Patent ID: 9513041
Filing Date: 2016-12-06
CPC Classification: F24F,F25B

Claim Text:
1. An air conditioner comprising a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger are connected to one another, the air conditioner configured to perform a cooling operation in which the entirety of the indoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporation region and a dehumidification operation in which a part of the indoor heat exchanger functions as the evaporation region, wherein: the indoor heat exchanger includes a first part that functions as an auxiliary heat exchanger and a second part that functions as a main heat exchanger, the auxiliary heat exchanger being windward of the main heat exchanger; in the dehumidification operation, the compressor and the expansion valve are controlled so that a part of the auxiliary heat exchanger of the indoor heat exchanger which is most windward and in the vicinity of an liquid inlet functions as the evaporation region while a part of the auxiliary heat exchanger of the indoor heat exchanger which is downstream of the evaporation region and windward of the main heat exchanger functions as a superheat region, and so that an extent of the evaporation region varies depending on a load; and if an evaporation temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined value when an operation to start the dehumidification operation is selected, the cooling operation is started instead of the dehumidification operation and then when the evaporation temperature exceeds the predetermined value, switching to the dehumidification operation is executed.