# US 11,441,808 B2 · Air-conditioning apparatus and air-conditioning method

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,441,808 B2
- Document ID: US11441808B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/054,829
- Filed: 2018-07-18
- Published: 2021-07-15
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2018-07-18
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Inventors: Yuki Mori; Masashi Fujitsuka; Takahiro Nakai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441808B2

## CPC

- F24F 11/86: by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
- F25B 49/02: for compression type machines, plants or systems
- F24F 11/62: characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
- F24F 11/84: using valves
- F25B 13/00: Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02)
- F24F 2110/10: Temperature
- F25B 2313/0233: in parallel arrangements
- F25B 2313/0314: Temperature sensors near the indoor heat exchanger
- F25B 2500/19: Calculation of parameters
- F25B 2600/2513: Expansion valves
- F25B 2700/2104: of an indoor room or compartment
- F25B 2700/21163: of the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser
- F25B 2700/21175: of the refrigerant at the outlet of the evaporator
- F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02)
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

## Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus includes: room temperature sensors; room temperature setting units; a compressor that causes refrigerant to circulate through an outdoor heat exchanger, electric expansion valves, and indoor heat exchangers; a calculation unit including an integrator for a temperature deviation; an output unit that outputs a total opening degree; a calculation unit that uses a required capacity and the total opening degree; a derivation unit that obtains a distance function with a valve opening degree and a temporary valve opening degree as an evaluation function; a derivation unit that obtains equality constraints for equalizing the sum of opening degrees as a variable to the total opening degree; a calculation unit that calculates upper and lower limits of each opening degree; a derivation unit that obtains inequality constraints in which each opening degree falls within the range between the upper and lower limits; and a calculation unit that calculates the opening degrees from the evaluation function and the equality and inequality constraints, whereby the room temperature deviation can be made to approach the minimum value.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
room temperature sensors configured to detect room temperatures of respective rooms;
target room-temperature setting units configured to set target room temperature of the respective rooms;
a variable displacement type compressor configured to cause refrigerant to sequentially circulate through an outdoor heat exchanger, electric expansion valves, and indoor heat exchangers; and
a controller configured to measure an opening degree of each of the electric expansion valves, the controller including
a required-capacity calculation unit configured to calculate each of required capacities for the respective rooms using a value that is obtained by integrating a deviation of an associated one of the room temperatures from an associated one of the target room temperatures,
an electric expansion-valve total opening degree output unit configured to output a total opening degree of the electric expansion valves, each of which is connected to an associated one of the indoor heat exchangers,
a temporary electric expansion-valve opening degree calculation unit configured to calculate each of temporary opening degrees of the electric expansion valves for the respective rooms, using an associated one of the required capacities and the total opening degree,
an evaluation function derivation unit configured to obtain a distance function with an associated one of the temporary opening degrees of the electric expansion valves, as an evaluation function, using an associated one of the opening degrees of the electric expansion valves as a variable,
an equality constraint derivation unit configured to obtain equality constraints to equalize the sum of the opening degrees that is a variable to the total opening degree,
an electric expansion-valve opening degree upper/lower limit calculation unit configured to calculate an upper limit and a lower limit of each of the opening degrees,
an inequality constraint derivation unit configured to obtain inequality constraints in which each of the opening degrees meets falls within a range of the upper limit to the lower limit, and
an optimization problem calculation unit configured to calculate each of the opening degrees by solving an optimization problem from the evaluation function, the equality constraints, and the inequality constraints.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the evaluation function is a Euclidean distance function.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
each of the indoor heat exchangers includes a degree-of-superheat sensor configured to detect a degree of superheat, and
in a cooling cycle, the electric expansion-valve opening degree upper/lower limit calculation unit determines the lower limit using an integrator based on a deviation between an upper limit of the degree of superheat and the degree of superheat.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 3, wherein
each of the indoor heat exchangers includes a degree-of-subcooling sensor configured to detect a degree of subcooling, and
in a heating cycle, the electric expansion-valve opening degree upper/lower limit calculation unit determines the upper limit using an integrator based on a deviation between a lower limit of the degree of subcooling and the degree of subcooling.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
each of the indoor heat exchangers includes a degree-of-superheat sensor configured to detect a degree of superheat, and a degree-of-subcooling sensor configured to detect a degree of subcooling, and
in a cooling cycle, the electric expansion-valve opening degree upper/lower limit calculation unit determines the lower limit using an integrator based on a deviation between an upper limit of the degree of superheat and the degree of superheat, and in a heating cycle, the electric expansion-valve opening degree upper/lower limit calculation unit determines the upper limit using an integrator based on a deviation between a lower limit of the degree of subcooling and the degree of subcooling.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein a frequency of the compressor is determined from the sum of the required capacities.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the required-capacity calculation unit calculates a lower limit of the required capacity in a subsequent step from the total opening degree, the lower limit, and the required capacity in a current step.

### Claim 8

An air-conditioning method comprising:
a room temperature detection step of detecting room temperatures of a plurality of rooms;
a target room temperature setting step of setting target room temperatures of the plurality of rooms;
a circulation step of causing refrigerant to sequentially circulate an outdoor heat exchanger, electric expansion valves, and indoor heat exchangers, using a variable displacement type compressor;
a required capacity calculation step of calculating each of required capacities for the plurality of rooms, using a value that is obtained by integrating a deviation of an associated one of the room temperatures from an associated one of the target room temperatures;
an electric expansion-valve total opening degree output step of outputting a total opening degree of the electric expansion valves, each of which is connected to an associated one of the indoor heat exchangers;
a temporary electric expansion-valve opening degree calculation step of calculating a temporary electric expansion-valve opening degree of each of the plurality of rooms by using the corresponding required capacity and the total opening degree;
an evaluation function derivation step of obtaining a distance function with the an associated one of the temporary opening degrees of the electric expansion valves as an evaluation function, using an associated one of the opening degrees of the electric expansion valves as a variable;
an equality constraint derivation step of obtaining equality constraints to equalize the sum of the opening degrees as a variable to the total opening degree;
an electric expansion-valve opening degree upper/lower limit calculation step of calculating an upper limit and a lower limit of each of the opening degrees;
an inequality constraint derivation step of deriving inequality constraints in which each of the opening degrees falls within a range of the upper limit to the lower limit; and
an optimization problem calculation step of calculating each of the opening degrees by solving an optimization problem from the evaluation function, the equality constraints, and the inequality constraints.