Refrigerant leakage determination system

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a refrigerant leakage determination system capable of reducing forced operation and improving energy saving performance.SOLUTION: A refrigerant leakage determination system according to the present disclosure is a refrigerant leakage determination system for a refrigerant cycle apparatus that determines presence or absence of leakage of a refrigerant on the basis of a history of operation data for each first period, the refrigerant leakage determination system including a controller that acquires the operation data of the refrigerant cycle apparatus in the first period and determines the presence or absence of leakage of the refrigerant on the basis of the operation data, in which the controller notifies a previous determination result as a current determination result in a case where the operation data in the first period is insufficient in data amount required for determination of leakage of the refrigerant and the determination cannot be performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerant leak determination 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 leakage detection system that can reduce forced operation and improve energy saving performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refrigerant leak determination system of the present disclosure is a refrigerant leak determination system for a refrigerant cycle device that determines the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak for each first period based on historical operating data, and includes a control device that acquires operating data of the refrigerant cycle device for the first period and determines the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak based on the operating data, and if the amount of operating data for the first period is insufficient to determine a refrigerant leak and the control device is unable to make a determination, it reports the previous determination result as the current determination result. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the refrigerant leak determination system of the present disclosure, if the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak and a determination cannot be made, the previous determination result can be notified, thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerant leakage determination system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a refrigerant leakage determination system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerant leakage determination system 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 of ​​the present disclosure, there was a technique in which forced operation was performed to obtain operating data of a refrigerant cycle device, and the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak was diagnosed based on the operating data obtained through this forced operation. However, in conventional technology, when determining whether or not a refrigerant leak exists, forced operation is required until the operating data necessary to determine whether or not a refrigerant leak exists is collected. This results in unnecessary operation of the refrigerant cycle device, which the inventors discovered as a problem that may impair energy efficiency. In order to solve this problem, the inventors came up with the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a refrigerant leakage detection system that can reduce forced operation and improve energy saving performance.

[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. Configuration of refrigerant leak detection system] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerant leakage determination system according to the first embodiment. The refrigerant leakage determination system 100 is a system that diagnoses refrigerant leakage in the air conditioning apparatus 1. In this embodiment, diagnosing 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 "refrigerant cycle device."

[0011] The refrigerant leakage determination system 100 includes an air conditioning device 1 connected to a network 70. The network 70 is a communication network made up of a public line network, a dedicated line, other communication circuits, etc. FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 includes multiple air conditioning devices 1.

[0012] The air conditioner 1 of this embodiment includes 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. In Figure 1, the air conditioning device 1 is configured to have one indoor unit 2 and one outdoor unit 3, but the number of indoor units 2 and the number of outdoor units 3 that the air conditioning device 1 has are not limited to one each, and 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 is configured to be able to communicate with a server device 4, a first terminal device 5, and a second terminal device 6 via a network 70.

[0014] [1-1-2. Control configuration] Next, the control configuration will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 1 includes an air conditioning control device 10 and an air conditioning communication device 11. The air conditioning control device 10 includes an air conditioning processor 12 such as a CPU or MPU, an air conditioning memory 13, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0015] The air conditioning memory 13 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The air conditioning memory 13 stores a control program 14 and data to be processed by the air conditioning processor 12. The air conditioning memory 13 has a non-volatile storage area. The air conditioning memory 13 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the air conditioning processor 12. The air conditioning memory 13 is constituted by, for example, ROM or RAM.

[0016] The air conditioning processor 12 controls each part of the air conditioner 1 by reading and executing a control program 14 stored in the air conditioning memory 13. The air conditioning processor 12 acquires operating data of the air conditioner 1.

[0017] The air conditioning communication device 11 is capable of communicating with the server device 4 via a network 70. 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 4 via the network 70. The air conditioning control device 10 of the air conditioner 1 transmits operating data of the air conditioner 1 to the server device 4 via the air conditioning communication device 11 and the network 70.

