Air conditioning system and control method thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an air conditioning system and a control method thereof, relates to the technical field of air conditioners, and aims to improve the accuracy of refrigerant leakage detection of the air conditioning system. The indoor unit comprises a shell and an electric appliance box; the refrigerant concentration sensor is arranged on the electric appliance box and is used for detecting the concentration of the refrigerant; a controller configured to: detect a first refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at a first timing; when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold value, the air conditioning system is controlled to execute false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage so as to adjust the refrigerant concentration; wherein the first preset threshold value is smaller than a preset alarm threshold value of refrigerant leakage; detecting a second refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at a second moment; wherein the second moment is a moment after the first moment; and under the condition that the second refrigerant concentration reaches the preset alarm threshold value, refrigerant leakage alarm reminding is sent out.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to an air conditioning system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] When there are processing defects in the air conditioning system or the service life exceeds the expected life, the refrigerant leakage problem will occur, which will seriously affect the normal operation of the air conditioning system. In addition, when the refrigerant of the air conditioning system is flammable, the leaked refrigerant also poses a great safety hazard. Therefore, refrigerant leakage detection is an important technology for air conditioning systems.

[0003] At present, the air conditioning system can determine whether there is a refrigerant leak in the air conditioning system based on the measurement value of the refrigerant concentration sensor. However, due to the installation location of the refrigerant concentration sensor or the air conditions in the room, such as the presence of water vapor, alcohol and other gases in the air, the measurement value of the refrigerant concentration sensor will have a certain deviation, which can easily lead to misjudgment of refrigerant leakage. Therefore, how to improve the accuracy of refrigerant leakage detection is currently an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides an air-conditioning system and a control method thereof, which are used to improve the accuracy of refrigerant leakage detection of the air-conditioning system.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an air-conditioning system, which includes: an indoor unit, including a shell and an electrical box; a refrigerant concentration sensor, arranged on the electrical box, for detecting the refrigerant concentration; a controller, configured to: detect a first refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment; when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, control the air-conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration; wherein the first preset threshold is less than a preset alarm threshold for refrigerant leakage; detect a second refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at a second moment; wherein the second moment is a moment after the first moment; and issue a refrigerant leakage alarm reminder when the second refrigerant concentration reaches the preset alarm threshold.

[0007] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application at least brings the following beneficial effects: the air conditioning system provided by the present application includes a refrigerant concentration sensor. First, the first refrigerant concentration can be detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment. When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, it can be determined that the refrigerant concentration is high. The high refrigerant concentration may be affected by refrigerant leakage and also by interfering substances (such as water vapor or alcohol, etc.) in the indoor air. Therefore, even when the refrigerant concentration is high, it is impossible to determine whether the air conditioning system has a refrigerant leak. Further, the air conditioning system is controlled to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration, and then the second refrigerant concentration is detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor at a second moment to exclude whether the refrigerant concentration sensor is affected by interfering substances in the indoor air. And when the second refrigerant concentration reaches the preset alarm threshold, it is determined that the high refrigerant concentration is affected by refrigerant leakage, thereby determining that the air conditioning system has a refrigerant leak, and then a refrigerant leak alarm reminder is issued to remind the user that the air conditioning system has a refrigerant leak.

[0008] In this way, the air-conditioning system can be controlled to perform false alarm detection operations for refrigerant leakage, eliminate the influence of interfering substances in the indoor air on the refrigerant concentration sensor, and avoid false alarm problems caused by determining whether there is a refrigerant leakage in the air-conditioning system only based on the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor, thereby improving the accuracy of refrigerant leakage detection in the air-conditioning system.

[0009] In some embodiments, the indoor unit further includes: a first air guide plate and a second air guide plate, which are arranged at the air outlet of the indoor unit and are used to change the direction of the air flow flowing out of the air outlet; a controller, which is configured to control the air-conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, and is specifically configured as follows: when the first refrigerant concentration reaches the first preset threshold, the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate are controlled to perform a first swinging operation to reduce the refrigerant concentration; at a third moment, a third refrigerant concentration is detected by a refrigerant concentration sensor; wherein the third moment is a moment between the first moment and the second moment; when the third refrigerant concentration reaches the second preset threshold, the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate are controlled to perform a second swinging operation to increase the refrigerant concentration; wherein the second preset threshold is less than the first preset threshold.

[0010] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swinging operation when the concentration of the first refrigerant reaches a first preset threshold value. Specifically, the controller is configured to control the first air guide plate to swing upward and the second air guide plate to swing left when the concentration of the first refrigerant reaches a first preset threshold value.

