Refrigerant leak detection device

Abstract

The utility model provides a refrigerant leakage detection device of an air conditioner, the air conditioner is provided with a heat exchanger and a fan, and the heat exchanger is arranged in an air outlet duct of the fan. According to the technical scheme, only one refrigerant sensor needs to be arranged in the downstream air outlet duct of the heat exchanger or on the side of the downstream air outlet duct of the heat exchanger, and the leakage condition of the refrigerant in the air conditioner can be reflected more timely and accurately according to the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to a refrigerant leakage detection device for an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] During the use of the air conditioner, there may be a risk of refrigerant leakage. The traditional refrigerant leakage detection device is generally: a refrigerant concentration detection device, that is, a refrigerant sensor, is installed in the shell of the air conditioner. When the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant concentration detection device exceeds a certain threshold, an alarm is issued. However, when the air conditioner fan is running, the diffusion of the refrigerant is weakened due to wind field disturbances. When a leak occurs, the refrigerant concentrations at different locations in the air conditioner are often quite different. It is often necessary to detect the refrigerant concentrations at multiple locations at the same time to timely and accurately reflect the refrigerant leakage. This method of arranging refrigerant sensors is costly. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application aims to provide a refrigerant leakage detection device for an air conditioner, so as to at least solve or alleviate some of the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] The present application provides a refrigerant leakage detection device for an air conditioner, wherein the air conditioner has a heat exchanger and a fan, and the heat exchanger is arranged in an air outlet duct of the fan. The refrigerant leakage detection device includes a refrigerant sensor, which is located in the air outlet duct downstream of the heat exchanger, or is located on the side of the air outlet duct downstream of the heat exchanger.

[0005] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of the optional technical solution, it also includes a control unit that is communicatively connected to the refrigerant sensor and the fan.

[0006] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of the optional technical solution, it also includes an alarm device that is communicatively connected to the control unit, and the alarm device generates an alarm in response to an alarm instruction of the control unit.

[0007] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of the optional technical solution, the alarm device includes a lamp bead or a speaker.

[0008] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of an optional technical solution, the control unit has a standby mode and a response mode. In the standby mode, the control unit is configured to periodically obtain the detection value of the refrigerant sensor.

[0009] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of an optional technical solution, when the detection value of the refrigerant sensor is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the control unit switches to the response mode.

[0010] In the response mode, the control unit is configured as follows: the control unit sends a stop command to the fan, and obtains the detection value of the refrigerant sensor after the fan stops for a period of time. If the detection value of the refrigerant sensor is less than the second threshold, the control unit switches to the standby mode; if the detection value of the refrigerant sensor is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the control unit sends an alarm command to the alarm device.

[0011] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of an optional technical solution, the first threshold value is 2.5%-25% of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant, and the second threshold value is 25% of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant.

[0012] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of the optional technical solution, the air conditioner also includes a shell, and the heat exchanger, fan and refrigerant sensor are all arranged in the shell. An air outlet is opened on the shell, and the air outlet is arranged on the side of the heat exchanger away from the fan. The fan blows air toward the air outlet, and the refrigerant sensor is arranged at the air outlet of the air conditioner.

[0013] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of an optional technical solution, the air conditioner further includes a pipe chamber in which a welding section of the refrigerant pipe is built, and the pipe chamber is arranged at the end of the air conditioner adjacent to the heat exchanger.

[0014] In the refrigerant leakage detection device of the optional technical solution, the pipe chamber is connected to the space where the heat exchanger is located, and the refrigerant sensor is arranged on the inner wall of the pipe chamber away from the fan or on the inner wall of the pipe chamber away from the heat exchanger.

[0015] According to the refrigerant leakage detection device of the present application, when the air conditioner is in use, the fan will blow air toward the heat exchanger, and the air will contact the heat exchanger for heat exchange to achieve cooling or heating of the air conditioner. As a heat exchange device, the heat exchanger is often made into a coil shape in order to increase the heat exchange area, and the multi-bend pipe increases the risk of refrigerant leakage. In the present application, a refrigerant sensor is set in the outlet duct downstream of the heat exchanger, or on the side of the outlet duct downstream of the heat exchanger. When the fan blows, the refrigerant can diffuse with the fast-flowing fluid, and because the refrigerant sensor is located on the outlet duct, the refrigerant that diffuses rapidly with the fluid can be accurately captured and detected by the refrigerant sensor; even when the fan is not blowing, the refrigerant will diffuse freely around after leakage, and will also be detected by the refrigerant sensor. Therefore, the refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant sensor in the outlet duct or on the side of the outlet duct can more timely and accurately reflect the leakage of the refrigerant in the air conditioner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of an air conditioner indoor unit is shown.