[0018] Next, the configuration of the server device 4 will be described. The server device 4 includes a server control device 40 and a server communication device 41.

[0019] The server communication device 41 comprises hardware such as a communication circuit that complies with a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the air conditioning device 1, the first terminal device 5, and the second terminal device 6 under the control of the server control device 40.

[0020] The server control device 40 includes a server processor 42 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a server memory 43, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors. The server processor 42 includes an acquisition unit 44 that acquires operating data of the air conditioning device 1, a judgment unit 45 that determines whether or not a refrigerant is leaking based on the operating data acquired by the acquisition unit 44, and an alarm unit 46 that issues an alarm to the outside by voice or a display panel or the like when the judgment unit 45 determines that a refrigerant is leaking.

[0021] The server memory 43 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The server memory 43 stores the server program 47 and data to be processed by the server processor 42. The server memory 43 has a non-volatile storage area. The server memory 43 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the server processor 42. The server memory 43 is constituted by, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The server program 47 is a program that causes the server processor 42 to function as a refrigerant leakage diagnostic unit.

[0022] The server communication device 41 communicates with the air conditioner 1, the first terminal device 5, and the second terminal device 6 via the network 70.

[0023] The air conditioning control device 10 of the air conditioner 1 performs forced operation of the air conditioner 1 every first period (for example, every 24 hours). The air conditioning control device 10 acquires operating data of the air conditioner 1 and transmits it to the server device 4 via the air conditioning communication device 11 and the network 70. The acquisition unit 44 of the server processor 42 acquires the operating data sent from the air conditioner 1, and the determination unit 45 determines whether or not a refrigerant leaks based on the operating data acquired by the acquisition unit 44. Whether or not refrigerant is leaking is determined by comprehensively assessing, for example, the refrigerant discharge temperature of the compressor, the degree of refrigerant superheat or subcooling in the outdoor heat exchanger, the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve, and the like.

[0024] The first terminal device 5 is a terminal device used by a serviceman PM who diagnoses refrigerant leakage. The first terminal device 5 shown in FIG. 1 is a laptop computer, but may also be a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or a smartphone. As shown in FIG. 2, the first terminal device 5 is connected to a network 70 and communicates with the server device 4. The first terminal device 5 includes a first terminal control device 50 , a first terminal communication device 51 , a first terminal display 52 , and a first terminal input device 53 .

[0025] The first terminal communication device 51 includes hardware such as a communication circuit conforming to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the server device 4. The first terminal display 52 is configured with an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an OLED (Organic LED), etc. The first terminal display 52 may be an external device connected to the first terminal device 5. The first terminal input device 53 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 50.

[0026] The first terminal control device 50 includes a first terminal processor 54 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a first terminal memory 55, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0027] The first terminal memory 55 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The first terminal memory 55 stores the first terminal program 56 and data to be processed by the first terminal processor 54. The first terminal memory 55 has a non-volatile storage area. The first terminal memory 55 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the first terminal processor 54. The first terminal memory 55 is constituted by, for example, ROM or RAM.

[0028] The first terminal processor 54 functions as the first terminal communication device 51, the first terminal display 52 and the first terminal input device 53 by reading and executing the first terminal program 56 stored in the first terminal memory 55.

[0029] The first terminal device 5 communicates with the server device 4 via a first terminal communication device 51 and a network 70 . The first terminal device 5 displays the refrigerant leakage determination result on the first terminal display 52.

[0030] The second terminal device 6 is a terminal device used by a user P who uses the air conditioner 1 (including the owner or manager of the building in which the air conditioner 1 is installed). 1 is a laptop computer, but may be a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or a smartphone. The second terminal device 6 is connected to the network 70 and communicates with the server device 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the second terminal device 6 includes a second terminal control device 60, a second terminal communication device 61, a second terminal display 62, and a second terminal input device 63.

