JP2019158198A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner that allows inspection of a sensor installed in a housing of an indoor unit for detecting refrigerant leakage using inspection gas to be performed easily irrespective of an indoor unit installation place.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: a housing of an indoor unit 30 in which a refrigerant pipe that encapsulates refrigerant is housed; a sensor 100 installed inside the housing that can detect concentration of the refrigerant in the atmosphere; an inspection gas injection part 54 installed at a place different from a housing installation place; and an inspection gas pipe 60 that can convey the inspection gas injected into the inspection gas injection part 54 to a position where the sensor 100 can detect the inspection gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  A heat exchange chamber in which a heat exchanger through which the flammable refrigerant flows is arranged, a machine room in which refrigerant piping connected to the heat exchanger is arranged, and a drain pan extending from the lower part of the heat exchange chamber toward the lower part of the machine room An indoor unit of an air conditioner that includes a sensor that is provided in a lower part of a machine room and detects a flammable refrigerant is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-098346 A

  As described above, in the air conditioner as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sensor that detects refrigerant leakage is housed in the housing of the indoor unit. Sensors are subject to deterioration over time and must be checked regularly. As an inspection method, there is a method in which an inspection gas is blown into a sensor and whether or not the sensor reacts to the inspection gas. When the inspection is performed by this method, it is difficult to blow the inspection gas into the sensor when the indoor unit is installed at a high place such as a ceiling.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems. The purpose is to provide an air conditioner that can be easily inspected using the inspection gas of the sensor for detecting leakage of refrigerant installed in the casing of the indoor unit regardless of the installation location of the indoor unit. There is to get.

  An air conditioner according to the present invention includes a housing of an indoor unit that houses therein a refrigerant pipe in which a refrigerant is sealed, and a sensor that is provided inside the housing and that can detect the concentration of the refrigerant in an atmosphere. An inspection gas injection section provided at a location different from the installation location of the housing, and an inspection gas capable of transporting the inspection gas injected into the inspection gas injection section to a position where the sensor can detect And piping.

  According to the air conditioner according to the present invention, regardless of the installation location of the indoor unit, the inspection using the inspection gas of the sensor for detecting refrigerant leakage installed in the casing of the indoor unit is easily performed. There is an effect that can be.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the room in which the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention was installed. It is a figure which shows typically the internal structure of the sensor with which the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the principal part of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the internal structure of the sensor with which the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the experimental apparatus which investigates the relationship between the test gas density | concentration and sensor detection density | concentration in the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the experimental result of the relationship between the test gas density | concentration and sensor detection density | concentration in the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the comparative example of the relationship between the gas concentration for a test, and a sensor detection density | concentration.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are simplified or omitted as appropriate. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 to 3 relate to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a room in which an air conditioner is installed, and FIG. 2 is an internal view of a sensor provided in the air conditioner. The figure which shows a structure typically, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the structure of the principal part of an air conditioning apparatus typically.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an outdoor unit 20 and an indoor unit 30 of an air conditioner are installed in a room 10 in which the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is installed. The outdoor unit 20 is installed outside the outer wall 11 of the room 10. The indoor unit 30 is fixed at a position near the upper side of the inner wall 12 of the room 10, for example. As described above, the indoor unit 30 is installed in the room 10 to be air-conditioned, and the outdoor unit 20 is installed outside the room.

  The outdoor unit 20 includes an outdoor unit heat exchanger 21, an outdoor unit fan 22, and a compressor 23. The indoor unit 30 includes an indoor unit heat exchanger 31 and an indoor unit fan 32. The indoor unit 30 and the outdoor unit 20 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 40. The refrigerant pipe 40 is circulated between the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 and the outdoor unit heat exchanger 21. A refrigerant is sealed in the refrigerant pipe 40. A part of the refrigerant pipe 40 in which the refrigerant is sealed is accommodated in the housing of the indoor unit 30.

  From the viewpoint of protecting the global environment, it is desirable to use a refrigerant with a small global warming potential (GWP) as the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant pipe 40. Moreover, the refrigerant | coolant enclosed in the refrigerant | coolant piping 40 is a combustible gas. This refrigerant has an average molecular weight greater than that of air (specific gravity with respect to air is greater than 1), and has the property of sinking downward in the direction of gravity in air.

