Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner is provided that may include an indoor device and an outdoor device. The outdoor device may include at least one compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a supercooling device that supercools a refrigerant, a first refrigerant pipe that allows the supercooling device to communicate with a suction side of the compressor, a first valve disposed in or on the first refrigerant pipe, a second refrigerant pipe that connects the compressor to the first refrigerant pipe, and at least one second valve disposed in or on the second refrigerant pipe. In a first refrigerant flow mode, a refrigerant flowing into the supercooling device may be introduced into the at least one compressor through the second refrigerant pipe. In a second refrigerant flow mode, a refrigerant compressed by the at least one compressor may be discharged into the second refrigerant pipe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioner, comprising:
 at least one indoor device; and   an outdoor device in communication with the at least one indoor device, wherein the outdoor device comprises:
 at least one compressor; 
 an outdoor heat exchanger; 
 a supercooling device configured to supercool a refrigerant; 
 a first refrigerant pipe that allows the supercooling device to communicate with a suction side of the at least one compressor; 
 a first valve disposed at or on the first refrigerant pipe; 
 a second refrigerant pipe that connects the at least one compressor to the first refrigerant pipe; and 
   at least one second valve disposed at or on the second refrigerant pipe, wherein, in a first refrigerant flow mode, a refrigerant flowing into the supercooling device is introduced into the at least one compressor through the second refrigerant pipe, and in a second refrigerant flow mode, a refrigerant compressed by the at least one compressor is discharged into the second refrigerant pipe.   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein, in a third refrigerant flow mode, the refrigerant flowing into the supercooling device flows toward the suction side of the at least one compressor via the first refrigerant pipe. 
     
     
         3 . The air conditioner according to  claim 2 , wherein the first refrigerant flow mode is performed in a case in which a differential pressure between a high pressure and a low pressure of the at least one compressor exceeds a reference pressure or a compression ratio of the high pressure to the low pressure is equal to or less than a reference compression ratio. 
     
     
         4 . The air conditioner according to  claim 3 , wherein, when a starting condition of the first refrigerant flow mode is satisfied during the third refrigerant flow mode, the first refrigerant flow mode is performed. 
     
     
         5 . The air conditioner according to  claim 3 , wherein, when a starting condition of the second refrigerant flow mode is satisfied during the third refrigerant flow mode, the second refrigerant flow mode is performed. 
     
     
         6 . The air conditioner according to  claim 2 , wherein, in the first refrigerant flow mode, the first valve is closed and the at least one second valve is opened. 
     
     
         7 . The air conditioner according to  claim 2 , wherein the second refrigerant flow mode is performed in a case in which a high-pressure of the at least one compressor exceeds a reference pressure. 
     
     
         8 . The air conditioner according to  claim 7 , wherein the supercooling device further comprises a supercooling valve that adjusts a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the first refrigerant pipe, and in the second refrigerant flow mode, the supercooling valve is closed and the first valve and that at least one second valve are opened. 
     
     
         9 . The air conditioner according to  claim 8 , wherein, in the third refrigerant flow mode, the supercooling valve and the first valve are opened and the at least one second valve is closed. 
     
     
         10 . The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one compressor comprises a plurality of compression chambers that compresses the refrigerant in multiple stages, and wherein the second refrigerant pipe communicates with one of the plurality of compression chambers into which the refrigerant compressed more than once is introduced. 
     
     
         11 . The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one compressor comprises a plurality of compressors, and wherein the second refrigerant pipe comprises a common pipe connected to the first refrigerant pipe and a plurality of branch pipes branched from the common pipe, and connected, respectively, to the plurality of compressors. 
     
     
         12 . The air conditioner according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one second valve is disposed at or on the common pipe. 
     
     
         13 . The air conditioner according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one second valve comprises a plurality of second valves disposed at or on each of the plurality of branch pipes, respectively. 
     
     
         14 . The air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one compressor comprises a plurality of compressors, wherein the second refrigerant pipe comprises a plurality of branch pipes connected to the first refrigerant pipe and to each of the plurality of compressors, and wherein the at least one second valve comprises a plurality of second valves disposed at or on each of the plurality of branch pipes, respectively. 
     
     
         15 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the first refrigerant flow mode comprises a refrigerant injection mode and the second refrigerant flow mode comprises a refrigerant bypass mode. 
     
     
         16 . The air conditioner of  claim 2 , wherein the first refrigerant flow mode comprises a refrigerant injection mode, the second refrigerant flow mode comprises a refrigerant bypass mode, and the third refrigerant flow mode comprises a normal refrigerant flow mode. 
     
     
         17 . The air conditioner of  claim 16 , wherein the normal refrigerant flow mode comprises a normal cooling mode or a normal heating mode. 
     
     
         18 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , further comprising a liquid pipe, through which liquid refrigerant flows from the outdoor device to the at least one indoor device. 
     
     
         19 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , further comprising a gas pipe, though which gaseous refrigerant flows from the at least one indoor device to the indoor device. 
     
     
         20 . An air conditioner, comprising:
 at least one indoor device; and   an outdoor device in communication with the at least one indoor device, wherein the outdoor device comprises:
 at least one compressor; 
 an outdoor heat exchanger; 
 a supercooling device configured to supercool a refrigerant; 
 a first refrigerant pipe that provides communication between the supercooling device and a suction side of the at least one compressor; 
 a first valve disposed on the first refrigerant pipe; 
 a second refrigerant pipe that provides communication between the at least one compressor and the first refrigerant pipe; and 
   at least one second valve disposed on the second refrigerant pipe, wherein, in a refrigerant injection mode, a refrigerant flowing into the supercooling device is introduced into the at least one compressor through the second refrigerant pipe, and in a refrigerant bypass mode, a refrigerant compressed by the at least one compressor is discharged into the second refrigerant pipe.   
     
     
         21 . The air conditioner according to  claim 20 , wherein, in a normal refrigerant flow mode, the refrigerant flowing into the supercooling device flows toward the suction side of the at least one compressor via the first refrigerant pipe. 
     
     
         22 . The air conditioner according to  claim 21 , wherein the refrigerant injection mode is performed in a case in which a differential pressure between a high pressure and a low pressure of the at least one compressor exceeds a reference pressure or a compression ratio of the high pressure to the low pressure is equal to or less than a reference compression ratio. 
     
     
         23 . The air conditioner according to  claim 21 , wherein, in the refrigerant injection mode, the first valve is closed and the at least one second valve is opened. 
     
     
         24 . The air conditioner according to  claim 21 , wherein the refrigerant bypass mode is performed in a case in which a high-pressure of the at least one compressor exceeds a reference pressure. 
     
     
         25 . The air conditioner according to  claim 24 , wherein the supercooling device further comprises a supercooling valve that adjusts a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the first refrigerant pipe, and in the refrigerant bypass mode, the supercooling valve is closed and the first valve and the at least one second valve are opened. 
     
     
         26 . The air conditioner according to  claim 25 , wherein, in the normal refrigerant flow mode, the supercooling valve and the first valve are opened and the at least one second valve is closed.