Apparatus for switching a refrigerant channel of an air conditioner having cooling and warming functions

An apparatus, comprising:

• a main body including an operating chamber and a channel switching chamber having a cylindrical hollow shape;
• first and second connecting ports formed on a side of said operating chamber;
• four main ports formed on a side of said channel switching chamber;
• a switching member rotatably inserted into said main body, having a plate disposed between said operating chamber and said channel switching chamber, said switching member having a main partition secured to one side of said circular plate, disposed within said channel switching chamber, and forming two channels connecting each two of said four main ports, said switching member having an operational guide secured to the other side of said circular plate and disposed between said first and second ports within said operating chamber;
• a pilot valve connected to said first and second operating ports, selectively supplying a liquid into said operating chamber through one of said first and second operating ports in order to move said operational guide and said partition;
• and
• said pilot valve comprising:
• a valve body having a cylindrical hollow shape;
• four connecting ports formed on a first portion of said valve body;
• a piston inserted into a second portion of said valve body and linearly and reciprocally moving within said valve body;
• and
• an operating member attached to said piston, having a first operating partition and a second operating partition, one of said first and second operating partitions disposed on said first portion of said valve body in accordance with linear movement of said piston, forming two passageways connecting two pairs of said connecting ports.

A channel switching apparatus in an air conditioner, comprising:

• a main body having a hollow and an axis;
• a switching member disposed within said hollow of said main body to rotate about said axis, having a circular plate dividing said hollow of said main body into an operating chamber and a channel switching chamber, having a partition secured to one side of said circular plate and disposed within said channel switching chamber to divide said channel switching chamber into two channel spaces, having an operational guide secured to the other side of said circular plate opposite to said one side and disposed within said operating chamber to divide said operating chamber into two operation spaces;
• a pilot unit connected to said operating chamber, rotating said operational guide and said switching member about said axis of said switching member;
• and
• four ports formed on a side of said channel switching member, divided into two pairs of ports by said partition in response to the rotation of said partition and said switching member, each pair of ports communicated with one of said two channel spaces.