Air conditioner management system and refrigerant recovery management device

Abstract

An air-conditioning management system (1) includes: an air-conditioning device (2) that performs refrigerant recovery operation of recovering refrigerant of a refrigerant circuit (9) connecting an outdoor unit (3) and an indoor unit (4) to a recovery portion (12, 16) provided to the outdoor unit (3); and a control portion (62) that performs determination of whether all refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery portion (12, 16) before the air-conditioning device (2) starts the refrigerant recovery operation, and outputs an instruction notifying that meaning in a case where it is determined that all refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery portion (12, 16).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air-conditioner management system and a refrigerant recovery management device. BACKGROUND

[0002] For example, when an air-conditioner is installed in a large building or the like, if the length of the piping of the refrigerant circuit is too long, refrigerant is sometimes added to the refrigerant circuit due to a lack of refrigerant. In this case, it is assumed that when a technician recovers refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit to an outdoor unit, all of the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the outdoor unit. Therefore, in the air-conditioner of Patent Literature 1, when refrigerant recovery operation of recovering refrigerant to a heat exchanger and a tank of the outdoor unit is performed, the refrigerant recovery operation is stopped when the refrigerant is full in both the heat exchanger and the tank.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-87071 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] In the air-conditioner of Patent Literature 1, in a case where the outdoor unit is full of refrigerant so that the refrigerant recovery operation is stopped and all of the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the outdoor unit, the technician performs an operation of installing a recovery container different from the outdoor unit to the refrigerant circuit and recovering the remaining refrigerant to the recovery container. However, the technician sometimes performs a different operation during the refrigerant recovery operation or leaves the site to go to a different site. Therefore, a situation occurs in which, in a case where the outdoor unit is full of refrigerant so that the refrigerant recovery operation is stopped when the technician leaves the site, the operation of recovering the remaining refrigerant to the recovery container does not proceed thereafter. In the above case, when the technician returns to the site, it is known that the outdoor unit is full of refrigerant, and therefore, the technician needs to install the recovery container to the refrigerant circuit and start recovering refrigerant again after returning to the site, which is poor in work efficiency.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an air-conditioner management system and a refrigerant recovery management device that can efficiently perform an operation when refrigerant is recovered.

[0009] TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0010] (1) The air-conditioner management system of the present disclosure includes:

[0011] An air-conditioning device performs a refrigerant recovery operation of recovering refrigerant of a refrigerant circuit connecting an outdoor unit and an indoor unit to a recovery portion provided to the outdoor unit, and

[0012] A control portion, before the air-conditioning device starts the refrigerant recovery operation, performs a determination of whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery portion, and in a case where it is determined that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery portion, outputs an instruction to notify that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery portion.

[0013] In the air-conditioning management system thus configured, the technical service person, by receiving the notification based on the notification instruction of the control portion, can know the case where all the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit cannot be recovered to the recovery portion of the outdoor unit before starting the refrigerant recovery operation. Thus, the technical service person can recognize that it is necessary to install a recovery container different from the recovery portion to the refrigerant circuit in advance or it is necessary to return to the site once after leaving the site in order to install the recovery container. Therefore, the technical service person can perform a different work by taking the case into account, returns to the site once after receiving the notification to perform the installation work of the recovery container, and thus, can perform the work at the time of refrigerant recovery efficiently.

[0014] (2) It is preferable that the air-conditioning management system include a refrigerant recovery management device communicatively connected to the air-conditioning device,

[0015] The refrigerant recovery management device includes the control portion.

[0016] (3) It is preferable that the air-conditioning management system include a storage portion storing refrigerant information indicating whether refrigerant is added to the refrigerant circuit,

[0017] The control portion performs the determination based on the refrigerant information stored in the storage portion.

[0018] With the above structure, as long as the refrigerant information indicates a case where refrigerant is added to the refrigerant circuit, the control portion can determine that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery portion, and thus, can easily perform the determination of whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery portion.

[0019] (4) It can also be that the air-conditioning management system includes a storage portion storing pipe information indicating a total pipe length of the refrigerant circuit,

[0020] The control portion performs the determination based on the pipe information stored in the storage portion.

[0021] With the above structure, as long as the total pipe length of the refrigerant circuit in the piping information is longer than the threshold value, the control section can determine that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery section, and thus, can easily determine whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery section.

[0022] (5) Preferably, the control section determines whether a recovery container that can recover the refrigerant separately from the recovery section is installed in the refrigerant circuit, in a case where the control section determines that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery section in the determination, and outputs an instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation, in a case where it is determined that the recovery container is installed in the refrigerant circuit.

[0023] With the above structure, even in a case where all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery section, as long as the recovery container that can recover the refrigerant separately from the recovery section is installed in the refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant recovery operation is started. Thus, the service person can perform a different work before all the refrigerant is recovered, and go to a different site, and thus, the work at the time of the refrigerant recovery can be further efficiently performed.

[0024] (6) Preferably, the control section outputs an instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation to the air conditioning device, determines whether the recovery section is full of the refrigerant after the instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation is output, and outputs an instruction to notify that the recovery section is full of the refrigerant, in a case where it is determined that the recovery section is full of the refrigerant.

[0025] With the above structure, the service person who performs a different work in the site during the refrigerant recovery operation can promptly grasp that the recovery section is full of the refrigerant by receiving the notification based on the notification instruction of the control section. Thus, the service person can promptly install the recovery container that recovers the remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, and thus, the work at the time of the refrigerant recovery can be further efficiently performed.