[0011] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a second swinging operation when the concentration of the third refrigerant reaches a second preset threshold value. Specifically, the controller is configured to control the first air guide plate to continue to swing upward and the second air guide plate to swing to the right when the concentration of the third refrigerant reaches the second preset threshold value.

[0012] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: obtain initial operating parameters of the air-conditioning system at a first moment; and control the air-conditioning system to operate with the initial operating parameters when the second refrigerant concentration does not reach a preset alarm threshold.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method for an air-conditioning system, which is applied to the air-conditioning system, and the method includes: detecting a first refrigerant concentration at a first moment; when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the air-conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration; wherein the first preset threshold is less than a preset alarm threshold for refrigerant leakage; detecting a second refrigerant concentration at a second moment; wherein the second moment is a moment after the first moment; and issuing a refrigerant leakage alarm reminder when the second refrigerant concentration reaches the preset alarm threshold.

[0014] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a controller comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories; wherein the one or more memories are used to store computer program codes, the computer program codes include computer instructions, and when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the controller executes any one of the air-conditioning system control methods provided in the second aspect.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes any one of the air-conditioning system control methods provided in the second aspect.

[0016] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program product, which can be directly loaded into a memory and contains software code. After being loaded and executed by a computer, the computer program product can implement any air-conditioning system control method provided in the second aspect.

[0017] It should be noted that the above computer instructions may be stored in whole or in part on a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium may be packaged together with the processor of the controller, or may be packaged separately from the processor of the controller, which is not limited in this application.

[0018] The beneficial effects described in the second to fifth aspects of the present application can be referred to the beneficial effect analysis of the first aspect and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solution of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the technical solution of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the composition of an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of part A;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sheet metal part on the back of an electrical box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the installation position of a refrigerant concentration sensor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sheet metal part on the back of an electrical box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A magnified view of part B;

[0030] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of air flow inside an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig.13 A flow chart of a control method for an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Fig.14A flow chart of a control method for an air conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of air flow inside an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of air flow inside an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig.17 A schematic diagram of the swing of a second air guide plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig.18 A schematic diagram of the swing of a first air guide plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig.19 A schematic diagram of the distribution of refrigerant concentration provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 20 A schematic diagram of air flow inside an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Fig.21 A schematic diagram of air flow inside an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Fig. 22 A schematic diagram of air flow inside an indoor unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Fig.23 A schematic diagram of the swing of a second air guide plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig.24 A schematic diagram of the swing of a first air guide plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Fig.25 A flow chart of a method for controlling an air-conditioning system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present invention (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0047] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0048] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances. In addition, when describing a pipeline, the "connected" and "connection" used in this application have the meaning of conduction. The specific meaning needs to be understood in conjunction with the context.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0050] At present, a refrigerant concentration sensor is usually installed inside the air conditioning system to detect whether there is a refrigerant leak in the air conditioning system. When the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is greater than the preset alarm threshold, the refrigerant concentration sensor will alarm. However, gases such as water vapor and alcohol in the air will affect the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor, resulting in false alarms and affecting user experience.

[0051] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a control method for an air-conditioning system, which can detect a first refrigerant concentration through a refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment, and when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, it can be determined that the refrigerant concentration is high. Further, by controlling the air-conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration, it can be determined whether the refrigerant concentration sensor is affected by interfering substances in the indoor air. Further, at a second moment, the second refrigerant concentration is detected through the refrigerant concentration sensor, and when the second refrigerant concentration reaches a preset alarm threshold, a refrigerant leakage alarm reminder is issued to remind the user that a refrigerant leakage has occurred in the air-conditioning system. In this way, the air-conditioning system can be controlled to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage, eliminate the influence of interfering substances in the indoor air on the refrigerant concentration sensor, and avoid the false alarm problem caused by determining whether there is a refrigerant leakage in the air-conditioning system only based on the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor, thereby improving the accuracy of refrigerant leakage detection of the air-conditioning system.

[0052] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the composition of an air conditioning system provided by the present application according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the air conditioning system 10 includes an indoor unit 11 and an outdoor unit 12 .

[0053] The indoor unit 11 is an indoor hanging unit as an example, and the indoor hanging unit is usually installed on an indoor wall, etc. For another example, an indoor cabinet unit is also a form of indoor unit of the indoor unit.

[0054] The outdoor unit 12 is usually installed outdoors and can be connected to multiple indoor units 11 for indoor environment heat exchange. Figure 1 In the figure, since the outdoor unit 12 is located outdoors on the opposite side of the indoor unit 11 across the wall, the outdoor unit 12 is indicated by a dotted line.

