# US 12,215,905 B2 · Air conditioning apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,215,905 B2 - Document ID: US12215905B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/441,906 - Filed: 2020-03-24 - Published: 2022-05-12 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-26 - Assignees: Fujitsu General Limited - Applicants: Fujitsu General Limited - Inventors: Yu Hirosaki; Tokihiko Ando; Shintaro Sanada; Koya Aoki; Tatsuro Yamazaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215905B2 ## CPC - F25B 49/02: for compression type machines, plants or systems - F25B 13/00: Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) - F25B 41/39: Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in series, i.e. multi-stage expansion, on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator - F25B 2313/0314: Temperature sensors near the indoor heat exchanger - F25B 2313/0315: Temperature sensors near the outdoor heat exchanger - F25B 2600/2513: Expansion valves - F25B 2700/1931: Discharge pressures - F25B 2700/1933: Suction pressures - F25B 2700/21151: at the suction side of the compressor - F25B 2700/21152: at the discharge side of the compressor - F25B 2700/21162: of the refrigerant at the inlet of the condenser - F25B 2700/21174: of the refrigerant at the inlet of the evaporator - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS ## Abstract An outdoor unit control unit includes a degree-of-dryness calculating unit that calculates the degree of dryness of a refrigerant flowing into an heat exchanger (an indoor heat exchanger at the time of a cooling operation, and an outdoor heat exchanger at the time of a heating operation) disposed on the downstream side of a liquid pipe, and performs an inhibition mode of inhibiting, when the degree of dryness exceeds a threshold A, control that is performed in the direction of decreasing the degree of opening of the expansion valve (an indoor expansion valve at the time of the cooling operation, and an outdoor expansion valve at the time of the heating operation) disposed on the upstream side of the liquid pipe. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air conditioning apparatus comprising: a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a channel switching valve, an indoor heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, a liquid pipe, a second expansion valve, and an outdoor heat exchanger are connected in series; and a controller, including at least a processor and a memory, configured to perform switching control of the channel switching valve and to perform degree-of-opening control of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, wherein the controller is configured to: switch the channel switching valve such that a refrigerant flows through in the order of the indoor heat exchanger, the first expansion valve, the liquid pipe, the second expansion valve, and the outdoor heat exchanger at the time of a heating operation, calculate a degree-of-dryness of the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger at the time of the heating operation based on a condensation temperature detected by an indoor heat exchange temperature sensor at the time of the heating operation, an evaporation temperature detected by an outdoor heat exchange temperature sensor at the time of the heating operation, and a condenser outlet temperature detected by an indoor-side refrigerant temperature sensor at the time of the heating operation, perform, at the time of the heating operation, when the degree-of-dryness is less than or equal to a threshold that is determined in advance, a normal mode of controlling the first expansion valve such that the refrigerant flowing inside the liquid pipe is in a gas-liquid two phase state and controlling the second expansion valve such that the degree of opening of the second expansion valve is equal to a predetermined degree of opening, and perform an inhibition mode of inhibiting, when the degree-of-dryness exceeds the threshold, control that is performed in the direction of decreasing the degree of opening of the first expansion valve. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: detect a discharge temperature that is a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and control, during the inhibition mode, the degree of opening of the second expansion valve such that the discharge temperature is equal to a target value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: calculate a degree of superheat of the refrigerant taken into the compressor, and control the degree of opening of the second expansion valve such that the degree of superheat is equal to a target value during the inhibition mode. ### Claim 4 An air conditioning apparatus comprising: a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a channel switching valve, an indoor heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, a liquid pipe, a second expansion valve, and an outdoor heat exchanger are connected in series; and a controller, including at least a processor and a memory, configured to perform switching control of the channel switching valve and to perform degree-of-opening control of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, wherein the controller is configured to: switch the channel switching valve such that a refrigerant flows through in the order of the outdoor heat exchanger, the second expansion valve, the liquid pipe, the first expansion valve, and the indoor heat exchanger at the time of a cooling operation, calculate a degree-of-dryness of the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger at the time of the cooling operation based on a condensation temperature detected by an indoor heat exchange temperature sensor at the time of the cooling operation, an evaporation temperature detected by an outdoor heat exchange temperature sensor at the time of the cooling operation, and a condenser outlet temperature detected by an indoor-side refrigerant temperature sensor at the time of the cooling operation, perform, at the time of the cooling operation, when the degree-of-dryness is less than or equal to a threshold that is determined in advance, a normal mode of controlling the second expansion valve such that the refrigerant flowing inside the liquid pipe is in a gas-liquid two phase state and controlling the first expansion valve such that the degree of opening of the first expansion valve is equal to a predetermined degree of opening, and inhibit control, when the degree-of-dryness exceeds the threshold, that is performed in the direction of decreasing the degree of opening of the second expansion valve. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to: detect a discharge temperature that is a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and control, during the inhibition mode, the degree of opening of the first expansion valve such that the discharge temperature is equal to a target value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to: calculate a degree of superheat of the refrigerant taken into the compressor, and control the degree of opening of the first expansion valve such that the degree of superheat is equal to a target value during the inhibition mode.