WO2021032053A1

WO2021032053A1 - Air conditioner and control method therefor, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2021032053A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/109552
Authority: WO
Inventors: 罗祖春; 柯慧
Original assignee: 青岛海尔空调器有限总公司; 海尔智家股份有限公司
Priority date: 2019-08-19
Filing date: 2020-08-17
Publication date: 2021-02-25
Also published as: CN110486884A

Abstract

An air conditioner and a control method therefor, and a storage medium. The air conditioner comprises an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, a refrigerant of the air conditioner is a flammable refrigerant, and the air conditioner further comprises: a sensor, provided in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, used for monitoring whether the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit leaks, and configured to generate a leakage signal when monitoring that the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit leaks; and a Wi-Fi module, configured to be communicatively connected to a mobile device of a user, convert the leakage signal into an alarm signal after the sensor generates the leakage signal, and wirelessly transmit the alarm signal to the mobile device. The air conditioner in the present invention uses the sensor to monitor whether the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit of the air conditioner leaks; and uses, when monitoring the leakage of the flammable refrigerant, the Wi-Fi module communicatively connected to the mobile device of the user to send an alarm signal to the mobile device of the user, so that the user can take corresponding measures in a timely manner, thereby effectively avoiding serious injuries caused by the leakage of the flammable refrigerant.

Description

Air conditioner, control method and storage medium

Technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to an air conditioner, a control method and a storage medium.

Background technique

The air conditioner is a common temperature adjustment device, which uses the refrigerant flowing in the heat exchange pipeline to achieve temperature adjustment. Air conditioners generally have an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. When the air conditioner is in cooling mode, the refrigerant absorbs heat at the heat exchanger of the indoor unit and releases heat at the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit, thereby bringing the indoor heat to outdoor.

When the air conditioner has processing defects or the service life exceeds the predetermined life, the problem of refrigerant leakage will occur. In addition, when the refrigerant leaked from the air conditioner is a flammable refrigerant, if corresponding measures are not taken in time, the leaked refrigerant poses a greater safety hazard. In severe cases, it may cause a fire and cause casualties.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner, control method and storage medium with high safety performance.

In particular, the present invention provides an air conditioner, including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, the refrigerant of the air conditioner is a flammable refrigerant, and the air conditioner further includes:

The sensor is arranged in the indoor unit of the air conditioner to monitor whether the combustible refrigerant in the indoor unit leaks, and is configured to generate a leakage signal when the monitored combustible refrigerant leaks in the indoor unit;

The Wi-Fi module is configured to communicate with the user's mobile device, and when the sensor generates a leakage signal, the leakage signal is converted into an alarm signal, and the alarm signal is wirelessly sent to the mobile device.

Further, the air conditioner also includes:

The alarm is set in the indoor unit and configured to give an alarm when the sensor generates a leakage signal.

Further, the alarm is a buzzer.

Further, the air conditioner also includes:

The driving device is arranged in the outdoor unit and used to drive the flow of the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline of the air conditioner;

The storage container is set in the outdoor unit and connected with the heat exchange pipeline;

Wherein, the driving device is configured to guide the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline into the storage container for sealed storage when the sensor generates a leakage signal.

Further, the air conditioner also includes:

The first valve is arranged in the outdoor unit, connected to the heat exchange pipeline, and configured to prevent the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline of the outdoor unit from flowing into the heat exchange pipeline in the indoor unit;

The second valve is arranged in the outdoor unit, connected to the heat exchange pipeline, and configured to prevent the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline of the indoor unit from flowing into the heat exchange pipeline in the outdoor unit;

Wherein, the driving device is a compressor of an air conditioner, and the storage container is a pipe section between the first valve and the second valve of the heat exchange pipeline of the compressor and the outdoor unit.

Further, the air conditioner also includes:

The vacuum tank is set in the outdoor unit, communicates with the heat exchange pipeline of the air conditioner, and has a closed state and a conducting state;

Wherein, the vacuum tank is configured to be in a closed state when the sensor does not detect a flammable refrigerant leak, and is in a conductive state when the sensor generates a leakage signal, so that the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline is sucked into the vacuum tank for sealed storage.

Further, the sensor is a concentration sensor, and is configured to generate a leakage signal when it senses that the concentration of the surrounding combustible refrigerant exceeds a preset concentration threshold.

