Patent ID: 8516847

Claim:
A thermal storage air conditioner comprising: an outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger for making heat exchange, and at least one compressor for compressing refrigerant; an indoor unit having a plurality of indoor heat exchangers for making heat exchange; a thermal storage unit for storing energy, the thermal storage unit having a plurality of thermal storage heat exchangers for making heat exchange between the refrigerant and a thermal storage substance, said thermal storage substance being inside said thermal storage unit; and a functional unit having a plurality of valves for selective control of refrigerant flows among the outdoor unit, the indoor unit and the thermal storage unit according to an operation mode, and a valve controller for making a unitary control of operation of the valves, wherein the outdoor unit, the functional unit and the thermal storage unit are installed spaced apart from one another, each connected to the indoor unit, wherein the valve controller is configured to perform the operation mode, and wherein the operation mode includes: a thermal storage mode in which the refrigerant circulates through the functional unit, the outdoor unit and the thermal storage unit for storing energy in the thermal storage unit; a room cooling or heating with stored heat mode in which the refrigerant circulates through the functional unit, the indoor unit and the thermal storage unit so that a room is conditioned with energy stored in the thermal storage unit; a direct room cooling or heating mode in which the refrigerant circulates through the functional unit, the outdoor unit and the indoor unit so that a room is conditioned by using the outdoor unit, wherein the functional unit further includes: a supplementary flow line for heat exchanging refrigerant heat exchanged at the indoor unit and supplying refrigerant to the thermal storage unit during the room cooling or heating with stored heat mode, and a supplementary heat exchanger provided in the supplementary flow line for heat exchange between the refrigerant heat exchanged at the indoor unit and an outdoor air, wherein, the supplementary heat exchanger is operated selectively in the room cooling or heating with stored heat mode and is smaller than the outdoor heat exchanger.