U.S. patent application number 16/780420 was filed with the patent office on 2020-06-18 for method and device for controlling expansion valve.
The applicant listed for this patent is Qingdao Haier Air-Conditioning Electronic Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Shaojiang Cheng, Wenjun Shao, Bin Shi, Jun Wang, Ruigang Zhang, Wanying Zhang, Baitian Zhuo.
Application Number | 20200191430 16/780420 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60974156 |
Filed Date | 2020-06-18 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200191430 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wang; Jun ; et al. |
June 18, 2020 |
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING EXPANSION VALVE
Abstract
The present disclosure discloses a method and a device for
controlling an expansion valve. The method includes: when a first
specified number of indoor units are in a non-working state,
turning off expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units
in the non-working state; and turning on expansion valves
corresponding to a second specified number of indoor units in the
non-working state in turn according to a predetermined cycle.
Inventors: |
Wang; Jun; (Shandong,
CN) ; Cheng; Shaojiang; (Shandong, CN) ; Zhuo;
Baitian; (Shandong, CN) ; Zhang; Ruigang;
(Shandong, CN) ; Shao; Wenjun; (Shandong, CN)
; Zhang; Wanying; (Shandong, CN) ; Shi; Bin;
(Shandong, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Qingdao Haier Air-Conditioning Electronic Co., Ltd. |
Shandong |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
60974156 |
Appl. No.: |
16/780420 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/CN2018/096155 |
Jul 18, 2018 |
|
|
|
16780420 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B 2500/12 20130101;
F25B 2600/2513 20130101; F25B 13/00 20130101; F25B 2313/02334
20130101; F25B 2600/0253 20130101; F24F 11/30 20180101; F24F 11/84
20180101; F24F 13/24 20130101; F24F 11/63 20180101; F24F 2140/00
20180101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/84 20060101
F24F011/84; F24F 11/30 20060101 F24F011/30; F24F 11/63 20060101
F24F011/63 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 2, 2017 |
CN |
201710650431.6 |
Claims
1. A method for controlling an expansion valve, comprising: when a
first specified number of indoor units are in a non-working state,
turning off expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units
in the non-working state; and turning on expansion valves
corresponding to a second specified number of indoor units in the
non-working state in turn according to a predetermined cycle.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the turning off
expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units in the
non-working state, the method further comprises: adjusting a
working frequency of a compressor of an outdoor unit according to
the number of indoor units in the non-working state.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting the
working frequency of the compressor of the outdoor unit according
to the number of indoor units in the non-working state comprises:
obtaining the number of indoor units in the non-working state; and
adjusting the working frequency of the compressor of the outdoor
unit according to a formula X=X1-N*A, where X is a target working
frequency, X1 is a normal working frequency of the outdoor unit, N
is the number of indoor units in the non-working state, and A is an
adjustment coefficient.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the turning on
expansion valves corresponding to the second specified number of
indoor units in the non-working state in turn according to the
predetermined cycle comprises: turning on the expansion valves
corresponding to the second specified number of indoor units in the
non-working state in turn according to the predetermined cycle to a
specified threshold.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein before the turning off
expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units in the
non-working state, the method further comprises: determining
whether the number of indoor units currently in a working state
exceeds a third specified number; and when it is determined that
the number of indoor units currently in the working state does not
exceed the third specified number, turning off the expansion valves
corresponding to all the indoor units in the non-working state.
6. A device for controlling an expansion valve, comprising: a
processor; and a memory for storing instructions executable by the
processor; wherein the processor is configured to: when a first
specified number of indoor units are in a non-working state, turn
off expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units in the
non-working state; and turn on expansion valves corresponding to a
second specified number of indoor units in the non-working state in
turn according to a predetermined cycle.
7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is
further configured to: adjust a working frequency of a compressor
of an outdoor unit according to the number of indoor units in the
non-working state.
8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is
further configured to: obtain the number of indoor units in the
non-working state; and adjust the working frequency of the
compressor of the outdoor unit according to a formula X=X1-N*A,
where X is a target working frequency, X1 is a normal working
frequency of the outdoor unit, N is the number of indoor units in
the non-working state, and A is an adjustment coefficient.
9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is
further configured to: turn on the expansion valves corresponding
to the second specified number of indoor units in the non-working
state in turn according to the predetermined cycle to a specified
threshold.