The second aspect of the present invention also provides a control method for any one of the above-mentioned air conditioners, including:

Monitor whether the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit leaks, and generate a leakage signal when the flammable refrigerant leaks;

When a leakage signal is generated, the leakage signal is converted into an alarm signal, and the Wi-Fi module is used to wirelessly send the alarm signal to the mobile device.

Further, the method also includes:

When the leakage signal is obtained, the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline of the air conditioner is guided to a storage container located in the outdoor unit for sealed storage.

The third aspect of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and when the program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the above methods are realized.

The air conditioner in the present invention uses a sensor to monitor whether the combustible refrigerant in the indoor unit of the air conditioner is leaking. When the combustible refrigerant is found to be leaking, it uses the Wi-Fi module communicatively connected with the user's mobile device to send an alarm signal to the user's mobile device , Enabling users to take corresponding preventive measures in time, effectively avoiding serious injuries caused by the leakage of flammable refrigerants in air conditioners.

Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will better understand the above and other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention.

Description of the drawings

Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary but not restrictive manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the attached picture:

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a structural block diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a control method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to explain the application, and are not used to limit the application.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, it is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment provides an air conditioner 100. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the air conditioner 100 includes an indoor unit 110 and an outdoor unit 120. The indoor unit 110 is installed indoors, the outdoor unit 120 is installed outdoors, and the indoor unit 110 is connected to The outdoor unit 120 communicates with a heat exchange pipe 130, and a refrigerant flows in the heat exchange pipe 130. The refrigerant forms a circulation in the heat exchange pipe 130 from indoor to outdoor and then from outdoor to indoor.

The air conditioner 100 further includes a sensor 111 and a Wi-Fi module 112. The sensor 111 is provided in the indoor unit 110 of the air conditioner 100 to monitor whether the combustible refrigerant in the indoor unit 110 leaks, and is configured to generate a leakage signal when the detected combustible refrigerant in the indoor unit 110 leaks. The sensor 111 may specifically be a concentration sensor 111. When the sensor 111 for monitoring whether the refrigerant leaks is the concentration sensor 111, the concentration sensor 111 may be installed in the indoor unit 110 of the air conditioner 100 to monitor whether the refrigerant leaks into the indoor unit 110 . The concentration sensor 111 can be installed at the leak-prone pipe interface of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit 110 (the evaporator in the air-conditioning cooling mode, and the condenser in the heating mode), such as the elbow of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit 110 position.

The Wi-Fi module 112 is configured to be communicatively connected with the user's mobile device, and when the sensor 111 generates a leakage signal, it converts the leakage signal into an alarm signal, and wirelessly sends the alarm signal to the mobile device. The user can take corresponding preventive measures according to the received alarm signal, thereby reducing accidents caused by the leakage of flammable refrigerant.

The air conditioner 100 may further include an alarm 113. The alarm 113 is installed in the indoor unit 110 and configured to give an alarm when the sensor 111 generates a leakage signal. When the user is active indoors, he notices the alarm of the alarm 113 and can immediately take corresponding preventive measures. The alarm of the alarm 113 may be a sound alarm or a light alarm. Specifically, the alarm 113 may be a buzzer, and alarms by buzzing.

In order to further reduce the damage caused by the leakage of the flammable refrigerant, while the air conditioner 100 sends an alarm signal and generates a buzzer alarm, the air conditioner 100 can also reduce the safety risk by reducing the leakage of the flammable refrigerant. For example, the air conditioner 100 may further include a driving device and a storage container 123. The driving device is installed in the outdoor unit 120 and used to drive the flow of the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of the air conditioner 100. The storage container 123 is installed in the outdoor unit 120 and communicates with the heat exchange pipe 130 of the air conditioner 100.

Wherein, the driving device is configured to guide the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 into the storage container 123 for sealed storage when the sensor 111 generates a leakage signal. That is, after the air conditioner 100 obtains the leakage signal, the air conditioner 100 can stop the normal working process and perform the step of recovering the flammable refrigerant. At this time, the flammable refrigerant in the air conditioner 100 stops circulating, and the driving device guides all the flammable refrigerants to the storage container 123 of the outdoor unit 120, and after directing all the flammable refrigerants to the storage container 123, the refrigerant is Keep sealed. When the maintenance personnel repair the air conditioner 100, the stored refrigerant can be reused, which reduces the maintenance cost. In addition, the step of recovering the flammable refrigerant can effectively prevent the flammable refrigerant from continuing to leak, avoid the potential safety hazards caused by the flammable refrigerant leaking, and improve the safety performance of the air conditioner 100.

