Refrigerant leakage diagnostic system

Abstract

To provide a refrigerant leakage diagnostic system that can reduce such incorrect reports as notifying a user of occurrence of refrigerant leakage when no refrigerant leakage occurs.SOLUTION: A refrigerant leakage diagnostic system 1000 diagnoses whether refrigerant leakage has occurred on the basis of operation data D1 of an air conditioner 1 for each of the predetermined periods. An acquisition part 503 acquires refrigerant leakage probability on the basis of the operation data D1. A notification part 505 may not notify a user of occurrence of refrigerant leakage depending on refrigerant leakage probability at a predetermined time even when the refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or more than a first threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerant leak diagnostic system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerant leakage management system that determines whether or not a refrigerant leaks from a refrigerant circuit based on the detection result of a refrigerant leakage state detected by a detection unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-179215 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a refrigerant leak diagnosis system that can reduce false alarms such as an alarm indicating the presence of a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refrigerant leak diagnosis system of the present disclosure is a refrigerant leak diagnosis system that diagnoses the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak based on operating data of a refrigeration cycle device at predetermined intervals, wherein an acquisition unit acquires a refrigerant quantity index value based on the operating data, and an alarm unit may not alarm that a refrigerant leak exists, depending on the refrigerant quantity index value at the predetermined time, even if the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to the present disclosure does not report the presence of a refrigerant leak even when there is a possibility of a refrigerant leak depending on the refrigerant amount index value at a predetermined time, thereby reducing false reports of a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerant leakage diagnosis system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 shows the configurations of an air conditioning apparatus 1, a server device, a first terminal device, and a second terminal device in a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of a management DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a transition diagram illustrating a case where the refrigerant leakage probability is increasing in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a transition diagram of the refrigerant leakage probability illustrating a case where the determination unit in the first embodiment determines that the determination is an erroneous determination. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing the operations of the server device, the first terminal device, and the second terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing the operations of the server device, the first terminal device, and the second terminal device according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors came up with the idea for the present disclosure, there were technologies for diagnosing the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak, such as that described in Patent Document 1. However, the inventors discovered a problem with the conventional technology in that the refrigerant leakage index value used to diagnose the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak is prone to fluctuating depending on the environment in which the refrigeration cycle device is placed, which could lead to an erroneous determination that there is a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak, and in order to solve this problem, they came up with the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a refrigerant leak diagnosis system that can reduce false alarms such as an alarm indicating the presence of a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, in some cases, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) [1-1.Configuration] [1-1-1. Refrigerant Leak Diagnostic System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerant leakage diagnosis system 1000 according to the first embodiment. The refrigerant leakage diagnostic system 1000 is a system that diagnoses a refrigerant leakage in the air conditioning apparatus 1. In this embodiment, diagnosing a refrigerant leakage includes diagnosing whether or not a refrigerant leakage has occurred, that is, diagnosing the presence or absence of a refrigerant leakage. The air conditioner 1 is an example of a "refrigeration cycle device."

[0011] The refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes an air conditioner 1 connected to a network NW. The network NW is a communication network made up of a public line network, a dedicated line, other communication circuits, etc. FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes three or more air conditioners 1. The number of air conditioners 1 included in the refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 is not limited to three or more, and may be less than three. The air conditioner 1 performs air conditioning operation using an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3 included therein, and the indoor unit 2 air-conditions the conditioned space of the facility in which the indoor unit 2 is installed.

[0012] The air conditioner 1 of this embodiment comprises an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected by refrigerant piping and control wiring, thereby forming a refrigeration cycle in the air conditioner 1. Note that in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 is configured to comprise one indoor unit 2 and one outdoor unit 3, but the number of indoor units 2 and the number of outdoor units 3 comprised by the air conditioner 1 are not limited to one each; there may be one outdoor unit 3 and multiple indoor units 2, or there may be multiple outdoor units 3 and multiple indoor units 2.

[0013] The air conditioning apparatus 1 generates operating data D1 at a predetermined cycle and transmits the generated operating data D1 to a server device 5 connected to the network NW. The server device 5 will be described later. The operating data D1 includes an air conditioning apparatus ID (Identification), information indicating the upload date and time, air conditioning type information indicating the type of air conditioning, set temperature information indicating the set temperature, and detection values ​​of various sensors equipped in the air conditioning apparatus 1. The air conditioner ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the air conditioner 1. The upload date and time is the date and time when the driving data D1 is uploaded. Types of air conditioning include cooling, heating, dehumidification, ventilation, and the like.

[0014] Examples of sensors that the air conditioning device 1 is equipped with include an outside air temperature sensor, a discharge temperature sensor, a first superheat sensor, a compressor rotation speed sensor, an intake temperature sensor, a second superheat sensor, an expansion valve opening sensor, and a saturation temperature sensor. The outside air temperature sensor is a sensor that detects the outside air temperature of the facility in which the air conditioner 1 is installed. The discharge temperature sensor is a sensor that detects the discharge temperature of the compressor (the temperature of the refrigerant being discharged). The first superheat sensor is a sensor that detects the superheat of the compressor discharge temperature. Note that the air conditioning control device 10 may be configured to calculate the superheat of the air conditioner 1 from a temperature sensor provided in a heat exchanger included in the air conditioner 1 and output the calculated superheat as operating data D1. The compressor rotation speed sensor is a sensor that detects the rotation speed of the compressor. Alternatively, the processor of the air conditioner 1 may be configured to acquire the rotation speed of the compressor and output it as operating data D1. The intake temperature sensor is a sensor that detects the intake temperature of the compressor (the temperature of the refrigerant being drawn in). The second superheat sensor is a sensor that detects the superheat of the intake temperature of the compressor. The expansion valve opening sensor is a sensor that detects the opening of an expansion valve that adjusts the refrigerant flow rate. Note that the air conditioning control device 10 may be configured to acquire a step value of a stepping motor connected to the expansion valve and output it as operating data D1. The saturation temperature sensor is a sensor that detects the saturation temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

[0015] The refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes a first terminal device 4. The first terminal device 4 is a terminal device used by a service technician PM who diagnoses refrigerant leaks. The first terminal device 4 shown in FIG. 1 is a laptop computer, but it may also be a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or a smartphone. The first terminal device 4 is connected to a network NW and communicates with a server device 5. The refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes a second terminal device 6. The second terminal device 6 is a terminal device used by a user P who uses the air conditioning apparatus 1. The second terminal device 6 shown in FIG. 1 is a laptop computer, but it may also be a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or a smartphone. The second terminal device 6 is connected to the network NW and communicates with the server device 5.

