Patent ID: 6898944

Claim:
An air conditioner comprising: a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant; a condenser for condensing refrigerant discharged from the compressor; a first decompression device for decompressing refrigerant condensed by the condenser; an evaporator for evaporating refrigerant decompressed by the first decompression device; a hot gas bypass path for directly connecting a discharge side of the compressor with an entry side of the evaporator; and a valve means for changing over communication between the discharge side of the compressor and the entry side of the condenser and also changing over communication between the discharge side of the compressor and the entry side of the hot gas bypass path, wherein the valve means opens the entry side of the condenser and closes the entry side of the hot gas bypass path so as to conduct a normal cooling mode operation, and the valve means closes the entry side of the condenser and opens the entry side of the hot gas bypass path so as to conduct a heating mode operation by the hot gas bypass path, the air conditioner further comprising: a refrigerant recovery control means for recovering refrigerant in the second OFF mode in which the compressor is turned off and the entry side of the compressor is opened when refrigerant recovery control is conducted after heating mode operation by the hot gas bypass is continued for a predetermined period of time and when the pressure on the low pressure side in the hot gas cycle by predetermined pressure difference P 1 .