Refrigerant leakage detection device, air conditioner and control method of air conditioner

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerant leakage detection device, an air conditioner and a control method of the air conditioner. The refrigerant leakage detection device comprises an early-stage detection module and a later-stage detection module. The later-stage detection module is configured to start the early-stage detection module to indirectly detect whether a leaked refrigerant exists or not when the early-stage detection module detects that the refrigerant leaks, and the later-stage detection module is used for directly detecting whether the leaked refrigerant exists or not; and the later detection module comprises a suction part and a refrigerant sensor, the suction part works to enable gas to flow through the refrigerant sensor, and the technical problems that in the prior art, refrigerant leakage detection is low in efficiency and poor in accuracy can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of air conditioners, and particularly relates to a refrigerant leakage detection device, an air conditioner and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] As one of the indispensable electrical appliances in modern life, the normal circulation of the refrigerant (refrigerant) in an air conditioner is the key to ensuring the normal operation of the air conditioner. The refrigerant plays a role in transferring heat in the refrigeration cycle system of the air conditioner, and its state is directly related to the refrigeration effect and energy efficiency level of the air conditioner. However, refrigerant leakage is one of the common problems in the use of air conditioners, which not only causes the performance of the air conditioner to decline, but also may cause environmental pollution.

[0003] At present, refrigerant leakage detection includes refrigerant concentration detection and pressure detection. However, refrigerant concentration detection and pressure detection are suitable for preliminary screening and have limited accuracy. Although the refrigerant electronic leak detector has high sensitivity, its cost is relatively high. This makes the existing refrigerant leakage detection technologies have certain limitations in terms of sensitivity, accuracy and applicability, and it is difficult to meet the requirements of accurate and fast refrigerant leakage detection for air conditioning systems.

[0004] In the prior art, a two-step method is adopted to detect whether the refrigerant leaks. However, both steps of detection are indirect detections, which are detected through the operating parameters of other components of the air conditioner. When they are not within the preset range, it is determined that the refrigerant leaks, and then the air inside the housing of the air conditioner indoor is further detected to finally determine whether the refrigerant leaks. This scheme has low efficiency and small sampling range when sampling air. When the refrigerant leakage is small, it may not be detected.

[0005] How to improve the detection efficiency when detecting the refrigerant leakage of an air conditioner is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently at present. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a refrigerant leakage detection device, an air conditioner and a control method thereof, which can solve the technical problems of low detection efficiency and poor accuracy in the prior art for refrigerant leakage detection.

[0007] The present invention provides a refrigerant leakage detection device, which includes a preliminary detection module and a subsequent detection module; the subsequent detection module is configured to, when the preliminary detection module detects that there is refrigerant leakage, the subsequent detection module starts the preliminary detection module to indirectly detect whether there is refrigerant leakage, and the subsequent detection module is used to directly detect whether there is refrigerant leakage; the subsequent detection module includes a suction part and a refrigerant sensor, and the operation of the suction part can make the gas flow through the refrigerant sensor.

[0008] In some embodiments, the refrigerant leakage detection device is applied to an air conditioner, which includes a housing and a heat exchanger disposed within the housing. The preliminary detection module includes a first sub-module for detecting the power of the compressor, and / or a second sub-module for obtaining the air flow velocity in the inner cavity of the housing.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second sub-module includes a wind blade and a rotation speed detection unit for detecting the rotation speed of the wind blade.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rotation speed detection unit includes a fixing block. The wind blade is rotatably disposed on the fixing block via a rotating shaft. The wind blade is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. A magnet is disposed on the rotating shaft, and a wire is disposed on the fixing block. The wire is disposed within the magnetic field generated by the magnet.

[0011] In some embodiments, the fixing block includes an air inlet hole. The wind blade is disposed outside the air inlet of the air inlet hole. A duct is disposed at the air outlet of the air inlet hole. The outlet of the duct is communicated with the suction part; the rotation of the wind blade can drive air into the air inlet hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, the suction part includes a connecting block. The connecting block is provided with a pressurizing hole, and a blower is disposed within the pressurizing hole; when a duct is provided, the outlet of the duct is communicated with the inlet of the pressurizing hole, and the refrigerant sensor is disposed within the duct.

[0013] In some embodiments, the air conditioner includes a compressor. The post-detection module includes an exhaust pipe. The outlet of the connecting block is communicated with the inlet of the compressor via the exhaust pipe, and a refrigerant purification component is disposed on the exhaust pipe.