  Specific examples of such a refrigerant include difluoromethane (CH2F2: R32), tetrafluoropropane (CF3CF = CH2: HFO-1234yf), propane (R290), propylene (R1270), ethane (R170), and butane (R600). ), Isobutane (R600a), 1.1.1.2-tetrafluoroethane (C2H2F4: R134a), pentafluoroethane (C2HF5: R125), 1.3.3.3-tetrafluoro-1-propene (CF3- (CH = CHF: HFO-1234ze) etc. (mixed) refrigerant | coolant which consists of 1 or more refrigerant | coolants chosen from etc. can be used.

  The compressor 23 is provided on one side of the refrigerant circulation path between the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 and the outdoor unit heat exchanger 21. The compressor 23 is a device that compresses the supplied refrigerant and increases the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant. Although not shown here, an expansion valve is provided on the other side of the circulation path. The expansion valve expands the flowing refrigerant and reduces the pressure of the refrigerant. A refrigerant circulation path formed by the refrigerant pipe 40, and an indoor unit heat exchanger 31, an outdoor unit heat exchanger 21, a four-way valve (not shown) connected to the circulation path by the refrigerant pipe 40, The compressor 23 and the expansion valve constitute a refrigeration cycle (refrigerant circuit).

  The refrigeration cycle configured as described above performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air in each of the indoor unit heat exchanger 31 and the outdoor unit heat exchanger 21, and thereby between the indoor unit 30 and the outdoor unit 20. It works as a heat pump that transfers heat. At this time, by switching the four-way valve, it is possible to reverse the refrigerant circulation direction in the refrigeration cycle and switch between the cooling operation and the heating operation.

  A sensor 100 is provided in the housing of the indoor unit 30 of the air conditioner. The sensor 100 can detect the concentration of the refrigerant in the atmosphere. That is, the sensor 100 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the concentration of the same kind of refrigerant as that enclosed in the refrigerant pipe 40 in the atmosphere. Specifically, for example, the sensor 100 outputs a detection signal having a voltage proportional to the refrigerant concentration in the atmosphere.

  The configuration of the sensor 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the sensor 100 includes a sensor module substrate 110 and a sensor cap 120. A gas sensitive element 111 is mounted on the sensor module substrate 110. The gas sensitive element 111 is an element for detecting the refrigerant. The gas sensitive element 111 includes a gas sensitive material such as tin oxide if the sensor 100 is a semiconductor type, for example.

  The sensor cap 120 is a hollow cylindrical member whose lower side is opened, for example. It is attached to the sensor module substrate 110 so as to cover the gas sensitive element 111. A vent hole 121 is formed in the sensor cap 120. The vent hole 121 is disposed, for example, on the upper surface of the sensor cap 120. The vent hole 121 is a hole for introducing an external atmosphere into the gas sensitive element 111. A filter 122 is provided in the sensor cap 120. The filter 122 is disposed between the vent hole 121 and the gas sensitive element 111. The filter 122 is for removing foreign substances such as dust, miscellaneous gases, and the like from the outside air introduced into the sensor cap 120 through the vent hole 121.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner remote controller 50 (remote controller) is installed on an inner wall 12 of a room 10 where an air conditioner indoor unit 30 is installed. The remote controller 50 is arranged at a position that is different from the installation position of the housing of the indoor unit 30 and is easy for a person to operate. As shown in FIG. 3, a remote control lid 51 is attached to the front surface of the remote controller 50. An operation display section 52 is provided on the surface of the remote control lid 51.

  The operation display unit 52 includes, for example, a touch panel. The user can set the ON / OFF of the power supply of the air conditioner, the wind direction, the air volume, etc. by operating the buttons displayed on the touch panel of the operation display unit 52 of the remote controller 50. In addition, the operation display unit 52 of the remote controller 50 displays various types of information such as the operation status of the air conditioner to the user. Note that the operation display unit 52 may include a liquid crystal display instead of the touch panel. In this case, the operation display unit 52 is provided with buttons and switches for setting the power ON / OFF of the air conditioner, the wind direction, the air volume, and the like.

  The remote control lid 51 can be opened and closed. When the remote control lid 51 is opened, the interior of the remote control 50 is exposed to the front as shown in FIG. Inside the remote controller 50, for example, a control substrate 53, an inspection gas injection unit 54, and the like are provided. The control board 53 is for controlling the operation of the remote controller 50. The inspection gas injection part 54 is an opening for injecting an inspection gas. The inspection gas is a gas for inspecting the sensor. When the remote control lid 51 is closed, the opening of the inspection gas injection part 54 is closed. When the remote control lid 51 is opened, the opening of the inspection gas injection part 54 is opened.

