JP2000249434A - Freezing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce standby electric power consumed in power interruption while detecting refrigerant leakage during the interruption even in a freezing apparatus including a refrigerant circuit. SOLUTION: There is provided a season on/off switch 42 on a remote controller 40 of a freezing apparatus besides a conventional operation switch. Once the season on/off switch 42 is operated, an instruction signal is inputted into a controller of the freezing apparatus. A crank case heater is provided on a compressor of the freezing apparatus, to which electric power is supplied even in power interruption for standby operation of heating freezer oil. When the freezing apparatus is not operated for a long period of time, the season on/off switch 42 to interrupt standby operation whereby the power supply to the crank case heater is interrupted to reduce standby electric power. In contrast, the controller performs detection for refrigerant leakage based upon temperature detected by a thermistor of an indoor heat exchanger. Electric power required for the detection operation is slight, so that the detection operation is continued even in the interruption.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus having a refrigerant circuit, and relates to a measure for reducing standby power during stoppage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, refrigeration systems have been disclosed in
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 18720, there is known an apparatus provided with a sensor for detecting refrigerant leakage. And
In the refrigerating apparatus disclosed in the above publication, when a refrigerant leak is detected, an operation for suppressing the amount of the refrigerant discharged into the room is performed.

[0003] In a refrigerating apparatus, when the refrigerant dissolves in the refrigerating machine oil accumulated in the compressor, oil forming occurs, and the refrigerating machine oil in the compressor is reduced, which may cause poor lubrication. In particular, during the stop, the temperature of the refrigerating machine oil decreases, so that the refrigerant is easily melted, and the problem of poor lubrication is likely to occur at the next start. To cope with this problem, measures are taken to keep the oil temperature by heating the refrigerating machine oil in the compressor by energizing the crankcase heater and the like even during stoppage.

[0004]

When the refrigerating machine oil is heated by the crankcase heater or the like as described above, considerable power is consumed even when the refrigerating apparatus is stopped. Therefore, the power consumed during stoppage, the so-called standby power, becomes excessively large, and this problem is remarkable when the operation is not performed for a long time.

That is, when the refrigeration apparatus is used as an air conditioner, the operation may not be performed for a long period of time in an intermediate period such as spring or autumn. On the other hand, the reason why the oil temperature of the compressor is maintained even during the stop is to prevent poor lubrication of the compressor at the next start. For this reason, if the refrigerating machine oil of the compressor is continuously heated even though it is not started for a long period of time, energy is wasted and electric power costs are increased. Therefore, in the case described above, the power source is disconnected from the refrigeration system by dropping a breaker or the like, thereby preventing power waste.

On the other hand, since refrigerant leakage occurs not only during operation but also during stoppage, detection of refrigerant leakage by the above-described sensor or the like needs to be performed regardless of whether operation is in progress or not. And
Although slightly in comparison to heating of the refrigerating machine oil, electric power is also required to detect this refrigerant leakage. For this reason, if the power supply is cut off because the vehicle has not been operated for a while, it is not possible to detect the leakage of the refrigerant, and there is a possibility that the refrigerant leak may cause oxygen deficiency or the like. In particular, when a substance having a flammable property is used for the refrigerant, a serious situation such as a fire may be caused by the refrigerant leakage, and the problem that the refrigerant leakage cannot be detected becomes remarkable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to suppress energy consumed during stoppage while detecting refrigerant leakage even during stoppage. .

[0008]

According to the present invention, the standby operation for heating the lubricating oil in the compressor is stopped by a predetermined command signal.

More specifically, a first solution of the present invention is directed to a refrigerating apparatus which performs a refrigerating operation by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (52). A detection operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage into the room and a standby operation for setting the refrigerant circuit (52) to a standby state while the refrigeration operation is stopped can be performed. A control means (35) for performing the operation and stopping the standby operation when a command signal is input is provided.