[0016] The refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes a server device 5. The server device 5 is connected to a network NW and performs information processing with the air conditioning device 1 and the first terminal device 4 as clients. Note that in each figure, the server device 5 is represented by a single block, but this does not necessarily mean that the server device 5 is composed of a single device. For example, the server device 5 may be composed of multiple server devices with different processing contents.

[0017] [1-1-2. Server configuration] Next, the configuration of the server device 5 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the server device 5 and the first terminal device 4. As shown in FIG. The server device 5 includes a server control device 50 and a server communication device 51.

[0018] Before describing the server control device 50, the server communication device 51 will be described. The server communication device 51 comprises hardware such as a communication circuit that complies with a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the air conditioning device 1 and the first terminal device 4 under the control of the server control device 50.

[0019] The server control device 50 includes a server processor 500 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a server memory 510, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0020] The server memory 510 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The server memory 510 stores a control program 511, a management DB (database) 512, and data to be processed by the server processor 500. The server memory 510 has a non-volatile storage area. The server memory 510 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area of ​​the server processor 500. The server memory 510 is constituted by, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control program 511 is a program that causes the server processor 500 to function as a functional unit, which will be described later.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the management DB 512. As shown in FIG. 3, the management DB 512 is a database that manages the operating data D1. The management DB 512 has one record R1 for each air conditioner 1.

[0022] Record R1 has an air conditioning apparatus ID. Record R1 also has an operating data field. The operating data field has multiple pieces of operating data D1, including the operating data D1 most recently transmitted by the air conditioning apparatus 1. The operating data field also has operating data D1 for a predetermined period (e.g., one day). In the operating data field, multiple pieces of operating data D1 are arranged in chronological order, with the upload dates and times indicated by the operating data D1.

[0023] Record R1 also has determination information in which the determination results for each predetermined period are arranged in chronological order. The determination result is a result indicating a determination made by the determining unit 504, which will be described later. The determination result is either that there is a refrigerant leak, that there is no refrigerant leak, or that there is a high possibility that there is a refrigerant leak. Although not shown in the figure, in the driving data field, the driving data D1 and the determination results are linked and arranged by date, with one determination result for each date.

[0024] The server processor 500 reads and executes a control program 511 stored in a server memory 510, thereby functioning as a server communication unit 501, an update unit 502, an acquisition unit 503, a determination unit 504, a notification unit 505, and a diagnosis unit 506.

[0025] [1-1-2-1. Server Communication Section] The server communication unit 501 communicates with the air conditioning apparatus 1 and the first terminal apparatus 4 via the server communication device 51.

[0026] [1-1-2-2. Update section] The update unit 502 updates the contents of record R1 held in the management DB 512. When the server communication unit 501 receives operating data D1 from the air conditioning apparatus 1, the update unit 502 identifies record R1 of the air conditioning apparatus ID included in the operating data D1 from the management DB 512. Next, the update unit 502 stores the operating data D1 received by the server communication unit 501 in the operating data field of the identified record R1. When storing the operating data D1, the update unit 502 ensures that the operating data D1 is arranged in the operating data field in the order described above.

[0027] [1-1-2-3. Acquisition section] When a predetermined trigger occurs, the acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability of the air conditioning device 1 based on the operating data D1. The acquisition unit 503 processes one record R1, reads out the operating data D1 indicating the most recent upload date and time from the record R1 to be processed, and acquires the refrigerant leakage probability based on the read operating data D1.

[0028] The predetermined trigger is when a predetermined time in a day is reached or when operation data D1 is obtained by performing a diagnostic operation, which will be described later. The predetermined time in a day is defined as midnight, assuming that one day is from midnight to midnight, and in this embodiment, it is midnight.

[0029] In this way, the acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability for the next day using the operating data D1 for the previous day. The refrigerant leakage probability is linked to the corresponding operating data D1 for all days and stored in the management DB 512. In this way, in this embodiment, the refrigerant leakage probability at a predetermined time, i.e., for each date, is acquired.

[0030] The refrigerant leakage probability indicates the probability that a refrigerant leak has occurred, and in this embodiment, the larger the value, the higher the probability that a refrigerant leak has occurred. The refrigerant leakage probability is an example of a refrigerant amount index value.

[0031] The acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability as follows. For example, the acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability by inputting the detection values ​​of various sensors included in the read operating data D1 into a predetermined model and outputting the refrigerant leakage probability from the predetermined model. An example of this predetermined model is a trained model that has been machine-learned to determine the refrigerant leakage probability from the detection values ​​of various sensors included in the operating data D1. Note that this predetermined model is stored in a storage area (for example, the server memory 510) that can be read by the server processor 500.

[0032] Furthermore, for example, the acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability using a predetermined algorithm that calculates the refrigerant leakage probability using, as parameters, detection values ​​of various sensors equipped in the air conditioning apparatus 1. In this case, the acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability by inputting the detection values ​​of the various sensors included in the read operating data D1 into the algorithm and performing calculations to calculate the refrigerant leakage probability.

[0033] [1-1-2-4. Judgment section] When the acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leakage probability, the determination unit 504 determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage in the corresponding air conditioner 1, or whether there is a high possibility of there being a refrigerant leakage.

[0034] [1-1-2-4-1. When determining that there is a refrigerant leak] The determination unit 504 determines whether the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. Furthermore, if the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and if a predetermined condition is satisfied, it determines that there is a refrigerant leakage and outputs the determination result to the management DB 512.

[0035] Furthermore, in addition to this case, if it was previously determined that there was a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, the judgment unit 504 determines that the previous judgment result was an incorrect judgment and changes the judgment result to one that there is a refrigerant leak.

[0036] The predetermined conditions will be explained below. When the refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the determination unit 504 determines whether or not there is an increasing trend in the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1. In this way, whether or not there is an increasing trend in the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is one of the predetermined conditions.

[0037] The determining unit 504 determines whether or not there is an increasing trend in the following manner.

[0038] For example, the determination unit 504 determines that the refrigerant leakage probability is on the rise if the rate of increase in the refrigerant leakage probability over multiple periods (for example, four days) prior to the previous period is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The rate of increase is the slope of the change in the refrigerant leakage probability over each consecutive predetermined period, calculated using the least squares method. In this case, the determination unit 504 calculates the rate of increase.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, the determining unit 504 determines that the refrigerant leakage probability is on the rise when the refrigerant leakage probability for multiple days (for example, four days) before the last time is constantly increasing from the past to the present.

