KR20140144479A - An air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: an outdoor unit which is disposed in an outdoor space; an indoor unit which is connected to the outdoor unit by refrigerant piping, and includes an indoor heat exchanger; and a leak detection kit including a refrigerant leak detection unit which is disposed between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit and detects a leakage of a refrigerant flowing inside along the refrigerant piping, and a first valve which is installed at one side of the refrigerant piping and determines whether to move a refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger, wherein a sealed space is formed inside the leak detection kit to receive a leaked refrigerant.

Description

An air conditioner

The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

The air conditioner is a device for keeping the air in a predetermined space in a most suitable condition according to the purpose of use and purpose. Generally, the air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, and a refrigeration cycle for compressing, condensing, expanding, and evaporating the refrigerant is driven to cool or heat the predetermined space .

The predetermined space may be variously proposed depending on the place where the air conditioner is used. For example, when the air conditioner is installed in a home or an office, the predetermined space may be an indoor space of a house or a building. On the other hand, when the air conditioner is disposed in a car, the predetermined space may be a boarding space on which a person boarded.

When the air conditioner performs the cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger provided in the outdoor unit functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit functions as an evaporator. On the other hand, when the air conditioner performs the heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator.

On the other hand, when the air conditioner is driven for a long time, the refrigerant circulating in the air conditioner may leak from the piping due to installation errors or carelessness of the user.

At this time, if the refrigerant leaks, the heating performance or the cooling performance of the air conditioner may be deteriorated, and the compressor may be damaged during the driving process. In addition, if the refrigerant harmful to the human body leaks into the indoor space, there is a risk of causing various diseases to the user.

In the conventional air conditioner disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2006-0081484, when the leakage of the refrigerant is detected and the leakage of the refrigerant is detected, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped to stop the circulation of the refrigerant.

In such a conventional air conditioner, even if it is determined that the refrigerant has leaked due to the sense of leakage of the refrigerant leakage detection means, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped uniformly, so that the use of the air conditioner is unnecessarily stopped. Further, since the refrigerant that has already leaked remains in the indoor space, there is a problem that it infiltrates the user's body and can cause illness.

Further, since the refrigerant leakage detecting means provided at the refrigerant leakage portion can be operated only when the refrigerant leakage actually occurs, there is a problem that the indoor unit may be damaged by the refrigerant already leaked.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of preventing the infiltration of refrigerant leaked into an indoor unit or an indoor space even if a refrigerant leaks.

The present invention also provides an air conditioner capable of detecting a leakage of a refrigerant in a refrigerant leakage detection unit and taking a stepwise action accordingly.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an outdoor unit disposed in an outdoor space; An indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit by a refrigerant pipe and having an indoor heat exchanger; And a refrigerant leakage detection unit disposed between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit for detecting leakage of the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe therein and a refrigerant leakage detection unit installed at one side of the refrigerant pipe for determining whether the refrigerant is moved by the indoor heat exchanger, And a leak detection kit in which a valve is disposed, wherein an interior of the leakage detection kit forms a closed space for accommodating the leaked refrigerant.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent leakage of refrigerant leaked into the indoor space or the indoor unit by providing a leak detection kit in which the refrigerant leakage detection unit can be disposed.

Further, when a leakage of the refrigerant is sensed, it is possible to prevent the operation of the air conditioner from being stopped unnecessarily by the sense of the refrigerant leakage detection unit by controlling a plurality of valves to open and close step by step.

In addition, it is possible to block the valve on the side of the pipe having a relatively high pressure on the circulating pipe through which the refrigerant circulates, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the leakage blocking.

1 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view of a leak detection kit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a block diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the difference that the embodiments of the present invention are not conclusive.

1 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, an air conditioner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outdoor unit 100, at least one indoor unit 200, 300, 400, an outdoor unit 100, , 300, and 400, respectively.

The outdoor unit 100 may include a compressor 110, a flow switching valve 120, an outdoor heat exchanger 130, an outdoor expansion valve 140, and an outdoor fan 150. The compressor 100, the flow switching valve 120, the outdoor heat exchanger 130, and the outdoor expansion valve 140 may communicate with each other by the circulation pipe 700.