[0010] The second solution taken by the present invention is:
The present invention is directed to a refrigerating apparatus that performs a refrigerating operation by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (52). A detection operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage into the room and a refrigerant circuit (5
While the heating operation for heating the inside of the compressor (4) of 2) is configured to be possible, the detection operation is performed regardless of the freezing operation, and the heating operation is stopped by inputting a command signal. A control means (35) is provided.

Further, a third solution taken by the present invention is:
The present invention is directed to a refrigerating apparatus that performs a refrigerating operation by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (52). Then, a detection operation for detecting the presence / absence of refrigerant leakage into the room is configured to be possible, while only the detection operation is performed while the refrigeration operation is stopped.

A fourth solution taken by the present invention is:
In the first or second solving means, the control means (35)
The command signal is input by manual operation.

Further, a fifth solution taken by the present invention is:
In any one of the first to fourth solving means, the outdoor unit (1) and the indoor unit (2) are provided, while the control unit (35)
Recovers refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (52) from the indoor unit (2) side to the outdoor unit (1) side when detecting refrigerant leakage, and retains the refrigerant in the outdoor unit (1) side of the refrigerant circuit (52) It is configured to perform a collection operation.

[0014] A sixth solution taken by the present invention is:
In the fifth solution, the control means (35) is configured to prohibit the refrigeration operation until a release signal is input by a manual operation after the recovery operation.

Further, a seventh solution taken by the present invention is:
In any one of the first to sixth solving means, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (52) is a substance having combustibility.

-Operation- In each of the first to third solving means, the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit (52) of the refrigeration apparatus to perform a refrigeration cycle operation.
Note that a heat pump operation may be performed.

[0017] In each of the first solving means, the control means (35) performs a detecting operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage;
And performing a standby operation of setting the refrigerant circuit (52) to a standby state. As the standby state of the refrigerant circuit (52), a state in which lubricating oil in the compressor (4) is heated by a crankcase heater or the like is exemplified. Further, the control means (35) causes the detection operation to be performed not only during the refrigeration operation but also during the refrigeration operation, while the standby operation is performed even when the refrigeration operation is stopped by the input of the command signal. To stop.

In each of the second solving means, the control means (35) performs a detecting operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage and a heating operation for heating the inside of the compressor (4). This heating operation heats the lubricating oil in the compressor (4).
Further, the control means (35) causes the detection operation to be performed not only during the refrigeration operation but also during the refrigeration operation, while the standby operation is performed even when the refrigeration operation is stopped by the input of the command signal. To stop.

In each of the third solving means, only a predetermined detecting operation is performed while the refrigerating operation is stopped.

In the fourth solution, the command signal is input to the control means (35) by manual operation.

In the fifth solution, when a refrigerant leak is detected by the detecting operation, a refrigerant collecting operation is performed to recover the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (52) to the outdoor unit (1), and the collected refrigerant is discharged to the outdoor unit. Hold it on the machine (1) side. That is, the amount of refrigerant existing on the indoor unit (2) side of the refrigerant circuit (52) is reduced by the recovery operation.

In the sixth solution, the refrigeration operation is prohibited after the recovery operation is performed until a release signal is input to the control means (35). That is, it cannot be started unless a release signal is input manually.

In the seventh solution, a substance having combustibility is used as the refrigerant.

[0024]

Therefore, according to the first or second means, since the standby operation is stopped by inputting the command signal, it is known that, for example, the refrigeration operation is not performed for a long period of time. In such a case, the heating of the lubricating oil in the compressor (4) can be stopped by the command signal. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the standby operation is continued despite the fact that it is not started for a long period of time, and it is possible to avoid such unnecessary standby operation and reduce energy consumption. On the other hand, since the detection operation is performed irrespective of the freezing operation, the detection of the refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit (52) can always be performed reliably. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect a refrigerant leak while the power supply is connected to the refrigeration apparatus, and to suppress energy consumed during stoppage by stopping the standby operation that consumes excessive power.