[0040] Furthermore, if the determining unit 504 determines that there is an increasing trend, it determines that there is a refrigerant leak, and outputs the determination result to the management DB 512 .

[0041] In addition, the judgment unit 504 judges that the corresponding refrigerant leakage probability is on an increasing trend if it was less than the second threshold value two times before, was greater than the second threshold value and less than the first threshold value the previous time, and is greater than the first threshold value this time.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a transition diagram illustrating a case where the refrigerant leakage probability is on the rise. Fig. 4 is an example of a graph in which the vertical axis indicates the refrigerant leakage probability and the horizontal axis indicates the diagnosis date. In the example of Fig. 4, the second threshold is 45% and the first threshold is 70%. In this case, the diagnosis date corresponds to an example of a predetermined time. In the case of Figure 4, the refrigerant leakage probability is 13% on October 1st, 18% on October 2nd, and 34% on October 3rd, none of which are above the second threshold. On October 4th, the refrigerant leakage probability is 47%, which is above the second threshold. On October 5th, the refrigerant leakage probability is 87%. In this case, looking from October 5th, the corresponding refrigerant leakage probability was below the second threshold two times ago, was above the second threshold and below the first threshold the previous time, and is above the first threshold this time, so on October 5th, the determination unit 504 determines that the refrigerant leakage probability is on an increasing trend.

[0043] Note that even if the previous refrigerant leak probability was equal to or greater than the second threshold and the current refrigerant leak probability was equal to or greater than the first threshold, the refrigerant leak probability may not be on an increasing trend. For example, suppose the refrigerant leak probability was 65% on October 3, 47% on October 4, and 80% on October 5. In this case, from the perspective of October 5, the current refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, and the previous refrigerant leak probability was equal to or greater than the second threshold, but the refrigerant leak probability two times before that was not equal to or less than the second threshold. In this case, even if the current refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it is not determined that the corresponding refrigerant leak probability is on an increasing trend. Furthermore, if the corresponding refrigerant leakage probability was equal to or less than the second threshold value last time and is equal to or greater than the first threshold value this time, the judgment unit 504 judges that there is no increasing trend because the probability has increased significantly from the last time to the current time.

[0044] In this way, a case where the probability of refrigerant leakage is on the rise is one of the predetermined conditions.

[0045] Furthermore, if the determination unit 504 determines that there is no increasing trend, it determines whether the previous refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold. In this case, if the previous refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the determination unit 504 determines that there is a refrigerant leakage, and outputs the determination result to the management DB 512.

[0046] In this way, one of the predetermined conditions is when the previous refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioner 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

[0047] That is, the determination unit 504 determines that there is a refrigerant leak if the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioner 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold for two or more consecutive days for each predetermined period. For example, if the predetermined period is one day, the determination unit 504 determines that there is a refrigerant leak if the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioner 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold for two or more consecutive days.

[0048] [1-1-2-4-2. When determining that there is no refrigerant leakage] The determination unit 504 determines whether the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or less than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. If the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or less than the second threshold value, the determination unit 504 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage, and outputs the determination result to the management DB 512.

[0049] If the probability of refrigerant leakage of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or less than the second threshold value, and if it was previously determined that there was a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, the judgment unit 504 determines that the previous judgment result was an incorrect judgment, and changes the judgment result to one that there is no refrigerant leakage.

[0050] 5 is a transition diagram of the refrigerant leakage probability illustrating a case where the determination unit determines that the determination is incorrect. In FIG. 5, the vertical and horizontal axes are the same as in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than the second threshold on October 1st and October 2nd. On October 3rd, the refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold. Therefore, the determination unit 504 determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage on October 3rd, because the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is not on an increasing trend and the refrigerant leakage probability on October 3rd is 87%, which is equal to or greater than the first threshold. Furthermore, because the refrigerant leakage probability on October 4th is equal to or less than the second threshold, the determination unit 504 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage on October 4th, determines that October 3rd was an incorrect determination, and changes the determination result to that there is no refrigerant leakage.

[0051] [1-1-2-4-3. When it is determined that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak] If the probability of refrigerant leakage of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and does not satisfy the above-mentioned specified conditions, the judgment unit 504 judges that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage and outputs the judgment result to the management DB 512.

[0052] If the probability of refrigerant leakage of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 acquired by the acquisition unit 503 from the operating data D1 obtained by the diagnostic operation described below (hereinafter referred to as the diagnostic refrigerant leakage probability) is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the judgment unit 504 judges whether the probability of refrigerant leakage of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on the rise.

[0053] In this case, if the trend is increasing, the determination unit 504 changes the recent determination result that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak to a determination result that there is a refrigerant leak.In addition, in this case, if the trend is not increasing, the determination unit 504 continues to determine that there is a high possibility of a recent leak.

[0054] If the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is not equal to or greater than the first threshold, the determining unit 504 determines whether the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than the second threshold.

[0055] If the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is not greater than the first threshold, but is not less than the second threshold, the judgment result that there is a high possibility of a recent refrigerant leakage is changed to the judgment result that there is no refrigerant leakage. Furthermore, if the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is not equal to or greater than the first threshold but is equal to or less than the second threshold, and if the immediately previous determination indicated a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage, the determination unit 504 determines that the immediately previous determination result was an incorrect determination and changes the determination result to indicate that there is no refrigerant leakage. Next, the determination unit 504 changes the most recent determination result indicating a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage to a determination result indicating that there is no refrigerant leakage. The one before the most recent one can also be said to be the one before last.

[0056] In this way, the most recent determination result indicates the determination result for one most recent predetermined period (for example, today), and the determining unit 504 performs diagnosis by continuing or changing the most recent determination result depending on the conditions.

[0057] [1-1-2-5. Notification Department] The notification unit 505 notifies either that there is a refrigerant leak, that there is no refrigerant leak, or that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak via the first terminal device 4 and the second terminal device 6. The notification unit 505 generates refrigerant leak information, which is information indicating that there is a refrigerant leak, information indicating that there is no refrigerant leak, information indicating that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, or other information. The refrigerant leak information includes a character string, an image, a sound, or the like.