[0055] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioning system provided by the present application according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the air conditioning system 10 includes an indoor unit 11, an outdoor unit 12 and a controller 13 ( Figure 2 not shown).

[0056] The indoor unit 11 includes an indoor heat exchanger 111, an indoor fan 112 and an indoor throttling device 113. The outdoor unit 12 includes a compressor 121, a four-way valve 122, an outdoor heat exchanger 123, an outdoor fan 124, an outdoor throttling device 125 and a gas-liquid separator 126.

[0057] In some embodiments, the indoor heat exchanger 111 has a first inlet and outlet for allowing liquid refrigerant to flow between the indoor throttling device 113, and a second inlet and outlet for allowing gas refrigerant to flow between the indoor throttling device 113 and the suction port of the compressor 121. The indoor heat exchanger 111 exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing in the heat transfer pipe connected between the first inlet and the second inlet and outlet and the indoor air.

[0058] In some embodiments, the indoor fan 112 generates an airflow of indoor air through the indoor heat exchanger 111 to promote heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing in the heat transfer pipe between the first inlet and the second inlet and the indoor air.

[0059] In some embodiments, the indoor throttling device 113 is used to adjust the refrigerant flow rate in the air-conditioning system pipeline. For example, the indoor throttling device 113 is an electronic expansion valve, which has the function of expanding and reducing the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the electronic expansion valve, and can be used to adjust the supply of refrigerant in the pipeline. If the electronic expansion valve reduces the opening, the flow resistance of the refrigerant passing through the electronic expansion valve increases. If the electronic expansion valve increases the opening, the flow resistance of the refrigerant passing through the electronic expansion valve decreases. In this way, when the opening of the electronic expansion valve changes, the refrigerant flow rate flowing to the indoor heat exchanger 111 will change.

[0060] In some embodiments, the compressor 121 is disposed between the outdoor throttling device 125 and the gas-liquid separator 126 , and is used to compress the refrigerant delivered by the gas-liquid separator 126 , and deliver the compressed refrigerant to the outdoor throttling device 125 via the four-way valve 122 .

[0061] In some embodiments, the four ports of the four-way valve 122 are respectively connected to the compressor 121, the outdoor heat exchanger 123, the gas-liquid separator 126 and the indoor heat exchanger 111. The four-way valve 122 is used to achieve mutual conversion between cooling and heating by changing the flow direction of the refrigerant in the system pipeline.

[0062] Exemplarily, the four ports of the four-way valve 122 are respectively a D port, an E port, an S port, and a C port. The D port of the four-way valve 122 is connected to the compressor 121, the E port of the four-way valve 122 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 111, the S port of the four-way valve 122 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 126, and the C port of the four-way valve 122 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 123. In the cooling mode, the D port of the four-way valve is connected to the C port, and the E port is connected to the S port. In the heating mode, the D port of the four-way valve is connected to the E port, and the C port is connected to the S port.

[0063] In some embodiments, the outdoor heat exchanger 123 has a third inlet and outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow between the four-way valve 122 and the discharge port of the compressor 121, and has a fourth inlet and outlet for allowing the refrigerant to flow between the outdoor heat exchanger 123 and the outdoor throttling device 125. The outdoor heat exchanger 123 exchanges heat between the heat exchanger flowing in the heat transfer pipe connected between the third inlet and outlet and the fourth inlet and outlet and the outdoor air.

[0064] In some embodiments, the outdoor fan 124 generates an airflow of outdoor air through the outdoor heat exchanger 123 to promote heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing in the heat transfer pipe between the third inlet and the fourth inlet and the outdoor air.

[0065] In some embodiments, the outdoor throttling device 125 is used to adjust the refrigerant flow in the air conditioning system pipeline. For example, the outdoor throttling device 113 is an electronic expansion valve, which has the function of expanding and reducing the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the electronic expansion valve, and can be used to adjust the supply of refrigerant in the pipeline.

[0066] In some embodiments, the outlet of the gas-liquid separator 126 is connected to the inlet of the compressor 121, and the inlet of the gas-liquid separator 126 is connected to the S port of the four-way valve 122. In the gas-liquid separator 126, taking the refrigeration cycle as an example, the refrigerant flowing from the indoor heat exchanger 111 to the compressor 121 via the four-way valve 122 is separated into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant. In addition, the gas refrigerant is mainly supplied from the gas-liquid separator 126 to the discharge port of the compressor 121.

[0067] In some embodiments, the controller 13 refers to a device that can generate an operation control signal according to the instruction operation code and the timing signal to instruct the air conditioning system 10 to execute the control instruction. Exemplarily, the controller can be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The controller can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0068] In addition, the controller 13 can be used to control the operation of various components inside the air-conditioning system 10 so that the various components of the air-conditioning system 10 can operate to achieve various predetermined functions of the air-conditioning system 10.

