Defrosting method for air conditioner

Abstract

Provided is a defrosting method for an air conditioner capable of improving an efficiency of a heating mode by supplying the heating mode to a user as long as possible in a condition that a frost deposit is hardly generated. For this purpose, the defrosting method for the air conditioner comprises the steps of; establishing a defrosting initiation temperature of the air conditioner; and performing the defrosting operation based on the established defrosting initiation temperature.

1 . A defrosting method for an air conditioner comprising the steps of: 
 establishing a defrosting initiation temperature of the air conditioner; and    performing a defrosting operation based on the established defrosting initiation temperature.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of establishing the defrosting initiation temperature of the air conditioner includes the steps of: 
 detecting an outdoor temperature while the air conditioner is in a heating mode; and    establishing the defrosting initiation temperature based on the detected outdoor temperature and a compression capacity of a compressor in the air conditioner.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of performing the defrosting operation based on the established defrosting initiation temperature includes the steps of: 
 detecting a pipe temperature of an exterior heat exchanger in the air conditioner;    comparing the detected pipe temperature with the established defrosting initiation temperature; and    performing the defrosting operation based on the compared result of the detected pipe temperature and the established defrosting initiation temperature.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein in the step of performing the defrosting operation based on the compared result of the detected pipe temperature and the established defrosting initiation temperature, the defrosting operation is performed when the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature, while the current operation is returned to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature when the detected pipe temperature is the same to or higher than the established defrosting initiation temperature.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein in the case that the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature, the defrosting operation has been completed and then the current operation is returned to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein in the defrosting operation, a four-way valve of the air conditioner is switched to change an operational mode of the air conditioner from a cooling mode to a heating mode, thereby performing the defrosting operation for a second preset time, and then the defrosting operation is completed after the second preset time elapses, thereafter returning to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: 
 in case that the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature, comparing a first preset time with a duration of the state that the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature; and    performing the defrosting operation on the basis of the compared result of the duration of the state and the first preset time.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein in the step of performing the defrosting operation based on the duration of the state and the first preset time, when the duration is longer than the first preset time, the defrosting operation is performed until the operation is completed, thereafter returning to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature, while when the duration is the same to or shorter than the first preset time, the current operation is returned to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the compression capacity of the compressor is obtained based on at least one of the number of compressor and an operational frequency of the compressor.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the defrosting initiation temperature is obtained by Equation T defrosting =a+bx+T e +c, wherein T defosting  is the defrosting initiation temperature, ‘a and b’ are values obtained through an experiment, ‘x’ is an operational frequency of the compressor, T e  is the detected outdoor temperature, and ‘c’ is a correction value.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the equation is obtained by a regression analysis.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the ‘c’ is the correction value based on a variation of the outdoor pipe temperature.  
   
   
       13 . A defrosting method for an air conditioner comprising the steps of: 
 detecting an outdoor temperature and a pipe temperature of an exterior heat exchanger in the air conditioner during a heating mode in process;    establishing a defrosting initiation temperature on the basis of the detected outdoor temperature and a compression capacity of a compressor in the air conditioner; and    performing a defrosting operation based on the detected pipe temperature and the established defrosting initiation temperature.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of performing the defrosting operation based on the detected pipe temperature and the established defrosting initiation temperature includes the steps of: 
 determining whether the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature;    determining whether a duration of a state that the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature is longer than a first preset time when the detected pipe temperature is lower than the established defrosting initiation temperature, while returning to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature and the pipe temperature of the exterior heat exchanger when the detected pipe temperature is the same to or higher than the established defrosting initiation temperature; and    initiating the defrosting operation until the operation is completed, thereafter returning to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature and the pipe temperature of the exterior heat exchanger when the duration is longer than the first preset time, while returning to the step of detecting the outdoor temperature and the pipe temperature of the exterior heat exchanger when the duration is the same to or shorter than the first preset time.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the compression capacity of the compressor is obtained based on at least one of the number of compressor and an operational frequency of the compressor.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the defrosting initiation temperature is obtained by Equation T defrosting =a+bx+T e +c, wherein T defrosting  is the defrosting initiation temperature, ‘a and b’ are values obtained through an experiment, ‘x’ is the operational frequency of the compressor, T e  is the detected outdoor temperature, and ‘c’ is a correction value.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the ‘c’ is the correction value based on a variation of the outdoor pipe temperature.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , the equation is obtained by a regression analysis.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein in the defrosting operation, a four-way valve of the air conditioner is switched from a heating mode to a cooling mode for operating the air conditioner in the cooling mode for a second preset time, thereafter stopping the cooling mode and initiating the heating mode again.