CN110657609B

CN110657609B - Refrigerator oil degradation determination system, water contamination determination system, refrigeration cycle device, and water remaining inspection method

Info

Publication number: CN110657609B
Application number: CN201910542525.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 内藤宏治; 森隼人; 吉田康孝
Original assignee: Hitachi Johnson Controls Air Conditioning Inc
Current assignee: Hitachi Johnson Controls Air Conditioning Inc
Priority date: 2018-06-29
Filing date: 2019-06-21
Publication date: 2021-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-21
Also published as: CN110657609A; JP2020003166A; JP6817984B2

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system, a water mixing determination system, a refrigeration cycle device and a water remaining inspection method, which can accurately determine the degradation of the refrigerating machine oil and the mixing of water in the refrigeration cycle device even in a long distance. The receiving unit receives image data obtained by imaging the refrigerating machine oil in the refrigeration cycle device (S11). The optical absorption rate acquisition unit acquires data on the optical absorption rate of the refrigerating machine oil based on the image data received by the receiving unit (S12). The optical absorption rate storage unit sequentially stores the data of the optical absorption rate acquired periodically or aperiodically by the optical absorption rate acquisition unit (S13). The first reference data storage unit stores first reference data, which is data of a range of light absorptance when the refrigerating machine oil is in a normal state, prepared in advance. The first determination unit determines whether or not the data of the light absorptance stored in the light absorptance storage unit does not exceed the first reference data (S14).

Description

Refrigerator oil degradation determination system, water contamination determination system, refrigeration cycle device, and water remaining inspection method

Technical Field

The invention relates to a refrigerator oil deterioration determination system, a water contamination determination system, a refrigeration cycle device, and a water remaining inspection method.

Background

As a background art in this field, Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2002-295222 (patent document 1) is known. This publication describes "a refrigerator oil replacement device is provided with a viscometer, a spectrophotometer, a monitoring unit for monitoring the degree of oxidation and/or the degree of polymerization of a refrigerator oil used in a gas engine using a gas as a fuel, and a determination unit and a notification unit for instructing replacement of the refrigerator oil when the monitoring result indicates that the degree of oxidation and/or the degree of polymerization of the refrigerator oil exceeds a predetermined reference value. "(refer to abstract).

As another background art, there is japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-. This publication describes that "the observation mirror includes: a body having an inlet and an outlet for a refrigerant and having a flow path therein from the inlet to the outlet; a glass covering the upper opening of the main body; a moisture indicator for detecting moisture in the refrigerant; and a support member that is disposed on one side of the flow path and supports the moisture indicator in a state in which a portion thereof is exposed to the refrigerant and the exposed portion is adjacent to and faces one side of the glass main body facing the inside. Since the moisture indicator, the support member, and the like do not interfere with the movement of the refrigerant, the pressure loss is small, and the presence of moisture in the refrigerant can be quickly and accurately checked. "(refer to abstract).

The technique of patent document 1 does not clearly indicate a reference value for determining the deterioration of the lubricating oil. In such a technique, it is estimated that the relationship between the oxidation degree and the absorbance of the lubricating oil needs to be measured in advance, but depending on the type of oil, there is a problem that the lubricating oil colored from the beginning is poor in versatility.

In addition, the technique of patent document 2 has the following problems: the worker must go to the site where the refrigeration cycle device is installed to confirm the moisture indicator, which is troublesome and may be missed by human error.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2002-295222

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-43249

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerating machine oil deterioration determination system, a moisture contamination determination system, and the like, which can accurately determine deterioration of refrigerating machine oil and contamination of moisture in a refrigeration cycle apparatus even at a remote distance.

In order to solve the above problem, a refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a receiving unit that receives optical data of refrigerating machine oil in a refrigeration cycle apparatus; a light absorption rate acquisition unit that acquires data of light absorption rate of the refrigerating machine oil based on the optical data received by the receiving unit; a light absorptance storage unit that sequentially stores data of light absorptance periodically or aperiodically acquired by the light absorptance acquisition unit; a first reference data storage unit that stores first reference data, which is data of a range of light absorptance when the refrigerating machine oil is in a normal state, prepared in advance; and a first determination unit that determines whether or not the data of the light absorptance stored in the light absorptance storage unit does not exceed the first reference data.

