JP6997391B2 - Refrigerant filling device - Google Patents

Description

Regarding the refrigerant filling device.

Conventionally, the amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant bomb of the filling source is measured in advance, and the amount of refrigerant charged is back-calculated by the amount of refrigerant reduced from the refrigerant bomb during or after filling the refrigerant (patented patent). Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-324097).

Filling the refrigerant by the above method has a problem that it is difficult to accurately fill the equipment with a small amount of the refrigerant charged.

The refrigerant filling device of the first aspect includes a measuring unit and a determining unit. The measuring unit measures the weight of the device to be filled with the refrigerant. The determination unit determines the timing at which the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder to the equipment is completed based on the measurement result of the weight of the equipment.

With this refrigerant filling device, it is possible to fill the refrigerant with high accuracy.

The refrigerant filling device of the second aspect is the device of the first aspect, and further includes a valve provided in the pipe between the refrigerant cylinder and the equipment and for automatically stopping the refrigerant filling into the equipment.

In this refrigerant filling device, the amount of refrigerant to be filled in the equipment can be adjusted.

The refrigerant filling device of the third aspect is the device of the first aspect or the second aspect, further comprising a flexible hose. The first end of the hose is connected to the pipe. The second end opposite the first end of the hose is connected to the device.

In this refrigerant filling device, the piping and the measuring unit can be prevented from coming into contact with each other.

The refrigerant filling device of the fourth aspect is the device of the third aspect, and the hose has a loop portion.

The refrigerant filling device of the fifth aspect is the device of the fourth aspect, and further includes a suspending member for lifting the apex of the loop portion of the hose.

The refrigerant filling device according to the sixth aspect is any of the devices from the first aspect to the fifth aspect, and further includes a flow path adjusting mechanism. The flow path adjusting mechanism is provided in the pipe between the refrigerant cylinder and the device, and adjusts the flow velocity of the refrigerant passing through the pipe by adjusting the area of the flow path.

In this refrigerant filling device, the amount of refrigerant passing through the pipe can be adjusted.

The refrigerant filling device according to the seventh aspect is any of the devices from the third aspect to the fifth aspect, and further includes a first support portion and a second support portion separate from the first support portion. The first support portion supports the device on the installation surface. The second support portion causes the installation surface to support the piping between the refrigerant cylinder and the equipment.

In this refrigerant filling device, it is possible to reduce the vibration transmitted from the piping to the measuring unit.

The refrigerant filling device according to the eighth aspect is any of the devices from the first aspect to the seventh aspect, and the refrigerant filling amount of the apparatus is in the range of 10 to 500 g.

The refrigerant filling device according to the ninth aspect is any of the devices from the third aspect to the fifth aspect, and the length of the hose is 3 m or less.

In the refrigerant filling method according to the tenth aspect, the step of directly measuring the weight of the equipment to be filled with the refrigerant and the timing of completing the filling of the refrigerant from the refrigerant cylinder to the equipment are determined based on the measurement result of the weight of the equipment. With steps.

In this refrigerant filling method, the refrigerant can be filled with high accuracy.

Overall view of the refrigerant filling device. Flow chart of refrigerant filling process.

(1) Overall Configuration of Refrigerant Filling Device As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant filling device 100 includes a measuring unit 20 and a determining unit 3. The refrigerant filling device 100 fills the equipment 19 with the refrigerant from the refrigerant cylinder 1. The measuring unit 20 measures the weight of the device 19 to be filled with the refrigerant. The determination unit 3 determines the timing at which the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder 1 to the device 19 is completed based on the measurement result of the weight of the device 19.

The pipe 13 and the device 19 are connected via a flexible hose 17. Of the ends of the pipe 13, the second end 13b on the opposite side of the first end 13a is connected to the hose 17.

The device 19 is supported by the first support portion 10 on the installation surface FL for installing the refrigerant filling device 100. Further, the installation surface FL of the refrigerant filling device 100 is made to support the pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19 by the second support portion 11.

The pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19 includes a first pipe 131 provided with a first needle valve (flow path adjusting mechanism) 6 and a second pipe 132 provided with a second needle valve 9. Have. The first end portion 13a of the pipe 13 is connected to the refrigerant cylinder 1. The pipe 13 branches into a first pipe 131 and a second pipe 132. The first pipe 131 and the second pipe 132 meet between the positions where the first and second needle valves 6 and 9 are provided and the second end portion 13b of the pipe 13.

The first pipe 131 further includes a first solenoid valve 5 for automatically stopping the filling of the refrigerant into the device 19. The second pipe 132 further includes a second solenoid valve 8 for automatically stopping the filling of the refrigerant into the device 19.

