Method for controlling air-conditioning device and air-conditioning device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an air-conditioning device. According to the method, a heating capability of an air-conditioning device in an event of an excessively low outdoor ambient temperature and a cooling capability of the air-conditioning device in an event of an excessively high outdoor ambient temperature can be ensured by performing liquid return and / or air return for a compressor. In addition, the present invention also relates to an air-conditioning device capable of executing the method.

Description

Method for controlling air conditioning equipment and air conditioning equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to a method for controlling an air conditioning device and an air conditioning device for executing the method. Background Art

[0002] Air conditioning equipment is a device used to condition indoor air. It typically includes components such as a compressor, an internal heat exchanger, and an external heat exchanger. These components work together to adjust the indoor air to create a more comfortable environment for occupants, such as providing heat-conditioned air when the outside temperature is low or cool-conditioned air when the outside temperature is high.

[0003] However, when the external ambient temperature is too low (for example, below minus 10 degrees Celsius), the temperature of the outer heat exchanger will also be very low. After running for a long time, frost will form on its surface, affecting heat exchange. At the same time, when the external ambient temperature is too low, the density of the medium is low. At this time, the compressor can absorb a lower mass of the medium under the same cylinder volume; thus, the heating (i.e., air heat regulation) capacity of the air-conditioning equipment is limited and greatly reduced, and it is unable to provide a higher heating capacity at too low a temperature.

[0004] Alternatively, when the external ambient temperature is too high (for example, above 40 degrees), the exhaust temperature of the compressor and the condensing temperature of the external heat exchanger will be very high, the motor in the compressor will overheat, and the high exhaust temperature will trigger the protection function, limiting the frequency increase; thereby causing the cooling (i.e., air cooling) capacity of the air-conditioning equipment to be limited and greatly reduced, and it will not be able to provide a higher cooling capacity at excessively high temperatures.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to simultaneously ensure the heating capacity of an air-conditioning device when the external ambient temperature is too low and the cooling capacity when the external ambient temperature is too high. To this end, the present invention proposes a new method for controlling an air-conditioning device and an air-conditioning device.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling an air conditioning device is provided, wherein the air conditioning device includes a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger has a first port and a second port on one side thereof and a third port and a fourth port on the other side thereof, the first port and the second port being in communication with the third port and the fourth port, respectively;

[0008] The exhaust pipe and intake pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve; the capillary tube and the second control valve are connected in series between the other end of the outer heat exchanger and the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor; the other end of the outer heat exchanger is also connected to the first port of the intermediate heat exchanger via the second expansion valve; the third port of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the other end of the inner heat exchanger; the first expansion valve is connected between the other end of the inner heat exchanger and the fourth port of the intermediate heat exchanger; and the second port of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve;

[0009] The method includes:

[0010] When the cooling function is turned on:

[0011] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0012] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold,

[0013] - If the external ambient temperature is judged to be higher than the upper temperature threshold,

[0014] - close the first control valve and open the second control valve,

[0015] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a second range opening ratio,

[0016] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0017] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first cooling mode;

[0018] Therefore, in the first refrigeration mode when the external ambient temperature is too high, the medium-pressure medium after the first-level throttling through the capillary tube can be supplied to the compressor, and the medium-pressure liquid medium evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor to reduce the compressor motor temperature and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperature; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at a higher ambient temperature, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0019] When the heating function is turned on:

[0020] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0021] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold,

[0022] - If the external ambient temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold,

[0023] - open the first control valve and close the second control valve,

[0024] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a first range opening ratio,

[0025] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0026] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0027] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode;

[0028] Therefore, in the first heating mode when the external ambient temperature is too low, the medium-pressure gas medium can be fed into the compressor after the first-stage throttling through the first expansion valve and then processed through the intermediate heat exchanger to ensure / increase the suction volume of the compressor, thereby improving the heating capacity / performance, that is, expanding the low temperature lower limit of low-temperature heating and realizing the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0029] According to one aspect of the first aspect of the present invention, when the cooling function is turned on:

[0030] - If the external ambient temperature is below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold,

[0031] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0032] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0033] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0034] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

[0035] According to one aspect of the first aspect of the present invention, when the heating function is turned on:

[0036] - If the external ambient temperature is determined to be above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold,

[0037] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0038] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fourth range opening ratio,

[0039] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0040] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

[0041] According to one aspect of the first aspect of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0042] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the second range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio, or

[0043] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the third range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio.

[0044] According to one aspect of the first aspect of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0045] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the third range opening ratio to the fourth range opening ratio, or

[0046] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve to the first range opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fourth range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio.

[0047] According to a second aspect of the present invention, another method for controlling an air conditioning device is provided, wherein the air conditioning device includes a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger has a first port and a second port on one side thereof and a third port and a fourth port on the other side thereof, the first port and the second port being in communication with the third port and the fourth port, respectively;

[0048] The exhaust pipe and intake pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve. The other end of the outer heat exchanger is respectively connected to the capillary tube and the first port of the intermediate heat exchanger via the second expansion valve. The second control valve is connected between the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor and the common connection end of the capillary tube and the second port of the intermediate heat exchanger. The other end of the inner heat exchanger is connected to the third port of the intermediate heat exchanger via the first expansion valve. The fourth port of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve.

[0049] The method includes:

[0050] When the cooling function is turned on:

[0051] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0052] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold,

[0053] - If the external ambient temperature is judged to be higher than the upper temperature threshold,

[0054] - close the first control valve and open the second control valve,

[0055] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a second range opening ratio,

[0056] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0057] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0058] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first cooling mode;

[0059] Therefore, in the first refrigeration mode when the external ambient temperature is too high, the medium-pressure medium after throttling through the second expansion valve and the capillary tube can be fed into the compressor, and the medium-pressure liquid medium evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor to reduce the compressor motor temperature and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperature; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at a higher ambient temperature, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0060] When the heating function is turned on:

[0061] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0062] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold,

[0063] - If the external ambient temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold,

[0064] - open the first control valve and close the second control valve,

[0065] -Adjust the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the first range opening ratio

[0066] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fourth range opening ratio,

[0067] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0068] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode;

[0069] Therefore, in the first heating mode when the external ambient temperature is too low, the medium-pressure gas medium can be fed into the compressor after being throttled by the first expansion valve and then processed through the capillary tube and the intermediate heat exchanger to ensure / increase the suction volume of the compressor, thereby improving the heating capacity / performance, that is, expanding the low temperature lower limit of low-temperature heating and realizing the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0070] In addition, according to the method of the second aspect of the present invention, both the first and second expansion valves need to be controlled in either the first cooling mode or the first heating mode, thereby having a wider flow adjustment range and higher control and adjustment accuracy.

[0071] According to one aspect of the second aspect of the present invention, when the cooling function is turned on:

[0072] - If the external ambient temperature is below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold,

[0073] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0074] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio,

[0075] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0076] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0077] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

[0078] According to one aspect of the second aspect of the present invention, when the heating function is turned on:

[0079] - If the external ambient temperature is determined to be above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold,

[0080] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0081] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio,

[0082] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fourth range opening ratio,

[0083] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0084] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

[0085] According to one aspect of the second aspect of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0086] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the second range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or

[0087] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio.

[0088] According to one aspect of the second aspect of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0089] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve and adjusting the first expansion valve from the first range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or

[0090] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve and adjusting the first expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the first range opening ratio.

[0091] According to a third aspect of the present invention, another method for controlling an air conditioning device is provided, wherein the air conditioning device includes a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, a flash evaporator, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, and a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, wherein the flash evaporator has a first port, a second port, and a third port;

[0092] The exhaust pipe and intake pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve. The other end of the outer heat exchanger is connected to the first port of the flash evaporator via the second expansion valve. The second control valve is connected between the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor and the common connection end of the second expansion valve and the first port of the flash evaporator. The other end of the inner heat exchanger is connected to the second port of the flash evaporator via the first expansion valve. The third port of the flash evaporator is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve.