The compressor 100 compresses the refrigerant flowing through the suction side circulation pipe 700 and discharges the compressed refrigerant to the discharge side circulation pipe 700.

The flow-switching valve 120 functions to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant flowing in the circulation pipe according to the operation mode of the air conditioner. The flow-through valve 120 may be a four-way valve. However, the type of the flow switching valve 120 is not limited thereto.

The outdoor heat exchanger 130 can exchange heat between the air flowing into the outdoor unit 100 outdoors and the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 130.

The outdoor expansion valve (140) expands the refrigerant passing through the outdoor expansion valve (140). The outdoor expansion valve 140 may be an electronic expansion valve (EEV). The amount of opening of the outdoor expansion valve (140) can be adjusted. When the outdoor expansion valve 140 is fully opened, the refrigerant traveling along the pipe may pass through the outdoor expansion valve 140 in an unexpanded state.

The outdoor fan (150) has a function of guiding the flow of outdoor air through the outdoor heat exchanger (130).

The indoor units 200, 300, and 400 may include a first indoor unit 200, a second indoor unit 300, and a third indoor unit 400. In this specification, it is assumed that the number of the indoor units is three, but the number of the indoor units is not limited thereto.

The first indoor unit 200 includes an indoor pipe 210, an indoor expansion valve 220, an indoor heat exchanger 230, a refrigerant leakage detection unit 240, a suction side of the indoor pipe 210, A first valve 250 and a second valve 260 provided on the discharge side, and an indoor fan 270. The second indoor unit 300 and the third indoor unit 400 will not be described in detail.

The indoor pipe 210 communicates with the circulation pipe 700 and guides the refrigerant circulating through the indoor unit 200. The first valve 250, the indoor expansion valve 220, the indoor heat exchanger 230, and the second valve 260 may be connected to the indoor pipe 210.

The indoor expansion valve (220) functions to expand the refrigerant passing through the indoor expansion valve (220). As the indoor expansion valve 220, an electronic expansion valve (EEV) may be used. The amount of opening of the indoor expansion valve 220 can be adjusted. When the indoor expansion valve 220 is completely opened, the circulating refrigerant may pass through the indoor expansion valve 220 in an unexpanded state.

The indoor heat exchanger 230 exchanges heat between the air flowing into the indoor unit 200 and the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 230.

The refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 senses whether refrigerant leaks into the space where the indoor unit 200 is installed. The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may directly detect or indirectly detect the leakage of the refrigerant. The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 will be described later.

The first valve 250 and the second valve 260 may selectively block the refrigerant sucked or discharged from the circulation pipe 700 to the indoor heat exchanger 230. For example, the first valve 250 may be a solenoid valve, and the second valve 260 may be an expansion valve. When the second valve 260 is configured as an expansion valve, the indoor expansion valve 220 may only control the opening of the space in which the refrigerant is moved. That is, the second valve 260 may replace the role of the indoor expansion valve 220.

However, the types of the first valve 250 and the second valve 260 are not limited thereto. As another example, the first valve 250 and the second valve 260 may be solenoid valves.

The first valve 250 may be provided in the refrigerant suction side pipe of the indoor heat exchanger 230 in the cooling mode. The second valve 260 may be provided in the refrigerant discharge side pipe of the indoor heat exchanger 230 in the cooling mode.

However, the first valve 250 is not necessarily provided. If the first valve 250 is not provided, the outdoor expansion valve 140 or the indoor expansion valve 220 may be shut off to block the refrigerant sucked or discharged to the indoor heat exchanger 230. In this case, it is possible to use the existing outdoor expansion valve 140 or the indoor expansion valve 220 without adding a new valve. The outdoor expansion valve 140 and the indoor expansion valve 220 may collectively be referred to as an " expansion valve ".

The indoor fan 270 functions to induce indoor air flow so that indoor air passes through the indoor heat exchanger 230.

The circulation pipe 700 may include a first branch pipe 710 and a second branch pipe 720. The first branch pipe 710 and the second branch pipe 720 are connected to the indoor pipe 210 of the first indoor unit so that the refrigerant flowing through the circulation pipe 700 flows into the indoor pipe 210 Or can be guided to be discharged from the indoor pipe 210.

