WO2017199342A1

WO2017199342A1 - Refrigeration cycle device

Info

Publication number: WO2017199342A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/064629
Authority: WO
Inventors: 将広上條; 康巨鈴木; 昌彦高木; 健裕田中; 和樹渡部
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2016-05-17
Filing date: 2016-05-17
Publication date: 2017-11-23
Also published as: JPWO2017199342A1; CN109154464A; EP3460360A4; JP6121075B1; WO2017199808A1; US20190072291A1; EP3460360A1; JPWO2017199808A1

Abstract

Provided is a refrigeration cycle device that enables prompt processing after the occurrence of refrigerant leakage. In this refrigeration cycle device, when a refrigerant is detected by a refrigerant detection means, a notification means notifies the occurrence of leakage of the refrigerant, and also notifies countermeasure information for determining a countermeasure procedure against said refrigerant leakage.

Description

Refrigeration cycle equipment

The present invention relates to a refrigeration cycle apparatus having a refrigerant detection function.

Patent Document 1 describes an air conditioner using a flammable refrigerant, which includes a gas sensor for detecting a flammable refrigerant gas on the outer surface of an indoor unit. The indoor unit is a floor type, and the gas sensor is provided at the lower part of the indoor unit. If the sensor detection voltage of the gas sensor is equal to or higher than a reference value, the control unit of this air conditioner determines that the flammable refrigerant has leaked, immediately issues an alarm by an alarm device, and turns on the fan installed in the indoor unit. Rotate. Thereby, the user can know that the flammable refrigerant has leaked, and can take measures such as a procedure for ventilating the room and calling a service person for repair.

Japanese Patent No. 4599699

The processing performed first by a service person who has received a refrigerant leak notification and arrived at the site varies depending on the presence or absence of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. If the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe remains, the service person will connect the extension pipe of the outdoor unit so that no more refrigerant will leak from the leaked part of the indoor unit before checking and repairing the leaked part. It is necessary to take measures such as closing the valve. On the other hand, when there is no refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe, the service person can immediately check the leak location and start a series of operations for repairing the found leak location.

However, it is only the occurrence of leakage of the flammable refrigerant that is notified by the control unit of the air conditioner of Patent Document 1. Therefore, it is impossible for the service person who starts the maintenance of the indoor unit to immediately determine from which stage the work should be started. As a result, there is a problem that the service person who has been notified of the leakage of the refrigerant cannot quickly take appropriate action.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration cycle apparatus that enables rapid processing thereafter when refrigerant leakage occurs.

An refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the present invention includes a load-side heat exchanger that constitutes a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant circulates, a refrigerant detection means that detects refrigerant, and an air blower fan, and an indoor unit that is installed indoors; A control unit that controls the indoor unit; and a notification unit that notifies information related to the refrigerant. When the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant detection unit, the control unit causes the notification unit to determine a countermeasure procedure for refrigerant leakage. The coping information is notified.

According to the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the present invention, when the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant detecting means, the countermeasure information for determining the countermeasure procedure for the refrigerant leakage is notified. Therefore, the service person corresponding to the refrigerant leakage can quickly start an appropriate initial movement process.

It is a refrigerant circuit figure showing a schematic structure of an air harmony machine concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows typically the internal structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the internal structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the remote control of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a control block diagram of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the refrigerant | coolant leak detection process performed by the control part of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

Embodiment.
An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following drawings including FIG. 1, the dimensional relationship and shape of each component may differ from the actual ones.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 has a refrigerant circuit 40 for circulating the refrigerant. The refrigerant circuit 40 includes a compressor 3, a refrigerant flow switching device 4, a heat source side heat exchanger 5 (for example, an outdoor heat exchanger), a decompression device 6, and a load side heat exchanger 7 (for example, an indoor heat exchanger). Are sequentially connected in an annular shape through refrigerant piping. Moreover, the air conditioner 100 has the outdoor unit 2 installed, for example, outdoors as a heat source unit. Furthermore, the air conditioner 100 has, for example, an indoor unit 1 installed indoors as a load unit. The indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 are connected via

extension pipes

10a and 10b that are part of the refrigerant pipe.