  As described above, the remote controller 50 is arranged at a location different from the installation location of the casing of the indoor unit 30. Therefore, the inspection gas injection unit 54 is also arranged at a location different from the installation location of the housing of the indoor unit 30. The installation location of the inspection gas injection unit 54 is not limited to the remote controller 50 as long as it is different from the installation location of the housing of the indoor unit 30. For example, the inspection gas injection part 54 may be provided on the inner wall 12 of the room 10 separately from the remote controller 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the air-conditioning apparatus according to this embodiment includes an inspection gas pipe 60. One end of the inspection gas pipe 60 is connected to the inspection gas injection part 54 via the connection part 61. An intermediate portion of the inspection gas pipe 60 is laid between, for example, the inner wall 12 and the outer wall 11 of the room 10. The other end side of the inspection gas pipe 60 is accommodated in the housing of the indoor unit 30. The other end of the inspection gas pipe 60 is disposed above the vent hole 121 formed in the sensor cap 120 of the sensor 100, for example.

  When the inspection gas is injected into the inspection gas injection unit 54, the inspection gas passes through the inspection gas pipe 60 and is carried to the sensor 100 in the casing of the indoor unit 30. Then, the inspection gas exiting from the inspection gas pipe 60 passes through the vent hole 121 of the sensor cap 120 and reaches the gas sensitive element 111. Thus, the inspection gas pipe 60 can transport the inspection gas injected into the inspection gas injection portion 54 to a position where the sensor 100 can detect it.

  Note that the inspection gas injection into the inspection gas injection section 54 may be performed using the inspection gas cartridge 70. An inspection gas is sealed in the inspection gas cartridge 70 in advance. When the inspection gas cartridge 70 is inserted into the inspection gas injection part 54, the sealing of the inspection gas cartridge 70 is broken, and the inspection gas in the inspection gas cartridge 70 is injected into the inspection gas injection part 54.

  According to the air conditioner configured as described above, inspection gas can be sent from a location different from the indoor unit 30 to the sensor 100 installed in the housing of the indoor unit 30. For this reason, regardless of the installation location of the indoor unit 30, the sensor 100 installed in the casing of the indoor unit 30 can be easily inspected using the inspection gas.

  Note that an output terminal for a detection signal of the sensor 100 may be provided in the remote controller 50. By doing in this way, terminal devices, such as a smart phone which an inspection worker possesses, for example can be connected to the output terminal of remote control 50, and an inspection result can be checked easily.

  In addition, a power supply terminal for driving the sensor 100 may be provided on the remote controller 50. In this way, for example, even when the driving power is not supplied to the sensor 100 during a power failure or the like, the driving power is supplied to the sensor 100 from an external power source such as a battery via the terminal of the remote controller 50 for inspection. It can be performed. At this time, the power supply to the power supply terminal of the remote controller 50 may be performed from the battery of the smartphone. By doing in this way, if terminal devices, such as a smart phone, are connected to remote control 50, inspection of sensor 100 can be performed irrespective of the energization situation to an air harmony device.

  When a semiconductor sensor is used as the sensor 100, the gas sensitive element 111 needs to be heated in order to drive the sensor 100. Therefore, a power supply terminal for a heater for heating the gas sensitive element 111 may be provided in the remote controller 50.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
4 to 7 relate to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of a sensor provided in the air conditioner. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the test gas concentration in the air conditioner. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an experimental device for examining the relationship with the sensor detected concentration, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the experimental result of the relationship between the test gas concentration and the sensor detected concentration in the air conditioner, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the comparative example of the relationship between gas concentration and sensor detection density.

  The second embodiment described here is a configuration in which an inspection port is provided in the sensor cap and the inspection gas pipe is connected to the inspection port in the configuration of the first embodiment described above. Hereinafter, the air conditioning apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor cap 120 provided in the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is provided with an inspection port 123. The inspection port 123 is, for example, a hollow cylindrical member. One end of the inspection port 123 communicates with the internal space of the sensor cap 120 closer to the gas sensitive element 111 than the filter 122. The other end of the inspection port 123 is open to the outside of the sensor cap 120. And although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the end of the test gas piping 60 is connected to the test gas injection part 54 similarly to Embodiment 1. FIG. The other end of the inspection gas pipe 60 is connected to the inspection port 123.

  Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, the inspection cap 123 is provided in the sensor cap 120, and the inspection gas pipe 60 is connected to the inspection port 123, whereby the inspection gas injected into the inspection gas injection portion 54 is directly supplied to the sensor cap 120. The gas sensitive element 111 can be touched without passing through the filter 122. For this reason, it is possible to test the sensor 100 more accurately.

