Heat pump and control method thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a heat pump and a control method thereof. The heat pump includes an outdoor unit including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a first expansion valve, an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and a second expansion valve, a hydro unit including a hot water heat exchanger and a third expansion valve, the hydro unit heating or cooling water through heat exchange between a refrigerant and the water, a refrigerant flow path switching member to switch refrigerant flow paths among the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the indoor unit, and the hydro unit such that simultaneous heating and cooling operations and/or simultaneous cooling and heating operations through the indoor unit and the hydro unit are performed in a heat recovery mode to recover and reuse residual heat, and a controller to control the refrigerant flow path switching member such that at least one of the simultaneous operations is performed in the heat recovery mode.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat pump comprising:
 an outdoor unit comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a first expansion valve;   an indoor unit comprising an indoor heat exchanger and a second expansion valve;   a hydro unit comprising a hot water heat exchanger and a third expansion valve, the hydro unit heating or cooling water through heat exchange between a refrigerant and the water;   a refrigerant flow path switching member to switch refrigerant flow paths among the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the indoor unit, and the hydro unit such that heating and/or cooling through the indoor unit and the hydro unit is performed in a heat recovery mode to recover and reuse residual heat; and   a controller to control the refrigerant flow path switching member such that the heating and/or the cooling is performed in the heat recovery mode.   
     
     
         2 . The heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flow path switching member comprises:
 a first valve to form a first flow path between an outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow path between an inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and to perform switching between the first and second flow paths according to an operation mode;   a second valve to form a third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and a fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and to perform switching between the third and fourth flow paths according to the operation mode; and   a third valve to form a fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and a sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and to perform switching between the fifth and sixth flow paths according to the operation mode.   
     
     
         3 . The heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flow path switching member comprises:
 a first valve to form a first flow path between an outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow path between an inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and to perform switching between the first and second flow paths according to an operation mode;   a second valve to form a third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and a fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and to perform switching between the third and fourth flow paths according to the operation mode; and   a one-way valve to form a fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and to perform opening/closing the fifth flow path according to the operation mode.   
     
     
         4 . A heat pump comprising:
 an outdoor unit comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a first expansion valve;   an indoor unit comprising an indoor heat exchanger and a second expansion valve;   a hydro unit comprising a hot water heat exchanger and a third expansion valve, the hydro unit heating or cooling water through heat exchange between a refrigerant and the water;   a refrigerant flow path switching member comprising a first valve to form a first flow path between an outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow path between an inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and to perform switching between the first and second flow paths, a second valve to form a third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and a fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and to perform switching between the third and fourth flow paths, and a third valve to form a fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and a sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and to perform switching between the flow paths; and   a controller to control the first to third valves to perform switching between the first through sixth flow paths such that simultaneous cooling and heating operations and/or simultaneous heating and cooling operations are performed in a heat recovery mode to recover and reuse residual heat.   
     
     
         5 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the third valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to both the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit via the hydro unit, thereby simultaneously performing heating through the hydro unit (air to water heating) and cooling through the indoor unit (air to air cooling). 
     
     
         6 . The heat pump according to  claim 5 , wherein the controller controls opening degrees of the first expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit and the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit to adjust flow rate of the refrigerant introduced into the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, thereby adjusting a heating capacity of the hydro unit and a cooling capacity of the indoor unit. 
     
     
         7 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the third valve to form the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to both the outdoor heat exchanger and the hydro unit via the indoor unit, thereby simultaneously performing heating through the indoor unit (air to air heating) and cooling through the hydro unit (air to water cooling). 
     
     
         8 . The heat pump according to  claim 7 , wherein the controller controls opening degrees of the first expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to adjust flow rate of the refrigerant introduced into the outdoor unit and the hydro unit, thereby adjusting a heating capacity of the indoor unit and a cooling capacity of the hydro unit. 
     
     
         9 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the third valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the indoor unit via the outdoor heat exchanger and is directly supplied to the hydro unit, thereby simultaneously performing cooling through the indoor unit and heating through the hydro unit. 
     
     
         10 . The heat pump according to  claim 9 , wherein the controller controls opening degrees of the first expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit, the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to adjust flow rate of the refrigerant introduced into the hydro unit and the indoor unit, thereby adjusting a heating capacity of the hydro unit and a cooling capacity of the indoor unit. 
     
     
         11 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the third valve to form the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the hydro unit via the outdoor heat exchanger and is directly supplied to the indoor unit, thereby simultaneously performing cooling through the hydro unit and heating through the indoor unit. 
     
     
         12 . The heat pump according to  claim 11 , wherein the controller controls opening degrees of the first expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit, the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to adjust flow rate of the refrigerant introduced into the hydro unit and the indoor unit, thereby adjusting a cooling capacity of the hydro unit and a heating capacity of the indoor unit. 
     
     
         13 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the third valve to form the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is recovered to the outdoor unit via the indoor unit, thereby independently performing heating through the indoor unit. 
     
     
         14 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the third valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, and the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is recovered to the outdoor unit via the hydro unit, thereby independently performing heating through the hydro unit. 
     
     
         15 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the third valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to both the indoor unit and the hydro unit, thereby performing heating through both the indoor unit and the hydro unit, and controls opening degrees of the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to adjust a heating capacity of the indoor unit and a heating capacity of the hydro unit. 
     
     
         16 . The heat pump according to  claim 15 , wherein, if a sum of the heating capacity of the hydro unit and the heating capacity of the indoor unit exceeds 100% a capacity of the outdoor unit, the controller controls the fifth and sixth flow paths of the third valve to be closed while controlling the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit such that supply of the refrigerant to the hydro unit is interrupted, thereby performing heating through the indoor unit first, and, when the heating through the indoor unit is performed to a predetermined level, the controller controls the third and fourth flow paths of the second valve to be closed and the third valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, thereby performing heating through the hydro unit. 
     
