Expansion Valve Startup Sequencing for Multi-Room Air Conditioners
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of indoor units in multi-room air conditioning systems leads to significant time delays in initializing electronic expansion valves before activating the refrigerating cycle, causing inconvenience to users, and existing solutions complicate control devices to achieve simultaneous initialization.
Innovation Solution
The control device initializes the opening degrees of electronic expansion valves corresponding to indoor units that have issued operation commands first, followed by compressor activation, and then adjusts all electronic expansion valves to predetermined opening degrees, while using a sensor to suspend initialization if a rapid temperature rise is detected to prevent compressor damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If all electronic expansion valves are initialized sequentially before compressor activation, then the zero point is properly adjusted for each valve, but the system startup time becomes excessively long as the number of indoor units increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device determines which electronic expansion valves need initialization based on indoor unit operation commands before compressor activation. Only the necessary valves are initialized in advance, rather than all valves being initialized sequentially regardless of need, thereby reducing unnecessary waiting time while ensuring proper calibration when required
Solution Approach 2:
The initialization process is segmented by dividing electronic expansion valves into groups based on indoor unit operation commands. Valves are initialized in multiple batches rather than all at once sequentially, allowing the compressor to activate earlier while completing valve initialization in subsequent steps
2Productivity
If electronic expansion valves are initialized rapidly without temperature monitoring, then the system startup is faster, but the compressor may be damaged due to rapid temperature rise
Solution Approach 1:
A temperature sensor monitors the temperature near the compressor in real-time during electronic expansion valve initialization. The control device receives this temperature information and uses it to control the initialization process, stopping or pausing initialization when the temperature reaches a predetermined threshold, thus preventing compressor damage while allowing rapid initialization when safe
Solution Approach 2:
The initialization speed of electronic expansion valves is dynamically adjusted based on real-time temperature conditions. When temperature is within safe limits, initialization proceeds rapidly; when temperature approaches the threshold, the initialization speed is reduced or paused, creating a dynamic balance between speed and safety
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a multi-room air conditioning system with a plurality of indoor expansion valves. A method for sequencing the initialization of each indoor expansion valve upon system startup is disclosed. The method includes the following steps:1. Initializing expansion valves corresponding to active indoor units,2. Turning on the compressor,3. Adjusting the indoor expansion valves corresponding to active indoor units,4. Initializing and adjusting indoor expansion valves corresponding to inactive indoor units.