As the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit 40, for example, a slightly flammable refrigerant such as HFO-1234yf or HFO-1234ze, or a strong flammable refrigerant such as R290 or R1270 is used. These refrigerants may be used as a single refrigerant, or may be used as a mixed refrigerant in which two or more kinds are mixed. Hereinafter, a refrigerant having a flammability at or above a slight combustion level (for example, 2 L or more in the ASHRAE 34 classification) may be referred to as a “flammable refrigerant”. Further, as the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit 40, non-flammable refrigerants such as R22 and R410A having nonflammability (for example, 1 in the ASHRAE 34 classification) can be used. These refrigerants have, for example, higher density than air under atmospheric pressure.

The compressor 3 is a fluid machine that compresses sucked low-pressure refrigerant and discharges it as high-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant flow switching device 4 switches the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 40 between the cooling operation and the heating operation. For example, a four-way valve is used as the refrigerant flow switching device 4. The heat source side heat exchanger 5 is a heat exchanger that functions as a radiator (for example, a condenser) during cooling operation and functions as an evaporator during heating operation. In the heat source side heat exchanger 5, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant circulating in the interior and the outdoor air blown by an outdoor blower fan 5f described later. The decompression device 6 decompresses the high-pressure refrigerant into a low-pressure refrigerant. As the decompression device 6, for example, an electronic expansion valve whose opening degree can be adjusted is used. The load-side heat exchanger 7 is a heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator during cooling operation and functions as a radiator (for example, a condenser) during heating operation. In the load-side heat exchanger 7, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant circulating in the interior and air blown by an indoor blower fan 7f described later. Here, the cooling operation is an operation for supplying a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant to the load-side heat exchanger 7, and the heating operation is an operation for supplying a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant to the load-side heat exchanger 7. It is.

In the outdoor unit 2, a compressor 3, a refrigerant flow switching device 4, a heat source side heat exchanger 5 and a pressure reducing device 6 are accommodated. In addition, the outdoor unit 2 accommodates an outdoor blower fan 5 f that supplies outdoor air to the heat source side heat exchanger 5. The outdoor fan 5f is installed to face the heat source side heat exchanger 5. By rotating the outdoor fan 5f, an air flow passing through the heat source side heat exchanger 5 is generated. For example, a propeller fan is used as the outdoor blower fan 5f. The outdoor fan 5f is arranged, for example, on the downstream side of the heat source side heat exchanger 5 in the air flow generated by the outdoor fan 5f.

The outdoor unit 2 includes a refrigerant pipe connecting the extension pipe connection valve 13a on the gas side during the cooling operation and the refrigerant flow switching device 4 as a refrigerant pipe, a suction pipe 11 connected to the suction side of the compressor 3, A discharge pipe 12 connected to the discharge side of the compressor 3, a refrigerant pipe connecting the refrigerant flow switching device 4 and the heat source side heat exchanger 5, a refrigerant pipe connecting the heat source side heat exchanger 5 and the decompression device 6, And the refrigerant | coolant piping which connects the extended piping connection valve 13b and the decompression device 6 which become a liquid side at the time of cooling operation is arrange | positioned. The extension pipe connection valve 13a is a two-way valve that can be switched between open and closed, and a flare joint is attached to one end thereof. The extension pipe connection valve 13b is a three-way valve that can be switched between open and closed. At one end of the extension pipe connection valve 13b, a service port 14a used for evacuation, which is a pre-operation for filling the refrigerant into the refrigerant circuit 40, is attached, and a flare joint is attached to the other end.