In the third solution, only the detection operation is performed while the refrigeration operation is stopped. Here, as described above, the power required for the detection operation is extremely small. For this reason, the detection operation can be performed during the stop to reliably detect the refrigerant leakage, and the detection operation requires only a small amount of power, so that the energy consumed during the stop can be suppressed.

In particular, according to the fourth solution, since the command signal is input manually, the necessity of the standby operation can be reliably determined according to the operator's will.

According to the fifth solution, the amount of the refrigerant present on the indoor unit (2) side of the refrigerant circuit (52) can be reduced by the recovery operation. For this reason, the amount of refrigerant leaking into the room from the refrigerant circuit (52) can be reliably reduced, and adverse effects such as lack of oxygen due to refrigerant leakage can be reliably avoided.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, after the recovery operation, the refrigerating operation is prohibited until the release signal is input, thereby preventing the compressor (4) from burning due to poor lubrication. Reliability can be maintained. That is,
After the recovery operation, most of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (52) is held in the outdoor unit (1), and there is a possibility that a large amount of refrigerant is dissolved in the lubricating oil in the compressor (4). If the restart is performed immediately in this state, there is a danger that the compressor (4) may have poor lubrication due to oil forming. On the other hand, in the present solution, the refrigeration operation cannot be performed unless the release signal is input manually. For this reason, for example, it is possible to start the refrigeration operation only after a professional worker or the like has performed a treatment and input a release signal. As a result, the operation of the compressor (4) in a state where the risk of seizing is large can be avoided, and reliability can be maintained.

Further, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a flammable substance that may cause a fire or the like when a refrigerant leaks can be used as the refrigerant. In other words, according to the above-described solution, refrigerant leakage can be reliably detected, so that even if a refrigerant leakage occurs, it can be detected early, and the room occupant can be alerted before it becomes important. Thus, a substance having combustibility, for example, a so-called natural refrigerant such as propane or an HFC substance such as R32 can be used as a refrigerant while ensuring sufficient safety.

[0030]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigeration apparatus (51) according to the present embodiment is an air conditioner for cooling and heating, and comprises an outdoor unit (1) installed outdoors and an indoor unit installed indoors. (2) and a communication pipe (3) for connecting the outdoor unit (1) and the indoor unit (2).

First, the configuration of the outdoor unit (1) will be described. The discharge-side pipe (27) of the compressor (4) is connected to the first port (5a) of the four-way switching valve (5), and the suction-side pipe (28) of the compressor (4) is connected to the four-way switching valve. Third port of (5) (5
c) is connected to. The discharge side pipe (27) is provided with a high pressure switch (29), and the suction side pipe (28) is provided with a low pressure switch (30). Although not shown, the compressor (4) is provided with a crankcase heater for heating the refrigerating machine oil stored therein.

The second port (5b) of the four-way switching valve (5)
It is connected to one end of the outdoor heat exchanger (6) via a pipe (21). The other end of the outdoor heat exchanger (6) is connected to a second connection end (11b) of the bridge circuit (11) via a pipe (22).

The bridge circuit (11) includes a first check valve (3
1), a second check valve (32), a third check valve (33), and a fourth check valve (34). Bridge circuit (1
1) has a first connection end (11a), a second connection end (11b), a third connection end (11c), and a fourth connection end (11d). The first check valve (31) is provided between the first connection end (11a) and the second connection end (11b), and is directed from the first connection end (11a) to the second connection end (11b). Is arranged so as to allow only the refrigerant flow. The second check valve (32)
Provided between the connection end (11b) and the third connection end (11c),
It is arranged to allow only the refrigerant flow in the direction from the third connection end (11c) to the second connection end (11b). Third
The check valve (33) is connected between the third connection end (11c) and the fourth connection end (11c).
d), and is arranged to allow only the refrigerant flow in the direction from the fourth connection end (11d) to the third connection end (11c). The fourth check valve (34) is provided between the first connection end (11a) and the fourth connection end (11d), and is directed from the fourth connection end (11d) to the first connection end (11a). Is arranged so as to allow only the refrigerant flow.

