System for air-conditioning and hot-water supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning and hot-water supply systems equipped with heat pumps face challenges in maintaining user comfort when a hot-water supply operation is necessary, as they often require switching from cooling to heating operation, disrupting comfort and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system with an outdoor unit, indoor units, and a hot-water supply unit, controlled by a controller that monitors hot-water requests during cooling operations, sends fan-stop and compressor-stop commands to switch seamlessly from cooling to heating, ensuring comfort by stopping indoor fans and maintaining refrigerant flow, thereby maintaining efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the system switches from cooling operation to heating operation to supply hot water, then hot-water supply is enabled, but user comfort is disrupted due to warm air blowing from indoor units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fan stopping function from the normal operation sequence and applies it specifically during mode transitions. When switching from cooling to heating, the controller separately commands indoor fans to stop before the heating operation begins, preventing warm air discharge while maintaining the heating function. This selective extraction of the fan control function resolves the contradiction between enabling hot-water supply and maintaining user comfort.
2Productivity
If the cooling operation is immediately turned off upon hot-water request, then heating operation can start, but cooling efficiency is lost and user comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by stopping indoor fans before the heating operation begins, rather than after the cooling operation fully terminates. This timing optimization allows the cooling operation to continue benefiting from refrigerant flow while preventing warm air discharge. The fan stop command is issued in advance of the mode switch completion, resolving the contradiction between rapid hot-water supply and cooling efficiency maintenance.
3Reliability
If indoor fans continue running during heating operation, then cooling efficiency is maintained, but warm air blows from indoor units disrupting comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the fan operation status dynamic rather than static. During mode transitions from cooling to heating, the fan operation is temporarily suspended through separate control commands. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt fan behavior to the current operational phase, stopping fans during heating to prevent warm air discharge while maintaining cooling efficiency when in cooling mode. The fan speed and operation state become variable parameters that respond to operational context.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures user comfort by preventing warm air from indoor units during heating operations and maintaining refrigerant flow, ensuring efficient cooling and heating transitions.
Implementation Method 1
an outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; at least one or more indoor units each of which is connected to the outdoor unit and includes an indoor heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
an outdoor unit having a compressor
Implementation Method 3
a hot-water supply unit connected to the outdoor unit so as to be arranged in parallel to the at least one or more indoor units and including a refrigerant-water heat exchanger
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a system for air-conditioning and hot-water supply configured to selectively perform cooling and heating operations, comprising: an outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; at least one or more indoor units each of which is connected to the outdoor unit and includes an indoor heat exchanger; a hot-water supply unit connected to the outdoor unit so as to be arranged in parallel to the indoor unit and including a refrigerant-water heat exchanger; a controller configured to monitor for a request for hot-water supply from the hot-water supply unit while a cooling operation is being performed in at least one of the indoor units, and then to start the heating operation in accordance with the request; wherein the controller transmits to all of the indoor units, which are turned on for said cooling operation, a fan-stop command to stop a fan arranged at each indoor unit.