The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 3 flows through the discharge pipe 12 during both the cooling operation and the heating operation. A low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant or two-phase refrigerant that has undergone an evaporating action flows through the suction pipe 11 in both the cooling operation and the heating operation. A service port 14b with a low-pressure side flare joint is connected to the suction pipe 11, and a service port 14c with a flare joint on the high-pressure side is connected to the discharge pipe 12. The service ports 14b and 14c are used for measuring the operating pressure by connecting a pressure gauge at the time of installation or repair of the air conditioner 100.

The indoor unit 1 accommodates a load side heat exchanger 7. Further, the indoor unit 1 is provided with an indoor fan 7f that supplies air to the load-side heat exchanger 7. By rotating the indoor blower fan 7f, an air flow passing through the load-side heat exchanger 7 is generated. As the indoor fan 7f, a centrifugal fan (for example, a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, etc.), a cross flow fan, a diagonal fan, an axial fan (for example, a propeller fan), or the like is used depending on the form of the indoor unit 1. The indoor blower fan 7f of this example is disposed on the upstream side of the load side heat exchanger 7 in the air flow generated by the indoor blower fan 7f, but is disposed on the downstream side of the load side heat exchanger 7. Also good.

In the indoor piping 9a on the gas side of the refrigerant piping of the indoor unit 1, a joint portion 15a (for example, a flare joint) for connecting the extension piping 10a is provided at a connection portion with the extension piping 10a on the gas side. Yes. In addition, in the liquid side indoor pipe 9b among the refrigerant pipes of the indoor unit 1, a joint part 15b (for example, a flare joint) for connecting the extension pipe 10b is provided in the connection part with the liquid side extension pipe 10b. It has been.

In addition, the indoor unit 1 includes the intake air temperature sensor 91 that detects the temperature of the indoor air sucked from the room, and the refrigerant temperature at the inlet portion during the cooling operation of the load side heat exchanger 7 (the outlet portion during the heating operation). A heat exchanger inlet temperature sensor 92 to detect, a heat exchanger temperature sensor 93 to detect the refrigerant temperature (evaporation temperature or condensation temperature) of the two-phase part of the load side heat exchanger 7 are provided. Furthermore, the indoor unit 1 is provided with a refrigerant detection means 99 (for example, a semiconductor gas sensor) described later. These sensors are configured to output detection signals to the control unit 30 that controls the indoor unit 1 or the air conditioner 100 as a whole.

The control unit 30 is a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Randam Access Memory), an I / O (Input / Output) port, etc. There is.) The control unit 30 can perform data communication with the operation unit of the remote controller described later. The operation unit accepts an operation by the user and outputs an operation signal based on the operation to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 according to the present embodiment controls the entire operation of the indoor unit 1 or the air conditioner 100 including the operation of the indoor blower fan 7f based on the operation signal from the operation unit, the detection signal from the sensors, and the like. In addition, the control unit 30 of the present embodiment can switch between energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection means 99. The control unit 30 may be provided in the housing of the indoor unit 1 or may be provided in the housing of the outdoor unit 2. Moreover, the control part 30 may be comprised by the outdoor unit control part provided in the outdoor unit 2, and the indoor unit control part provided in the indoor unit 1 and capable of data communication with the outdoor unit control part.

Next, the operation of the refrigerant circuit 40 of the air conditioner 100 will be described. First, the operation during the cooling operation will be described. In FIG. 1, a solid line arrow indicates the flow direction of the refrigerant during the cooling operation. In the cooling operation, the refrigerant flow path switching device 4 switches the refrigerant flow path as indicated by a solid line, and the refrigerant circuit 40 is configured so that the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flows through the load-side heat exchanger 7.