[0058] [1-1-2-5-1. When reporting that there is no refrigerant leakage] The notification unit 505 refers to the management DB 512, and when it is determined that there is no refrigerant leakage, the first terminal device 4 and the second terminal device 6 notify the fact that there is no refrigerant leakage.

[0059] For example, the notification unit 505 displays the character string "◯" as information indicating that there is no refrigerant leakage on the first display 42 and the second display 62. The information indicating that there is no refrigerant leakage is an example of the first content. It should be noted that the character string "◯" may not be used, and may be, for example, a character string such as "normal" or "no leakage." The notification unit 505 may also notify by displaying a specific color indicating that there is no refrigerant leakage, or by outputting a specific sound. As an example of a sound output means, the first terminal device 4 and the second terminal device 6 may be equipped with a speaker.

[0060] [1-1-2-5-2. When notifying of a high possibility of refrigerant leakage] The notification unit 505 refers to the management DB 512, and when it determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, it notifies the first terminal device 4 used by the serviceman PM that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak.

[0061] For example, the notification unit 505 displays the character string "△" on the first display 42 as information indicating that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak. The information indicating that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak is an example of the third content. Note that instead of the character string "△", character strings such as "High probability of leakage" or "Possible leakage" may be used. Furthermore, the notification unit 505 may notify by displaying a specific color indicating that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, or may notify by outputting a specific sound.

[0062] Furthermore, when the notification unit 505 refers to the management DB 512 and determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, it notifies the second terminal device 6 used by the user P that there is no refrigerant leak.

[0063] For example, the notification unit 505 displays the character string "◯" on the second display 62 as information indicating that there is no refrigerant leak. In this way, when the determination result indicates that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, different information is notified to the service technician PM and the user P. A single determination that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak may be a misdiagnosis, and notifying the user P that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak may cause the user P to worry unnecessarily or take unnecessary measures, resulting in unnecessary costs. This prevents the user P from being erroneously notified that there is a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak, which may cause the user P to worry unnecessarily or take unnecessary measures. Furthermore, because the service technician PM is notified that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, the service technician PM can determine whether or not to perform a more detailed diagnosis of the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak based on, for example, the operating data D1.

[0064] [1-1-2-5-3. When notifying of refrigerant leakage] The notification unit 505 refers to the management DB 512, and when it is determined that there is a refrigerant leak, it notifies via the first terminal device 4 and the second terminal device 6 that there is a refrigerant leak.

[0065] For example, the notification unit 505 displays the character string "x" as information indicating that there is a refrigerant leak on the first display 42 and the second display 62. The information indicating that there is a refrigerant leak is an example of the second content. It should be noted that the character string "x" may not be used, but may be, for example, a character string such as "Leak" or "Leaking". Furthermore, the notification unit 505 may notify by displaying a specific color indicating the determination result that there is a refrigerant leak, or may notify by outputting a specific sound.

[0066] When a refrigerant leak is notified, a specific character string and a specific voice may be used in combination to improve the ease of recognition by the user P and the serviceman PM.

[0067] [1-1-2-6. Diagnostics Department] If the latest determination result indicates that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, the diagnosing unit 506 determines that the diagnostic operation executing unit 103 should execute a diagnostic operation.

[0068] Diagnostic operation is operation of the air conditioner 1 performed for the purpose of obtaining operating data D1 in order to enable diagnosis of the current judgment results for each air conditioner 1 within a one-day period. Diagnostic operation, in detail, is cooling operation or heating operation at rated output by the air conditioner 1. Hereinafter, operation of the air conditioner 1 performed for the purpose of air conditioning the conditioned space will be referred to as normal operation, and will be distinguished from diagnostic operation.

[0069] The diagnosing unit 506 causes the diagnosing operation execution unit 103 to execute a diagnosing operation at a predetermined timing.

[0070] The predetermined timing is, for example, 0:30. In this case, the diagnosing unit 506 determines whether or not a refrigerant leak exists on the day on which the determining unit 504 determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, based on the operating data D1 obtained by a diagnostic operation on the same day. In this case, the operating data D1 obtained by the refrigerant leak diagnostic operation is linked to the previous day's date and stored in the management DB 512.

[0071] [1-1-3. Air Conditioning Equipment Configuration] The air conditioner 1 includes an air conditioning control device 10 and an air conditioning communication device 11.

[0072] The air conditioning communication device 11 includes hardware such as a communication circuit that complies with a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the server device 5 via the network NW.

[0073] The air conditioning control device 10 includes an air conditioning processor 100 such as a CPU or MPU, an air conditioning memory 110, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0074] The air conditioning memory 110 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The air conditioning memory 110 stores a control program 111 and data to be processed by the air conditioning processor 100. The air conditioning memory 110 has a non-volatile storage area. The air conditioning memory 110 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the air conditioning processor 100. The air conditioning memory 110 is constituted by, for example, ROM and RAM.

[0075] The air conditioning processor 100 operates as an air conditioning communication unit 101, a normal operation execution unit 102, and a diagnostic operation execution unit 103 by reading and executing a control program 111 stored in an air conditioning memory 110.

[0076] The air conditioning communication unit 101 communicates with the server device 5 via the air conditioning communication device 11.

[0077] The normal operation execution unit 102 causes the air conditioner 1 to perform normal operation. Furthermore, the normal operation execution unit 102 generates operation data D1 when the air conditioner 1 performs normal operation.

[0078] The diagnostic operation execution unit 103 causes the air conditioning apparatus 1 to execute a diagnostic operation in response to a predetermined trigger. Furthermore, the diagnostic operation execution unit 103 generates operating data D1 when the air conditioning apparatus 1 executes a diagnostic operation. At this time, the diagnostic operation execution unit 103 may add information to the generated operating data D1 so that the operating data D1 resulting from the diagnostic operation can be distinguished from the operating data D1 resulting from normal operation.

[0079] [1-1-4. Configuration of Terminal Device and Second Terminal Device] The configuration of the first terminal device 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The first terminal device 4 includes a first terminal control device 40 , a first terminal communication device 41 , a first display 42 , and a first input interface 43 .

[0080] Before describing the first terminal control device 40, the first terminal communication device 41, the first display 42, and the first input interface 43 will be described.

[0081] The first terminal communication device 41 includes hardware such as a communication circuit conforming to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the server device 5. The first display 42 is configured with an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an OLED (Organic LED), etc. The first display 42 may be an external device connected to the first terminal device 4. The first input interface 43 is connected to devices such as an operation switch, a touch input panel, a mouse, and a keyboard, detects input operations by the serviceman PM, and outputs the detection results to the first terminal control device 40.

