Air conditioner and automatic refrigerant recovery method

Abstract

The invention provides an air conditioner and an automatic refrigerant recovery method. According to the air conditioner and the automatic refrigerant recovery method, an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and a recovery assembly are included, the recovery assembly comprises a detection module, a control module and an execution module, and the detection module is used for obtaining air conditioner operation data and refrigerant detection data of indoor space; the execution module is used for controlling on-off of an air conditioner pipeline and recycling refrigerants in the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, and the control module is in communication connection with the detection module and the execution module. According to the air conditioner and the automatic refrigerant recycling method, the refrigerant is recycled into the outdoor heat exchanger to be stored through the structure of the air conditioner, the structure of the automatic refrigerant recycling device is simplified, and therefore the design difficulty, the installation cost and the maintenance cost of the automatic refrigerant recycling device are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioning and refrigeration, and in particular to an air conditioner and a refrigerant automatic recovery method. Background Art

[0002] Air conditioning is an indispensable device in modern life. It is widely used in residential, commercial, industrial and other fields. It is of great significance to adjust indoor temperature, humidity and air quality, and improve people's comfort and work efficiency. Refrigerant is one of the core of air conditioning system. Refrigerant is responsible for absorbing indoor heat and transferring it to the outside, so as to achieve indoor cooling. It is crucial to the normal operation and energy efficiency of air conditioning. However, as the use time of air conditioning equipment increases, the refrigerant delivery pipeline will age, which will cause the safety hazard of refrigerant leakage. If the air conditioning refrigerant leaks, it may release toxic gas, which has potential harm to the human respiratory system, nervous system, etc., and may even endanger life in severe cases. In addition, some refrigerants are flammable. When the indoor leakage reaches a certain concentration, it is easy to cause fire and explosion accidents. Therefore, it is particularly important to reduce the leakage of indoor refrigerant in time.

[0003] At present, leakage detection devices are often used to detect air-conditioning refrigerant leakage. Once refrigerant leakage is detected, an alarm is issued to remind people to manually handle the leakage, and automatic recovery of refrigerant cannot be achieved. There is also a solution to recover the leaked refrigerant by setting up an independent refrigerant recovery system. After the sensor detects the refrigerant leakage, the independent refrigerant recovery system is started to recover the refrigerant into an external storage tank. This independent refrigerant recovery system is usually more complicated and has high design, installation and maintenance costs. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and an automatic refrigerant recovery method, which utilizes the structure of the air conditioner itself to recover the refrigerant into an outdoor heat exchanger for storage, thereby simplifying the structure of the automatic refrigerant recovery device and reducing the design difficulty, installation cost and maintenance cost of the automatic refrigerant recovery device.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner, comprising an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and a recovery component, the recovery component comprising a detection module, a control module and an execution module, the detection module is used to obtain the air conditioner operation data and the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space, the execution module is used to control the on and off of the air conditioner pipeline and recover the refrigerant in the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, and the control module is communicatively connected with the detection module and the execution module.

[0006] Furthermore, the indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger, the outdoor unit includes a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and a throttling device, the indoor heat exchanger, the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger and the throttling device are connected through a connecting pipe to form a loop, the detection module includes a leakage sensor, the leakage sensor is arranged outside the indoor heat exchanger, the leakage sensor is communicatively connected to the control module, the connecting pipe includes a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe, the first connecting pipe connects the outdoor heat exchanger and the throttling device, the second connecting pipe connects the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the execution module includes a first solenoid valve and a second solenoid valve, the first solenoid valve is arranged on the first connecting pipe, the second solenoid valve is arranged on the second connecting pipe, and the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve are communicatively connected to the control module.

[0007] Furthermore, the first solenoid valve is arranged at a position close to the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the second solenoid valve is arranged at a position close to the refrigerant inlet of the outdoor heat exchanger.

[0008] Furthermore, the detection module also includes a pressure sensor, the connecting pipe includes a third connecting pipe, the third connecting pipe connects the indoor heat exchanger and the compressor, the pressure sensor is arranged on the third connecting pipe, and the pressure sensor is communicatively connected with the control module.

