US20260043568A1 - Air-conditioner control system, information processing apparatus and air-conditioner control method - Google Patents

Air-conditioner control system, information processing apparatus and air-conditioner control method

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Publication number
US20260043568A1
US20260043568A1 US19/102,012 US202319102012A US2026043568A1 US 20260043568 A1 US20260043568 A1 US 20260043568A1 US 202319102012 A US202319102012 A US 202319102012A US 2026043568 A1 US2026043568 A1 US 2026043568A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
refrigerant
air conditioner
control
air
conditioner
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
US19/102,012
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English (en)
Inventor
Yukio Kitade
Masanori YAGETA
Kazuhito SEMBA
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Daikin Industries Ltd
Original Assignee
Daikin Industries Ltd
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Publication date
Application filed by Daikin Industries Ltd filed Critical Daikin Industries Ltd
Publication of US20260043568A1 publication Critical patent/US20260043568A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B49/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F25B49/02—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices for compression type machines, plants or systems
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/30—Control or safety arrangements for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
    • F24F11/32—Responding to malfunctions or emergencies
    • F24F11/36—Responding to malfunctions or emergencies to leakage of heat-exchange fluid
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/62—Control or safety arrangements characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
    • F24F11/63—Electronic processing
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B49/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F25B49/005—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices of safety devices
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2500/00—Problems to be solved
    • F25B2500/22—Preventing, detecting or repairing leaks of refrigeration fluids
    • F25B2500/222—Detecting refrigerant leaks

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to an air-conditioner control system, an information processing apparatus, and an air-conditioner control method.
  • This system allows an operation mode of a refrigeration cycle device to be switched automatically or manually from a normal operation mode to a refrigerant amount detection operation mode when the refrigeration cycle device's cooling or heating operation lasts for a certain time period, so that whether the refrigerant is leaking from the refrigeration circuit to the outside can be monitored remotely (see, for example, patent document 1).
  • Patent Document 1 Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-079842
  • Patent document 1 detects a refrigerant leakage by switching the operation mode of a refrigeration cycle device from a normal operation mode to a refrigerant amount detection operation mode during times when air-conditioning is not needed, such as holidays, late night hours, and so forth.
  • patent document 1 fails to teach convenient refrigerant leakage detection.
  • the present disclosure therefore aims to provide an air-conditioner control system, an information processing apparatus, and an air-conditioner control method that enable convenient and reliable refrigerant leakage detection.
  • a first example of the present disclosure provides an air-conditioner control system including a control unit configured to control an air conditioner.
  • the control unit is configured to perform a refrigerant leakage prediction based on first refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner every predetermined period.
  • the control unit is configured to execute second refrigerant detection control when a result of the refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control indicates a possibility of a refrigerant leakage, the second refrigerant detection control including performing a refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner while running the air conditioner in a refrigerant leakage detection mode.
  • a second example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the first example, and the first refrigerant detection control includes predicting the refrigerant leakage based on a pressure of a refrigerant while the air conditioner is not running.
  • a third example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the first example or the second example, and the second refrigerant detection control includes performing the refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner based on a state of a refrigerant for the air conditioner while the air conditioner is running under a load that is greater than or equal to a predetermined load.
  • a fourth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the first example or the second example, the second refrigerant detection control includes performing the refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner based on a state of a refrigerant for the air conditioner while the air conditioner is running under a load that is 70% or more of a capacity of the air conditioner.
  • a fifth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the third example or the fourth example, and the second refrigerant detection control includes performing the refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner based on the state of the refrigerant for the air conditioner after the refrigerant for the air conditioner becomes stable upon running the air conditioner under the load for a predetermined time period or longer.
  • a sixth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of any one of the third to fifth examples, and the second refrigerant detection control includes performing the refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner by using a number of items greater than a number of items used in the refrigerant leakage prediction that is performed based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • a seventh example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the first example, and the first refrigerant detection control is performed such that the refrigerant leakage prediction is performed by running an outer unit of the air conditioner and not running an inner unit of the air conditioner.