In this embodiment, when the flammable refrigerant in the air conditioner 100 leaks, only the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe is recovered. For the flammable refrigerant that has leaked, a fan can be used to blow it away to prevent the flammable refrigerant from reaching Burning concentration. Therefore, after the air conditioner 100 monitors the leakage of the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit 110, the power of the fan in the indoor unit 110 can be adjusted to the maximum, so that the flammable refrigerant leaking in the indoor unit 110 is blown away, and the leaked flammable refrigerant is reduced. Risk of refrigerant combustion.

When the air conditioner 100 detects the leakage of flammable refrigerant, it can immediately stop the circulating flow of the refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130, so that all refrigerants flow in the direction of the storage container 123, that is, it may happen that part of the refrigerant is still in accordance with the The original flow path flows, and another part of the refrigerant will flow in the opposite direction of the original flow path.

As shown in Figure 1, in a normal working state of the air conditioner 100, after the refrigerant is led out by the compressor 124, it first flows to the heat exchanger in the outdoor unit 120, and the refrigerant flowing out of the heat exchanger in the outdoor unit 120 passes through The heat exchange pipe 130 flows to the heat exchanger of the indoor unit 110, and the refrigerant flowing out of the heat exchange pipe 130 of the indoor unit 110 flows outdoors and passes through the liquid storage tank 1241 of the compressor 124. In order to recover the refrigerant, a storage container 123 can be installed in the above-mentioned flow path. The storage container 123 is installed in the outdoor unit 120, and the storage container 123 is closed when the air conditioner 100 is working normally, and the air conditioner 100 is turned on after a leak signal is generated. The storage container 123 is in communication with the heat exchange pipeline 130, so that the intercoolant in the heat exchange pipeline 130 is guided to the storage container 123 when leakage occurs.

In the step of recovering the combustible refrigerant, the power source of the refrigerant flow may be the compressor 124 (that is, the driving device may be the compressor 124), or may be other pre-installed driving devices. When the power source of the refrigerant is the compressor 124, since the compressor 124 can only allow the refrigerant to flow in the same flow path, in an embodiment, the first valve 121 and the second valve 121 may be provided on the heat exchange pipe 130. Valve 122. The first valve 121 and the second valve 122 are both set in the outdoor unit 120, and when the first valve 121 is closed, the refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of the outdoor unit 120 cannot flow to the indoor unit 110, and when the second valve 122 is closed, the indoor unit The refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of 110 cannot flow to the outdoor unit 120. In this way, when the air conditioner 100 receives the leakage signal, the compressor 124 can continue to work to provide power to recover the refrigerant. At this time, the first valve 121 is closed to prevent the refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of the outdoor unit 120 from flowing into the indoor unit 110. The refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of the indoor unit 110 is guided to the outdoor unit 120 by the suction force generated by the compressor 124. After the refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of the indoor unit 110 is completely extracted, the second valve 122 can be closed and the compressor 124 can be closed. The second valve 122 can prevent the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 120 from flowing back to the indoor unit 110. When the second valve 122 is closed, the refrigerant is stored in the liquid storage tank 1241 in the outdoor unit 120 and the heat exchange pipe 130 in the outdoor unit 120 (that is, the liquid storage tank 1241 and the heat exchange pipe 130 in the outdoor unit 120). This is the storage container 123).

It should be noted that when the air conditioner 100 is in different operating conditions, the flow direction of the refrigerant will be different, and the positions of the first valve 121 and the second valve 122 are different at this time. As shown in FIG. 1, the first valve 121 and the second valve 122 are the arrangement positions of the air conditioner 100 in the cooling mode. When the air conditioner 100 is in the heating mode, the positions of the first valve 121 and the second valve 122 are exchanged. Therefore, the above-mentioned names of "first valve 121" and "second valve 122" are only the names of components that perform corresponding functions. The valves arranged in the outdoor unit 120 and capable of preventing the refrigerant from flowing from the outdoor unit 120 into the indoor unit 110 can be referred to as the first valve 121. The valves arranged in the outdoor unit 120 and capable of preventing the refrigerant from flowing into the outdoor unit 120 from the indoor unit 110 are all It may be referred to as the second valve 122.