[0031] 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 4. The second terminal display 62 is configured with an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an OLED (Organic LED), etc. The second terminal display 62 may be an external device connected to the second terminal device 6. The second terminal input device 63 is connected to devices such as an operation switch, a touch input panel, a mouse, and a keyboard, detects input operations by the user P, and outputs the detection results to the second terminal control device 60.

[0032] The second terminal control device 60 comprises a second terminal processor 64 such as a CPU or MPU, a second terminal memory 65, and an interface circuit for connecting other devices and sensors.

[0033] The second terminal memory 65 is a storage device that stores programs and data. The second terminal memory 65 stores a second terminal program 66 and data to be processed by the second terminal processor 64. The second terminal memory 65 has a non-volatile storage area. The second terminal memory 65 also has a volatile storage area and constitutes a work area for the second terminal processor 64. The second terminal memory 65 is constituted by, for example, ROM or RAM.

[0034] The second terminal processor 64 functions as a second terminal communication device 61, a second terminal display 62, and a second terminal input device 63 by reading and executing a second terminal program 66 stored in a second terminal memory 65.

[0035] The second terminal device 6 communicates with the server device 4 via a second terminal communication device 61 and a network 70 . The second terminal device 6 displays the refrigerant leakage determination result on the second terminal display 62.

[0036] In this case, in this embodiment, the determination unit 45 of the server device 4 determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leak based on the operating data within the first period, and the determination result is notified by the notification unit 46. The refrigerant leak diagnosis result is transmitted to the first terminal device 5 and the second terminal device 6 via the network 70, and is displayed on the first terminal display 52 of the first terminal device 5 and the second terminal display 62 of the second terminal device 6, respectively. In the following, when the term "notification" is used, it includes notification by the notification unit 46 of the server device 4, display by the first terminal display 52 of the first terminal device 5, and display by the second terminal display 62 of the second terminal device 6.

[0037] In this case, when determining whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, if the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak and it is not possible to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, the system is configured not to perform forced operation again, and to notify the user of the previous determination result as the current determination result.

[0038] Furthermore, if the previous judgment result was "refrigerant leakage," the air conditioning processor 12 forces the air conditioning device 1 to operate and sends the operating data to the server device 4, and the judgment unit 45 of the server device 4 judges whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the operating data from the forced operation and notifies the judgment result. In this case, even if the previous determination result is "refrigerant leakage," the determination unit 45 may notify the previous determination result as it is. If the previous judgment result was "refrigerant leakage," it is possible that the service technician PM will check the details of the operating data and determine for himself whether or not refrigerant is leaking. Therefore, even if the previous judgment result of "refrigerant leakage" is reported, it is considered that there is no need for the service technician PM to go to the site.

[0039] Furthermore, if a serviceman PM goes to the site and refills the refrigerant after a refrigerant leakage determination result is obtained, the fact that the refrigerant has been refilled may be recorded. When the service technician PM refills the refrigerant, the service technician PM operates the management system in the server device 4 and the air conditioner 1 to notify them of the refill. Therefore, the refrigerant refill may be recorded in the air conditioning memory 13 of the air conditioner 1, or in the server memory 43 of the server device 4.

[0040] If it is recorded that the refrigerant has been refilled, the judgment unit 45 judges that there is a "refrigerant leak" before the refrigerant has been refilled, and if it is not possible to judge that there is a refrigerant leak after the refrigerant has been refilled, the judgment unit 45 does not perform forced operation, does not report the previous judgment result of "refrigerant leak", but reports that the condition is "normal". Since the amount of refrigerant is likely to be normal immediately after refrigerant charging, by displaying "normal" without forcible operation, it is possible to make a reasonable judgment while preventing a loss of energy saving performance.

[0041] Furthermore, within a predetermined period (for example, two weeks) after refrigerant filling, even if it is not possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak after refrigerant refilling, forced operation will not be performed and a message will be displayed indicating that the condition is "normal." Since the amount of refrigerant is likely to be normal immediately after refrigerant is charged, if a judgment cannot be made during the specified period, the amount of refrigerant is displayed as "normal" without forcible operation, thereby preventing a loss of energy-saving performance and making a reasonable judgment.

