the fifth valve, whereby low-temperature air discharged by the expander is supplied into the air-conditioned room via the sixth flow path. Furthermore, by controlling the control device to open the first valve and the second valve, in addition to the air discharged by the compressor, the air discharged by the blower can also be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the seventh flow path. This makes it possible to cool the air supplied to the air-conditioned room to cool the room, while also ensuring the flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room.

[0113] (Configuration 7) an air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising: a compressor that compresses air; a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor; an expander that expands the air cooled by the cooler; a blower that blows air; an eighth flow path into which the air discharged from the expander flows; a ninth flow path into which the air discharged by the blower flows; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the eighth flow path and the air in the ninth flow path; a tenth flow path through which the air in the ninth flow path, which has been heat exchanged by the heat exchanger, flows into an air-conditioned room; an eleventh flow path that branches off from the eighth flow path and through which the air discharged by the expander flows into the air-conditioned room; a sixth valve that controls an amount of air discharged by the blower that flows into the ninth flow path;

[0114] According to this configuration, the control device controls to open the sixth valve and close the seventh valve, so that the air discharged by the blower is cooled by the heat exchanger and supplied into the air-conditioned room via the tenth flow path. Since the air discharged by the blower is air cooled by the heat exchanger, it is possible to cool the air-conditioned room. Furthermore, the control device performs control to open the sixth valve and the seventh valve, so that low-temperature air discharged from the expander is supplied into the air-conditioned room via the eleventh flow path. As a result, the air supplied to the air-conditioned room is cooled to cool the air-conditioned room, and the flow rate of air supplied to the air-conditioned room can be ensured.

[0115] (Configuration 8) The present invention relates to an air conditioner, comprising: a compressor that compresses air; a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor; a blower that blows the air; a first flow path into which the air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the blower flows; an expander that expands the air; a second flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows; a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path; a third flow path through which the air in the first flow path, which has been heat exchanged by the heat exchanger, flows into an air-conditioned room; a first valve that controls the flow of the air to be refrigerated into the first flow path, a second valve that controls the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit that detects an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, wherein the method for controlling an air-refrigerant type air conditioner includes: a first valve that controls the flow of the air to be refrigerated into the first flow path, a second valve that controls the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit that detects an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, wherein when the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the method closes the first valve, opens the second valve, and drives the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0116] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is lower than the room temperature, the outside air discharged by the blower can be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the third flow path, thereby cooling the air-conditioned room and reducing power consumption.

[0117] (Configuration 9) 9. The control method for an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting a set temperature within the air-conditioned room from the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the first valve and the second valve are opened, and the air discharged from the cooler and the blower is caused to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0118] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, the indoor temperature is high, and the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the control device controls to open the first valve and the second valve. This allows the air discharged by the blower to be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path in addition to the air discharged by the compressor, thereby improving the cooling effect while ensuring the amount of air.

[0119] (Configuration 10) A control method for an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to configuration 9, wherein, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened, and the air discharged from the cooler is caused to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0120] According to this configuration, the amount of air flowing into the fifth flow path is controlled by controlling the opening degree of the third valve, and therefore the flow rate of air supplied into the air-conditioned room can be adjusted by controlling the third valve.

[0121] (Configuration 11) a compressor that compresses air, a cooler that cools the air discharged by the compressor, a blower that blows the air, a first flow path into which the air discharged by at least one of the cooler and the blower flows, an expander that expands the air, a second flow path into which the air discharged by the expander flows, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path, a third flow path that causes the air in the first flow path, the air after heat exchange by the heat exchanger, to flow into an air-conditioned room, and a second valve controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit detecting an outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, the program being executed by a computer mounted on an air-refrigerant air-conditioning device comprising: a first valve controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path, an outside air temperature detection unit detecting an outside air temperature, and an indoor temperature detection unit detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room, the program causing the computer to execute a process of closing the first valve, opening the second valve, and driving the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path when the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature.