[0017] Figure 2A diagram showing an installation position of a refrigerant leakage detection device in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 A diagram showing another installation position of the refrigerant leakage detection device in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 A simplified structural diagram of a refrigerant leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0020] Reference numerals: 100 - air conditioning assembly; 101 - heat exchanger; 102 - fan; 103 - housing; 104 - air outlet; 105 - pipe chamber; 106 - air outlet duct;

[0021] 1, 1A, 1B-refrigerant sensor; 2-control unit; 3-alarm device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] First of all, it should be noted that the composition, working principle, characteristics and advantages of the refrigerant leakage detection device according to the present application will be explained in an illustrative manner below, but it should be understood that all descriptions are given for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as forming any limitation on the present application.

[0023] In addition, for any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments mentioned in this document, or any single technical feature displayed or implied in the accompanying drawings, the present application still allows for continued arbitrary combination or deletion between these technical features (or their equivalents) without any technical obstacles, thereby obtaining more other embodiments of the present application that may not be directly mentioned in this document.

[0024] It should be noted that in the description of this application,

[0025] Terms such as "upstream" and "downstream" indicating positional relationships are based on the blowing direction of the fan shown in the drawings, and indicate the relative positional relationship of the two structures in the blowing direction. This is only to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the present application more vividly, and does not indicate or imply that the device or component must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0026] The term "air outlet duct" refers to the flow path of the air blown by the fan from the heat exchanger to the air outlet of the air conditioner after passing through the heat exchanger. The flow path can be a specific duct structure or be limited by the flow direction of the wind. It does not specifically mean that the air conditioner has a specific flow path limited by the duct baffle.

[0027] The term "lower flammable limit" refers to the lower explosion limit of combustible gas, also known as the lower explosion limit concentration (LEL), which refers to the lowest concentration of combustible gas and air. At this concentration, if there is a fire source or electric spark that can cause combustion, the combustible gas and air will burn and explode. The lower explosion limit concentration is the lowest concentration of combustible gas. If it is lower than this concentration, the gas cannot form an explosion and combustion.

[0028] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioner to which the refrigerant leakage detection device provided in the present application is applicable. Figure 1 As shown, the air conditioning assembly 100 may have a housing 103, and the housing 103 has a heat exchanger 101 and a fan 102 built therein. The housing 103 is provided with an air outlet 104, and the fan 102 blows air toward the air outlet 104. The heat exchanger 101 is arranged on the air path between the fan 102 and the air outlet 104, so that the air blown by the fan 102 first exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 101, and then blown out from the air outlet 104 of the air conditioning assembly 100, so as to achieve cooling / heating.

[0029] In the embodiment of the present application, the air conditioning assembly 100 can be an indoor unit or an outdoor unit. Taking the indoor unit as an example, when the air conditioning assembly 100 works in the cooling mode, the low-temperature refrigerant flows from the outdoor unit to the heat exchanger 101 (which serves as an evaporator at this time) of the indoor unit, and the fan 102 blows toward the air outlet 104. The wind blown out by the fan 102 passes through the coil of the heat exchanger 101, and the low-temperature refrigerant absorbs heat. After the air passes through the heat exchanger 101 and cools down, cold air is blown out from the air outlet 104. When the air conditioning assembly 100 works in the heating mode, the high-temperature refrigerant flows from the outdoor unit to the heat exchanger 101 of the indoor unit, and the fan 102 blows toward the air outlet 104. The wind blown out by the fan 102 passes through the coil of the heat exchanger 101, and the high-temperature refrigerant releases heat. After the air passes through the heat exchanger 101 and heats up, hot air is blown out from the air outlet 104.

