JP2008267621A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of correctly detecting refrigerant leakage by monitoring a temperature of an indoor heat exchanger or an outdoor heat exchanger, and judging the refrigerant leakage when temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature within a determination time is smaller than a prescribed temperature difference. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner comprises a compressor 3 for operating a refrigerating cycle, the indoor heat exchanger 20 connected with one end of the compressor 3 and installed indoors, the outdoor heat exchanger 9 connected with the other end of the compressor 3 and installed outdoors, and a refrigerant leakage detecting portion for detecting the refrigerant leakage of the refrigerating cycle. The refrigerant leakage detecting portion determines the refrigerant leakage when the temperature difference ΔTj between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 changed within the prescribed determination time t after driving the compressor 3, is smaller than the prescribed temperature difference Δ. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that operates a refrigeration cycle by circulating a refrigerant to perform indoor air conditioning.

  A conventional air conditioner is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This air conditioner is separated into an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger. The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are each connected to the compressor by piping through which the refrigerant flows. The refrigerant flows by driving the compressor and the refrigeration cycle is operated. Thus, during the cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger is on the low temperature side of the refrigeration cycle, and the outdoor heat exchanger is on the high temperature side of the refrigeration cycle. Further, during the heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger is on the high temperature side of the refrigeration cycle, and the outdoor heat exchanger is on the low temperature side of the refrigeration cycle.

  If a refrigerant leak occurs due to cracks in the piping through which the refrigerant flows, poor bonding, or the like, even if the compressor is driven, the room cannot be cooled or heated, and power is wasted. For this reason, the refrigerant leakage is detected by the temperature difference of the indoor heat exchanger between when the compressor starts to drive and after a predetermined time has elapsed. That is, it is determined that the refrigerant has leaked when a predetermined time elapses after the compressor is driven and the indoor heat exchanger has not been cooled (during cooling operation) or heated (during heating operation) to a temperature greater than a predetermined temperature difference. . When the refrigerant leakage is detected, notification and the compressor are stopped, and waste of electric power can be prevented.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-95255 (pages 2 to 4 and FIG. 3)

  However, according to the conventional air conditioner, when the compressor is driven during the heating operation, the low-temperature refrigerant cooled by the outside air flows from the outdoor heat exchanger into the indoor heat exchanger. For this reason, after detecting the temperature of an indoor heat exchanger at the time of a drive start of a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger may be temperature-fallen by inflow of a low temperature refrigerant | coolant. As a result, when the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is detected after a lapse of a predetermined time, the temperature difference from the start of driving of the compressor is reduced even if no refrigerant leakage occurs.

  Further, when the outside air temperature is extremely low, it takes time until the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is raised during the heating operation. For this reason, even if refrigerant leakage does not occur, the temperature difference of the indoor heat exchanger between the start of driving of the compressor and the elapse of a predetermined time becomes small. Therefore, there has been a problem that refrigerant leakage cannot be detected accurately.

  An object of this invention is to provide the air conditioner which can detect a refrigerant | coolant leak correctly.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a compressor that operates a refrigeration cycle by circulation of refrigerant, an indoor heat exchanger that is connected to one end of the compressor and disposed indoors, and the other end of the compressor In the air conditioner including an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the outside and a refrigerant leak detection unit that detects refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant leak detection unit is configured to operate after the compressor is driven. When the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger that changes within a predetermined determination time is smaller than a predetermined determination temperature difference, it is determined that the refrigerant leaks, and the outdoor heat exchanger The determination time when the outdoor temperature where the is placed is lower than a predetermined temperature is longer than the determination time when it is high.

  According to this configuration, the indoor heat exchanger arranged indoors and the outdoor heat exchanger arranged outdoors are respectively connected to the compressor by the piping through which the refrigerant flows. The refrigerant flows by driving the compressor and the refrigeration cycle is operated. When the drive of the compressor is started, the outdoor temperature is detected. A determination time for determining refrigerant leakage is set according to the outdoor temperature. At this time, when the outdoor temperature is low, the determination time is lengthened, and when the outdoor temperature is high, the determination time is shortened. Also, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger or outdoor heat exchanger is monitored, and when the set judgment time elapses, the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger or outdoor heat exchanger within the judgment time is derived. Is done. If this temperature difference is smaller than a predetermined determination temperature difference, the refrigerant leakage detection unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking.

