Heat pump and charge modulating means

Claim 1

A HEAT PUMP COMPRISING A PAIR OF HEAT EXCHANGERS CONNECTED IN A CLOSED REFRIGERANT CIRCUIT AND ARRANGED IN DIFFERENT SEPARATED AMBIENT LOCATIONS EITHER ONE OF WHICH EXCHANGERS MAY BE USED TO HEAT ITS RESPECTIVE AMBIENT LOCATION WHILE THE OTHER IS USED TO ABSORB HEAT FROM ITS AMBIENT LOCATION; MEANS IN SAID CIRCUIT INCLUDING A COMPRESSOR HAVING A DISCHAGE LINE AND AN INTAKE LINE AND REVERSING VALVE MEANS REVERSIBLY CONNECTING SAID DISCHARGE AND INTAKE LINES SELECTIVELY TO OPPOSITE ONES OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGERS AT ONE OF THE ENDS OF EACH FOR EFFECTING FLOW OF REFRIGERANT THROUGH SAID CIRCUIT IN EITHER DIRECTION WHEREBY SAID PUMP MAY BE OPERATED ON A COOLING CYCLE FOR ONE HEAT EXCHANGER WITH THE OTHER HEAT EXCHANGER FUNCTIONING AS A CONDENSER AND RECEIVING HIGH PRESSUREHIGH TEMPERATURE GASEOUS REFRIGERANT FROM SAID COMPRESSOR AND EXHAUSTING HIGH PRESSURE-HIGH TEMPERATURE LIQUID REFRIGERANT THEREFROM TO SAID CIRCUIT AND ON A HEATING CYCLE FOR SAID ONE HEAT EXCHANGER FUNCTIONING AS THE CONDENSER OF THE SYSTEM WITH SAID OTHER HEAT EXCHANGER FUNCTIONING AS THE EVAPORATOR RECEIVING LOW PRESSUR-LOW TEMPERATURE LIQUID REFRIGERANT FROM SAID CIRCUIT AND EXHAUSTING LOW PRESSURE-LOW TEMPERATURE GASEOUS REFRIGERANT THEREFROM TO SAID COMPRESSOR INTAKE; FLOW-RESTRICTING MEANS IN SAID CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF REFRIGERANT FROM ONE OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGERS TO THE OTHER AND FOR MAINTAINING A PRESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID HEAT EXCHANGERS; SAID FLOW-RESTRICTING MEANS COMPRISING AN EXPANSION VALVE AN BYPASS MEANS THEREAROUND CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID ONE HEAT EXCHANGER FROM THE CONNECTION THEREOF TO ONE OF SAID COMPRESSOR LINES AND ANOTHER EXPANSION VALVE AND BYPASS MEANS THEREAROUND CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID OTHER HEAT COMPRESSOR FROM THE CONNECTION THEREOF TO ONE OF SAID COMPRESSOR LINES; A CONDUIT CONNECTING IN SERIES SAID TWO FLOW-RESTRICTING MEANS VALVE AND BYPASS MEANS BETWEEN SAID HEAT EXCHANGERS; MEANS CONTROLLING SAID BYPASS MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY BYPASSING ONE OF SAID FLOW-RESTRICTING VALVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH POSITION OF SAID REVERSING VALVE SUCH THAT THE FLOW-RESTRICTING VALVE CONNECTED TO THE HEAT EXCHANGER CONNECTED BY SAID REVERSING VALVE TO SAID COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE LINE IS BYPASSED WHEREBY SAID CONDUIT CONDUCTS HIGH PRESSURE REFRIGERANT DURING BOTH CYCLES OF OPERATION FOR BOTH HEAT EXCHANGERS; AND A REFRIGERANT CHARGE MODULATOR MEANS FOR CONTROLLIN THE EFFECTIVE REFRIGERANT CHARGE CIRCULATING IN SAID CIRCUIT; SAID MODULATOR COMPRISING A RESERVOIR WITH A ONE-WAY HIGH PRESSURERESPONSIVE VALVE CONNECTING SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID CONDUIT AND CONNECTED FOR RESPONSE TO THE PRESSURE IN SAID CONDUIT FOR ADMITTING REFRIGERANT PRESSURE IN SAID CONDUIT EXRESERVOIR WHEN REFRIGERANT PRESSURE IN SAID CONDUIT EXCEEDS A PREDETERMINED VALUE, AND A ONE-WAY LOW PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE VALVE CONNECTING SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID COMPRESSOR INTAKE LINE AND CONNECTED FOR RESPONSE TO THE PRESSURE IN SAID INTAKE LINE FOR SUPPLYING REFRIGERANT FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID INTAKE LINE WHEN REFRIGERANT PRESSURE IN SAID LINE FALLS BELOW A PREDETERMINED VALUE.