A moisture contamination determination system according to another aspect of the present invention includes: a receiving unit that receives optical data of a display unit of a sensor that reports the presence of moisture by a change in color of the display unit when moisture in the refrigeration cycle apparatus is detected; a second reference data storage unit that stores second reference data that is data of hue of a color of the display unit when moisture in the refrigeration cycle device is detected; and a second determination unit configured to determine whether or not data of the hue of the display unit based on the optical data received by the reception unit matches the second reference data.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerating machine oil deterioration determination system and a water contamination determination system that can accurately determine deterioration of refrigerating machine oil and contamination of water in a refrigeration cycle apparatus even at a long distance.

Problems, structures, and effects other than those described above will be more apparent from the following examples.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a system diagram showing a system configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus main body of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a detection/transmission device provided in the vicinity of a compressor and a pipe in a refrigeration cycle device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of a cloud according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a reference data determination process performed by the cloud according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a graph in which the magnitude of the light absorptance is plotted on the vertical axis and the time passage is plotted on the horizontal axis with respect to the data of the light absorptance stored in the refrigeration cycle device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an oil degradation determination process performed by the cloud according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an oil degradation prediction process performed by the cloud according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a graph in which the magnitude of the light absorptance is plotted on the vertical axis and the time passage is plotted on the horizontal axis with respect to the data of the light absorptance stored in the refrigeration cycle device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a moisture contamination determination process performed by the cloud according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a system diagram showing a system configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is an example of a multi-air conditioner including a plurality of indoor units 100. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 may be an air conditioner including only a single indoor unit, or may be another type of refrigeration cycle apparatus such as a natural refrigerant heat pump water heater or a dryer.

The refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 of this example is composed of an outdoor unit 200 and a plurality of ceiling-mounted indoor units 100, and the ceiling-mounted indoor units 100 are connected to the outdoor unit 200 via pipes 300 through which refrigerant flows and electrical wiring, and are installed on the ceiling of each room.

Fig. 2 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus main body 1100 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. The indoor unit 100 includes an indoor heat exchanger 110. The outdoor unit 200 includes a compressor 230, an outdoor heat exchanger 240, a four-way valve 220, an expansion valve 250, an accumulator 210, and the like. The components are connected by a pipe 300. In addition, for convenience, only 1 indoor unit 100 is illustrated.

The compressor 230 compresses the refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant. The indoor heat exchanger 110 functions as a condenser or an evaporator depending on whether the heating operation or the cooling operation is performed. The outdoor heat exchanger 240 functions as an evaporator or a condenser depending on whether the heating operation or the cooling operation is performed. The expansion valve 250 decompresses and expands the condensed and liquefied refrigerant into a gas-liquid two-phase flow at a low temperature and a low pressure. The four-way valve 220 switches between the cooling operation and the heating operation by changing the direction of the refrigerant flow. The accumulator 210 is provided to prevent backflow of liquid during a transition period.

Next, an operation performed when the refrigeration cycle apparatus main body 1100 performs the cooling operation will be described. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 230 is discharged from the compressor 230 together with the refrigerator oil, and then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 240 through the four-way valve 220, where it exchanges heat with outdoor air and is condensed and liquefied. The condensed and liquefied refrigerant is decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve 250, becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase flow, and is sent to the indoor unit 100 via the liquid-side connection pipe 310. The liquid refrigerant flowing into the indoor unit 100 enters the indoor heat exchanger 110, where it is cooled by heat exchange with indoor air, i.e., the use-side medium, and evaporates and gasifies itself. The gas refrigerant then passes through the gas-side connection pipe 320, and returns to the compressor 230 via the four-way valve 220 and the accumulator 210. Thus, a refrigeration cycle is constituted.

The refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 operates as follows when performing a heating operation. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 230 is discharged from the compressor 230 together with the refrigerator oil, flows into the indoor heat exchanger 110 of the indoor unit 100 via the four-way valve 220 and the gas-side connection pipe 320, and heats the use-side medium, i.e., the indoor air, by heat exchange therewith, thereby condensing and liquefying itself. The condensed and liquefied refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve 250 through the liquid-side connection pipe 310, exchanges heat with the heat source medium, which is outdoor air, in the outdoor heat exchanger 240, and is evaporated and gasified. The evaporated and vaporized refrigerant is returned to the compressor 230 via the four-way valve 220 and the accumulator 210. Thus, a refrigeration cycle is constituted.

However, vacuum suction of the inside is performed when the refrigeration cycle apparatus main body is mounted. However, there is a possibility that the vacuum suction is insufficient. In this case, air and moisture remain in the piping of the refrigeration cycle apparatus main body, which oxidizes and degrades the refrigerating machine oil. The deterioration of the refrigerating machine oil lowers the lubricity of the sliding portion of the compressor, and damages the compressor.

In addition, if residual moisture is present in the refrigerant, the refrigerant or the refrigerator oil is hydrolyzed to generate an acid. The acid adversely affects metal parts in the refrigeration cycle apparatus main body, and there is a possibility that oxides remain in the refrigeration cycle apparatus main body to block the expansion valve or the expansion valve cannot be closed.

Therefore, conventionally, a viewer is provided at a lower portion of the compressor or the like, and it is confirmed that the refrigerator oil is deteriorated and the replacement timing is reached by confirming the color of the refrigerator oil is thickened. In contrast, the technique of patent document 1 proposes a system in which the degree of oxidation of lubricating oil used in a gas engine using gas as fuel is monitored, and when a predetermined reference value is exceeded, a replacement of the lubricating oil is instructed.

However, the technique of patent document 1 has a problem that a reference value for determining the deterioration of the lubricating oil is not clearly shown. That is, in this technique, it is estimated that the relationship between the oxidation degree and the absorbance of the lubricating oil needs to be measured in advance. Further, depending on the type of oil, there is a problem that the lubricating oil is colored from the beginning and lacks versatility.

Patent document 2 discloses that a moisture indicator is provided in an observation mirror through which a refrigerant flows, and a change in color of a display portion of the moisture indicator is observed to detect moisture present in the refrigerant.

However, the technique of patent document 2 has the following problems: a worker must go to a site where the refrigeration cycle apparatus is installed to confirm the moisture indicator, which is troublesome and may be missed due to human error.

Therefore, a means that can accurately determine the deterioration of the refrigerating machine oil and the mixing of water in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 even at a long distance will be described below.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the detection and transmission devices 1 and 11 provided in the vicinity of the compressor 230 and the pipe 300 in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. First, the detection transmitter 1 is installed in the vicinity of the compressor 230, for example. That is, the observation mirror 231 is provided below the compressor 230 where the refrigerating machine oil is likely to stay, and the refrigerating machine oil inside the compressor 230 can be visually checked from the outside. The detection transmission device 1 includes a light emitting element 2 and an imaging element (optical element) 3. The light emitting element 2 irradiates the observation mirror 231 with light, and the imaging element 3 images the refrigerating machine oil on the back surface of the observation mirror 231 irradiated with the light emitting element 2. A communication control device 4 serving as a transmission unit is connected to the image pickup device 3, and image data picked up by the image pickup device 3 is transmitted to the cloud 20 on the internet. Further, the optical element 3 is not limited to the photographing device. That is, the optical element 3 is not limited to acquiring image data, and may be any device that acquires optical data (optical data). For example, characteristic data indicating the transmittance of light detected by the optical element 3 may be used instead of the image data. Hereinafter, the optical data will be described mainly as image data captured by the imaging element 3. As shown in fig. 3, the communication control device 4 may be connected to the internet via wireless communication (mobile phone network or the like) to communicate with the cloud 20, or may be connected to the internet via wired communication. The cloud 20 is operated by a company that performs installation, management, and the like of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000, and can also communicate with the server 40 in the company via the internet. The detection/transmission device 1 including the light emitting element 2 and the imaging element 3 may image the refrigerating machine oil inside the accumulator 210 or the oil separator (not shown) through an observation mirror provided below the accumulator. Alternatively, the detection/transmission device 1 may be provided in a plurality of the compressor 230, the accumulator 210, and the oil separator (not shown).