[0026] (7) Preferably, in the air conditioning management system, the control section outputs an instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation to the air conditioning device, determines whether the recovery section is full of the refrigerant after the instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation is output, and outputs an instruction to stop the refrigerant recovery operation to the air conditioning device, in a case where it is determined that the recovery section is full of the refrigerant.

[0027] With the above structure, for example, even when the service person goes to a different site during the refrigerant recovery operation, the refrigerant recovery operation can be stopped when the recovery portion is filled with refrigerant. Thus, the service person does not need to return to the site to stop the refrigerant recovery operation, and thus, the work during refrigerant recovery can be further efficiently performed.

[0028] (8) The refrigerant recovery management device of the present disclosure,

[0029] The refrigerant recovery management device is communicably connected to an air conditioning device that performs a refrigerant recovery operation of recovering refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit connecting an outdoor unit and an indoor unit to a recovery portion provided to the outdoor unit, and includes:

[0030] a control portion that, before the air conditioning device starts the refrigerant recovery operation, judges whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery portion, and outputs an instruction to notify information that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery portion, in a case where it is judged that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery portion.

[0031] In the refrigerant recovery management device thus configured, the service person can know the case where all the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit cannot be recovered to the recovery portion of the outdoor unit before starting the refrigerant recovery operation by receiving the notification based on the notification instruction of the refrigerant recovery management device. Thus, the service person can recognize the case where a recovery container different from the recovery portion is installed to the refrigerant circuit in advance or the case where it is necessary to return to the site once after leaving the site in order to install the recovery container. Therefore, the service person can perform a different work taking the case into account, or return to the site once after receiving the notification to perform the installation work of the recovery container, and thus, the work during refrigerant recovery can be efficiently performed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic configuration view of an air conditioning management system of an embodiment.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic configuration view of an air conditioning device of an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of each internal structure of an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, an air conditioning controller, and a management device.

[0035] Figure 4 is a sequence chart showing a control example during a refrigerant recovery operation of an air conditioning management system.

[0036] Figure 5is a sequence chart showing a modification example of the control example in the refrigerant recovery operation of the air-conditioning management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the air-conditioning management system of the embodiment. The air-conditioning management system 1 includes an air-conditioning device 2 and a management device 60. The air-conditioning device 2 and the management device 60 are communicably connected via a network 70.

[0039] [air-conditioning device]

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the air-conditioning device 2 of the embodiment. The air-conditioning device 2 is a device that performs cooling and heating of an indoor space of a large building or the like by a refrigeration cycle of a vapor compression type. The air-conditioning device 2 includes an outdoor unit 3, a plurality of (four in this case) indoor units 4 connected in parallel to each other, a liquid refrigerant communication pipe 5, a gas refrigerant communication pipe 6, and an air-conditioning controller 7 (also refer to Figure 1 ). In addition, the air-conditioning device 2 can also include an intermediate unit that switches the flow of refrigerant between the outdoor unit 3 and the plurality of indoor units 4. In the above case, the intermediate unit can also be provided outdoors of the building, or can be provided in a mechanical room or the like of the building.

[0041] The refrigerant circuit 9 of the air-conditioning device 2 of the vapor compression type is configured by connecting the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor units 4 via the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 5 and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 6. In the refrigerant circuit 9, a refrigerant such as R32, CO2, or HFO is filled.

[0042] [Outdoor unit]

[0043] The outdoor unit 3 is provided outdoors of the building and constitutes a part of the refrigerant circuit 9. The outdoor unit 3 has a compressor 11, an outdoor heat exchanger 12, a four-way reversing valve 13, an outdoor fan 14, an outdoor expansion valve 15, a storage tank 16, a liquid-side stop valve 17, and a gas-side stop valve 18. The devices 11 to 16 and the valves 17 to 18 are connected by refrigerant pipes 19 to 25.

[0044] The compressor 11 is capable of changing the rotation speed of a built-in motor (omitted from illustration) by inverter control of the motor. The outdoor heat exchanger 12 is, for example, a cross finned tube type heat exchanger, and functions to exchange heat with the refrigerant using air as a heat source.

[0045] The outdoor fan 14 has a motor (omitted from the drawing) whose rotation speed can be adjusted by inverter control. The outdoor fan 14 is configured to introduce air outside the outdoor unit 3 into the interior of the outdoor unit 3, and to blow the air introduced into the interior of the outdoor unit 3 to the outside of the outdoor unit 3 after heat exchange between the air introduced and the outdoor heat exchanger 12.

[0046] The four-way reversing valve 13 reverses the flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 9, and switches and supplies the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to the outdoor heat exchanger 12 and the indoor heat exchanger 42 (described below). The accumulator 16 temporarily stores the refrigerant to be sucked into the compressor 11. The liquid-side stop valve 17 and the gas-side stop valve 18 are electric valves. The compressor 11, the four-way reversing valve 13, the outdoor fan 14, the outdoor expansion valve 15, the liquid-side stop valve 17, and the gas-side stop valve 18 are controlled in operation by the outdoor control section 31 described below.

[0047] The outdoor unit 3 further has a discharge pressure sensor 26, a discharge temperature sensor 27, a suction pressure sensor 28, and a suction temperature sensor 29.

[0048] The discharge pressure sensor 26 detects the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11. The discharge temperature sensor 27 detects the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11. The suction pressure sensor 28 detects the pressure of the refrigerant to be sucked into the compressor 11. The suction temperature sensor 29 detects the temperature of the refrigerant to be sucked into the compressor 11.

