Heat pump and flow path switching apparatus

A heat pump comprising:

• a single outdoor unit comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an electronic expansion valve, and a 4-way valve that connects an ejection side of the compressor to one side of the outdoor heat exchanger or to a flow path switching apparatus and connects an inhalation side of the compressor to one side of the outdoor heat exchanger or to the flow path switching apparatus;
• a plurality of indoor units to which a low-pressure gas pipe and a high-pressure gas pipe are connected;
• a refrigerant branching pipe that branches from a point where the 4-way valve and one side of the outdoor heat exchanger are connected to each other;
• the flow path switching apparatus includes a first 3-way valve to switch a flow path so that one of the high-pressure gas pipe and the low-pressure gas pipe is connected to the 4-way valve via the refrigerant branching pipe and a second 3-way valve to switch a flow path so that one of the high-pressure gas pipe and the low-pressure gas pipe is connected to the compressor via the 4-way valve;
• and
• an indoor unit mode controller that is connected to the single outdoor unit via a liquid pipe, is connected to the flow path switching apparatus via the high-pressure gas pipe and the low-pressure gas pipe, and is connected to the plurality of indoor units via a refrigerant circulation pipe so that a refrigerant is circulated between the single outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units via the liquid pipe, the high-pressure gas pipe, the low-pressure gas pipe, and the refrigerant circulation pipe.

A heat pump comprising:

• a first outdoor unit and a second outdoor unit;
• a first indoor unit and a second indoor unit;
• a controller to connect the first and second outdoor units to the first and second indoor units using at least a first pipe and a second pipe;
• and
• a flow path switching apparatus including a first valve and a second valve,
• wherein when the first indoor unit requires a heating operation at a same time as the second indoor unit requires an air conditioning operation:
• the first valve is selectively positioned to cause refrigerant ejected from a first compressor of the first outdoor unit, to flow to the first indoor unit via the first pipe and the controller, and
• the second valve is selectively positioned to cause refrigerant recovered from the second indoor unit via the controller and the second pipe, to flow into an inhalation side of a second compressor of the second outdoor unit.

A heat pump comprising:

• a single outdoor unit;
• a plurality of indoor units;
• a controller to connect the outdoor unit to the plurality of indoor units using at least a first pipe, a second pipe, and a third pipe;
• and
• a flow path switching apparatus including a first valve and a second valve,
• wherein when the plurality of indoor units require a heating operation and an air conditioning operation at a same time:
• if demand from the plurality of indoor units for an air-conditioning operation is greater than demand for a heating operation, the first valve is selectively positioned to cause refrigerant ejected from a compressor of the outdoor unit to flow to indoors unit requiring a heating operation via the first pipe and the controller, and the second valve is selectively positioned to cause refrigerant recovered from the plurality of indoor units via the controller and the second pipe, to flow into an inhalation side of the compressor, and
• refrigerant ejected from the compressor further flows through the third pipe and the controller to an indoor unit requiring an air conditioning operation.