  This can be confirmed by experiments. Next, an experiment for confirming the effect obtained by the sensor cap 120 provided with the inspection port 123 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 shows the configuration of an experimental apparatus for examining the relationship between the test gas concentration and the sensor detection concentration when the sensor cap 120 with the inspection port 123 is used. As shown in the figure, the sensor 100 is disposed in the test tank 201 in a direction in which the sensor cap 120 is on the lower side. One end of the test pipe 202 is connected to the inspection port 123 of the sensor cap 120. The other end of the test pipe 202 is connected to the test gas bag 203 via the adjustment valve 204.

  A test gas is sealed in the test gas bag 203. In this experiment, a plurality of test gas bags 203 having different concentrations of the test gas to be sealed were prepared. As the test gas, R32 (difluoromethane) was used as a refrigerant, and a mixture of R32 and air was used so as to obtain respective concentrations.

  In the experiment, the adjustment valve 204 was opened, the test gas was sent from the test gas bag 203 to the test pipe 202 at a constant flow rate, and the detection result of the sensor 100 was recorded. FIG. 6 shows an example of an experimental result of the relationship between the test gas concentration and the sensor detection concentration, which was performed using the experimental apparatus of FIG. FIG. 7 shows a comparative example of the relationship between the inspection gas concentration and the sensor detection concentration. The comparative example of FIG. 7 is a result when the test gas is sent directly from the test pipe 202 to the gas sensitive element of the sensor 100 without using the sensor cap 120 in the experimental apparatus of FIG.

  As apparent from a comparison between FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, it was found that the detection value of the sensor 100 becomes closer to the concentration of the test gas by using the sensor cap 120 with the inspection port 123. Therefore, as described above, according to the air conditioner including the sensor cap 120 of this embodiment, the sensor 100 can be inspected more accurately.

  The tip of the inspection port 123 on the gas sensitive element 111 side may be tapered. By doing in this way, the density of the gas sent from the inspection port 123 to the gas sensitive element 111 can be increased, and the inspection accuracy of the sensor 100 can be further improved.

  Further, at normal times, for example, the inspection gas injection section 54 may be closed by the remote control lid 51 described in the first embodiment. By doing in this way, it is possible to suppress the miscellaneous gas and the like from touching the gas sensitive element 111 from the inspection gas injection part 54 through the inspection gas pipe 60 and the inspection port 123 at normal times. For this reason, it is possible to suppress erroneous detection of the sensor 100 due to miscellaneous gas or the like.

  Further, also in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the remote control 50 may be provided with an output terminal for a detection signal of the sensor 100 and a power supply terminal for driving the sensor 100. By doing in this way, if terminal devices, such as a smart phone, are connected to remote control 50, inspection of sensor 100 can be performed irrespective of the energization situation to an air harmony device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Room 11 Outer wall 12 Inner wall 20 Outdoor unit 21 Outdoor unit heat exchanger 22 Outdoor unit fan 23 Compressor 30 Indoor unit 31 Indoor unit heat exchanger 32 Indoor unit fan 40 Refrigerant piping 50 Remote control 51 Remote control lid 52 Operation display part 53 Control board 54 Inspection Gas Injection Unit 60 Inspection Gas Pipe 61 Connection 70 Inspection Gas Cartridge 100 Sensor 110 Sensor Module Substrate 111 Gas Sensing Element 120 Sensor Cap 121 Vent 122 Filter 123 Inspection Port 201 Test Tank 202 Test Pipe 203 Test Gas bag 204 adjustment valve

Claims (4)

A housing of an indoor unit that houses therein a refrigerant pipe filled with a refrigerant;
A sensor provided inside the housing and capable of detecting the concentration of the refrigerant in the atmosphere;
An inspection gas injection section provided at a location different from the installation location of the housing;
An air conditioning apparatus comprising: an inspection gas pipe capable of transporting the inspection gas injected into the inspection gas injection unit to a position where the sensor can detect the inspection gas. The sensor is
A gas sensitive element for detecting the refrigerant;
A sensor cap that covers the gas sensitive element and is formed with a vent for introducing an external atmosphere into the gas sensitive element;
In the sensor cap, a filter is provided between the vent and the gas sensitive element,
The sensor cap is formed with an inspection port leading to the gas sensitive element side than the filter,
One end of the inspection gas pipe is connected to the inspection gas injection part,
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the inspection gas pipe is connected to the inspection port.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the inspection gas injection unit is provided in a remote controller of the air conditioner.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the remote controller includes a terminal that outputs a detection signal of the sensor.

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