[0049] The signals detected by the various sensors 26 to 29 are input to the outdoor control section 31 (refer to FIG. 1). Figure 3 The compressor 11, the outdoor fan 14, and the outdoor expansion valve 15 are controlled in operation by the outdoor control section 31 in accordance with the outputs of the various sensors 26 to 29.

[0050] [Indoor Unit]

[0051] The indoor unit 4 is provided in the interior of a building, and constitutes a part of the refrigerant circuit 9. The indoor unit 4 has an indoor expansion valve 41, an indoor heat exchanger 42, and an indoor fan 43.

[0052] The indoor expansion valve 41 uses an electric expansion valve capable of adjusting the pressure of refrigerant and adjusting the flow rate of refrigerant. The indoor heat exchanger 42 is, for example, a cross finned tube heat exchanger, and is used for heat exchange with air in the interior.

[0053] The indoor fan 43 has a motor (not shown) whose rotation speed can be adjusted by the inverter control. The indoor fan 43 is configured to introduce the air in the room into the inside of the indoor unit 4, cause the introduced air to exchange heat with the indoor heat exchanger 42, and then blow the air out to the room. The indoor expansion valve 41 and the indoor fan 43 are controlled to operate by the indoor control unit 44.

[0054] One end of the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 5 is connected to the liquid-side stop valve 17 of the outdoor unit 3, and the other end is connected to the liquid-side end of the indoor expansion valve 41 of the indoor unit 4. One end of the gas refrigerant communication pipe 6 is connected to the gas-side stop valve 18 of the outdoor unit 3, and the other end is connected to the liquid-gas-side end of the indoor heat exchanger 42 of the indoor unit 4.

[0055] [Operation of the air conditioning device]

[0056] The air conditioning device 2 performs a cooling operation, a heating operation, and a refrigerant recovery operation.

[0057] In the cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 functions as an evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger 42 functions as a condenser. Specifically, the four-way valve 13 is switched to the outdoor heat releasing state (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2), the liquid-side stop valve 17 and the gas-side stop valve 18 are opened, and the compressor 11, the outdoor fan 14, and the indoor fan 43 are driven. Figure 2

[0058] The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows out from the outdoor unit 3 through the four-way valve 13, the outdoor heat exchanger 12, the outdoor expansion valve 15, and the liquid-side stop valve 17. The refrigerant flowing out from the outdoor unit 3 is branched and delivered to the plurality of indoor units 4 through the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 5. Then, the refrigerant passes through the indoor expansion valve 41, the indoor heat exchanger 42, and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 6 of each indoor unit 4, merges, and is delivered to the outdoor unit 3. Then, the refrigerant passes through the gas-side stop valve 18, the four-way valve 13, and the accumulator 16, and is sucked into the compressor 11.

[0059] In the heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger 42 functions as an evaporator. Specifically, the four-way valve 13 is switched to the outdoor heat releasing state (the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2), the liquid-side stop valve 17 and the gas-side stop valve 18 are opened, and the compressor 11, the outdoor fan 14, and the indoor fan 43 are driven. Figure 2

[0060] ​​The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows out from the outdoor unit 3 through the four-way switching valve 13 and the gas-side stop valve 18. The refrigerant flowing out from the outdoor unit 3 is branched and delivered to the plurality of indoor units 4 through the gas refrigerant communication pipe 6. Then, the refrigerant passes through the indoor heat exchanger 42, the indoor expansion valve 41, and the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 5 of each indoor unit 4, merges, and is delivered to the outdoor unit 3. Then, the refrigerant passes through the liquid-side stop valve 17, the outdoor expansion valve 15, the outdoor heat exchanger 12, the four-way switching valve 13, and the accumulator 16, and is sucked into the compressor 11.

[0061] The refrigerant recovery operation is performed when the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 is recovered to the outdoor unit 3 side. At this time, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 and the accumulator 16 of the outdoor unit 3 function as a recovery portion that recovers the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9. The "recovery portion" that recovers the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 refers to the equipment that the outdoor unit 3 inherently has, and does not include the recovery container 10 described below. Hereinafter, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 and the accumulator 16 are also referred to as the recovery portions 12 and 16.

[0062] In the refrigerant recovery operation, the four-way switching valve 13 is switched to the outdoor heat releasing state as in the refrigeration operation, and the liquid-side stop valve 17 is closed and the gas-side stop valve 18 is opened. Then, the compressor 11, the outdoor fan 14, and the indoor fan 43 are driven.

[0063] When the compressor 11 is driven, the refrigerant remaining in the refrigerant pipe 22, the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 5, the indoor expansion valve 41, the indoor heat exchanger 42, and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 6 of the refrigerant circuit 9 passes through the gas-side stop valve 18 and the four-way switching valve 13, and flows into the accumulator 16. The liquid refrigerant among the refrigerant flowing into the accumulator 16 remains in the accumulator 16, and the gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 11, and flows from the compressor 11 into the outdoor heat exchanger 12 via the four-way switching valve 13. The gas refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 12 flows toward the liquid-side stop valve 17, but since the liquid-side stop valve 17 is closed, the refrigerant continuously accumulates in the outdoor heat exchanger 12. By the above, the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 is recovered to the recovery portions 12 and 16 of the outdoor unit 3.

[0064] When the recovery of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12 and 16 is completed, the driving of the compressor 11, the outdoor fan 14, and the indoor fan 43 is ended, and the gas-side stop valve 18 is closed. By thus closing the gas-side stop valve 18, the refrigerant recovered to the recovery portions 12 and 16 can be inhibited from flowing out to the indoor unit 4 side.