[0093] The method includes:

[0094] When the cooling function is turned on:

[0095] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0096] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold,

[0097] - If the external ambient temperature is higher than the upper temperature threshold,

[0098] - compare the compressor discharge temperature with the discharge temperature threshold,

[0099] - If it is determined that the compressor exhaust temperature is higher than the exhaust temperature threshold,

[0100] - close the first control valve and open the second control valve,

[0101] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the first range opening ratio,

[0102] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0103] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0104] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in a first condition in a first cooling mode;

[0105] Therefore, in the first case of the first refrigeration mode when the external ambient temperature is too high and the compressor exhaust temperature is also too high, the medium-pressure medium can be added to the compressor after the first-level throttling through the second expansion valve, and the medium-pressure liquid medium evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor to reduce the compressor motor temperature and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperature; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at a higher ambient temperature, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0106] When the heating function is turned on:

[0107] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0108] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold,

[0109] - If the external ambient temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold,

[0110] - open the first control valve and close the second control valve,

[0111] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the second range opening ratio,

[0112] -Adjust the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0113] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0114] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode;

[0115] Therefore, in the first heating mode when the external ambient temperature is too low, the medium-pressure gas medium after throttling through the first expansion valve and then processing through the flash evaporator can be fed into the compressor to ensure / increase the suction volume of the compressor, thereby improving the heating capacity / performance, that is, expanding the low temperature lower limit of low-temperature heating and realizing the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0116] According to one aspect of the third aspect of the present invention, when the cooling function is turned on:

[0117] - If the compressor exhaust temperature is determined to be below the exhaust temperature threshold,

[0118] - open the first control valve and close the second control valve,

[0119] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a second range opening ratio,

[0120] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0121] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0122] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning system operates in the second condition in the first cooling mode.

[0123] According to one aspect of the third aspect of the present invention, when the cooling function is turned on:

[0124] - If the external ambient temperature is below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold,

[0125] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0126] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio,

[0127] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0128] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0129] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

[0130] According to one aspect of the third aspect of the present invention, when the heating function is turned on:

[0131] - If the external ambient temperature is determined to be above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold,

[0132] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0133] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio,

[0134] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fourth range opening ratio,

[0135] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0136] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

[0137] According to one of the third aspects of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0138] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first situation in the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the first range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or the second situation in the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the first control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the second range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or

[0139] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper limit temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper limit temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first situation in the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the first range opening ratio, or the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the second situation in the first refrigeration mode by opening the first control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio.

[0140] According to one of the third aspects of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0141] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve opening ratio from the second range to the fifth range, and adjusting the second expansion valve opening ratio from the third range to the fourth range, or

[0142] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fourth range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio.

[0143] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, another method for controlling an air conditioning device is provided, wherein the air conditioning device includes a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, a flash evaporator, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube, wherein the flash evaporator has a first port, a second port, and a third port;

[0144] The exhaust pipe and intake pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve; the capillary tube and the second control valve are connected in series between the other end of the outer heat exchanger and the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor; the other end of the outer heat exchanger is also connected to the first port of the flash evaporator via the second expansion valve; the other end of the inner heat exchanger is connected to the second port of the flash evaporator via the first expansion valve; and the third port of the flash evaporator is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve;

[0145] The method includes:

[0146] When the cooling function is turned on:

[0147] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0148] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold,

[0149] - If the external ambient temperature is higher than the upper temperature threshold,

[0150] - close the first control valve and open the second control valve,

[0151] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the first range opening ratio,

[0152] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0153] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0154] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first cooling mode;

[0155] Therefore, in the first refrigeration mode when the external ambient temperature is too high, the medium-pressure medium after the first-level throttling through the capillary tube can be supplied to the compressor, and the medium-pressure liquid medium evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor to reduce the compressor motor temperature and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperature; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at a higher ambient temperature, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0156] When the heating function is turned on:

[0157] - Start the inner heat exchanger fan,

[0158] - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold,

[0159] - If the external ambient temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold,

[0160] - open the first control valve and close the second control valve,

[0161] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the second range opening ratio,

[0162] -Adjust the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0163] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0164] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode;

[0165] Therefore, in the first heating mode when the external ambient temperature is too low, the medium-pressure gas medium after the first-stage throttling through the first expansion valve and then the processing through the flash evaporator can be fed into the compressor to ensure / increase the suction volume of the compressor, thereby improving the heating capacity / performance, that is, expanding the low temperature lower limit of low-temperature heating and realizing the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0166] In addition, according to the method of the fourth aspect of the present invention, both the first and second expansion valves need to be controlled in either the first cooling mode or the first heating mode, thereby having a wider flow adjustment range and higher control and adjustment accuracy.

[0167] According to one of the fourth aspects of the present invention, when the cooling function is turned on:

[0168] - If the external ambient temperature is below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold,

[0169] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0170] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio,

[0171] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the third range opening ratio,

[0172] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0173] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

[0174] According to one of the fourth aspects of the present invention, when the heating function is turned on:

[0175] - If the external ambient temperature is determined to be above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold,

[0176] - close the first control valve and the second control valve,

[0177] - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio,

[0178] - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fourth range opening ratio,

[0179] - Start the outer heat exchanger fan,

[0180] - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

[0181] According to one of the fourth aspects of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0182] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the first range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or

[0183] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the first range opening ratio.

[0184] According to one of the fourth aspects of the present invention, when the air-conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again every certain period of time;

[0185] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve opening ratio from the second range to the fifth range, and adjusting the second expansion valve opening ratio from the third range to the fourth range, or

[0186] When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fourth range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio.

[0187] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning device capable of executing the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0188] According to one of the fifth aspects of the present invention, the air-conditioning device is a vehicle-mounted air-conditioning device, which can be an integrated vehicle-mounted air-conditioning device or a split vehicle-mounted air-conditioning device, and the vehicle includes but is not limited to RVs, trucks and other commercial vehicles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0189] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0190] FIG1A is a flow chart of cooling mode control in the method of the first aspect of the present invention;

[0191] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of the air-conditioning device in the first cooling mode corresponding to FIG1A;

[0192] FIG1C is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second cooling mode corresponding to FIG1A;

[0193] FIG1D is a flow chart of heating mode control in the method of the first aspect of the present invention;

[0194] FIG1E is a schematic diagram of the air-conditioning device in the first heating mode corresponding to FIG1D ;

[0195] FIG1F is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second heating mode corresponding to FIG1D;

[0196] FIG2A is a flow chart of cooling mode control in the method according to the second aspect of the present invention;

[0197] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of the air-conditioning device in the first cooling mode corresponding to FIG2A;

[0198] FIG2C is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second cooling mode corresponding to FIG2A;

[0199] FIG2D is a flow chart of heating mode control in the method according to the second aspect of the present invention;

[0200] FIG2E is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the first heating mode corresponding to FIG2D;

[0201] FIG2F is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second heating mode corresponding to FIG2D;

[0202] FIG3A is a flow chart of cooling mode control in the method according to the third aspect of the present invention;

[0203] FIG3B is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning apparatus in the first case corresponding to the first cooling mode in FIG3A ;

[0204] FIG3C is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning apparatus in a second situation corresponding to the first cooling mode in FIG3A ;

[0205] FIG3D is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second cooling mode corresponding to FIG3A;

[0206] FIG3E is a flow chart of heating mode control in the method according to the third aspect of the present invention;

[0207] FIG3F is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the first heating mode corresponding to FIG3E;

[0208] FIG3G is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second heating mode corresponding to FIG3E;

[0209] FIG4A is a flow chart of cooling mode control in the method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention;

[0210] FIG4B is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the first cooling mode corresponding to FIG4A;

[0211] FIG4C is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second cooling mode corresponding to FIG4A;

[0212] FIG4D is a flow chart of heating mode control in the method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention;

[0213] FIG4E is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the first heating mode corresponding to FIG4D;

[0214] FIG4F is a schematic diagram of the air conditioning device in the second heating mode corresponding to FIG4D . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0215] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, but are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0216] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0217] 1A-1F , a control method and an air conditioning apparatus according to a first embodiment (i.e., a first aspect) of the present invention will be described. The air conditioning apparatus includes a compressor 1, an inner heat exchanger 4, an outer heat exchanger 10, a four-way valve 2, an intermediate heat exchanger 6A, a first expansion valve 5, a second expansion valve 8, a first control valve 9 and a second control valve 7 (e.g., solenoid valves) for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube 14. The intermediate heat exchanger 6A has a first port 21 and a second port 22 on one side thereof, and a third port 23 and a fourth port 24 on the other side thereof. The first port 21 and the second port 22 are connected to the third port 23 and the fourth port 24, respectively. The four-way valve has four connecting pipes, three of which are on the same side, and the other connecting pipe is on the other side. The suction pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to the middle connecting pipe among the three connecting pipes on the same side of the four-way valve, one end of the inner heat exchanger 4 and one end of the outer heat exchanger 10 are respectively connected to the remaining two connecting pipes, and the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to another connecting pipe on the other side of the four-way valve. The capillary tube 14 and the second control valve 7 are connected in series between the other end of the outer heat exchanger 10 and the intermediate liquid return pipe 13 leading to the compressor 1. The other end of the outer heat exchanger 10 is also connected to the first port 21 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A via the second expansion valve 8. The third port 22 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A is connected to the other end of the inner heat exchanger 4. The first expansion valve 5 is connected between the other end of the inner heat exchanger 4 and the fourth port 24 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A. The second port 22 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A is connected to the intermediate return pipe 12 leading to the compressor 1 via the first control valve 9.