Specifically, the first branch pipe 710 may be provided between the outdoor heat exchanger 130 and the indoor heat exchanger 230. The second branch pipe 720 may be provided between the compressor 110 and the indoor heat exchanger 230.

Meanwhile, although the indoor units 200, 300, and 400 include one indoor heat exchanger, a plurality of indoor heat exchangers may be included in one indoor unit. In other words, the first indoor unit 200, the second indoor unit 300, and the third indoor unit 400 may be one indoor unit provided in the same indoor space.

Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of the indoor unit will be described.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a leakage detection kit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The indoor unit will be described using the first indoor unit 200 as an example. Hereinafter, the first indoor unit 200 will be collectively referred to as an indoor unit.

2 and 3, the indoor unit 200 according to the present embodiment may include a housing 410 forming an outer appearance and a front panel 420 supporting one side of the housing 410. The front panel 420 may include a suction port (not shown) for sucking indoor air and a discharge port (not shown) for discharging the air sucked through the suction port (not shown) to the outside.

The indoor unit 200 may be connected to the outdoor unit 100 through a refrigerant pipe. Specifically, the indoor unit 200 can be connected to the outdoor unit 100 by an indoor pipe 210 and a circulation pipe (see 700 in FIG. 1).

The housing 410 may be provided with a pipe passage opening 415 through which the indoor pipe 210 passes. The indoor pipe 210 may guide the movement of the refrigerant into the indoor unit 200 through the pipe passage opening 415.

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment may be provided with a leakage detection kit 500 disposed adjacent to the indoor unit 200 and detecting whether refrigerant leaks into a space where the indoor unit 200 is disposed.

The indoor pipe 210 may be connected to the indoor unit 200 through the leakage detection kit 500. Therefore, the leakage detection kit 500 may include a through hole 520 through which the indoor pipe 210 passes.

The inner space of the leakage detection kit 500 may be sealed. That is, the leakage detection kit 500 may be hermetically sealed to prevent the refrigerant leaked to the inner space of the leakage detection kit 500 from escaping to the outside of the leakage detection kit 500.

A valve (250) for guiding the movement of the refrigerant may be installed in the inner space of the leakage detection kit (500). For example, if the pipe passing through the inside of the leak detection kit 500 is an indoor pipe 210, the valve may be the first valve 250.

The leakage detection kit 500 may include a refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 for detecting leakage of the refrigerant.

The principle that the refrigerant leakage detector 240 detects the leakage of the refrigerant may be variously described.

For example, the refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 may include two electrodes and an impedance measuring unit for measuring impedance between the two electrodes. Since the permittivity of the air and the permittivity of the refrigerant are different from each other, the value of the impedance measured by the impedance measuring unit changes when the refrigerant flows into the two electrodes. Accordingly, the refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 can sense the leakage of the refrigerant directly by measuring the impedance value.

The refrigerant leakage detector 240 may include a first temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the room air flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 230 and a second temperature sensor 260 for measuring the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 230. [ And a calculation unit calculating a difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor. It is possible to determine that sufficient refrigerant is not supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 230 when the difference of the temperature values calculated by the operation unit does not reach a preset value. In this case, the leakage of the refrigerant may be suspected. Accordingly, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 can indirectly detect the leakage of the refrigerant through the structure.

However, it should be noted that the operation principle of the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 is not limited thereto.

The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be disposed inside the housing 410 that forms an outer appearance of the indoor unit 200 or may be disposed outside the housing 410. The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be provided on a pipeline welded portion where refrigerant leakage is likely to occur. However, the position of the refrigerant leakage detector 240 is not limited thereto. The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be disposed at any one point of the indoor space away from the indoor unit 200.

Specifically, the refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 may be installed at a position where the indoor pipe 210 passes through the indoor unit 200. That is, when the indoor pipe 210 passes through the indoor unit 200, a minute gap may be generated, and the refrigerant may leak through the gap. Accordingly, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be installed adjacent to the pipe passage opening 415.

Further, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be installed directly on the refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant is moved. Generally, the refrigerant pipe is not integrally formed but a plurality of refrigerant pipes may be coupled by welding or the like. Accordingly, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be disposed at a position where the welding is performed.