[0065] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of each internal structure of the outdoor unit 3, the indoor unit 4, the air conditioner controller 7, and the management device 60.

[0066] [Internal Configuration of Indoor Unit]

[0067] The indoor unit 4 includes an indoor control section 44 and a communication section 45. The communication section 45 is constituted by a communication interface, and transmits and receives various information between the outdoor control section 31. The indoor control section 44 is a microcomputer constituted by a CPU, a memory, and the like. The indoor control section 44 controls the indoor expansion valve 4 and the indoor fan 43 based on an instruction from the outdoor control section 31.

[0068] [Internal configuration of outdoor unit]

[0069] The outdoor unit 3 includes an outdoor control section 31, a communication section 32, and an input section 33.

[0070] The communication section 32 is constituted by a communication interface, and transmits and receives various information between the communication section 45 of the indoor unit 4. The input section 33 is constituted by, for example, a dual in-line package switch or the like provided to a substrate, and sets an operation to the outdoor unit 3, and a case where the recovery container 10 is attached to the refrigerant circuit 9.

[0071] The outdoor control section 31 is a microcomputer constituted by a CPU, a memory, and the like. The outdoor control section 31 controls various constituent devices of the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor unit 4 based on a detection signal of the above-described various sensors and the like, and thereby performs each control of the cooling operation and the heating operation of the air conditioning device 2.

[0072] [Air conditioning controller]

[0073] The air conditioning controller 7 centrally manages the outdoor unit 3 and the plurality of indoor units 4. The air conditioning controller 7 includes a communication section 51, a control section 52, a storage section 53, an input section 54, and a display section 55.

[0074] The communication section 51 is constituted by a communication interface, and transmits and receives various information between the communication section 32 of the outdoor unit 3. Further, the communication section 51 transmits and receives various information between the management device 60 via the network 70 (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0075] The input section 54 is constituted by, for example, a touch panel or various input buttons or the like that receive an operation input. The display section 55 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display panel.

[0076] The storage section 53 is constituted by a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, and the like. For example, the device information SI, the refrigerant information S2, the piping information S3, and the operation information S4 of the air conditioning device 2 are stored in the storage section 53.

[0077] The device information SI is information indicating the number of the outdoor units 3 and the number of the indoor units 4, and the like. The refrigerant information S2 is information indicating whether or not refrigerant is added to the refrigerant circuit 9 at the time of installation of the air conditioning device 2.

[0078] The piping information S3 is information indicating the total piping length of the refrigerant circuit 9. The operation information S4 is information including signals detected by the various sensors 26 to 29, start information, end information, and full information, and the like, which is stored in the storage section 53, for example, every several minutes. The start information is information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has started. The end information is information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended. The full information is information indicating that the recovery sections 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant.

[0079] The control section 52 is configured using a CPU. The control section 52 performs control of the refrigerant recovery operation of the air conditioning device 2 based on a control instruction of the management device 60. The control section 52 transmits the various information S1 to S4 stored in the storage section 53 every several minutes to the management device 60 through the communication section 51, for example.

[0080] [Management Device]

[0081] The management device 60 is operated by a manufacturer of the air conditioning device 2, a management company that undertakes maintenance inspection, and the like. The management device 60 functions as a refrigerant recovery management device that manages the refrigerant recovery operation of the air conditioning device 2.

[0082] When the management device 60 receives an instruction of the refrigerant recovery operation from a terminal 71 (refer to Figure 1 ) used by a participant such as a manager, a user, a technical service person, a manufacturer, and the like of the air conditioning device 2, the management device 60 transmits information related to the refrigerant recovery operation to the terminal 71 of the participant. As the terminal 71, a personal computer, a tablet PC, a smartphone, and the like that can be connected to the management device 60 via the network 70 can be cited.

[0083] The management device 60 includes a communication section 61, a control section 62, a storage section 63, an input section 64, and a display section 65.

[0084] The communication section 61 is configured by a communication interface, and transmits and receives various information between the air conditioning controller 7 and between the terminal 71 via the network 70 (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0085] The storage section 63 is configured by a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, and the like. In the storage section 63, the device information S1, the refrigerant information S2, the piping information S3, and the operation information S4 received by the communication section 61 from the air conditioning controller 7 are stored.

[0086] The input section 64 is configured by a keyboard, a touch panel, and the like, and performs operation and setting of the management device 60. The display section 65 is configured by a display, for example.

[0087] The control section 62 is configured using a CPU. Before the air conditioning device 2 starts the refrigerant recovery operation, the control section 62 performs a determination of whether it is possible to recover all the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 to the recovery sections 12, 16, based on the information stored in the storage section 63.

[0088] For example, the above determination is performed based on the refrigerant information S2 stored in the storage section 63. Specifically, in a case where no refrigerant has been added to the refrigerant circuit 9 in the refrigerant information S2, the control section 62 determines that it is possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16. Further, in a case where refrigerant has been added to the refrigerant circuit 9 in the refrigerant information S2, the control section 62 determines that it is not possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16.

[0089] The control section 62 can also perform the determination based on the piping information S3 stored in the storage section 63. For example, in a case where the total piping length of the refrigerant circuit 9 is less than a threshold value in the piping information S3, the control section 62 determines that it is possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16. Further, in a case where the total piping length of the refrigerant circuit 9 is equal to or more than the threshold value in the piping information S3, the control section 62 determines that it is not possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16.

