SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INCREASING THE HEATING CAPACITY OF A HEAT PUMP SYSTEM USING AT LEAST TWO REVERSIBLE VALVES

Abstract

A valve system is disclosed for use with a compressor, an indoor heat exchange coil, and an outdoor heat exchange coil. The valve system may include a first reversible valve and a second reversible valve. The first reversible valve may be configured to receive heated refrigerant from the compressor. The second reversible valve may be configured to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor. In a heating mode, the first reversible valve may be configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil. In the heating mode, the second reversible valve may be configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil.

Claims

1. A valve system for use with a compressor, an indoor heat exchange coil, and an outdoor heat exchange coil, the valve system comprising: a first reversible valve; and a second reversible valve; wherein the first reversible valve is configured to receive heated refrigerant from the compressor, wherein the second reversible valve is configured to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor, wherein in a heating mode, the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil, and wherein in the heating mode, the second reversible valve is configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil.

2. The valve system of claim 1, wherein in a cooling mode, the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the second reversible valve.

3. The valve system of claim 2, wherein the first reversible valve includes a first reversible valve port, a second reversible valve port, a third reversible valve port, and a fourth reversible valve port, wherein the second reversible valve includes a first reversible valve port, a second reversible valve port, a third reversible valve port, and a fourth reversible valve port, wherein the first reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is configured to receive the heated refrigerant from the compressor, and wherein the third reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor.

4. The valve system of claim 3, wherein, in the heating mode, the fourth reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil, and wherein, in the heating mode, the second reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil.

5. The valve system of claim 3, wherein, in the cooling mode, the second reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the first reversible valve port of the second reversible valve, wherein, in the cooling mode, the second reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchange coil, wherein, in the cooling mode, the fourth reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the indoor heat exchange coil.

6. A method of using a valve system with a compressor, an indoor heat exchange coil, and an outdoor heat exchange coil, the method comprising: configuring a first reversible valve to receive heated refrigerant from the compressor; configuring a second reversible valve to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor; configuring, in a heating mode, the first reversible valve to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil; and configuring, in the heating mode, the second reversible valve to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, configuring, in a cooling mode, the first reversible valve to provide the heated refrigerant to the second reversible valve.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: configuring, in the first reversible valve that includes a first reversible valve port, a second reversible valve port, a third reversible valve port, and a fourth reversible valve port, the first reversible valve port to receive the heated refrigerant from the compressor; and configuring, in the second reversible valve that includes a first reversible valve port, a second reversible valve port, a third reversible valve port, and a fourth reversible valve port, the third reversible valve port to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: configuring, in the heating mode, the fourth reversible valve port of the first reversible valve to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil; and configuring, in the heating mode, the second reversible valve port of the second reversible valve to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: configuring, in the cooling mode, the second reversible valve port of the first reversible valve to provide the heated refrigerant to the first reversible valve port of the second reversible valve; configuring, in the cooling mode, the second reversible valve port of the second reversible valve to provide the heated refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchange coil; and configuring, in the cooling mode, the fourth reversible valve port of the second reversible valve to receive the cooled refrigerant from the indoor heat exchange coil.

11. A heat pump system comprising: a compressor, a first heat exchange coil, and a second heat exchange coil; a first reversible valve; and a second reversible valve; wherein the first reversible valve is configured to receive heated refrigerant from the compressor, wherein the second reversible valve is configured to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor, wherein in a heating mode, the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the first heat exchange coil, and wherein in the heating mode, the second reversible valve is configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the second heat exchange coil.

12. The heat pump system of claim 11, wherein in a cooling mode, the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the second reversible valve.

13. The heat pump system of claim 12, wherein the first reversible valve includes a first reversible valve port, a second reversible valve port, a third reversible valve port, and a fourth reversible valve port, wherein the second reversible valve includes a first reversible valve port, a second reversible valve port, a third reversible valve port, and a fourth reversible valve port, wherein the first reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is configured to receive the heated refrigerant from the compressor, and wherein the third reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor.

14. The heat pump system of claim 13, wherein, in the heating mode, the fourth reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the first heat exchange coil, and wherein, in the heating mode, the second reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the second heat exchange coil.

15. The heat pump system of claim 13, wherein, in the cooling mode, the second reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the first reversible valve port of the second reversible valve, wherein, in the cooling mode, the second reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to provide the heated refrigerant to the second heat exchange coil, wherein, in the cooling mode, the fourth reversible valve port of the second reversible valve is configured to receive the cooled refrigerant from the first heat exchange coil.

