Air conditioning apparatus

Abstract

The air conditioning apparatus of the present invention includes a refrigeration cycle device formed by connecting an outdoor unit equipped with a compressor with a plurality of indoor units, the indoor unit performs an air conditioning operation by switching between an thermo-on operation for performing a cooling operation or a heating operation and a thermo-off operation for suspending the cooling operation or the heating operation by using information on temperature difference between a suction air temperature and a set temperature, and shifts to a start-stop suppression operation mode for making any indoor unit perform the thermo-on operation in a case where an indoor unit A has met a thermo-off condition for switching from the thermo-on operation to the thermos-off operation and in a case where there is none of the indoor units is in the thermo-on operation other than the indoor unit A.

1 . An air conditioning apparatus, comprising:
 a refrigeration cycle device formed by connecting an outdoor unit equipped with a compressor with a plurality of indoor units,   the indoor unit performing an air conditioning operation by switching between an thermo-on operation for performing a cooling operation or a heating operation and a thermo-off operation for suspending the cooling operation or the heating operation by using information on temperature difference between a suction air temperature and a set temperature,   wherein in a case where a first indoor unit in the indoor units has met a thermo-off condition for switching from the thermo-on operation to the thermo-off operation and in a case where none of the indoor units is in the thermo-on operation other than the first indoor unit, the first indoor unit shifts to a start-stop suppression operation mode for making one of the indoor units perform the thermo-on operation.   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in a case where the first indoor unit in the indoor units has met the thermo-off condition for switching from the thermo-on operation to the thermo-off operation and in a case where none of the indoor units is in the thermo-on operation other than the first indoor unit, the first indoor unit shifts to the start-stop suppression operation mode for making the indoor unit that has been designated in advance in the indoor units perform the thermo-on operation.   
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in a case where the first indoor unit in the indoor units has met the thermo-off condition for switching from the thermo-on operation to the thermo-off operation and in a case where none of the indoor units is in the thermo-on operation other than the first indoor unit, the first indoor unit shifts to the start-stop suppression operation mode to continue the thermo-on operation without switching the first indoor unit to the thermo-off operation.   
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein even in a case where the first indoor unit has met the thermo-off condition for switching from the thermo-on operation to the thermo-off operation and in a case where none of the indoor units is in the thermo-on operation other than the first indoor unit, in a case where it has been decided that the second indoor unit that is the indoor unit other than the first indoor unit does not shift to the thermo-on operation in a predetermined time, the first indoor unit is not shifted to the start-stop suppression operation mode.   
     
     
         5 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein in a case where a difference between the suction air temperature of the second indoor unit and a thermo-on temperature at which the second indoor unit is switched to the thermo-on operation is within a predetermined value, it is decided that the second indoor unit will shift to the thermo-on operation in the predetermined time, and   in a case where the difference between the suction air temperature of the second indoor unit and the thermo-on temperature at which the second indoor unit is switched to the thermo-on operation is at least the predetermined value, it is decided that the second indoor unit will not shift to the thermo-on operation in the predetermined time.   
     
     
         6 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein only in a case where the indoor unit of which shifting to the start-stop suppression mode is allowed is designated in advance and the first indoor unit is the indoor unit of which shifting to the start-stop suppression mode has been allowed, it is shifted to the start-stop suppression operation mode.   
     
     
         7 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein in the start-stop suppression mode, the thermo-off temperature at which the first indoor unit is made thermo-off is changed to a first thermo-off temperature that has been increased in difference between the thermo-off temperature and the set temperature.   
     
     
         8 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the start-stop suppression operation mode is terminated at a point of time that the suction temperature of the first indoor unit has reached the first thermo-off temperature.   
     
     
         9 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the start-stop suppression operation mode is terminated at a point of time that any one of the indoor units other than the first indoor unit switches to the thermo-on operation.   
     
     
         10 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the start-stop suppression operation mode is terminated at a point of time that a predetermined time has elapsed after shifted to the start-stop suppression operation mode.   
     
     
         11 . The air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the start-stop suppression operation mode, the thermo-on temperature at which the indoor unit other than the first indoor unit is made thermo-on is changed to the first thermo-on temperature that has been reduced in difference between the thermo-on temperature and the set temperature.