Air-conditioning system

Abstract

An air conditioning system (100) includes an air conditioner (10) having a refrigeration cycle (1) for circulating a refrigerant between a heat source unit A and a user side unit B, and a controller (30) communicatively connected to the air conditioner (10). The controller (30) includes a leakage determination unit (304) configured to determine whether the refrigerant is leaking, a leakage recording unit (305) configured to record a leakage determination result of refrigerant made by the leakage determination unit (304) for each predetermined period, and an external output unit (306) configured to output the leakage determination result to an external device. When the leakage determination result is "leakage", the external output unit (306) notifies the leakage determination result to the user located outside of an air conditioning space subject to air conditioning by the user side unit B.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention embodiment relates to an air conditioning system.Background Art

[0002] An air conditioner includes a refrigeration cycle for sequentially circulating refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, a decompressor, and an evaporator, which are connected in order. The air conditioner includes a refrigerant leakage detector configured to detect leakage of refrigerant filled in the refrigeration cycle. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner with a leakage control mode to stop a compressor and conduct a trial run of a compressor when a refrigerant detector detects refrigerant leakage. The refrigerant detector gives an alarm before making repairs at a position of refrigerant leakage or replenishing refrigerant.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-060517Summary of InventionTechnical Problem

[0004] The refrigerant leakage detector described above is not designed for an urgent need to notify refrigerant leakage from an air conditioner to any user located outside of an air conditioning space. Upon notifying refrigerant leakage from an air conditioner to a user located in a place distanced from the installation position of the air conditioner, for example, it is possible to ensure the safety of an air conditioner and to improve reliability of operation.

[0005] The present invention embodiment aims to provide an air conditioning system that can detect refrigerant leakage from an air conditioner and send notice to a user located outside of an air conditioning space.Solution to Problem

[0006] According to the embodiment, an air conditioning system includes an air conditioner having a refrigeration cycle for circulating a refrigerant between a heat source unit and a user side unit, and a controller communicatively connected to the air conditioner. The controller includes a leakage determination unit configured to determine whether the refrigerant is leaking, a leakage recording unit configured to record a leakage determination result of the refrigerant made by the leakage determination unit for each predetermined period, and an external output unit configured to output the leakage determination result to an external device. When the leakage determination result is "leakage", the external output unit will notify the leakage determination result to a user located outside of an air conditioning space subject to air conditioning by the user side unit.

[0007] The external output unit may be installed in the heat source unit controlled by the controller.

[0008] The external output unit may be installed in an adapter mounted on the user side unit controlled by the controller.

[0009] The external output unit may transmit a signal indicating the leakage determination result from the heat source unit to a notification means for the user via an interface.

[0010] The external output unit may transmit a signal indicating the leakage determination result from the adapter mounted on the user side unit to a notification means for the user via an interface.

[0011] The external output unit may transmit a signal indicating the leakage determination result from a non-voltage contact of the heat source unit to the notification means for the user.

[0012] The leakage recording unit may be installed in the heat source unit controlled by the controller.Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0013] According to the present invention embodiment, it is possible to detect refrigerant leakage from an air conditioner and to send notice to a user located outside of an air conditioning space.Brief Description of Drawings

[0014] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for notifying a user of a leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for recording the leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for notifying a user of a leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the third embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for notifying a user of a leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system according to the third embodiment. Description of Embodiments

[0015] Hereinafter, air conditioners according to embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.(First Embodiment)

[0016] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment.

[0017] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the air conditioner 10 is configured with a heat source unit A and a user side unit B, which are connected through refrigerant pipes 7. The heat source unit A includes a compressor 2 and an outdoor heat exchanger (or a heat exchanger) 4. The user side unit B includes an expansion device 5 and an indoor heat exchanger (or a heat exchanger) 6. The user side unit B carries out air conditioning of a desired air conditioning space (e.g., a room or an inside space of a building).

[0018] A refrigeration cycle 1 of the air conditioner 10 is configured with the compressor 2, a four-way valve 3, the outdoor heat exchanger (or a heat exchanger) 4, the expansion device 5, and the indoor heat exchanger (or a heat exchanger) 6, which are connected using refrigerant pipes 7 in order. In Fig. 1, solid-line arrows indicate the flow directions of refrigerant during a cooling operation. Dotted-line arrows indicate the flow directions of refrigerant during a heating operation.