The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be installed in an indoor space. At this time, the refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 may be installed at a height of about 200 to 500 mm from the floor of the indoor space. This is because when the refrigerant is mixed in the air, the refrigerant is distributed most at a height of about 200 to 500 mm from the ground.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 may be installed in the leakage sensing kit 500. A first valve (250) for guiding the movement of the refrigerant may be installed in the leakage detection kit (500). The refrigerant may leak through a gap generated when the first valve 250 is connected to the indoor pipe 210. Accordingly, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 may be installed adjacent to the first valve 250.

Also, the leakage detection kit 500 may constitute a closed space. That is, even if the refrigerant flowing along the indoor pipe 210 leaks, the refrigerant can be received in the leakage sensing kit 500. Accordingly, when the refrigerant leakage sensing unit 240 is accommodated in the leakage sensing kit 500, it is possible to easily detect the refrigerant leakage generated in the leakage sensing kit 500.

As described above, the refrigerant leakage kit 500 constitutes a closed space. Accordingly, the refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant leakage kit 500 may be prevented from leaking to the outside of the refrigerant leakage kit 500. That is, it is possible to prevent the leaked refrigerant from penetrating into the indoor unit 200 or the indoor space.

A plurality of brackets 510 may be formed on the outer surface of the leakage detection kit 500. For example, the plurality of brackets 510 include a first bracket 511 formed on one side of the leakage sensing kit 500 and a second bracket 512 formed on the other side of the leakage sensing kit 500 can do.

The leakage detection kit 500 may be connected to the ceiling 800 by the plurality of brackets 510. Specifically, the ceiling 800 may be connected to the plurality of brackets 510 by a support part 450. The support part 450 may be made of a material having a high durability and a predetermined elasticity. However, the type and nature of the support part 450 are not limited thereto.

The bracket 510 may be fixed to the ceiling 800 by the supporting part 450. That is, the leakage detection kit 500 may be fixed to the ceiling 800 by the support unit 450. Similarly, the fixing unit 460 may be formed on one side and the other side of the indoor unit 200 to connect the supporting unit 450. For example, the fixing portion 460 may be a bracket. However, the type of the fixing portion 460 is not limited thereto.

That is, the leakage sensing kit 500 and the indoor unit 200 can be fixed to the ceiling 800 by the plurality of supports 450.

4 is a block diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a control unit 600, a memory unit 620, and a timer 610.

The control unit 600 controls the operation of the first valve 250 and the second valve 260 by receiving a predetermined information from the refrigerant leakage detector 240, the memory unit 620, can do.

Also, the controller 600 may determine an operation mode of the air conditioner. For example, the controller 600 can determine whether the operation mode of the air conditioner is the cooling mode or the heating mode according to the refrigerant movement direction of the flow switching valve 120 that guides the moving direction of the refrigerant.

Various information related to the operation of the air conditioner may be stored in the memory unit 620. For example, the memory unit 620 may store a reference time t2 as a reference for the operation of the first valve 250 or the second valve 260.

The timer 610 may measure the detection time t1 at which the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 senses leakage of the refrigerant.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, first, the power of the air conditioner is turned on (S100), and the air conditioning mode of the air conditioner is inputted (S110). The air conditioner operates in the input mode (S120).

The refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 senses whether the refrigerant has leaked (S 130). If no refrigerant leakage is detected in the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240, the air conditioner continuously operates in the air conditioning mode.

If the refrigerant leakage detection unit 240 detects the leakage of the refrigerant, the control unit 600 determines whether the operation mode of the air conditioner is the cooling mode (S140).

If the operation mode of the air conditioner is the cooling mode, the first valve 250 is shut off (S150). By shutting off the first valve 250, the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger (see 230 of FIG. 1) can be shut off.

After the first valve 250 is shut off, the refrigerant is secondarily detected as to whether or not the refrigerant has leaked. Specifically, the timer 610 may cumulatively measure a time when the leakage of the refrigerant is detected, and may determine whether the measured sensing time t1 exceeds the reference time t2 (S160).

