Patent ID: 7762091

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling the capacity of an air conditioner of a continuous variable-capacity-type, the air conditioner having a pair of first and second compressors and at least one indoor unit, the apparatus comprising: first and second suction pipes used to diverge a refrigerant that is delivered from the indoor unit via a delivery pipe in order to introduce the refrigerant into the first and second compressors, respectively; first and second discharge pipes used to supply the refrigerant, compressed in the first and second compressors, into a condenser; and a bypass circuit used to connect both the first and second discharge pipes to the delivery pipe in order to equalize a high-pressure that is applied to exit ends of the first and second compressors to a low-pressure that is applied to entrance ends of the compressors, wherein the bypass circuit includes: a low-pressure connection pipe used to connect the first discharge pipe to the delivery pipe to equalize the high-pressure of the exit end of the first compressor to the low-pressure; a solenoid valve provided at the low-pressure connection pipe to control the delivery of the refrigerant; a branch pipe used to connect the second discharge pipe to the low-pressure connection pipe; and a direction-switching member mounted over both the second discharge pipe and the branch pipe and adapted to be opened and closed to selectively allow the passage of the refrigerant, in order to equalize the high-pressure of the exit end of the second compressor to the low-pressure.