[0082] The first terminal control device 40 comprises a first terminal processor 400 such as a CPU or MPU, a first terminal memory 410, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0083] The first terminal memory 410 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The first terminal memory 410 stores a control program 411 and data to be processed by the first terminal processor 400. The first terminal memory 410 has a non-volatile storage area. The first terminal memory 410 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the first terminal processor 400. The first terminal memory 410 is constituted by, for example, ROM or RAM.

[0084] The first terminal processor 400 functions as a first terminal communication unit 401, a first display unit 402, and a first reception unit 403 by reading and executing a control program 411 stored in a first terminal memory 410.

[0085] The first terminal communication unit 401 communicates with the server device 5 via the first terminal communication device 41 . First display unit 402 displays information on first display 42. In this embodiment, first display unit 402 displays a screen on first display 42. The first receiving unit 403 receives various inputs from the service technician PM via the first input interface 43.

[0086] The configuration of the second terminal device 6 will be described with reference to FIG. The second terminal device 6 includes a second terminal control device 60 , a second terminal communication device 61 , a second display 62 , and a second input interface 63 .

[0087] Before describing the second terminal control device 60, the second terminal communication device 61, the second display 62, and the second input interface 63 will be described.

[0088] The second terminal communication device 61 includes hardware such as a communication circuit that complies with a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the server device 5. The second display 62 is configured by an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an OLED (Organic LED), etc. The second display 62 may be an external device connected to the second terminal device 6. The second input interface 63 is connected to devices such as an operation switch, a touch input panel, a mouse, and a keyboard, detects an input operation by the user P, and outputs the detection result to the first terminal control device 40.

[0089] The second terminal control device 60 comprises a second terminal processor 600 such as a CPU or MPU, a second terminal memory 610, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0090] The second terminal memory 610 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The second terminal memory 610 stores a control program 611 and data to be processed by the second terminal processor 600. The second terminal memory 610 has a non-volatile storage area. The second terminal memory 610 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the second terminal processor 600. The second terminal memory 610 is constituted by, for example, ROM or RAM.

[0091] The second terminal processor 600 functions as a second terminal communication unit 601, a second display unit 602, and a second reception unit 603 by reading and executing a control program 611 stored in a second terminal memory 610.

[0092] The second terminal communication unit 601 communicates with the server device 5 via the second terminal communication device 61 . Second display unit 602 displays information on second display 62. In this embodiment, second display unit 602 displays a screen on second display 62. The second reception unit 603 receives various inputs from the user P via the second input interface 63.

[0093] [1-2. Operation] Next, the operation of each part of the refrigerant leakage diagnostic system 1000 in this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server device 5. In this embodiment, the operation shown in Fig. 6 starts at midnight every day. Before the operation shown in Fig. 6, it is assumed that the acquisition unit 503 has already acquired the current refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1.

[0094] First, the determination unit 504 determines whether the current refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioner 1 (hereinafter referred to as the current refrigerant leakage probability) is equal to or greater than a first threshold (step SA1). If the determination unit 504 determines that the current refrigerant leakage probability is not equal to or greater than the first threshold (step SA1: NO), the determination unit 504 determines whether the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than a second threshold (step SA2).

[0095] If the judgment unit 504 determines that the current refrigerant leakage probability is not equal to or less than the second threshold (step SA2: NO), the judgment unit 504 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage this time, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is no refrigerant leakage (step SA3).

[0096] If the determination unit 504 determines that the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than the second threshold (step SA2: YES), the determination unit 504 changes the previous determination result to a determination result that there is no refrigerant leakage, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is no refrigerant leakage (step SA4). Note that if the previous determination result was a determination result that there is no refrigerant leakage, the determination unit 504 continues to maintain the previous determination result that there is no refrigerant leakage.

[0097] Next, the determining unit 504 determines that there is no refrigerant leakage this time, and the notifying unit 505 notifies that there is no refrigerant leakage this time (step SA5).

[0098] Returning to the explanation of step SA1, if the judgment unit 504 determines that the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold (step SA1: YES), the judgment unit 504 determines whether the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on the rise (step SA6).

[0099] If the judgment unit 504 determines that the probability of refrigerant leakage of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on the rise (step SA6: YES), the judgment unit 504 determines that there is a refrigerant leakage this time, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is a refrigerant leakage this time (step SA7). In this way, if the previous refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than the second threshold which is lower than the first threshold, the notification unit 505 does not notify that there is a refrigerant leakage even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold. Note that in this embodiment, if the previous refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than the second threshold which is lower than the first threshold and the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, this corresponds to a case where the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on the rise.

[0100] If the judgment unit 504 determines that the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is not on an increasing trend (step SA6: NO), the judgment unit 504 determines whether the previous refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 (hereinafter referred to as the previous refrigerant leakage probability) is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (step SA8).

[0101] If the determination unit 504 determines that the previous refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold (step SA8: YES), the determination unit 504 changes the previous determination result that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage to a determination result that there is a refrigerant leakage, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is a refrigerant leakage (step SA9). Note that if the previous determination result was that there is a refrigerant leakage, the determination unit 504 continues to maintain the previous determination result that there is a refrigerant leakage.

[0102] Next, the determining unit 504 determines that there is a current refrigerant leak, and the notifying unit 505 notifies that there is a current refrigerant leak (step SA10).

[0103] Returning to the explanation of step SA8, if the judgment unit 504 determines that the probability of refrigerant leakage the previous time is not greater than the first threshold (step SA8: NO), the judgment unit 504 determines that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage this time, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage this time (step SA11).

[0104] Next, the diagnosing unit 506 decides to perform a diagnostic operation (step SA12).

[0105] In steps SA3, SA4, SA5, SA7, SA9, SA10, and SA11, the notification unit 505 generates refrigerant leakage information and transmits a signal including the refrigerant leakage information to the first terminal device 4 and the second terminal device 6 using the server communication unit 501. The first terminal device 4 receives the signal using the first terminal communication unit 401, and notifies the refrigerant leakage information via the first display 42 using the first display unit 402. The second terminal device 6 receives the signal using the second terminal communication unit 601, and notifies the refrigerant leakage information via the second display 62 using the second display unit 602.

