(57) The invention provides a multi-unit air conditioner for independent cooling/heating
of rooms, including a system in which, depending on operation conditions, gas refrigerant
discharged from a compressor 1 in an outdoor unit A is introduced into a distributor
B through a first bypass pipe 11 directly, or via an outdoor unit heat exchanger 2
and a gas-liquid separator 3 with the refrigerant separated into gas and liquid refrigerant
indirectly, wherefrom the liquid refrigerant is introduced into the compressor 1 after
passed through an electric expansion valve 61a,61b,61c for an indoor unit C which
cools the room, an indoor unit heat exchanger 62a,62b,62c, and a distributor B, and
the gas refrigerant is introduced into the compressor 1 through a second bypass pipe
12 after passed through an indoor unit heat exchanger 62a,62b,62c and an electric
expansion valve 61a,61b,61c for the indoor unit C which heats the room, the distributor
B, the gas-liquid separator 3, the outdoor unit electric expansion valve 13a, and
the outdoor unit heat exchanger 2. Further, the invention provides a method for controlling
operation of an outdoor unit fan 2a in a multi-unit air conditioner including the
steps of measuring a temperature of gas-liquid mixture refrigerant discharged from
an outdoor unit heat exchanger 2, comparing a measured refrigerant temperature to
a preset refrigerant temperature, to detect a gas-liquid mixture ratio, and varying
a rotational speed of the outdoor unit fan 2a so that a detected gas-liquid mixture
ratio becomes identical to a preset mixture ratio required for an intended operation
condition.
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