[0042] If the amount of operating data is insufficient to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred and the refrigerant leak cannot be determined, data suitable for determining whether a refrigerant leak has occurred may be extracted from the operating data from the previous or previous session, and the refrigerant leak determination may be performed using this data. Data suitable for determining whether a refrigerant leak has occurred may be, for example, data showing a high operating load.

[0043] Furthermore, if the amount of data required to determine whether a refrigerant leak exists is insufficient for the operating data from the first period, the operating data may be combined with the operating data from the second period, and a determination of whether a refrigerant leak exists may be made based on the history of the combined operating data without performing forced operation. In this case, if it is not possible to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak using the combined operating data from the previous time or earlier, the air conditioning device 1 may be forced to operate, and the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak may be determined based on the operating data obtained by the forced operation.

[0044] Furthermore, if the driving data acquired within the second period cannot be combined with the driving data of the first period, the driving data of the first period and the driving data of the second period are not combined. For example, in the case of an intermediate season, when the air conditioner 1 was in cooling operation the previous day and in heating operation the current day, the operating data for cooling operation and the operating data for heating operation are not combined. In this case, it may be possible to determine whether or not the respective operating data can be combined based on the outside temperature, etc.

[0045] Furthermore, if the amount of operating data required to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak is insufficient when making the current determination, and a predetermined period of time (e.g., several months) has passed between the previous determination and the current determination, the previous determination result may not be notified, and a forced operation may be performed to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak. For example, if the equipment has not been operated for a certain period of time, such as if the breaker for the equipment has tripped, there is a risk of an erroneous judgment if the operating data of the air conditioning device 1 obtained last time is used.

[0046] Furthermore, when it is not possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak and the previous determination result is to be notified, the first terminal device 5 and the second terminal device 6 may be configured to notify different information. For example, the first terminal device 5 is notified so that it is clear that the current determination result is the previous determination result, and the second terminal device 6 is notified so that it is not clear that the current determination result is the previous determination result. The notification from the first terminal device 5 is sent to the serviceman PM, so by notifying the serviceman PM in a way that makes it clear that the current judgment result is the previous judgment result, the serviceman PM can go to the site, check the refrigerant condition, and take necessary measures such as refilling the refrigerant.

[0047] [1-2. Operation] Next, the operation of the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation according to the first embodiment.

[0048] First, the air conditioning control device 10 performs forced operation of the air conditioner 1 for each first period (SA1). The air conditioning control device 10 acquires operating data of the air conditioner 1 and transmits it to the server device 4 via the air conditioning communication device 11 and the network 70 (SA2). The acquisition unit 44 of the server processor 42 acquires the operating data sent from the air conditioner 1 (SA3).

[0049] The determination unit 45 determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leak based on the operating data acquired by the acquisition unit 44 (SA4). If it is possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak based on the operating data (SA5: YES), the result of the determination of whether there is a refrigerant leak is notified based on the currently acquired operating data (SA6).

[0050] On the other hand, if there is insufficient operating data and it is not possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak (SA5: NO), it is determined whether the previous determination result was "refrigerant leak" (SA7). If it is determined that the previous judgment result was not "refrigerant leakage" (SA7: NO), it is determined whether refrigerant charging has occurred (SA8), and if refrigerant charging has not occurred (SA8: NO), the previous judgment result is reported, or the judgment result taking other operating data into consideration is reported (SA9).

[0051] If the previous determination result was "refrigerant leakage" (SA7: YES), the air conditioning apparatus 1 is forced to operate (SA10) and new operating data is acquired (SA11). The determination unit 45 determines whether there is a refrigerant leakage based on the newly acquired operating data (SA12) and notifies the determination result (SA13). If refrigerant has been charged (SA18: YES), the system is determined to be "normal" and notified accordingly (SA14).