  • An eighth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the first example, and the first refrigerant detection control is executed such that the refrigerant leakage prediction is performed based on a state of a refrigerant for the air conditioner observed after running the air conditioner under a load for a predetermined number of minutes.
  • a tenth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the ninth example, and the second refrigerant detection control is executed such that the refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner is performed based on the state of the refrigerant for the air conditioner observed after the refrigerant for the air conditioner becomes stable upon running the air conditioner under the load for a predetermined time period or longer.
  • An eleventh example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of the ninth example or the tenth example, and the second refrigerant detection control includes performing the refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner by using a number of items greater than a number of items used in the refrigerant leakage prediction that is performed based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • a twelfth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of any one of the seventh to eleventh examples, and the first refrigerant detection control includes performing the refrigerant leakage detection by running an outer unit of the air conditioner in a middle of night.
  • a fourteenth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of any one of the first to thirteenth examples, and the control unit is configured to execute control such that the air conditioner performs the first refrigerant detection control, and such that the result of the refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control is transmitted to a server device.
  • a fifteenth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of any one of the first to fourteenth examples, the predetermined period is one day.
  • a sixteenth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of any one of the first to fifteenth examples, and the control unit is configured to execute control such that, when a result of the second refrigerant detection control indicates that the refrigerant is leaking, an indication of the refrigerant leakage or a suggestion for an inspection of the air conditioner is sent to a predetermined destination.
  • a seventeenth example of the present disclosure is based on the air-conditioner control system of any one of the first to sixteenth examples, and the control unit is configured to execute control such that, when an event consecutively occurs in which the result of the refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control indicates that the refrigerant is leaking and a result of the refrigerant leakage prediction based on the second refrigerant detection control indicates that the refrigerant is not leaking, a suggestion for an inspection of the air conditioner is sent to a predetermined destination.
  • a nineteenth example of the present disclosure provides an air-conditioner control method to be executed by a control unit of an air-conditioner control system.
  • the control unit is configured to control an air conditioner, and the method includes:
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram that shows an example structure of an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows an example hardware structure of a computer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart that shows examples of air-conditioner control processes performed by an air-conditioner control system according to ne embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram that shows examples of air-conditioner control processes performed by an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram that shows examples Of air-conditioner control processes performed by an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram that shows examples of air-conditioner control processes performed by an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram that shows an example structure of an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • An air-conditioner control system 1 has an air conditioner 10 , an edge device 20 , a server device 30 , and an administrator terminal 40 .
  • the air conditioner 10 and the edge device 20 are communicatively connected via a dedicated communication line or the like.
  • the edge device 20 , the server device 30 , and the administrator terminal 40 are communicatively connected via a network 50 such as, for example, the Internet.
  • the air conditioner 10 has one or more inner units 12 and one or more outer units 14 .
  • the number of inner units 12 and outer units 14 that the air conditioner 10 of FIG. 1 has is one example.
  • the inner units 12 and outer units 14 of the air conditioner 10 are connected so that they can communicate with each other.
  • the air conditioner 10 is an example of a device that runs a refrigeration cycle by circulating a refrigerant such as freon.
  • the Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act requires regular, simple inspections of equipment that uses fluorocarbons as a refrigerant.
  • the use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems is permitted as a method for convenient inspections.
  • IoT Internet-of-Things
  • the edge device 20 transmits the data output by the air conditioner 10 to the server device 30 via the network 50 .
  • the edge device 20 also transmits the data output by the server device 30 to the air conditioner 10 via the network 50 .
  • the server device 30 receives the data output by the air conditioner 10 from the edge device 20 via the network 50 .
  • the server device 30 also transmits the data to be output to the air conditioner 10 , to the edge device 20 .
  • the administrator terminal 40 is an information processing terminal that is operated by a user who manages the air conditioner 10 (for example, an administrator who manages the building in which the air conditioner 10 is installed, a serviceperson in charge of the air conditioner 10 , etc.).
