JP2020118393A - Air conditioner and method for operating air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To accurately determine whether a refrigerant is leaking from a refrigerant circuit or not.SOLUTION: An air conditioner comprises: a refrigerant circuit through which a refrigerant flows; a compressor 2 for compressing the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit; an indoor unit comprising a case serving as an outer shell, and housing a portion of the refrigerant circuit in the case; a refrigerant detection sensor 12 provided in the indoor unit, and for detecting the refrigerant; a pressure gage 13 for detecting a pressure in the refrigerant circuit; a first determination unit 21 for determining whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit or not, on the basis of a detection result of the refrigerant detection sensor 12; a compressor control unit 23 for stopping the compressor 2 if the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit; and a second determination unit 22 for determining whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit or not, on the basis of the pressure detected by the pressure gage 13 after the compressor control unit 23 stops the compressor 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method for operating the air conditioner.

In recent years, against the backdrop of tightened regulations for preventing global warming, a slightly flammable refrigerant (for example, R32) having a low GWP (Global-warming potential) may be used as a refrigerant used in an air conditioner. .. In the future, the use of flammable refrigerants is also being considered. An air conditioner using a slightly flammable or flammable refrigerant is required to have a function of detecting refrigerant leakage.

For example, in Patent Document 1, the leakage of the refrigerant is grasped by superimposing the detection of the refrigerant concentration by the refrigerant gas sensor and the detection of the decrease in the detected pressure by the suction pressure sensor or the discharge pressure sensor. ..

JP, 2018-173250, A

As a means for detecting the leakage of the refrigerant, it is conceivable to provide the air conditioner with a refrigerant sensor whose resistance value changes when it comes into contact with the refrigerant. However, the refrigerant sensor may react with a gas other than the refrigerant used in the refrigerant circuit (hereinafter, referred to as “miscellaneous gas”) and may cause an erroneous detection. Examples of the miscellaneous gas include hair spray and organic solvents. If it is set to stop the air conditioner when it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking, the air conditioner often stops due to false detection, which may worsen the convenience of the user. There is.

Therefore, it is conceivable to judge the leakage of the refrigerant by detecting the decrease in the detected pressure by the suction pressure sensor or the discharge pressure sensor together with the refrigerant sensor as in the device of Patent Document 1.
However, in the device of Patent Document 1, the detection of the refrigerant concentration by the refrigerant gas sensor and the detection of the decrease in the detected pressure by the pressure sensor are performed at substantially the same timing. Accordingly, in the same state of the air conditioner, the refrigerant gas sensor detects the refrigerant concentration and the pressure sensor detects the decrease in the detected pressure. Therefore, if the refrigerant concentration temporarily increases and the refrigerant pressure drops due to some factor other than the refrigerant leakage, it is erroneously detected that the refrigerant has leaked even though the refrigerant has not leaked. There is a possibility that Further, in the device of Patent Document 1, the decrease in the detected pressure is detected by the suction pressure sensor or the discharge pressure sensor without stopping the compressor. When the compressor is driven, the pressure of the refrigerant fluctuates, and therefore it may not be possible to accurately detect the decrease in the detected pressure.
From the above, the device of Patent Document 1 may not be able to accurately determine whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an air conditioner and an air conditioner operating method capable of accurately determining whether or not refrigerant is leaking from a refrigerant circuit. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above problems, the air conditioner and the method for operating the air conditioner of the present invention employ the following means.
An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant flows, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant that flows in the refrigerant circuit, and a casing that forms an outer shell, and the one of the refrigerant circuits An indoor unit that accommodates a portion in the housing, a refrigerant detection unit that is provided in the indoor unit and that detects the refrigerant, a pressure detection unit that detects the pressure in the refrigerant circuit, and a detection result of the refrigerant detection unit. Based on the first determining unit that determines whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, and the first determining unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, After the compressor control unit that puts the compressor in the stopped state and the compressor control unit puts the compressor in the stopped state, the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit. A second determination unit that determines whether or not

In the above configuration, when the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the detection result of the refrigerant detection unit, the compressor is stopped. In addition, the second determination unit determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit while the compressor is stopped. That is, the first determination unit determines the leakage of the refrigerant when the compressor is driven, and the second determination unit determines the leakage of the refrigerant when the compressor is stopped. Thereby, the state of the air conditioner in which the first determination unit determines the leakage of the refrigerant and the state of the air conditioner in which the second determination unit determines the leakage of the refrigerant are different from each other. Therefore, when the leakage of the refrigerant is judged, it is possible to make it less likely to be affected by a temporary factor, and it is possible to accurately judge whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit.