The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 first flows into the heat source side heat exchanger 5 through the refrigerant flow switching device 4. In the cooling operation, the heat source side heat exchanger 5 functions as a condenser. That is, in the heat source side heat exchanger 5, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant circulating in the interior and the outdoor air blown by the outdoor blower fan 5f, and the condensation heat of the refrigerant is radiated to the outdoor air. Thereby, the refrigerant flowing into the heat source side heat exchanger 5 is condensed and becomes a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant flows into the decompression device 6 and is decompressed to become a low-pressure two-phase refrigerant. The low-pressure two-phase refrigerant flows into the load side heat exchanger 7 of the indoor unit 1 via the extension pipe 10b. In the cooling operation, the load side heat exchanger 7 functions as an evaporator. That is, in the load-side heat exchanger 7, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant circulating inside and the air (for example, indoor air) blown by the indoor blower fan 7f, and the evaporation heat of the refrigerant is absorbed from the blown air. The Thereby, the refrigerant flowing into the load-side heat exchanger 7 evaporates to become a low-pressure gas refrigerant or a two-phase refrigerant. Further, the air blown by the indoor blower fan 7f is cooled by the endothermic action of the refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant or two-phase refrigerant evaporated in the load side heat exchanger 7 is sucked into the compressor 3 via the extension pipe 10 a and the refrigerant flow switching device 4. The refrigerant sucked into the compressor 3 is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant. In the cooling operation, the above cycle is repeated.

Next, the operation during heating operation will be described. In FIG. 1, the dotted line arrows indicate the flow direction of the refrigerant during the heating operation. In the heating operation, the refrigerant flow path switching device 4 switches the refrigerant flow paths as indicated by dotted lines, and the refrigerant circuit 40 is configured so that the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flows through the load-side heat exchanger 7. During the heating operation, the refrigerant flows in the opposite direction to that during the cooling operation, and the load side heat exchanger 7 functions as a condenser. That is, in the load-side heat exchanger 7, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant circulating inside and the air blown by the indoor blower fan 7f, and the heat of condensation of the refrigerant is radiated to the blown air. Thereby, the air blown by the indoor fan 7f is heated by the heat radiation action of the refrigerant.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an appearance of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the internal structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. The left side in FIG. 4 shows the front side of the indoor unit 1 (that is, the indoor space side). In the present embodiment, the indoor unit 1 is exemplified by a floor-standing indoor unit 1 installed on the floor surface of the indoor space serving as the air-conditioning target space. In addition, the positional relationship (for example, vertical relationship etc.) between each structural member in the following description is a thing when installing the indoor unit 1 in the state which can be used in principle.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the indoor unit 1 includes a casing 111 having a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape. A suction port 112 for sucking air in the indoor space is formed in the lower front portion of the housing 111. The suction port 112 of the present embodiment is provided below the center part in the vertical direction of the casing 111 and at a position near the floor surface. At the upper part of the front surface of the casing 111, that is, at a position higher than the suction port 112 (for example, above the center in the vertical direction of the casing 111), the air sucked from the suction port 112 is blown out into the room. An outlet 113 is formed.

The housing 111 is a hollow box, and a front opening is formed on the front surface of the housing 111. The casing 111 includes a first front panel 114a, a second front panel 114b, and a third front panel 114c that are detachably attached to the front opening. The first front panel 114a, the second front panel 114b, and the third front panel 114c all have a substantially rectangular flat plate-like outer shape. The first front panel 114a is detachably attached to the lower portion of the front opening of the casing 111. The suction port 112 is formed in the first front panel 114a. The second front panel 114b is disposed adjacent to and above the first front panel 114a, and is detachably attached to the central portion of the front opening of the housing 111 in the vertical direction. The operation unit is provided on the second front panel 114b. The third front panel 114c is disposed adjacent to and above the second front panel 114b, and is detachably attached to the upper portion of the front opening of the housing 111. The above-described air outlet 113 is formed in the third front panel 114c.