[0014] The present invention also provides an air conditioner, which includes a housing, a heat exchanger, and a compressor; when the housing is the housing of an indoor unit, the heat exchanger is an evaporator, and when the housing is the housing of an outdoor unit, the heat exchanger is a condenser.

[0015] The present invention also provides a control method for an air conditioner, and the control method includes a refrigerant leakage detection method;

[0016] The refrigerant leakage detection method includes: Step 1: The preliminary detection module starts to indirectly determine whether the refrigerant leaks. If it is determined that the refrigerant leaks, proceed to Step 2; Step 2: The post-detection module starts to directly detect whether the inner cavity of the housing contains refrigerant.

[0017] In some embodiments, the conditions for starting the preliminary detection module include

[0018] When the air conditioner is turned on, the pre-detection module is started; and / or, the pre-detection module is started at preset time intervals after the air conditioner is turned on.

[0019] In some embodiments, the pre-detection module starts to indirectly determine whether the refrigerant leaks, including:

[0020] Whether the power of the compressor is within a preset range. If not, it is preliminarily determined that the refrigerant leaks; and / or, whether the gas flow velocity in the inner cavity of the housing is within a preset range. If not, it is preliminarily determined that the refrigerant leaks; and / or, whether the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the condenser is within a preset range. If not, it is preliminarily determined that the refrigerant leaks; and / or, whether the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is within a preset range. If not, it is preliminarily determined that the refrigerant leaks.

[0021] In some embodiments, when a blower is provided, it directly detects whether there is refrigerant in the inner cavity of the housing, including,

[0022] Controlling the blower to work at a first power so that the air in the housing enters the air duct through the air inlet hole.

[0023] In some embodiments, the control method further includes a refrigerant recovery method. When the refrigerant sensor detects refrigerant, it controls the blower to work at a second power and controls the compressor to stop working. The second power is greater than the first power.

[0024] By setting a pre-detection module and a post-detection module, the pre-detection module performs a preliminary detection. In the preliminary detection stage, an indirect detection is carried out. The indirect detection is relatively simple and convenient, and the cost is also lower, but the accuracy is lower. The preliminary detection result is a necessary condition for refrigerant leakage. That is, if the preliminary detection result shows that the refrigerant does not leak, the post-detection module will not be started; if the preliminary detection result shows that the refrigerant leaks, the post-detection module is started again to perform a further accurate detection. When the post-detection module works, it directly sucks the air in the housing so that it flows through the refrigerant sensor, and further accurately determines whether the air contains refrigerant through the refrigerant sensor. By setting a pre-detection module and a post-detection module, the air in the housing provided with a heat exchanger is detected for refrigerant leakage in two steps, and it can more economically and accurately judge whether the refrigerant leaks. Further, if there is no pre-detection module and only a post-detection module, not only the energy consumption is large and the cost is high, but when there is no refrigerant leakage, the work of the suction part will cause the heat or cold generated by the air conditioner to be lost, resulting in energy waste. Since the post-refrigerant detection module actively directly samples the air when working, even if the leakage amount is relatively small, the leaked refrigerant can flow through the refrigerant sensor, improving the sampling efficiency and the accuracy of detection. Description of the Drawings

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. The drawings in the following description are merely exemplary, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other implementation drawings can be derived according to the provided drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner indoor unit of an embodiment of the present invention when a refrigerant leakage detection device is provided;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention when an exhaust pipe for collecting leaked refrigerant is provided;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a refrigerant detection device of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a wind blade and its accessories of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a fixing block of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a connecting block of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view of a connecting block of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 It is a flowchart of an embodiment of refrigerant detection of the present invention.

[0034] Reference numerals are:

[0035] 1, evaporator; 2, housing; 3, pre-detection module; 4, post-detection module; 5, suction part; 6, refrigerant sensor; 7, compressor; 8, wind blade; 9, fixing block; 10, rotating shaft; 11, magnet; 12, air inlet hole; 13, air duct; 14, connecting block; 15, pressure hole; 16, fan; 17, exhaust pipe; 18, angular bracket; 19, right side plate; 20, panel; 21, bottom case. Specific embodiments

[0036] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and in no way restricts the present invention and its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that relative terms of orientation such as "front, rear, upper, lower, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom", etc. usually indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Without contrary explanation, these terms of orientation do not indicate and imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention; the terms "inner, outer" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contour of each component itself.