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, it is preferable that the determination time during the cooling operation is shorter than that during the heating operation.

  In the air conditioner having the above configuration, it is preferable that the determination temperature difference during the cooling operation is smaller than that during the heating operation.

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, it is preferable to determine that the refrigerant leaks when the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger is smaller than the determination temperature difference during heating operation.

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, it is preferable to determine that the refrigerant leaks when the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is smaller than the determination temperature difference during the cooling operation.

  In the air conditioner having the above-described configuration, the refrigerant leak detection unit repeatedly determines the refrigerant leak when it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking in the refrigeration cycle, and when the refrigerant leak is continuously determined a predetermined number of times, It is preferable to stop driving.

  According to this configuration, for example, when the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger within the determination time is determined to be smaller than the predetermined temperature difference and the refrigerant leaks, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is monitored again. The refrigerant leakage is determined by deriving the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger within the determination time. When it is determined that the refrigerant leak is repeated a predetermined number of times by the refrigerant leak detection unit, it is determined that there is no erroneous detection of the refrigerant leak, and the air conditioner is stopped. Of course, the operation in this configuration may be performed by an outdoor heat exchanger instead of the indoor heat exchanger.

  According to the present invention, after the compressor is driven, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger is monitored, and it is determined that the refrigerant leaks when the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature within the determination time is smaller than the predetermined temperature difference. Therefore, for example, even when a low-temperature refrigerant flows from the outdoor heat exchanger during heating operation and the indoor heat exchanger temporarily drops, if there is no refrigerant leakage, the difference between the predetermined judgment temperature difference of the indoor heat exchanger A large temperature rise can be detected.

  In addition, since the determination time is varied according to the outdoor temperature, for example, when the temperature rise of the indoor heat exchanger takes time due to the refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger during heating operation, the determination time is lengthened and the refrigerant leaks. When there is no temperature difference, it is possible to detect a temperature rise in the indoor heat exchanger that is larger than a predetermined judgment temperature difference. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect refrigerant leakage.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner of the first embodiment. The air conditioner 1 has an outdoor unit 2 disposed outside and an indoor unit 11 disposed indoors. The indoor unit 11 is provided with a control unit 12 that controls each unit. The outdoor unit 2 includes a compressor 3, a four-way valve 4, an electronic expansion valve 5, an outdoor temperature thermistor 6, an outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 7, and an outdoor fan 8 that are connected to the control unit 12. An outdoor heat exchanger 9 (see FIG. 2) connected to the compressor 3 is disposed in the outdoor unit 2.

  The compressor 3 circulates R410A, which is an HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) refrigerant, and operates the refrigeration cycle. Other HFC refrigerants include R407C and R404A, and these may be used. The four-way valve 4 is provided in the refrigerant path, and switches the refrigerant distribution path between the cooling operation and the heating operation. The electronic expansion valve 5 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 9 and expands the refrigerant.

  The outside air temperature thermistor 6 detects the outside air temperature and transmits it to the control unit 12. The outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 7 detects the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 and transmits it to the controller 12. The outdoor fan 8 releases the heat or cold of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 to the outside. The outdoor temperature thermistor 6 is provided on the upstream side of the outdoor fan 8 and the outdoor heat exchanger 9 and at a position not affected by the heat of the outdoor heat exchanger 9. In this embodiment, the outdoor temperature thermistor 6, the outdoor heat exchanger 9, and the outdoor blower 8 are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the wind flow by the outdoor blower 8.

  The indoor unit 11 is provided with an indoor blower 13 connected to the control unit 12, an indoor heat exchanger thermistor 14, an indoor thermistor 15, a louver 16, a storage unit 17, a display unit 18, and a receiving unit 19. Further, an indoor heat exchanger 20 (see FIG. 2) connected to the compressor 3 is disposed in the indoor unit 11.