Further, since the second determination unit determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure in the refrigerant circuit, the second external determination unit is unlikely to be affected by the state outside the refrigerant circuit. Therefore, for example, even if there is a miscellaneous gas around the indoor unit, the presence/absence of refrigerant leakage can be accurately determined.

In addition, in the state where the compressor is stopped, the second determination unit determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection means. Thereby, it is possible to determine the leakage of the refrigerant based on the pressure in a state where the pressure fluctuation of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit.

In the air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention, when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, the air conditioner is set in a locked state in which operation cannot be started by normal operation, and When the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant does not leak from the refrigerant circuit, it may be in a standby state in which the operation can be started by a normal operation.

When the air conditioner is operated in a state where the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit, the amount of leakage of the refrigerant and the leakage speed may increase. In the above-described configuration, when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, the locked state is set in which the operation cannot be started by the normal operation. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the operation of the air conditioner is started in a state where the refrigerant has leaked.

In addition, when the air conditioner enters a locked state in which the operation cannot be started by a normal operation, special work or the like is required to bring the air conditioner into the operating state again, and the operation start operation becomes complicated. Therefore, if a situation occurs in which the air conditioner is locked due to an erroneous detection that the refrigerant is leaking even though the refrigerant is not leaking, the convenience of the user is reduced. In the above configuration, when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant has not leaked, the standby state in which the operation can be started by the normal operation is set. That is, even if the first determining unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking, if the second determining unit determines that the refrigerant is not leaking, the locked state is not established and the normal operation is performed. It will be in a standby state where you can start driving. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the air conditioner to enter the locked state due to erroneous detection. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved.

Further, the air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes an informing unit that informs the leakage of the refrigerant when the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, The second determination unit may determine whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit, after the notification unit notifies the leakage of the refrigerant. ..

In the above configuration, when the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, the first determination unit includes the notification unit that notifies the leakage of the refrigerant. This allows the user to recognize the refrigerant leakage. Further, in the above configuration, the notifying unit notifies the refrigerant leakage before the second determination unit determines whether the refrigerant is leaking. Accordingly, when the refrigerant is leaking, the user can be more promptly aware of the refrigerant leak, so that the safety can be improved.

An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes a fan that is housed in the housing, sucks air outside the housing, and discharges the sucked air to the outside of the housing. 1 determining unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, and a fan control unit that puts the fan in a driven state, and the second determining unit is configured such that the fan control unit controls the fan. It may be determined that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means after the first predetermined time has elapsed.

In the above configuration, the first control unit includes the fan control unit that drives the fan when the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit. Thus, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit, the fan agitates the air in the room. Therefore, since the refrigerant concentration in the room is made uniform, it is possible to suppress the local increase in the refrigerant concentration.

Further, in the air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention, when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant is not leaking from the refrigerant circuit, the notification unit is for a second predetermined time, When the second controller determines that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit, the fan controller drives the fan for the second predetermined time when the second controller determines that the refrigerant has leaked. It may be in a state.

In the above-described configuration, even when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit, the notification means notifies the leakage of the refrigerant for a predetermined time (second predetermined time). The fan control unit drives the fan. As a result, even when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant is not leaking although the refrigerant is actually leaking, the fan agitates the air in the room to A local increase in concentration can be suppressed. Therefore, safety can be improved.

Further, in the air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant circuit has a plurality of pipes and is configured by connecting the pipes to each other, and the pressure detecting means is a connecting portion of the pipes. The pressure of may be detected.

Refrigerant easily leaks from the connecting portion between the pipes. When the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit, the pressure immediately fluctuates at and around the leaked portion. In the above configuration, the pressure detecting means is provided at the connecting portion between the pipes where the refrigerant easily leaks. Accordingly, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit, the pressure detecting means can quickly detect the pressure fluctuation. Therefore, the second determination unit can quickly detect the refrigerant leakage.