[0052] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As explained above, the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 in embodiment 1 includes a server control device 40 (control device) that acquires operating data of the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device) during the first period and determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the operating data, and if the amount of operating data during the first period is insufficient to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage and the server control device 40 is unable to make a determination, it reports the previous determination result as the current determination result. According to this, if the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak and a determination cannot be made, the previous determination result can be notified, thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0053] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leak determination system 100 of embodiment 1, if the previous determination result is "refrigerant leak," the server control device 40 (control device) forcibly operates the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device), determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leak based on the operating data from the forced operation, and notifies the determination result. According to this, if the previous judgment result was "refrigerant leakage," even if the amount of data required to judge refrigerant leakage is insufficient for judgment in the current operation data, the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage can be accurately judged by performing forced operation.

[0054] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leak determination system 100 of embodiment 1, the server control device 40 (control device) records that the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device) has been refilled with refrigerant, and if the determination before the refrigerant refill determines that there is a "refrigerant leak" and the determination after the refrigerant refill determines that it is not possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak, the server control device 40 does not report the previous determination result but reports that it is "normal." According to this, when the refrigerant is refilled, the previous judgment result is not reported, but rather "normal," thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0055] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 of embodiment 1, if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous determination was made until the current determination is made and it becomes impossible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leakage this time, the server control device 40 (control device) does not notify the result of the previous determination, but instead forces the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device) to operate and acquires operating data. According to this, if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous judgment was made and it becomes impossible to judge whether or not there is a refrigerant leak this time, forced operation can be performed to accurately judge whether or not there is a refrigerant leak.

[0056] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leak determination system 100 of embodiment 1, the server control device 40 (control device) records that the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device) has been refilled with refrigerant, and if the determination before the refrigerant refill determines that there is a "refrigerant leak" and the determination after the refrigerant refill determines that it is not possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak, the server control device 40 does not report the previous determination result but reports that it is "normal." According to this, when the refrigerant is refilled, the previous judgment result is not reported, but rather "normal," thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0057] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 of embodiment 1, if it is within a predetermined period of time since the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device) was refilled with refrigerant and it is determined that a refrigerant leakage determination cannot be made, the server control device 40 (control device) does not report the previous determination result but reports "normal." According to this, for a predetermined period after the refrigerant is refilled, the previous judgment result is not reported, but rather "normal," thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0058] In addition, in the refrigerant leak determination system 100 of embodiment 1, when it is determined that the amount of data required for determining whether or not a refrigerant leak exists is insufficient for the operating data from a first period and therefore the server control device 40 (control device) is unable to determine whether or not a refrigerant leak exists, the server control device 40 determines whether or not a refrigerant leak exists based on the operating data from a second period that is earlier than the first period. According to this, when there is a shortage of operating data in the first period, by using operating data in the second period, it is possible to prevent forced operation and prevent a loss of energy efficiency.

[0059] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 of embodiment 1, when the server control device 40 (control device) is unable to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage, it extracts operating data suitable for determining whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage from the operating data prior to the previous time, and uses that operating data to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage. According to this, when it is not possible to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, the refrigerant leak determination can be performed using the operating data from the previous or previous period that is suitable for determining whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, thereby preventing forced operation and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0060] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 of embodiment 1, if the server control device 40 (control device) determines that although operating data for a first period has been acquired, the amount of data required to determine a refrigerant leakage is insufficient, it combines the operating data with operating data for a second period and determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the combined operating data. According to this, if the amount of operating data in the first period is insufficient, it is combined with the operating data in the second period, and a refrigerant leak is determined based on the combined operating data, thereby preventing forced operation and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0061] Furthermore, in the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 of embodiment 1, when the server control device 40 (control device) is unable to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage even when the operating data from the first period and the second period are combined, it forces the air conditioning device 1 (refrigerant cycle device) to operate, and determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the operating data obtained by the forced operation. According to this, even when the operating data from the first period and the second period are combined, if it becomes impossible to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, forced operation can be performed to accurately determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak.