The detection transmission device 11 is provided in the vicinity of the liquid-side connection pipe 310 side of the pipe 300. That is, the liquid-side connection pipe 310 is provided with an observation mirror 311, and the humidity sensor 12 is provided in the observation mirror 311. The humidity sensor 12 is a sensor that, when moisture is detected, reports the detection of moisture by changing the color of a display unit (not shown). For example, in this example, when the humidity sensor 12 detects moisture, the display portion of the humidity sensor 12 changes from green to yellow. The detection transmission device 11 includes a light emitting element 13 and an imaging element (optical element) 14. The light emitting element 13 irradiates light to the observation mirror 311, and the imaging element 14 images the display portion of the humidity sensor 12 positioned on the back surface of the observation mirror 311 irradiated by the light emitting element 13. The communication control device 4 serving as the communication unit is connected to the image pickup device 14, and image data picked up by the image pickup device 14 is transmitted to the cloud 20 on the internet. Further, the optical element 14 is not limited to the photographing device. That is, the optical element 14 is not limited to acquiring image data, and may be any device that acquires optical data (optical data). For example, characteristic data indicating the transmittance of light detected by the optical element 14 may be used instead of the image data. Hereinafter, the optical data will be described mainly as image data captured by the imaging device 14. The humidity sensors 12 may be provided at a plurality of positions on the liquid-side connection pipe 310 side, and the detection transmission device 11 may be provided at the plurality of positions. In fig. 3, an example is shown in which the observation mirror 311 and the humidity sensor 12 are provided in the pipe 300 outside the outdoor unit 200 and the indoor unit 100, but the liquid side connection pipe 310 may be provided in the pipe 300 passing through the inside of the outdoor unit 200 or the indoor unit 100. The reason why the humidity sensor 12 is provided on the liquid-side connection pipe 310 side is that it is difficult to detect moisture in the gas-side connection pipe 320.

The detection transmission devices 1 and 11 are controlled by the control unit 15, perform imaging by the imaging elements 3 and 14, and transmit the respective image data obtained by imaging to the cloud 20 through the communication control device 4. The control unit 15 is a control device constituted by a microcomputer or the like.

In order to reduce the data amount of data to be transmitted to the cloud 20, image data captured by the imaging elements 3, 14 may be processed into characteristic data representing the transmittance of light or characteristic data representing colors under the control of the control section 15, and then transmitted to the cloud 20 through the communication control device 4.

Further, the image pickup devices 3 and 14 may directly output characteristic data indicating the transmittance of light or characteristic data indicating color, and may transmit the characteristic data to the cloud 20 through the communication control device 4.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of the cloud 20. The cloud 20 realizes a refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system and a water inclusion determination system. The cloud 20 is configured by a plurality of servers on the internet, and here, for convenience, the cloud 20 will be described by illustrating 1 server. The cloud 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 that performs various calculations and centrally controls each Unit, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 22 that serves as a work area for the CPU 21. The cloud 20 includes a magnetic storage device (HDD: Hard disk drive) 23 as a nonvolatile storage device for storing various data, and a communication control device 24 for communicating with the communication control device 4 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 and the server 40 via the internet. The HDD23 is provided with an abnormality determination program 25 for operating the CPU 21. The CPU21 operates based on the abnormality determination program 25 to realize the functions of the refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system and the water inclusion determination system.

That is, the CPU21 realizes the functions of the receiving unit 27, the light absorptance acquisition unit 28, the light absorptance storage unit 29, the first reference data storage unit 30, the first determination unit 31, the reference data determination unit 32, and the light absorptance prediction unit 33 based on the abnormality determination program 25. The CPU21 realizes the functions of the second reference data storage unit 34, the second determination unit 35, and the transmission unit 36 based on the abnormality determination program 25. The contents of the processing executed by these respective functional sections will be described later.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.