[0069] In some embodiments, Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the indoor unit 11 also includes a housing 201 and a water receiving tray 202 ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 (not shown) and electrical box 203.

[0070] In some embodiments, the housing 201 is in the shape of a box that is slenderly extended in the length direction and has a plurality of openings. In addition, an air inlet and an air outlet are provided on the housing 201 .

[0071] In some embodiments, the water receiving pan 202 is disposed below the indoor heat exchanger 111 to receive condensed water generated by the indoor heat exchanger.

[0072] In some embodiments, the electrical box 203 includes an installation cavity and a wiring groove. The installation cavity is used to install the substrate and other electronic components. The connection between the outdoor unit 12 and the indoor unit 11 passes through the wiring groove, so that the connection is confined in the wiring groove.

[0073] In some embodiments, the indoor unit 11 may further include a refrigerant concentration sensor 204 ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 The refrigerant concentration sensor 204 may be disposed inside the indoor unit to detect the refrigerant concentration inside the indoor unit.

[0074] For example, Figure 5 As shown, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 is disposed on the sheet metal part 2031 on the back of the electrical box 203 .

[0075] It should be noted that, through experiments and simulation verification, the response time of the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 set inside the indoor unit to the refrigerant concentration is faster than the response time of the refrigerant concentration set at other locations indoors. Therefore, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 can be set inside the indoor unit. In some embodiments, based on experimental and simulation data, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 is set at a position near the water receiving pan 202 and the refrigerant pipeline, and the response time to the refrigerant concentration is the fastest, and the response time is within 33 seconds to 47 seconds. Therefore, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 can be set at a position near the water receiving pan 202 and the refrigerant pipeline inside the indoor unit.

[0076] like Figure 6 As shown, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 can be set at position 2041 inside the indoor unit 11, can also be set at position 2042 inside the indoor unit, and can also be set at position 2043 inside the indoor unit. Among them, since the distance between position 2041 and the refrigerant pipeline is smaller than the distance between position 2042 and the refrigerant pipeline, and the distance between position 2042 and the refrigerant pipeline is smaller than the distance between position 2043 and the refrigerant pipeline, therefore, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 is set at position

[0077] The response time of the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 at position 2041 to the refrigerant concentration is faster than the response time of the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 at position 2042 to the refrigerant concentration. The response time of the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 at position 2042 to the refrigerant concentration is faster than the response time of the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 at position 2043 to the refrigerant concentration.

[0078] It should be noted that, due to the space limitation inside the indoor unit and the installation and maintenance of the refrigerant concentration sensor 204, it is best to set the refrigerant concentration sensor at position 2042.

[0079] For example, Figure 7 As shown, two screw holes 2032 are provided on both sides of the sheet metal 2031, and the screw holes can be tightened by screws to fix the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 on the sheet metal 2031. In addition, since the distance between the screw holes and the substrate in the electrical box 203 is greater than 10 mm, the screws will not contact the substrate in the electrical box 203 when they are driven into the electrical box 203 through the screw holes.

[0080] In some embodiments, Figure 8 As shown, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 is connected to the substrate in the electrical box 203 through the wiring groove 2033 of the electrical box 203, so as to be an integral component together with the electrical box 203.

[0081] It is understandable that, since the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 and the electrical box 203 are an integral part, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 can be inspected and repaired in the same manner as the electrical box 203. For example, the refrigerant concentration sensor 204 can be inspected or replaced by disassembling the electrical box 203.

[0082] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the indoor unit 11 further includes a first air guide plate 205 and a second air guide plate 206 .

[0083] In some embodiments, the first air guide plate 205 is rotatably mounted on the housing 201 to adjust the vertical direction of the air blown out from the air outlet of the indoor unit.

[0084] In some embodiments, the second air guide plate 206 can adjust the left-right wind direction of the air blown out from the air outlet of the indoor unit.

[0085] In some embodiments, during operation of the air conditioning system, such as Fig.11As shown, indoor air enters the indoor unit 11 through the air inlet of the indoor unit 11, passes through the indoor heat exchanger 111, the indoor fan 112, the second air guide plate 206, the first air guide plate 205 in sequence, and then is blown into the room from the air outlet of the indoor unit 11.

[0086] Fig.12 This is a hardware configuration block diagram of an air conditioning system provided by the present application according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig.12 As shown, the air conditioning system 10 may further include one or more of the following: an indoor fan motor 301 , a communicator 302 , and a memory 303 .

[0087] In some embodiments, the indoor fan motor 301 is used to drive or change the speed of the indoor fan 112 .