[0009] A method for automatically recovering refrigerant of an air conditioner is also provided, comprising:

[0010] Obtain refrigerant test data for indoor spaces;

[0011] Determine whether to control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery according to the refrigerant detection data;

[0012] If the refrigerant detection data does not reach the threshold condition for starting refrigerant recovery, return to the step of obtaining the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space;

[0013] If the threshold condition for starting refrigerant recovery is reached, determining whether the air conditioner is in a cooling operation mode;

[0014] If the air conditioner is not in the cooling working mode, the air conditioner is controlled to switch to the cooling working mode;

[0015] If the air conditioner is in cooling mode, the air conditioner is controlled to recover the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit;

[0016] When the refrigerant recovery is completed, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0017] Furthermore, the step of determining whether to control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery according to the refrigerant detection data includes:

[0018] It is determined that the indoor space contains refrigerant according to the refrigerant detection data, or the refrigerant concentration data obtained according to the refrigerant detection data is greater than or equal to the concentration threshold;

[0019] Control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery.

[0020] Furthermore, the step of controlling the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit includes:

[0021] Controlling the first solenoid valve to shut off;

[0022] The compressor is controlled to operate in cooling mode so that the refrigerant flows from the indoor heat exchanger in the indoor unit to the outdoor heat exchanger in the outdoor unit.

[0023] Furthermore, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0024] Obtain pressure data through a pressure sensor;

[0025] Compare the pressure data with the pressure threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0026] If the pressure data is lower than the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0027] If the pressure data is higher than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining pressure data through the pressure sensor to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0028] Furthermore, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0029] Get recycling time data;

[0030] Compare the recovery time data with the recovery time threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0031] If the recovery time data exceeds the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0032] If the recovery time data is lower than or equal to the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining the recovery time data to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0033] Furthermore, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0034] Obtain pressure data and recovery time data;

[0035] Compare the pressure data with the pressure threshold to determine whether to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0036] If the pressure data is less than the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0037] If the pressure data is greater than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the recovery time data is compared with the recovery time threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0038] If the recovery time data is greater than the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0039] If the recovery time data is less than or equal to the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining pressure data and recovery time data to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0040] Furthermore, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0041] Obtain refrigerant concentration data;

[0042] When the concentration data is lower than the concentration threshold, closing the second solenoid valve;

[0043] Control the compressor to stop.

[0044] Furthermore, after the concentration data reaches the concentration threshold and before closing the second solenoid valve, the method further includes continuing to control the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger to the outdoor heat exchanger for a preset time.

[0045] By applying the technical solution of the present invention, the recovery component includes a detection module, a control module and an execution module, wherein the detection module is used to obtain the air conditioner operation data and the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space, and judge whether the refrigerant leakage occurs in the indoor space where the indoor unit is located according to the refrigerant detection data. When it is judged that the refrigerant leakage occurs, the control module sends a signal to control the execution module to start the refrigerant recovery program, and the execution module is used to control the on and off of the air conditioner pipeline and recover the refrigerant in the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, thereby realizing automatic recovery of the refrigerant.

[0046] Compared with the existing independent refrigerant recovery system, the air conditioner and automatic refrigerant recovery method provided by the present invention, by setting a recovery component and a corresponding refrigerant recovery program, utilize the structure of the air conditioner itself to recover the refrigerant into an outdoor heat exchanger for storage, thereby simplifying the structure of the automatic refrigerant recovery device, thereby reducing the design difficulty, installation cost and maintenance cost of the automatic refrigerant recovery device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The accompanying drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0048] Figure 1 An overall structural diagram of an air conditioner and a refrigerant automatic recovery method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0049] Figure 2 A method flow chart showing an air conditioner and a method for automatically recovering refrigerant according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0050] The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0051] 1. Indoor heat exchanger; 2. Compressor; 3. Outdoor heat exchanger; 4. Throttling device; 5. Leakage sensor; 6. Pressure sensor; 7. Control module; 8. First solenoid valve; 9. Second solenoid valve; 10. First connecting pipe; 11. Second connecting pipe; 12. Third connecting pipe; 13. Four-way reversing valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0053] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides an air conditioner, including an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and a recovery component, the recovery component includes a detection module, a control module 7 and an execution module, the detection module is used to obtain air conditioner operation data and refrigerant detection data of the indoor space, the execution module is used to control the on and off of the air conditioner pipeline and recover the refrigerant in the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, and the control module 7 is communicatively connected with the detection module and the execution module.