[0062] In addition, in the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 in embodiment 1, if the operating data acquired within the second period cannot be combined with the operating data of the first period, the server control device 40 (control device) does not combine the operating data of the first period with the operating data of the second period. According to this, if the operating data cannot be combined with the operating data from the first period and the operating data from the second period, the operating data is not combined, thereby making it possible to suppress erroneous determination of refrigerant leakage.

[0063] In addition, the refrigerant leakage determination system 100 in embodiment 1 is capable of communicating with a server control device 40 (control device) and is equipped with a first terminal device 5 carried by the serviceman PM and a second terminal device 6 carried by the user P, and when the server control device 40 is in a state where it is unable to determine whether there is a refrigerant leakage and reports the previous determination result, the information reported by the first terminal device 5 and the second terminal device 6 is different. According to this, by differentiating the information notified between the first terminal device 5 and the second terminal device 6, it is possible to notify necessary information to the person carrying the first terminal device 5 and the person carrying the second terminal device 6. Therefore, it is possible to improve convenience.

[0064] (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.

[0065] In the first embodiment described above, the air conditioner 1 is used as an example of the refrigerant cycle apparatus, but the refrigerant cycle apparatus is not limited to this. The refrigerant cycle apparatus may be a showcase, a refrigerator, a freezer, or the like, as long as it performs heat exchange via a refrigerant.

[0066] Furthermore, as an index for determining whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, for example, the determination may be made based on the probability of refrigerant leak, or AI may be used.

[0067] Furthermore, the configurations of the air conditioning apparatus 1, first terminal device 5, second terminal device 6, and server device 4 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 configure the system so that the functions of each unit are realized by a single processor executing a program. Also, some of the functions realized by software in the above-mentioned embodiments may be realized by hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be realized by software. For example, in embodiment 1, a server device 4 is provided, and the acquisition unit 44 and judgment unit 45 of the server device 4 are configured to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak. However, for example, the acquisition unit 44 and judgment unit 45 may be provided in the air conditioning control device 10 of the air conditioning device 1, and the air conditioning control device 10 may determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, and the air conditioning control device 10 may communicate this to the first terminal device 5 and the second terminal device 6.

[0068] (Addendum) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0069] (Technology 1) A refrigerant leak determination system for a refrigerant cycle device that determines the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak based on operating data history for each first period, the refrigerant leak determination system comprising a control device that acquires operating data of the refrigerant cycle device during the first period and determines the presence or absence of a refrigerant leak based on the operating data, and when the amount of operating data during the first period is insufficient to determine a refrigerant leak and the control device is unable to make a determination, the control device reports the result of the previous determination as the result of this determination. According to this configuration, if the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak and a determination cannot be made, the previous determination result can be notified, thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0070] (Technology 2) The refrigerant leakage determination system described in Technology 1, wherein if the previous determination result is "refrigerant leakage," the control device forcibly operates the refrigerant cycle device, determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the operating data from the forced operation, and notifies the determination result. According to this configuration, if the previous judgment result was "refrigerant leakage," even if the current operating data is insufficient to determine whether there is a refrigerant leakage and therefore the judgment cannot be made, the presence or absence of a refrigerant leakage can be accurately determined by performing forced operation.

[0071] (Technology 3) The control device records that the refrigerant has been refilled into the refrigerant cycle device, and if the determination before the refrigerant was refilled determined to be a "refrigerant leak" and the determination after the refrigerant was refilled determines that the state is such that a refrigerant leak cannot be determined, the control device does not report the previous determination result but reports "normal." This is a refrigerant leakage determination system described in Technology 1 or Technology 2. According to this configuration, when the refrigerant is refilled, the previous judgment result is not reported, but rather "normal," thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0072] (Technology 4) A refrigerant leakage determination system according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 3, wherein if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous determination was made and the current determination is made, and it is no longer possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leakage, the control device does not notify the result of the previous determination, but instead forces the refrigerant cycle device to operate and acquires operating data. According to this configuration, if a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous judgment was made and it is no longer possible to make a judgment on refrigerant leakage this time, forced operation can be performed to accurately determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage.