[0019] The compressor 2 includes a compressor body 2A and an accumulator 2B. The compressor body 2A compresses low-pressure gaseous refrigerant taken therein into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The accumulator 2B separates gaseous refrigerant from gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant to supply gaseous refrigerant to the compressor body 2A.

[0020] The four-way valve 3 reverses the flow direction of refrigerant to make a switch between cooling operation and heating operation. During cooling operation, refrigerant sequentially flows through the compressor 2, the four-way valve 3, the outdoor heat exchanger 4, the expansion device 5, and the indoor heat exchanger 6. At this time, the outdoor heat exchanger 4 functions as a condenser. The indoor heat exchanger 6 functions as an evaporator.

[0021] During heating operation, refrigerant sequentially flows through the compressor 2, the four-way valve 3, the indoor heat exchanger 6, the expansion device 5, and the outdoor heat exchanger 4. At this time, the indoor heat exchanger 6 functions as a condenser. The outdoor heat exchanger 4 functions as an evaporator.

[0022] The condenser radiates heat of the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, which is discharged from the compressor 2, to the outside air to thereby condense refrigerant into a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The expansion device 5 reduces the pressure of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant fed thereto from the condenser and converts the refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The evaporator causes the low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, which is fed thereto from the expansion device 5, to absorb heat from the outside air such that the refrigerant vaporizes into a low-pressure gaseous refrigerant.

[0023] Refrigerant serving as a working fluid is circulating through the refrigeration cycle 1 accompanied with phase changes between gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant radiates heat in the process of a phase change from a gaseous refrigerant to a liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant absorbs heat in the process of a phase change from a liquid refrigerant to a gaseous refrigerant. The refrigeration cycle 1 carries out heating, cooling, defrosting, and the like using heat radiation or heat absorption of refrigerant.

[0024] The air conditioner 10 includes a controller 30 configured to control the heat source unit A and the user side unit B. The controller 30 is connected to the operation console 36 of a remote-control type, a reset switch 37 of a manual-operation type, and an inverter 40 coupled with a commercial AC power supply 41.

[0025] The operation console 36 is configured to make the setting of operating conditions for the air conditioner 10 including the refrigeration cycle 1. When turned on, the reset switch 37 resets the status of measurement. The inverter 40 is configured to convert AC voltage given from the commercial AC power supply 41 into DC voltage via rectification or to convert DC voltage into AC voltage having a predetermined frequency F (Hz) at a certain level suited to the predetermined frequency F via switching, thus outputting the AC voltage. The output of the inverter 40 is supplied to a motor inside the compressor 2 as drive power.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 2, the common parts of Fig. 1 will be denoted using the same reference numerals.

[0027] As illustrated in Fig. 2, an air conditioning system 100 includes the air conditioner 10 further including the heat source unit A and the user side unit B, the controller 30, an interface (hereinafter referred to as "IF") 31, and a notification means 32. The air conditioning system 100 can transmit data to or receive data from a cloud 34 and a mobile terminal 35 through a communication network 33. As the mobile terminal 35, it is possible to use an electronic device having transmitter / receiver functions, such as a smartphone, a tablet, and a notebook PC. The present embodiment provides a single user side unit with respect to a single heat source unit; however, this is not a restriction. For example, it is possible to provide a plurality of user side units with respect to a single heat source unit, or it is possible to provide a plurality of user side units with respect to a plurality of heat source units.

[0028] The controller 30 is configured to control the air conditioner 10. More specifically, the controller 30 is configured to control the user side unit B and the heat source unit A in the air conditioner 10. As the communication method applied to communication between the controller 30 and the air conditioner 10, it is possible to use any method capable of establishing communication between the controller 30 and the air conditioner 10, for example, a general-purpose protocol such as Modbus.

[0029] The controller 30 accomplishes various functions, wherein, as the main functions related to the first embodiment, the controller 30 includes an opening control unit 301, a leakage detection unit 302, an update unit 303, a leakage determination unit 304, a leakage recording unit 305, an external output unit 306, and a warning notification unit 307. In addition, the controller 30 includes a nonvolatile memory 308 for data storage. As the leakage recording unit 305, it is possible to use semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM, ROM), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0030] The opening control unit 301 is configured to control the opening of an expansion valve such that the degree of superheat of refrigerant in an evaporator will be kept constant at a target value (i.e., constant superheat control). The evaporator corresponds to the indoor heat exchanger 6 during cooling or the outdoor heat exchanger 4 during heating. The degree of superheat is calculated based on the detected temperature of a temperature sensor or the like. For example, the temperature sensor is positioned along a pipe connected between the four-way valve 3 and the accumulator 2B, i.e., a position on the refrigerant flow side of the outdoor heat exchanger 4 and the indoor heat exchanger 6.