[0218] Specifically, with reference to Figures 1A-1C, the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the cooling mode according to the first aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0219] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the cooling function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is higher than (>) the upper limit temperature threshold T4 (for example, 40 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first cooling mode (i.e., high-temperature cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is closed and the second control valve 7 is opened, and the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the second range opening ratio B2, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0220] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium is passed through the four-way valve to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function). The gaseous medium undergoes heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 will promote this heat exchange) to form a liquid medium. The liquid medium passes through the capillary tube 14 through the first branch and is throttled by the capillary tube 14. The medium-pressure medium after throttling is replenished into the compressor through the intermediate return pipe 13 (for example, entering between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor). The medium-pressure liquid medium evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor 1. In addition, the liquid medium also passes through the second expansion valve 8 through the second branch and is throttled by the second expansion valve 8 at a second range opening ratio. The liquid medium after throttling passes through the intermediate heat exchanger. The first port 21 and the third port 23 of 6A (the intermediate heat exchanger does not process the throttled liquid medium here) enter the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator), and the indoor air will be guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchange heat with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium will absorb the heat in the indoor air). The air after heat exchange will be blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange will form a gaseous medium, which passes through the four-way valve from the inner heat exchanger and the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment is operated in the first cooling mode (high-temperature cooling mode), so that when the outer ring temperature is too high, the cooling performance of the air-conditioning equipment can still be guaranteed to provide a higher cooling capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure liquid medium is added to the compressor and evaporates and absorbs heat in compressor 1; the evaporation and heat absorption of the liquid medium reduces the temperature of the compressor motor and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperatures; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at higher ambient temperatures, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0221] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes below the upper limit temperature threshold T4 but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold T2 (for example, 25 degrees Celsius), that is, T2<Te≤T4, it can be judged that the second cooling mode (that is, conventional / general cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the cooling mode is changed by closing the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the second range opening ratio B2 to the third range opening ratio B3.

[0222] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function) through the four-way valve. The gaseous medium undergoes heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a liquid medium. The liquid medium passes through the second expansion valve 8 only through the second branch and is throttled by the second expansion valve 8 with a third range opening ratio B3. The throttled liquid medium passes through the first port 21 and the third port 23 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A (the intermediate heat exchanger does not process the throttled liquid medium here) and enters the inner heat exchanger. Exchanger 4 (i.e. evaporator), the indoor air will be guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchange heat with the throttled liquid medium (i.e. the liquid medium will absorb the heat in the indoor air), and the air after heat exchange will be blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange will form a gaseous medium, which will pass from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and the return air pipe of the compressor back to the compressor 1; thereby realizing the operation of the air-conditioning equipment in the second cooling mode (conventional / general cooling mode), so that corresponding and appropriate cooling capacity can be provided for the room.

[0223] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T2 < Te ≤ T4 may naturally occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the compressor 1 is restarted, thereby enabling the air conditioner to operate in the second cooling mode. If, after a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or multiple periods of time, it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te > T4, the cooling mode can be changed to the first cooling mode (high-temperature cooling mode) by opening the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the third range opening ratio B3 to the second range opening ratio B2.

[0224] Specifically, with reference to Figures 1D-1F , the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the heating mode according to the first aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0225] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the heating function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is lower than (less than) the lower limit temperature threshold T1 (for example, minus 10 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first heating mode (i.e., low-temperature heating mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is opened and the second control valve 7 is closed, and the opening rates of the first expansion valve 5 and the second expansion valve 8 are adjusted to the first range opening ratio B1 and the third range opening ratio B3 respectively, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0226] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium is directed to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser under the heating function) through the four-way valve. The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchanges heat with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium transfers its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a liquid medium. The liquid medium passes through the first expansion valve 5 through the first branch and is throttled at the first range opening ratio B1 by the first expansion valve 5. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium after throttling enters the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the fourth port 24. In addition, the liquid medium flowing out of the inner heat exchanger 4 also enters the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the third port 23 through the second branch. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium after throttling entering from the first branch exchanges heat with the unthrottled liquid medium entering from the second branch, that is, the medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium enters the intermediate heat exchanger 6A from the liquid. The medium absorbs heat to form a medium-pressure gaseous medium. The medium-pressure gaseous medium leaves the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the second port 22 and enters the compressor (for example, between the first and second compression stages of the compressor) through the intermediate return pipe 12 to ensure / increase the compressor's intake volume. The liquid medium after heat exchange leaves the intermediate heat exchanger through the first port 21. The liquid medium leaving the intermediate heat exchanger passes through the second expansion valve 8 and is throttled by the second expansion valve 8 at a third range opening ratio B3. The liquid medium throttled by the second expansion valve 8 then enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the evaporator). The liquid medium undergoes heat exchange in the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and through the return pipe of the compressor 1 to return to the compressor 1. This enables the air conditioner to operate in the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode). Even when the external ambient temperature is too low, the heating performance of the air conditioner can still be guaranteed to provide a high heating capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure gaseous medium is added to the compressor to increase the return air volume. The increased return air volume improves the heating capacity / performance, that is, the lower limit of low-temperature heating is expanded to achieve the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0227] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes above the lower temperature threshold T1 but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold T3 (for example, 15 degrees Celsius), that is, T1≤Te<T3, it is judged to enter the second heating mode (that is, conventional / general heating mode); at this time, the heating mode is changed by closing the first control valve 9 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the third range opening ratio B3 to the fourth range opening ratio B4.

[0228] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser) through the four-way valve. The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergoes heat exchange with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium transfers its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a liquid medium. The liquid medium only passes through the second branch through the third port 23 and the first port 21 through the intermediate heat exchanger 6A (the intermediate heat exchanger is not used for the liquid medium here). The liquid medium then passes through the second expansion valve 8 and is throttled by the second expansion valve at the fourth range opening ratio B4. The throttled liquid medium enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the evaporator). The liquid medium undergoes heat exchange at the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1. This enables the air-conditioning equipment to operate in the second heating mode (conventional / general heating mode), so that corresponding and appropriate heating amount can be provided to the room within the conventional temperature range.

[0229] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T1 ≤ Te < T3 may naturally occur may occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fourth range opening ratio, the external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the operation of the compressor 1 is restarted, thereby enabling the air-conditioning device to operate in the second cooling mode. After a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or after multiple time periods, if it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te < T1, the heating mode can be changed to the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode) by opening the first control valve 9, adjusting the first expansion valve 5 to the first range opening ratio B1, and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 to the third range opening ratio B3 from the fourth range opening ratio B4.

[0230] 2A-2F , a control method and an air conditioning apparatus according to a second embodiment (i.e., the second aspect) of the present invention will be described. The air conditioning apparatus includes a compressor 1, an inner heat exchanger 4, an outer heat exchanger 10, a four-way valve 2, an intermediate heat exchanger 6A, a first expansion valve 5, a second expansion valve 8, a first control valve 9 and a second control valve 7 (e.g., solenoid valves) for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube 14. The intermediate heat exchanger has a first port 21 and a second port 22 on one side thereof, and a third port 23 and a fourth port 24 on the other side thereof. The first port 21 and the second port 22 are connected to the third port 23 and the fourth port 24, respectively. The four-way valve has four connecting pipes, three of which are on the same side, and the other connecting pipe is on the other side. The suction pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to the middle connecting pipe among the three connecting pipes on the same side of the four-way valve, one end of the inner heat exchanger 4 and one end of the outer heat exchanger 10 are respectively connected to the remaining two connecting pipes, and the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to another connecting pipe on the other side of the four-way valve. The other end of the outer heat exchanger 10 is connected to the capillary tube 14 and the first port 21 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A via the second expansion valve 8, respectively. The second control valve 7 is connected between the intermediate return pipe 13 leading to the compressor and the common connection end of the capillary tube 14 and the second port 22 of the intermediate heat exchanger. The other end of the inner heat exchanger 4 is connected to the third port 23 of the intermediate heat exchanger via the first expansion valve 5, and the fourth port 24 of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the intermediate return pipe 12 leading to the compressor 1 via the first control valve 9.