The cloud 20 is a system for realizing the refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system and the moisture inclusion determination system of the present invention, and receives image data from the refrigeration cycle devices 1000 installed in various places, and determines the presence or absence of degradation of the refrigerating machine oil and the presence or absence of moisture inclusion for each refrigeration cycle device 1000.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the reference data determination process. First, in the cloud 20, the reference data determination process of fig. 5 is executed. The reference data determination process is a process of obtaining first reference data required when the cloud 20 functions as a refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system. First, the receiving unit 27 receives, from the communication control device 4, image data of the refrigerating machine oil inside the compressor 230 and the like captured from the imaging element 3 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 over the observation mirror 231 (S1). The reception of the image data and the like may be performed by the cloud 20 instructing the control unit 15 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000, or the reception unit 27 of the cloud 20 may passively receive the image data which is spontaneously transmitted by the control unit 15 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 (hereinafter, the same applies to the reception of each image data by the reception unit 27). The image data and the like can be received periodically or aperiodically. However, it is preferable to periodically acquire the image data approximately every 1 minute to every 1 hour.

Next, if the data acquired in S1 is image data, the light absorption rate acquisition unit 28 performs predetermined image processing on the image data to acquire data of the light absorption rate of the refrigerating machine oil (S2). This process can use a simple colorimetry based on the ATSM color. That is, if the refrigerator oil is deteriorated, the color becomes dense. Therefore, in S2, data on the value of the light absorption rate of the non-degraded refrigerator oil can be obtained using a simple colorimetry based on the ATSM color. Then, the light absorptance storage unit 29 stores the data of the light absorptance in a predetermined area of the HDD23 (S3). In this case, a storage area for storing data of the light absorption rate for each refrigeration cycle device 1000 is prepared in HDD 23. The image data acquired in S1 may be stored in the HDD23, but since a large storage capacity is generally required for storing the image data, the image data in which the data of the light absorptance is acquired may be discarded.

In this manner, the data of the light absorption rate can be collected periodically or aperiodically for each refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. When the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is installed in a building or the like, the collection of the data of the light absorption rate is started. Then, during a predetermined period (learning period), data of the light absorption rate is collected for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 (yes at S4). That is, the "learning period" refers to a period during which the range of values of the light absorptance of the normal refrigerator oil that is not deteriorated, which is described later, is learned. The learning period is, for example, about 2 to 3 months. Preferably, the predetermined period ends after a new refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 starts operating until the period during which the refrigerating machine oil is not likely to be degraded. Furthermore, a certain number of samples of data of light absorption rate need to be collected during this learning period. When the learning period has not ended (no in S4), the process returns to S1, and the process of S1 and below is executed again at predetermined intervals as described above.

Fig. 6 is a graph in which the magnitude of the light absorptance is plotted on the vertical axis and the time passage is plotted on the horizontal axis with respect to the data of the light absorptance accumulated in a certain refrigeration cycle device 1000. In fig. 6, the data of the light absorptance in the "learning period" indicates the width of the density of the hue of the normal refrigerator oil that is not deteriorated. That is, the density of the hue of the normal refrigerating machine oil has a certain degree of width depending on the timing of acquiring the image data of the refrigerating machine oil. The reference data determining unit 32 determines, for example, a range from the upper limit a to the lower limit b of the width as first reference data as normal range data indicating the concentration of the hue of the normal refrigerator oil that has not deteriorated (S5). The range from the upper limit value a to the lower limit value b may have a certain width (for example, a value higher than the upper limit value of the data of the light absorptance by about 10% may be used as the upper limit value a of the first reference data). In addition, when the data of the light absorption rate in the learning period includes a particularly high or a particularly low value irregularly, it is desirable to determine the first reference data by deleting the value. The first reference data storage unit 30 stores the first reference data indicating the value of the light absorptance of the normal refrigerator oil without deterioration obtained by learning in this manner in a predetermined region of the HDD23 for each refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 (S6).