A method for operating an air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention is a refrigerant detection step of detecting a refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circuit by a refrigerant detection unit provided in an indoor unit, and a pressure for detecting a pressure in the refrigerant circuit. A first determination step of determining whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the detection step and the detection result of the refrigerant detection step; and the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit is detected in the first determination step. If it is determined that there is a leak, a compressor stop step that puts the compressor that compresses the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit in a stopped state, and a pressure detected in the pressure detection step after the compressor stop step. And a second determination step for determining whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit.

It is the figure which showed schematic structure of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the air conditioner of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process which the control apparatus used for the air conditioner of FIG. 1 performs.

An embodiment of an air conditioner and an air conditioner operating method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 1a and a wall-mounted indoor unit 1b provided on an indoor wall. The outdoor unit 1a and the indoor unit 1b are connected by a refrigerant pipe 11 through which a refrigerant flows. In FIG. 1, for convenience, one outdoor unit 1a is connected to one indoor unit 1b, but the number of installed outdoor units 1a and the number of connected indoor units 1b are not limited. .. The refrigerant flowing through the inside of the refrigerant pipe 11 is, for example, a slightly flammable refrigerant having a low GWP (Global-warming potential) (for example, R32). The type of refrigerant is not particularly limited, and other refrigerants may be used.

Further, the air conditioner 1 includes a compressor 2 for compressing a refrigerant, a four-way switching valve 3 for switching the circulation direction of the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 4 for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the outside air, gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant, and the like. An accumulator 6 provided in the suction side pipe of the compressor 2 for the purpose, an electronic expansion valve 9 for expanding the refrigerant, and an indoor heat exchanger 7 for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air are provided. A closed cycle refrigerant circuit 10 in which devices are connected by a refrigerant pipe 11 is provided. The refrigerant pipe 11 has a plurality of pipes and is configured by connecting the pipes. The pipes may be connected by flare processing or may be connected by brazing processing.

The outdoor unit 1a includes a housing (not shown) that forms an outer shell. A compressor 2, a four-way switching valve 3, an outdoor heat exchanger 4, an outdoor fan 5 for supplying outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 4, an accumulator 6, and an electronic expansion valve 9 are provided in the housing of the outdoor unit 1a. And are housed.

The indoor unit 1b includes a housing (not shown) that forms an outer shell. In the housing of the indoor unit 1b, an indoor heat exchanger 7, an indoor fan (fan) 8 that supplies indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 7, a fan motor 16 that rotationally drives the indoor fan 8, and a refrigerant are detected. A refrigerant detection sensor (refrigerant detection means) 12 and a pressure gauge (pressure detection means) 13 that detects the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 11 are housed. A part of the refrigerant pipe 11 is housed in the housing of the indoor unit 1b. Specifically, in the housing of the indoor unit 1b, a part of the piping connecting the electronic expansion valve 9 and the indoor heat exchanger 7 on the indoor heat exchanger 7 side, the indoor heat exchanger 7, and the four-way switching. A part of the pipe connecting the valve 3 on the indoor heat exchanger 7 side is housed. Further, the indoor unit 1b is provided with a buzzer 14 that can notify the user existing in the room where the indoor unit 1b is installed, and a warning lamp (informing means) 15 that is visible from the outside of the housing. There is.

The indoor fan 8 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 16, sucks the air outside the housing, and discharges the sucked air to the outside of the housing. The type of fan applied to the indoor fan 8 is not particularly limited. The indoor fan 8 may be, for example, an axial flow fan or a cross flow fan.

The refrigerant detection sensor 12 is arranged in the lower portion of the housing of the indoor unit 1b. The refrigerant detection sensor 12 has an element (not shown) whose electric resistance changes due to the adhesion of the refrigerant. The refrigerant detection sensor 12 detects the refrigerant by the change in the electric resistance of the element. The refrigerant detection sensor 12 transmits the detection result to the control device 20 described later.

The pressure gauge 13 is provided in a pipe connecting the electronic expansion valve 9 and the indoor heat exchanger 7. In detail, the pressure gauge 13 is provided so as to measure the internal pressure in the vicinity of the connecting portion that connects the pipes among the pipes that connect the electronic expansion valve 9 and the indoor heat exchanger 7. The pressure gauge 13 transmits the measured pressure to the control device 20 described later.

The air conditioner 1 also includes a control device 20 that controls various devices, as shown in FIG. 2.
The control device 20 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a computer-readable storage medium. A series of processes for realizing various functions is stored in a storage medium or the like in the form of a program as an example, and the CPU reads the program into a RAM or the like to execute information processing/arithmetic processing. As a result, various functions are realized. The program is installed in a ROM or other storage medium in advance, provided in a state of being stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or delivered via wired or wireless communication means. Etc. may be applied. The computer-readable storage medium is a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.