The internal space of the housing 111 is roughly divided into a space 115a serving as a blower section and a space 115b positioned above the space 115a and serving as a heat exchange section. The space 115a and the space 115b are partitioned by the partition portion 20. The partition part 20 has a flat plate shape, for example, and is arranged substantially horizontally. The partition portion 20 is formed with at least an air passage opening 20a serving as an air passage between the space 115a and the space 115b. The space 115a is exposed to the front side by removing the first front panel 114a from the housing 111, and the space 115b is obtained by removing the second front panel 114b and the third front panel 114c from the housing 111. Is exposed on the front side. That is, the height at which the partition portion 20 is installed generally matches the height of the upper end of the first front panel 114a or the lower end of the second front panel 114b. Here, the partition portion 20 may be formed integrally with a fan casing 108 described later, or may be formed integrally with a drain pan described later, or as a separate body from the fan casing 108 and the drain pan. It may be formed.

In the space 115a, an indoor blower fan 7f that causes an air flow from the inlet 112 to the outlet 113 to be generated in the air passage 81 in the housing 111 is disposed. The indoor blower fan 7f of the present embodiment is a sirocco fan that includes a motor (not shown) and an impeller 107 that is connected to an output shaft of the motor and has a plurality of blades arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, for example. is there. The rotating shaft of the impeller 107 is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the depth direction of the casing 111. The rotational speed of the indoor blower fan 7f is set to be variable in multiple stages (for example, two or more stages) or continuously by control of the control unit 30 based on the set air volume set by the user.

The impeller 107 of the indoor fan 7f is covered with a spiral fan casing 108. The fan casing 108 is formed separately from the casing 111, for example. In the vicinity of the spiral center of the fan casing 108, a suction opening 108 b that sucks room air into the fan casing 108 through the suction port 112 is formed. The suction opening 108 b is disposed so as to face the suction port 112. Further, in the tangential direction of the spiral of the fan casing 108, a blowout opening 108a for blowing out the blown air is formed. The blowout opening 108 a is disposed so as to face upward, and is connected to the space 115 b through the air passage opening 20 a of the partition part 20. In other words, the outlet opening 108a communicates with the space 115b via the air passage opening 20a. The opening end of the outlet opening 108a and the opening end of the air passage opening 20a may be directly connected or indirectly connected via a duct member or the like.

Further, in the space 115a, for example, an electrical component box 25 in which a microcomputer, various electrical components, a substrate, and the like constituting the control unit 30 are accommodated is provided.

The load side heat exchanger 7 is arranged in the air passage 81 in the space 115b. A drain pan (not shown) that receives condensed water condensed on the surface of the load side heat exchanger 7 is provided below the load side heat exchanger 7. The drain pan may be formed as a part of the partition part 20, or may be formed separately from the partition part 20 and disposed on the partition part 20.

A refrigerant detection means 99 is provided at a position near the lower side of the space 115a. As the refrigerant detection means 99, an energization type refrigerant detection means including an energization type gas sensor such as a semiconductor gas sensor or a hot wire type semiconductor gas sensor is used. The refrigerant detection unit 99 detects, for example, the refrigerant concentration in the air around the refrigerant detection unit 99 and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 30. In the control unit 30, processing related to refrigerant leakage is executed based on the detection signal from the refrigerant detection means 99.

In the indoor unit 1, there is a risk of refrigerant leakage in the brazed portion and the

joint portions

15 a and 15 b of the load side heat exchanger 7. Further, the refrigerant used in the present embodiment has a density higher than that of air under atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the refrigerant detection means 99 of the present embodiment is provided in a position lower in the casing 111 than the load-side heat exchanger 7 and the

joint portions

15a and 15b. Thereby, at least when the indoor blower fan 7f is stopped, the refrigerant detection means 99 can reliably detect the leaked refrigerant. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant detection means 99 is provided at a position closer to the lower side of the space 115a, but the installation position of the refrigerant detection means 99 may be another position.

As shown in FIG. 2, a remote controller 26 is disposed on the front surface of the casing 111 above the suction port 112 and below the air outlet 113. That is, the remote control 26 is provided on the design surface of the casing 111. FIG. 5 is a front view of the remote controller of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. The remote control 26 has a display unit 26a and an operation unit 26b. When the user operates the operation unit 26b of the remote control 26, the operation start operation, the operation end operation, the operation mode switching, the set temperature, the set air volume, and the like of the air conditioner 100 are performed.

