Regrigeration cycle apparatus and information transfer method used therein

Abstract

To provide a refrigeration cycle apparatus that achieves load balancing (for example, the balance between the cooling load and the heating load, and the balance between the cooling load and the heating and hot water loads) to increase system COP and an information transfer method used in the refrigeration cycle apparatus. A refrigeration cycle apparatus operates a plurality of indoor units so that the thermal cooling load and the thermal heating load to be executed by the plurality of indoor unit are balanced.

1 . A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising:
 at least one heat source unit having mounted therein at least an air conditioning compressor and a heat-source-side heat exchanger;   a plurality of use-side units each having mounted therein at least a use-side heat exchanger, the use-side units being automatically operable; and   at least one relay unit that is disposed between the heat source unit and the use-side units and that transfers heating energy or cooling energy generated by the heat source side unit to the use-side units,   wherein by using a use-side unit that is stopped or is under automatic operation among the plurality of use-side units, the plurality of use-side units are operated so that a thermal cooling load and a thermal heating load to be executed by the plurality of use-side units are balanced.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 when a total load on a use-side unit that is executing a thermal cooling load operation is larger than a total load on a use-side unit that is executing a thermal heating load operation,   a use-side unit that is stopped or is under automatic operation among the plurality of use-side unites is made to execute the thermal heating load operation.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein
 when the thermal heating load is small under no thermal cooling load and a compressor operating frequency is lower than a predetermined value, or when both an outside temperature and an indoor temperature are higher than a predetermined value and a high-pressure-side pressure is higher than a predetermined value,   it is determined that a total load on a use-side unit that is executing the thermal cooling load operation is larger than a total load on a use-side unit that is executing the thermal heating load operation.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the thermal heating load operation to be executed by a use-side unit is a heating operation or a hot-water supply operation, and   the thermal cooling load operation to be executed by a use-side unit is a cooling operation.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 two temperatures can be set for each of the use-side units, the two temperatures including a first set temperature required by the use-side unit and a second set temperature when the use-side unit is automatically operated, and   it is determined that a use-side unit that is set the second set temperature is a automatically operable use-side unit.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein
 when there are a plurality of use-side units that are not executing either the thermal heating load operation or the thermal cooling load operation,   a use-side unit among the not-executing use-side units is made to execute the thermal heating load operation in accordance with a preset priority.   
     
     
         7 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein
 when there is no use-side unit that is not executing either the thermal heating load operation or the thermal cooling load operation,   the thermal heating load operation is continued by supplying-cold water.   
     
     
         8 . An information transfer method applied to the refrigeration cycle apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the heat source unit is provided with a heat source unit controller, the relay unit is provided with a relay unit controller, each of the use-side units is provided with a use-side unit controller, and   transfer of information from each of the controllers enables any of the controllers to determine the load balance between the plurality of use-side units.