[0106] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first terminal device 4, the second terminal device 6, and the server device 5. Fig. 7 shows the operation in the case where, in the operation shown in Fig. 6, the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, and the notification unit 505 does not notify that there is a refrigerant leakage, but rather notifies that there is a high possibility of there being a refrigerant leakage. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the diagnosing unit 506 decides to perform a diagnostic operation at step SA12 shown in Fig. 6, and that the predetermined timing has arrived. Next, the diagnostic operation execution unit 103 provided in the air conditioning apparatus 1 performs a diagnostic operation at the predetermined timing, obtaining operating data D1, and based on this, the corresponding refrigerant leakage probability in the diagnostic operation (hereinafter referred to as the diagnostic refrigerant leakage probability) is obtained by the obtaining unit 503. It is assumed that this acquisition is performed before the operation shown in Fig. 7.

[0107] First, the determination unit 504 determines whether the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than a first threshold (step SB1). If the determination unit 504 determines that the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is not equal to or greater than the first threshold (step SB1: NO), the determination unit 504 determines whether the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or less than a second threshold (step SB2).

[0108] If the judgment unit 504 determines that the diagnostic probability of refrigerant leakage is not equal to or less than the second threshold (step SB2: NO), the judgment unit 504 changes the previous judgment result, which was that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, to a judgment result that there is no refrigerant leakage, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is no refrigerant leakage (step SB3).

[0109] If the determination unit 504 determines that the refrigerant leakage probability of the diagnosis is equal to or less than the second threshold (step SB2: YES), the determination unit 504 changes the determination result from the previous time to a determination result that there is no refrigerant leakage, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is no refrigerant leakage (step SB4). Note that if the determination result from the previous time is a determination result that there is no refrigerant leakage, the determination unit 504 continues to determine that there is no refrigerant leakage from the previous time.

[0110] Next, the determination unit 504 changes the previous determination result that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak to a determination result that there is no refrigerant leak, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is no refrigerant leak (step SB5).

[0111] Returning to the explanation of step SB1, if the judgment unit 504 determines that the diagnosed refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold (step SB1: YES), the judgment unit 504 determines whether the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on the rise (step SB6).

[0112] If the judgment unit 504 judges that the probability of refrigerant leakage for the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on the rise (step SB6: YES), the judgment unit 504 changes the most recent judgment result, which was that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, to a judgment result that there is a refrigerant leakage, and the notification unit 505 notifies that there is a refrigerant leakage (step SB7).

[0113] If the judgment unit 504 determines that the probability of refrigerant leakage for the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is not on an increasing trend (step SB6: NO), the judgment unit 504 continues the previous judgment result that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage (step SB8).

[0114] In steps SB4, SB5, SB6, and SB8, the notification unit 505 functions in the same way as in step SA3 described with reference to FIG. 6, and notifies the refrigerant leakage information.

[0115] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 of this embodiment diagnoses the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak at predetermined intervals based on the operating data D1 of the air conditioning apparatus 1. The acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leak probability based on the operating data D1. The notification unit 505 may not notify the presence of a refrigerant leak, depending on the refrigerant leak probability at a predetermined time, even if the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold. This prevents the system from reporting a refrigerant leak even if there is a possibility of a refrigerant leak depending on the probability of a refrigerant leak at a given time, thereby reducing false reports of a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak.

[0116] Furthermore, refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes determination unit 504 that determines whether the previous refrigerant leak probability is on an increasing trend. If determination unit 504 determines that there is no increasing trend and the current refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, notification unit 505 does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak. According to this, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, if it is not on an increasing trend, the possibility of an actual refrigerant leakage is low, and in this case, the fact that there is a refrigerant leakage is not notified, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0117] Furthermore, if the refrigerant leakage probability before the previous time is equal to or less than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value, the notification unit 505 does not notify that there is a refrigerant leakage even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. According to this, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, if the previous refrigerant leakage probability was low, the possibility of an actual refrigerant leakage is low, and in this case, the fact that a refrigerant leakage exists is not notified, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0118] Furthermore, refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 includes determination unit 504 that determines whether a refrigerant leak exists, or whether there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak. If the current refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and notification unit 505 does not notify that a refrigerant leak exists, and if the next refrigerant leak probability is equal to or less than the second threshold value, determination unit 504 determines that the current determination result was an incorrect determination. According to this, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold but the presence of a refrigerant leakage is not notified, if the next refrigerant leakage probability is high, the current false alarm can be improved.

[0119] In addition, if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the notification unit 505 does not notify that there is a refrigerant leakage, and if the next refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the notification unit 505 will notify that there will be a refrigerant leakage next time. This allows the fact that a refrigerant leak has actually occurred to be reported when there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak has actually occurred.

[0120] The refrigerant leak diagnostic system 1000 also includes a diagnostic operation execution unit 103. When the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the notification unit 505 does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak, the diagnostic operation execution unit 103 executes a diagnostic operation that is an operation for diagnosing a refrigerant leak. The acquisition unit 503 acquires the refrigerant leak probability based on the operation data D1 obtained by the diagnostic operation. This allows for a more accurate determination of the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0121] The device also includes a determination unit 504 that determines whether a refrigerant leak exists, does not exist, or is highly likely to exist. When the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or less than a first threshold and the determination unit 504 determines that there is no refrigerant leak, the notification unit 505 outputs a first content indicating that there is no refrigerant leak. When the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the determination unit 504 determines that there is a refrigerant leak, the notification unit 505 outputs a second content indicating that there is a refrigerant leak. When the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the determination unit 504 determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, the notification unit 505 outputs a third content other than the first content and the second content. This allows different information to be output depending on whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, or the possibility of a refrigerant leak, making it easier for the user P or the serviceman PM to recognize whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, or the possibility of a refrigerant leak.

[0122] The refrigerant leakage diagnosis system 1000 also includes a first terminal device 4 and a second terminal device 6. When the refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and the determination unit 504 determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage, the notification unit 505 outputs different content to the first terminal device 4 and the second terminal device 6. This allows different information to be displayed on the side using the air conditioning device 1 and the side responding to a refrigerant leak in the air conditioning device 1, thereby preventing the side using the air conditioning device 1 from being unnecessarily notified that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak when there is actually a high possibility that there is no refrigerant leak.