[0231] Specifically, with reference to Figures 2A-2C, the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the cooling mode according to the second aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0232] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the cooling function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is higher than (>) the upper limit temperature threshold T4 (for example, 40 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first cooling mode (i.e., high-temperature cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is closed and the second control valve 7 is opened, and the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the second range opening ratio B2 and the opening rate of the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0233] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium passes through the four-way valve to the external heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function). The gaseous medium undergoes heat exchange in the condenser (the external heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) and forms a liquid medium. The liquid medium leaves the condenser and passes through the second expansion valve 8. The liquid medium is throttled by the second expansion valve 8 at a second range opening ratio B2. The liquid medium throttled by the second expansion valve passes through the capillary tube 14 through the first branch and is throttled by the capillary tube 14. The throttled intermediate-pressure medium is replenished into the compressor through the intermediate return pipe 13 (for example, enters between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor). The throttled liquid medium evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor 1. In addition, the liquid medium passing through the second expansion valve 8 also passes through the second branch to pass through the first port 21 and the third port 23 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A. (The intermediate heat exchanger does not process the throttled liquid medium here), and then the liquid medium leaving the intermediate heat exchanger from the third port 23 passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is throttled by the first expansion valve at a third range opening ratio B3, and the liquid medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator), and the indoor air will be guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and heat exchange with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium will absorb the heat in the indoor air), and the air after heat exchange will be blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and through the return air pipe of the compressor back to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment is operated in the first refrigeration mode (high-temperature refrigeration mode), so that when the outer ring temperature is too high, the refrigeration performance of the air-conditioning equipment can still be guaranteed to provide a higher cooling capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure liquid medium is added to the compressor and evaporates and absorbs heat in compressor 1; the evaporation and heat absorption of the liquid medium reduces the temperature of the compressor motor and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperatures; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at higher ambient temperatures, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0234] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes below the upper temperature threshold T4 but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold T2 (for example, 25 degrees Celsius), that is, T2<Te≤T4, it can be judged that the second cooling mode (that is, conventional / general cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the cooling mode is changed by closing the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the second range opening ratio B2 to the fifth range opening ratio B5 and the first expansion valve 5 maintains the third range opening ratio B3.

[0235] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function) through the four-way valve. The gaseous medium forms a liquid medium after heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 will promote this heat exchange). The liquid medium leaves the condenser and passes through the second expansion valve 8 in the fifth range opening ratio B5. At this time, the second expansion valve 8 basically has no throttling effect on the liquid medium passing through it. The liquid medium passing through the second expansion valve 8 only passes through the first port 21 and the third port 23 of the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the second branch (the intermediate heat exchanger does not process the throttled liquid medium here). The liquid medium leaving the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the third port 23 will After passing through the first expansion valve 5 and being throttled by the first expansion valve at a third range opening ratio B3, the throttled liquid medium enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator), and the indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergoes heat exchange with the throttled liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium absorbs heat from the introduced indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and through the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment is operated in the second refrigeration mode (conventional / general refrigeration mode), so that corresponding and appropriate cooling capacity can be provided for the room.

[0236] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T2 < Te ≤ T4 may naturally occur may occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fifth range opening ratio B5, and the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the compressor 1 is restarted, thereby enabling the air conditioning apparatus to operate in the second cooling mode. If, after a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or after multiple time periods, it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te > T4, the cooling mode can be changed to the first cooling mode (high-temperature cooling mode) by opening the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the fifth range opening ratio B5 to the second range opening ratio B2 (the first expansion valve opening ratio remains unchanged).

[0237] Specifically, with reference to Figures 2D-2F , the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the heating mode according to the second aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0238] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the heating function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is lower than (less than) the lower limit temperature threshold T1 (for example, minus 10 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first heating mode (i.e., low-temperature heating mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is opened and the second control valve 7 is closed, and the opening rates of the first expansion valve 5 and the second expansion valve 8 are adjusted to the first range opening ratio B1 and the fourth range opening ratio B4 respectively, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0239] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium is led to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser under the heating function) through the four-way valve. The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchanges heat with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium transfers its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange becomes a liquid medium, which passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is The first expansion valve is throttled at a first range opening ratio B1. The liquid medium throttled by the first expansion valve enters the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the third port 23 and leaves the intermediate heat exchanger 6A through the first port 21. The liquid medium leaving the intermediate heat exchanger through the first port passes through the first branch and passes through the capillary tube 14 and is throttled by the capillary tube to form a gas-liquid two-phase medium. The gas-liquid two-phase medium enters the intermediate heat exchanger 6A from the second port 22. At the intermediate heat exchanger 6A, the liquid medium entering the intermediate heat exchanger from the third port 23 will meet the liquid medium entering the intermediate heat exchanger from the third port 23. The gas-liquid two-phase medium entering the intermediate heat exchanger at the second port 22 undergoes heat exchange, i.e., the gas-liquid two-phase medium absorbs heat from the liquid medium to form a medium-pressure gaseous medium. The medium-pressure gaseous medium leaves the intermediate heat exchanger 6A from the fourth port 24 and enters the compressor (e.g., between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor) through the intermediate return air pipe 12 to ensure / increase the intake volume of the compressor. The liquid medium leaving the intermediate heat exchanger 6A from the first port 21 will also pass through the second branch and the second expansion valve 8, and the second expansion valve 8 will open at the fourth range ratio. The liquid medium, throttled by the second expansion valve 8, enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the evaporator) after undergoing heat exchange in the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium then passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and through the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1, thereby enabling the air conditioner to operate in the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode). This ensures that the heating performance of the air conditioner can still be maintained to provide a high heating capacity even when the external ambient temperature is too low. This is mainly achieved by adding medium-pressure gaseous medium to the compressor to increase the return air volume. The increased return air volume improves the heating capacity / performance, that is, the lower limit of low-temperature heating is extended, thereby expanding the operating ambient temperature.

[0240] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes above the lower temperature threshold T1 but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold T3 (for example, 15 degrees Celsius), that is, T1≤Te<T3, it will be judged to enter the second heating mode (that is, conventional / general heating mode); at this time, the heating mode is changed by closing the first control valve 9 and adjusting the first expansion valve from the first range opening ratio B1 to the fifth range opening ratio B5 while the second expansion valve maintains the fourth range opening ratio unchanged.

[0241] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser) through the four-way valve. The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergoes heat exchange with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium transfers its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a liquid medium. After leaving the inner heat exchanger, the liquid medium passes through the first expansion valve 5, and the first expansion valve in the fifth range opening ratio B5 basically does not throttle the liquid medium passing through it. Subsequently, the liquid medium passes through the third port 23 and the first port 24. The port 21 passes through the intermediate heat exchanger 6A (the intermediate heat exchanger does not process the liquid medium here), and the liquid medium then passes through the second expansion valve 8 and is throttled by the second expansion valve with a fourth range opening ratio B4. The throttled liquid medium then enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the evaporator), and the liquid medium undergoes heat exchange at the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 will promote this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium, and the gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1; thereby realizing the operation of the air-conditioning equipment in the second heating mode (conventional / general heating mode), so that corresponding and appropriate heating amount can be provided to the room within the conventional temperature range.

[0242] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T1 ≤ Te < T3 may naturally occur may occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the first expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fifth range B5 opening ratio, and the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fourth range B4 opening ratio. The external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the compressor 1 is then started, thereby enabling the air conditioning device to operate in the second heating mode. After a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or after multiple time periods, if it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te < T1, the heating mode can be changed to the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode) by opening the first control valve 9 and adjusting the first expansion valve 5 to the first range B1 opening ratio while the second expansion valve 8 maintains the fourth range B4 opening ratio.

