Patent ID: 9217587
Filing Date: 2015-12-22
Classification: F25B,Y02B

Abstract:
1. An air conditioner comprising: a compressor for compressing refrigerant; an indoor heat exchanger for cooling or heating a room, using the refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger for heat-exchanging the refrigerant with an outdoor air, the outdoor heat exchanger comprising a front heat exchange member and a rear heat exchange member; a defrosting module for adjusting an opening degree of a passage of the refrigerant introduced into the front heat exchange member and the rear heat exchange member; and a controller for controlling the defrosting module to operate the front heat exchange member or the rear heat exchange member as a condenser in a defrosting mode, wherein the defrosting module comprises, a first expansion valve to adjust an opening of a passage of the refrigerant introduced into the front heat exchange member; and a defrosting unit to adjust an opening degree of a passage of the refrigerant between the front heat exchange member and the rear heat exchange member, wherein the controller is configured such that when frost occurs on the front heat exchange member or the rear heat exchange member in a heating mode, the controller increases an opening degree of the first expansion valve to flow a high temperature refrigerant into the front heat exchange member and simultaneously decreases an opening degree of the defrosting unit to expand the refrigerant after passing the front heat exchange member into a low temperature refrigerant, only to operate the front exchange member as the condenser, and wherein the increasing of the opening degree of the first heat expansion valve is performed such that the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve is expanded until the refrigerant has a predetermined temperature and a pressure sufficient to defrost the front heat exchange member.