[0088] In some embodiments, the communicator 302 is used to establish a communication connection with other network entities, such as establishing a communication connection with a terminal device. The communicator 302 may include a radio frequency (RF) module, a cellular module, a wireless fidelity (WIFI) module, and a GPS module. Taking the RF module as an example, the RF module can be used to receive and send signals, in particular, send the received information to the controller 13 for processing; in addition, send the signal generated by the controller 13. Typically, the RF circuit may include but is not limited to an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a duplexer, etc.

[0089] In some embodiments, the memory 303 can be used to store software programs and data. The controller 13 executes various functions and data processing of the air-conditioning system 10 by running the software programs or data stored in the memory 303. The memory 303 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device. The memory 303 stores an operating system that enables the air-conditioning system 10 to run. In the present application, the memory 303 can store an operating system and various application programs, and can also store code for executing the control method of the air-conditioning system provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0090] Those skilled in the art will understand that Fig.12 The hardware structure shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the air conditioning system. The air conditioning system may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0091] The embodiments provided in this application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0092] like Fig.13 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a control method for an air conditioning system, the method comprising the following steps:

[0093] S101. A controller detects a first refrigerant concentration through a refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment.

[0094] The first moment is the moment when the control instruction from the user to instruct the air conditioning system to detect the refrigerant concentration is received. Alternatively, the first moment is the moment after the moment when the control instruction from the user to instruct the air conditioning system to detect the refrigerant concentration is received. Alternatively, the first moment is the starting moment of each detection cycle in a pre-set refrigerant concentration detection cycle, which is not limited in this application.

[0095] In some embodiments, during the operation of the air-conditioning system, when the user requires the air-conditioning system to perform refrigerant concentration detection, the user can send a control instruction to the air-conditioning system through a terminal device or a remote control of the air-conditioning system to instruct the air-conditioning system to perform refrigerant concentration detection. In response to the control instruction, the controller obtains the first refrigerant concentration through a refrigerant concentration sensor.

[0096] In other embodiments, during the operation of the air-conditioning system, the controller may periodically detect the first refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor, that is, the controller detects the first refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at regular intervals.

[0097] In some embodiments, the controller may also obtain initial operating parameters of the air conditioning system at the first moment, wherein the initial operating parameters include an initial position of the first air guide plate, an initial position of the second air guide plate, and an initial speed of the indoor fan.

[0098] It can be understood that the initial operating parameters are the operating parameters before the air-conditioning system is controlled to perform the false alarm detection operation of the refrigerant leakage in the following step 102.

[0099] S102: When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, the controller controls the air-conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration.

[0100] Among them, the first preset threshold is smaller than the preset alarm threshold.

[0101] Optionally, the first preset threshold is 80% of the preset alarm threshold.

[0102] In some embodiments, the controller may determine, based on a preset alarm threshold, a concentration value that is less than the preset alarm threshold and close to the preset alarm threshold as the first preset threshold.

[0103] It should be noted that when the first refrigerant concentration reaches the first preset threshold, it indicates that the refrigerant concentration is high and a refrigerant leak may occur in the air conditioning system. For the refrigerant concentration sensor, in addition to the refrigerant causing the refrigerant concentration sensor to generate a concentration signal, other interfering substances such as alcohol and water vapor in the indoor air may cause the refrigerant concentration sensor to generate a concentration signal, thereby causing a certain deviation in the measurement value of the refrigerant concentration sensor.

[0104] In some embodiments, the false alarm detection operation may be to control the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a swinging operation, so as to affect the air flow and thus the refrigerant concentration through the swinging of the air guide plates.

[0105] In one example, the false alarm detection operation may be to control the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate so that the refrigerant concentration first decreases and then increases.

[0106] For example, the specific execution process of the false alarm detection operation can refer to the following Fig.14 The embodiments shown will not be described in detail here.

[0107] It should be noted that firstly, the refrigerant concentration is reduced, which can prevent the refrigerant concentration from reaching the preset alarm threshold and issuing a false alarm reminder of refrigerant leakage when the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by other interfering substances such as alcohol and water vapor in the indoor air. Then, the refrigerant concentration is increased. When the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by interfering substances, since the air-conditioning system will not release water vapor or other interfering substances such as alcohol, the refrigerant concentration will not continue to increase, or the increase will be small, far from reaching the preset alarm threshold. If the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by a refrigerant leakage in the air-conditioning system, since the air-conditioning system will also leak refrigerant, the refrigerant concentration will increase significantly, and the increase rate is fast, and it will soon reach the preset alarm threshold. It can be seen from the above that for the above two different situations, the increase in refrigerant concentration is also different. Therefore, the influence of interfering substances on the measured value of the refrigerant concentration sensor can be eliminated according to the different increases in refrigerant concentration after adjusting the refrigerant concentration.