[0243] In addition, according to the method of the second aspect of the present invention, compared with the first embodiment which also uses an intermediate heat exchanger, both the first and second expansion valves need to be controlled in both the first cooling mode and the first heating mode, thereby enabling a wider flow regulation range and higher control and regulation accuracy.

[0244] 3A-3G , a control method and an air conditioning apparatus according to a third embodiment (i.e., the third aspect) of the present invention will be described. The air conditioning apparatus includes a compressor 1, an inner heat exchanger 4, an outer heat exchanger 10, a four-way valve 2, a flash evaporator 6B, a first expansion valve 5, a second expansion valve 8, and a first control valve 9 and a second control valve 7 (e.g., solenoid valves) for connecting and disconnecting a flow path. The flash evaporator 6B has a first port 31, a second port 32, and a third port 33. The four-way valve has four connecting pipes, three of which are on the same side and the other on the other side. The suction pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to the middle connecting pipe among the three connecting pipes on the same side of the four-way valve, one end of the inner heat exchanger 4 and one end of the outer heat exchanger 10 are respectively connected to the remaining two connecting pipes, and the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to another connecting pipe on the other side of the four-way valve. The other end of the outer heat exchanger 10 is connected to the first port 31 of the flash evaporator 6B via the second expansion valve 8. The second control valve 7 is connected between the intermediate return pipe 13 leading to the compressor and the common connection end of the second expansion valve 8 and the first port 31 of the flash evaporator. The other end of the inner heat exchanger 4 is connected to the second port 32 of the flash evaporator 6B via the first expansion valve 5. The third port 33 of the flash evaporator 6B is connected to the intermediate return pipe 12 leading to the compressor via the first control valve 9.

[0245] Specifically, with reference to Figures 3A-3D , the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the cooling mode according to the third aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0246] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the cooling function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is higher than (>) the upper temperature threshold T4 (for example, 40 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first cooling mode (i.e., high-temperature cooling mode) is to be entered. Then, the compressor exhaust temperature Td is judged. If the compressor exhaust temperature Td is higher than (>) the exhaust temperature threshold T5 (for example, 90 degrees Celsius), it is further judged that the first situation in the first cooling mode (i.e., liquid return high-temperature cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is closed and the second control valve 7 is opened, and the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the first range opening rate B1 and the opening rate of the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening rate B3, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0247] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium passes through the four-way valve to the external heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function). The gaseous medium forms a liquid medium after heat exchange in the condenser (the external heat exchanger fan 11 will promote this heat exchange). The liquid medium leaves the condenser and passes through the second expansion valve 8. The liquid medium is throttled by the second expansion valve 8 at a first range opening ratio B1. The medium-pressure medium throttled by the second expansion valve is replenished into the compressor through the first branch and the intermediate return pipe 13 (for example, entering between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor). The medium-pressure liquid medium after throttling is evaporated and absorbs heat in the compressor 1. In addition, the medium passing through the second expansion valve 8 also passes through the second branch to pass through the first port 31 and the second port 32 of the flash evaporator 6B, and then from the second end The liquid medium leaving the flash evaporator at port 32 passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is throttled by the first expansion valve at a third range opening ratio B3. The liquid medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator). The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergoes heat exchange with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium absorbs heat from the introduced indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room. The medium after heat exchange becomes a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1. This enables the air-conditioning device to operate in the first case (liquid return high-temperature refrigeration mode) in the first refrigeration mode, so that even when the outer ring temperature is too high, the refrigeration performance of the air-conditioning device can still be guaranteed to provide a higher cooling capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure liquid medium is added to the compressor and evaporates and absorbs heat in compressor 1; the evaporation and heat absorption of the liquid medium reduces the temperature of the compressor motor and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperatures; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at higher ambient temperatures, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0248] When judging the compressor exhaust temperature Td, if the compressor exhaust temperature Td is below the exhaust temperature threshold T5, that is, Td≤T5, it is further judged that the second situation in the first refrigeration mode (that is, the return air high-temperature refrigeration mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is opened and the second control valve 7 is closed, and the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the second range opening ratio B2 and the opening rate of the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0249] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium passes through the four-way valve to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser in the refrigeration function). The gaseous medium undergoes heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) and forms a liquid medium. The liquid medium leaves the condenser and passes through the second expansion valve 8. The second expansion valve 8 throttles the liquid medium at a second range opening ratio B2. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium throttled by the second expansion valve enters the flash evaporator 6B through the first port 31. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium undergoes gas-liquid separation in the flash evaporator. The separated gaseous medium leaves the flash evaporator through the third port 33 and is replenished into the compressor through the intermediate return gas pipe 12 (for example, entering between the first compression stage and the second compression stage, which are organic). The separated gaseous medium cools the compressor motor in the compressor 1. The separated liquid medium leaves from the second port 32 and passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is throttled by the first expansion valve at a third range opening ratio B3. The liquid medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator). The indoor air will be guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergo heat exchange with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium will absorb the heat from the indoor air). The air after heat exchange will be blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room. The medium after heat exchange forms a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1; thereby realizing the operation of the air-conditioning equipment in the second case (return air high-temperature refrigeration mode) in the first refrigeration mode, so that when the outer ring temperature is too high, the refrigeration performance of the air-conditioning equipment can still be guaranteed to provide a higher cooling capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure gas medium is added to the compressor and the compressor motor is cooled in compressor 1. This return air cooling of the compressor enables it to operate at a higher / higher frequency even in an environment with excessively high temperatures; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at higher ambient temperatures, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0250] In the high-temperature refrigeration mode of the third embodiment, the temperature can be selectively cooled by returning liquid to the compressor or returning air to the compressor according to the different compressor exhaust temperatures Td, that is, the different cooling capacity requirements for the compressor motor. That is, it is determined whether to introduce a gaseous medium or a liquid medium for more precise cooling, thereby further achieving more precise control of the stable operation of the compressor, thereby ensuring the refrigeration capacity / performance at high temperatures.

[0251] After the air conditioning equipment is operational, the external ambient temperature Te is determined again at regular intervals (e.g., 30 seconds). If the external ambient temperature Te is determined to be below the upper temperature threshold T4 but above the first intermediate temperature threshold T2 (e.g., 25 degrees Celsius), i.e., T2 < Te ≤ T4, then it is determined that the second cooling mode (i.e., normal / general cooling mode) is to be entered. At this time, the return liquid high-temperature cooling mode is changed to the normal / general cooling mode by closing the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the first range opening ratio B1 to the fifth range opening ratio B5, while maintaining the first expansion valve 5 in the third range opening ratio B3. Alternatively, the return gas high-temperature cooling mode is changed to the normal / general cooling mode by closing the first control valve 9 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the second range opening ratio B2 to the fifth range opening ratio B5, while maintaining the first expansion valve 5 in the third range opening ratio B3.

[0252] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function) via the four-way valve. The gaseous medium undergoes heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a liquid medium. The liquid medium leaves the condenser and passes through the second expansion valve 8 in the fifth range opening ratio B5. At this time, the second expansion valve 8 basically has no throttling effect on the liquid medium passing through it. The liquid medium passing through the second expansion valve 8 only passes through the second branch to pass through the first port 31 and the second port 32 of the flash evaporator 6B. Subsequently, the liquid medium leaving the flash evaporator from the second port 32 passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is discharged by the first expansion valve 5. The third range opening ratio B3 is throttled, and the liquid medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., evaporator), and the indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchanges heat with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium absorbs heat from the indoor air), and the air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment is operated in the second refrigeration mode (conventional / general refrigeration mode), so that corresponding and appropriate cooling capacity can be provided for the room.

[0253] In addition or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of judging the external ambient temperature, the situation of T2<Te≤T4 may naturally occur first. At this time, both the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, and the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fifth range opening ratio B5 and the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started, so that the air-conditioning equipment can operate in the second cooling mode. When a certain time period (for example, 30 seconds) or multiple time periods have passed, if it is determined that the external ambient temperature becomes Te>T4, the compressor exhaust temperature Td is further determined. If it is determined that Td>T5, the refrigeration mode can be changed to the liquid return high-temperature refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve 7, adjusting the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 from the fifth range opening ratio B5 to the first range opening ratio B1, and maintaining the first expansion valve 5 at the third range opening ratio B3; or if it is determined that Td≤T5, the refrigeration mode can be changed to the gas return high-temperature refrigeration mode by opening the first control valve 9, adjusting the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 from the fifth range opening ratio B5 to the second range opening ratio B2, and maintaining the first expansion valve 5 at the third range opening ratio B3.