[0090] The control section 62 can also perform the determination based on the device information S1 stored in the storage section 63. For example, in a case where the total number of the outdoor units 3 and the indoor units 4 calculated from the device information S1 is less than a threshold value, the control section 62 determines that it is possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16. Further, in a case where the total number of the outdoor units 3 and the indoor units 4 calculated from the device information S1 is equal to or more than the threshold value, the control section 62 determines that it is not possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16.

[0091] The control section 62 can also perform the determination based on two or more of the device information S1, the refrigerant information S2, and the piping information S3.

[0092] The control section 62 outputs an instruction to notify the meaning (notification instruction) in a case where it is determined that it is not possible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery sections 12, 16. The above instruction is transmitted from the management device 60 to a terminal 71 of a participant (hereinafter, simply referred to as "technician or the like") such as a technician, via the network 70, for example.

[0093] The control section 62 determines whether the recovery container 10 (see FIG. 1) that can recover the refrigerant separately from the recovery sections 12, 16 of the outdoor unit 3 is installed in the refrigerant circuit 9. Figure 2The above determination can be made, for example, by determining whether the input portion 33 of the outdoor unit 3 to which the recovery container is connected to the refrigerant circuit 9 has been operated. For example, the device information SI includes an operation input signal of the input portion 33. Thus, the control portion 62 can make the above determination based on the device information SI stored in the storage portion 63.

[0094] In addition, the control portion 62 can also make the above determination based on the detection signal of the discharge pressure sensor 26 or the suction pressure sensor 28 included in the operation information S4 stored in the storage portion 63, according to whether the discharge pressure sensor 26 or the suction pressure sensor 28 detects a pressure variation caused by the recovery container being connected to the refrigerant circuit 9. Further, the above determination can also be made by the control portion 52 of the air conditioner controller 7.

[0095] In a case where the control portion 62 determines that the recovery container 10 is installed in the refrigerant circuit 9, a command (start command) to start the refrigerant recovery operation is output. The above command is transmitted from the communication portion 61 to the air conditioner controller 7 via the network 70.

[0096] [Control of refrigerant recovery operation]

[0097] Figure 4 is a sequence chart showing a control example of the air conditioner management system 1 at the time of the refrigerant recovery operation. In the present control example, a case where the refrigerant recovery operation of the air conditioner 2 is performed by the terminal 71 operated by a technical service person or the like is described.

[0098] The technical service person or the like transmits an instruction to recover the refrigerant of the air conditioner 2 from the terminal 71 to the management device 60 (step ST1). The management device 60, upon receiving the above instruction from the terminal 71, makes a determination as to whether it is possible to recover all the refrigerants of the refrigerant circuit 9 to the recovery portions 12, 16 (step ST2). The specific determination method is as described above.

[0099] The management device 60, in a case where it is determined that it is possible to recover all the refrigerants to the recovery portions 12, 16 (in a case where “Yes” in step ST2), shifts to the following step ST8. On the other hand, the management device 60, in a case where it is determined that it is not possible to recover all the refrigerants to the recovery portions 12, 16 (in a case where “No” in step ST2), transmits a notification command to notify the meaning to the terminal 71 (step ST3).

[0100] The terminal 71, based on the notification command received from the management device 60, notifies the technical service person or the like of the meaning that it is not possible to recover all the refrigerants to the recovery portions 12, 16 by voice, character display, or the like (step ST4). Thus, the technical service person or the like can be aware of the case where it is not possible to recover all the refrigerants to the recovery portions 12, 16.

[0101] The management device 60 judges whether or not the recovery container 10 is installed in the refrigerant circuit 9 after sending the notification instruction to the terminal 71 (step ST5). The method of the judgment is as described above.

[0102] The management device 60 confirms whether or not a certain time (timeout time) has elapsed in the case where it is judged that the recovery container 10 is not installed in the refrigerant circuit 9 (in the case where "No" in step ST5).

[0103] If the certain time has not elapsed (in the case where "No" in step ST6), the management device 60 repeats the judgment of step ST5. Further, if the certain time has elapsed (in the case where "Yes" in step ST6), the management device 60 judges that it is impossible to recover the refrigerant to the recovery container 10. Next, the management device 60 sends information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation is not performed to the terminal 71 (step ST7), and ends the process. The technician or the like who receives the above information by the terminal 71 can know that the refrigerant operation is not performed.

[0104] On the other hand, the management device 60 sends a start instruction of the refrigerant recovery operation to the air conditioner controller 7 in the case where it is judged that the recovery container 10 is installed in the refrigerant circuit 9 (in the case where "Yes" in step ST5).

[0105] The air conditioner controller 7 starts the refrigerant recovery operation of the air conditioner 2 after receiving the start instruction (step ST9). Next, the air conditioner controller 7 sends start information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has started to the management device 60 (step ST10).

[0106] The management device 60 sends the start information to the terminal 71 after receiving the start information from the air conditioner controller 7 (step ST11). The technician or the like who receives the start information by the terminal 71 can know that the refrigerant recovery operation has started.

[0107] The air conditioner controller 7 judges whether or not the refrigerant recovery operation has ended after sending the start information (step ST12). Specifically, in the air conditioner controller 7 (refer to Figure 3 ), the control section 52 judges that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended in the case where the suction pressure detected by the suction pressure sensor 28 is below a threshold value, for example, on the basis of the operation information S4 stored in the storage section 53. Further, the control section 52 judges that the refrigerant recovery operation has not ended in the case where the suction pressure detected by the suction pressure sensor 28 exceeds the threshold value, on the basis of the operation information S4.

[0108] The air-conditioning controller 7, in a case where it is determined that the refrigerant recovery operation has not ended (in a case where "No" in step ST12), performs the determination of step ST12 again after a prescribed time elapses.