The second connection end (11b) of the bridge circuit (11)
Is connected to a receiver (10). Receiver (1
One end of a pipe (23) is connected to the liquid outlet (10a) of (0). The other end of the pipe (23) is connected to the upstream side of the electric expansion valve (7). One end of a pipe (24) is connected to the downstream side of the electric expansion valve (7). The other end of the pipe (24) is connected to a fourth connection end (11d) of the bridge circuit (11). A gas vent pipe (12) connected to the gas outlet (10b) of the receiver (10) is connected in the middle of the pipe (24). The gas vent pipe (12) is provided with a gas vent valve (13) composed of an electromagnetic valve.

The third connection end (11c) of the bridge circuit (11)
Is connected to a closing valve (14) via a pipe (25). The fourth port (5d) of the four-way switching valve (5) is connected to the pipe (2
6) is connected to the closing valve (15). Before closing the outdoor unit (1) and the indoor unit (2) via the communication pipe (3), that is, before assembling the refrigeration system, the shutoff valves (14, 15) are used. This is a valve for keeping the valve closed.

The outdoor heat exchanger (6) is provided with an outdoor blower (9) for supplying outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger (6).

The indoor unit (2) is provided with an indoor heat exchanger (8). One end of the indoor heat exchanger (8)
The first connection pipe (3a) is connected to the closing valve (14). The other end of the indoor heat exchanger (8) is connected to the second connecting pipe (3
b) is connected to the closing valve (15). Although not shown, the indoor unit (2) houses an indoor blower that supplies indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger (8). Further, the indoor heat exchanger (8) is provided with a thermistor (Th) for detecting a temperature.

As described above, the outdoor unit (1)
And the indoor unit (2) are connected by a communication pipe (3). And a compressor (4), an outdoor heat exchanger (6),
Connect the indoor heat exchanger (8), etc. to the connecting pipe (3) or pipe (21,22,
..) To form a closed circuit refrigerant circuit (52). This refrigerant circuit (52) includes a slightly flammable refrigerant R
32 is filled as a refrigerant.

The refrigeration system (51) is provided with a controller (35) as control means for performing a detection operation, a standby operation, and a predetermined control operation described later. The temperature detected by the thermistor (Th) is input to the controller (35).

The refrigeration apparatus (51) includes a remote controller (40). This remote control (40) has a start / stop switch (41) and various switches for temperature setting, etc.
A season ON / OFF switch (42) is provided. When the season ON / OFF switch (42) is operated, a command signal is input to the controller (35). Although not shown, the remote control (40) is provided with a reset switch at a location on the rear side where it is difficult for a general user to operate.
This is to prevent an erroneous operation of the reset switch by a general user and to operate the reset switch only by a specialized worker such as a maintenance company. When this reset switch is operated, the controller (35)
Is supplied with a release signal. In addition, the remote control (40)
A liquid crystal display (43) is provided. The liquid crystal display (43) displays an operation state display, a warning message in the event of a refrigerant leak, and the like.

-Normal Operation- Next, the circulation operation of the refrigerant will be described. During the cooling operation, the four-way switching valve (5) is set on the solid line side in the drawing. That is,
The four-way switching valve (5) has a first port (5a) and a second port (5
b) and the state where the third port (5c) and the fourth port (5d) are connected. Degassing valve (1
3) is closed. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (4)
After passing through the four-way switching valve (5) and condensing in the outdoor heat exchanger (6), it passes through the first check valve (31) of the bridge circuit (11) and flows into the receiver (10). The refrigerant in the receiver (10) is depressurized by the electric expansion valve (7), and the bridge circuit (11)
After passing through the third check valve (33), the air flows into the indoor heat exchanger (8) through the first communication pipe (3a), and then passes through the indoor heat exchanger (8).
Evaporates to cool the room air. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger (8) passes through the second communication pipe (3b), and is sucked into the compressor (4) through the four-way switching valve (5).