[0038] For the convenience of description, spatial relative terms such as "above...", "over...", "on the upper surface of...", "above" etc. can be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature shown in the drawings and other devices or features. It should be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to cover different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the drawings for the device. For example, if the device in the drawing is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "over other devices or structures" will then be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "under other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above..." can include both the orientations of "above..." and "below...". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the corresponding explanations are made for the spatial relative descriptions used here.

[0039] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first", "second" etc. to limit the components is only for the convenience of differentiating the corresponding components. Without further statement, the above terms have no special meanings. Therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] The present invention provides a refrigerant leakage detection device, an air conditioner and its control method, which can solve the technical problems of low efficiency and poor accuracy in refrigerant leakage detection in the prior art.

[0041] Combined with reference to Figure 1-7As shown, a refrigerant leakage detection device is applied to an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a housing 2 and a heat exchanger disposed within the housing 2. The heat exchanger is arranged inside the housing 2. The refrigerant leakage detection device includes a preliminary detection module 3 and a post - detection module 4. The post - detection module 4 is configured such that when the preliminary detection module 3 detects refrigerant leakage, the post - detection module 4 activates the preliminary detection module 3 to indirectly detect whether the heat exchanger leaks refrigerant, and the post - detection module 4 is used to directly detect whether the heat exchanger leaks refrigerant. The post - detection module 4 includes a suction part 5 and a refrigerant sensor 6. When the suction part 5 operates, it enables the gas in the inner cavity of the housing 2 to flow through the refrigerant sensor 6.

[0042] By setting up the preliminary detection module 3 and the post - detection module 4, the preliminary detection module 3 conducts a preliminary test. In the preliminary detection stage, indirect detection is carried out. It does not directly detect whether there is refrigerant in the air, but obtains and compares some parameters generated during the operation of the air conditioner. This does not affect the current operation of the air conditioner at all. Therefore, indirect detection is relatively simple, convenient, and has a lower cost. However, due to the certain volatility of the air conditioner operation, the preliminary detection accuracy is relatively low. The preliminary detection result is a necessary condition for refrigerant leakage. That is to say, if the preliminary detection result shows that there is no refrigerant leakage, the post - detection module 4 will not be started; if the preliminary detection result shows that there is refrigerant leakage, the post - detection module 4 is started for further precise detection. When the post - detection module 4 works, it directly sucks the air in the housing 2 to make it flow through the refrigerant sensor 6, which increases the volume of air flowing through the refrigerant sensor 6 per unit time, thereby improving the sampling efficiency and further enhancing the detection efficiency of refrigerant leakage. When the air flows through the refrigerant sensor 6, the refrigerant sensor 6 makes a further precise judgment on whether there is refrigerant in the air. By setting up the preliminary detection module 3 and the post - detection module 4, the refrigerant leakage of the air in the housing 2 where the heat exchanger is installed is detected in two steps, which can more economically and accurately judge whether there is refrigerant leakage. Further, if there is no preliminary detection module 3 and only the post - detection module 4, when there is no refrigerant leakage, the operation of the suction part 5 will cause the loss of heat or cold generated by the air conditioner, resulting in energy waste.

[0043] Preferably, as Figure 3 shown, the air conditioner includes a compressor 7. The preliminary detection module 3 includes a first sub - module for detecting the power of the compressor 7, and / or includes a second sub - module for obtaining the air flow velocity in the inner cavity of the housing 2.

[0044] When the air conditioner is operating, regardless of whether the refrigerant leaks, the compressor 7 will operate, and there will be air flow in the inner cavity of the housing 2 for accommodating the heat exchanger. By preliminarily detecting the power of the compressor 7 and / or the gas flow rate in the housing 2, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether there is refrigerant leakage. Specifically, when the power of the compressor 7 is within the preset range and the gas flow rate is within the preset range, it can be determined that there is no refrigerant leakage. Correspondingly, when the power of the compressor 7 is not within the preset range and the gas flow rate is not within the preset range, it can be determined that there is refrigerant leakage. Judging whether the refrigerant leaks by the power of the compressor 7 and the gas flow rate is very convenient and will not interfere with the operation of the air conditioner. It only needs to compare the power of the compressor 7 and the gas flow rate with the preset range, which is beneficial to reducing power consumption and thus reducing costs.