[0109] On the other hand, the air-conditioning controller 7, in a case where it is determined that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended (in a case where "Yes" in step ST12), after closing the gas-side shutoff valve 18, transmits end information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended to the management device 60 (step ST13), and ends the process.

[0110] The management device 60, after receiving the end information from the air-conditioning controller 7, transmits the end information to the terminal 71 (step ST14), and ends the process. A technical service person or the like who receives the end information through the terminal 71 can know that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended.

[0111] [Effects of Embodiments]

[0112] According to the air-conditioning management system 1 of the present embodiment, the terminal 71 notifies a service person or the like of the meaning that it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16, based on the notification instruction received from the management device 60. Through the above notification, a technical service person or the like can know that it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 to the recovery portions 12, 16 before starting the refrigerant recovery operation. Thus, the technical service person or the like can recognize that it is necessary to install a recovery container 10 different from the recovery portions 12, 16 to the refrigerant circuit 9 in advance, or that it is necessary to return to the site once after leaving the site in order to install the recovery container 10. Therefore, the technical service person or the like can perform different work by taking this situation into account in planning, return to the site once after receiving the above notification to perform the installation work of the recovery container 10, and thus, can perform the work at the time of refrigerant recovery efficiently well.

[0113] The management device 60, in a case where the determination of whether it is possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16 is made based on the refrigerant information S2, can determine by whether the refrigerant is added to the refrigerant circuit 9, and thus, can easily perform the above determination.

[0114] The management device 60, in a case where the determination of whether it is possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16 is made based on the piping information S3, can determine by whether the total piping length of the refrigerant circuit 9 is equal to or more than a threshold value, and thus, can easily perform the above determination.

[0115] Even in a case where it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16, if the refrigerant circuit 9 is provided with the recovery container 10 that can recover the refrigerant separately from the recovery portions 12, 16, the management device 60 causes the air conditioning device 2 to start the refrigerant recovery operation. Thereby, the technician or the like can perform different work, go to different sites, before recovering all of the refrigerant, and thus it is possible to further efficiently perform the work at the time of refrigerant recovery.

[0116] [Modified Example]

[0117] Figure 5 is a sequence chart showing a modified example of the control example at the time of the refrigerant recovery operation of the air conditioning management system 1. In this modified example, the refrigerant recovery operation is performed even in a case where it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16, up to the point that the recovery portions 12, 16 are filled with the refrigerant, which is different from the control example of Figure 4 . Hereinafter, this modified example will be described in detail.

[0118] The technician or the like transmits an instruction to recover the refrigerant of the air conditioning device 2 from the terminal 71 to the management device 60 (step ST31). After the management device 60 receives the above instruction from the terminal 71, it performs a determination as to whether it is possible to recover all of the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 to the recovery portions 12, 16 (step ST32). The specific determination method is as described above.

[0119] The management device 60 shifts to the following step ST35 in a case where it is determined that it is possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16 (in a case where "Yes" in step ST32). On the other hand, the management device 60 transmits a first notification instruction that notifies of this meaning to the terminal 71 in a case where it is determined that it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16 (in a case where "No" in step ST32).

[0120] The terminal 71 notifies the technician or the like of the meaning that it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16 by sound, character display, or the like, on the basis of the first notification instruction received from the management device 60 (step ST34). Thereby, the technician or the like can know the case where it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16.

[0121] The management device 60 transmits a start instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation to the air conditioning controller 7 after transmitting the first notification instruction to the terminal 71 (step ST35).

[0122] In addition, the management device 60 can transmit a start instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation to the air-conditioner controller 7 before the determination in the start step ST32, when receiving the instruction to recover the refrigerant from the terminal 71 (step ST31). The management device 60 can transmit the start instruction to start the refrigerant recovery operation to the air-conditioner controller 7 after receiving the instruction to recover the refrigerant from the terminal 71.

[0123] The air-conditioner controller 7 starts the refrigerant recovery operation of the air-conditioning device 2 after receiving the start instruction (step ST36). Next, the air-conditioner controller 7 transmits start information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has been started to the management device 60 (step ST37).

[0124] The management device 60 transmits the start information to the terminal 71 after receiving the start information from the air-conditioner controller 7 (step ST38). The technical service person or the like who receives the start information by the terminal 71 can know that the refrigerant recovery operation has been started.

[0125] The air-conditioner controller 7 determines whether the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with the refrigerant after transmitting the start information (step ST39). Specifically, in the air-conditioner controller 7 (refer to Figure 3 ), the control portion 52 determines that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with the refrigerant, on the basis of the detection signals of the discharge pressure sensor 26 and the discharge temperature sensor 27 included in the operation information S4 stored in the storage portion 53, in a case where the discharge pressure and the discharge temperature of the compressor 11 have respectively risen to the threshold values. In addition, the control portion 52 determines that the recovery portions 12, 16 have not been filled with the refrigerant, in a case where the discharge pressure and the discharge temperature of the compressor 11 have not respectively risen to the threshold values.

[0126] The air-conditioner controller 7 shifts to the following step ST47, in a case where it is determined that the recovery portions 12, 16 have not been filled with the refrigerant (in a case where "No" in the step ST39). On the other hand, the air-conditioner controller 7 transmits filled information indicating that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with the refrigerant to the management device 60 (step ST40), in a case where it is determined that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with the refrigerant (in a case where "Yes" in the step ST39).

