An Analysis of the Control and Defrost Patents for Heat Pump

A technical analysis was conducted to predict the development trend for heat pump system. The study was based on a submitted patent from 1983 to 2002 in Korea, U.S.A. and Japan. The total number of raw data from the registered database was 19,261 and the obtained data to be analyzed through the filtering process was 5,143. Technical development of compression type heat pump was more dominant than the other types, absorption, adsorption, and chemical heat pump. The patents for compression type made up over in each country, Most of patents were developed for the defrosting and controlling technology of the compression type heat pump system. Approximately of the patents about compression type heat pump were for defrosting and control technologies, respectively.