16. The heat pump system of claim 12, further comprising: a controller configured to transmit a first reversible valve cooling signal, a second reversible valve cooling signal, a first heat exchange coil cooling signal, and a second heat exchange coil cooling signal, wherein the first reversible valve is configured to operate in the cooling mode based on the first reversible valve cooling signal, wherein the second reversible valve is configured to operate in the cooling mode based on the second reversible valve cooling signal, wherein the first heat exchange coil is configured to operate in the cooling mode based on the first heat exchange coil cooling signal, and wherein the second heat exchange coil is configured to operate in the cooling mode based on the second heat exchange coil cooling signal.

17. The heat pump system of claim 16, further comprising: a thermostat configured to output a cooling mode signal to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the first reversible valve cooling signal, the second reversible valve cooling signal, the first heat exchange coil cooling signal, and the second heat exchange coil cooling signal based on the cooling mode signal.

18. The heat pump system of claim 17, wherein the thermostat is further configured to output a heating mode signal to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to transmit a first reversible valve heating signal, a second reversible valve heating signal, a first heat exchange coil heating signal, and a second heat exchange coil heating signal based on the heating mode signal, wherein the first reversible valve is configured to operate in the heating mode based on the first reversible valve heating signal, wherein the second reversible valve is configured to operate in the heating mode based on the second reversible valve heating signal, wherein the first heat exchange coil is configured to operate in the heating mode based on the first heat exchange coil heating signal, and wherein the second heat exchange coil is configured to operate in the heating mode based on the second heat exchange heating signal.

19. The heat pump system of claim 17, wherein the thermostat comprises a user interface configured to enable a user to set a first temperature associated with the cooling mode and to set a second temperature associated with the heating mode.

20. The heat pump system of claim 13, wherein the second reversible valve port of the first reversible valve is separated from the first reversible valve port of the second reversible valve by a length of refrigerant conduit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. In some instances, the use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of a heat pump system.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of a portion of the schematic of FIG. 1.

[0019] FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic of an example heat pump system in a heating mode in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 3B illustrates the schematic of FIG. 3A in a cooling mode in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic of a control system of the heat pump system of FIGS. 3A-3B in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed view of a control device of the control system of FIG. 4 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] This disclosure relates generally to a heat pump system that decreases heat transfer at a reversing valve so as to increase the heating capacity of the heat pump system.

[0024] In certain embodiments, a heat pump system includes a pair of separated reversing valves. In a heating mode, high pressure gaseous refrigerant at a hot temperature is provided to a first reversing valve, which passes this hot gaseous refrigerant to the indoor coil, whereas the low pressure gaseous refrigerant at a cold temperature from the outdoor coil is provided to the second reversing valve, which passes this cold gaseous refrigerant to the compressor. Since the two reversing valves are separated, the high pressure gaseous refrigerant at a hot temperature provided by the compressor is separated from the low pressure gaseous refrigerant at a cold temperature provided by the outdoor coil. Therefore, heat transfer is avoided between the hot gaseous refrigerant to the cold gaseous refrigerant. Accordingly, the high pressure gaseous refrigerant at a hot temperature provided to the first reversing valve is passed at the same temperature to the indoor coil. In this manner, the heating capacity of the heat pump system is increased over that of the heat pump system discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0025] An example heat pump system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3A-5.

[0026] FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic of an example heat pump system 300 in a heating mode in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The heat pump system 300 includes the compressor 102, a reversible (or reversing) valve 308, the indoor coil 106, the outdoor coil 108, the vapor service valve 110 (also referred to in some instances as a gas valve 110), the expansion valve 112, the liquid valve 114, the expansion valve 116, a reversible (or reversing) valve 308, the conduit 118, a conduit 302, a conduit 304, a conduit 306, the conduit 120, the conduit 122, the conduit 124, the conduit 126, the conduit 128, the conduit 130, the conduit 132, and the conduit 134.

[0027] In certain embodiments, the heat pump system 300 differs from the heat pump system 100 discussed above in that the heat pump system 300 replaces the single reversing valve 104 in the heat pump system 100 with the pair of reversing valves 308 and 310. Any number of reversing valves may be used herein.

[0028] In some instances, the reversing valve 308 may include a port 312, a port 314, a port 316, and a port 318. Similarly, the reversing valve 310 may include a port 320, a port 322, a port 324, and a port 326.