Further, the control device 20 detects the first gauge 21 and the pressure gauge 13 that determine whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 (refrigerant pipe 11) based on the detection result of the refrigerant detection sensor 12. And a second determination unit 22 that determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 based on the pressure. In addition, the control device 20 controls the drive and stop of the compressor 2, the compressor control unit 23, the fan control unit 24 that controls the drive and stop of the fan motor 16 that rotates the indoor fan 8, and the buzzer 14. It has a buzzer control unit 25 for controlling stop and a lamp control unit 26 for controlling start/stop of the warning lamp 15.

The compressor control unit 23 stops the compressor 2 when the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking. The fan control unit 24 drives the fan motor 16 to rotate the indoor fan 8 when the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10. The buzzer control unit 25 sounds the buzzer 14 when the second determination unit 22 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10. The lamp control unit 26 turns on the warning lamp 15 when the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking.

Next, the processing performed by the control device 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is a process of determining whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10. The control device 20 repeatedly executes this processing when the air conditioner 1 is in the energized state. That is, the control device 20 repeatedly executes this process when the air conditioner 1 is in the energized state even when the air conditioner 1 is not in operation (cooling operation, heating operation, or the like).

When this process is started, the control device 20 first acquires data from the refrigerant detection sensor 12 in S1, and determines whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 based on the acquired data. 1. The judgment unit 21 judges (refrigerant detection step). When it is determined in S1 that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit 10, the control device 20 performs S1 again after a predetermined time. When it is determined in S1 that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10, the control device 20 proceeds to S2.

In S2, the control device 20 causes the compressor control unit 23 to stop the compressor 2 (compressor stop step). That is, when the compressor 2 is in the driving state, the compressor 2 is stopped, and when the compressor 2 is in the stopped state, the stopped state of the compressor 2 is maintained. Further, in S2, the fan control unit 24 controls the fan motor 16 to bring the indoor fan 8 into a driving state. At this time, the rotation speed of the indoor fan 8 may be a rotation speed different from the normal operation (for example, a rotation speed at which the air in the room can be appropriately stirred). In S2, the lamp control unit 26 turns on the warning lamp 15.

After executing S2, the control device 20 proceeds to S3 after a predetermined time (first predetermined time) has elapsed. The predetermined time at this time may be set to about 4 minutes, for example. In S3, data is again acquired from the refrigerant detection sensor 12, and based on the acquired data, the first judgment unit 21 judges whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 (first judgment step). When it is determined in S3 that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit 10, the control device 20 puts the air conditioner 1 in a standby state (S8). It should be noted that, in other words, in S1, it is determined that the leakage of the refrigerant has been falsely detected. The standby state is a state of the air conditioner 1 in which the operation is stopped and the operation (cooling operation, heating operation, etc.) can be started by a normal operation. The normal operation is, for example, an operation of pressing the operation start button of the remote controller. When the air conditioner 1 is set to the standby state in S8, the control device 20 ends this processing.

When it is determined in S3 that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10, the control device 20 proceeds to S4. In S4, the data measured by the pressure gauge 13 (pressure detection step) is acquired, and based on the acquired data, the second judgment unit 22 judges whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 (the first). 2 decision step). Specifically, when the internal pressure of the refrigerant pipe 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant pipe 11, and when the internal pressure is higher than the predetermined threshold value, the refrigerant pipe From 11, it is determined that the refrigerant has not leaked. The value of the internal pressure of the refrigerant pipe 11 in the state where the compressor 2 is stopped in the normal refrigerant circuit 10 may be used as the predetermined threshold value. Note that the method of determining whether or not the refrigerant is leaking is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the values of the internal pressures of the plurality of refrigerant pipes 11 measured after being shifted by a predetermined time are compared with each other, and the differential pressure obtained by subtracting the value of the internal pressure measured later from the value of the internal pressure measured first is calculated, and the differential pressure is determined to be a predetermined value. When the value is equal to or more than the value, it may be determined that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant pipe 11.