[0031] The leakage detection unit 302 is configured to predict an opening Qm of the expansion valve, considering non-leakage of refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 1, based on an amount of change of state in the refrigeration cycle 1 and to thereby detect the leaked state of refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 1 by way of comparison between the predicted opening Qm and an actual opening Qa of the expansion valve.

[0032] Specifically, the leakage detection unit 302 stores an opening Qx of the expansion valve at an initial state of operation of the refrigeration cycle 1 in a memory 308, and stores the quantity of state of the refrigeration cycle 1 at the initial state of operation as the quantity of initial state (hereinafter, referred to as "quantity of initial operation state") in the memory 308. The leakage detection unit 302 detects the amount of change of state of the refrigeration cycle 1 equivalent to a difference between the quantity of initial state stored in the memory 308 and the quantity of state at the current operation (hereinafter, referred to as the quantity of current state) of the refrigeration cycle 1. The leakage detection unit 302 predicts (or "estimates") the opening Qm of the expansion valve, considering the non-leakage of refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 1, based on the detected amount of change of state. Subsequently, the leakage detection unit 302 detects refrigerant leakage from the refrigeration cycle 1 according to any difference between the predicted opening Qm of the expansion valve and the actual opening Qa of the expansion valve.

[0033] Hereinafter, the opening Qm predicted as described above will be referred to as a predicted opening (or an "estimated opening") Qm. Assuming non-leakage of refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 1, the predicted opening Qm would be regarded as a probable opening at which the opening of the expansion valve can reach during the current operation of the refrigeration cycle 1.

[0034] The quantity of initial state described above refers to at least one of operating frequency, condensation temperature, evaporation temperature, and a degree of superheat at a point of time at which a predetermined setting time (e.g., ten to fifty hours) has passed after the reset switch 37 is turned on.

[0035] The quantity of state during the current operation of the refrigeration cycle 1 refers to at least one of operating frequency, condensation temperature, evaporation temperature, and a degree of superheat during the current operation of the refrigeration cycle 1.

[0036] For example, the leakage detection unit 302 extracts at least one of operating frequency, condensation temperature, evaporation temperature, and a degree of superheat as the quantity of state during the current operation of the refrigeration cycle 1 responsive to at least one of operating frequency, condensation temperature, evaporation temperature, and a degree of superheat recorded as the quantity of initial state.

[0037] The update unit 303 updates the quantity of initial state stored in the memory 308 responsive to an ON operation of the reset switch 37.

[0038] The leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" when a ratio of refrigerant leakage in volume is 30% or more by way of comparison between the quantity of initial state and the quantity of state during the current operation. In the first embodiment, the leakage determination unit 304 calculates the ratio of refrigerant leakage in volume by way of comparison between the predicted opening of an expansion valve in the initial state of filling refrigerant and the actual opening of an expansion valve, thus determining whether refrigerant is leaking or not.

[0039] The leakage determination unit 304 determines the state of refrigerant leakage at each setting time, wherein the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" when refrigerant is leaking, thus transmitting the leakage determination result from the controller 30 to an external device, e.g., the cloud 34, and thereby notifying to the user. In the present embodiment, the leakage determination result of refrigerant is information, which is determined to indicate "leakage" by the leakage determination unit 304 when the amount of refrigerant leakage is 30% or more, and which will be transmitted to an external device; however, this is not a restriction. The leakage determination unit 304 may transmit information indicating non-leakage of refrigerant. Upon determining "non-leakage" by the leakage determination unit 304, for example, it is possible to transmit the leakage determination result representative of "non-leakage". As the leakage determination result, it is possible to transmit the determination result representative of "leakage" or "non-leakage" once every day. Furthermore, according to the leakage determination result, it is possible to transmit the result representative of the ratio data of refrigerant leakage in volume, which is used to determine the leakage result of refrigerant, at each setting time.