On the other hand, during the heating operation, the four-way switching valve (5)
Is set on the broken line side in the figure. That is, the four-way switching valve (5) is set to connect the first port (5a) and the fourth port (5d) and connect the second port (5b) and the third port (5c). You. The vent valve (13) is closed. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (4) passes through the four-way switching valve (5), passes through the second communication pipe (3b), and flows into the indoor heat exchanger (8). This refrigerant condenses in the indoor heat exchanger (8) and heats the indoor air. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger (8) passes through the first communication pipe (3a), then passes through the second check valve (32) of the bridge circuit (11), and flows into the receiver (10). . The refrigerant in the receiver (10) is decompressed by the electric expansion valve (7), and the bridge circuit (1
After passing through the fourth check valve (34) in 1), the water is evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger (6). The refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger (6) passes through the four-way switching valve (5) and is sucked into the compressor (4).

-Pump-down operation (recovery operation)-Next, a pump-down operation for storing the refrigerant in the outdoor unit (1), that is, a recovery operation will be described. The pump-down operation is performed when the controller (35) detects a refrigerant leak by the detection operation. In addition, the arrow of FIG. 1 has shown the circulation direction of the refrigerant | coolant in the pump-down operation | movement of a cooling operation.

With the compressor (4) operated and the four-way switching valve (5) set to the solid line side in the drawing, the vent valve (13) is opened and the electric expansion valve (7) is gradually closed. Go on.

When the electric expansion valve (7) is fully closed, the liquid refrigerant in the receiver (10) is prevented from flowing out of the receiver (10), while the gas refrigerant in the receiver (10) is degassed by a vent pipe. Since the refrigerant flows out through (12), the liquid refrigerant accumulates in the receiver (10). Therefore,
The refrigerant of the indoor unit (2) is efficiently collected in the receiver (10) in a short time. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time from the time when the electric expansion valve (7) is fully closed, the operation of the compressor (4) is stopped, and the degassing valve (13) is closed.

As a result, the refrigerant is prevented from flowing out of the receiver (10), and the refrigerant is sealed in the receiver (10) and the piping near the receiver (10). Specifically, the refrigerant is supplied to the first check valve (31) and the second check valve (32) of the bridge circuit (11), the gas vent valve (13) of the gas vent pipe (12), and the electric power of the pipe (23). Between the expansion valve (7) (the thick line in FIG. 1)
To be sealed.

In other words, the refrigerant is supplied to the receiver (10)
And the path from the receiver (10) to the expansion valve (7) (23)
A path (K1) from the first check valve (31) to the receiver (10), a path (K2) from the second check valve (32) to the receiver (10), and a degassing pipe (12). Receiver at (1
The gas is accumulated in the path (K3) from the valve (0) to the vent valve (13).

-Control Operation- Next, the control operation by the controller (35) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

This control operation is performed while the power is turned on. This state means a state in which power supply power can be supplied to the refrigeration apparatus (51), and does not mean whether or not the refrigeration apparatus (51) is performing an air conditioning operation.

In step ST1, it is determined whether or not a command signal has been input by operating the season ON / OFF switch (42) of the remote controller (40). If the command signal has not been input, that is, if the season is ON, the process proceeds to step ST2. On the other hand, if the command signal is being input, that is, if the season is OFF, step ST5 is executed.
Move on to Here, the season ON / OFF switch (42) is operated when shifting from summer or winter when air conditioning is required to an intermediate period when air conditioning is not required, or vice versa. The period during which air conditioning is required is in the season ON state, and the period during which air conditioning is not required is in the season OFF state.

In the season ON state, in step ST2, the liquid crystal display (43) of the remote controller (40) is displayed as shown in FIG.
Is displayed to inform the user that normal air-conditioning operation is possible. In the following step ST3, normal operation / stop control is started. That is, the remote control (4
According to the user's instruction input by the operation 0), the air-conditioning operation is started / stopped, and the cooling / heating is switched.

