Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024401827-A1
Application number	US-202118699649-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 20, 2021
Priority date	Dec 20, 2021
Publication date	Dec 5, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus includes: an outdoor unit including a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, and configured to generate cooling energy or heating energy; an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger, and configured to perform an air-conditioning operation with the cooling energy or the heating energy that is generated by the outdoor unit; a refrigerant pipe provided between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and forming a refrigerant circuit in which refrigerant circulates; and a shut-off valve provided at the refrigerant pipe, and configured to be closed when a refrigerant leak is detected. The shut-off valve includes a service port communicating with the refrigerant pipe.

First claim

1 . An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
an outdoor unit including a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, and configured to generate cooling energy or heating energy; an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger, and configured to perform an air-conditioning operation with the cooling energy or the heating energy that is generated by the outdoor unit; a refrigerant pipe provided between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and forming a refrigerant circuit in which refrigerant circulates; a shut-off valve provided at the refrigerant pipe, and configured to be closed when a refrigerant leak is detected; and a pressure sensor, wherein the shut-off valve includes a service port communicating with the refrigerant pipe, and the pressure sensor is connected to the service port.

2 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the service port has a tip that is openable and closable and that allows the pressure sensor to be attached to and detached from the tip, and the tip is opened when the pressure sensor is connected to the tip.

3 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the shut-off valve includes
a block body including a flow passage that is formed therein to communicate with the refrigerant pipe, and
a valve body to cause the flow passage to be opened or closed, and
the service port is provided at the block body in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passage.

4 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the shut-off valve includes
a block body including a flow passage that is formed in the block body to communicate with the refrigerant pipe,
a valve body configured to cause the flow passage to be opened or closed, and
a connection pipe connected to the flow passage and protruding from the block body,
the connection pipe is connected to the refrigerant pipe, and the service port is provided at the connection pipe.

5 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of the shut-off valves are provided at the refrigerant pipe, and the plurality of shut-off valves include
an indoor-unit-side shut-off valve located closer to the indoor unit than to the outdoor unit, and
an outdoor-unit-side shut-off valve located closer to the outdoor unit than to the indoor unit.

6 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5 , wherein
a plurality of the indoor-unit-side shut-off valves are provided, the plurality of indoor-unit-side shut-off valves include
an indoor-unit-side shut-off valve provided at part of the refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant passes to flow into the indoor unit, and
an indoor-unit-side shut-off valve provided at part of the refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant flows after flowing out from the indoor unit,
a plurality of the outdoor-unit-side shut-off valves are provided, and the plurality of outdoor-unit-side shut-off valves include
an outdoor-unit-side shut-off valve provided at part of the refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant passes to flow into the outdoor unit, and
an outdoor-unit-side shut-off valve provided at part of the refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant flows after flowing out from the outdoor unit.

7 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5 , wherein
a plurality of the indoor units are provided, a relay unit is provided between the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, and is configured to switch a flow passage to be used in the refrigerant circuit between plural flow passages, the outdoor unit, the relay unit, and the plurality of indoor units are connected by the refrigerant pipe, each of a plurality of the indoor-unit-side shut-off valves is provided for an associated one of the plurality of indoor units, and the indoor-unit-side shut-off valve is located closer to the associated indoor unit than to the relay unit.

8 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein
the plurality of shut-off valves include a relay-unit-side shut-off valve provided between the outdoor unit and the relay unit, the relay-unit-side shut-off valve is located closer to the relay unit than to the outdoor unit, and the outdoor-unit-side shut-off valve is located closer to the outdoor unit than to the relay unit.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Wada Nobuhiro
• Shinozaki Kazuyoshi
• Okano Hiroyuki

Classifications

• F25B2700/19

  Pressures · CPC title

• F25B2600/25

  Control of valves · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25B41/20

  Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) · CPC title

• F25B2500/222

  Detecting refrigerant leaks · CPC title