The reference data determination process shown in fig. 5 enables the first reference data to be obtained by learning in each refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000, but the means for obtaining the first reference data is not limited to this. That is, the same kind of refrigerating machine oil as the refrigerating machine oil being used by the refrigerating cycle apparatus 1000 is used in advance in a refrigerating cycle apparatus different from the refrigerating cycle apparatus 1000. The first reference data storage unit 30 may store, as the first reference data, the range data of the light absorptance obtained by learning through the same processing as the reference data determination processing described above when the refrigerating machine oil is in the normal state in advance in the HDD 23. At this time, when the refrigeration cycle device 1000 is installed in a building or the like, the first reference data can be already stored in the cloud 20.

Next, the oil deterioration determination process will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an oil deterioration determination process. The oil degradation determination process is a process of determining whether or not the refrigerating machine oil in each refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 has degraded, using the first reference data.

First, the receiving unit 27 receives image data of the refrigerating machine oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 and the like (S11). Next, the light absorptance acquisition unit 28 acquires data on the light absorptance of the refrigerating machine oil from the image data and the like (S12). Then, the light absorptance storage unit 29 stores the data of the light absorptance in a storage area of the HDD23 for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 (S13). Here, the image data and the like acquired in S11 may be stored together. The processing of S11 to S13 is the same as the processing of S1 to S3, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the first determination unit 31 compares the light absorptance indicated by the data of light absorptance stored in S13 with the first reference data (S14). As a result, when the light absorptance indicated by the data of the light absorptance exceeds the first reference data (yes at S14), the transmission unit 36 transmits the message indicating that the refrigerating machine oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is deteriorated to the server 40 (S15). This process is executed for each refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 for which the first reference data exists, for example, due to the end of the reference data determination process. That is, in fig. 6, each drawing data after time c is the data of the light absorptance acquired in S12, and the data is compared with the first reference data. In fig. 6, the light absorptance indicated by symbol d repeatedly deviates from the first reference data, and it can be determined that the refrigerating machine oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is deteriorated. When the light absorption rate does not exceed the first reference data (no at S14), the process returns to S11, and the process of S11 and thereafter is executed again at predetermined intervals.

Next, the oil degradation prediction process will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an oil degradation prediction process. The oil degradation prediction process is a process of predicting the time when the refrigerating machine oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 deteriorates and requires maintenance.

This processing is performed when the deterioration of the refrigerating machine oil has not been determined based on the oil deterioration determination processing (yes at S14), although data of a certain degree of light absorptance is accumulated in the light absorptance storage unit 29 by the oil deterioration determination processing.

That is, first, when the light absorptance storage unit 29 stores data of the light absorptance in the storage area of the HDD23 for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 in S13 (yes in S21), the following processing is performed.

That is, when the light absorptance indicated by the data of the light absorptance does not exceed the first reference data by the judgment of the first judging section 31 (no in S22), the process proceeds to S23. In S23, the light absorptance prediction unit 33 determines (after time c in the case of performing the above-described reference data determination process) whether or not the number of data of light absorptance accumulated in the HDD23 exceeds a predetermined number. When the number of data of the light absorptance accumulated in the HDD23 exceeds a predetermined number (yes in S23), the light absorptance prediction unit 33 predicts future changes in the light absorptance based on temporal changes in the data of the light absorptance stored in the HDD23 in the light absorptance storage unit 29 (S24). As a specific prediction method, a least square method, a linear approximation method, or the like can be used. Therefore, the "predetermined number" in S23 is the number of data of the light absorption rate obtained by using the least square method, the straight line approximation method, or the like as accurately as possible. When the number of data of the light absorptance accumulated in the HDD23 does not exceed the predetermined number (no in S23), the light absorptance prediction unit 33 returns the process to S21 (yes in S23). When the light absorptance indicated by the data of light absorptance exceeds the first reference data (yes at S22), the transmitting unit 36 transmits the result to the server 40 (S26).