[0108] Therefore, when it is determined that the refrigerant concentration is high, a refrigerant concentration false detection determination operation may be further performed to determine whether the first refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by a refrigerant leakage in the air conditioning system.

[0109] S103: The controller detects the second refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at the second moment.

[0110] The second moment is a moment after the first moment.

[0111] It can be understood that the second refrigerant concentration is the adjusted refrigerant concentration.

[0112] S104: When the concentration of the second refrigerant reaches a preset alarm threshold, the controller issues a refrigerant leakage alarm.

[0113] It can be understood that, based on the specific description of the refrigerant concentration adjustment in the above step S102, when the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by interfering substances, the second refrigerant concentration may be equal to the first refrigerant concentration, or the second refrigerant concentration is greater than the first refrigerant concentration, but far from the preset alarm threshold. Therefore, if the second refrigerant concentration reaches the preset alarm threshold, the influence of the interfering substances on the measured value of the refrigerant concentration sensor is eliminated, which can indicate that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the air-conditioning system.

[0114] In some embodiments, when the concentration of the second refrigerant reaches a preset alarm threshold, the controller controls the refrigerant leakage sensor to issue an alarm reminder. For example, the refrigerant leakage sensor issues a voice reminder.

[0115] In some embodiments, after the refrigerant leakage reminder is issued, the controller controls the air-conditioning system to enter a refrigerant recovery mode to recover the leaked refrigerant.

[0116] In other embodiments, when the concentration of the second refrigerant reaches a preset alarm threshold, the alarm module of the air conditioning system issues an alarm reminder, for example, a remote controller of the air conditioning system displays that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the air conditioning system, or a terminal device that establishes a communication connection with the air conditioning system displays that a refrigerant leak has occurred in the air conditioning system.

[0117] In some embodiments, when the second refrigerant concentration does not reach the preset alarm threshold, the air-conditioning system is controlled to operate with the above-mentioned initial operating parameters, that is, the operating parameters of the air-conditioning system are restored to the operating parameters before the false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage is performed.

[0118] based on Fig.13In the embodiment shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a control method for an air-conditioning system. First, the first refrigerant concentration can be detected by a refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment. When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, it can be determined that the refrigerant concentration is high. The high refrigerant concentration may be affected by refrigerant leakage and also by interfering substances (such as water vapor or alcohol, etc.) in the indoor air. Therefore, even when the refrigerant concentration is high, it is impossible to determine whether a refrigerant leakage has occurred in the air-conditioning system. Further, the air-conditioning system is controlled to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration, and then the second refrigerant concentration is detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor at a second moment to exclude whether the refrigerant concentration sensor is affected by interfering substances in the indoor air. When the second refrigerant concentration reaches the preset alarm threshold, it is determined that the high refrigerant concentration is affected by refrigerant leakage, thereby determining that a refrigerant leakage has occurred in the air-conditioning system, and then a refrigerant leakage alarm reminder is issued to remind the user that a refrigerant leakage has occurred in the air-conditioning system.

[0119] In some embodiments, Fig.14 As shown, step S102 can be implemented as follows:

[0120] S1021. When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, the controller controls the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swinging operation to reduce the refrigerant concentration.

[0121] In some embodiments, when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, the controller controls the first air guide plate to swing upward and the second air guide plate to swing leftward to reduce the refrigerant concentration.

[0122] It is understandable that the swing of the air guide plate will affect the air flow direction inside the indoor unit. Fig.15 As shown, the second air guide plate swings to the left, causing the air inside the indoor unit to flow to the left, thereby causing the air at the location of the refrigerant concentration sensor to flow, so as to discharge the air at the location of the refrigerant concentration sensor into the room, thereby reducing the air concentration at the location of the refrigerant concentration sensor, that is, reducing the refrigerant concentration. If the high refrigerant concentration is caused by other interfering substances such as alcohol and water vapor in the indoor air, the second air guide plate is controlled to swing to the left to reduce the concentration of other interfering substances such as alcohol and water vapor, thereby reducing the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor, thereby preventing the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor from reaching the preset alarm threshold and issuing a refrigerant leakage alarm reminder.

[0123] At the same time, if Fig.16As shown, the first air guide plate swings upward, which will cause the airflow inside the indoor unit to deviate upward. If the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by refrigerant leakage in the air conditioning system, the first air guide plate is swung upward to reduce the concentration of refrigerant discharged into the room, thereby preventing the indoor refrigerant concentration from being too high and causing danger.