[0045] Preferably, as Figure 3 shown, the second sub-module includes a wind blade 8 and a rotation speed detection unit for detecting the rotation speed of the wind blade 8.

[0046] Furthermore, the wind blade 8 is arranged in an area where the air conditioner is more likely to leak refrigerant. When the air conditioner is operating normally, air must flow through the heat exchanger. Considering factors such as the outdoor air temperature, indoor air temperature, temperature set by the air conditioner, and set wind speed, the speed of air flowing through the heat exchanger (evaporator 1, condenser) can be within the preset range; when the refrigerant leaks, the air flow speeds up, and after detecting the leak, the wind blade 8 rotates to conduct the refrigerant to the refrigerant sensor 6; on the other hand, in order to ensure that the refrigeration and heating effects can reach the preset values, not only will the power of the compressor 7 increase, but the rotation speed of the indoor unit or outdoor unit will also increase to improve the heat exchange speed between the air and the heat exchanger; thus, by setting the wind blade 8 and the rotation speed detection unit for detecting the rotation speed of the wind blade 8, it is very convenient to preliminarily judge whether the refrigerant leaks according to the flow speed of the gas in the housing 2, and it will not affect the operation of the current air conditioner and has little impact on the operation of the air conditioner.

[0047] Preferably, as Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the rotation speed detection unit includes a fixing block 9. The wind blade 8 is rotatably arranged on the fixing block 9 via a rotating shaft 10. The wind blade 8 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 10. A magnet 11 is arranged on the rotating shaft 10, and a wire is arranged on the fixing block 9. The wire is arranged in the magnetic field generated by the magnet.

[0048] By making the rotation speed detection unit include a fixed block 9, the wind blade 8 is rotatably arranged on the fixed block 9 via a rotating shaft 10. The wind blade 8 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 10, a magnet 11 is arranged on the rotating shaft 10, and a wire is arranged on the fixed block 9. The magnetic field generated by the magnet flows through the wire. The airflow in the housing 2 blows the wind blade 8 to rotate. The rotation of the wind blade 8 drives the magnet 11 to rotate. The relative movement of the magnetic field generated by the magnet 11 with respect to the wire causes the wire to generate an electric current. Whether there is refrigerant leakage is judged by detecting the range where the magnitude of the current in the wire is located. This method hardly has any adverse effects on the normal operation of the air conditioner, has a relatively simple structure, and operates stably.

[0049] Preferably, as Figure 3 shown, the fixed block 9 includes an air inlet hole 12. The air inlet hole 12, the wind blade 8 is arranged outside the air inlet of the air inlet hole 12, and an air duct 13 is arranged at the air outlet of the air inlet hole 12. The outlet of the air duct 13 is communicated with the suction part 5; the rotation of the wind blade 8 can drive air to enter the air inlet hole 12.

[0050] When the wind blade 8 rotates, part of the air enters the air inlet hole 12. Since the air inlet hole 12 is communicated with the suction part 5 via the air duct 13, when there is refrigerant leakage, since part of the air containing refrigerant has entered the air duct 13; when the suction part 5 starts to work to generate a suction effect, the refrigerant can be detected faster; since part of the refrigerant enters the air inlet hole 12, the air inlet hole 12 and the air duct 13 also play a role in temporarily storing the refrigerant, reducing the amount of refrigerant released into the indoor or outdoor atmosphere, being beneficial to avoiding the pollution of the indoor environment and reducing the discharge of greenhouse gases. That is to say, when the wind blade 8 rotates, it can both be used to detect whether there is refrigerant leakage and drive part of the air into the air inlet hole 12.

[0051] Preferably, as Figure 3 shown, the suction part 5 includes a connecting block 14. The connecting block 14 is provided with a pressure hole 15, and a blower 16 is arranged in the pressure hole 15; when the air duct 13 is provided, the outlet of the air duct 13 is communicated with the inlet of the pressure hole 15, and the refrigerant sensor 6 is arranged in the air duct 13.

[0052] When the later detection module 4 works, the blower 16 in the pressure hole 15 starts to rotate. The rotation of the blower 16 drives the air in the air duct 13 to enter the pressure hole 15, correspondingly accelerating the air in the housing 2 to enter the air inlet hole 12; thus, the air in the housing 2 can be accelerated to enter the air duct 13. On the one hand, the speed of refrigerant detection is improved, and on the other hand, the leaked refrigerant can be collected as soon as possible, avoiding the release of refrigerant into the atmosphere (indoor and outdoor), which is beneficial to environmental protection.