[0122] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, the indoor temperature is high, and the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the control device controls to open the first valve and the second valve. This allows the air discharged by the blower to be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path in addition to the air discharged by the compressor, thereby improving the cooling effect while ensuring the amount of air.

[0123] (Configuration 12) The program according to configuration 11, which causes the computer to execute a process of opening the first valve and the second valve and causing the air discharged by the cooler and the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting a set temperature within the air-conditioned room from the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value.

[0124] According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, the indoor temperature is high, and the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the set temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the control device controls to open the first valve and the second valve. This allows the air discharged by the blower to be supplied to the air-conditioned room via the first flow path and the third flow path in addition to the air discharged by the compressor, thereby improving the cooling effect while ensuring the amount of air.

[0125] (Configuration 13) The program according to configuration 12, which causes the computer to execute a process of closing the first valve and opening the second valve when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature and a temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, and causing the air discharged from the cooler to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path.

[0126] According to this configuration, the amount of air flowing into the fifth flow path is controlled by controlling the opening degree of the third valve, and therefore the flow rate of air supplied into the air-conditioned room can be adjusted by controlling the third valve.

[0127] As described above, the above-mentioned embodiment has been described as an example disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to an embodiment in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. In addition, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above-mentioned embodiment to create a new embodiment.

[0128] The step units of the operations shown in Figures 3, 5, and 7 are divided according to the main processing contents in order to make the operations easier to understand, and the operation is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names thereof. The operations may be divided into more step units according to the processing contents. Furthermore, one step unit may be divided so as to include more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be appropriately changed within a range that does not impede the purpose of this disclosure.

[0129] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0130] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the air refrigerant type air conditioner, and the control method and program for the air refrigerant type air conditioner according to the present invention can be used for cooling the interior of an air-conditioned room. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 1A, 1B, 1C Air refrigerant type air conditioner 3. Flow Path 4 Flow Path 5 Flow Path 6 Flow Path 7 Inlet piping 11 First control valve 12 Second control valve 13 Third control valve 15 Fourth control valve 16 5th control valve 17 6th control valve 21 Seventh control valve 22 8th control valve 23 9th control valve 30 Case 31 Rotating shaft 33 Compressor 33A Suction side 33B Discharge side 35 Expander 35A Suction side 35B Discharge side 37 Motor 38 Inlet pipe 40 Heat exchanger 41 Entrance 1 42 Exit 1 43 Second Entrance 44 Exit 2 50 cooler 60 Blower 60A Intake side 60B Discharge side 70 Cooler 80 Air conditioned room 81 Indoor temperature detector 83 Operation signal receiver 85 Outside air temperature detector 100 Control device 101 Flow Channel 102 Flow Path 103 Flow Path 104 Flow Path 105 Inlet pipe 106 Flow Path 110 Storage section 112 Channel 113 Flow Path 114 Flow Path 115 Flow Path 130 processors

Claims

1. A compressor for compressing air; a cooler that cools the air discharged from the compressor; A blower that blows the air; a first flow path into which the air discharged from at least one of the cooler and the blower flows; an expander that expands the air; A second flow path into which air discharged from the expander flows; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path; a third flow path that allows the air in the first flow path, after heat exchange by the heat exchanger, to flow into an air-conditioned room; a first valve for controlling the flow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow path; a second valve for controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path; A control device that controls the first valve and the second valve; An air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising:

2. An outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature; an indoor temperature detection unit for detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room; Equipped with When the outside air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the control device closing the first valve and opening the second valve, and driving the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path; 2. An air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. An outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature; an indoor temperature detection unit for detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room; A reception unit that receives an operation to set a set temperature in the air-conditioned room, The control device includes: When the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, and the temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, The first valve and the second valve are opened, and the air discharged from the cooler and the blower is caused to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path.

2. An air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 1.

4. An outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature; an indoor temperature detection unit for detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room; A reception unit that receives an operation to set a set temperature in the air-conditioned room, The control device includes: When the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, and the temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, closing the first valve and opening the second valve, and allowing the air discharged from the cooler to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path; 2. An air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 1.