[0127] The management device 60 determines whether or not the fullness information is received from the air-conditioning controller 7 (whether or not the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant) (step ST41). The management device 60 determines that the recovery portions 12, 16 have not been filled with refrigerant in the case where the fullness information is not received, and shifts to the following step ST49. On the other hand, the management device 60 determines that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant in the case where the fullness information is received, and transmits a second notification instruction that notifies that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant to the terminal 71 (step ST42). Specifically, in the management device 60 (refer to Figure 3 ), the control portion 62 outputs the second notification instruction that notifies that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant. The above-described second notification instruction is transmitted from the communication portion 61 to the terminal 71 via the network 70.

[0128] The terminal 71 notifies a technical service person or the like of the fact that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant by sound, character display, or the like, on the basis of the second notification instruction received from the management device 60 (step ST43). Thus, the technical service person or the like can know the fact that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant.

[0129] In addition, the management device 60 can transmit information that indicates the recovery state of refrigerant (for example, the remaining time until the fullness) to the terminal 71 before the recovery portions 12, 16 are filled with refrigerant.

[0130] The management device 60 transmits a stop instruction that stops the refrigerant recovery operation to the air-conditioning controller 7 after the second notification instruction is transmitted to the terminal 71 (step ST44). Specifically, in the management device 60 (refer to Figure 3 ), the control portion 62 outputs the stop instruction that stops the refrigerant recovery operation after the communication portion 61 transmits the second notification instruction to the terminal 71. The above-described stop instruction is transmitted from the communication portion 61 to the air-conditioning controller 7 via the network 70. In addition, the management device 60 can output the stop instruction before the second notification instruction is transmitted to the terminal 71 in step ST42.

[0131] The air-conditioning controller 7 confirms whether or not the stop instruction is received from the management device 60 (step ST45). The air-conditioning controller 7 stops the refrigerant recovery operation in the case where the stop instruction is received from the management device 60 (in the case where "Yes" in step ST45), and ends the processing.

[0132] The air-conditioning controller 7 stops the driving of the compressor 11, the outdoor fan 14, and the indoor fan 43 at the time of stopping the refrigerant recovery operation, as at the time of ending the refrigerant recovery operation. Then, the air-conditioning controller 7 closes the gas-side shutoff valve 18. In addition, the air-conditioning controller 7 can also transmit information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has been stopped to the terminal 71 via the management device 60.

[0133] On the other hand, if the air-conditioning controller 7 does not receive the stop instruction from the management device 60 (in the case where "No" in step ST45), it judges whether the refrigerant recovery operation has ended (step ST47). The specific method of judgment is as described above. If the air-conditioning controller 7 judges that the refrigerant recovery operation has not ended (in the case where "No" in step ST47), it performs the judgment of step ST47 again after a prescribed time.

[0134] If the air-conditioning controller 7 judges that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended (in the case where "Yes" in step ST47), it transmits end information indicating that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended to the management device 60 after closing the gas-side shutoff valve 18 (step ST48), and ends the process. The management device 60 confirms whether the end information has been received from the air-conditioning controller 7 (step ST49).

[0135] If the management device 60 does not receive the end information from the air-conditioning controller 7 (in the case where "No" in step ST49), it performs the confirmation of step ST49 again after a prescribed time.

[0136] If the management device 60 receives the end information from the air-conditioning controller 7 (in the case where "Yes" in step ST49), it transmits the end information to the terminal 71 (step ST50), and ends the process. The technical service personnel or the like who receive the end information via the terminal 71 can know that the refrigerant recovery operation has ended.

[0137] According to the air-conditioning management system 1 of the present modified example, in the case where the refrigerant recovery operation is performed while it is not possible to recover all of the refrigerant to the recovery portions 12, 16, the terminal 71 notifies the technical service personnel or the like that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant based on the second notification instruction received from the management device 60. Through this notification, the technical service personnel or the like who are performing a different work during the refrigerant recovery operation at the site, for example, receive the notification from the management device 60, and thus can promptly know that the recovery portions 12, 16 have been filled with refrigerant. Thus, the technical service personnel or the like can promptly install the recovery container 10 for recovering the remaining refrigerant to the refrigerant circuit 9, and thus can further efficiently perform the work during the refrigerant recovery.

[0138] The management device 60 stops the refrigerant recovery operation when the recovery portions 12, 16 are filled with refrigerant, and thus, for example, even when a technician or the like goes to a different site during the refrigerant recovery operation, the refrigerant recovery operation can be stopped when the recovery portions 12, 16 are filled with refrigerant. Thus, the technician or the like does not need to return to the site in order to stop the refrigerant recovery operation, and thus, the work during refrigerant recovery can be further efficiently performed.

[0139] [Others]

[0140] The management device 60 of the above-described embodiment performs the determination of whether all of the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit 9 can be recovered to the recovery portions 12, 16 when receiving the instruction to recover the refrigerant from the terminal 71, but can be performed at another point in time as long as it is before the refrigerant recovery operation is started. For example, the management device 60 can also be performed when receiving only the instruction of the above-described determination from the terminal 71.

[0141] In the above-described embodiment, the control portion 62 of the management device 60 functions as a control portion that performs the determination of whether all of the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery portions 12, 16 and the like, but the control portion 52 of the air conditioner controller 7 can also function as a control portion that performs the above-described determination and the like. In this case, the instruction to recover the refrigerant can also be performed from the input portion 54 of the air conditioner controller 7.

[0142] Further, both of the control portions 52, 62 of the air conditioner controller 7 and the management device 60 can also function as control portions that perform the above-described determination and the like. For example, the determination of whether all of the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery portions 12, 16 is performed in the control portion 52 of the air conditioner controller 7, and the control portion 62 of the management device 60 outputs a notification instruction based on the determination result.