[0053] The refrigerant sensor 6 is arranged inside the air duct 13. Since the air flow is relatively stable, the detection accuracy of the refrigerant sensor 6 for the refrigerant is relatively high.

[0054] Preferably, as Figure 3 and Figure 6 、 Figure 7 shown, the later detection module 4 includes an exhaust pipe 17. The outlet of the connection block 14 communicates with the inlet of the compressor 7 through the exhaust pipe 17, and a refrigerant purification component is arranged on the exhaust pipe 17.

[0055] The air containing refrigerant sucked by the fan 16 is conveyed into the exhaust pipe 17. By arranging a refrigerant purification component on the exhaust pipe 17, the refrigerant is purified in the refrigerant purification component. The purified refrigerant can be stored, or can be further conveyed into the compressor 7 through the exhaust pipe 17, which not only recovers the refrigerant, but also avoids the reduction of the efficiency due to the lack of refrigerant in the refrigerant cycle of the air conditioner.

[0056] The heat exchanger can be the evaporator 1 or the condenser. Taking the evaporator 1 as an example, the evaporator 1 and the related accessories of the evaporator 1 form a relatively enclosed space. Specifically, one end of the refrigerant leakage device is fixed to the left end of the indoor unit through the angle bracket 18, and the other end is fixed to the right side plate 19 at the right end of the indoor unit. The angle bracket 18, the panel 20 of the indoor unit, the bottom shell 21 of the indoor unit and the evaporator form the above-mentioned enclosed space. Among them, the air duct 13 is arranged in this enclosed space, and the fixing block 9 and the connecting pipe are respectively arranged at the left and right ends (the orientation when facing the indoor unit) of the evaporator 1. Further, a plurality of suction holes are arranged on the air duct 13 to suck the air in the housing 2 more evenly, so as to make the detection more accurate. The air duct 13 is tubular and can be arranged in a relatively narrow area to suck air for detection, which improves the timeliness and accuracy of detecting possible refrigerant leakage in a narrow space. When there is refrigerant leakage, it can accelerate the collection of the refrigerant. The specific fixing method can be by inserting pins or screws. The connection block 14 is fixed to the right side plate 19 through a limit boss.

[0057] An air conditioner provided by the present invention includes the above-mentioned refrigerant leakage detection device. The air conditioner includes a housing, a heat exchanger and a compressor 7. When the housing is the housing of the indoor unit, the heat exchanger is the evaporator, and when the housing is the housing of the outdoor unit, the heat exchanger is the condenser. The present invention also provides a control method for an air conditioner, and the control method includes a refrigerant leakage detection method.

[0058] The refrigerant leakage detection method includes: Step 1: The pre-detection module 3 is started to indirectly judge whether there is refrigerant leakage. If it is judged that there is, go to Step 2; Step 2: The later detection module 4 is started to directly detect whether the inner cavity of the housing 2 contains refrigerant.

[0059] The refrigerant leakage detection method includes: First step: The pre-detection module 3 starts to indirectly judge whether the refrigerant leaks. The pre-detection module 3 has a simple and energy-saving judgment on refrigerant leakage, but with relatively low accuracy. If the judgment is positive, proceed to the next step. Indirect judgment means that instead of directly detecting the refrigerant, it detects the operation of other components to infer whether the refrigerant leaks. Second step: The post-detection module 4 starts to directly detect whether the inner cavity of the housing 2 contains refrigerant. Since it directly detects whether there is refrigerant in the inner cavity of the housing 2, this detection method is very accurate. Through the two-step detection before and after, it can detect whether the refrigerant leaks more accurately and energy-savingly.

[0060] Preferably, the conditions for starting the pre-detection module 3 include,

[0061] When the air conditioner is turned on, start the pre-detection module 3; and / or, after the air conditioner is turned on, start the pre-detection module 3 at every preset time interval.

[0062] When the air conditioner is turned on, start the pre-detection module 3; Since the air conditioner just starts to run, first conduct a preliminary detection of whether the refrigerant leaks to prevent the refrigerant from leaking when the air conditioner is turned on due to damage to the heat exchanger during the shutdown period of the air conditioner.