When it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 in S4, the control device 20 proceeds to S5. In S5, the control device 20 causes the buzzer controller 25 to ring the buzzer 14. The buzzer 14 may be automatically stopped when a preset time has elapsed, or may be kept ringing until a predetermined stop operation is performed. After executing S5, the control device 20 proceeds to S6. In S6, the control device 20 sets the lock state in which the operation cannot be started by a normal operation. The locked state is a state in which the operation is stopped, and the operation of the air conditioner 1 cannot be started unless special work (for example, work for directly accessing the operation panel or the like) is performed. .. When the air conditioner 1 is locked in S6, the control device 20 ends this processing.

When it is determined in S4 that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit 10, the control device 20 proceeds to S7. In S7, after the rotational drive state of the indoor fan 8 and the lighting state of the warning lamp 15 are maintained for a predetermined time (second predetermined time), the fan control unit 24 controls the fan motor 16 to stop the indoor fan 8. Let At the same time when the indoor fan 8 is stopped, the lamp control unit 26 turns off the warning lamp 15. After executing S7, the control device 20 proceeds to S8. In S8, the control device 20 puts the air conditioner 1 in a standby state. When the air conditioner 1 is set to the standby state in S8, the control device 20 ends this processing.

According to this embodiment, the following operational effects are exhibited.
In the present embodiment, when the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 based on the detection result of the refrigerant detection sensor 12, the compressor 2 is stopped. In addition, in the state where the compressor 2 is stopped, the second determination unit 22 determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10. That is, the first determination unit 21 determines the refrigerant leakage when the compressor 2 is driven, and the second determination unit 22 determines the refrigerant leakage when the compressor 2 is stopped. As a result, the state of the air conditioner 1 in which the first determination unit 21 determines the refrigerant leakage and the state of the air conditioner 1 in which the second determination unit 22 determines the refrigerant leakage become different states. Therefore, when determining the leakage of the refrigerant, it is possible to make it less likely to be affected by a temporary factor, and it is possible to accurately determine whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10.

Further, since the second determination unit 22 determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 based on the pressure inside the refrigerant circuit 10, the state outside the refrigerant circuit 10 is affected in the determination. Hard to be done. Therefore, for example, even if there is a miscellaneous gas or the like around the indoor unit 1b, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the refrigerant has leaked.

In addition, in the state where the compressor 2 is stopped, the second determination unit 22 determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 based on the pressure detected by the pressure gauge 13. This makes it possible to determine the leakage of the refrigerant based on the pressure in a state where the pressure fluctuation of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10.

If the air conditioner 1 is operated with the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10, the refrigerant leakage amount and the leakage speed may increase. In the present embodiment, when the second determination unit 22 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10, the lock state is set such that the operation cannot be started by a normal operation. As a result, it is possible to prevent the situation where the operation of the air conditioner 1 is started in the state where the refrigerant has leaked.

Further, when the air conditioner 1 enters a locked state in which the operation cannot be started by a normal operation, special work or the like is required to bring the air conditioner 1 into the operation state again, and the operation start operation becomes complicated. Therefore, if a situation occurs in which the air conditioner 1 is locked due to an erroneous detection that determines that the refrigerant is leaking even though the refrigerant is not leaking, the convenience for the user is reduced. In the present embodiment, when the second determination unit 22 determines that the refrigerant has not leaked, the standby state in which the operation can be started by a normal operation is set. That is, even if the first determining unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking, if the second determining unit 22 determines that the refrigerant is not leaking, the lock state is not established, and The operation enters into the standby state where operation can be started. Therefore, erroneous detection can make it difficult for the air conditioner 1 to enter the locked state. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved.

In this embodiment, when the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10, the warning lamp 15 that notifies the leakage of the refrigerant is provided. This allows the user to recognize the refrigerant leakage. Further, in the present embodiment, the warning lamp 15 notifies the leakage of the refrigerant before the second determination unit 22 determines whether the refrigerant is leaking. Accordingly, when the refrigerant is leaking, the user can be more promptly aware of the refrigerant leak, so that the safety can be improved.

In the present embodiment, a fan control unit 24 that drives the indoor fan 8 when the first determination unit 21 determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit 10 is provided. As a result, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit 10, the indoor fan 8 agitates the indoor air. Therefore, since the refrigerant concentration in the room is made uniform, it is possible to suppress the local increase in the refrigerant concentration.