When the power source for the refrigerant recovery is provided by the compressor 124, in the refrigerant recovery step, the power of the compressor 124 can be adjusted to a preset power, specifically, the power of the compressor 124 can be adjusted to its maximum operating power , So that the refrigerant is quickly recovered. It should be noted that the maximum operating power mentioned here may not be the rated maximum operating power of the compressor 124. Since the compressor 124 can exceed the rated operating power in a short period of time, and the refrigerant recovery time is short, even if the compressor 124 operates in a refrigerant recovery state that exceeds the rated maximum operating power, it will not be damaged. Recovering the refrigerant at the fastest speed allows the compressor 124 to perform refrigerant recovery work at a maximum operating power exceeding the rating. The maximum operating power needs to be selected according to the time of refrigerant recovery. In the experimental state, the maximum operating power that the compressor 124 can withstand within a predetermined time (the time when the refrigerant needs to be fully recovered) can be found, and used as refrigeration The maximum operating power of the compressor 124 during the agent recovery process.

In an embodiment, when the compressor 124 of the air conditioner 100 is not used as the power source for refrigerant recovery, a vacuum tank (not shown in the figure) may also be provided in the outdoor unit 120, and the vacuum tank and the air conditioner 100 The heat exchange pipeline 130 is connected, and the vacuum tank is closed under the normal condition of the air conditioner. When the air conditioner 100 receives the leakage signal, the vacuum tank can be opened immediately, so that the refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 is immediately sucked into the vacuum tank. By designing the vacuum tank to an appropriate size, the refrigerant of the air conditioner 100 can be completely sucked into the vacuum tank. In this embodiment, the power source for refrigerant flow is the negative pressure in the vacuum tube, and the storage container 123 is the vacuum tank.

In order to determine whether the refrigerant in the indoor unit 110 is completely recovered (because it is difficult to completely recover the refrigerant, the complete recovery here refers to whether the total amount of recovered refrigerant is the designed recovery amount, which is lower than the heat exchange pipeline 130). In an embodiment, the pressure sensor 111 may be used to monitor the amount of refrigerant recovered.

The heat exchange pipe 130 of the air conditioner 100 includes a return pipe 131, and the refrigerant of the indoor unit 110 flows to the storage container 123 via the return pipe 131. The return pipe 131 is not fixed. For example, in the cooling mode and heating mode of the air conditioner 100, since the flow direction of the refrigerant in the air conditioner 100 changes, the position of the return pipe 131 also changes, and the pressure sensor 111 can be multiple And set them in all possible return lines mentioned above. The pressure sensor 111 is used to monitor the pressure value in the return pipe 131, and generate a leakage signal when the monitored pressure value is lower than the preset first pressure threshold value, and when the monitored pressure value is lower than the preset second pressure threshold value By default, the refrigerant has been recovered and a complete recovery signal is generated. The second pressure threshold is lower than the first pressure threshold, and the first pressure threshold is lower than the pressure in the heat exchange pipe 130 when the air conditioner 100 is working normally. That is, when the pressure value in the return pipe monitored by the pressure sensor 111 is lower than the first pressure threshold, the refrigerant pressure in the heat exchange pipe 130 is considered to be lower than the normal operating pressure value, which conforms to the characteristics of refrigerant leaking into the room. A leakage signal can be generated at this time. The air conditioner 100 recovers the refrigerant after receiving the leakage signal. At this time, the pressure value in the return pipe 131 gradually decreases. When the pressure value in the return pipe 131 drops below or equal to the second pressure threshold, it is considered that the refrigerant has been recovered. , The pressure sensor 111 generates a complete recovery signal.

It should be noted that since the pressure value in the return pipe 131 under different working conditions of the air conditioner 100 will change, in order to prevent misjudgment, the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold need to be based on the working conditions of the air conditioner 100 Change and change. When the working condition of the air conditioner 100 is fixed, the actual values of the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold are fixed. Under different working conditions of the air conditioner 100, the values of the first pressure threshold and the second pressure threshold are different. However, no matter how the first pressure threshold value and the second pressure threshold value change, the relative magnitude relationship between the pressure value in the heat exchange pipe 130, the first pressure threshold value and the second pressure threshold value does not change during the normal operation of the air conditioner 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second aspect of the present invention also provides a control method for the air conditioner 100 of any of the above embodiments. The method includes the following steps:

S102: monitor whether the combustible refrigerant of the indoor unit 110 leaks, and generate a leakage signal when the combustible refrigerant leaks;

S104: After the leakage signal is generated, the leakage signal is converted into an alarm signal, and the Wi-Fi module 112 is used to wirelessly send the alarm signal to the mobile device.