[0063] After the air conditioner is turned on, start the pre-detection module 3 at every preset time interval; By regularly conducting a preliminary detection of whether the refrigerant leaks, the stability of the air conditioner is further improved.

[0064] Preferably, when the pre-detection module 3 starts to indirectly judge whether the refrigerant leaks, it includes:

[0065] Whether the power of the compressor 7 is within the preset range. If not, preliminarily determine that the refrigerant leaks; and / or, whether the gas flow velocity in the inner cavity of the housing 2 is within the preset range. If not, preliminarily determine that the refrigerant leaks; and / or, whether the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the condenser is within the preset range. If not, preliminarily determine that the refrigerant leaks; and / or, whether the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 7 is within the preset range. If not, preliminarily judge that the refrigerant leaks.

[0066] Judging by the power of the compressor 7, judging by the gas flow velocity in the housing 2, judging by the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the condenser, and judging by the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 7 all belong to indirectly judging whether the refrigerant leaks. It is convenient, fast, low-cost, and has little impact on the operation of the air conditioner. Among them, the size of the power of the compressor 7 also needs to consider the current ambient temperature and the set temperature at the same time. At different ambient temperatures and set temperatures, the normal working power of the compressor 7 is different, and the changing trend and speed of the power of the compressor 7 are also different. That is to say, the power of the compressor 7 here takes into account the current ambient temperature, and different ambient temperatures correspond to different ranges of compressor power.

[0067] Preferably, when the blower 16 is provided, directly detect whether there is refrigerant in the inner cavity of the housing 2, including,

[0068] Control the blower 16 to operate at a first power, so that the air in the housing 2 enters the air guide pipe 13 through the air inlet hole 12.

[0069] By controlling the blower 16 to operate at a first power, the air in the housing 2 enters the air guide pipe 13. A refrigerant sensor 6 is provided in the air guide pipe 13. In the air guide pipe 13, the air flow is relatively stable, and the refrigerant sensor 6 has a high detection accuracy for the refrigerant. The operation of the blower 16 accelerates the air in the housing 2 to enter the air guide pipe 13, reducing the spread of the possibly leaked refrigerant, which is beneficial to environmental protection and is conducive to detecting the refrigerant faster.

[0070] Furthermore, according to the detected concentration of the refrigerant, issue a corresponding alarm; if the leakage amount is large, cut off the power supply of the whole machine, and the compressor 7 immediately stops running.

[0071] Preferably, the control method further includes a refrigerant recovery method. When the refrigerant sensor 6 detects the refrigerant, control the blower 16 to operate at a second power, and control the compressor 7 to stop working, where the second power is greater than the first power.

[0072] After detecting the refrigerant, the compressor 7 stops working to prevent further leakage of the refrigerant. In order to collect the refrigerant, the blower 16 operates at a second power. The blower 16 operates at a higher power to accelerate the suction of air and the refrigerant contained in the air from the housing 2. The refrigerant is sucked into the exhaust pipe 17 and purified in the refrigerant purification unit, and the purified refrigerant is transported to the compressor 7 to continue participating in the refrigerant cycle.

[0073] When the air conditioner of the present invention is working, one of the processes of refrigerant detection is as follows Figure 8 As shown, when the air conditioner starts, obtain the current temperature and the compressor power value at the current temperature. Compare the obtained compressor power with a preset range. If it is within the preset range, it means there is no refrigerant leakage. After the air conditioner runs for a preset duration, obtain the current ambient temperature and the compressor power value again, and compare them with the preset range. If it is not within the preset range, start the later detection module. The blower 16 operates at a first power (the first power is less than the second power, which can avoid inaccurate detection due to the excessive flow rate of the refrigerant through the refrigerant sensor caused by too high a blower power), driving the air to quickly enter the air guide pipe 13 and flow through the refrigerant sensor. The refrigerant sensor directly detects whether the air in the housing contains refrigerant. If no refrigerant is detected, after the air conditioner runs for a preset duration, obtain the current ambient temperature and the compressor power value again, and compare them with the preset range. If the refrigerant is detected, obtain the detected refrigerant leakage amount and alarm, and then the air conditioner shuts down, and the blower 16 operates at a second power to suck and collect the leaked refrigerant.

[0074] Those skilled in the art can easily understand that, on the premise of no conflict, the advantageous technical features of the above-mentioned various methods can be freely combined and superimposed.