The display unit 26a of the remote control 26 includes a status display area 261, an abnormal code display area 262, a current time display area 263, and a handling information display area 264 in which information for determining a handling procedure for refrigerant leakage is displayed. Have. When the control unit 30 determines that the refrigerant is leaking, a character string indicating the refrigerant leakage is displayed in the state display area 261. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the characters “Rayby Law” are displayed as an example. In the abnormality code display area 262, when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner 100, a predetermined code corresponding to the abnormality content is displayed. In FIG. 5, a two-digit code is displayed as an example. This code is described in a manual or the like used by a service person in charge of maintenance and repair of the air conditioner 100. The service person can manually check the code displayed in the abnormal code display area 262. It is possible to check what kind of abnormality has occurred in the air conditioner 100 and determine how to deal with it. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in a situation where a character string indicating refrigerant leakage is displayed in the state display area 261, a code indicating refrigerant leakage is displayed in the abnormal code display area 262. That is, the same information is displayed in the status display area 261 and the abnormal code display area 262.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. Information corresponding to the operation content of the operation unit 26 b of the remote control 26 by the user and the detection result by the refrigerant detection means 99 are input to the control unit 30. From the control part 30, the control signal which controls the display part 26a of the remote control 26 and the indoor ventilation fan 7f is output. The elapsed time measured by the timer 101 is input to the control unit 30. The elapsed time is displayed in the countermeasure information display area 264 of the display unit 26 a of the remote control 26 under the control of the control unit 30. This timer 101 may be built in the control unit 30 or may be built in the remote control 26.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the refrigerant leakage detection process executed by the control unit 30 of the air conditioner 100 according to the present embodiment. The refrigerant leakage detection process is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals at all times including during operation and stop of the air conditioner 100 or only when the air conditioner 100 is stopped.

7, the control unit 30 acquires information on the refrigerant concentration around the refrigerant detection means 99 based on the detection signal from the refrigerant detection means 99. Next, in step S2, the control unit 30 checks whether or not the refrigerant concentration around the refrigerant detection means 99 is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value. If it is confirmed that the refrigerant concentration around the refrigerant detection means 99 is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S3. For example, when the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant circuit 40 is flammable, the threshold is set to a quarter of the lower combustion limit LFL (Lower Flammable Limit).

Therefore, when the refrigerant concentration around the refrigerant detection means 99 is equal to or higher than the threshold value, it is determined that the refrigerant is leaking from the brazed part or the

joint parts

15a and 15b of the load side heat exchanger 7. In step S3, when the indoor blower fan 7f is stopped, the control unit 30 starts the operation of the indoor blower fan 7f. When the indoor fan 7f is already in operation, the operation is continued as it is. That is, in order to prevent an air concentration that is not suitable as a work environment due to leakage of the refrigerant, the control unit 30 forces the indoor fan 7f to be in an operating state. Further, when the leaking refrigerant is a flammable refrigerant, the control unit 30 forcibly puts the indoor blower fan 7f into an operating state in order to prevent the refrigerant concentration from reaching the flammable concentration range.

Then, the process proceeds to step S4, where the control unit 30 starts the timer 101 and starts measuring elapsed time. Note that the order of step S3 and step S4 may be reversed, and the controller 30 may start the timer 101 and start the elapsed time, and then start the operation of the indoor fan 7f. In step S5, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 30 displays a character string informing that the refrigerant is leaking in the state display area 261 of the display unit 26a of the remote control 26. In addition, the control unit 30 displays an abnormal code for refrigerant leakage in the abnormal code display area 262. Further, the control unit 30 displays the elapsed time acquired from the timer 101 in the handling information display area 264.