Meanwhile, in step ST4, the controller (35) performs a detection operation to detect the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage.
This detection operation is performed regardless of the presence or absence of the air conditioning operation. The controller (35) detects the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage based on the temperature detected by the thermistor (Th). That is, when refrigerant leaks in the indoor unit (2), the detected temperature of the thermistor (Th) attached to the indoor heat exchanger (8) decreases. Therefore, the controller (35) detects a refrigerant leak based on a change in the detected temperature of the thermistor (Th). If no refrigerant leakage is detected, the detection operation is continued, and if refrigerant leakage is detected, the process proceeds to step ST8.

In the season ON state, a predetermined standby operation is performed. Specifically, a heating operation of energizing the crankcase heater to heat the refrigerating machine oil inside the compressor (4) is performed as a standby operation during a stop, that is, in a state where the air conditioning operation is not performed. This suppresses the dissolution of the refrigerant into the refrigerating machine oil, and prevents poor lubrication of the compressor (4) due to oil forming at the time of startup.

On the other hand, in the season OFF state,
In ST5, a display as shown in FIG. 2B is displayed on the liquid crystal display section (43) of the remote controller (40) to notify the user that the season is OFF. In the following step ST6, energization of the crankcase heater is stopped to stop the standby operation. In step ST7, the controller (35) performs a detecting operation corresponding to step ST4. If no refrigerant leakage is detected, the detection operation is continued, and if refrigerant leakage is detected, the process proceeds to step ST8. That is, in the season OFF state, only the detection operation is performed while the air conditioning operation is stopped.

In any of the season ON state and the season OFF state, if a refrigerant leak is detected, the process proceeds to step ST8. In step ST8, the above-described pump-down operation is performed, and the refrigerant is collected from the indoor unit (2) and sealed in the outdoor unit (1).

In the subsequent step ST9, a display as shown in FIG. 2C is displayed on the liquid crystal display section (43) of the remote controller (40) to notify the user that a refrigerant leak has occurred. Further, in the present embodiment, since the slightly flammable R32 is used as the refrigerant, a predetermined display is displayed to alert the user to prevent a fire or the like due to refrigerant leakage.

In the following step ST10, it is determined whether or not a release signal has been input to the controller (35). If the release signal has not been input, the air-conditioning operation is prohibited and this state is maintained. That is, until the release signal is input, the air-conditioning operation is not performed even if the user operates the operation / stop switch (41) of the remote control (40). Then, measures to prevent refrigerant leakage were taken by a specialized worker, and measures such as energizing the crankcase heater to evaporate the refrigerant from the refrigerating machine oil were taken. Thereafter, the worker operated the reset switch of the remote control (40). When the release signal is input, the process returns to step ST1 to release the prohibition of the air-conditioning operation.

-Effects of Embodiment- According to the present embodiment, the standby operation can be stopped and the power supply to the crankcase heater can be stopped in the season OFF state in which the air conditioning operation is not performed for a long time. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the standby operation is continued even if the standby operation is not performed for a long period of time, and it is possible to avoid such unnecessary standby operation and reduce standby power during stoppage. On the other hand, the detection operation is performed irrespective of the refrigeration operation, so that the detection of the refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit can always be performed reliably. As a result, the standby power can be reliably suppressed by stopping the standby operation that consumes excessive power while reliably detecting the refrigerant leakage while the power supply is connected to the apparatus.

In the event of a refrigerant leak, the amount of the refrigerant present in the indoor unit (2) can be reduced by the pump-down operation. For this reason, the amount of refrigerant leaking into the room from the refrigerant circuit (52) can be reliably reduced, and adverse effects such as lack of oxygen due to refrigerant leakage can be reliably avoided.