  The indoor blower 13 sends the heat or cold of the indoor heat exchanger 20 into the room. The indoor heat exchanger thermistor 14 detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 and transmits it to the controller 12. The indoor thermistor 15 detects the indoor temperature and transmits it to the controller 12. The louver 16 varies the air direction of the air sent out by the indoor blower 13.

  The memory | storage part 17 consists of ROM and RAM, and memorize | stores the operation program and setting data of the air conditioner 1, and memorize | stores the calculation result by the control part 12 temporarily. The display unit 18 displays the operating status and alarms of the air conditioner 1. The receiving unit 19 receives a transmission signal transmitted when operating the remote controller 21.

  FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner 1. An outdoor heat exchanger 9 is connected to one end of the compressor 3 via a four-way valve 4, and an indoor heat exchanger 20 is connected to the other end via a four-way valve 4. By switching the four-way valve 4, the indoor heat exchanger 20 is connected to the refrigerant outflow side of the compressor 3 during the heating operation, and the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is connected to the refrigerant outflow side of the compressor 3 during the cooling operation. An electronic expansion valve 5 is arranged on the side opposite to the compressor 3 side of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 and the indoor heat exchanger 20.

  In the present embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger thermistor 14 is installed near the middle of the refrigerant inflow portion and the refrigerant outflow portion in the indoor heat exchanger 20. The outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 7 is provided in the vicinity of the refrigerant outflow portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 9.

  When judging the refrigerant leakage, it is possible to detect the temperature of the refrigerant inflow pipe of the heat exchanger (the indoor heat exchanger 20 or the outdoor heat exchanger 9) (the temperature of the refrigerant inflow portion to the heat exchanger). preferable. This is because detecting the temperature of the refrigerant inflow side pipe (the temperature of the refrigerant inflow portion to the heat exchanger) is more likely to cause a temperature difference and making it easier to determine refrigerant leakage.

  During the heating operation, the four-way valve 4 is switched as indicated by a solid line in the figure. As a result, the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the arrow A, and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 3 is condensed while dissipating heat in the indoor heat exchanger 20. The high-temperature refrigerant expands at the electronic expansion valve 5 to become low-temperature and low-pressure and is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 9. The refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 9 evaporates while absorbing heat to become a low-temperature gas refrigerant, and is sent to the compressor 3. Thereby, the refrigerant circulates and the refrigeration cycle is operated. The air exchanged with the indoor heat exchanger 20 on the high temperature side of the refrigeration cycle is sent out indoors by the indoor blower 13, and the room is warmed.

  During the cooling operation, the four-way valve 4 is switched as indicated by a broken line in the figure. As a result, the refrigerant flows in the direction opposite to the arrow A, the indoor heat exchanger 20 becomes the low temperature side of the refrigeration cycle, and the outdoor heat exchanger 9 becomes the high temperature side of the refrigeration cycle. The air exchanged with the indoor heat exchanger 20 is sent out indoors by the indoor blower 13, and the room is cooled.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioner 1. The air conditioner 1 detects refrigerant leakage in the refrigeration cycle at the start of operation by the control unit 12. When the start of operation of the air conditioner 1 is instructed, the compressor 3 is driven in step # 11. In step # 12, the outside air temperature To is detected by the outside air temperature thermistor 6. In step # 13, it is determined whether or not the outside air temperature To is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature T3 (for example, −10 ° C.).

  When the outside air temperature To is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T3, the time t1 is substituted for the determination time t for determining refrigerant leakage in step # 14. When the outside air temperature To is lower than the predetermined temperature T3, the time t2 is substituted for the determination time t for determining the refrigerant leakage in step # 15. Here, time t2 is longer than time t1.

  In step # 16, it is determined whether or not the cooling operation is being performed. If it is not the cooling operation, the process proceeds to step # 17, and if it is the cooling operation, the process proceeds to step # 20. In step # 17, it is determined whether or not the heating operation is performed. In the case of heating operation, the process proceeds to step # 18, and in the case of non-heating operation such as dehumidifying operation, the process proceeds to step # 51. In step # 51, normal operation is performed without detecting refrigerant leakage.