[0029] The conduit 118 is configured to provide a refrigerant path from the compressor 102 to the port 312 of the reversing valve 308. The conduit 302 is configured to provide a refrigerant path between the port 318 of the reversing valve 308 to the conduit 120 and then to the gas valve 110. The heat pump system 300 is then configured in a manner similar to the heat pump system 100 discussed above until conduit 132. In particular, in the heat pump system 300, the conduit 132 is configured to provide a refrigerant path between the outdoor coil 108 and the port 322 of the reversing valve 310. The conduit 134 is configured to provide a refrigerant path between the port 324 of the reversing valve 310 and the compressor 102.

[0030] In operation, the compressor 102 is configured to provide high temperature gaseous refrigerant to the reversing valve 308, which is passed to the gas valve 110 via conduits 302 and 120 and to the indoor coil 106 via the conduit 122. The indoor coil 106 acts as a heat exchanger to extract some heat from the high temperature gaseous refrigerant to heat the home. The indoor coil 106 acts as a heat exchanger to extract heat from the high temperature gaseous refrigerant to provide heat to an interior space, e.g., a home. This heat transfer is achieved by condensation and in some cases, subcooling of the refrigerant. The gaseous refrigerant from the conduit 122 enters the indoor coil 106, becomes liquid in the indoor coil 106 and leaves the indoor coil via the conduit 124 in liquid form. The liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion valve 112 and into the conduit 126 without any change in state. The liquid refrigerant then passes through the liquid service valve 114 and into the conduit 128.

[0031] The expansion valve 116 is configured to reduce the pressure of the cooler liquefied refrigerant from the conduit 128. The outdoor coil 108 acts as an evaporator and absorbs heat from ambient air. The liquid refrigerant inside the outdoor coil 108 gets superheated and converted to a superheated gas. This superheated gas enters back to the compressor 102 via the conduit 132, the port 322 of the reversing valve 310, the port 324 of the reversing valve 322 and the conduit 134.

[0032] In certain embodiments, the cycle includes providing heated refrigerant from the compressor 102, through the reversing valve 308, to the indoor coil 106, to the outdoor coil 108, and then providing cooled refrigerant from the outdoor coil 108, through the reversing valve 310, and back to the compressor 102. The cycle then repeats.

[0033] In the heat pump system 300, because the heated refrigerant passes through the reversing valve 308, whereas the cooled refrigerant passed through the reversing valve 310, and because the reversing valve 308 is separated from the reversing valve 310, there is no heat transfer between the cooled refrigerant and the heated refrigerant. Therefore, temperature of the heated refrigerant entering the port 312 of the reversing valve 308 is the same as the temperature of the heated refrigerant leaving the port 318 of the reversing valve 308. Accordingly, the heat pump system 300 has a substantially increased heating capacity over the heat pump system 100 as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-2. Further, it should be noted that the reversing valve 308 may be decreased in size over the reversing valve 104 of the heat pump system discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-2, because the reversing valve 308 only passes discharge gas, which provides a sufficient change in pressure to shift the reversing valve 308.

[0034] FIG. 3B illustrates the schematic of the heat pump system 300 in a cooling mode. The compressor 102 provides high temperature gaseous refrigerant to the reversing valve 308, which is passed from the port 314 to the port 320 of the reversing valve 310 via the conduit 306. The reversing valve 310 then passes the high temperature gaseous refrigerant from the port 322, through the conduit 132 to the outdoor coil 108. The outdoor coil 108 acts as a heat exchanger to extract some heat from the high temperature gaseous refrigerant to exhaust from the home. The gaseous refrigerant entering the outdoor coil 108 via the conduit 132 condenses in the outdoor coil 108 and is converted to liquid. The liquid refrigerant leaves the outdoor coil 108 via the conduit 130.

[0035] In the cooling mode, the expansion valve 116 remains fully open and does not reduce the pressure of the liquid refrigerant. The expansion valve 112 decreases the pressure so change the temperature of the refrigerant in the conduit 124, and provides the cooled liquid to the indoor coil 106. The indoor coil 106 acts as an evaporator in the cooling mode and extracts heat from the room. As a result, the liquid refrigerant inside the indoor coil 106 evaporates to a superheated gas. The superheated gas refrigerant leaves the indoor coil 106 and is then passed through the conduit 122, through the gas valve 110, through the conduit 120, through the conduit 304, and to the port 326 of the reversing valve 310. The superheated gas refrigerant is then passed from the port 324 of the reversing valve 310 to the compressor 102 via the conduit 134.