[0040] The leakage recording unit 305 records information indicating "leakage" or "non-leakage", i.e., the leakage determination result of refrigerant, at least once a day.

[0041] When the leakage determination unit 304 determines that refrigerant is leaking, the determination result of "leakage" is recorded on a substrate of the heat source unit A. When the leakage determination unit 304 does not determine that refrigerant is leaking for twenty-four hours, the determination result of "non-leakage" is recorded. As the recording method, for example, it is possible to record the determination result representative of "1" indicating leakage or "0" indicating non-leakage. The substrate of the heat source unit A has a capacity of recording leakage determination results for four hundred days; hence, data for four hundred and one day, which exceeds four hundred days, may overwrite and update the data for first day. As described above, it is possible to permanently record plenty of leakage determination results.

[0042] The leakage recording unit 305 includes a date counter and a time counter. For example, the date counter counts dates using two letters such as N and M. The time counter may count times using a time measuring instrument embedded therein or may receive time information via radio waves coming from an external device. The present embodiment is designed to record leakage determination results of refrigerant using the date counter and the time counter once a day.

[0043] The external output unit 306 outputs the information of an air conditioner to the IF 31. More specifically, the external output unit 306 outputs to the IF 31 an inspection code transmitted from the heat source unit A. In the first embodiment, the external output unit 306 is installed in the heat source unit A. The inspection code transmitted from the heat source unit A to the IF 31 indicates the refrigerant leakage determination result.

[0044] The warning notification unit 307 transmits an instruction signal to display a warning on the operation console 36 when the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage". Similarly to the configuration of Fig. 1, the configuration of Fig. 2 can be modified such that the controller 30 is connected to the operation console 36.

[0045] As described above, the memory 308 is configured to store the opening Qx of an expansion valve at the initial state of operation of the refrigeration cycle 1 as well as the quantity of state of the refrigeration cycle 1 at the initial state of operation.

[0046] The notification section 32 receives the leakage determination result of refrigerant from the IF 31 and transmits the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the communication network 33. The notification means 32 is used to transmit a signal sent thereto from the IF 31 to the communication network 33. More specifically, the IF 31 transmits the leakage determination result of refrigerant (i.e., a leakage determination signal) to the notification means 32 via communication using, for example, the serial communication standard RS485, and therefore the notification means 32 receives the leakage determination result of refrigerant from the IF 31. Thereafter, the notification means 32 transmits the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the cloud 34 through the communication network 33.

[0047] For example, the communication network 33 is an information communication network over the Internet, which is used by the mobile terminal 35, such as a smartphone or a tablet usable by any user. The communication network 33 is not necessarily limited to an information communication network over the Internet; but the communication network 33 may use a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or LTE-M (Long Term Evolution for machine-type-communication).

[0048] The cloud 34 receives the leakage determination result of refrigerant output from the notification means 32 through the communication network 33. More specifically, a cloud system may record the leakage determination result of refrigerant to disclose the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the mobile terminal 35 used by the user, for example, by way of an application.

[0049] As the method for disclosing the leakage determination result of refrigerant, for example, it is possible to notify the result of "leakage" using an application installed in the mobile terminal 35 or to notify the result to the mobile terminal 35 using an email or the like. As the leakage determination result of refrigerant, it is possible to record and disclose only the determination result of "leakage" of refrigerant or determination results of "leakage" and "non-leakage" of refrigerant. Furthermore, the ratio data of refrigerant leakage in volume may not be necessarily shown in the form of numerical values, but it is possible to visually disclose the ratio data using a graph or the like.

[0050] Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a notification procedure for notifying the user of the leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system 100 according to the first embodiment. The notification procedure is mainly performed by the controller 30. The flow of steps in which the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" of refrigerant and then sends a notice to the user will be described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0051] First, when the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" (Step 1), the external output unit 306 of the controller 30 transmits an inspection code indicating the leakage determination result of refrigerant from the heat source unit A to the IF 31. In addition, the warning notification unit 307 of the controller 30 may display a warning, indicating the leakage of refrigerant, on the operation console 36 installed in the air conditioner 10 (Step 2).

