1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioning apparatus and a control method thereof that is energy-saving.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic view of a conventional air conditioning apparatus 1. The air conditioning apparatus 1 comprises a compressor 11, a condenser 12, a condenser fan 13, an evaporator 15, an evaporator fan 16 and a capillary or expansion valve 14. A coolant can circulate through the compressor 11, the condenser 12, the capillary (or expansion valve 14) and the evaporator 15. The condenser fan 13 is disposed on a side of the condenser 12, and the evaporator fan 16 is disposed on a side of the evaporator 15. As the above components of the conventional air conditioning apparatus are well known to those of ordinary skill in the air conditioning field, no further description will be made again herein.
The conventional air conditioning apparatus 1 may be of a frequency-conversion type or a non-frequency-conversion type depending on the type of the compressor 11 thereof. If the air conditioning apparatus 1 is of the non-frequency-conversion type, an alternating current is used for the compressor 11, and the compressor 11 operates at a constant rotating speed. Once an indoor temperature reaches a preset temperature set by a user, the compressor 11 is turned off and then circulation of the coolant will stop so that heat in the indoor environment will not be further absorbed by the air conditioning apparatus. Thus, the indoor temperature will rise quickly to cause the compressor 11 to be turned on again. However, turning on and off the compressor 11 within a short time consumes much electric energy and also shortens the service life of the compressor 11.
If the air conditioning apparatus 1 is of the frequency-conversion type, a direct current may be used for the compressor 11, and the rotating speed of the compressor 11 can be adjusted. When the indoor temperature reaches the preset temperature set by the user, the rotating speed of the compressor 11 decreases to reduce the consumption of electric energy. As the compressor 11 is still in operation to circulate the coolant, the air conditioning apparatus 1 can still absorb the heat from the indoor environment so that the indoor temperature will not rise quickly. However, when the indoor temperature is lower than the preset temperature, a certain amount of electric energy is still consumed by the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the frequency-conversion type because the compressor 11 thereof is still in operation.