10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is
further configured to: determine whether the number of indoor units
currently in a working state exceeds a third specified number; and
when it is determined that the number of indoor units currently in
the working state does not exceed the third specified number, turn
off the expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units in
the non-working state.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising
instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device for
controlling an expansion valve, cause the device to perform a
method comprising: when a first specified number of indoor units
are in a non-working state, turning off expansion valves
corresponding to all the indoor units in the non-working state; and
turning on expansion valves corresponding to a second specified
number of indoor units in the non-working state in turn according
to a predetermined cycle.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of International
Application No. PCT/CN2018/096155, filed Jul. 18, 2018, designating
the United States, and claiming the benefit of Chinese Patent
Application No. CN201710650431.6, filed Aug. 2, 2017, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of terminal
technologies, and more particularly, to a method and a device for
controlling an expansion valve.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In a multi-split system, an indoor unit is a unit that a
user can directly experience, and cooling and heating effects and
noise level thereof directly affect user experience. When the
indoor unit operates in a heating mode, an indoor unit heat
exchanger serves as a condenser, and an outdoor unit heat exchanger
serves as an evaporator, a high-temperature and high-pressure
gaseous refrigerant output by a compressor is condensed into a
high-pressure normal-temperature liquid refrigerant in the indoor
unit heat exchanger, then enters an outdoor unit through an
electronic expansion valve, evaporates into a low-temperature
gaseous refrigerant at the outdoor unit heat exchanger after
throttling and depressurizing, and is compressed into a
high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant through the
compressor to complete a cycle of a refrigeration system.
[0004] When the indoor unit operates in the heating mode, since the
influence of environment temperatures and various other conditions,
the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant may not be sufficiently
condensed at the indoor unit heat exchanger, and flows through the
electronic expansion valve of the indoor unit in a gas-liquid
two-phase state at an outlet of the indoor unit heat exchanger.
Therefore, if the indoor unit operates in the heating mode, since
the refrigerant passing through the electronic expansion valve of
the indoor unit may be in the gas-liquid two-phase state or even a
liquid state, when the indoor unit is shut down, a large noise may
be generated while the refrigerant flows through the electronic
expansion valve of the indoor unit, which will seriously affect the
user experience.
SUMMARY
[0005] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure
provide a method and a device for controlling an expansion valve,
which can reduce refrigerant noise to a certain extent.
[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure
provide a method for controlling an expansion valve, including:
[0007] when a first specified number of indoor units are in a
non-working state, turning off expansion valves corresponding to
all the indoor units in the non-working state; and
[0008] turning on expansion valves corresponding to a second
specified number of indoor units in the non-working state in turn
according to a predetermined cycle.
[0009] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present
disclosure provide a device for controlling an expansion valve,
including:
[0010] a processor; and
[0011] a memory for storing instructions executable by the
processor;
[0012] wherein the processor is configured to:
[0013] when a first specified number of indoor units are in a
non-working state, turn off expansion valves corresponding to all
the indoor units in the non-working state; and
[0014] turn on expansion valves corresponding to a second specified
number of indoor units in the non-working state in turn according
to a predetermined cycle.
[0015] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure
provide non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including
instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device for
controlling an expansion valve, cause the device to perform a
method including:
[0016] when a first specified number of indoor units are in a
non-working state, turning off expansion valves corresponding to
all the indoor units in the non-working state; and
[0017] turning on expansion valves corresponding to a second
specified number of indoor units in the non-working state in turn
according to a predetermined cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] To describe the technical solutions in embodiments of the
present disclosure or in the prior art more clearly, the following
briefly introduces the accompanying drawings needed for describing
the embodiments or the prior art. Apparently, the accompanying
drawings in the following descriptions are some embodiments of the
present disclosure, and for persons of ordinary skill in the art,
other drawings can be obtained according to these accompanying
drawings without creative effort.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling
an expansion valve according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling
an expansion valve according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling
an expansion valve according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling
an expansion valve according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a device for
controlling an expansion valve according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a device for
controlling an expansion valve according to another embodiment of
the present disclosure; and
[0025] FIG. 7 is block diagram illustrating a device for
controlling an expansion valve according to another embodiment of
the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] In order to better understand technical solutions of the
present disclosure, the embodiments of the present disclosure will
be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0027] It should be known that the described embodiments are merely
part of embodiments of the present disclosure rather than all
embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary
skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure
without creative effort shall fall within the protection scope of
the present disclosure.
[0028] Terms used in embodiments of the present disclosure are only
intended to describe specific embodiments, not to limit the present
disclosure. Singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in
embodiments and claims of the present disclosure are also intended
to include plural forms, unless other senses are clearly defined in
the context.
[0029] It should be appreciated that the term "and/or" used in the
text is only an association relationship depicting associated
objects and represents that three relations might exist, for
example, A and/or B may represents three cases, namely, A exists
individually, both A and B coexist, and B exists individually. In
addition, the symbol "/" in the text generally indicates associated
objects before and after the symbol are in an "or"
relationship.
[0030] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method
for controlling an expansion valve, which aims to solve a mute
problem when indoor units in a multi-split system are in a
non-working state. The method flow shown in FIG. 1 includes the
following steps.