[0036] In certain embodiments, the cycle includes providing heated refrigerant from the compressor 102, through the reversing valve 308, to the reversing valve 310, to the outdoor coil 108, to the indoor coil 106, and then providing cooled refrigerant from the indoor coil 106, through the reversing valve 310, and back to the compressor 102. The cycle then repeats.

[0037] As discussed above, the reversing valves 308 and 310, the indoor coil 106, the outdoor coil 108, the gas valve 110 and the liquid valve 114 operate differently depending on whether the heat pump system 300 is operating in the heating mode or the cooling mode.

[0038] The heat pump system 300 may switch between the heating mode and the cooling mode, wherein the reversing valves 308 and 310, the indoor coil 106, the outdoor coil 108, the gas valve 110 and the liquid valve 114 operate differently. This will be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic of a control system of the heat pump system 300. The heat pump system 300 may additionally include a thermostat 402 and a control device 404. The thermostat 402 may additionally include a user interface (UI) 406.

[0040] The UI 406 enables a user to control the set or change temperature thresholds that will initiate either a cooling mode of operation of the heat pump system 300 or a heating mode of operation of the heat pump system 300.

[0041] In certain embodiments, the control device is configured to communicate with: the thermostat 402 via a thermostat communication channel 408; the reversing valve 308 via a reversing valve communication channel 414; the compressor 102 via a compressor communication channel 418; and/or the reversing valve 310 via a reversing valve communication channel 422.

[0042] In operation, returning to FIG. 4, the thermostat 402 is configured to output a mode signal 424 to the control device 404. When the thermostat 402 determines that the house should be cooled, then the mode signal 424 is a cooling mode signal. When the thermostat determines that the house should be heated, then the mode signal 424 is a heating mode signal.

[0043] Upon receiving the mode signal 424, the control device 404 transmits: a reversing valve signal 430 to the reversing valve 308; a compressor signal 434 to the compressor 102; and a reversing valve signal 438 to the reversing valve 310.

[0044] When the mode signal 424 is a heating mode signal, then: the reversing valve signal 430 is a reversing valve heating signal; the compressor signal 434 is a compressor heating signal; and the reversing valve signal 438 is a reversing valve heating signal, so as to place heat pump system 300 in the heating state as discussed above with reference to FIG. 3A.

[0045] When the mode signal 424 is a cooling mode signal, then: the reversing valve signal 430 is a reversing valve cooling signal; the compressor signal 434 is a compressor cooling signal; and the reversing valve signal 438 is a reversing valve cooling signal, so as to place heat pump system 300 in the cooling state as discussed above with reference to FIG. 3B.

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed view of the control device 404 of the control system of FIG. 4. The control device 404 includes a controller 502, a memory 504 having a heating-cooling (HC) program 506 stored therein, an interface 508, a user interface (UI) 510, and communication lines 512, 514, and 516.

[0047] In certain embodiments, the controller 502, the memory 504, the interface 508, and the UI 510 are illustrated as individual devices. However, in some embodiments, at least two of the controller 502, the memory 504, the interface 508, and the UI 510 may be combined as a unitary device. Further, in some embodiments, at least one of the controller 502, the memory 504, the interface 508, and the UI 510 may be implemented as a computer having tangible computer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such non-transitory computer-readable recording medium refers to any computer program product, apparatus or device, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, solid-state storage device, memory, programmable logic devices (PLDs), DRAM, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired computer-readable program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Disk or disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media. For information transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computer, the computer may properly view the connection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection may be properly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0048] Example tangible computer-readable media may be coupled to a processor such that the processor may read information from and write information to the tangible computer-readable media. In the alternative, the tangible computer-readable media may be integral to the processor. The processor and the tangible computer-readable media may reside in an integrated circuit (IC), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or large scale integrated circuit (LSI), system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI components that perform a part or all of the functions described herein. In the alternative, the processor and the tangible computer-readable media may reside as discrete components.

[0049] Example tangible computer-readable media may also be coupled to systems, non-limiting examples of which include a computer system/server, which is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with computer system/server include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

[0050] Such a computer system/server may be described in the general context of computer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Further, such a computer system/server may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

[0051] Components of an example computer system/server may include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units, a system memory, and a bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the processor.

[0052] The bus represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

[0053] A program/utility, having a set (at least one) of program modules, may be stored in the memory by way of example, and not limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networking environment. The program modules generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of various embodiments of the application as described herein.

[0054] The controller 502 may be implemented as a hardware processor such as a microprocessor, a multi-core processor, a single core processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller, an ASIC, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other similar processing device capable of executing any type of instructions, algorithms, or software for controlling the operation of the control device 404 in accordance with one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure.