5. a fourth flow path which serves as a flow path for the air discharged from the compressor and in which a third valve is provided; a fifth flow path branching from the fourth flow path between the compressor and the third valve, the fifth flow path being provided with the cooler and the first valve; Equipped with When the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor temperature, and a temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, By controlling the opening degree of the third valve, an inflow amount of the air discharged from the compressor flowing into the fifth flow path is controlled.

5. An air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 4.

6. A compressor for compressing air; a cooler that cools the air discharged from the compressor; an expander that expands the air discharged from the cooler; A sixth flow path that causes the air discharged from the expander to flow into an air-conditioned room; A blower that blows the air; A seventh flow path that causes air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room; a fourth valve provided in the sixth flow path; a fifth valve provided in the seventh flow path; A control device that controls the fourth valve and the fifth valve; An air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising:

7. A compressor for compressing air; a cooler that cools the air discharged from the compressor; an expander that expands the air cooled by the cooler; A blower for blowing air; an eighth flow path into which the air discharged from the expander flows; a ninth flow path into which the air discharged by the blower flows; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the eighth flow path and the air in the ninth flow path; a 10th flow path that causes the air in the 9th flow path, after heat exchange by the heat exchanger, to flow into an air-conditioned room; an eleventh flow path branching from the eighth flow path and allowing air discharged from the expander to flow into the air-conditioned room; a sixth valve for controlling an amount of the air discharged by the blower into the ninth flow passage; A seventh valve that controls an inflow amount of the air discharged from the expander into the eleventh flow path; A control device that controls the sixth valve and the seventh valve; An air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising:

8. A compressor for compressing air; a cooler that cools the air discharged from the compressor; A blower that blows the air; a first flow path into which the air discharged from at least one of the cooler and the blower flows; an expander that expands the air; A second flow path into which air discharged from the expander flows; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path; a third flow path that allows the air in the first flow path, after heat exchange by the heat exchanger, to flow into an air-conditioned room; a first valve for controlling the flow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow path; a second valve for controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path; An outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature; an indoor temperature detection unit for detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room; A control method for an air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising: When the outside temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, closing the first valve and opening the second valve, and driving the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path; A method for controlling an air refrigerant type air conditioner.

9. The outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor air temperature, When the temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature in the air-conditioned room from the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, The first valve and the second valve are opened, and the air discharged from the cooler and the blower is caused to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path. A method for controlling an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 8.

10. The outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor air temperature, When the temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, closing the first valve and opening the second valve, and allowing the air discharged from the cooler to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path; A method for controlling an air refrigerant type air conditioner according to claim 9.

11. A compressor for compressing air; a cooler that cools the air discharged from the compressor; A blower that blows the air; a first flow path into which the air discharged from at least one of the cooler and the blower flows; an expander that expands the air; A second flow path into which air discharged from the expander flows; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air in the first flow path and the air in the second flow path; a third flow path that allows the air in the first flow path, after heat exchange by the heat exchanger, to flow into an air-conditioned room; a first valve for controlling the flow of the air cooled by the cooler into the first flow path; a second valve for controlling the flow of the air discharged by the blower into the first flow path; An outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature; an indoor temperature detection unit for detecting an indoor temperature of the air-conditioned room; A program to be executed by a computer mounted on an air refrigerant type air conditioner comprising: The computer includes: When the outside temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, executing a process of closing the first valve, opening the second valve, and driving the blower to cause the air discharged by the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path; program.

12. The computer includes: The outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor air temperature, When the temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature in the air-conditioned room from the indoor temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, a process of opening the first valve and the second valve, and causing the air discharged from the cooler and the blower to flow into the air-conditioned room through the third flow path; The program according to claim 11.

13. The computer includes: The outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the indoor air temperature, When the temperature obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the indoor temperature is smaller than a preset value, executing a process of closing the first valve and opening the second valve to cause the air discharged from the cooler to flow into the air-conditioned room via the third flow path; The program according to claim 12.

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