[0123] Furthermore, the notification unit 505 notifies that there is a refrigerant leak when the probability of refrigerant leakage at a predetermined time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value two or more times in succession. According to this, if the probability of refrigerant leakage for the first time, which is not consecutive, is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the fact that there is a refrigerant leakage is not notified, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0124] (Other embodiments) As described above, the above-mentioned first embodiment has been described as an example disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above-mentioned first embodiment to create new embodiments. Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

[0125] In the first embodiment described above, the air conditioner 1 is used as an example of the refrigeration cycle device, but the refrigeration cycle device is not limited to this. The refrigeration cycle device may be a showcase, a refrigerator, a freezer, or the like, as long as it performs heat exchange via a refrigerant.

[0126] In the first embodiment described above, the refrigerant leakage probability is used as an example of the refrigerant amount index value, but the refrigerant amount index value is not limited to this and may be any index of the amount of refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device. The acquisition unit 503 acquires or calculates the refrigerant amount index value. The refrigerant amount index value may be, for example, the degree of superheat or a predicted value of the refrigerant filling rate, as a feature value used to estimate a refrigerant leakage.

[0127] In the first embodiment described above, the determination unit 504 determines whether the refrigerant leakage probability of the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is on an increasing trend when the refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, as a configuration for determining whether the corresponding refrigerant leakage probability has significantly increased, i.e., is not on an increasing trend. However, this is not limiting. In other embodiments, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, if the current refrigerant leakage probability has significantly increased from the previous refrigerant leakage probability, the refrigerant leakage probability is not determined to be on an increasing trend, and the determination unit 504 does not determine that a refrigerant leakage exists, but determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage. In other embodiments, the determination unit 504 may determine whether there has been a significant increase, i.e., whether the refrigerant leakage probability is on an increasing trend, by determining whether the current refrigerant leakage probability has increased by more than a predetermined value from the previous refrigerant leakage probability, or by determining whether the rate of increase of the current refrigerant leakage probability from the previous refrigerant leakage probability is more than a predetermined value. The rate of increase in this case refers to the rate of increase between the previous and current refrigerant leakage probabilities.

[0128] In the first embodiment, it has been explained with reference to FIG. 6 that step SA6 is followed by step SA8, but the order of these steps may be reversed, or either step SA6 or step SA8 may be performed.

[0129] Also, step SA12 does not have to be performed. In this case, the operation shown in Fig. 7 is not performed. In this case, the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage is diagnosed using the operating data D1 for the next day. In the first embodiment, step SB6 has been described using Fig. 7, but this does not have to be performed. In this case, if the determination unit 504 determines that the refrigerant leakage probability of the diagnosis is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (step SB1: YES), the process proceeds to step SB7.

[0130] In the first embodiment described above, the determination unit 504 is configured to determine whether a refrigerant leak exists, whether there is no refrigerant leak, or whether there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak. The determination unit 504 may be further configured to determine only whether there is a refrigerant leak or not if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous determination. The predetermined period of time is, for example, 90 days. If the refrigerant leakage is progressing slowly so that it takes a predetermined period of time for the refrigerant quantity index value to increase significantly, and if the current probability of refrigerant leakage for the corresponding air conditioning device 1 is equal to or greater than the first threshold, there is a high possibility that there is actually a refrigerant leakage, even if the probability of refrigerant leakage at the time of the current diagnosis is significantly higher than the probability of refrigerant leakage at the time of the previous diagnosis. Specifically, in another embodiment, the determination unit 504 determines whether or not a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous determination after determining that the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold (step SA1: YES), as explained in Fig. 6. Next, if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous determination, the determination unit 504 determines that a refrigerant leakage has occurred. That is, if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous or previous refrigerant amount index value was acquired and if the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the notification unit 505 notifies that a refrigerant leak has occurred. This makes it possible to notify that a refrigerant leak has occurred when there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0131] In the first embodiment described above, it was explained that the notification unit 505 may not notify that there is a refrigerant leak, depending on the refrigerant leak probability at a predetermined time, even if the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold. The refrigerant leak diagnosis system 1000 may be configured to include, as a functional unit, a prohibition unit that prohibits the notification unit 505 from notifying that there is a refrigerant leak when the condition described in the first embodiment described above for not notifying that there is a refrigerant leak is met even if the refrigerant leak probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold.

[0132] The air conditioning processor 100, the first terminal processor 400, the second terminal processor 600, and the server processor 500 may be configured by a single processor or by multiple processors. These processors may be hardware programmed to realize the corresponding functional units. That is, these processors may be configured by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0133] The configurations of the air conditioning apparatus 1, first terminal device 4, second terminal device 6, and server device 5 shown in Figure 2 are merely examples, and the specific implementation form is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not necessarily necessary to implement hardware corresponding to each unit individually, and it is also possible to implement a configuration in which a single processor executes a program to realize the functions of each unit. Furthermore, some of the functions realized by software in the above-mentioned embodiments may be implemented as hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be realized by software.

[0134] The step units of the operations shown in Figures 6 and 7 are divided according to the main processing content to make the operations easier to understand, and the operation is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The operations may be divided into more step units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, one step unit may be divided so that it includes more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate within the scope that does not interfere with the purpose of this disclosure.

[0135] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0136] (Addendum) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0137] (Technology 1) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system that diagnoses the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak based on operating data of a refrigeration cycle device at predetermined intervals, wherein an acquisition unit acquires a refrigerant quantity index value based on the operating data, and a notification unit may not notify that a refrigerant leak exists, depending on the refrigerant quantity index value at a predetermined time, even if the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. This prevents the system from reporting a refrigerant leak even if there is a possibility of a refrigerant leak depending on the probability of a refrigerant leak at a given time, thereby reducing false reports of a refrigerant leak when there is no refrigerant leak.

[0138] (Technology 2) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to Technology 1, comprising a judgment unit that judges whether the refrigerant quantity index value before the previous time is on an increasing trend, and if the judgment unit judges that the refrigerant quantity index value is not on an increasing trend and the current refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak. According to this, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, if it is not on an increasing trend, the possibility of an actual refrigerant leakage is low, and in this case, the fact that there is a refrigerant leakage is not notified, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0139] (Technology 3) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system as described in Technology 1 or 2, wherein if the refrigerant quantity index value from the previous time or earlier is equal to or less than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value, the notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak, even if the refrigerant quantity index value this time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. According to this, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, if the previous refrigerant leakage probability was low, the possibility of an actual refrigerant leakage is low, and in this case, the fact that a refrigerant leakage exists is not notified, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0140] (Technology 4) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to Technology 3, comprising a judgment unit that judges whether a refrigerant leak exists, or whether there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, and if the current refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the notification unit does not notify that a refrigerant leak exists, and if the next refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or less than the second threshold value, the judgment unit judges that the current judgment result was an incorrect judgment. According to this, even if the current refrigerant leakage probability is equal to or greater than the first threshold but the presence of a refrigerant leakage is not notified, if the next refrigerant leakage probability is high, the current false alarm can be improved.

