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Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the sameRelated Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Refrigeration Producer, Heat Exchange Between Diverse Function ElementsCooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050284174, Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application Nos. P2004-186230 and P2005-163347, filed on Jun. 24, 2004 and Jun. 2, 2005, respectively, in the Japanese Patent Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present general inventive concept relates to a cooling cycle apparatus and a method of operating the same. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] An air conditioner capable of performing cooling and heating operations, which is representative of a cooling cycle apparatus having a cooling cycle constituted by an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, and a compressor, which are connected to each other through pipes, is well known. Flow direction of refrigerant in the air conditioner is changed by a four-way valve to allow the air conditioner to be operated in a cooling operation mode or a heating operation mode. In the cooling operation mode, the outdoor heat exchanger serves as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger as an evaporator. In the heating operation mode, on the other hand, the outdoor heat exchanger serves as the evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger as the condenser. [0006] When the air conditioner is operated in the heating operation mode, drain water (defrosting water) generated from the outdoor heat exchanger, serving as the evaporator, may be frozen at the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger depending upon the temperature of outdoor air. Occurrence of such a freezing phenomenon is effectively prevented by the provision of a cooling cycle apparatus characterized in that a portion of the refrigerant pipe connected between an indoor expansion valve and an outdoor expansion valve, which serves as a hot line pipe, is arranged at the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger, and high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant passes through the hot line pipe (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H09-138008). [0007] According to the air conditioner disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the opening level of the indoor expansion valve and the outdoor expansion valve is controlled to maintain the temperature of the hot line pipe at a predetermined range. Consequently, the refrigerant flowing through the hot line pipe is maintained in a two-phase state, i.e., in a gas-and-liquid state, and therefore, frost or ice formation at the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger as well as the lot line pipe is effectively prevented. [0008] In the conventional cooling cycle apparatus, however, all the refrigerant flowing to the outdoor expansion valve from the indoor expansion valve is introduced into the hot line pipe when the cooling operation is performed. As a result, more heat than necessary to prevent frost or ice formation may be discharged out of the cooling cycle apparatus depending upon the temperature of outdoor air. [0009] Consequently, even heat usable as indoor side heating capacity is excessively discharged out of the cooling cycle apparatus, and therefore, heating capacity of the cooling cycle apparatus is deteriorated. [0010] When the temperature of outdoor air is low during the cooling operation, the refrigerant condensing pressure of the outdoor heat exchanger, which fully serves as the condenser, is abnormally lower than usual. In addition, the refrigerant evaporating pressure is lower. In this way, the equilibrium of the cooling cycle is maintained. At this time, frequent on/off control of the compressor is performed to prevent drain water from being frozen at the surface of the indoor side heat exchanger. As a result, air-conditioning pleasantness is lowered, and compressor reliability is considerably lowered. [0011] In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, a cooling cycle apparatus has been proposed wherein a plurality of outdoor heat exchangers having different capacities are arranged, and flow of refrigerant to the respective outdoor heat exchangers is controlled, whereby the continuous operation of the compressor is accomplished (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-061978). [0012] In the cooling cycle apparatus according to the above-mentioned publication, however, the refrigerant may remain in the outdoor heat exchanger(s) not used when the heating operation is performed. In this case, the heating operation is continuously performed while the circulating amount of the refrigerant necessary to form the cooling cycle is insufficient, and therefore, reliability of the cooling cycle apparatus is deteriorated. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] Accordingly, the present general inventive concept provides a cooling cycle apparatus that is capable of preventing frost or ice formation at the lower part of an outdoor heat exchanger without damage to a hot line operation and maintaining the pressure of refrigerant in the cooling cycle at a predetermined range, thereby improving heating and cooling capacities at the indoor unit side. [0014] The present general inventive concept also provides a method of operating such a cooling cycle apparatus. [0015] Additional aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept. [0016] The foregoing and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a cooling cycle apparatus including an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor expansion part, an outdoor expansion part, an outdoor heat exchanger and a compressor, which are successively connected to each other via a pipe through which refrigerant circulates to constitute a cooling cycle, wherein the pipe includes a refrigerant pipe connected between the indoor expansion part and the outdoor expansion part, the refrigerant pipe being branched into a first pipe, which extends through at least a part of the outdoor heat exchanger, and a second pipe, which does not extend through the outdoor heat exchanger. [0017] According to the cooling cycle apparatus as described above, the whole circulating amount of the refrigerant can be divided through the first pipe and the second pipe at a predetermined ratio. Consequently, when the heating operation is performed with the outdoor heat exchanger used as an evaporator, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant passes through the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the refrigerant flowing to the outdoor expansion part from the indoor expansion part is maintained at high temperature and high pressure, and therefore, frost or ice formation at the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger is prevented. [0018] The cooling cycle apparatus may further include: a first temperature detection part to detect the temperature of the first pipe; a second temperature detection part to detect the temperature of outdoor air; and a flow rate control unit disposed on the first pipe to control flow rate of the refrigerant based on the temperature of the first pipe and the temperature of the outdoor air. [0019] According to the cooling cycle apparatus as described above, the flow rate control unit can be opened or closed based on the temperature of the first pipe and the temperature of the outdoor air. Consequently, the refrigerant can be allowed or prohibited to flow through the first pipe as required, and therefore, the temperature at the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger can be changed by controlling flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the first pipe. [0020] The cooling cycle apparatus may further include: a guide mechanism to guide at least some of the refrigerant to the first pipe, when the refrigerant flows to the outdoor heat exchanger from the outdoor expansion part, based on the temperature of the first pipe and the temperature of the outdoor air. [0021] According to the cooling cycle apparatus as described above, when the heating operation is performed with the entire area of the outdoor heat exchanger used as an evaporator, some of the refrigerant flowing through the first pipe can be guided in the same direction as the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger by controlling an opening/closing valve and the guide mechanism based on the temperature of the first pipe and the temperature of the outdoor air. Consequently, frost or ice formation at the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger is prevented. Furthermore, the first pipe can be used as the evaporator, and therefore, the capacity of the outdoor heat exchanger is increased. Continue reading about Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same... Full patent description for Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: System and method for cooling a compressor motor Next Patent Application: Evaporator arrangement for an air conditioning system of an aircraft Industry Class: Refrigeration ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Cooling cycle apparatus and method of operating the same patent info. 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