[0254] Specifically, referring to Figures 3E-3G, the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the heating mode according to the third aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0255] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the heating function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is lower than (less than) the lower limit temperature threshold T1 (for example, minus 10 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first heating mode (i.e., low-temperature heating mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is opened and the second control valve 7 is closed, and the opening rates of the first expansion valve 5 and the second expansion valve 8 are adjusted to the second range opening ratio B2 and the third range opening ratio B3 respectively, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0256] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is led to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser under the heating function) through the four-way valve. The indoor air will be guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchange heat with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium will transfer its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange will be blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange will form a liquid medium. The liquid medium passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is throttled by the first expansion valve 5 with a second range opening ratio B2. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the flash evaporator 6B through the second port 32. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium undergoes gas-liquid separation in the flash evaporator. The separated gaseous medium leaves the flash evaporator through the third port 33 and passes through The intermediate return air pipe 12 enters the compressor (for example, enters between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor) to ensure / increase the suction volume of the compressor, and the liquid medium leaves the flash evaporator through the first port 31 and passes through the second expansion valve 8. The second expansion valve 8 throttles the liquid medium with a third range opening ratio B3. The liquid medium after throttling by the second expansion valve 8 enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., evaporator). The liquid medium undergoes heat exchange at the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1; thereby realizing the operation of the air-conditioning equipment in the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode); so that when the external ambient temperature is too low, the heating performance of the air-conditioning equipment can still be guaranteed to provide a higher heating capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure gaseous medium is added to the compressor to increase the return air volume. The increased return air volume improves the heating capacity / performance, that is, the lower limit of low-temperature heating is expanded to achieve the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0257] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes above the lower temperature threshold T1 but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold T3 (for example, 15 degrees Celsius), that is, T1≤Te<T3, it is judged to enter the second heating mode (that is, conventional / general heating mode); at this time, the heating mode is changed by closing the first control valve 9 and adjusting the first expansion valve from the second range opening ratio B2 to the fifth range opening ratio B5 and the second expansion valve from the third range opening ratio B3 to the fourth range opening ratio B4.

[0258] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser) through the four-way valve. The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergoes heat exchange with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium transfers its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a liquid medium. After leaving the inner heat exchanger, the liquid medium passes through the first expansion valve 5, and the first expansion valve in the fifth range opening ratio B5 basically does not throttle the liquid medium passing through it, and then the liquid The medium passes through the flash evaporator via the second port 32 and the first port 31, and the liquid medium then passes through the second expansion valve 8 and is throttled by the second expansion valve at a fourth range opening ratio B4. The throttled liquid medium then enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the evaporator), and the liquid medium undergoes heat exchange at the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment operates in the second heating mode (conventional / general heating mode), so that a corresponding and appropriate heating amount can be provided to the room within the conventional temperature range.

[0259] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T1 ≤ Te < T3 may naturally occur may occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the first expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fifth range B5 opening ratio, and the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fourth range B4 opening ratio, the external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the compressor 1 is restarted, thereby enabling the air conditioning apparatus to operate in the second heating mode. After a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or after a plurality of time periods, if it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te < T1, the heating mode can be changed to the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode) by opening the first control valve 9, adjusting the first expansion valve 5 from the fifth range B5 opening ratio to the second range B2 opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the fourth range B4 opening ratio to the third range B3 opening ratio.

[0260] 4A-4F , a control method and an air conditioning apparatus according to a fourth embodiment (i.e., a fourth aspect) of the present invention will be described. The air conditioning apparatus includes a compressor 1, an inner heat exchanger 4, an outer heat exchanger 20, a four-way valve 3, a flash evaporator 6B, a first expansion valve 5, a second expansion valve 8, a first control valve 9, a second control valve 7 for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube 14. The flash evaporator 6B has a first port 31, a second port 32, and a third port 33. The four-way valve has four connecting pipes, three of which are on the same side and the other connecting pipe is on the other side. The suction pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to the middle connecting pipe among the three connecting pipes on the same side of the four-way valve, one end of the inner heat exchanger 4 and one end of the outer heat exchanger 10 are respectively connected to the remaining two connecting pipes, and the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1 is connected to another connecting pipe on the other side of the four-way valve. The capillary tube 14 and the second control valve 7 are connected in series between the other end of the outer heat exchanger 10 and the middle liquid return pipe 13 leading to the compressor 1. The other end of the outer heat exchanger 10 is also connected to the first port 31 of the flash evaporator 6B via the second expansion valve 8. The other end of the inner heat exchanger 4 is connected to the second port 32 of the flash evaporator 6B via the first expansion valve 5. The third port 33 of the flash evaporator 6B is connected to the middle gas return pipe 12 leading to the compressor 1 via the first control valve 9.

[0261] Specifically, with reference to Figures 4A-4F, the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the cooling mode according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0262] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the cooling function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is higher than (>) the upper limit temperature threshold T4 (for example, 40 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first cooling mode (i.e., high-temperature cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is closed and the second control valve 7 is opened, and the opening rate of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the first range opening ratio B1 and the opening rate of the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0263] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1. The discharged gaseous medium is directed to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function) through the four-way valve. The gaseous medium undergoes heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) and forms a liquid medium. The liquid medium leaves the condenser through the first branch and passes through the capillary tube 14 and is throttled by the capillary tube. The medium-pressure medium after throttling by the capillary tube is replenished into the compressor through the intermediate return pipe 13 (for example, entering between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor). The medium-pressure liquid medium after throttling evaporates and absorbs heat in the compressor 1. In addition, the liquid medium leaving the condenser also passes through the second expansion valve 8 through the second branch and is throttled by the second expansion valve 8 with a first range opening ratio B1. The throttled medium passes through the first port 31 and the second port 32 of the flash evaporator 6. The second port 32, and then the liquid medium leaving the flash evaporator from the second port 32 passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is throttled again by the first expansion valve with an opening ratio B3 in the third range, and the liquid medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator), and the indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and heat exchanged with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium absorbs the heat in the indoor air), and the air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment is operated in the first cooling mode, so that when the outer ring temperature is too high, the cooling performance of the air-conditioning equipment can still be guaranteed to provide a higher cooling capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure liquid medium is added to the compressor and evaporates and absorbs heat in compressor 1; the evaporation and heat absorption of the liquid medium reduces the temperature of the compressor motor and the exhaust temperature, so that it can still operate at a higher / higher frequency in an environment with excessively high temperatures; thereby improving the refrigeration capacity / performance, that is, expanding the high temperature upper limit of high-temperature refrigeration and realizing the widening of the operating ambient temperature, while ensuring that the compressor can operate stably at higher ambient temperatures, thereby improving the reliability of the compressor.

[0264] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes below the upper temperature threshold T4 but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold T2 (for example, 25 degrees Celsius), that is, T2<Te≤T4, it can be judged that the second cooling mode (that is, conventional / general cooling mode) is to be entered; at this time, the cooling mode is changed by closing the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the first range opening ratio B1 to the fifth range opening ratio B5 and the first expansion valve 5 maintains the third range opening ratio B3.

[0265] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is passed to the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the condenser under the refrigeration function) through the four-way valve. The gaseous medium forms a liquid medium after heat exchange in the condenser (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 will promote this heat exchange). The liquid medium leaves the condenser and passes through the second expansion valve 8 in the fifth range opening ratio B5. At this time, the second expansion valve 8 basically has no throttling effect on the liquid medium passing through it. The liquid medium passing through the second expansion valve 8 then passes through the first port 31 and the second port 32 of the flash evaporator 6B. Subsequently, the liquid medium leaving the flash evaporator from the second port 32 passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is opened by the first expansion valve at the third range The opening ratio B3 is throttled around the expansion valve, and the liquid medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the evaporator). The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchanges heat with the liquid medium (i.e., the liquid medium absorbs the heat in the indoor air). The air after the heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned cold air for the room, and the medium after the heat exchange forms a gaseous medium, which passes from the inner heat exchanger through the four-way valve and the return air pipe of the compressor and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment is operated in the second refrigeration mode (conventional / general refrigeration mode), so that a corresponding and appropriate cooling capacity can be provided for the room.