  • the administrator terminal 40 displays the data received from the air conditioner 10 , the edge device 20 , or the server device 30 , and shows their indications to the user. For example, the administrator terminal 40 displays an indication of a refrigerant leakage or a suggestion of an inspection of the air conditioner 10 , which will be described later.
  • the administrator terminal 40 is an information processing terminal such as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like.
  • control programs are installed in at least one of the air conditioner 10 , the edge device 20 , and the server device 30 .
  • the air conditioner 10 can function as a control unit 16 by executing the control programs.
  • the edge device 20 can function as a control unit 22 by executing the control programs.
  • the server device 30 can function as a control unit 32 by executing the control programs.
  • FIG. 1 shows an example in which the air conditioner 10 , the edge device 20 , and the server device 30 each have a control unit 16 , 22 , or 32 , the structure is by no means limited to that shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the air-conditioner control system 1 may have any structure that has at least one of the control units 16 , 22 , and 32 .
  • the control units 16 , 22 , and 32 control the air conditioner 10 .
  • the control units 16 , 22 , and 32 perform refrigerant leakage prediction based on first refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 , and perform the second refrigerant detection control for performing refrigerant leakage detection for the air conditioner 10 .
  • the control unit 32 of the server device 30 can control the air conditioner 10 remotely via the network 50 .
  • the structure of the air-conditioner control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is one example, and, for example, the server device 30 may be implemented by one or more information processing apparatuses.
  • the server device 30 may also be implemented as cloud computing services.
  • there are various example structures for the structure of the air-conditioner control system 1 of FIG. 1 depending on the application and purpose of use.
  • the edge device 20 , server device 30 , and administrator terminal 40 in FIG. 1 are implemented, for example, by a computer 500 having the hardware structure shown in FIG. 2 .
  • the air conditioner 10 has a controller that is similar to the computer 500 that can execute control programs.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows an example hardware structure of a computer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the computer 500 of FIG. 2 includes an input device 501 , a display device 502 , an external I/F 503 , a RAM 504 , a ROM 505 , a CPU 506 , a communication I/F 507 , and an HDD 508 , all of which are connected to each other via a bus B.
  • the input device 501 and the display device 502 may be connected and used on an as-needed basis.
  • the input device 501 may be a touch panel, operation keys, buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like that the user uses to input various signals.
  • the display device 502 is composed of a display such as an LCD or OLED that displays a screen, a speaker that outputs sound data such as voice and music, and so forth.
  • the communication I/F 507 is an interface through which the computer 500 performs data communication over a network.
  • the HDD 508 is an example of a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data.
  • the programs and data to be stored in the HDD 508 include an OS, which is basic software that controls the entire computer 500 , and applications that provide various functions on the OS.
  • the computer 500 may use a drive device that uses a flash memory as a recording medium (for example, a solid-state drive (SSD) ).
  • SSD solid-state drive
  • the external I/F 503 is an interface with external devices.
  • External devices include a recording medium 503 a . This allows the computer 500 to read from and write to the recording medium 503 a via the external I/F 503 .
  • Examples of the recording medium 503 a include a flexible disk, a CD, a DVD, an SD memory card, and a USB memory.
  • the ROM 505 is an example of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can hold programs and data even when the power is turned off.
  • the ROM 505 stores programs and data such as the BIOS, OS configurations, and network configurations that are executed when the computer 500 is powered on.
  • the RAM 504 is an example of a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that holds programs and data on a temporary basis.
  • the CPU 506 is a computing device that reads programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 505 and HDD 508 onto the RAM 504 , and executes processes to implement the control and functions of the entire computer 500 .
  • the CPU 506 is an example of the control unit 16 , 22 , or 32 .
  • the first refrigerant detection control is an example of control for performing convenient refrigerant leakage detection. There are cases in which the air conditioner 10 need not run in a refrigerant leakage detection mode and cases in which the air conditioner 10 needs to run in a convenient refrigerant leakage detection mode.
