Patent ID: 9347697
Filing Date: 2016-05-24
CPC Classification: F25B

Claim Text:
1. An air conditioner comprising a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, and an expansion device, the air conditioner comprising: at least one supercooling device that supercools a refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger or the indoor heat exchanger; at least one injection passage through which the refrigerant passing through the at least one supercooling device is introduced into an injection inflow port of the compressor; a bypass passage that extends from the at least one injection passage to a suction port of the compressor to bypass the refrigerant; a branch provided at the at least one injection passage to guide the refrigerant from the at least one injection passage to the bypass passage; and at least one valve disposed in at least one of the at least one infection passage or the bypass passage to selectively block a flow of the refrigerant, wherein the at least one valve comprises a first valve disposed in the bypass passage to selectively restrict suction of the refrigerant into the suction port and a second valve disposed in the at least one injection passage to selectively restrict injection of the refrigerant into the injection inflow port, wherein the second valve is disposed between the branch and the injection inflow port of the compressor and the first valve is disposed between the branch and the suction port of the compressor, and wherein in a first operation mode, the first valve is opened and the second valve is closed such that the refrigerant flows from the at least one supercooling device into the bypass passage from the at least one injection passage and is introduced into the suction port, and in a second operation mode, the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened such that the refrigerant flows into the injection inflow port through the at least one injection passage.