  The controller 12 monitors the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 and determines refrigerant leakage based on the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20. For this reason, in steps # 18 and # 20, a determination temperature difference ΔT for determining a refrigerant leak is set. In the case of the cooling operation, the predetermined temperature T1 is substituted for the determination temperature difference ΔT in step # 20. In the case of heating operation, the predetermined temperature T2 is substituted for the judgment temperature difference ΔT in step # 18. Here, the temperature T2 is higher than the temperature T1.

  In step # 21, the temperature Tj of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is detected by the indoor heat exchanger thermistor 14. In step # 22, it is determined whether or not the temperature Tj detected by the indoor heat exchanger thermistor 14 is the highest temperature or the lowest temperature within the determination time t. When the temperature Tj is the maximum temperature or the minimum temperature, the process proceeds to step # 23. In step # 23, when the temperature Tj is the maximum temperature, the maximum temperature Tmax is stored in the storage unit 17. Further, when the temperature Tj is the lowest temperature, it is stored in the storage unit 17 as the highest temperature Tmin.

  In step # 24, it is determined whether the determination time t has elapsed. If the determination time t has not elapsed, the process returns to step # 21, and steps # 21 to # 24 are repeated. Thereby, the maximum temperature Tmax and the minimum temperature Tmin of the indoor heat exchanger 20 within the determination time t are detected.

  When the determination time t elapses, the process proceeds to step # 25, and a temperature difference ΔTj between the maximum temperature Tmax and the minimum temperature Tmin of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is derived. In step # 31, it is determined whether or not the temperature difference ΔTj is greater than or equal to the determination temperature difference ΔT set in steps # 18 and # 20. When the temperature difference ΔTj is equal to or larger than the determination temperature difference ΔT, there is no refrigerant leakage, and the indoor heat exchanger 20 is normally heated or lowered, so the routine proceeds to step # 51 and normal operation is performed.

  If the temperature difference ΔTj is smaller than the determination temperature difference ΔT, it is determined that the refrigerant has leaked, and the compressor 3 is stopped in step # 32. In step # 33, it is determined whether or not the refrigerant leak detection in steps # 11 to # 31 has been performed N times a predetermined number of times. If the refrigerant leakage is detected once in steps # 11 to # 31, it may be erroneously detected. Therefore, the same determination is made by repeating a plurality of times. If the refrigerant leak has not been detected N times, the process proceeds to step # 34 and waits for a predetermined time. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step # 11 where the compressor 3 is restarted, and steps # 11 to # 34 are repeated.

  If the temperature difference ΔTj of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is determined to be smaller than the determination temperature difference ΔT for N consecutive times, it is determined that there is no false detection. And it transfers to step # 41 by judgment of step # 33. Therefore, steps # 11 to # 34 constitute a refrigerant leak detection unit that detects refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle. In step # 41, the display unit 18 notifies the occurrence of refrigerant leakage. The occurrence of refrigerant leakage may be notified by the remote controller 21. In step # 42, the notification state of the display unit 18 is maintained and the entire air conditioner 1 is stopped.

  According to this embodiment, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is monitored after the compressor 3 is driven, and the temperature difference ΔTj between the maximum temperature Tmax and the minimum temperature Tmin within the determination time t is smaller than the predetermined determination temperature difference ΔT. Since it is sometimes determined that the refrigerant leaks, if the refrigerant does not leak even if the indoor heat exchanger 20 is temporarily cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 9 during the heating operation, a predetermined amount (larger than the determination temperature difference ΔT) Temperature) can be detected.

  Further, since the determination time t is varied according to the outdoor temperature To, even if it takes time to raise the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 due to the low-temperature refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 9, the determination time t is set to the time t2. If the refrigerant is set to be long and there is no refrigerant leakage, it is possible to detect a temperature rise of a predetermined amount (an amount larger than the determination temperature difference ΔT). Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect refrigerant leakage. Although the determination time t is varied depending on the detected temperature To of the outdoor temperature thermistor 6, it may be varied depending on the detected temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 7.