[0030] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the air conditioning assembly 100 may also have a pipe chamber 105, and the welding section of the refrigerant pipe is built into the pipe chamber 105, wherein, in some embodiments, the welding section of the refrigerant pipe may be a welding section at the connection position between the refrigerant pipe of the indoor unit and the heat exchanger 101, or may be a welding section between a straight pipe and a curved pipe. Since the welding section of the refrigerant pipe is a weak point in the refrigerant delivery system that is prone to leakage, the welding sections of the refrigerant pipe are all concentrated in the pipe chamber, and can be arranged in a relatively separated manner from the air duct of the air conditioner. If refrigerant leakage occurs, this arrangement can reduce the amount of refrigerant blown out with the air flow in the air duct. In an optional embodiment, the pipe chamber 105 can be arranged at the end (end in the length direction) in the housing 103 of the air conditioning assembly 100, and the pipe chamber 105 is arranged adjacent to the heat exchanger 101, which can make the structure of the air conditioning assembly 100 more compact.

[0031] Next, based on the structure of the above-mentioned air conditioning assembly 100, the structure of the refrigerant leakage detection device provided by the present application in the air conditioning assembly 100 is further described in combination with specific embodiments. It should be noted that the air conditioning assembly 100 to which the refrigerant leakage detection device provided by the present application is applicable may not include the above-mentioned shell 103 and / or pipe chamber 105 and other structures. As long as the air conditioning assembly 100 has a heat exchanger 101 and a fan 102, the technical solution provided in the implementation mode of the present application can be applied, and it belongs to the protection scope of the present application.

[0032] Hereinafter, the structure of the refrigerant leakage detection device provided in the embodiment of the present application and the installation position in the air conditioning assembly 100 will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cross-sectional view shows two optional installation positions of the refrigerant leakage detection device in the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The refrigerant leakage detection device provided in the embodiment of the present application has at least one refrigerant sensor 1, which can be located in the air outlet duct 106 downstream of the heat exchanger 101, or located on the side of the air outlet duct 106 downstream of the heat exchanger 101.

[0034] According to the refrigerant leakage detection device in some embodiments of the present application, Figure 2As shown, the refrigerant sensor 1 is arranged in the air outlet duct 106 downstream of the heat exchanger 101, that is, in the air outlet duct 106 from the heat exchanger 101 to the air outlet 104 of the air conditioning assembly 100. The wind flow blown out by the fan 102 passes through the heat exchanger 101 and is blown out directly through the air outlet duct 106, so the refrigerant concentration in the air outlet duct 106 can directly reflect the refrigerant leakage of the heat exchanger 101 and the pipeline near the heat exchanger 101. Further optionally, the refrigerant sensor 1 can be arranged at the air outlet 104 of the air conditioning assembly 100, that is, the end of the air outlet duct 106. When the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 101 leaks, the refrigerant and the air blown out by the fan 102 are mixed through the flow in the air outlet duct 106. Therefore, the refrigerant sensor 1 at the air outlet 104 can accurately detect the refrigerant content in the air, reducing the risk of the refrigerant leakage point being far away from the refrigerant sensor 1 and not being detected.

[0035] According to the refrigerant leakage detection device in other embodiments of the present application, Figure 3 As shown, the refrigerant sensor 1 is arranged on the side of the air outlet duct 106 downstream of the heat exchanger 101, and is not directly arranged in the duct, so as to avoid dust and water vapor pollution affecting the detection accuracy of the refrigerant sensor 1. Further, in order to facilitate the welding section of the connection position between the refrigerant pipe and the heat exchanger 101 to be accommodated in the pipe chamber 105, the side of the heat exchanger 101 is generally a pipe chamber 105 for placing the welding section of the refrigerant pipe, and the pipe chamber 105 can be connected to the space where the heat exchanger 101 is located.

[0036] In some optional embodiments, the refrigerant sensor 1 may be disposed on the inner wall of the duct chamber 105 away from the fan 102 (ie, Figure 3 The refrigerant sensor 1A is located on the inner wall of the left side of the pipe chamber 105, and the pipe chamber 105 is relatively separated from the air outlet duct 106, which can avoid direct air blowing, reduce the intrusion of dust, and increase the service life of the welding section of the refrigerant pipe and the refrigerant sensor 1. In other optional embodiments, due to the flammability of the refrigerant, it is necessary to strictly prevent the accumulation of refrigerant in the pipe chamber 105, and by Figure 3 A refrigerant sensor 1B) is provided on the lower inner wall of the middle pipe chamber 105 to provide a timely warning, thereby avoiding the accumulation of refrigerant in the pipe chamber 105 and improving the safety of the operation of the air-conditioning assembly 100.