[0124] For example, Fig.17 As shown, the controller controls the second air guide plate to swing leftward from the initial position 1 to the position 2. Among them, the position 2 is the extreme position of the second air guide plate to swing leftward.

[0125] At the same time, if Fig.18 As shown, the controller controls the first air guide plate to swing upward from the initial position 3 to the position 4. Among them, the position 4 is a horizontal position parallel to the indoor floor.

[0126] It should be noted that, through experiments and simulation analysis, it is found that the distribution of the refrigerant discharged into the room is different due to the different swing positions of the first air guide plate. Fig.19 As shown, the distribution of refrigerant discharged into the room is less affected by gravity, and the area with higher refrigerant concentration is mainly concentrated in the straight area where the first air guide plate is located. Among them, position M is the position when the first air guide plate is closed, position N is the above-mentioned position 4, the angle between position O and the position when the first air guide plate is closed is 60°, and the angle between position P and the position when the first air guide plate is closed is 30°. When the first air guide plate swings upward to position N, the area with higher refrigerant concentration is mainly concentrated in the area at the same height as the indoor unit, while the refrigerant concentration near the ground is lower. For positions M, O and P, the area with higher refrigerant concentration is mainly concentrated in the straight area where the first air guide plate is located and the middle area of ​​the room, and the smaller the angle with the position when the first air guide plate is closed, the higher the refrigerant concentration in the middle area of ​​the room. Therefore, if a refrigerant leak occurs in the air conditioning system, swinging the first air guide plate upward from the initial position to position N, that is, position 4, can effectively reduce the area of ​​the area with higher refrigerant concentration in the room.

[0127] In some embodiments, in addition to controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform the first swinging operation, the controller also increases the rotation speed of the indoor fan.

[0128] S1022. The controller detects a third refrigerant concentration through a refrigerant concentration sensor at a third moment.

[0129] The third moment is a moment between the first moment and the second moment.

[0130] S1023. When the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the controller controls the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a second swinging operation to increase the refrigerant concentration.

[0131] The second preset threshold is smaller than the first preset threshold.

[0132] Optionally, the second preset threshold is 50% of the preset alarm threshold.

[0133] It should be noted that if the refrigerant concentration is continuously reduced, the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor will not reach the preset alarm threshold. Even if a refrigerant leak occurs in the air conditioning system, the refrigerant leak alarm cannot be issued, and the air conditioning system cannot be controlled to enter the refrigerant recovery mode. Therefore, a second preset threshold is set, and when the third refrigerant concentration reaches the second preset threshold, the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate are controlled to perform a second swing operation to increase the refrigerant concentration.

[0134] In some embodiments, when the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the first air guide plate is controlled to continue to swing upward and the second air guide plate is controlled to swing rightward.

[0135] Understandable, such as Fig. 20 As shown in the figure, the second air guide plate swings to the right, causing the air inside the indoor unit to flow to the right. Since there is no air outlet in the front baffle structure where the refrigerant concentration sensor is located, the air at this location cannot flow outwards. Therefore, a vortex is formed at the location where the refrigerant concentration sensor is located. At the same time, the first air guide plate continues to swing upward, which can further reduce the amount of air flowing out of the indoor unit and form the following inside the indoor unit: Fig.21 and Fig. 22 Airflow shown.

[0136] If the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by other interfering substances such as alcohol and water vapor in the indoor air, under this control, the refrigerant concentration will not continue to increase, or the increase will be small, far from reaching the preset alarm threshold. If the high refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration sensor is caused by a refrigerant leak in the air-conditioning system, because the refrigerant circulates in the indoor unit, the refrigerant concentration will increase again, and the rate of increase is fast, and the refrigerant concentration will soon reach the preset alarm threshold. Therefore, when the third refrigerant concentration reaches the second preset threshold, the refrigerant concentration is increased by controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a second swing operation, and based on the increase in the refrigerant concentration, it can be determined whether a refrigerant leak has occurred in the air-conditioning system.

[0137] Exemplarily, when the concentration of the third refrigerant reaches the second preset threshold, Fig.23As shown, the controller controls the second air guide plate to swing rightward from position 2 to position 5. Position 5 is the extreme position of the second air guide plate swinging rightward.

[0138] like Fig.24 As shown, the controller controls the first air guide plate to continue to swing upward from position 4 to position 6. The angle between position 6 and the position when the first air guide plate is in a closed state is 10°.

[0139] In some embodiments, in addition to controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform the second swing operation, the controller also reduces the speed of the indoor fan, for example, reducing the speed of the indoor fan to a lower limit of a rated speed range.