[0141] (Technology 5) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to any one of technologies 1 to 4, wherein if the current refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak, and if the next refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the notification unit will notify that there is a refrigerant leak next time. This allows the fact that a refrigerant leak has actually occurred to be reported when there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak has actually occurred.

[0142] (Technology 6) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to any one of Technologies 1 to 5, comprising a diagnostic operation execution unit, wherein when the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the notification unit does not notify that a refrigerant leak exists, the diagnostic operation execution unit executes a diagnostic operation to diagnose a refrigerant leak, and the acquisition unit acquires the refrigerant quantity index value based on the operating data obtained by the diagnostic operation. This allows for a more accurate determination of the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak, thereby reducing false alarms.

[0143] (Technology 7) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to any one of technologies 1 to 6, comprising a judgment unit that judges whether a refrigerant leak exists, does not exist, or is highly likely to exist, and the notification unit outputs a first content indicating that there is no refrigerant leak when the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or less than the first threshold value and the judgment unit judges that there is no refrigerant leak, outputs a second content indicating that there is a refrigerant leak when the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the judgment unit judges that there is a refrigerant leak, and outputs a third content other than the first content and the second content when the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the judgment unit judges that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak. This allows different information to be output depending on whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, or the possibility of a refrigerant leak, making it easier for different users to recognize whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, or the possibility of a refrigerant leak.

[0144] (Technology 8) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to any one of technologies 1 to 6, comprising a first terminal device and a second terminal device, and a judgment unit that judges whether a refrigerant leak exists, does not exist, or is highly likely to exist, and when the refrigerant quantity index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the judgment unit judges that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, the notification unit outputs different content to the first terminal device and the second terminal device. This allows different information to be displayed on the side using the air conditioning device 1 and the side responding to a refrigerant leak in the air conditioning device 1, thereby preventing the side using the air conditioning device 1 from being unnecessarily notified that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak when there is actually a high possibility that there is no refrigerant leak.

[0145] (Technology 9) A refrigerant leak diagnosis system according to any one of technologies 1 to 7, wherein the notification unit notifies that there is a refrigerant leak when the refrigerant quantity index value at the specified time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value two or more times in a row. According to this, if the probability of refrigerant leakage for the first time, which is not consecutive, is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the fact that there is a refrigerant leakage is not notified, thereby reducing false alarms. [Industrial Applicability]

[0146] As described above, the refrigerant leakage diagnostic system according to the present invention can be used to diagnose refrigerant leakage in a refrigeration cycle device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] 1. Air conditioning equipment (refrigeration cycle equipment) 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 4. First terminal device 5. Server equipment 6 Second terminal device 40 First terminal control device 41 First terminal communication device 42 1st display 43 First input interface 50 Server control device 51 Server communication device 60 Second terminal control device 61 Second terminal communication device 62 Second Display 63 Second input interface 100 Air Conditioning Processor 101 Air Conditioning Communication Department 102 Normal operation execution unit 103 Diagnostic operation execution unit 110 Air Conditioning Memory 111 Control Program 400 First Terminal Processor 401 First terminal communication unit 402 1st display section 403 Reception Section 1 410 First Terminal Memory 411 Control Program 500 server processors 501 Server Communication Department 502 Update Department 503 Acquisition Department 504 Judgment section 505 Information Department 506 Diagnostic Department 510 Server Memory 511 Control Program 512 Management DB 600 Second Terminal Processor 601 Second terminal communication unit 602 2nd display section 603 Second Reception Department 610 Second terminal memory 611 Control Program 1000 Refrigerant Leak Diagnostic System D1 Operation data P User PM Serviceman

Claims

1. A refrigerant leakage diagnosis system that diagnoses the presence or absence of a refrigerant leakage based on operation data of a refrigeration cycle device at predetermined intervals, the acquisition unit acquires a refrigerant amount index value based on the operating data; A refrigerant leak diagnostic system, wherein the notification unit may not notify that there is a refrigerant leak depending on the refrigerant amount index value at a predetermined time, even if the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

2. a determination unit that determines whether the refrigerant amount index value before the previous time is on an increasing trend, When the determination unit determines that the refrigerant amount index value is not increasing and the current refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak. The refrigerant leak diagnostic system according to claim 1 .

3. If the refrigerant amount index value before the previous time is equal to or less than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value, The notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak even if the current refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. The refrigerant leak diagnostic system according to claim 1 .

4. A determination unit is provided to determine whether a refrigerant leak exists or does not exist, or whether there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, If the current refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, and the notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak, and the next refrigerant amount index value is equal to or less than the second threshold value, The refrigerant leakage diagnosis system according to claim 3 , wherein the determination unit determines that the current determination result is an erroneous determination.

5. If the current refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, and the notification unit does not notify that there is a refrigerant leak, and the next refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, The refrigerant leakage diagnosis system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit notifies the user that a refrigerant leakage has occurred next time.

6. A diagnostic operation execution unit is provided, When the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the notification unit does not notify that a refrigerant leak has occurred, The diagnostic operation execution unit executes a diagnostic operation that is an operation for diagnosing a refrigerant leak, The refrigerant leakage diagnostic system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the refrigerant amount index value based on the operating data obtained by the diagnostic operation.

7. A determination unit is provided to determine whether a refrigerant leak exists or does not exist, or whether there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, The notification unit When the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or less than the first threshold value and the determination unit determines that there is no refrigerant leakage, outputting a first content indicating that there is no refrigerant leakage; If the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the determination unit determines that a refrigerant leak has occurred, outputting a second content indicating that a refrigerant leak has occurred; 2. The refrigerant leak diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein when the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the determination unit determines that there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, a third content other than the first content and the second content is output.

8. A first terminal device and a second terminal device are provided, A determination unit is provided to determine whether a refrigerant leak exists or does not exist, or whether there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak, If the refrigerant amount index value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and the determination unit determines that there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, The refrigerant leakage diagnosis system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit outputs different information to the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

9. The notification unit When the refrigerant amount index value at the predetermined time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value two or more times in succession, a notification is issued that a refrigerant leak has occurred. The refrigerant leak diagnostic system according to claim 1 .

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