[0054] In the above technical solution, the recovery component includes a detection module, a control module 7 and an execution module, wherein the detection module is used to obtain the air conditioner operation data and the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space, and judge whether the refrigerant leakage occurs in the indoor space where the indoor unit is located according to the refrigerant detection data. When it is judged that the refrigerant leakage occurs, the control module 7 sends a signal to control the execution module to start the refrigerant recovery program, and the execution module is used to control the on and off of the air conditioner pipeline and make the refrigerant in the indoor unit be recovered to the outdoor unit, thereby realizing the automatic recovery of the refrigerant. Compared with the existing independent refrigerant recovery system, the air conditioner and the automatic refrigerant recovery method provided by the present invention are provided with a recovery component and a corresponding refrigerant recovery program, and the refrigerant is recovered to the outdoor heat exchanger for storage by using the structure of the air conditioner itself, which simplifies the structure of the automatic refrigerant recovery device, thereby reducing the design difficulty, installation cost and maintenance cost of the automatic refrigerant recovery device.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present invention, the indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger 1, the outdoor unit includes a compressor 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 3 and a throttling device 4, the indoor heat exchanger 1, the compressor 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the throttling device 4 are connected through a connecting pipe to form a loop, the detection module includes a leakage sensor 5, the leakage sensor 5 is arranged outside the indoor heat exchanger 1, the leakage sensor 5 is communicatively connected to the control module 7, the connecting pipe includes a first connecting pipe 10 and a second connecting pipe 11, the first connecting pipe 10 connects the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the throttling device 4, the second connecting pipe 11 connects the compressor 2 and the outdoor heat exchanger 3, and a four-way reversing valve 13 is also arranged on the second connecting pipe 11, the execution module includes a first solenoid valve 8 and a second solenoid valve 9, the first solenoid valve 8 is arranged on the first connecting pipe 10, the second solenoid valve 9 is arranged on the second connecting pipe 11, and the first solenoid valve 8 and the second solenoid valve 9 are communicatively connected to the control module 7.

[0056] In the above technical solution, the air conditioner is composed of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger 1, and the outdoor unit includes a compressor 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 3 and a throttling device 4. The above components are connected to each other through connecting pipes to form a refrigeration cycle; the leakage sensor 5 is arranged outside the indoor heat exchanger 1 to monitor whether there is refrigerant leakage in the indoor space; the first solenoid valve 8 and the second solenoid valve 9 are respectively located on the first connecting pipe 10 between the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the throttling device 4, and the second connecting pipe 11 between the compressor 2 and the outdoor heat exchanger 3. The second connecting pipe 11 is also provided with a four-way reversing valve 13. The reversing valve 13 changes the flow direction of the refrigerant to realize the functional conversion of the air conditioner between cooling and heating; the first solenoid valve 8 and the second solenoid valve 9 maintain communication with the control module 7 so as to accurately control the on and off of the pipeline when necessary, thereby controlling the flow of the refrigerant. When the refrigerant recovery program starts, the first solenoid valve 8 is closed, so that the refrigerant cannot continue to flow from the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to the indoor heat exchanger 1, and then the refrigerant is recovered to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 through the compressor 2. Finally, the second solenoid valve 9 is closed, so that the refrigerant that has been recovered into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 cannot flow back to the indoor heat exchanger 1 through the second connecting pipe 11, thereby completing the automatic recovery of the refrigerant.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first solenoid valve 8 is disposed near the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 , and the second solenoid valve 9 is disposed near the refrigerant inlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 .

[0058] In the above technical solution, the first solenoid valve 8 and the second solenoid valve 9 are arranged near the refrigerant of the outdoor heat exchanger 3. After the recovery and closing of the solenoid valves are completed, the amount of refrigerant remaining in the connecting pipe can be reduced as much as possible, thereby improving the refrigerant recovery effect.

[0059] In one embodiment of the present invention, the detection module also includes a pressure sensor 6, the connecting pipe includes a third connecting pipe 12, the third connecting pipe 12 connects the indoor heat exchanger 1 and the compressor 2, the pressure sensor 6 is arranged on the third connecting pipe 12, and the pressure sensor 6 is communicatively connected to the control module 7.

