IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,204,181
Granted Patent B2
US 11,204,181 · App. 16/371,181 · Granted Dec 21, 2021

Air conditioner

Inventors: Mikihito Tokudi (Tokyo, JP); Gen Yasuda (Tokyo, JP); Takanori Isogawa (Tokyo, JP); Kazuhiro Tsuchihashi (Tokyo, JP); Hiroyuki Ogisu (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: HITACHI-JOHNSON CONTROLS AIR CONDITIONING, INC.
F24F1/24F25B1/00F25B41/00F25B41/30F25B41/31F25B41/40F25B49/02F25B2400/075
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,204,181
App. No.
16/371,181
Granted
Dec 21, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An air conditioner provided which has: a main refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, and a utilization side heat exchanger and configured such that refrigerant flows in the main refrigerant circuit; a sub refrigerant circuit including a cooling member configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the cooling member and configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the sub refrigerant circuit; and a heat generator to be cooled by the cooling member, wherein a pipe in which part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows is connected to the cooling member of the sub refrigerant circuit.

Claims (28)

1. An air conditioner comprising:

a main refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, and a utilization side heat exchanger and configured such that refrigerant flows in the main refrigerant circuit;

a sub refrigerant circuit including a cooling member configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the cooling member and configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the sub refrigerant circuit; and

a heat generator to be cooled by the cooling member,

wherein a first pipe in which part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows is connected to the cooling member of the sub refrigerant circuit,

wherein the sub refrigerant circuit includes a second pipe branched from the main refrigerant circuit that is embedded into the cooling member,

wherein a second expansion valve is disposed on the second pipe, and

wherein the first pipe connects to the second pipe of the sub refrigerant circuit between the cooling member and the second expansion valve.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein

the cooling member includes multiple cooling members.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein

a flow rate of refrigerant flowing in the sub refrigerant circuit is lower than a flow rate of refrigerant flowing in the main refrigerant circuit.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein

the compressor includes a first compressor and a second compressor,

the heat generator includes a first heat generator for controlling the first compressor and a second heat generator for controlling the second compressor, and

the first heat generator and the second heat generator are cooled by the multiple cooling members.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1 ,

wherein the second expansion valve is configured to expand refrigerant flowing into the cooling member.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1 ,

wherein the second expansion valve is configured to expand refrigerant flowing into the cooling member, and

wherein a control section is configured to perform control such that the second expansion valve is operated in a closing direction in a case where a cooling capacity of the cooling member needs to be lowered and perform control such that part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into the cooling member in a case where the cooling capacity of the cooling member needs to be further lowered.

7. An air conditioner comprising:

a main refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, and a utilization side heat exchanger and configured such that refrigerant flows in the main refrigerant circuit;

a sub refrigerant circuit including a cooling member configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the cooling member and configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the sub refrigerant circuit;

a heat generator to be cooled by the cooling member; and

a first pipe embedded into the cooling member through which part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into the cooling member,

wherein the sub refrigerant includes a second pipe embedded into the cooling member and one end of the second pipe is connected to the main refrigerant circuit and another end of the second pipe is connected to the main refrigerant circuit, and

wherein one end of the first pipe is connected to the main refrigerant circuit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2019
From: TOKUDI, MIKIHITO; YASUDA, GEN; ISOGAWA, TAKANORI; TSUCHIHASHI, KAZUHIRO; OGISU, HIROYUKI
To: HITACHI-JOHNSON CONTROLS AIR CONDITIONING, INC.
Reel/Frame 048749/0695 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2017036550 · Oct 6, 2017
Related Publication 20190226691A1 · Jul 25, 2019