[0073] (Technology 5) The refrigerant leakage determination system according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 4, wherein the control device records that the refrigerant has been refilled into the refrigerant cycle device, and if the determination before the refrigerant was refilled determined to be a "refrigerant leak" and the determination after the refrigerant was refilled determines that the refrigerant leak cannot be determined, the control device does not report the previous determination result but reports "normal." According to this configuration, when the refrigerant is refilled, the previous judgment result is not reported, but rather "normal," thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0074] (Technology 6) In the refrigerant leakage determination system described in Technology 5, if it is within a predetermined period of time since the refrigerant cycle device was refilled with refrigerant and it is determined that the control device is in a state where it is not possible to determine whether there is a refrigerant leakage, the control device does not report the previous determination result but reports ``normal.'' According to this configuration, for a predetermined period after the refrigerant is refilled, the previous judgment result is not reported, but rather "normal," thereby preventing forced operation from being performed again and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0075] (Technology 7) The refrigerant leakage determination system according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 6, wherein when the control device determines that the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether or not a refrigerant leakage exists and that the control device is unable to determine whether or not a refrigerant leakage exists, the control device determines whether or not a refrigerant leakage exists based on operating data within a second period that is earlier than the first period. According to this configuration, when there is a shortage of operating data in the first period, the operating data in the second period can be used to prevent forced operation, thereby preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0076] (Technology 8) In the refrigerant leakage detection system described in Technology 7, when the control device is unable to determine whether a refrigerant leakage exists, it extracts operating data from the operating data up to the previous time that is suitable for determining whether a refrigerant leakage exists, and uses that operating data to determine whether a refrigerant leakage exists. According to this configuration, when it is not possible to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, the determination of whether a refrigerant leak has occurred can be made using the operating data from the previous or previous operation that is suitable for determining whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, thereby preventing forced operation and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0077] (Technology 9) The refrigerant leakage detection system described in Technology 7, wherein, when the control device determines that the amount of data acquired during the first period is insufficient to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage, it combines the acquired operating data with the operating data during the second period and determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the combined operating data. According to this configuration, if the amount of operating data in the first period is insufficient, the operating data is combined with the operating data in the second period, and a refrigerant leak is determined based on the combined operating data, thereby preventing forced operation and preventing a loss of energy efficiency.

[0078] (Technology 10) The refrigerant leakage determination system described in Technology 9, wherein when the control device is unable to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage even when the operating data from the first period and the second period are combined, the control device forcibly operates the refrigerant cycle device and determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage based on the operating data obtained by the forced operation. According to this configuration, even when the operating data from the first period and the second period are combined, if it becomes impossible to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak, forced operation can be performed to accurately determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak.

[0079] (Technology 11) In the refrigerant leakage determination system described in Technology 9, if the operating data acquired within the second period cannot be combined with the operating data of the first period, the control device does not combine the operating data of the first period with the operating data of the second period. According to this configuration, if the operating data cannot be combined with the operating data from the first period and the operating data from the second period, the operating data is not combined, thereby making it possible to suppress erroneous determination of refrigerant leakage.

[0080] (Technology 12) A refrigerant leak determination system according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 11, comprising a first terminal device capable of communicating with the control device and carried by a serviceman, and a second terminal device carried by a user, wherein the control device is in a state where it is unable to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, and when reporting the previous determination result, the information reported by the first terminal device and the second terminal device is different. According to this configuration, by differentiating the information notified by the first terminal device and the second terminal device, it is possible to notify necessary information to a person carrying the first terminal device and a person carrying the second terminal device, thereby improving convenience. [Industrial Applicability]