The pipe diameter (outer diameter) of the first pipe 131 is 3.175 mm to 25.4 mm (1/8 inch to 1 inch). The pipe diameter of the second pipe 132 is smaller than the pipe diameter of the first pipe 131, for example, one tenth of the pipe diameter of the first pipe 131.

Further, the vacuum pump 15 is connected to the pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19. The pipe 13 is further provided with a third solenoid valve 14 for the vacuum pump 15 to automatically stop the evacuation of the pipe 13.

(2) Detailed configuration of the refrigerant filling device (2-1) Control unit The control unit 2 includes a determination unit 3 and an equipment control unit 4. The control unit 2 is realized by a computer. The control unit 2 includes a control arithmetic unit and a storage device. A processor such as a CPU or GPU can be used as the control arithmetic unit. The control arithmetic unit reads a program stored in the storage device and performs a predetermined arithmetic processing according to this program. Further, the control arithmetic unit can write the arithmetic result to the storage device and read the information stored in the storage device according to the program. The storage device can be used as a database.

The measuring unit 20 automatically calculates the increase in the weight of the device 19 continuously while the refrigerant cylinder 1 fills the device 19 with the refrigerant. The determination unit 3 determines the timing at which the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder 1 to the equipment 19 is completed based on the measurement result of the weight of the equipment 19 by the measurement unit 20. Refrigerant filling is stopped when the equipment 19 reaches a predetermined weight. The device control unit 4 controls to switch between opening and closing of the first solenoid valve 5 and the second solenoid valve 8 based on the measurement result of the weight of the device 19 by the measuring unit 20. When the equipment 19 is filled with the refrigerant from the refrigerant cylinder 1, the first solenoid valve 5 is first opened so that the refrigerant flows through the first pipe 131 having a large pipe diameter. When the weight of the device 19 approaches a predetermined value, the first solenoid valve 5 is closed and the second solenoid valve 8 is opened so that the refrigerant flows through the second pipe 132 having a small pipe diameter.

(2-2) Needle Valve The first needle valve 6 is provided in the first pipe 131 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19. The second needle valve 9 is provided in the second pipe 132 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19. The first and second needle valves 6 and 9 adjust the flow velocity of the refrigerant passing through the pipe 13 by adjusting the area of the flow path.

(2-3) Hose The hose 17 has a loop portion 17c. The apex of the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 is suspended by the wire 18. The length of the hose 17 is set to 3 m or less so that the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 can be easily lifted by the wire 18. The material of the hose 17 is nylon or stainless steel. The maximum working pressure of the hose 17 is 5 MPa.

(3) Refrigerant filling process FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the refrigerant filling process.

First, in step S101, all the first, second, and third solenoid valves 5, 8 and 14 are opened. Next, the vacuum pump 15 is evacuated (step S102). When the insides of the pipe 13 and the hose 17 are in a vacuum state, the first solenoid valve 5 is opened and the second and third solenoid valves 8 and 14 are closed (step S103).

Next, the weight of the device 19 is measured by the measuring unit 20 while filling the device 19 with the refrigerant from the refrigerant cylinder 1 (step S104). Here, the weight of the device 19 before filling with the refrigerant is A, and the weight of the device 19 filled with the refrigerant is B. Further, it is assumed that the device 19 is filled with 30 g of the refrigerant. The measuring unit 20 measures the weight B of the device 19 filled with the refrigerant while filling the device 19 with the refrigerant. Further, the measuring unit 20 automatically calculates the amount of refrigerant C filled in the device 19 by subtracting the weight A of the device 19 before filling the refrigerant from the weight B of the device 19 filled with the refrigerant.

In step S105, it is determined whether or not the amount of refrigerant C filled in the device 19 approaches the amount of refrigerant C to be filled, which is 30 g. In this embodiment, when the amount of refrigerant C filled in the device 19 is 90% or more (27 g or more) of the amount of refrigerant to be filled in 30 g, the amount of refrigerant C in the device 19 approaches the amount of refrigerant to be filled in 30 g. It shall be judged that it was. When the amount of refrigerant C in the device 19 is less than 27 g (No in step S105), the refrigerant is filled with the first solenoid valve 5 open, and the process returns to step S104. When the amount of refrigerant C in the apparatus 19 is 27 g or more (Yes in step S105), the first solenoid valve 5 is closed and the second solenoid valve 8 is opened (step S106).