On the other hand, if the refrigerant concentration around the refrigerant detection means 99 has not reached the threshold value in step S2, it is determined that the refrigerant has not leaked. In this case, the processes in steps S3 to S5 described above are not executed and the process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the refrigerant is leaking, the character string indicating that the refrigerant is leaking is displayed in the state display area 261 on the display unit 26a of the remote control 26. The abnormality code display area 262 displays a code indicating the state of leakage, and the countermeasure information display area 264 displays an elapsed time since the refrigerant leakage was detected and the indoor fan 7f was operated. That is, in addition to the information indicating that the refrigerant is leaking, the leakage of the refrigerant is detected, and the elapsed time after the indoor blower fan 7f is in the operating state is provided to the user. Therefore, the user who has confirmed that the character string indicating the refrigerant leakage is displayed in the status display area 261 indicates the code displayed in the abnormal code display area 262 and the elapsed time displayed in the countermeasure information display area 264. By notifying the serviceman in advance, the serviceman can accurately determine the state of refrigerant leakage in the air conditioner 100. Information for judging the contents of the abnormal code and the state of refrigerant leakage is described in a manual used by service personnel. For example, the time T until the refrigerant leaks from the brazing part or the

joint parts

15a and 15b of the load side heat exchanger 7 and all the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant circuit 40 leaks is enclosed in the refrigerant circuit 40. The amount of refrigerant (kg) that is present is m, and it can be calculated by T = m / v from the assumed leakage rate (kg / h) v of the refrigerant. The refrigerant amount m, the assumed leakage speed v, the time T described above, and the like are also described in the serviceman's manual. Further, even when the service person is informed only by the user that the refrigerant is leaking, the service person who has arrived at the job site is not limited to the above information and the service person displayed in each display area of the display unit 26a. By confirming the manual used by the air conditioner, it is possible to accurately determine the state of refrigerant leakage in the air conditioner 100. As a result, the service person can quickly perform an appropriate initial response when the refrigerant leaks.

When the elapsed time does not exceed the above-described time T, the countermeasure information display area 264 displays an elapsed time less than the time T. A serviceman who has obtained information on the elapsed time from the user has a possibility that a flammable concentration range may be formed if the refrigerant remains and the leakage continues thereafter, if the refrigerant is flammable. I can understand. Therefore, it can be determined that the user should be instructed to ventilate the room. Further, even if the service person arrives at the site without obtaining such information in advance, the service person himself may check the information displayed on the display unit 26a, so that the refrigerant may remain. Immediately ventilate the room, and in order to prevent further leakage, it can be grasped that work such as closing the extension pipe connection valves 13a, 13b of the outdoor unit 2 is necessary. Therefore, although the refrigerant remains and continues to leak, it is possible to avoid inappropriate processing such as dropping the breaker and stopping the operation of the indoor fan 7f.

When the above-described time T has elapsed, a character string indicating that the refrigerant has leaked is displayed in the state display area 261, and an elapsed time of time T or more is displayed in the handling information display area 264. ing. The service person who has obtained this information has released all the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant circuit 40 at the site, and the refrigerant will not leak further, and if the leaked refrigerant is flammable, It can be determined that the combustible concentration range is not formed even when the blower fan 7f is stopped. Accordingly, the service man immediately stops the operation of the indoor fan 7f by dropping the breaker without performing complicated work such as closing the extension pipe connection valves 13a and 13b of the outdoor unit 2 in order to prevent further leakage. The confirmation of the leaked location can be started.

In the present embodiment, the remote control 26 having the display unit 26a for notifying information on refrigerant leakage is provided on the design surface of the casing 111. Therefore, it is possible for a user and a service person to easily visually recognize and acquire information on refrigerant leakage.

In the present embodiment, the indoor unit 1 may include a battery. If the breaker is dropped and the supply of commercial power is stopped, the indoor blower fan 7f stops. However, if the indoor unit 1 is equipped with a battery, even if the supply of commercial power is interrupted, by supplying power from the battery of the indoor unit 1, the operation of the indoor fan 7f and the measurement of elapsed time by the timer 101 are performed. And the display of the information regarding the refrigerant leakage on the display unit 26a can be continuously performed.

