Temperature control method with simultaneous heating and cooling near the set-point

Claim 1

A temperature control method for controlling a temperature in a chamber to a set value, said method comprising: providing heating means which can select large and small heating powers for heating said chamber and refrigerating means for cooling said chamber; detecting a current temperature in said chamber; operating said heating means with a small heating power when a detected temperature is equal to or higher than a lower tolerable deviation value predetermined with respect to said set value of said chamber temperature, and operating said heating means with a large heating power when said detected temperature is lower than said lower tolerable deviation value; operating said heating means based on time-sharing proportional heat controlling signals at least during the operation of said heating means with said small heating power; generating a signal which indicates a relationship that a time interval between adjacent signals of said heat controlling signals is larger than a predetermined time interval while maintaining said relationship; and operating said refrigerating means based on said signal indicating said relationship at least when said signal indicating said relationship is generated; wherein said refrigerating means operating step comprises operating said refrigeration means at large and small cooling powers, wherein operating said refrigerating means with said large cooling power is based on a signal used for a large cooling power operation and formed of said signal, which indicates said relationship for the operation of said refrigerating means and is generated when said time interval between adjacent said heat controlling signals is larger than said predetermined time interval while said relationship is maintained, and wherein operating said refrigerating means with said small cooling power is when said time interval between adjacent said heat controlling signals is equal to or smaller than said predetermined time interval, and said detected temperature is equal to or higher than a lower tolerable deviation value predetermined with respect to said set value of said chamber temperature; and wherein said refrigerating means operating step includes operating first and second expansion means so that said first expansion means is opened and said second expansion means is closed so as to obtain said small cooling power and both the first and second expansion means are opened so as to obtain said large cooling power; the temperature control method further comprising providing a closable bypass connecting a condenser and a compressor of said refrigerating means together, and continuously operating said compressor during the temperature control, and closing said first and second expansion means and opening said bypass when said detected temperature is lower than said lower tolerable deviation value, wherein said first expansion means is opened and said second expansion means is closed so as to obtain said small cooling power while said bypass is maintained open, and said first and second expansion means are opened and said bypass is closed so at to obtain said large cooling power.