[0031] 101, when a first specified number of indoor units are in a
non-working state, expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor
units in the non-working state are turned off.
[0032] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the non-working
state may include a shutdown state or a standby state.
[0033] The function of turning off the expansion valves is to stop
the flow of refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor
unit. After the refrigerant stops flowing, the noise generated by
the refrigerant hitting the expansion valve will no longer be
generated.
[0034] The first specified number is used to indicate the number of
the indoor units in the non-working state in the multi-split
system, which is generally determined by actual conditions.
[0035] 102, expansion valves corresponding to a second specified
number of indoor units in the non-working state are turned on in
turn according to a predetermined cycle.
[0036] There is a certain size relationship between the second
specified number and the first specified number. In the embodiment
of the present disclosure, it is required that the second specified
number is not greater than the first specified number, so as to
ensure that a normal operation of the indoor units in the working
state will not be affected. Since the expansion valves are turned
on in turn, the second specified number should not be too much,
because the excessive start will cause the refrigerant noise
again.
[0037] The second specified number can generally be set to one or
not more than a certain percentage that does not exceed the total
number of the indoor units.
[0038] It should be noted that although the noise disappears after
the expansion valves are turned off, the refrigerant conduction
between some indoor units and the outdoor unit is stopped due to
the closure of the expansion valves, which will cause the
refrigerant to fail to flow through the indoor units in the working
state, and thus the internal pressure of the pipeline where the
outdoor unit interacts with the indoor units in the normal working
state is increased to a certain extent, and the safety may be
reduced. Therefore, the expansion valves corresponding to a certain
number of the indoor units in the non-working state need to be
turned on in turn according to the predetermined cycle to relieve
the pressure in the pipeline.
[0039] The predetermined cycle can be set according to actual needs
or empirical values, such as 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and
the like.
[0040] According to the method for controlling the expansion valve
provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, by turning on
the expansion valves of part of all the indoor units in the
non-working state in turn, and simultaneously turning off the
expansion valves of remaining indoor units, it is ensured that only
a small amount of noise can be generated in the indoor units in the
non-working state. Compared to solutions in the prior art that the
expansion valve of all the indoor units in the non-working state
will be turned on, the method used in the embodiment of the present
disclosure only allows part of the indoor units to generate the
noise, and thus the interference caused by the noise can be
effectively reduced.
[0041] In order to further reduce the internal pressure of the
pipeline where the outdoor unit interacts with the indoor units in
the normal working state, after performing the step 102, that is,
after the turning off expansion valves corresponding to all the
indoor units in the non-working state, the embodiment of the
present disclosure further provides the following step 103, as
shown in FIG. 2, including:
[0042] 103, a working frequency of a compressor of an outdoor unit
is adjusted according to the number of indoor units in the
non-working state.
[0043] The adjustment method of the working frequency of the
compressor of the outdoor unit is as follows:
[0044] the number of indoor units in the non-working state is
obtained, and the working frequency of the compressor of the
outdoor unit is adjusted according to a formula X=X1-N*A, where X
is a target working frequency; X1 is a normal working frequency of
the outdoor unit, and is generally configured at 20 Hz to 120 Hz; N
is the number of indoor units in the non-working state, and can be
collected uniformly by a controller or a manager in the multi-split
system; and A is an adjustment coefficient, and can be
correspondingly set according to the refrigerant pressure when
different numbers of the indoor units work, and the embodiment of
the present disclosure does not limit the specific size, as long as
the target working frequency is adjusted to between 20 Hz and 100
Hz.
[0045] Through the adjustment method, the working frequency of the
compressor of the outdoor unit can be reduced according to the
number of the indoor units in the non-working state, thereby
preventing excessive refrigerant from being conducted in the
pipeline where the outdoor unit performs refrigerant interaction
with the indoor units in the normal working state.
[0046] In order to further reduce the noise, the embodiment of the
present disclosure further limits an opening degree of the
expansion valves during the execution of step 102. As shown in FIG.
3, step 102 can be specifically executed as the following step
D102, including:
[0047] D102, the expansion valves corresponding to the second
specified number of indoor units in the non-working state are
turned on in turn according to the predetermined cycle to a
specified threshold.
[0048] The specified threshold generally needs to be set to be
smaller than an opening degree during the normal operation to
achieve the effect of reducing refrigerant throughput and noise,
for example, 60 pls. Of course, the specified threshold can be set
to be larger than the opening degree during the normal operation
according to actual needs to balance the pipeline pressure as soon
as possible.