Fig. 9 is a graph illustrating the oil degradation prediction process. Fig. 9 is the same graph as that of fig. 6. Time e represents the current time. The graph showing the predicted value of the light absorption rate in the future obtained by the processing of S24 is a curve f. According to this curve f, the light absorption rate at time g clearly exceeds the first reference data. Thus, the maintenance timing of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is set at the date and time corresponding to the time e. On the other hand, if the data of the light absorptance does not vary greatly between the upper limit value a and the lower limit value b of the light absorptance in fig. 9, the predicted value of the light absorptance in the future does not exceed the first reference data. Therefore, when the front of the graph indicating the predicted value of the light absorptance in the future exceeds the first reference data (yes at S25), the following process is performed. That is, the transmission unit 36 transmits to the server 40 a maintenance timing for coping with the deterioration of the refrigerating machine oil at the date and time corresponding to the time g at which the curve f is supposed to clearly cross the first reference data (S26).

Next, the water contamination determination process will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the moisture contamination determination process. The moisture mixing determination process is a process of determining whether or not moisture is mixed in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000.

First, the receiving unit 27 receives, via the communication control device 4, image data or the like obtained by imaging an image of the display unit of the humidity sensor 12 from the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 through the imaging device 14 via the observation mirror 311 (S31). For example, as described above, the display portion of the humidity sensor 12 exhibits green of a predetermined hue when the humidity sensor 12 does not detect moisture, and changes color to yellow of a predetermined hue when moisture is detected.

The second reference data storage unit 34 stores, as second reference data, yellow hue data indicating a predetermined hue appearing on the display unit when the humidity sensor 12 detects moisture, in a predetermined area of the HDD 23.

Then, the second determination unit 35 determines whether or not the hue data indicated by the image data or the like received by the reception unit 27 matches the second reference data (S32). When the hue data indicated by the image data or the like received by the receiving unit 27 matches the second reference data (yes at S32), it means that the humidity sensor 12 detects moisture in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. Therefore, in this case, the transmission unit 36 transmits the message that moisture is detected in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 to the server 40 via the communication control device 24 (S33). When the hue data does not match the second reference data (no at S32), the process returns to S31, and the process of S31 and beyond is executed again after a predetermined interval.

In the present embodiment, the cloud 20 is used to realize both the refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system and the water contamination determination system according to the present invention, but only one of the refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system and the water contamination determination system may be realized by the cloud 20. In the case where both the refrigerating machine oil degradation determination system and the water contamination determination system of the present invention are realized by the cloud 20, the reception of the image data of S1 and S11 and the reception of the image data of S31 may be performed simultaneously and in parallel.

Further, the residual moisture detection method may be executed without using the detection transmitter 11 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. The moisture remaining inspection method is a method of inspecting moisture remaining in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 without using the detection transmission device 11. In this method for inspecting residual moisture, the following steps are sequentially performed.

(1) Obtaining step

The operator uses the imaging device to capture and acquire an image of the display portion of the humidity sensor 12 through the observation mirror 311 of the refrigeration cycle device 1000.

(2) Transmitting step

Next, the worker attaches data on which refrigeration cycle device 1000 the worker belongs to the image data of the captured image, and transmits the image data to the cloud 20 using a predetermined communication device. In addition, data for specifying the position of the communication device of the worker is added to the data as a data receiving destination.

(3) Receiving step

After the transmission step, the cloud 20 performs the above-described moisture contamination determination process based on the image data transmitted in the transmission step, and transmits the result to the communication device of the worker (S33), so the worker receives the result by the communication device. This makes it possible to know whether or not water is mixed in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. As the imaging device and the communication device used in each of these steps, specifically, a portable information terminal device having an internet connection function and a camera function, such as a smartphone and a tablet computer, can be used.

According to the system constituted by the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 and the cloud 20 described above, the cloud 20 stores the first reference data in which the data indicating the light absorptance of the refrigerating machine oil of the color density of the refrigerating machine oil that is not deteriorated is collected. Then, by acquiring data of light absorption rate from image data obtained by imaging the refrigerator oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 and comparing the data with the first reference data, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the refrigerator oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is degraded (fig. 7 and 6). This determination result can be easily known even at a remote location from the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000.