[0075] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention. The above is only the preferred implementation manner of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerant leakage detection device, characterized in that, The refrigerant leakage detection device includes a pre-detection module (3) and a post-detection module (4); the post-detection module (4) is configured to be activated when the pre-detection module (3) detects refrigerant leakage; the pre-detection module (3) is used to indirectly detect whether there is refrigerant leakage, and the post-detection module (4) is used to directly detect whether there is refrigerant leakage; the post-detection module (4) includes a suction part (5) and a refrigerant sensor (6), and the operation of the suction part (5) enables gas to flow through the refrigerant sensor (6).

2. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerant leakage detection device is applied to an air conditioner, the air conditioner includes a housing (2) and a heat exchanger disposed in the housing (2), the air conditioner includes a compressor (7), and the pre-detection module (3) includes a first sub-module for detecting the power of the compressor (7) and / or includes a second sub-module for obtaining the air flow velocity in the inner cavity of the housing (2).

3. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second sub-module includes a wind blade (8) and a rotation speed detection unit for detecting the rotation speed of the wind blade (8).

4. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 3, wherein The rotation speed detection unit includes a fixing block (9), the wind blade (8) is rotatably disposed on the fixing block (9) via a rotating shaft (10), the wind blade (8) is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft (10), a magnet (11) is disposed on the rotating shaft (10), and a wire is disposed on the fixing block (9) and is within the magnetic field generated by the magnet (11).

5. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fixing block (9) includes an air inlet hole (12), the wind blade (8) is disposed outside the air inlet of the air inlet hole (12), a gas guide pipe (13) is disposed at the air outlet of the air inlet hole (12), and the outlet of the gas guide pipe (13) is communicated with the suction part (5); the rotation of the wind blade (8) can drive air into the air inlet hole (12).

6. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, The suction part (5) includes a connection block (14), the connection block (14) is provided with a pressurizing hole (15), and a fan (16) is disposed in the pressurizing hole (15); when the gas guide pipe (13) is provided, the outlet of the gas guide pipe (13) is communicated with the inlet of the pressurizing hole (15), and the refrigerant sensor (6) is disposed in the gas guide pipe (13).

7. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The post-detection module (4) includes an exhaust pipe (17), the outlet of the connection block (14) is communicated with the inlet of the compressor (7) via the exhaust pipe (17), and a refrigerant purification component is disposed on the exhaust pipe (17).

8. An air conditioner, characterized in that, An air conditioner includes the refrigerant leakage detection device according to any one of claims 1-7, and the air conditioner includes a housing, a heat exchanger and a compressor (7); when the housing is the housing of an indoor unit, the heat exchanger is an evaporator, and when the housing is the housing of an outdoor unit, the heat exchanger is a condenser.

9. A control method for controlling an air conditioner as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The control method includes a refrigerant leakage detection method. The refrigerant leakage detection method includes: First step: The pre-detection module (3) starts to indirectly determine whether the refrigerant leaks. If it is determined that there is a leak, the second step is executed; Second step: The post-detection module (4) starts to directly detect whether the inner cavity of the housing (2) contains refrigerant.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein, The conditions for starting the pre-detection module (3) include starting the pre-detection module (3) while the air conditioner is turned on; and / or starting the pre-detection module (3) at preset time intervals after the air conditioner is turned on.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein The pre-detection module (3) starts to indirectly determine whether the refrigerant leaks, including: Whether the power of the compressor (7) is within a preset range. If not, it is initially determined that the refrigerant leaks; and / or whether the gas flow velocity in the inner cavity of the housing (2) is within a preset range. If not, it is initially determined that the refrigerant leaks; and / or whether the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the condenser is within a preset range. If not, it is initially determined that the refrigerant leaks; and / or whether the temperature of the refrigerant discharged by the compressor (7) is within a preset range. If not, it is initially determined that the refrigerant leaks.

12. The control method according to claim 9, wherein When a blower (16) is provided, directly detecting whether there is refrigerant in the inner cavity of the housing (2) includes: Controlling the blower (16) to operate at a first power so that the air in the housing (2) enters the air guide pipe (13) through the air inlet hole (12).

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein The control method further includes a refrigerant recovery method. When the refrigerant sensor (6) detects refrigerant, controlling the blower (16) to operate at a second power and controlling the compressor (7) to stop working, where the second power is greater than the first power.

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