[0037] It should be noted that Figure 3The installation positions of two refrigerant sensors 1 are shown in the figure, but it does not limit the installation of refrigerant sensors 1 at two positions at the same time. It means that the refrigerant sensor 1 can be installed on the inner wall of the pipe chamber 105 away from the fan 102 or on the inner wall of the pipe chamber 105 downstream of the heat exchanger 101.

[0038] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a simplified structural diagram of a refrigerant leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 The refrigerant leakage detection device may further include a control unit 2 and an alarm device 3 .

[0039] The control unit 2 may be a computer, a controller, a processor or a combination of the above computing devices. The control unit 2 may be built into the air conditioning assembly 100 (for example, it may be an electrical component placed in the air conditioning assembly 100), or may be arranged outside the air conditioning assembly 100 as an independent computing system, which is not limited here. The control unit 2 is in communication connection with the refrigerant sensor 1, the fan 102 and the alarm device 3, and is used to receive the refrigerant concentration information detected by the refrigerant sensor 1, and based on the refrigerant concentration information detected by the refrigerant, generate a control instruction, and send the control instruction to the fan 102 and / or the alarm device 3 to control the fan 102 and / or the alarm device 3 to start and stop.

[0040] The alarm device 3 may be an audible and visual alarm device 3 (such as an LED lamp bead and / or a speaker) disposed on or near the outer surface of the housing 103 of the air conditioning assembly 100. After the alarm device 3 receives the alarm instruction sent by the control unit 2, the LED lamp bead flashes and the speaker emits an alarm sound. Alternatively, in some optional embodiments, the alarm device 3 may also include a display screen, which may be a display screen of a household appliance or a display screen of a mobile device. After the alarm device 3 receives the alarm instruction generated by the control unit 2, the alarm information is displayed on the display screen, which can more quickly remind the user of the refrigerant leakage.

[0041] As an optional embodiment, the control unit 2 has a standby mode and a response mode. In the standby mode, the control unit 2 periodically obtains the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1, so that the user can freely set the acquisition frequency of the control unit 2 according to needs to ensure the timeliness of the detection value.

[0042] When the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control unit 2 switches to the response mode. In the response mode, the control unit 2 sends a stop command to the fan 102, and after the fan 102 stops for a period of time, the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is obtained again. And the detection value is compared with the second threshold. If the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is less than the second threshold, the control unit 2 switches back to the standby mode, and the fan 102 is turned on again to maintain normal air supply; if the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the control unit 2 generates an alarm instruction and sends the alarm instruction to the alarm device 3. Optionally, in the case where the refrigerant is a flammable substance, the first threshold is 2.5%-25% (excluding 25%) of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant, and the second threshold is 25% of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant.

[0043] Since the refrigerant is often blown out of the air conditioning unit 100 quickly along with the air after leaking, the refrigerant concentration inside the air conditioning unit 100 is often not high when the leakage is slight. However, the density of the refrigerant is higher than that of the air. Therefore, the refrigerant blown out from the air outlet 104 will continue to accumulate on the ground, resulting in a situation where the refrigerant concentration inside the air conditioning unit 100 is low and has not reached the detection threshold, but a sufficient concentration of refrigerant has accumulated on the indoor floor.

[0044] Therefore, in order to detect the refrigerant leakage more timely at the early stage, the refrigerant leakage detection device provided in the embodiment of the present application sets two thresholds. When the air conditioning component 100 is operating normally, the control unit 2 is in standby mode, and a lower first threshold is used for comparison, so that a quick response can be made when the refrigerant leaks. If the concentration of the refrigerant is greater than the first threshold, the control unit 2 enters the response mode, controls the fan 102 to stop for a period of time before detecting again, and the detection value at this time can truly reflect the accumulation of the refrigerant. According to the comparison between the detection value at this time and the second threshold, it can be more accurately determined whether there is a risk of refrigerant leakage at present. If the detection value at this time is lower than the second threshold, it can be determined that there is no risk of leakage and accumulation of the refrigerant in the air conditioning component 100 at present, and the control unit 2 switches back to the standby mode, and the fan 102 is turned on; if the detection value at this time is higher than the second threshold, it can be determined that there is a continuous leakage of the refrigerant in the air conditioning component 100 at present, and certain measures need to be taken to deal with it.