  Further, since the temperature difference between the outdoor heat exchanger 9 and the room is small during the cooling operation, the temperature rise of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is small even if a slightly high temperature refrigerant flows from the outdoor heat exchanger 9. For this reason, it is possible to accurately detect the refrigerant leakage even if the determination temperature difference ΔT is reduced to the temperature T1. If the determination temperature difference ΔT is increased, there is a possibility that the temperature will not be lowered by the determination temperature difference ΔT within the determination time t even if there is no refrigerant leakage. Therefore, the determination temperature difference ΔT that is determined as refrigerant leakage during the cooling operation can be made smaller than the set temperature T2 during heating operation, and erroneous detection of refrigerant leakage can be further reduced.

  Moreover, since the refrigerant | coolant leak detection part which consists of step # 11-# 34 stops the whole drive of the air conditioner 1 when it judges that it is a refrigerant | coolant leak N times continuously, the air conditioner 1 is detected by the misdetection of a refrigerant | coolant leak. Can be reduced from being stopped.

  Since the temperature difference between the outdoor heat exchanger 9 and the room is small during the cooling operation, the temperature rise of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is small even if a slightly high-temperature refrigerant flows from the outdoor heat exchanger 9. For this reason, the determination time t during the cooling operation may be shorter than that during the heating operation. That is, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is quickly lowered, and the refrigerant leakage can be accurately detected even if the determination time t is shortened. Therefore, it is possible to quickly shift to normal operation.

  Further, in step # 12, if the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is substantially the same as the outside air temperature when not operated for a long time, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 may be detected. However, when the operation is repeated, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 may be different from the outside air temperature. Therefore, when detecting the outdoor temperature, it is more preferable to directly detect the outdoor temperature.

  Next, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioner of the second embodiment. This embodiment is configured similarly to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above, and detects the refrigerant leakage by monitoring the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 during heating operation. Other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment. In the figure, steps # 11 to # 15 and steps # 22 to # 42 are the same as those in FIG.

  In the case of heating operation, if the predetermined temperature T2 is substituted for the determination temperature difference ΔT in step # 18 by the determination in step # 17, the process proceeds to step # 19. In step # 19, the temperature Tj of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is detected by the outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 7.

  Further, when the determination time t has not elapsed in the determination of step # 24, the process returns to step # 21 during the cooling operation, and returns to step # 19 during the heating operation. Steps # 21 to # 24 are repeatedly performed during the cooling operation, and steps # 19 and # 22 to # 24 are repeatedly performed during the heating operation. Thereby, the maximum temperature Tmax and the minimum temperature Tmin of the indoor heat exchanger 20 or the outdoor heat exchanger 9 within the determination time t are detected.

  According to this embodiment, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is monitored after the compressor 3 is driven during the heating operation, and the temperature difference ΔTj between the maximum temperature Tmax and the minimum temperature Tmin within the determination time t is a predetermined determination temperature difference ΔT. Since the refrigerant flow becomes unstable when the operation is started, the refrigerant flow becomes unstable. Therefore, if the refrigerant does not leak even if the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is temporarily heated, a predetermined amount (determined from the determination temperature difference ΔT). A large amount) can be detected.

  If the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is monitored during the heating operation, the temperature is temporarily lowered due to the inflow of a low-temperature refrigerant and it takes time to raise the temperature. However, the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is temporarily lowered because the temperature is lowered by the operation of the compressor 3. There is little warming up. For this reason, the temperature change can be detected quickly by monitoring the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9.

  Further, since the determination time t is varied in accordance with the outdoor temperature To, the outdoor heat exchanger 9 is low in temperature, so even if it takes time to further decrease the temperature, the determination time t is set long to the time t2 and the refrigerant leaks. If there is no, a predetermined amount of temperature drop can be detected. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect refrigerant leakage.