  • step S 14 if the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 12 does not indicate that the refrigerant may be leaking, the control unit 32 returns to the process of step S 10 . If the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 12 indicates that the refrigerant may be leaking, the control unit 32 proceeds to the process of step S 16 .
  • step S 16 the control unit 32 performs a refrigerant leakage detection process for the air conditioner 10 based on second refrigerant detection control.
  • a refrigerant leakage may be detected for the air conditioner 10 while the air conditioner 10 runs in the refrigerant leakage detection mode.
  • refrigerant leakage detection process for the air conditioner 10 based on the second refrigerant detection control refrigerant leakage may be detected based on the state of the refrigerant for the air conditioner 10 while the air conditioner 10 runs with a predetermined level of load or more (for example, 70% or more).
  • the air conditioner 10 may be run such that a load is placed on a predetermined number of inner units 12 (for example, 70% or more of all the inner units 12 ) for a predetermined time period (for example, approximately one hour) or more, and a refrigerant leakage may be detected for the air conditioner 10 based on the state of the refrigerant for the air conditioner 10 after the refrigerant for the air conditioner 10 becomes stable.
  • a predetermined number of inner units 12 for example, 70% or more of all the inner units 12
  • a predetermined time period for example, approximately one hour
  • the air conditioner 10 when the air conditioner 10 is run such that a load of 70% or more is placed on the inner units 12 , this means that a load that is 70% or more of the rated capacity of the outer units 14 is placed on the inner units 12 (the capacity of the working inner units 12 becomes 70% or more of the rated capacity of the outer units 14 ).
  • the operation in which a load of 70% or more is placed may refer to an operation in which 70% or more of the connecting inner units 12 are run, or refer to an operation in which a load that is 70% or more of the total capacity of all the inner units 12 connected to the same system is placed.
  • the number of items that are needed to make determinations in the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control is greater than the number of items that are needed to make determinations in the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control uses a larger number of items, imposes a greater load, and takes a longer processing time than the simpler refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control, but enables more reliable refrigerant leakage detection.
  • the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control uses a smaller number of items, imposes a smaller load, and requires a shorter processing time than the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control, making it easier to predict a refrigerant leakage.
  • the items used in the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control include intake pressure, discharge pressure, outdoor temperature, intake pipe temperature, and so forth.
  • the items used in the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control include intake pressure, discharge pressure, outdoor temperature, intake pipe temperature, discharge pipe temperature, liquid pipe temperature, expansion valve opening, and so forth.
  • step S 18 if the result of the second refrigerant detection control in step S 16 indicates that the refrigerant is leaking, the control unit 32 proceeds to the process of step S 22 .
  • step S 22 the control unit 32 displays an indication of a refrigerant leakage or a suggestion of an inspection of the air conditioner 10 on the administrator terminal 40 , which is an example of a destination to which such an indication is sent. After the process of step S 22 , the control unit 32 returns to the process of step S 10 .
  • step S 18 if the result of the second refrigerant detection control in step S 16 does not indicate that the refrigerant is leaking, the control unit 32 proceeds to the process of step S 20 .
  • step S 20 if a case in which the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 12 indicates that the refrigerant may be leaking and the result of the second refrigerant detection control in step S 16 does not indicate that the refrigerant is leaking several times in a row (for example, three times), the control unit 32 determines that it is necessary to suggest an inspection of the air conditioner 10 . When it is determined that an inspection of the air conditioner 10 needs to be suggested, the control unit 32 proceeds to the process of step S 24 and displays the suggestion of an inspection of the air conditioner 10 on the administrator terminal 40 , which is an example of a destination to which such an indication is sent. The control unit 32 returns to the process of step S 10 after the process of step S 24 . If it is not determined that an inspection of the air conditioner 10 needs to be suggested, the control unit 32 returns to the process of step S 10 .
  • the air-conditioner control system 1 performs a simple refrigerant leakage prediction process based on first refrigerant detection control for each predetermined period, so that, if the possibility that the refrigerant is leaking is high, the air-conditioner control system 1 can perform refrigerant leakage detection based on the second refrigerant detection control, which is more reliable than the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on first refrigerant detection control.
  • FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram that shows examples of air-conditioner control processes performed by the air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the control unit 32 of the server device 30 controls the air conditioner 10 remotely via the network 50 .
  • step S 30 the control unit 32 of the server device 30 makes a request to the edge device 20 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 every predetermined period.
  • step S 32 the edge device 20 makes a request to the air conditioner 10 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • step S 34 the air conditioner 10 performs the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control in accordance with the request from the edge device 20 .
  • the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 34 does not indicate that the refrigerant may be leaking.
  • step S 36 the air conditioner 10 answers to the edge device 20 that there is no possibility that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • the edge device 20 answers to the control unit 32 of the server device 30 that there is no possibility that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • the control unit 32 waits until the next predetermined period elapses because the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control did not indicate that there was a possibility that the refrigerant was leaking.
  • step S 40 after the next predetermined period elapses, the control unit 32 makes a request to the edge device 20 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 .
  • step S 42 the edge device 20 makes a request to the air conditioner 10 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • step S 44 the air conditioner 10 performs the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control in accordance with the request from the edge device 20 .
  • the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 44 indicates that the refrigerant may be leaking.
  • step S 46 the air conditioner 10 answers to the edge device 20 that the refrigerant may be leaking.
  • step S 48 the edge device 20 answers to the control unit 32 of the server device 30 that the refrigerant may be leaking.
  • step S 50 the control unit 32 makes a request to the edge device 20 to perform the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 .
  • step S 52 the edge device 20 makes a request to the air conditioner 10 to perform the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control.
  • step S 54 the air conditioner 10 performs the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control in accordance with the request from the edge device 20 .
  • the result of the second refrigerant detection control in step S 54 indicates that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • step S 56 the air conditioner 10 reports to the edge device 20 that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • step S 58 the edge device 20 notifies the control unit 32 of the server device 30 of the refrigerant leak.
  • step S 60 the control unit 32 performs a process of indicating to the administrator terminal 40 , which is an example of a destination to which such an indication is sent, that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • the indication in step S 60 may be a process of suggesting an inspection of the air conditioner 10 .
  • step S 62 the administrator terminal 40 displays an indication of a refrigerant leakage or a suggestion of an inspection of the air conditioner 10 .
  • the sequence diagram of FIG. 4 is an example in which the control unit 32 of the server device 30 determines whether or not it is necessary to execute the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control and the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 . Whether or not it is necessary to execute the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control and the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 may be determined, for example, by the air conditioner 10 as shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 5 .
  • FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram that shows examples of air-conditioner control processes performed by an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the control unit 16 of the air conditioner 10 determines whether or not the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control and the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control can be executed.
  • step S 70 the control unit 16 of the air conditioner 10 starts the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control that is performed every predetermined period.
  • the control unit 16 of the air conditioner 10 starts the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control that is performed every predetermined period.
  • step S 72 the air conditioner 10 answers to the edge device 20 that there is no possibility that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • the edge device 20 answers to the control unit 32 of the server device 30 that there is no possibility that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • the control unit 32 manages the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control. Note that the processes of steps S 72 and S 74 may be omitted if the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control is sent to the server device 30 as a daily report.
  • step S 76 the control unit 16 of the air conditioner 10 starts the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control after the next predetermined period elapses.
  • the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 76 indicates that the refrigerant may be leaking.
  • step S 78 Because the result Of the second refrigerant detection control in step S 78 indicates that the refrigerant may be leaking, the control unit 16 of the air conditioner 10 starts the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 .
  • step S 78 the air conditioner 10 reports to the edge device 20 that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • step S 82 the edge device 20 answers to the server device 30 that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • step S 84 the server device 30 performs a process of indicating to the administrator terminal 40 , which is an example of a destination to which such an indication is sent, that the refrigerant is leaking.
  • the indication in step S 84 may be a process of suggesting an inspection of the air conditioner 10 .