In the present embodiment, the timer 101 is started after detecting the leakage of the refrigerant and starting the indoor blower fan 7f. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the leakage of the refrigerant is detected, the timer 101 may be started, and then the indoor fan 7f may be started to operate.

In the present embodiment, the elapsed time measured by the timer 101 is displayed in the countermeasure information display area 264 of the display unit 26a of the remote control 26, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Moreover, you may make it stop the indoor ventilation fan 7f by which the driving | operation was started by step S3 of FIG. 7 after predetermined time passed. For example, the length of the predetermined time is set so that the discharged refrigerant is not diffused by the indoor blower fan 7f to form a combustible concentration. By controlling in this way, the service person can omit the process of stopping the indoor blower fan 7f, and the burden is reduced.

In the present embodiment, information related to refrigerant leakage and information for the serviceman to determine the handling procedure at the time of refrigerant leakage are displayed on the display unit 26a of the remote control 26, but the present invention is not limited to this. A display device or a display attached separately to the air conditioner 100 may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, information regarding refrigerant leakage and information for the serviceman to determine the countermeasure procedure at the time of refrigerant leakage are notified by text display, but the present invention is not limited to this. Such information may be notified by lighting and blinking of the lamp, or may be configured to be notified by voice.

In the present embodiment, the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner 100 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The outdoor unit 2 may be provided with the above-described display unit 26a. Moreover, although the air conditioner 100 has been described as an example in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. You may comprise as mentioned above so that the information regarding refrigerant | coolant leakage may be displayed on other refrigeration cycle apparatuses, such as a heat pump water heater, a chiller, and a showcase, and a refrigeration cycle system.

1 indoor unit, 2 outdoor unit, 3 compressor, 4 refrigerant flow switching device, 5 heat source side heat exchanger, 5f outdoor fan, 6 decompressor, 7 load side heat exchanger, 7f indoor fan, 9a, 9b Indoor piping, 10a, 10b extension piping, 11 suction piping, 12 discharge piping, 13a, 13b extension piping connection valve, 14a, 14b, 14c service port, 15a, 15b joint section, 20 partition section, 20a air passage opening section, 25 Electrical box, 26 remote control, 26a display unit, 26b operation unit, 30 control unit, 40 refrigerant circuit, 81 air passage, 91 intake air temperature sensor, 92 heat exchanger inlet temperature sensor, 93 heat exchanger temperature sensor, 99 refrigerant Detection means, 100 air conditioner, 101 timer, 107 impeller, 108 fan casing, 108a Exit opening, 108b Suction opening, 111 Housing, 112 Suction inlet, 113 Outlet, 114a First front panel, 114b Second front panel, 114c Third front panel, 115a, 115b space, 261 Status display area, 262 Error code display area, 263 Current time display area, 264 Handling information display area.

Claims

An indoor unit having a load-side heat exchanger constituting a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant circulates, a refrigerant detecting means for detecting the refrigerant, and a blower fan, and installed indoors;
A control unit for controlling the indoor unit;
An informing means for informing information on the refrigerant,
The said control part is a refrigerating-cycle apparatus which makes the said alerting | reporting means alert | report the countermeasure information for judging the countermeasure procedure of a refrigerant | coolant leakage, when the said refrigerant | coolant detection means detects the said refrigerant | coolant.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify the occurrence of refrigerant leakage.
In addition, it has a timer to measure time,
The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify an elapsed time measured by the timer as the countermeasure information.
4. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant detecting means, the control unit starts the timer after setting the blower fan in an operating state.
4. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant detection means, the control unit starts the timer and then puts the blower fan into an operating state.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant detection means, the control unit puts the blower fan into an operating state.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the notification means is a display mechanism provided on a design surface of a casing of the indoor unit.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the indoor unit includes a battery.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the control unit stops the blower fan when a preset time has elapsed after the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant detection means.