In the present embodiment, even if the second determination unit 22 determines that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit 10, the warning lamp 15 causes the refrigerant to leak for a predetermined time (second predetermined time). And the fan control unit drives the indoor fan 8. As a result, even when the second determination unit 22 determines that the refrigerant is not leaking although the refrigerant is actually leaking, the indoor fan 8 agitates the indoor air. However, a local increase in the refrigerant concentration can be suppressed. Therefore, safety can be improved.

Refrigerant easily leaks from the connecting portion between the pipes. When the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit 10, the pressure fluctuates immediately at the leaked portion and its vicinity. In the present embodiment, the pressure gauge 13 is provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the pipes where the refrigerant easily leaks. As a result, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit 10, the pressure gauge 13 can quickly detect the pressure fluctuation. Therefore, the second determination unit 22 can quickly detect the leakage of the refrigerant.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, as a means for notifying the leakage of the refrigerant, the fact that the refrigerant is leaking may be displayed on the remote controller for operating the indoor unit 1b together with the warning lamp 15.

Further, a battery may be provided in the indoor unit 1b, and the battery may be charged while the indoor unit 1b is operating. With this configuration, the refrigerant leaks due to electricity from the battery even when electricity is not supplied from the outside to the air conditioner 1 (for example, the power source of the electricity supply source is lost). It is possible to determine whether or not there is. Further, the battery may be in a charged state when the indoor unit 1b is shipped. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the refrigerant is leaking due to the electricity from the battery even during the period from the shipment of the air conditioner 1 to the installation thereof.

1: Air conditioner 1a: Outdoor unit 1b: Indoor unit 2: Compressor 3: Four-way switching valve 4: Outdoor heat exchanger 5: Outdoor fan 6: Accumulator 7: Indoor heat exchanger 8: Indoor fan (fan)
9: Electronic expansion valve 10: Refrigerant circuit 11: Refrigerant piping 12: Refrigerant detection sensor (refrigerant detection means)
13: Pressure gauge (pressure detection means)
14: Buzzer 15: Warning lamp (informing means)
16: Fan motor 20: Control device 21: 1st judgment part 22: 2nd judgment part 23: Compressor control part 24: Fan control part 25: Buzzer control part 26: Lamp control part

Claims (7)

A refrigerant circuit through which the refrigerant flows,
A compressor that compresses the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit,
An indoor unit that has a housing that forms an outer shell and that houses a part of the refrigerant circuit in the housing,
Refrigerant detection means provided in the indoor unit, for detecting the refrigerant,
Pressure detection means for detecting the pressure in the refrigerant circuit,
A first determination unit that determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the detection result of the refrigerant detection unit;
A compressor control unit that puts the compressor in a stopped state when the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit;
A second determination unit that determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit after the compressor control unit has stopped the compressor; Air conditioner equipped with. When the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, the lock state is set such that the operation cannot be started by normal operation, and the second determination unit leaks the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit. The air conditioner according to claim 1, which is set in a standby state in which the operation can be started by a normal operation when it is determined that the air conditioner is not in operation. When the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, a notification unit that notifies the leakage of the refrigerant is provided,
The second determination unit determines whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit, based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit after the notification unit notifies the refrigerant leakage. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or claim 2. A fan housed in the housing, sucking in air outside the housing, and discharging the sucked air to the outside of the housing;
A fan control unit that puts the fan in a driven state when the first determination unit determines that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit,
The second determination unit determines whether or not the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit after the fan control unit drives the fan and the first predetermined time has elapsed. The air conditioner according to claim 3, which determines whether or not the air conditioner is used. When the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant has not leaked from the refrigerant circuit, the notification unit notifies that the refrigerant has leaked for a second predetermined time,
The fan control unit sets the fan to a driving state for the second predetermined time when the second determination unit determines that the refrigerant does not leak from the refrigerant circuit. Air conditioner. The refrigerant circuit has a plurality of pipes, and is configured by connecting the pipes,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pressure detection unit detects a pressure at a connecting portion between the pipes. By the refrigerant detection means provided in the indoor unit, a refrigerant detection step of detecting the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit,
A pressure detection step of detecting the pressure in the refrigerant circuit,
A first determination step of determining whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the detection result of the refrigerant detection step;
When it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit in the first determination step, a compressor stop step of stopping a compressor that compresses the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit,
Operation of the air conditioner, comprising a second determination step of determining whether or not the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigerant circuit based on the pressure detected in the pressure detection step after the compressor stop step. Method.

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