[0143] In the above-described embodiment, the storage portion 63 of the management device 60 functions as a storage portion that stores the refrigerant information S2 and the like, but the storage portion 53 of the air conditioner controller 7 can also function as a storage portion that stores the refrigerant information S2 and the like.

[0144] Further, both of the storage portions 53, 63 of the air conditioner controller 7 and the management device 60 can also function as storage portions that store the refrigerant information S2 and the like. For example, the storage portion 53 of the air conditioner controller 7 can store the refrigerant information S2, and the storage portion 63 of the management device 60 can store the piping information S3.

[0145] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described examples, but is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and the scope equivalent to the claims.

[0146] Explanation of Symbols

[0147] 1 Air conditioner management system

[0148] 2 Air conditioner

[0149] 3 Outdoor unit

[0150] 4 Indoor unit

[0151] 9 Refrigerant circuit

[0152] 10 Recovery container

[0153] 12 Outdoor heat exchanger (recovery section)

[0154] 16 Accumulator (recovery section)

[0155] 60 Management device (refrigerant recovery management device)

[0156] 62 Control section

[0157] 63 Storage section

[0158] S2 Refrigerant information

[0159] S3 Piping information

Claims

1. An air conditioning management system, characterized in that, include: Air conditioning unit (2), wherein the air conditioning unit (2) performs refrigerant recovery operation to recover the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit (9) connecting the outdoor unit (3) and the indoor unit (4) to the recovery section (12, 16) provided in the outdoor unit (3); and The control unit (62) determines whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16) before the air conditioning unit (2) starts the refrigerant recovery operation. If it is determined that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16), the control unit (62) outputs an instruction indicating that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16). Includes a storage unit (63) that stores refrigerant information (S2) indicating whether refrigerant has been added to the refrigerant circuit (9). The control unit (62) makes the determination based on the refrigerant information (S2) stored in the storage unit (63).

2. An air conditioning management system, characterized in that, include: Air conditioning unit (2), wherein the air conditioning unit (2) performs refrigerant recovery operation to recover the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit (9) connecting the outdoor unit (3) and the indoor unit (4) to the recovery section (12, 16) provided in the outdoor unit (3); and The control unit (62) determines whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16) before the air conditioning unit (2) starts the refrigerant recovery operation. If it is determined that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16), the control unit (62) outputs an instruction indicating that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16). Includes a storage unit (63) that stores piping information (S3) representing the total piping length of the refrigerant circuit (9). The control unit (62) makes the determination based on the piping information (S3) stored in the storage unit (63).

3. The air conditioning management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Includes a refrigerant recovery management device (60), which is communicatively connected to the air conditioning unit (2). The refrigerant recovery management device (60) includes the control unit (62).

4. The air conditioning management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the control unit (62) determines that it is impossible to recover all the refrigerant to the recovery unit (12, 16) in the determination, it determines whether a recovery container (10) that can recover the refrigerant separately from the recovery unit (12, 16) is installed in the refrigerant circuit (9). If it determines that the recovery container (10) is installed in the refrigerant circuit (9), it outputs a command to start the refrigerant recovery operation.

5. The air conditioning management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control unit (62) outputs a command to the air conditioning unit (2) to start the refrigerant recovery operation. After outputting the command to start the refrigerant recovery operation, it determines whether the recovery unit (12, 16) is full of refrigerant. If it determines that the recovery unit (12, 16) is full of refrigerant, it outputs a command to notify the recovery unit (12, 16) that it is full of refrigerant.

6. The air conditioning management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control unit (62) outputs a command to the air conditioning unit (2) to start the refrigerant recovery operation. After outputting the command to start the refrigerant recovery operation, it determines whether the recovery units (12, 16) are full of refrigerant. If it determines that the recovery units (12, 16) are full of refrigerant, it outputs a command to the air conditioning unit (2) to stop the refrigerant recovery operation.

7. A refrigerant recovery management device, The refrigerant recovery management device is communicatively connected to the air conditioning unit (2), and the air conditioning unit (2) performs a refrigerant recovery operation to recover the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (9) connecting the outdoor unit (3) and the indoor unit (4) to the recovery section (12, 16) provided in the outdoor unit (3), characterized in that, The refrigerant recovery management device includes: The control unit (62) determines whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16) before the air conditioning unit (2) starts the refrigerant recovery operation. If it is determined that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16), the control unit (62) outputs an instruction indicating that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16); and Storage unit (63), which stores refrigerant information (S2) indicating whether refrigerant has been added to the refrigerant circuit (9), The control unit (62) makes the determination based on the refrigerant information (S2) stored in the storage unit (63).

8. A refrigerant recovery management device, The refrigerant recovery management device is communicatively connected to the air conditioning unit (2), and the air conditioning unit (2) performs a refrigerant recovery operation to recover the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (9) connecting the outdoor unit (3) and the indoor unit (4) to the recovery section (12, 16) provided in the outdoor unit (3), characterized in that, The refrigerant recovery management device includes: The control unit (62) determines whether all the refrigerant can be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16) before the air conditioning unit (2) starts the refrigerant recovery operation. If it is determined that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16), the control unit (62) outputs an instruction indicating that all the refrigerant cannot be recovered to the recovery unit (12, 16); and Storage unit (63), which stores piping information (S3) representing the total piping length of the refrigerant circuit (9), The control unit (62) makes the determination based on the piping information (S3) stored in the storage unit (63).

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