In step S107, it is determined whether or not the amount of refrigerant C in the device 19 has reached 30 g. Here, in the determination unit 3, based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 20, the refrigerant amount C obtained by subtracting the weight A of the device 19 before the refrigerant filling from the weight B of the device 19 filled with the refrigerant is the planned refrigerant filling amount. Before reaching 30 g, the timing for completing the refrigerant filling is determined so as to stop the refrigerant filling to the device 19. When the measuring unit 20 measures the weight of the device 19 and the refrigerant amount C of the device 19 reaches 30 g (Yes in step S107), the second solenoid valve 8 is closed to complete the filling of the refrigerant. When the amount C of the refrigerant in the device 19 has not reached 30 g (No in step S107), the refrigerant is filled until the amount C of the refrigerant in the device 19 reaches 30 g.

With the conventional refrigerant filling device, it is not possible to fill a device having a refrigerant filling amount of about 30 g with high accuracy.

In the present embodiment, the weight of the device 19 filled with the refrigerant is directly measured, and the amount of the refrigerant filled with the increased weight is calculated. In the method of measuring the weight, the device 19 is placed on a high-precision weigh scale, the weight to be increased is automatically calculated, and the weight is stopped when the predetermined quantity is reached. The measuring unit 20 can measure a device having a small amount of refrigerant filling, for example, a device 19 having a refrigerant filling amount of 10 to 500 g, with high accuracy.

Here, when the weight of the device 19 is directly measured, the high-precision weigh scale reacts to the minute vibration of the connection part when the refrigerant is filled in the device and the minute vibration transmitted from the equipment, and is about ± 10 g. The error will occur and the accuracy will deteriorate. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the connection portion 16 of the device 19 has a vibration-proof structure.

Specifically, the hose 17 is connected to the connection portion 16 and the hose 17 has the loop portion 17c so that the vibration is not directly transmitted to the device 19.

Further, here, the apex of the loop portion 17c is lifted by the wire 18 so that the curved state of the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 is maintained. If the hose 17 is not lifted by the wire 18, the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 hangs down, and the function of the loop portion 17c that absorbs vibration is almost lost.

Further, by using the first and second needle valves 6 and 9 for the refrigerant pipe 13, the diameter of the pipe was adjusted, and the speed at which the refrigerant entered the device 19 was slowed down to reduce the vibration.

Further, the structure is such that the pipe 13 and the measuring unit 20 do not come into contact with each other, and the pipe 13 contacts only the connecting part 16 to reduce the vibration transmitted from the pipe 13 to the measuring unit 20. In this way, a filling accuracy of ± 1 g can be realized in the refrigerant filling step.

(4) Features (4-1)
The refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a measuring unit 20 and a determining unit 3. The measuring unit 20 measures the weight of the device 19 to be filled with the refrigerant. The determination unit 3 determines the timing at which the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder 1 to the device 19 is completed based on the measurement result of the weight of the device 19.

In the refrigerant filling device 100, the measuring unit 20 measures the weight of the device 19 while filling the device 19 with the refrigerant, and the determination unit 3 completes the refrigerant filling of the device 19 based on the measurement result of the weight of the device 19. Since the timing of filling is determined, the refrigerant can be filled with high accuracy.

(4-2)
In the refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the first and second solenoid valves 5, 8, which are provided in the pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the equipment 19 and for automatically stopping the refrigerant filling into the equipment 19. Further prepare.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, when the refrigerant filling amount of the device 19 reaches a predetermined weight, the first and second solenoid valves 5 and 8 stop the refrigerant filling of the device 19, so that the amount of the refrigerant to be filled in the device 19 is set. Can be adjusted.

(4-3)
The refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a flexible hose 17. The first end 17a of the hose 17 is connected to the pipe 13. The second end 17b opposite to the first end 17a of the hose 17 is connected to the device 19.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, the first end portion 17a of the hose 17 is connected to the pipe 13, and the second end portion 17b of the hose 17 is connected to the device 19, so that the pipe 13 and the measuring unit of the hose 17 are connected. It is possible to prevent contact with 20.

(4-4)
In the refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the hose 17 has a loop portion 17c.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, since the hose 17 has the loop portion 17c, it is possible to prevent the vibration from being directly transmitted to the device 19.

(4-5)
The refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a wire 18 for lifting the apex of the loop portion 17c of the hose 17.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, even if the hose 17 itself vibrates, the apex of the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 is lifted by the wire 18, so that the vibration of the hose 17 can be absorbed by the loop portion 17c.

(4-6)
The refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment further includes first and second needle valves 6 and 9. The first and second needle valves 6 and 9 are provided in the pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19, and adjust the flow velocity of the refrigerant passing through the pipe 13 by adjusting the area of the flow path.