[0266] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T2 < Te ≤ T4 may naturally occur may occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fifth range opening ratio B5, and the first expansion valve 5 is adjusted to the third range opening ratio B3, the external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the compressor 1 is restarted, thereby enabling the air conditioning apparatus to operate in the second cooling mode. If, after a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or after multiple time periods, it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te > T4, the cooling mode can be changed to the first cooling mode (high-temperature cooling mode) by opening the second control valve 7 and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the fifth range opening ratio B5 to the first range opening ratio B1 (the first expansion valve opening ratio remains unchanged).

[0267] Specifically, with reference to Figures 4D-4F, the control and operating principle of the air-conditioning device in the heating mode according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is as follows:

[0268] When the user of the air-conditioning equipment turns on the heating function, the inner heat exchanger fan 3 can be started and the external ambient temperature can be judged. If the external ambient temperature Te is lower than (less than) the lower limit temperature threshold T1 (for example, minus 10 degrees Celsius), it can be judged that the first heating mode (i.e., low-temperature heating mode) is to be entered; at this time, the first control valve 9 is opened and the second control valve 7 is closed, and the opening rates of the first expansion valve 5 and the second expansion valve 8 are adjusted to the second range opening ratio B2 and the third range opening ratio B3 respectively, the outer heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and then the operation of the compressor 1 is started.

[0269] After the compressor 1 is running, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is led to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser under the heating function) through the four-way valve. The indoor air will be guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and exchange heat with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium will transfer its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange will be blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange will form a liquid medium. The liquid medium passes through the first expansion valve 5 and is throttled by the first expansion valve 5 with a second range opening ratio B2. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium after throttling by the first expansion valve enters the flash evaporator 6B through the second port 32. The medium-pressure gas-liquid two-phase medium undergoes gas-liquid separation in the flash evaporator. The separated gaseous medium leaves the flash evaporator through the third port 33 and passes through The intermediate return air pipe 12 enters the compressor (for example, enters between the first compression pole and the second compression pole of the compressor) to ensure / increase the suction volume of the compressor, and the liquid medium leaves the flash evaporator through the first port 31 and passes through the second expansion valve 8. The second expansion valve 8 throttles the liquid medium with a third range opening ratio B3. The liquid medium after throttling by the second expansion valve 8 enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., evaporator). The liquid medium undergoes heat exchange at the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1; thereby realizing the operation of the air-conditioning equipment in the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode); so that when the external ambient temperature is too low, the heating performance of the air-conditioning equipment can still be guaranteed to provide a higher heating capacity. This is mainly because the medium-pressure gaseous medium is added to the compressor to increase the return air volume. The increased return air volume improves the heating capacity / performance, that is, the lower limit of low-temperature heating is expanded to achieve the expansion of the operating ambient temperature.

[0270] After the air-conditioning equipment is running, the step of judging the external ambient temperature Te will be entered again every certain time period (for example, 30 seconds). If it is judged that the external ambient temperature Te becomes above the lower temperature threshold T1 but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold T3 (for example, 15 degrees Celsius), that is, T1≤Te<T3, it is judged to enter the second heating mode (that is, conventional / general heating mode); at this time, the heating mode is changed by closing the first control valve 9 and adjusting the first expansion valve from the second range opening ratio B2 to the fifth range opening ratio B5 and the second expansion valve from the third range opening ratio B3 to the fourth range opening ratio B4.

[0271] At this time, the gaseous medium is discharged from the exhaust pipe of the compressor 1, and the discharged gaseous medium is directed to the inner heat exchanger 4 (i.e., the condenser) through the four-way valve. The indoor air is guided to the inner heat exchanger through the inner heat exchanger fan 3 and undergoes heat exchange with the gaseous medium (i.e., the gaseous medium transfers its own heat to the guided indoor air). The air after heat exchange is blown back into the room to provide conditioned hot air for the room, and the medium after heat exchange forms a liquid medium. After leaving the inner heat exchanger, the liquid medium passes through the first expansion valve 5, and the first expansion valve in the fifth range opening ratio B5 basically does not throttle the liquid medium passing through it, and then the liquid The medium passes through the flash evaporator via the second port 32 and the first port 31, and the liquid medium then passes through the second expansion valve 8 and is throttled by the second expansion valve at a fourth range opening ratio B4. The throttled liquid medium then enters the outer heat exchanger 10 (i.e., the evaporator), and the liquid medium undergoes heat exchange at the evaporator (the outer heat exchanger fan 11 promotes this heat exchange) to form a gaseous medium. The gaseous medium passes from the outer heat exchanger through the four-way valve 2 and the return air pipe of the compressor 1 and returns to the compressor 1; thereby, the air-conditioning equipment operates in the second heating mode (conventional / general heating mode), so that a corresponding and appropriate heating amount can be provided to the room within the conventional temperature range.

[0272] Additionally or alternatively, it should be understood that after the step of determining the external ambient temperature, a situation where T1 ≤ Te < T3 may naturally occur may occur. In this case, the first control valve 9 and the second control valve 7 are closed, the opening ratio of the first expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fifth range B5 opening ratio, and the opening ratio of the second expansion valve 8 is adjusted to the fourth range B4 opening ratio, the external heat exchanger fan 11 is started, and the compressor 1 is restarted, thereby enabling the air conditioning apparatus to operate in the second heating mode. After a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) or after a plurality of time periods, if it is determined that the external ambient temperature has become Te < T1, the heating mode can be changed to the first heating mode (low-temperature heating mode) by opening the first control valve 9, adjusting the first expansion valve 5 from the fifth range B5 opening ratio to the second range B2 opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve 8 from the fourth range B4 opening ratio to the third range B3 opening ratio.

[0273] In addition, according to the method of the fourth aspect of the present invention, compared with the third embodiment which also uses a flash evaporator, both the first and second expansion valves need to be controlled in both the first cooling mode and the first heating mode, thereby enabling a wider flow regulation range and higher control and regulation accuracy.

[0274] In the control methods according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, different opening degrees of the expansion valve in different situations / modes are involved, ie, the first range opening ratio B1 to the fifth range opening ratio B5. Among B1-B5, the relationship between them is B1<B2<B3<B4<B5; the maximum range B5 is that the medium passing through the expansion valve is basically not throttled, for example, B5 can adopt a range close to 100%; B1 and B2 are relatively small among all the opening ranges, and are designed to enable liquid return and / or air return to the compressor in high-temperature cooling and / or low-temperature heating modes. The ranges of B1 and B2 are relatively close, for example, B1 can adopt a range of about 15%, B2 can adopt a range of about 25%, or even B1 and B2 can adopt substantially the same smaller range; and B3 and B4 are, to a certain extent, the opening ranges used by the expansion valve in conventional / general cooling mode and / or heating mode, for example, B3 can adopt a range of about 40%, B4 can adopt a range of about 60%. Of course, it should also be understood that B3 and B4 will also cooperate with B1 and B2 in high-temperature cooling and / or low-temperature heating modes to achieve the operation of the air-conditioning equipment.

[0275] In addition or alternatively, in an optional embodiment of the control method according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the intermediate air return pipe and the intermediate liquid return pipe can be combined into one pipe. For example, as shown in the accompanying drawings, the branch providing the reflux liquid can be connected upward to the pipe 12 along the dotted line in the figure. Thus, the pipe 13 can be omitted and the pipe 12 can be used as both the air return pipe and the liquid return pipe.

[0276] Referring to Figures 1D-1F and Figures 3E-3G, in an optional embodiment of the control method according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, an exhaust temperature sensor 15 can be used to measure the exhaust temperature of the compressor, for example. The exhaust temperature sensor 15 can be set at or near the outlet of the exhaust pipe of the compressor.

[0277] 1D-1F and 3E-3G, in an optional embodiment of the control method according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, an outdoor temperature sensor can be used to measure the external ambient temperature Te, for example, and the outdoor temperature sensor can be set at or near the external heat exchanger.

[0278] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air-conditioning device having the corresponding components and their connection relationships as described above, so as to be able to perform the methods according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention. The air-conditioning device is particularly suitable for application to vehicles such as RVs, trucks and / or other commercial vehicles, i.e., a vehicle-mounted air-conditioning device (integrated or split air-conditioning), because the relevant structure as described above (i.e., the corresponding components and their connection relationships) possessed by the air-conditioning device in the present invention makes the structure of the air-conditioning device more compact. In addition, the optional step of re-entering the external ambient temperature judgment at intervals of a certain period of time in the present invention also makes the present invention particularly suitable for vehicle-mounted air-conditioning devices, because when the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning device is in use, the vehicle is usually in motion, and the position of the vehicle with the air-conditioning device changes in real time during the driving process, and there may be differences and differences in the ambient temperature at different locations / positions.