[0052] Subsequently, the external output unit 306 transmits an inspection code from the heat source unit A to the IF 31, and then the IF 31 converts the inspection code into an RS485 signal (i.e., a leakage determination signal), which is transmitted to the notification means 32 (Step 3). The leakage determination signal is transmitted from the IF 31 to the notification means 32, and then further transmitted to the cloud 34 through the communication network 33 by the notification means 32 (Step 4). Thus, the leakage determination result of refrigerant sent to the cloud 34 is further transmitted to the mobile terminal 35. The mobile terminal 35 displays a notice (e.g., a text message, emojis, and symbols) to the user via an application or the like (Step 5). Thereafter, the controller 30 exits the notification procedure for notifying the user of the leakage determination result of refrigerant.

[0053] As described above, the leakage determination result of refrigerant is notified to the user holding the mobile terminal 35 through the communication network 33 or via the cloud 34, and therefore, when the leakage determination result of refrigerant is determined to be "leakage", it is possible to promptly notify the user, who may be located in a remote place or outside of the air conditioning space (e.g., any space of a building or a room subject to air conditioning), of the leakage of refrigerant. Upon detecting the leakage of refrigerant in the air conditioner 10 and notifying the leakage of refrigerant to the user, who may be located outside of the air conditioning space, the air conditioning system 100 can ensure safety of the air conditioner 10 and improve reliability of the operation of the air conditioner 10.

[0054] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a recording procedure for recording leakage determination results of refrigerant with the air conditioning system 100 according to the first embodiment. The recording procedure is mainly performed by the controller 30. The flow of recording leakage determination results of refrigerant produced by the leakage determination unit 304 with the leakage recording unit 305 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The date counter and the time counter are used in the recording procedure for recording leakage determination results of refrigerant.

[0055] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the leakage recording unit 305 installed in the controller 30 uses two types of numerical values, i.e., N and M, as initial settings for the date counter such that N is set to 1 while M is set to 0 (Step 11). Subsequently, numerical values of N and M are substituted into an inequality of "400(M + 1)>N?", wherein when the left side of the inequality is larger than the right side (i.e., YES in step 12), the flow proceeds to leakage determination (Step 13). When the right side of the inequality is larger than the left side (i.e., NO in step 12), an incrementation of "M+1→M" is set to the inequality (Step 18), and the flow proceeds to leakage determination (Step 13).

[0056] When the leakage determination result of the leakage determination unit 304 indicates "leakage" (i.e., YES in Step 13), the nth place of a recording order is set to "n=N-400M", and the leakage determination result of "leakage" (e.g., characters, symbols, or data indicating "leakage") is recorded on the substrate of the heat source unit A (Step 14).

[0057] Thereafter, when the time counter does not indicate "0:00" (i.e., NO in Step 15), the leakage recording unit 305 waits until the time counter indicates "0:00" (Step 15), whereas when the time counter indicates "0:00" (i.e., YES in Step 15), the leakage recording unit 305 increments N to (N+1) (Step 16).

[0058] When the leakage determination result of the leakage determination unit 304 indicates "non-leakage" (i.e., NO in Step 13) while the time counter does not indicate "23:59" (i.e., NO in Step 19), the leakage determination unit 304 may determine whether refrigerant is leaking again (Step 13).

[0059] Upon repeating leakage determination, when the leakage determination unit 304 produces the leakage determination result indicating "non-leakage" (i.e., NO in Step 13) while the time counter indicates "23:59" (i.e., YES in Step 19), the leakage recording unit 305 records the determination result of "non-leakage" (e.g., characters, symbols, or data indicating "non-leakage") on the substrate of the heat source unit A by setting the nth place of a recording order to "n=N-400M" (Step 20). Then, the leakage recording unit 305 waits until the time counter indicates "0:00" (Step 15), and therefore, when the time counter indicates "0:00" (i.e., YES in Step 15), the leakage recording unit 305 increments N to (N+1) (Step 16).

[0060] When the leakage recording unit portion 305 does not stop recording leakage determination results of refrigerant (i.e., NO in step S17) after incrementing N to (N+1) (Step 16), the flow returns to Step 2 to substitute the numerical values of N and M into the inequality of "400(M+1)>N?". Thereafter, the leakage determination unit 304 determines refrigerant leakage again. In a stoppage of recording leakage determination results of refrigerant (i.e., YES in Step 17), the leakage recording unit 305 stops recording. Thus, the controller 30 exits the recording procedure for recording leakage determination results of refrigerant.

