Patent ID: 7318320

Claim:
A humidity control apparatus, comprising an adsorbing element including an adsorbent for bringing the adsorbent into contact with an air, and a refrigerant circuit including a refrigerant circulating therethrough to perform a refrigerating cycle, wherein: the humidity control apparatus performs an adsorption operation of adsorbing moisture in a first air onto the adsorbing element and a regeneration operation of regenerating the adsorbing element with a second air heated by the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, and one of the first air and the second air having passed through the adsorbing element is supplied into a room while the other is discharged to an outside; and the refrigerant circuit includes a regenerative heat exchanger for heat exchange between the second air to be supplied to the adsorbing element and the refrigerant, a first heat exchanger for heat exchange between the air to be supplied into the room and the refrigerant, and a second heat exchanger for heat exchange between the air to be discharged to the outside and the refrigerant, and the regenerative heat exchanger serves as a condenser while at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger serves as an evaporator: wherein the refrigerant circuit can perform an operation in which one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger serves as an evaporator while the other is inactive.