Particularly, in this embodiment, the refrigerant is slightly flammable R
32 is used. For this reason, when a refrigerant leaks, there is a danger that some kind of fire will ignite in the refrigerant and, in the worst case, a fire will occur. On the other hand, refrigerant leakage is always detected as described above, and the amount of refrigerant leaking into the room due to the pump-down operation is minimized. Therefore, it is possible to use a combustible substance such as R32 as the refrigerant while ensuring sufficient safety.

Here, after the pump-down operation, most of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (52) is held in the outdoor unit (1), and a large amount of refrigerant is contained in the refrigerating machine oil in the compressor (4). There is a risk of melting. If the engine is started immediately in this state, the amount of refrigerating machine oil in the compressor (4) decreases due to oil forming, and there is a risk that seizure may occur due to poor lubrication.

On the other hand, after the pump down operation, the air conditioning operation is prohibited until the reset switch is operated.
This reset switch can only be operated by maintenance personnel, etc.
It is configured so that the general user does not operate accidentally. Therefore, it is possible to start the air-conditioning operation only after a maintenance contractor or the like performs a predetermined process and then operates the reset switch and inputs a release signal. As a result, the operation of the compressor (4) in a state where the risk of seizure is large can be avoided, and reliability can be maintained.

[0064]

In the above embodiment, the remote controller (40) is provided with a reset switch, and when this reset switch is operated, a release signal is input to the controller (35). In contrast, remote control (40)
A reset signal may be input to the controller (35) by specially operating various existing switches without providing a reset switch. Examples of the special operation include an operation of pressing a specific switch a predetermined number of times, a pressing of a specific switch for a predetermined time, and the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the reset switch is provided on the back side of the remote controller (40). Alternatively, the reset switch is provided in the outdoor unit (1) which is installed outdoors. May be prevented from being erroneously operated.

In the above embodiment, the compressor (4) is provided with the crankcase heater to heat the refrigerating machine oil. On the other hand, when the capacity of the compressor (4) is made variable by using an inverter, the motor of the compressor (4) is heated by open-phase energization, thereby heating the refrigerating machine oil. You may.

In the above embodiment, the refrigerant circuit (52)
R32 was used as the refrigerant, but instead, a mixed refrigerant containing a slightly flammable refrigerant such as R32 may be used, and further, a flammable refrigerant such as propane, butane, and isobutane may be used. Is also good.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigeration apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the remote controller in each state.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the controller.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) Outdoor unit (outdoor unit) (2) Indoor unit (indoor unit) (4) Compressor (35) Controller (control means) (52) Refrigerant circuit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A refrigeration apparatus for performing a refrigeration operation by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (52), comprising: a detection operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage into a room; and a refrigerant circuit (52) while the refrigeration operation is stopped. ), A control unit (35) for performing the detection operation regardless of the refrigeration operation and stopping the standby operation when a command signal is input is provided. Refrigeration equipment provided. 2. A refrigeration apparatus for performing a refrigeration operation by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (52), comprising: a detection operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage into a room; and a refrigerant circuit (52) while the refrigeration operation is stopped. ), A heating operation for heating the inside of the compressor (4) is enabled, and the detection operation is performed irrespective of the freezing operation, and the heating operation is stopped by inputting a command signal. A refrigeration device comprising the means (35). 3. A refrigeration apparatus for performing a refrigeration operation by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit (52), wherein a detection operation for detecting the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage into a room is enabled, while the refrigeration operation is stopped. A refrigeration apparatus configured to perform only the above detection operation. 4. The refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a command signal to the control means (35) is manually input. 5. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an outdoor unit (1) and an indoor unit (2), wherein the control means (35) detects a refrigerant leak and detects a refrigerant circuit. (Five
The refrigerant of (2) is collected from the indoor unit (2) side to the outdoor unit (1) side, and the refrigerant circuit (52) is configured to perform a collecting operation of holding the refrigerant at the outdoor unit (1) side. Refrigeration equipment. 6. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means (35) is configured to inhibit the refrigeration operation until a release signal is input by a manual operation after the recovery operation. 7. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (52) is a flammable substance.