[0140] The following is combined with Fig.25 The flowchart shown in the figure exemplifies the complete process of the control method of the air conditioning system:

[0141] like Fig.25 As shown, the process starts:

[0142] S1. A controller detects a first refrigerant concentration through a refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment.

[0143] It is determined whether the concentration of the first refrigerant reaches a first preset threshold.

[0144] If yes, execute the following step S2.

[0145] If not, continue to execute step S1.

[0146] S2. The controller controls the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swinging operation to reduce the refrigerant concentration.

[0147] S3. The controller detects a third refrigerant concentration through a refrigerant concentration sensor at a third moment.

[0148] It is determined whether the concentration of the third refrigerant reaches a second preset threshold.

[0149] If yes, execute the following step S4.

[0150] If not, continue to execute step S3.

[0151] S4. The controller controls the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a second swinging operation to increase the refrigerant concentration.

[0152] S5. The controller detects the second refrigerant concentration through the refrigerant concentration sensor at the second moment.

[0153] Determine whether the concentration of the second refrigerant reaches a preset alarm threshold.

[0154] If yes, execute the following step S6.

[0155] If not, continue to execute step S7.

[0156] S6. Issue a refrigerant leakage alarm.

[0157] S7. The controller controls the air conditioning system to operate with initial operating parameters.

[0158] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, the functions may be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium may be any available medium that a general or special-purpose computer can access.

[0159] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0160] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system, characterized in that: include: Indoor unit, including housing and electrical box; A refrigerant concentration sensor is arranged on the electrical box and is used to detect the refrigerant concentration; The controller is configured as: detecting a first refrigerant concentration by the refrigerant concentration sensor at a first moment; When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the air conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration; wherein the first preset threshold is less than a preset alarm threshold of refrigerant leakage; Detecting a second refrigerant concentration by the refrigerant concentration sensor at a second moment; wherein the second moment is a moment after the first moment; When the concentration of the second refrigerant reaches a preset alarm threshold, a refrigerant leakage alarm is issued.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The indoor unit further includes: A first air guide plate and a second air guide plate are arranged at the air outlet of the indoor unit and are used to change the direction of the air flow flowing out of the air outlet; The controller is configured to control the air conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold value, and is specifically configured to: When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swing operation to reduce the refrigerant concentration; detecting a third refrigerant concentration by the refrigerant concentration sensor at a third moment; wherein the third moment is a moment between the first moment and the second moment; When the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate are controlled to perform a second swing operation to increase the refrigerant concentration; wherein the second preset threshold is less than the first preset threshold.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller is configured to control the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swing operation when the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold value, and is specifically configured as follows: When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, the first air guide plate is controlled to swing upward and the second air guide plate is controlled to swing leftward.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller is configured to control the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a second swing operation when the concentration of the third refrigerant reaches a second preset threshold, and is specifically configured as follows: When the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the first air guide plate is controlled to continue to swing upward and the second air guide plate is controlled to swing rightward.

5. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to: acquiring initial operating parameters of the air conditioning system at the first moment; When the concentration of the second refrigerant does not reach the preset alarm threshold, the air-conditioning system is controlled to operate with the initial operating parameters.

6. A control method for an air conditioning system, characterized in that: Applied to an air conditioning system, the method comprises: detecting a first refrigerant concentration at a first moment; When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the air conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage to adjust the refrigerant concentration; wherein the first preset threshold is less than a preset alarm threshold of refrigerant leakage; Detecting a second refrigerant concentration at a second moment; wherein the second moment is a moment after the first moment; When the concentration of the second refrigerant reaches a preset alarm threshold, a refrigerant leakage alarm is issued.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the concentration of the first refrigerant reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the air conditioning system to perform a false alarm detection operation of refrigerant leakage includes: When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swing operation to reduce the refrigerant concentration; detecting a third refrigerant concentration at a third moment; wherein the third moment is a moment between the first moment and the second moment; When the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate are controlled to perform a second swing operation to increase the refrigerant concentration; wherein the second preset threshold is less than the first preset threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that When the first refrigerant concentration reaches a first preset threshold, controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a first swing operation includes: When the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the first air guide plate is controlled to continue to swing upward and the second air guide plate is controlled to swing rightward.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the concentration of the third refrigerant reaches a second preset threshold, controlling the first air guide plate and the second air guide plate to perform a second swing operation includes: When the third refrigerant concentration reaches a second preset threshold, the first air guide plate is controlled to continue to swing upward and the second air guide plate is controlled to swing rightward.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: acquiring initial operating parameters of the air conditioning system at the first moment; When the concentration of the second refrigerant does not reach the preset alarm threshold, the air-conditioning system is controlled to operate with the initial operating parameters.

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