  In the present embodiment, step # 21 may be omitted and the transition destination of step # 20 may be set to step # 19, and the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 9 may be monitored during cooling operation to determine refrigerant leakage. However, since the outdoor temperature is high during the cooling operation, the temperature change of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is larger than that of the outdoor heat exchanger 9. For this reason, it is more desirable to monitor the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 and judge the refrigerant leakage as in this embodiment.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioner of the third embodiment. This embodiment is configured in the same manner as the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and steps # 12 to # 15 in FIG. 3 are omitted. Other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, the refrigerant is monitored when the temperature difference ΔTj between the maximum temperature Tmax and the minimum temperature Tmin within the determination time t is smaller than the predetermined temperature difference ΔT by monitoring the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 20 after the compressor 3 is driven. Since it is determined that there is a leak, a predetermined amount of temperature rise can be detected if there is no refrigerant leak even if the indoor heat exchanger 20 is temporarily cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 9 during the heating operation.

  Although the determination time t is not varied according to the outdoor temperature To as in the first embodiment, the refrigerant is not erroneously detected by the present embodiment in a situation where the outdoor temperature is difficult to be below −10 ° C., for example. Leakage can be detected accurately. Further, steps # 12 to # 15 of the second embodiment (FIG. 4) may be omitted.

  In the first to third embodiments, the compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the electronic expansion valve 5, and the outdoor blower 8 may be controlled by an outdoor unit controller provided separately in the outdoor unit 2 in place of the controller 12. . At this time, the outdoor unit control unit communicates with the control unit 12 and receives temperature information, instruction content, and the like from the control unit 12. In addition, temperature information is input from the outdoor temperature thermistor 6 and the outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 7 in the outdoor unit to the outdoor unit controller. The compressor 3, the four-way valve 4, the electronic expansion valve 5, and the outdoor blower 8 are controlled by the outdoor unit controller based on information received from the controller 12, temperature information such as the outdoor temperature thermistor 6, and the like.

  It is also possible to adopt a configuration for detecting the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger during the cooling operation, or a configuration for detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger during the heating operation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can utilize for the air conditioner which operates a refrigerating cycle by circulation of a refrigerant | coolant, and performs indoor air conditioning.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The circuit diagram which shows the refrigerating cycle of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the air conditioner of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the air conditioner of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 2 Outdoor unit 3 Compressor 4 Four-way valve 5 Electronic expansion valve 6 Outdoor temperature thermistor 7 Outdoor heat exchanger thermistor 8 Outdoor fan 9 Outdoor heat exchanger 11 Indoor unit 12 Control part 13 Indoor fan 14 Indoor heat exchanger thermistor DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Indoor thermistor 16 Louver 17 Memory | storage part 18 Display part 19 Receiving part 20 Indoor heat exchanger 21 Remote controller

Claims (6)

  A compressor that operates a refrigeration cycle by circulation of refrigerant, an indoor heat exchanger that is connected to one end of the compressor and arranged indoors, and an outdoor heat that is connected to the other end of the compressor and arranged outdoors An air conditioner including an exchanger and a refrigerant leak detection unit that detects a refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle, wherein the refrigerant leak detection unit changes the indoor heat that changes within a predetermined determination time after the compressor is driven. When the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger is smaller than a predetermined determination temperature difference, it is determined that the refrigerant leaks, and the outdoor temperature where the outdoor heat exchanger is arranged is higher than the predetermined temperature. The air conditioner is characterized in that the determination time when the time is low is longer than the determination time when the time is high.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the determination time during the cooling operation is shorter than that during the heating operation.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the determination temperature difference during the cooling operation is smaller than that during the heating operation.   The refrigerant leakage is determined when the temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger is smaller than the determination temperature difference during heating operation. Air conditioner.   The refrigerant leakage is determined when a temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is smaller than the determination temperature difference during the cooling operation. Air conditioner.   The refrigerant leakage detection unit repeatedly determines refrigerant leakage when it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking in the refrigeration cycle, and stops driving the air conditioner when it is determined that the refrigerant has leaked continuously a predetermined number of times. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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