[0060] In the above technical solution, the pressure sensor 6 is arranged on the third connecting pipe 12 to monitor the pipeline pressure on the side of the compressor 2 close to the indoor heat exchanger 1, ensuring that it can accurately monitor the pressure changes in the third connecting pipe 12 during the refrigerant recovery process. By communicating with the control module, the pressure sensor 6 can timely feed back this information to the control module, so that the system can judge the progress and completion status of the refrigerant recovery according to the pressure changes, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the refrigerant recovery; the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor 6 is combined with the pressure threshold set in the control module. When the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is lower than this threshold, it is judged that the refrigerant recovery is completed, and the control module will close the corresponding solenoid valve to stop the recovery operation. See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention also provides a method for automatically recovering refrigerant of an air conditioner, comprising:

[0061] Obtain refrigerant test data for indoor spaces;

[0062] Determine whether to control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery according to the refrigerant detection data;

[0063] If the refrigerant detection data does not reach the threshold condition for starting refrigerant recovery, return to the step of obtaining the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space;

[0064] If the threshold condition for starting refrigerant recovery is reached, determining whether the air conditioner is in a cooling operation mode;

[0065] If the air conditioner is not in the cooling working mode, the air conditioner is controlled to switch to the cooling working mode;

[0066] If the air conditioner is in cooling mode, the air conditioner is controlled to recover the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit;

[0067] When the refrigerant recovery is completed, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0068] In the above technical solution, when the refrigerant recovery program starts running, the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space is obtained through the detection module. If it is determined that there is a refrigerant leak in the indoor space according to the refrigerant detection data, the control module 7 will execute the refrigerant recovery program. Before starting the recovery, the system will check whether the air conditioner is currently in the cooling working mode. If the air conditioner is not in the cooling mode, the control module 7 will first switch it to the cooling mode, and the refrigerant in the pipeline will continue to flow through the cooling mode of the air conditioner itself. Next, the control module 7 will command the first solenoid valve 8 to close, isolate the throttling device 4, and block the passage of the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to the indoor heat exchanger 1, and then start the compressor 2 for cooling operation, thereby driving the refrigerant in the indoor unit to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 of the outdoor unit through the second connecting pipe 11 for recovery, and recover the refrigerant to the outdoor unit through the cooling mode of the air conditioner itself. Compared with the prior art that sets up a refrigerant recovery system separately, the present invention can realize refrigerant recovery by using its own structure and refrigeration function, greatly simplifying the recovery system, reducing the complexity, design difficulty and installation difficulty of refrigerant recovery, thereby reducing the cost of refrigerant recovery.

[0069] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining whether to control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery according to the refrigerant detection data includes:

[0070] It is determined that the indoor space contains refrigerant according to the refrigerant detection data, or the refrigerant concentration data obtained according to the refrigerant detection data is greater than or equal to the concentration threshold;

[0071] Control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery.

[0072] In the above technical solution, if refrigerant is detected in the indoor space, or the detected refrigerant concentration exceeds a preset concentration threshold, the control module 7 will control the air conditioner to execute a refrigerant recovery program to recover the refrigerant.

[0073] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit comprises:

[0074] Control the first solenoid valve 8 to be turned off;

[0075] The compressor 2 is controlled to operate in cooling mode, so that the refrigerant flows from the indoor heat exchanger 1 in the indoor unit to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 in the outdoor unit.

[0076] In the above technical solution, when the detection module detects the leakage of indoor refrigerant, the control module 7 will immediately control the first solenoid valve 8 to shut down, thereby limiting the refrigerant to stay in the outdoor heat exchanger 3 for storage, avoiding the refrigerant from flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to the indoor heat exchanger 1, and preventing the indoor refrigerant from continuing to leak, and then control the compressor 2 to operate in a cooling manner, driving the refrigerant to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger 3, so that the refrigerant can be recovered to the outdoor heat exchanger 3, thereby realizing the recovery of the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0078] Acquiring pressure data through the pressure sensor 6;

[0079] Compare the pressure data with the pressure threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0080] If the pressure data is lower than the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0081] If the pressure data is higher than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining pressure data through the pressure sensor 6 to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0082] In the above technical solution, when the refrigerant recovery starts, the control module 7 will continuously monitor the suction pressure data through the pressure sensor 6. If the suction pressure is lower than the preset pressure threshold, it indicates that most of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 1 has been recovered. At this time, the control module 7 will turn off the second solenoid valve 9 and stop the operation of the compressor 2, ending the refrigerant recovery process. The preset pressure threshold can be set to be lower than the normal operating suction pressure to ensure complete recovery of the refrigerant.

[0083] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0084] Get recycling time data;

[0085] Compare the recovery time data with the recovery time threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0086] If the recovery time data exceeds the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0087] If the recovery time data is less than or equal to the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining the recovery time data to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0088] In the above technical solution, during the refrigerant recovery process, the recovery time data can be recorded simultaneously by the control module 7 or the timing device, and timed recovery can be achieved by setting the recovery time threshold. When the refrigerant recovery time exceeds the predetermined recovery time, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, thereby ensuring the recovery effect while avoiding energy waste and equipment loss caused by excessive operation, thereby improving the energy efficiency and life of the air conditioner.