[0081] As described above, the refrigerant leakage detection system according to the present invention can be suitably used as a refrigerant leakage detection system that can reduce the number of forced operations and improve energy saving performance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Air conditioning equipment 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 4. Server equipment 5. First terminal device 6 Second terminal device 10 Air conditioning control device 11 Air conditioning communication equipment 12 Air Conditioning Processor 13 Air conditioning memory 14 Control Program 40 Server control device 41 Server communication device 42 Server Processors 43 Server Memory 44 Acquisition Department 45 Judgment section 46 Information Department 47 Server Program 50 First terminal control device 51 First terminal communication device 52 First terminal display 53 First terminal input device 54 First Terminal Processor 55 First Terminal Memory 56 Terminal 1 Program 60 Second terminal control device 61 Second terminal communication device 62 Second terminal display 63 Second terminal input device 64 Second Terminal Processor 65 Second terminal memory 66 Second Terminal Program 70 Network 100 Refrigerant leak detection system PM Serviceman P User

Claims

1. A refrigerant leakage determination system for a refrigerant cycle device that determines whether or not a refrigerant leakage exists based on a history of operating data for each first period, a control device that acquires operation data of the refrigerant cycle device during the first period and determines whether or not a refrigerant leaks based on the operation data; When the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred and the determination cannot be made, the control device notifies the user of the previous determination result as the current determination result. Refrigerant leak detection system.

2. When the previous determination result is "refrigerant leakage," the control device forcibly operates the refrigerant cycle device, determining whether or not there is a refrigerant leak based on the operation data from the forced operation and notifying the result of the determination; The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 1 .

3. The control device records that the refrigerant has been recharged into the refrigerant cycle device, and if the determination before the refrigerant recharge determined that there was a "refrigerant leak" and the determination after the refrigerant recharge determined that there was a state in which it was not possible to determine whether there was a refrigerant leak, the control device does not report the previous determination result but reports that the state is "normal." The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 1 .

4. If a certain period of time has passed since the previous judgment and the current judgment is made, and it is no longer possible to make a judgment on refrigerant leakage this time, the control device does not notify the previous determination result, but forcibly operates the refrigerant cycle device, and acquires operation data. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 1 .

5. The control device records that the refrigerant has been recharged into the refrigerant cycle device, and if the determination before the refrigerant recharge determined that there was a "refrigerant leak" and the determination after the refrigerant recharge determined that there was an inability to determine that there was a refrigerant leak, the control device does not report the previous determination result but reports that the condition is "normal." The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 1 .

6. If a predetermined period has passed since the refrigerant cycle device was refilled with refrigerant and it is determined that the control device is in a state where refrigerant leakage cannot be determined, the control device does not notify the previous determination result but instead notifies "normal." The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 5.

7. When it is determined that the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether or not a refrigerant leak has occurred and the control device is in a state where the amount of operating data within the first period is insufficient to determine whether or not a refrigerant leak has occurred, the control device determines whether or not a refrigerant leak has occurred based on operating data within a second period that is earlier than the first period. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 1 .

8. When the control device is in a state where it is unable to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, the control device extracts operating data suitable for determining whether a refrigerant leak has occurred from the operating data up to the last time, and determines whether a refrigerant leak has occurred using the operating data. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 7.

9. When the control device determines that the amount of data acquired during the first period is insufficient to determine whether a refrigerant leak has occurred, the control device combines the acquired operating data with the operating data during the second period and determines whether a refrigerant leak has occurred based on the combined operating data. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 7.

10. When the control device is unable to determine whether or not there is a refrigerant leak even when the operation data from the first period and the second period are combined, the control device performs a forced operation of the refrigerant cycle device, and determines whether or not there is a refrigerant leak based on the operation data acquired by the forced operation. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 9.

11. If the operating data acquired within the second period cannot be combined with the operating data of the first period, the control device does not combine the operating data of the first period with the operating data of the second period. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 9.

12. a first terminal device that is capable of communicating with the control device and that is carried by a service person, and a second terminal device that is carried by a user; When the control device is in a state where it is unable to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak and notifies the previous determination result, the control device differentiates the information to be notified between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The refrigerant leakage detection system according to claim 1 .

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