The first reference data (fig. 5 and 6) can be determined by repeating the imaging of the non-degraded refrigerating machine oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 and learning during the learning period, and the first reference data can be determined accurately.

As described above, the first reference data may be determined by preparing in advance the same kind of refrigerator oil as that of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 and without deterioration, and acquiring data of the light absorption rate from the refrigerator oil, without being determined by learning. In this case, the determination of the presence or absence of deterioration of the refrigerator oil can be performed from the initial stage of installation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000. Therefore, it is possible to detect rapid deterioration of the refrigerating machine oil at the initial stage of installation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 without omission.

Further, by performing the oil degradation prediction process of fig. 8, the degradation timing of the refrigerating machine oil of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 can be predicted in advance, so that it is possible to prepare in advance a maintenance process for replacing the refrigerating machine oil with a sufficient time.

Further, according to the moisture contamination determination process of fig. 10, the contamination of moisture in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 can be accurately detected using the humidity sensor 12, and the presence or absence of contamination of moisture can be easily known at a position distant from the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000.

Further, according to the above-described method for checking residual moisture, even if the detection transmitter 11 is not provided, the worker can immediately find a human error that moisture is mixed into the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 on site when the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1000 is installed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easily understandable manner, and are not necessarily limited to having all the structures described. In addition, deletion, and replacement of other configurations can be performed with respect to the partial configuration of the embodiment.

In addition, a part or all of the processing of each of the processing units and the like may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing an integrated circuit. Further, information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing the respective functions can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, and a DVD.

The control lines, information lines, and pipes are essential for the description, but not necessarily all the control lines, information lines, and pipes are necessarily shown on the product.

Description of the reference numerals

3 a photographing element (optical element); 4 a communication control device (transmission unit); 12 a humidity sensor; 14 a photographing element (optical element); 15 a control unit; 20 clouds (refrigerating machine oil deterioration determination system, water inclusion determination system); 27 a receiving part; 28 light absorptance acquisition unit; 29 a light absorptance storage section; 30 a first reference data storage unit; 31 a first judgment unit; 32 a reference data determining section; 33 a light absorption rate predicting unit; 34 a second reference data storage unit; 35 a second judgment unit; 36 a transmission unit; 110 indoor heat exchangers (evaporator, condenser); 230 a compressor; 240 outdoor heat exchanger (evaporator, condenser); an expansion valve of 250; 300 a pipe; 1000 a refrigeration cycle device; 1100 refrigeration cycle device body.

Claims

1. A system for determining deterioration of refrigerating machine oil, comprising:

a receiving unit that receives optical data of refrigerating machine oil in a refrigeration cycle apparatus;

a light absorption rate acquisition unit that acquires data of light absorption rate of the refrigerating machine oil based on the optical data received by the receiving unit;

a light absorptance storage unit that sequentially stores data of light absorptance periodically or aperiodically acquired by the light absorptance acquisition unit;

a first reference data storage unit that stores first reference data, which is data of a range of light absorptance when the refrigerating machine oil is in a normal state, prepared in advance; and

a first determination unit that determines whether or not the data of the optical absorptance stored in the optical absorptance storage unit does not exceed the first reference data,

the first reference data storage unit stores, for each refrigeration cycle device, the first reference data indicating the value of the light absorptance of normal refrigerating machine oil that is not deteriorated, which is obtained by learning, in a predetermined storage area,

the first reference data storage unit uses, as the first reference data, data in a range of light absorptance obtained when the same kind of refrigerating machine oil as the refrigerating machine oil is used in advance in a refrigerating cycle apparatus different from the refrigerating cycle apparatus and the refrigerating machine oil is in a normal state.

2. The refrigerator oil degradation determination system according to claim 1,

the refrigerating machine oil deterioration determination system includes a light absorption rate prediction unit that predicts a future change in the light absorption rate based on a change with time of the data of the light absorption rate stored in the light absorption rate storage unit.