[0061] As described above, the leakage recording unit 305 records leakage determination results of refrigerant. Since the leakage determination result of refrigerant is recorded once a day, the user can check previous leakage determination results of refrigerant recorded in the past. In this connection, the period for recording the leakage determination result of refrigerant is not necessarily limited in the unit of each day, but it is possible to adopt a predetermined period (e.g., every hour, every few hours, or every week). Alternatively, it is possible to record the leakage determination result of refrigerant in each predetermined period after the air conditioner 10 starts operation.(Second Embodiment)

[0062] An air conditioning system 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the air conditioning system 101 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a notification procedure for notifying the user of the leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system 101 according to the second embodiment.

[0063] Compared to the first embodiment, the second embodiment is designed such that, as illustrated in Fig. 5, an adapter 50 is added to the user side unit B. The second embodiment substitutes a controller 60 for the controller 30. Hereinafter, the notification procedure for notifying the leakage determination result of refrigerant according to the second embodiment will be described below.

[0064] The controller 60 has the same configuration (i.e., constituent elements 301 to 305, 307, 308) as the controller 30. The controller 60 includes an inspection code transmitter 609 and an inspection code receiver 610. Furthermore, the controller 60 includes an external output unit 606 substituted for the external output unit 306. The external output unit 606 may be mounted on the adapter 50.

[0065] In the second embodiment, the same configurations as the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0066] As illustrated in Fig. 5, the inspection code transmitter 609 of the controller 60 outputs an inspection code from the heat source unit A to the user side unit B. More specifically, the inspection code transmitter 609 outputs an inspection code from the heat source unit A to the user side unit B. For example, the inspection code transmitted from the heat source unit A corresponds to the refrigerant leakage information, which is transmitted by the leakage determination unit 304 upon determining leakage of refrigerant.

[0067] The user side unit B receives the inspection code from the heat source unit A via the inspection code receiver 610.

[0068] The external output unit 606 outputs the information of the air conditioner 10 to the IF 31. More specifically, the external output unit 606 outputs the inspection code transmitted from the user side unit B to the IF 31. In the second embodiment, the external output unit 606 is mounted on the adapter 50 of the user side unit B. For example, the inspection code transmitted from the heat source unit A corresponds to the refrigerant leakage information transmitted by the leakage determination unit 304 upon determining the leakage of refrigerant.

[0069] Next, the flow of outputting a notice to the user since the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" of refrigerant will be described with reference to Fig. 6.

[0070] First, when the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" (Step 31), an inspection code is transmitted from the heat source unit A to the adapter 50 mounted on the user side unit B. That is, the inspection code transmitter 609 mounted on the controller 60 transmits an inspection code from the heat source unit A to the adapter 50 mounted on the user side unit B. The adapter 50 mounted on the user side unit B receives the inspection code from the heat source unit A via the inspection code receiver 610. In addition, the warning notification unit 307 mounted on the controller 60 (see Fig. 1) may display a warning about refrigerant leakage on the operation console 36 mounted on the air conditioner 10 (Step 32).

[0071] Subsequently, the inspection code is transmitted from the adapter 50 mounted on the user side unit B to the IF 31 via the external output unit 606 (Step 33). The inspection code transmitted from the user side unit B to the IF 31 is converted into an RS485 signal by the IF 31 and transmitted to the notification means 32 (Step 34). Thereafter, the RS485 signal transmitted from the IF 31 to the notification means 32 is further transmitted from the notification means 32 to the cloud 34 through the communication network 33 (Step 35). The leakage determination result of refrigerant transmitted to the cloud 34 is further transmitted to the mobile terminal 35. The mobile terminal 35 notifies the user of the leakage determination result of refrigerant via an application or the like (Step 36).

[0072] As described above, the model (of the air conditioner 10) equipped with the adapter 50 on the user side unit B can notify the user of the leakage determination result of refrigerant via the adapter 50. Therefore, it is possible to select an appropriate notification method for refrigerant responsive to each model.

[0073] In addition, even when the adapter 50 is mounted on the user side unit B, it is possible to send a warning notice, indicating the leakage determination result of refrigerant, to the user without intervention of the adapter 50. Therefore, even when a model equipped with the adapter 50 and a model not equipped with the adapter 50 are provided in a mixed manner, it is possible to adopt the same notification method for notifying the leakage determination result of refrigerant.(Third Embodiment)

[0074] An air conditioning system 102 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the air conditioning system 102 according to the third embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a notification procedure for notifying a user of a leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioning system 102 according to the third embodiment.

