Air conditioning device

Abstract

An air conditioning device according to one embodiment includes an outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units, a plurality of switching units, and a control unit. If an outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and, among the plurality of indoor units, some are in cooling operation and some are in heating operation, the control unit adjusts the opening degree of an indoor expansion valve of an indoor unit during a cooling operation, such adjustment being in accordance with the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature that was detected by an indoor temperature detection unit of an indoor unit during a heating operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioning device comprising:
 an outdoor unit including a compressor sucking, compressing, and discharging a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator or a condenser which performs heat exchange between outdoor air and the refrigerant, an outdoor blower sucking the outdoor air and blowing the air subjected to heat exchange by the outdoor heat exchanger to the outside, an outdoor expansion valve adjusting a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger in accordance with an opening, and an outdoor temperature detection unit detecting an outdoor temperature which is a temperature of the outdoor air;   a plurality of indoor units including an indoor heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator or a condenser which performs heat exchange between indoor air and the refrigerant, an indoor blower sucking the indoor air and blowing the air subjected to heat exchange by the indoor heat exchanger into the room, an indoor expansion valve adjusting a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger in accordance with an opening, and an indoor temperature detection unit detecting an indoor temperature which is a temperature of the indoor air;   a plurality of switching units switching the flow of the refrigerant between the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units to one of two flow paths for cooling and heating; and   a control unit controlling operations of the outdoor unit, the plurality of indoor units, and the plurality of switching units, and switching each of the plurality of indoor units between cooling and heating, wherein   when the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and when the indoor units which are in cooling operation and the indoor units which are in heating operation, among the plurality of indoor units, exist, the control unit adjusts the opening of the indoor expansion valve of the indoor unit in cooling operation in accordance with the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature detection unit of the indoor unit in heating operation.   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioning device of  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit adjusts the opening of the indoor expansion valve of the indoor unit which is in cooling operation, in accordance with a target value of a degree of superheat of the refrigerant, and corrects the target value in accordance with the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature detection unit of the indoor unit which is in heating operation.   
     
     
         3 . The air conditioning device of  claim 2 , wherein
 the control unit corrects the target value by adding a correction value to the target value to be corrected, maintains the target value if a temperature difference between the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature detection unit of the indoor unit which is in heating operation and the outdoor temperature is smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, and corrected the target value with the correction value which is larger as the temperature difference becomes larger if the temperature difference exceeds the threshold value.   
     
     
         4 . The air conditioning device of  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit adjusts the opening of the indoor expansion valve of the indoor unit which is in cooling operation such that the opening becomes smaller as the temperature difference between the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature detection unit of the indoor unit which is in heating operation and the outdoor temperature is larger.