A heat pump apparatus includes: a compression mechanism that compresses a refrigerant; a motor that drives the compression mechanism; an inverter that applies a voltage to the motor; and an inverter control unit that generates a drive signal for driving the inverter, based on a carrier signal, in which the inverter control unit periodically changes a carrier frequency of the carrier signal in a heating operation mode in which the refrigerant is heated, and generates the drive signal such that a period of time during which a voltage represented as a real vector is applied to the motor is kept constant regardless of the changed carrier frequency.

Provided is an inverter for reducing electric power consumption and noise. The inverter comprises: a driving unit including three switching elements included in an upper arm and connected in a three-phase bridge configuration and three switching elements included in a lower arm and connected in a three-phase bridge configuration, and converting input direct current power into three-phase alternating current power and then outputting the alternating current power to a three-phase load; and at least one processor for maintaining one of the three switching elements, which are included in the upper arm, in an on-state in a first period, maintaining one of the three switching elements, which are included in the lower arm, in an on-state in a second period, and driving the driving unit in a two-phase modulation method by alternately repeating the first period and the second period, wherein the at least one processor turns on all of the three switching elements at a crest of a carrier wave in the first period, and the at least one processor turns off all of the three switching elements at a crest of a carrier wave in the second period.

There is provided a starting method for a cryocooler, the cryocooler including a compressor, a cold head, a high pressure line, and a low pressure line, the method including increasing a volume of the high pressure line when the cold head is at a room temperature, cooling the cold head from the room temperature to a cryogenic temperature while controlling an operation frequency of the compressor based on a pressure of the high pressure line or a differential pressure between the high pressure line and the low pressure line, after the volume of the high pressure line has been increased, decreasing the volume of the high pressure line after the cold head has been cooled to the cryogenic temperature, and maintaining the cold head at the cryogenic temperature after the volume of the high pressure line has been decreased.

A liquid level detector includes: a vertically-mounted accumulator that stores refrigerant; a heater that heats the accumulator; a temperature detector that detects a surface temperature of the accumulator; a pressure detector that detects a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator; and a controller. The controller detects a position of a liquid surface of the refrigerant in the accumulator based on a surface temperature of the accumulator detected by the temperature detector when the accumulator is heated by the heater, and a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator detected by the pressure detector.

A variable capacity compressor (100), a cooler (200) including same, and a method and system for controlling a variable capacity compressor are disclosed. An electronic control (50), a thermostat (30) and a power source (10) are disclosed, the power source including a neutral terminal and a phase terminal, the thermostat including a first terminal and a second terminal, and the electronic control including a phase feed input and a neutral feed input, the neutral terminal of the power source electrically connected to the neutral feed input of the electronic control and the phase terminal of the power source electrically connected to the first terminal of the thermostat, the second terminal of the thermostat connected electrically to the phase feed input of the electronic control, the thermostat configured to feed and un-feed selectively the electronic control, the electronic control activating and deactivating selectively the compressor and controlling its cooling capacity according to signals from an operation state sensor (40).

A system includes a refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a condenser, an expander, an electric motor configured to drive the compressor, and a controller configured to control a motor drive to drive the electric motor. The controller is configured to first evaluate whether the compressor is idle based upon a control state of the controller being configured not to operate the motor drive to drive the motor, second, in response to an affirmative evaluation that the compressor is idle, evaluate a risk of undesired or un-commanded compressor rotation based upon a combination of two or more system conditions, each of the two or more system conditions indicating the risk of undesired or un-commanded compressor rotation, and third, in response to an affirmative evaluation of the risk of undesired or un-commanded compressor rotation, control the motor drive to oppose rotation of the compressor.

A compressor unit (2) for use in a refrigeration circuit, comprises at least two compressors (8, 10); and a common variable frequency drive (6), configured to be connected to a three phase grid voltage supply (4); each compressor (8, 10) having an inlet port (12) configured to be in refrigerant communication, via a suction line, with an outlet of an evaporator; an outlet port (14) configured to be in refrigerant communication, via a pressure line, to an inlet of a condenser; a compressor motor (18), particularly an alternating current induction motor, with a three phase supply line (32-1, 32-2); a power modulation means (24) for controlling the power of the compressor (8, 10) according to its load needs; wherein each compressor (8, 10) is switchable, independently from the respective other compressor(s) (8, 10), to be connected, during start-up and acceleration of the respective compressor (8, 10), to the common variable frequency drive (6), and to be connected, during rated-speed operation of the respective compressor (8, 10), to a common three phase grid voltage supply (4).

A pulse width modulation (PWM) based active harmonic filter (AHF) system including a controller configured to adjust a load on the system from a first to a second load, the first load being greater than the second load, wherein the controller is configured to adjust a frequency of the system from a first to a second frequency when the load is equal to the second load, and wherein the second frequency is greater than the first; a first harmonic compensator configured to filter a first order of harmonics of a load when the load is equal to the second load; and a second harmonic compensator configured to filter a second order of harmonics of the load in parallel with the first order of harmonics when the load is equal to the second load and frequency equals the second frequency, the second order of harmonics being greater than the first order.

A compressor of a refrigeration appliance includes a motor, in particular a BLDC motor, and a controller for stopping the motor. The controller is configured to slow down the motor rotating in a first rotating direction until it comes to a standstill and to subsequently position the rotor relative to the stator, in a second rotating direction with a predetermined torque. A method for stopping a compressor of a refrigeration appliance is also provided.

The invention includes an inverter to convert a direct-current voltage from a direct-current power supply into an alternating-current voltage and apply the alternating-current voltage to a motor that, a direct-current-voltage detecting unit to detect a voltage in the direct-current power supply, a current detecting unit to detect an electric current flowing to the inverter, and an inverter control unit to generate PWM signals for driving switching elements of the inverter based on the detected voltage the detected electric current, to set a specific phase difference between a phase of a carrier signal used for generation of the PWM signals and a phase of the alternating-current voltage, and to control the inverter such that a frequency of the PWM signals are synchronized with a frequency of the alternating-current voltage, the frequency of the PWM signals being an integer multiple of three times the frequency of the alternating-current voltage.