     
         17 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the third valve to form the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the indoor unit via the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby independently performing cooling through the indoor unit. 
     
     
         18 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the third valve to form the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, and the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the hydro unit via the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby independently performing cooling through the hydro unit. 
     
     
         19 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the third valve to form the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to both the indoor unit and the hydro unit via the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby performing cooling through both the indoor unit and the hydro unit. 
     
     
         20 . A control method of a heat pump comprising an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a hydro unit to heat or cool water through heat exchange between a refrigerant and the water, the control method comprising:
 controlling a first valve to form a first flow path between an outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow path between an inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and to perform switching between the first and second flow paths according to an operation mode;   controlling a second valve to form a third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and a fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and to perform switching between the third and fourth flow paths according to the operation mode;   controlling a third valve to form a fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and a sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and to perform switching between the fifth and sixth flow paths according to the operation mode; and   controlling the first, second, and third valves to perform switching between the first through sixth flow paths such that simultaneous cooling and heating operations and/or simultaneous heating and cooling operations are performed in a heat recovery mode to recover and reuse residual heat.   
     
     
         21 . A heat pump comprising:
 an outdoor unit comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a first expansion valve;   an indoor unit comprising an indoor heat exchanger and a second expansion valve;   a hydro unit comprising a hot water heat exchanger and a third expansion valve, the hydro unit heating or cooling water through heat exchange between a refrigerant and the water;   a refrigerant flow path switching member comprising a first valve to form a first flow path between an outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow path between an inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and to perform switching between the first and second flow paths, a second valve to form a third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and a fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and to perform switching between the third and fourth flow paths, and a one-way valve to form a fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and to perform opening/closing the fifth flow path; and   a controller to control the first valve, the second valve and the one-way valve to perform switching between the first through sixth flow paths such that simultaneous cooling and heating operations and/or simultaneous heating and cooling operations are performed in a heat recovery mode to recover and reuse residual heat.   
     
     
         22 . The heat pump according to  claim 21 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the one-way valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to both the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit via the hydro unit, thereby simultaneously performing heating through the hydro unit (air to water heating) and cooling through the indoor unit (air to air cooling). 
     
     
         23 . The heat pump according to  claim 22 , wherein the controller controls opening degrees of the first expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit and the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit to adjust flow rate of the refrigerant introduced into the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, thereby adjusting a heating capacity of the hydro unit and a cooling capacity of the indoor unit. 
     
     
         24 . The heat pump according to  claim 21 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the one-way valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the indoor unit via the outdoor heat exchanger and is directly supplied to the hydro unit, thereby simultaneously performing cooling through the indoor unit (air to air cooling) and heating through the hydro unit (air to water heating). 
     
     
         25 . The heat pump according to  claim 24 , wherein the controller controls opening degrees of the first expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit, the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to adjust flow rate of the refrigerant introduced into the hydro unit and the indoor unit, thereby adjusting a heating capacity of the hydro unit and a cooling capacity of the indoor unit. 
     
     
         26 . The heat pump according to  claim 21 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the one-way valve to be closed such that the sixth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit is not formed, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is recovered to the outdoor unit via the indoor unit, thereby independently performing heating through the indoor unit (air to air heating). 
     
     
         27 . The heat pump according to  claim 21 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the one-way valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, and the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is recovered to the outdoor unit via the hydro unit, thereby independently performing heating through the hydro unit (air to water heating). 
     
     
         28 . The heat pump according to  claim 21 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the second flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, and the one-way valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to both the indoor unit and the hydro unit, thereby performing heating through both the indoor unit and the hydro unit (air to air heating+air to water heating), and controls opening degrees of the second expansion valve provided in the indoor unit and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to adjust a heating capacity of the indoor unit and a heating capacity of the hydro unit. 
     
     
         29 . The heat pump according to  claim 28 , wherein, if a sum of the heating capacity of the hydro unit and the heating capacity of the indoor unit exceeds 100% a capacity of the outdoor unit, the controller controls fifth flow path of the one-way valve to be closed while controlling the second valve to form the third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit such that supply of the refrigerant to the hydro unit is interrupted, thereby performing heating through the indoor unit first, and, when the heating through the indoor unit is performed to a predetermined level, the controller controls third and fourth flow paths of the second valve to be closed and the one-way valve to form the fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit, thereby performing heating through the hydro unit. 
     
     
         30 . The heat pump according to  claim 21 , wherein the controller controls the first valve to form the first flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the second valve to form the fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit, the one-way valve to be closed, and the third expansion valve provided in the hydro unit to be closed such that a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the indoor unit via the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby independently performing cooling through the indoor unit (air to air cooling). 
     
     
         31 . A control method of a heat pump comprising an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a hydro unit to heat water through heat exchange between a refrigerant and the water, the control method comprising:
 controlling a first valve to form a first flow path between an outlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and a second flow path between an inlet port of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and to perform switching between the first and second flow paths according to an operation mode;   controlling a second valve to form a third flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and a fourth flow path between the inlet port of the compressor and the indoor unit and to perform switching between the third and fourth flow paths according to the operation mode;   controlling a one-way valve to form a fifth flow path between the outlet port of the compressor and the hydro unit and to open or close the flow path according to the operation mode; and   controlling the first valve, the second valve, and the one-way valve to perform switching between the first through fifth flow paths such that simultaneous cooling and heating operations are performed in a heat recovery mode to recover and reuse residual heat.