In this method, the sensor 111 is used to monitor whether the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit 110 of the air conditioner is leaking, and when the flammable refrigerant is found to be leaking, the Wi-Fi module 112 communicatively connected with the user's mobile device is used to send an alarm signal to the user's mobile device , Enabling users to take corresponding preventive measures in time, effectively avoiding serious injuries caused by the leakage of flammable refrigerants in air conditioners.

In order to further reduce the damage caused by the leakage of flammable refrigerant, while the air conditioner 100 sends an alarm signal, the air conditioner 100 can also reduce the safety risk by reducing the leakage of the flammable refrigerant. Further, the method in this embodiment may further include:

After the leakage signal is obtained, the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe 130 of the air conditioner 100 is guided to the storage container 123 of the outdoor unit 120 for sealed storage.

The step of recovering the flammable refrigerant can effectively prevent the flammable refrigerant from continuing to leak, avoid potential safety hazards caused by the flammable refrigerant leaking, and improve the safety performance of the air conditioner 100.

The third aspect of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that, when the program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the above methods are implemented.

So far, those skilled in the art should realize that although a number of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, they can still be disclosed according to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The content directly determines or deduces many other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all these other variations or modifications.

Claims

An air conditioner includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The refrigerant of the air conditioner is a flammable refrigerant, wherein the air conditioner further includes:

A sensor, installed in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, for monitoring whether the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit leaks, and configured to detect when the flammable refrigerant in the indoor unit leaks Generate a leak signal;

The Wi-Fi module is configured to be communicatively connected with the user's mobile device, and when the sensor generates the leakage signal, it converts the leakage signal into an alarm signal, and wirelessly sends the alarm signal to the mobile device .
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:

An alarm is installed in the indoor unit and configured to give an alarm when the sensor generates the leakage signal.
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein:

The alarm is a buzzer.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:

A driving device, arranged in the outdoor unit, for driving the flow of the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline of the air conditioner;

The storage container is arranged on the outdoor unit and communicates with the heat exchange pipeline;

Wherein, the driving device is configured to guide the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline into the storage container for sealed storage when the sensor generates the leakage signal.
The air conditioner according to claim 4, further comprising:

The first valve is provided in the outdoor unit, connected to the heat exchange pipe, and configured to prevent the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe of the outdoor unit from flowing into all of the indoor unit The heat exchange pipeline;

The second valve is provided in the outdoor unit, connected to the heat exchange pipe, and configured to prevent the combustible refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe of the indoor unit from flowing into all of the outdoor unit The heat exchange pipeline;

Wherein, the driving device is a compressor of the air conditioner, and the storage container is between the first valve and the second valve of the compressor and the heat exchange pipeline of the outdoor unit. Between the pipe sections.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:

The vacuum tank is arranged on the outdoor unit, communicates with the heat exchange pipeline of the air conditioner, and has a closed state and a conductive state;

Wherein, the vacuum tank is configured to be in the closed state when the sensor does not detect the leakage of the flammable refrigerant, and to be in the on state when the sensor generates the leakage signal, so that the replacement The combustible refrigerant in the heat pipe is sucked into the vacuum tank for sealed storage.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein:

The sensor is a concentration sensor, and is configured to generate the leakage signal when it senses that the concentration of the surrounding combustible refrigerant exceeds a preset concentration threshold.
A control method for the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1-7, comprising:

Monitoring whether the flammable refrigerant of the indoor unit leaks, and generating the leakage signal when the flammable refrigerant leaks;

When the leakage signal is generated, the leakage signal is converted into an alarm signal, and the Wi-Fi module is used to wirelessly send the alarm signal to the mobile device.
The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

After the leakage signal is acquired, the flammable refrigerant in the heat exchange pipeline of the air conditioner is guided to a storage container located in the outdoor unit for sealed storage.
A computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, wherein the program is executed by a processor to realize the steps of the method according to any one of claims 8-9.