[0055] The memory 504 has data and instructions, including the HC program 506 stored therein. As will be described in greater detail below, in some embodiments, the HC program 506 includes instructions, that when executed by the controller 502, cause the control device 404 to: configure the reversible valve 308 to receive heated refrigerant from the compressor 102; configure the reversible valve 310 to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor 102; configure, in a heating mode, the reversible valve 308 to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil 106; and configure, in the heating mode, the reversible valve 310 to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil 108.

[0056] As will be described in greater detail below, in some embodiments, the HC program 506 includes instructions, that when executed by the controller 502, cause the control device 404 to configure, in a cooling mode, the reversible valve 308 to provide the heated refrigerant to the reversible valve 310.

[0057] As will be described in greater detail below, in some embodiments, the port 312 of reversible valve 308, which includes the port 312, the port 314, the port 316, and the port 318 as shown in FIG. 3A, is configured to receive the heated refrigerant from the compressor 102; and the port 324 of reversible valve 310, which includes the port 320, the port 322, the port 324, and the port 326, is configured to provide cooled refrigerant to the compressor 102. In some of these embodiments, as will be described in greater detail below, the HC program 506 includes instructions, that when executed by the controller 502, cause the control device 404 to: configure, in the heating mode, the port 318 to provide the heated refrigerant to the indoor heat exchange coil 106; and configure, in the heating mode, the port 324 to receive the cooled refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchange coil 108. In some of these embodiments, as will be described in greater detail below, the HC program 506 includes instructions, that when executed by the controller 502, cause the control device 404 to: configure, in the cooling mode, the port 314 to provide the heated refrigerant to the port 320; configure, in the cooling mode, the port 322 to provide the heated refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchange coil 108; and configure, in the cooling mode, the port 326 to receive the cooled refrigerant from the indoor heat exchange coil 106.

[0058] The interface 508 may be any device or system that is configured to: receive signals from the controller 502 via the communication line 514 and the thermostat 402 via the thermostat communication channel 408; and transmit signals to the reversible valve communication channel 414, the compressor communication channel 418, and the reversible valve communication channel 422.

[0059] The thermostat communication channel 408, the reversible valve communication channel 414, the compressor communication channel 418, and the reversible valve communication channel 422 may each be any known type of wired or wireless communication channel. Accordingly, the interface 508 can include one or more connectors, such as RF connectors, or Ethernet connectors, and/or wireless communication circuitry, such as 5G circuitry and one or more antennas to communicate as needed.

[0060] The UI 510 may be any device or system that is configured to enable a user to access and control the controller 502. The UI 510 may include one or more layers including a human-machine interface (HMI) machines with physical input hardware such a keyboards, mice, game pads and output hardware such as computer monitors, speakers, and printers. Additional user interface layers in UI 510 may interact with one or more human senses, including: tactile UI (touch), visual UI (sight), and auditory UI (sound).

[0061] The controller 502 is configured to communicate with the memory 504 via the communication line 512, to communicate with the interface 508 via the communication line 514, to communicate with the UI 510 via the communication line 516.

[0062] The interface 508 is configured to communicate with: the thermostat 402 via the thermostat communication channel 408; the reversible valve 308 via the reversible valve communication channel 414; the compressor 102 via the compressor communication channel 418; and/or the reversible valve 310 via the reversible valve communication channel 422.

[0063] In operation, upon receiving the mode signal 424 from the thermostat 402 via the thermostat communication channel 408, the controller 502 executes instructions in the HC program 504 to cause the interface 508 to transmit: the reversing valve signal 430 to the reversing valve 308; the compressor signal 434 to the compressor 102; and the reversing valve signal 438 to the reversing valve 310.

[0064] As discussed above, typical heat pump systems include a single reversing valve that passes both heated refrigerant and cooled refrigerant during the heating mode. This arrangement causes heat transfer, within the single reversing valve, from the heated refrigerant to the cooled refrigerant, which decreases the overall heating capacity of the heat pump system.

[0065] In accordance with aspect of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a combination of two separated reversing valves are employed to avoid heat transfer from the heated refrigerant to the cooled refrigerant. This dual reversing valve configuration therefore increases overall heating capacity over that of typical art heat pump systems.

[0066] It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present disclosure and that numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0067] Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by another device or component. Further, while specific device characteristics have been described, embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous other device characteristics. Further, although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, can, could, might, or may, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.