[0075] The third embodiment has the configuration precluding the IF 31 of the first embodiment. Compared to the first embodiment, the third embodiment is designed to use a controller 70 instead of the controller 30. In the third embodiment, the notification procedure for notifying the user of the leakage determination result of refrigerant will be described with respect to the configuration in which the controller 70 is directly connected to the notification means 32.

[0076] As illustrated in Fig. 7, the controller 70 has the same configuration (i.e., constituent elements 301 to 305, 307, 308) as the controller 30 in the first embodiment. The controller 70 includes an external output unit 706 instead of the external output unit 306. In the third embodiment, the same configurations as the configurations of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0077] As illustrated in Fig. 7, the external output unit 706 of the present embodiment directly outputs to the notification means 32 the leakage determination result of refrigerant in the air conditioner 10, which indicates "leakage" determined by the leakage determination unit 304. In the third embodiment, the external output unit 706 may be mounted on the heat source unit A. More specifically, the external output unit 706 outputs the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the notification means 32 via a non-voltage contact (not illustrated) of the heat source unit A. The non-voltage contact of the heat source unit A is activated when the leakage determination unit 304 determines leakage of refrigerant, and therefore due to activation of the non-voltage contact, the notification means 32 operates to transmit the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the communication network 33.

[0078] Next, the flow of sending a notice to the user since the leakage determination unit 304 determines "leakage" of refrigerant will be described with reference to Fig. 8.

[0079] First, upon determining "leakage" (Step 41), the non-voltage contact of the heat source unit A is activated and causes the notification means 32 to transmit the leakage of refrigerant to the communication network 33. In addition, the warning notification unit 307 of the controller 70 displays a warning indicating the leakage of refrigerant on the operation console 36 mounted on the air conditioner 10 (see Fig. 1) (Step 42).

[0080] Thereafter, the notification means 32 transmits the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the cloud 34 through the communication network 33 (Step 43). The leakage determination result of refrigerant sent to the cloud 34 is further transmitted to the mobile terminal 35. The mobile terminal 35 displays a notice to the user via an application or the like.

[0081] According to the third embodiment as described above, the user side unit A is configured to directly transmit the leakage determination result of refrigerant to the notification means 32 via the external output unit 706. Thus, the third embodiment is designed to send to the user a warning notice indicating the leakage determination result of refrigerant without intervention of the IF 31.

[0082] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with various embodiments, the embodiments are illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments can be implemented in other forms, and therefore various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments and variations are therefore included in the scope and the gist of the invention and embraced by the invention defined in claims and equivalents thereof.Reference Signs List

[0083] 1...refrigeration cycle, 2...compressor, 4...outdoor heat exchanger, 5...expansion device, 6...indoor heat exchanger, 7...refrigerant pipe, 10...air conditioner, 30, 60, 70...controller, 32...notification means, 33... communication network, 34...cloud, 35...mobile terminal, 36...operation console, 50...adapter, 100, 101, 102...air conditioning system, 304...leakage determination unit, 305...leakage recording unit, 306, 606, 706...external output unit, 307...warning notification unit, 308...memory, A... heat source unit, and B... user side unit

Claims

1. An air conditioning system comprising: an air conditioner having a refrigeration cycle for circulating a refrigerant between a heat source unit and a user side unit; and a controller communicatively connected to the air conditioner, wherein the controller includes a leakage determination unit configured to determine whether the refrigerant is leaking, a leakage recording unit configured to record a leakage determination result of the refrigerant made by the leakage determination unit for each predetermined period, and an external output unit configured to output the leakage determination result to an external device, and when the leakage determination result is "leakage", the external output unit notifies the leakage determination result to a user located outside of an air conditioning space subject to air conditioning by the user side unit.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the external output unit is installed in the heat source unit controlled by the controller.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the external output unit is installed in an adapter mounted on the user side unit controlled by the controller.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the external output unit transmits a signal indicating the leakage determination result from the heat source unit to a notification means for the user via an interface.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the external output unit transmits a signal indicating the leakage determination result from the adapter mounted on the user side unit to a notification means for the user via an interface.

6. The air conditioning system according to claim 2 or claim 4, wherein the external output unit transmits a signal indicating the leakage determination result from a non-voltage contact of the heat source unit to a notification means for the user.

7. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the leakage recording unit is installed in the heat source unit controlled by the controller.

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