[0089] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0090] Obtain pressure data and recovery time data;

[0091] Compare the pressure data with the pressure threshold to determine whether to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0092] If the pressure data is less than the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0093] If the pressure data is greater than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the recovery time data is compared with the recovery time threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0094] If the recovery time data is greater than the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to stop refrigerant recovery;

[0095] If the recovery time data is less than or equal to the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining pressure data and recovery time data to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

[0096] In the above technical solution, if the recovery time exceeds the preset recovery time threshold, even if the pressure data has not reached the shutdown condition, the control module 7 will stop refrigerant recovery, turn off the second solenoid valve 9 and stop the compressor 2 to prevent unnecessary energy consumption and system overload. At the same time, the two parameters of pressure data and recovery time data are used as the judgment criteria for controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery, which can effectively prevent misjudgment caused by abnormalities in a single parameter, thereby improving the stability and reliability of automatic refrigerant recovery.

[0097] In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed includes:

[0098] Obtain refrigerant concentration data;

[0099] When the concentration data is lower than the concentration threshold, the second solenoid valve 9 is closed;

[0100] Control compressor 2 to stop.

[0101] In the above technical solution, when the refrigerant recovery starts, the control module 7 will continuously monitor the refrigerant concentration data through the leakage sensor 5. If the concentration data is lower than the preset concentration threshold, it indicates that most of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 1 has been recovered and the indoor space has become a safe environment. At this time, the control module 7 will turn off the second solenoid valve 9 and stop the operation of the compressor 2, ending the refrigerant recovery process.

[0102] In one embodiment of the present invention, after the concentration data reaches the concentration threshold and before closing the second solenoid valve 9, the refrigerant automatic recovery method further includes: continuing to control the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger 1 to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 for a preset time.

[0103] In the above technical solution, after the concentration data reaches the preset concentration threshold, the air conditioner is controlled to continue to run for a period of time, and then the second solenoid valve 9 is closed and the compressor 2 is stopped, thereby completing the refrigerant recovery. By controlling the air conditioner to end at a preset time delay, it is ensured that even when the concentration reaches the standard, the last remaining refrigerant can be collected as much as possible by continuing to run, thereby improving the recovery efficiency and recovery integrity.

[0104] From the above description, it can be seen that the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention achieves the following technical effects: the recovery component includes a detection module, a control module 7 and an execution module, wherein the detection module is used to obtain the air conditioner operation data and the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space, and judge whether the refrigerant leakage occurs in the indoor space where the indoor unit is located according to the refrigerant detection data. When it is judged that the refrigerant leakage occurs, the control module 7 sends a signal to control the execution module to start the refrigerant recovery program. The execution module is used to control the on and off of the air conditioner pipeline and recover the refrigerant in the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, thereby realizing automatic recovery of the refrigerant; when the refrigerant recovery program starts to run, the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space is obtained through the detection module. If it is judged that there is a refrigerant leakage in the indoor space according to the refrigerant detection data, the control module 7 will execute the refrigerant recovery program. Before starting recovery, the system will check whether the air conditioner is currently in the cooling working mode. If the air conditioner is not in the cooling mode, the control module 7 will first switch it to the cooling mode, and the refrigerant in the pipeline will continue to flow through the cooling mode of the air conditioner itself. Next, the control module 7 will command the first solenoid valve 8 to close, isolate the throttling device 4, block the passage of the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to the indoor heat exchanger 1, and then start the compressor 2 for cooling operation, thereby driving the refrigerant in the indoor unit to flow through the second connecting pipe 11 to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 of the outdoor unit for recovery. Compared with the existing independent refrigerant recovery system, the air conditioner and the automatic refrigerant recovery method provided by the present invention, by setting a recovery component and a corresponding refrigerant recovery program, use the structure of the air conditioner itself to recover the refrigerant into the outdoor heat exchanger for storage, simplify the structure of the automatic refrigerant recovery device, thereby reducing the design difficulty, installation cost and maintenance cost of the automatic refrigerant recovery device.

