Refrigeration cycle apparatus and refrigeration cycle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458689-B2
Application number	US-201515534725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 3, 2015
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a refrigeration cycle apparatus including: a refrigeration cycle configured to circulate refrigerant; a heat exchanger unit configured to accommodate at least a heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle; and a controller configured to control the heat exchanger unit, in which: the heat exchanger unit includes: an air-blowing fan; and a refrigerant detection unit configured to detect a concentration of leaked refrigerant and to output a detection signal to the controller; and the controller is configured to operate the air-blowing fan when detecting leakage of the refrigerant, and to stop the air-blowing fan triggered by becoming positive from negative of a temporal change of the concentration of the leaked refrigerant.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigeration cycle apparatus, comprising:
a refrigeration cycle configured to circulate refrigerant;
a heat exchanger unit configured to accommodate at least a heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle; and
a controller configured to control the heat exchanger unit,
the heat exchanger unit comprising
an air-blowing fan, and
a refrigerant detector configured to detect a concentration of leaked refrigerant and to output a detection signal to the controller, and

the controller being configured to operate the air-blowing fan when detecting leakage of the refrigerant, and to stop the air-blowing fan after a temporal change of the concentration of the leaked refrigerant changes from positive to negative, wherein
the controller is configured to operate the stopped air-blowing fan again after the temporal change of the concentration of the leaked refrigerant becomes positive from negative, and
the temporal change of the concentration of refrigerant includes continuously detecting the concentration of the refrigerant with predetermined time intervals from an initial detection of refrigerant leakage.

2. A refrigeration cycle apparatus, comprising:
a refrigeration cycle configured to circulate refrigerant;
a heat exchanger unit configured to accommodate at least a heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle; and
a controller configured to control the heat exchanger unit,
the heat exchanger unit comprising
an air-blowing fan, and
a refrigerant detector configured to detect a concentration of leaked refrigerant and to output a detection signal to the controller, and

the controller being configured to operate the air-blowing fan when detecting leakage of the refrigerant, and to stop the air-blowing fan when a temporal change of the concentration of the leaked refrigerant is negative, wherein
the controller is configured to operate the stopped air-blowing fan again after the temporal change of the concentration of the leaked refrigerant becomes positive from negative, and
the temporal change of the concentration of refrigerant includes continuously detecting the concentration of the refrigerant with predetermined time intervals from an initial detection of refrigerant leakage.

3. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to stop the air-blowing fan when a state in which the temporal change of the concentration of the leaked refrigerant is negative is continued for equal to or longer than a threshold time period set in advance.

4. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a load-side heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle.

5. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat source-side heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle.

6. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the controller comprises
a control board to which the refrigerant detector is unremovably connected, and
a nonvolatile memory provided on the control board,
the nonvolatile memory being provided with a leakage history storage area for storing any one of first information indicating a state of absence of refrigerant leakage history and second information indicating a state of presence of a refrigerant leakage history at a time,

changing of the information stored in the leakage history storage area is allowed only in one way from the first information to the second information, and
the controller is configured to change the information stored in the leakage history storage area from the first information to the second information when detecting the leakage of the refrigerant.

7. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the controller comprises
a control board to which the refrigerant detector is unremovably connected, and
a nonvolatile memory provided on the control board,
the nonvolatile memory is provided with a failure storage area for storing any one of first information indicating a state of having no failure history in the refrigerant detector, and second information indicating a state of having a failure history in the refrigerant detector at a time,

changing of the information stored in the failure storage area is allowed only in one way from the first information to the second information, and
the controller is configured to change the information stored in the failure storage area from the first information to the second information when detecting a failure of the refrigerant detector occurs.

8. A refrigeration cycle apparatus, comprising:
a refrigeration cycle configured to circulate refrigerant;
a heat exchanger unit configured to accommodate at least a heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle; and
a controller configured to control the heat exchanger unit,
the heat exchanger unit comprising a refrigerant detector configured to detect the refrigerant,
the controller comprising
a control board to which the refrigerant detector is unremovably connected, and
a nonvolatile memory provided on the control board,
the nonvolatile memory being provided with a leakage history storage area for storing any one of first information indicating a state of absence of refrigerant leakage history and second information indicating a state of presence of a refrigerant leakage history at a time, wherein

changing of the information stored in the leakage history storage area is allowed only in one way from the first information to the second information, and
the controller is configured to change the information stored in the leakage history storage area from the first information to the second information when detecting the leakage of the refrigerant.

9. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 8 , wherein
the heat exchanger unit further comprises an air-blowing fan, and
the controller is configured to operate the air-blowing fan when the information stored in the leakage history storage area is changed from the first information to the second information.

10. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising an outdoor unit configured to accommodate at least a compressor of the refrigeration cycle, wherein
the controller comprises
a first controller comprising the control board and the nonvolatile memory,
a second controller communicably connected to the first controller and configured to control the outdoor unit,

a memory of the second controller is provided with a leakage history storage area corresponding to the leakage history storage area provided to the nonvolatile memory, and
the leakage history storage area provided to the memory of the second controller is configured to store the same information as the information stored in the leakage history storage area provided to the nonvolatile memory.

11. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second controller is configured to stop the compressor when the information stored in the leakage history storage area provided to the memory of the second controller is changed from the first information to the second information.

12. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising an operation unit comprising a display unit or an audio output unit that is configured to inform of information, wherein
the controller comprises
a first controller comprising the control board and the nonvolatile memory, and
a third controller communicably connected to the first controller and configured to control the operation unit,

a memory of the third controller is provided with a leakage history storage area corresponding to the leakage history storage area provided to the nonvolatile memory,

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Yasuhiro

Classifications

• F25B2313/02741

  using one four-way valve · CPC title

• F25B2313/027

  characterised by the reversing means · CPC title

• F25B13/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) · CPC title

• F25B2313/0293

  related to the indoor fan, e.g. controlling speed · CPC title

• F25B49/02 Primary

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title