[0049] Before performing the above-mentioned step 101, the
embodiment of the present disclosure also needs to determine the
number of the indoor units currently running, to determine whether
noise control is suitable in a current environment. The specific
process is shown in FIG. 4, including:
[0050] 104, whether the number of indoor units currently in a
working state exceeds a third specified number is determined. When
it is determined that the number of indoor units currently in the
working state does not exceed the third specified number, step 101
is performed. Otherwise, step 105 is performed.
[0051] The third specified number generally does not exceed 3% to
5% of the total number of units in the multi-split system. For
example, in a 1-to-32 multi-split system, 3% to 5% is 1 to 2 units.
After exceeding a certain ratio, a volume of the indoor units
during the normal operation will obviously exceed that of the
refrigerant noise, and the control of the refrigerant noise becomes
less obvious. Of course, the embodiment of the present disclosure
does not limit the condition that the third specified number
exceeds the number of the indoor units currently in the working
state, and the foregoing process is still performed.
[0052] 105, a current operating state of each of the indoor units
is maintained.
[0053] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a device
for controlling an expansion valve, which can perform the method
flows described above. As shown in FIG. 5, the device includes:
[0054] a turning off unit 21 configured to, when a first specified
number of indoor units are in a non-working state, turn off
expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units in the
non-working state; and
[0055] a turning on unit 22 configured to turn on expansion valves
corresponding to a second specified number of indoor units in the
non-working state in turn according to a predetermined cycle.
[0056] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the device further
includes:
[0057] an adjusting unit 23 configured to obtain the number of
indoor units in the non-working state; and adjust a working
frequency of a compressor of an outdoor unit according to the
number of indoor units in the non-working state.
[0058] Optionally, the adjusting unit 23 is specifically configured
to adjust the working frequency of the compressor of the outdoor
unit according to a formula X=X1-N*A, where X is a target working
frequency, X1 is a normal working frequency of the outdoor unit, N
is the number of indoor units in the non-working state, and A is an
adjustment coefficient.
[0059] Optionally, the turning on unit 22 is specifically
configured to turn on the expansion valves corresponding to the
second specified number of indoor units in the non-working state in
turn according to the predetermined cycle to a specified
threshold.
[0060] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the device further
includes:
[0061] a determining unit 24 configured to determine whether the
number of indoor units currently in a working state exceeds a third
specified number; and
[0062] the turning off unit 21 is configured to, when it is
determined that the number of indoor units currently in the working
state does not exceed the third specified number, turn off the
expansion valves corresponding to all the indoor units in the
non-working state.
[0063] According to the device for controlling the expansion valve
provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, by turning on
the expansion valves of part of all the indoor units in the
non-working state in turn, and simultaneously turning off the
expansion valves of remaining indoor units, it is ensured that only
a small amount of noise can be generated in the indoor units in the
non-working state. Compared to solutions in the prior art that the
expansion valve of all the indoor units in the non-working state
will be turned on, the method used in the embodiment of the present
disclosure only allows part of the indoor units to generate the
noise, and thus the interference caused by the noise can be
effectively reduced.
[0064] It may be understood by persons skilled in the art that for
convenience and brevity of description, for a detailed working
process of the foregoing system, apparatus, and unit, reference may
be made to a corresponding process in the foregoing method
embodiments, and details are not described herein again.
[0065] In several embodiments provided in the present disclosure,
it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method can
be implemented in other manners. For example, the described
apparatus embodiments are merely exemplary. For example, the
division of the units is merely a division of logical functions and
there can be other division manners during actual implementations.
For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or
integrated into another system, or some features can be omitted or
not performed. For another, the mutual coupling or direct coupling
or a communication connection shown or discussed can be indirect
coupling or a communication connection via some interfaces, devices
or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.
[0066] The units described as separate parts may be or may not be
physically separated, the parts shown as units may be or may not be
physical units, i.e., they can be located in one place, or
distributed in a plurality of network units. One can select some or
all the units to achieve the purpose of the embodiment according to
the actual needs.
[0067] Further, in the embodiments of the present disclosure,
functional units can be integrated in one processing unit, or they
can be separate physical presences; or two or more units can be
integrated in one unit. The integrated unit described above can be
implemented in the form of hardware, or they can be implemented
with hardware plus software functional units.
[0068] The aforementioned integrated unit in the form of software
function units may be stored in a computer readable storage medium.
The aforementioned software function units are stored in a storage
medium, including several instructions to instruct a computer
device (a personal computer, server, or network equipment, etc.) or
processor to perform some steps of the method described in the
various embodiments of the present disclosure. The aforementioned
storage medium includes various media that may store program codes,
such as U disk, removable hard disk, Read-Only Memory (ROM), a
Random Access Memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or an optical disk.
[0069] What are stated above are only preferred embodiments of the
present disclosure and not intended to limit the present
disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and
improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present
disclosure all should be included in the extent of protection of
the present disclosure.
* * * * *