In the refrigerant filling device 100, the first and second needle valves 6 and 9 are provided in the pipe 13 between the refrigerant bomb 1 and the device 19, so that the refrigerant bomb 1 fills the device 19 with the refrigerant. The amount of refrigerant passing through the pipe 13 can be adjusted.

(4-7)
The refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a first support portion 10 and a second support portion 11 separate from the first support portion 10. The first support portion 10 supports the device 19 on the installation surface FL. The second support portion 11 causes the installation surface FL to support the pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the device 19.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, apart from the first support portion 10 that supports the equipment 19 on the installation surface FL, the installation surface FL has a second support portion 11 that supports the pipe 13 between the refrigerant cylinder 1 and the equipment 19. Since the pipe 13 and the device 19 are supported by different support portions, the vibration transmitted from the pipe 13 to the measurement unit 20 can be reduced.

(4-8)
In the refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the refrigerant filling amount of the device 19 is in the range of 10 to 500 g.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, the device 19 can be filled with a small amount of refrigerant of about 10 to 500 g.

(4-9)
In the refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the length of the hose 17 is 3 m or less.

In this refrigerant filling device 100, by setting the length of the hose 17 to 3 m or less, the apex of the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 can be easily lifted by the wire 18.

(4-10)
In the refrigerant filling method according to the present embodiment, the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder 1 to the device 19 is completed based on the step of directly measuring the weight of the device 19 to be filled with the refrigerant and the measurement result of the weight of the device 19. It is provided with a step of determining the timing to be performed.

In the refrigerant filling method in the refrigerant filling device 100, the weight of the device 19 is measured by the measuring unit 20 while filling the device 19 with the refrigerant, and based on the measurement result of the weight of the device 19, the determining unit 3 connects to the device 19. Since the timing for completing the refrigerant filling is determined, the refrigerant can be filled with high accuracy.

(5) Modification example (5-1) Modification example 1A
In the refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the case where the suspending member for lifting the apex of the loop portion 17c of the hose 17 is the wire 18 has been described, but a chain with a hook may be used.

(5-2) Modification 1B
In the refrigerant filling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the case where the flow path adjusting mechanisms 6 and 9 are needle valves has been described, but a globe valve may be used.

(5-3) Modification 1C
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it will be understood that various modifications of the embodiments and details are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure described in the claims. ..

1 Refrigerator cylinder 2 Control unit 3 Decision unit 4 Equipment control unit 5 1st solenoid valve 8 2nd solenoid valve 14 3rd solenoid valve 6 1st needle valve 9 2nd needle valve 10 1st support 11 2nd support 13 Piping 131 1st pipe 132 2nd pipe 16 Connection part 17 Hose 18 Wire (suspension member)
19 Equipment 20 Measuring unit

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-324097

Claims (10)

A measuring unit (20) for measuring the weight of the device (19) to be filled with the refrigerant, and
Based on the measurement result of the weight of the device, the determination unit (3) for determining the timing for completing the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder (1) to the device, and
Piping (13) between the refrigerant cylinder and the device,
Flexible hose (17) and
A connection portion (16) for connecting the pipe and the device via the hose,
Equipped with
The pipe is connected to the device via the hose so that the pipe does not contact the measuring portion and the pipe contacts only the connecting portion.
Refrigerant filling device (100). Valves (5, 8) provided in the piping for automatically stopping the filling of the refrigerant with the equipment.
The refrigerant filling device according to claim 1, further comprising. The first end (17a) of the hose is connected to the pipe, and the second end (17b) opposite to the first end of the hose is connected to the device.
The refrigerant filling device according to claim 1 or 2. The hose has a loop portion (17c).
The refrigerant filling device according to claim 3. A suspension member (18) that lifts the apex of the loop portion of the hose,
Further prepare,
The refrigerant filling device according to claim 4. A flow path adjusting mechanism (6, 9) provided in a pipe between the refrigerant cylinder and the device and adjusting the flow velocity of the refrigerant passing through the pipe by adjusting the area of the flow path.
Further prepare,
The refrigerant filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A first support portion (10) for supporting the device on the installation surface (FL), and
A second support portion (11) separate from the first support portion, which supports the piping between the refrigerant cylinder and the device on the installation surface,
Further prepare,
The refrigerant filling device according to any one of claims 3 to 5. The refrigerant charge of the device is in the range of 10-500 g.
The refrigerant filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The length of the hose is 3 m or less.
The refrigerant filling device according to any one of claims 3 to 5. The step of directly measuring the weight of the equipment to be filled with refrigerant,
Based on the measurement result of the weight of the device, the step of determining the timing of completing the refrigerant filling from the refrigerant cylinder to the device, and
A refrigerant filling method comprising.

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