[0105] Obviously, the above described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0106] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0107] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, characterized in that: The invention comprises an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and a recovery component, wherein the recovery component comprises a detection module, a control module (7) and an execution module, wherein the detection module is used to obtain the operation data of the air conditioner and the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space, and the execution module is used to control the on and off of the air conditioner pipeline and recover the refrigerant in the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, and the control module (7) is communicatively connected with the detection module and the execution module.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The indoor unit comprises an indoor heat exchanger (1), the outdoor unit comprises a compressor (2), an outdoor heat exchanger (3) and a throttling device (4), the indoor heat exchanger (1), the compressor (2), the outdoor heat exchanger (3) and the throttling device (4) are connected via a connecting pipe to form a loop, the detection module comprises a leakage sensor (5), the leakage sensor (5) is arranged outside the indoor heat exchanger (1), the leakage sensor (5) is communicatively connected to the control module (7), and the connecting pipe comprises a first connecting pipe (10) and a second connecting pipe (11). The first connecting pipe (10) is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger (3) and the throttling device (4), and the second connecting pipe (11) is connected to the compressor (2) and the outdoor heat exchanger (3). The execution module includes a first solenoid valve (8) and a second solenoid valve (9). The first solenoid valve (8) is arranged on the first connecting pipe (10), and the second solenoid valve (9) is arranged on the second connecting pipe (11). The first solenoid valve (8) and the second solenoid valve (9) are connected to the control module (7) for communication.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first solenoid valve (8) is arranged at a position close to the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger (3), and the second solenoid valve (9) is arranged at a position close to the refrigerant inlet of the outdoor heat exchanger (3).

4. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection module also includes a pressure sensor (6), the connecting pipe includes a third connecting pipe (12), the third connecting pipe (12) connects the indoor heat exchanger (1) and the compressor (2), the pressure sensor (6) is arranged on the third connecting pipe (12), and the pressure sensor (6) is communicatively connected with the control module (7).

5. A method for automatically recovering refrigerant of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: Obtain refrigerant test data for indoor spaces; Determining whether to control the air conditioner to start refrigerant recovery according to the refrigerant detection data; If the refrigerant detection data does not reach the threshold condition for starting refrigerant recovery, returning to the step of obtaining the refrigerant detection data of the indoor space; If the threshold condition for starting refrigerant recovery is reached, determining whether the air conditioner is in a cooling operation mode; If the air conditioner is not in the cooling working mode, controlling the air conditioner to switch to the cooling working mode; If the air conditioner is in a cooling operation mode, controlling the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit; When the refrigerant recovery is completed, the air conditioner is controlled to stop the refrigerant recovery.

6. The automatic refrigerant recovery method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Threshold conditions include: It is determined based on the refrigerant detection data that the indoor space contains refrigerant, or it is determined based on the refrigerant detection data that the refrigerant concentration data is greater than or equal to a concentration threshold.

7. The automatic refrigerant recovery method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit comprises: Controlling the first solenoid valve (8) to be turned off; The compressor (2) is controlled to operate in a cooling manner so that the refrigerant flows from the indoor heat exchanger (1) in the indoor unit to the outdoor heat exchanger (3) in the outdoor unit.

8. The automatic refrigerant recovery method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed comprises: Acquiring pressure data through a pressure sensor (6); Comparing the pressure data with a pressure threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the pressure data is lower than the pressure threshold, controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the pressure data is higher than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining pressure data through the pressure sensor (6) to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

9. The automatic refrigerant recovery method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed comprises: Get recycling time data; Comparing the recovery time data with the recovery time threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the recovery time data is greater than the recovery time threshold, controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the recovery time data is lower than or equal to the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining the recovery time data to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

10. The automatic refrigerant recovery method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed comprises: Obtain pressure data and recovery time data; Comparing the pressure data with the pressure threshold to determine whether to stop refrigerant recovery; If the pressure data is less than the pressure threshold, controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the pressure data is greater than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the recovery time data is compared with the recovery time threshold to determine whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the recovery time data is greater than the recovery time threshold, controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery; If the recovery time data is less than or equal to the recovery time threshold, the air conditioner is not controlled to stop refrigerant recovery, and the process returns to the step of obtaining pressure data and recovery time data to determine again whether to control the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery.

11. The automatic refrigerant recovery method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the air conditioner to stop refrigerant recovery when the refrigerant recovery is completed comprises: Obtain refrigerant concentration data; When the concentration data is lower than the concentration threshold, closing the second solenoid valve (9); The compressor (2) is controlled to stop.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that After the concentration data is lower than the concentration threshold and before the second solenoid valve (9) is closed, the refrigerant automatic recovery method further comprises: continuing to control the air conditioner to recover the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger (1) to the outdoor heat exchanger (3) for a preset time.

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