[0045] In the above manner, a refrigerant sensor 1 can be used to quickly and accurately detect the refrigerant leakage of the air conditioning component 100, and since the fan 102 is shut down for a short time during the detection process, it will basically not affect the normal air supply of the air conditioning component 100.

[0046] Specifically, according to the refrigerant leakage detection device provided in one embodiment of the present application, the refrigerant sensor 1 is arranged downstream of the heat exchanger 101 to detect the refrigerant concentration in the air outlet duct 106. The control unit 2 works in the standby mode and obtains the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 every 10 seconds. When the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is greater than 10% (the first threshold) of the flammable lower limit of the refrigerant, the control unit 2 switches to the response mode and generates a stop command, sends the stop command to the fan 102, and the fan 102 stops. At the same time, the control unit 2 starts Timing, after 1 minute of timing, the control unit 2 obtains the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 again, and compares the detection value with 25% (the second threshold) of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant. If the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is less than the second threshold at this time, the control unit 2 switches back to the standby mode, and the fan 102 is turned on to maintain normal air supply; if the detection value of the refrigerant sensor 1 is greater than or equal to 25% (the second threshold) of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant, the control unit 2 generates an alarm instruction and sends the alarm instruction to the alarm device 3, and the alarm device 3 alarms.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, the control unit 2 can also be communicatively connected with the control circuit of the air-conditioning component 100. When the control unit 2 generates an alarm instruction, the control unit 2 will also send a power-off instruction to the control circuit of the air-conditioning component 100 to control the air-conditioning component 100 to power off and shut down, thereby suppressing further leakage of the refrigerant.

[0048] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A refrigerant leakage detection device for an air conditioner, the air conditioner having a heat exchanger and a fan, the heat exchanger being arranged in an air outlet duct of the fan, characterized in that: The refrigerant leakage detection device comprises: The refrigerant sensor is located in the air outlet duct downstream of the heat exchanger, or is located on the side of the air outlet duct downstream of the heat exchanger.

2. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A control unit is communicatively connected with the refrigerant sensor and the fan.

3. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: The alarm device is connected to the control unit for communication and generates an alarm in response to an alarm instruction from the control unit.

4. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The alarm device includes a lamp bead or a speaker.

5. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control unit has a standby mode and a response mode. In the standby mode, the control unit is configured to regularly acquire a detection value of the refrigerant sensor.

6. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the detection value of the refrigerant sensor is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the control unit switches to the response mode, In the response mode, the control unit is configured to: The control unit sends a stop command to the fan, and obtains a detection value of the refrigerant sensor after the fan stops for a period of time. If the detection value of the refrigerant sensor is less than a second threshold value, the control unit switches to a standby mode; If the detection value of the refrigerant sensor is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the control unit sends an alarm instruction to the alarm device.

7. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first threshold is 2.5%-25% of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant, and the second threshold is 25% of the lower flammable limit of the refrigerant.

8. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air conditioner further comprises: a shell, the heat exchanger, the fan and the refrigerant sensor are all arranged in the shell, an air outlet is opened on the shell, the air outlet is arranged on a side of the heat exchanger away from the fan, and the fan blows air toward the air outlet. The refrigerant sensor is disposed at the air outlet of the air conditioner.

9. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air conditioner also includes: A pipe chamber is provided with a welded section of a refrigerant pipe, and the pipe chamber is arranged at an end of the air conditioner adjacent to the heat exchanger.

10. The refrigerant leakage detection device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The pipeline chamber is communicated with the space where the heat exchanger is located, and the refrigerant sensor is arranged on the inner side wall of the pipeline chamber away from the fan or on the inner side wall of the pipeline chamber away from the heat exchanger.

Images