Air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11098916-B2
Application number	US-201716498005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2017
Priority date	May 24, 2017
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A storage device of a system control device stores grouping information that defines an association among a refrigerant sensor, a plurality of indoor units, at least one outdoor unit, and a plurality of refrigerant leakage suppression devices. When refrigerant leakage is detected by the refrigerant sensor, the system control device performs a process for specifying, from the plurality of indoor units, an indoor unit in which the refrigerant leakage has occurred. Further, the system control device makes reference to the grouping information to operate a refrigerant leakage suppression device corresponding to the indoor unit specified by performing the above-described process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioning system comprising:
an air conditioning apparatus configured to perform cooling or heating of a target space by circulating refrigerant; and
a refrigerant leakage detector installed in the target space, the refrigerant leakage detector being configured to detect refrigerant leakage from the air conditioning apparatus to the target space,
the air conditioning apparatus including
a plurality of indoor units, and
at least one outdoor unit,

the air conditioning system further comprising a plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors, each of the plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors corresponding to one of the plurality of indoor units, each of the plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors being configured to suppress the refrigerant leakage from a corresponding indoor unit in response to receiving a refrigerant leakage signal indicating a refrigerant leakage from the corresponding indoor unit,
wherein
each of the plurality of indoor units is associated with the refrigerant leakage detector, and
the air conditioning system is further configured such that the refrigerant leakage signal is provided to a specified indoor unit selected from the plurality of indoor units based on a process for specifying an indoor unit in which the refrigerant leakage has occurred when the refrigerant leakage is detected by the refrigerant leakage detector, such that a refrigerant leakage suppressor included in the plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors and corresponding to the specified indoor unit is operated, and
the air conditioning system is further configured such that the process for specifying the indoor unit in which the refrigerant leakage has occurred is different than only detecting the refrigerant leakage by the refrigerant leakage detector.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant leakage suppressor corresponding to the specified indoor unit is operated in accordance with grouping information that defines an association among the refrigerant leakage detector, the plurality of indoor units, the at least one outdoor unit, and the plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the indoor units are configured such that the indoor units other than the specified indoor unit continue performing any air conditioning operation that was being performed before the refrigerant leakage is detected by the refrigerant leakage detector in a situation in which the refrigerant leakage suppressor corresponding to the specified indoor unit suppresses the refrigerant leakage in response to receiving the refrigerant leakage signal.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising a ventilator configured to forcedly ventilate the target space, wherein
when the refrigerant leakage is detected by the refrigerant leakage detector, the process is performed and the ventilator is operated.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors includes one of a shutoff valve provided for the corresponding indoor unit and a refrigerant collector configured to perform a refrigerant collection operation for collecting the refrigerant in the corresponding indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

6. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising a notifier configured to notify a detection result of the refrigerant leakage detector and operation states of the plurality of refrigerant leakage suppressors.

7. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning system is further configured such that the process (i) calculates a degree of supercooling of the refrigerant at an outlet of the outdoor unit corresponding to a target indoor unit selected from the plurality of indoor units, and (ii) specifies, based on an amount of decrease of the calculated degree of supercooling from a degree of supercooling in a normal state, the specified indoor unit in which the refrigerant leakage has occurred, the degree of supercooling in the normal state being prepared in advance.

8. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant leakage detector is the only refrigerant leakage detector provided in the space.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Wada Makoto
• Matsuda Takuya
• Ishimura Katsuhiro

Classifications

• F24F11/77

  by controlling the speed of ventilators · CPC title

• F24F11/36 Primary

  to leakage of heat-exchange fluid · CPC title

• F24F2110/65

  Concentration of specific substances or contaminants · CPC title

• F24F11/52

  Indication arrangements, e.g. displays · CPC title

• F24F1/0059

  characterised by heat exchangers · CPC title