If the detection time t1 exceeds the reference time t2, the second valve 260 is shut off (S170). By blocking the second valve 260, it is possible to shut off the refrigerant flowing backward from the circulation pipe 700 to the indoor unit 200.

Through the predetermined abnormality notification means, it is possible to notify that the refrigerant is leaking (S180). The abnormality notification means may be a display or a speaker provided in the air conditioner. The display can notify the user of an abnormality through a character, a symbol or a picture. The speaker can inform the user of the abnormality through sound.

Then, the operation of the indoor unit 200 can be stopped (S190).

In step S140, if the operation mode of the air conditioner is the heating mode, the second valve 260 is shut off (S151). The steps S151, S161, and S171 are similar to the description of steps S150, S160, and S170, and therefore will not be described.

If the sensing time t1 does not exceed the reference time t2 in step S160, the first valve 250 is opened (step S165). Then, the process returns to step S130 and detects the leakage of the refrigerant.

On the other hand, if the sensing time t1 does not exceed the reference time t2 in step S161, the second valve 260 is opened (S166). Then, the process returns to step S130 and detects the leakage of the refrigerant.

Accordingly, when the leakage of the refrigerant is detected, the plurality of valves 250 and 260 are controlled to be opened and closed step by step, thereby improving the refrigerant detection efficiency of the refrigerant leakage detection unit.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood that various modifications and applications other than those described above are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments of the present invention can be modified and implemented. It is to be understood that all changes and modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

100: outdoor unit 200: indoor unit
240: Refrigerant leakage detection unit 210: Indoor piping
250: first valve 260: second valve
410: housing 450: support
500: Leak detection kit 510: Bracket
600: control unit 610: timer
620:

Claims (13)

An outdoor unit disposed in the outdoor space;
An indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit by a refrigerant pipe and having an indoor heat exchanger; And
A refrigerant leakage detection unit disposed between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit for detecting leakage of the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe and a first valve installed at one side of the refrigerant pipe for determining whether the refrigerant is moved by the indoor heat exchanger, The leakage detection kit comprising:
The inside of the leak detection kit includes:
And an air conditioner which forms a closed space for accommodating the leaked refrigerant. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising: a support portion connected to one side of the indoor space and the leakage detection kit and having a predetermined elasticity. 3. The method of claim 2,
The leakage detection kit includes:
And a bracket coupled to the support portion. The method of claim 3,
The bracket
A first bracket installed on one side of the leak detection kit; And
And a second bracket installed on the other side of the leakage detection kit,
The support portion
The first bracket being coupled to the first bracket and the second bracket being connected to one side of the indoor space. The method according to claim 1,
The leakage detection kit includes:
Wherein the through hole is a space through which the refrigerant pipe passes. 3. The method of claim 2,
The indoor unit includes:
And the fixing portion is formed to be fixed to one surface of the indoor space by the support portion. The method according to claim 1,
The refrigerant leakage detection unit may include:
Wherein the air conditioner is located at a height of 200 mm or more and 500 mm or less from the bottom surface of the indoor space in which the indoor unit is disposed. The method according to claim 1,
The refrigerant piping is composed of a plurality of refrigerant pipes,
The refrigerant leakage detection unit may include:
Wherein the plurality of refrigerant pipes are disposed at a portion where the plurality of refrigerant pipes are coupled. The method according to claim 1,
A second valve disposed on the other side of the refrigerant pipe; And
Further comprising a control unit for turning off at least one of the first valve and the second valve according to an operation mode when the refrigerant leakage detection unit detects leakage of the refrigerant. 10. The method of claim 9,
If the operation mode is the cooling mode,
And the control unit turns off the first valve. 11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a memory unit for storing a reference time related to a refrigerant leak time for determining opening and closing of the first valve or the second valve,
Wherein when the operation mode is the cooling mode and the detection time of the leakage of the refrigerant in the refrigerant leakage detection unit exceeds the reference time,
And the controller turns off the second valve. 10. The method of claim 9,
If the operation mode is the heating mode,
And the controller turns off the second valve. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein when the operation mode is the heating mode and the detection time of the leakage of the refrigerant in the refrigerant leakage detection unit exceeds the reference time,
And the controller turns off the first valve.

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