[0279] In addition or alternatively, it should be understood that the liquid medium or gaseous medium mentioned in this article may or may not be excluded from being mixed with a small amount / a small part / a certain proportion of another medium in actual conditions.

[0280] In the description of the invention, it should be understood that the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and "fifth" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Therefore, the definition of "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and "fifth" features may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0281] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it will be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may combine, change, modify, replace and alter the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an air conditioning device, characterized in that: The air conditioning device includes a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger has a first port and a second port on one side thereof and a third port and a fourth port on the other side thereof, the first port and the second port being communicated with the third port and the fourth port respectively; The exhaust pipe and the intake pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve, the capillary tube and the second control valve are connected in series between the other end of the outer heat exchanger and the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor, the other end of the outer heat exchanger is also connected to the first port of the intermediate heat exchanger via the second expansion valve, the third port of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the other end of the inner heat exchanger, the first expansion valve is connected between the other end of the inner heat exchanger and the fourth port of the intermediate heat exchanger, and the second port of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve; The method includes: When the cooling function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold, -If the external environment temperature is judged to be higher than the upper temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and open the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a second range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in a first cooling mode; When the heating function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold, - If the external environment temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold, - open the first control valve and close the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a first range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the cooling function is turned on: - If the external environment temperature is judged to be below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the heating function is turned on: - If it is determined that the external ambient temperature is above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a fourth range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the air conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the second range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the third range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the air conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being higher than the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the third range opening ratio to the fourth range opening ratio, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve to the first range opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fourth range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio.

6. A method for controlling an air conditioning device, characterized in that: The air conditioning device includes a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger has a first port and a second port on one side thereof and a third port and a fourth port on the other side thereof, the first port and the second port being communicated with the third port and the fourth port respectively; The exhaust pipe and the suction pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve, the other end of the outer heat exchanger is respectively connected to the capillary tube and the first port of the intermediate heat exchanger via the second expansion valve, the second control valve is connected between the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor and the common connection end of the capillary tube and the second port of the intermediate heat exchanger, the other end of the inner heat exchanger is connected to the third port of the intermediate heat exchanger via the first expansion valve, and the fourth port of the intermediate heat exchanger is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve; The method includes: When the cooling function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold, -If the external environment temperature is judged to be higher than the upper temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and open the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a second range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in a first cooling mode; When the heating function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold, - If the external environment temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold, - open the first control valve and close the second control valve, -Adjust the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the first range opening ratio - adjusting the opening rate of the second expansion valve to the fourth range opening rate, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the cooling function is turned on: - If the external environment temperature is judged to be below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the heating function is turned on: - If it is determined that the external ambient temperature is above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a fourth range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the air conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the second range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that When the air conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being higher than the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve and adjusting the first expansion valve from the first range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or When the judgment result is that the external environment temperature is above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold When the temperature threshold changes to the external environment temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve and adjusting the first expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the first range opening ratio.

11. A method for controlling an air conditioning device, characterized in that: The air conditioning device comprises a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, a flash evaporator, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, and a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, wherein the flash evaporator has a first port, a second port and a third port; The exhaust pipe and the intake pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve, the other end of the outer heat exchanger is connected to the first port of the flash evaporator via the second expansion valve, the second control valve is connected between the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor and the common connection end of the second expansion valve and the first port of the flash evaporator, the other end of the inner heat exchanger is connected to the second port of the flash evaporator via the first expansion valve, and the third port of the flash evaporator is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve; The method includes: When the cooling function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold, -If the external environment temperature is judged to be higher than the upper temperature threshold, - compare the compressor discharge temperature with the discharge temperature threshold, - If it is determined that the compressor exhaust temperature is higher than the exhaust temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and open the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a first range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in a first condition in a first cooling mode; When the heating function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold, - If the external environment temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold, - open the first control valve and close the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the second range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening rate of the second expansion valve to the third range opening rate, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that When the cooling function is turned on: - If it is determined that the compressor exhaust temperature is below the exhaust temperature threshold, - open the first control valve and close the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a second range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second condition in the first cooling mode.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: When the cooling function is turned on: - If the external environment temperature is judged to be below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that When the heating function is turned on: - If it is determined that the external ambient temperature is above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a fourth range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that When the air conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first situation in the first refrigeration mode is adjusted to the second refrigeration mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the first range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or the second situation in the first refrigeration mode is adjusted to the second refrigeration mode by closing the first control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the second range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first situation in the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the first range opening ratio, or the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the second situation in the first refrigeration mode by opening the first control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio.

16. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that When the air conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first control valve is closed, The first expansion valve is adjusted from the second range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio and the second expansion valve is adjusted from the third range opening ratio to the fourth range opening ratio to adjust the first heating mode to the second heating mode, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fourth range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio.

17. A method for controlling an air conditioning device, wherein: The air conditioning device comprises a compressor, an inner heat exchanger, an outer heat exchanger, a four-way valve, a flash evaporator, a first expansion valve and a second expansion valve, a first control valve and a second control valve for connecting and disconnecting a flow path, and a capillary tube, wherein the flash evaporator has a first port, a second port and a third port; The exhaust pipe and the suction pipe of the compressor, one end of the inner heat exchanger, and one end of the outer heat exchanger are respectively connected to the four connecting pipes of the four-way valve, the capillary tube and the second control valve are connected in series between the other end of the outer heat exchanger and the intermediate liquid return pipe leading to the compressor, the other end of the outer heat exchanger is also connected to the first port of the flash evaporator via the second expansion valve, the other end of the inner heat exchanger is connected to the second port of the flash evaporator via the first expansion valve, and the third port of the flash evaporator is connected to the intermediate gas return pipe leading to the compressor via the first control valve; The method includes: When the cooling function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the upper temperature threshold, -If the external environment temperature is judged to be higher than the upper temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and open the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a first range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Start the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first cooling mode OK; When the heating function is turned on: - Start the inner heat exchanger fan, - Compare the external ambient temperature with the lower temperature threshold, - If the external environment temperature is judged to be lower than the lower temperature threshold, - open the first control valve and close the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the second range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening rate of the second expansion valve to the third range opening rate, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the first heating mode.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that When the cooling function is turned on: - If the external environment temperature is judged to be below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to a third range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second cooling mode.

19. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that When the heating function is turned on: - If it is determined that the external ambient temperature is above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold, - close the first control valve and the second control valve, - adjusting the opening ratio of the first expansion valve to the fifth range opening ratio, - adjusting the opening ratio of the second expansion valve to a fourth range opening ratio, - Start the outer heat exchanger fan, - Starting the operation of the compressor so that the air conditioning device operates in the second heating mode.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that When the air conditioning device is already operating in the cooling mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the upper temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being higher than the upper temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being lower than the upper temperature threshold but higher than the first intermediate temperature threshold, the first cooling mode is adjusted to the second cooling mode by closing the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the first range opening ratio to the fifth range opening ratio, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being below the upper temperature threshold but above the first intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being above the upper temperature threshold, the second refrigeration mode is adjusted to the first refrigeration mode by opening the second control valve and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the first range opening ratio.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that When the air conditioning device is already operating in the heating mode, the step of comparing the external environment temperature with the lower temperature threshold is entered again at regular intervals; When the judgment result changes from the external environment temperature being lower than the lower temperature threshold to the external environment temperature being higher than the lower temperature threshold but lower than the second intermediate temperature threshold, the first heating mode is adjusted to the second heating mode by closing the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve opening ratio from the second range to the fifth range, and adjusting the second expansion valve opening ratio from the third range to the fourth range, or When the judgment result changes from the external ambient temperature being above the lower temperature threshold but below the second intermediate temperature threshold to the external ambient temperature being below the lower temperature threshold, the second heating mode is adjusted to the first heating mode by opening the first control valve, adjusting the first expansion valve from the fifth range opening ratio to the second range opening ratio, and adjusting the second expansion valve from the fourth range opening ratio to the third range opening ratio.

22. An air conditioning device capable of performing the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

23. The air conditioning device according to claim 22, characterized in that: The air conditioning device is an onboard air conditioning device for a vehicle.

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