  • step S 86 the administrator terminal 40 displays an indication of a refrigerant leakage or a suggestion of an inspection of the air conditioner 10 .
  • the control unit 16 may ask the user of the administrator terminal 40 whether or not the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 can be executed.
  • the control unit 16 may cause the administrator terminal 40 to display a screen for asking the user whether or not the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 can be executed, and allow the user to choose whether or not the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control can be executed.
  • FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram that shows examples of air-conditioner control processes performed by an air-conditioner control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the control unit 32 of the server device 30 determines whether or not the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control and the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control can be executed.
  • step S 100 the control unit 32 of the server device 30 makes a request to the edge device 20 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 every predetermined period.
  • step S 102 the edge device 20 makes a request to the air conditioner 10 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • step S 106 the air conditioner 10 answers to the edge device 20 that the refrigerant may be leaking.
  • step S 108 the edge device 20 answers to the control unit 32 of the server device 30 that the refrigerant may be leaking. Because the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control indicated that the refrigerant might be leaking, in step S 110 , the control unit 32 makes a request to the edge device 20 to perform the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 . In step S 112 , the edge device 20 makes a request to the air conditioner 10 to perform the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control.
  • step S 114 the air conditioner 10 performs the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control in accordance with the request from the edge device 20 .
  • the air conditioner 10 answers to the edge device 20 that the refrigerant is not leaking.
  • step S 118 the edge device 20 answers to the control unit 32 of the server device 30 that the refrigerant is not leaking.
  • the control unit 32 determines whether the result of the second refrigerant detection control has shown “no refrigerant leakage” several times in a row The control unit 32 determines that the result of the second refrigerant detection control has not shown “no refrigerant leakage” several times in a row, and waits until the next predetermined period elapses.
  • step S 120 after the next predetermined period elapses, the control unit 32 makes a request to the edge device 20 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 .
  • step S 122 the edge device 20 makes a request to the air conditioner 10 to perform the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control.
  • step S 124 the air conditioner 10 performs the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control in accordance with the request from the edge device 20 .
  • the result of refrigerant leakage prediction based on the first refrigerant detection control in step S 124 indicated that the refrigerant might be leaking.
  • step S 134 the air conditioner 10 performs the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control in accordance with the request from the edge device 20 .
  • the air conditioner 10 answers to the edge device 20 that the refrigerant is not leaking.
  • step S 138 the edge device 20 answers to the control unit 32 of the server device 30 that the refrigerant is not leaking.
  • the control unit 32 determines whether the result of the second refrigerant detection control has shown “no refrigerant leakage” several times in a row. The control unit 32 determines that the result of the second refrigerant detection control has shown “no refrigerant leakage” several times in a row.
  • the control unit 32 determines that an inspection of the air conditioner 10 needs to be suggested.
  • step S 140 the control unit 32 performs a process of sending a suggestion to the administrator terminal 40 , which is an example of a destination to which such an indication is sent, that the air conditioner 10 be inspected.
  • step S 142 the administrator terminal 40 displays the suggestion of an inspection of the air conditioner 10 .
  • sequence diagrams of FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 illustrate cases in which the control unit 32 of the server device 30 or the control unit 16 of the air conditioner 10 determines whether or not the refrigerant leakage prediction process based on the first refrigerant detection control and the refrigerant leakage detection process based on the second refrigerant detection control for the air conditioner 10 need to be performed, but the control unit 22 of the edge device 20 may determine this instead.
  • the air-conditioner control system 1 thus performs convenient refrigerant leakage prediction based on first refrigerant detection control every predetermined period, and, when the result of this convenient refrigerant leakage prediction based on first refrigerant detection control indicates that the refrigerant may be leaking, the air-conditioner control system 1 can perform refrigerant leakage detection based on the second refrigerant detection control, which is more reliable than the refrigerant leakage prediction based on first refrigerant detection control.

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  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
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  • Fuzzy Systems (AREA)
  • Mathematical Physics (AREA)
  • Air Conditioning Control Device (AREA)
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