Air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of both securing safety and curbing deterioration of a coolant detection sensor.SOLUTION: An air conditioner comprises: a coolant shut-off valve 49 which closes when a coolant detection sensor 50 detects a coolant; and a control section 60 which controls the coolant shut-off valve 49. When the coolant shut-off valve 49 is closed due to a reason other than the detection of the coolant with the coolant detection sensor 50, the control section 60 stops energization of the coolant detection sensor 50 or alternately repeats energization and de-energization of the coolant detection sensor 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner capable of suppressing deterioration over time of a semiconductor refrigerant detection sensor. This air conditioner includes a semiconductor type first refrigerant detection sensor that detects refrigerant leakage in a heated state by a built-in heater, a second refrigerant detection sensor that detects refrigerant leakage in a non-heated state, and a control unit that controls the operations of the first refrigerant detection sensor and the second refrigerant detection sensor. The control unit heats and operates the first refrigerant detection sensor during operation of the air conditioner and for a certain period immediately after the operation stops, and operates the second refrigerant detection sensor and controls not to heat the first refrigerant detection sensor during the stop of the air conditioner.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides an air conditioner capable of achieving both ensuring safety and suppressing deterioration of a refrigerant detection sensor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes a refrigerant shut-off valve that closes when the refrigerant detection sensor detects refrigerant, and a control unit that controls the refrigerant shut-off valve. When the refrigerant shut-off valve is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor, the control unit stops energization of the refrigerant detection sensor, or alternately repeats energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection sensor. and a control unit that controls the refrigerant shut-off valve. an indoor heat exchanger, The control unit stops energization of the refrigerant detection sensor, or alternately repeats energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection sensor when the refrigerant shut-off valve is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor.and when the control unit is in an operating state where refrigerant does not circulate through the indoor heat exchanger, the control unit closes the refrigerant shut-off valve and stops energizing the refrigerant detection sensor, or alternately repeats energizing and de-energizing the refrigerant detection sensor.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] When the refrigerant shut-off valve of the air conditioner in the present disclosure is closed and the refrigerant flowing into the indoor unit is blocked, the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor is stopped, or the energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection sensor are alternately repeated, thereby reducing the energization time of the refrigerant detection sensor. As a result, it is possible to achieve both ensuring safety and suppressing deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] (Knowledge, etc. on which the present disclosure is based) When the inventors arrived at the idea of the present disclosure, in the technical field of air conditioners, the switch from refrigerants using chlorofluorocarbons was progressing in order to address environmental issues, and it was necessary to use slightly flammable or flammable refrigerants. Therefore, in this industry, as an issue such as the occurrence of a fire due to refrigerant leakage into the room, a refrigerant detection sensor and a shut-off valve that is closed when the refrigerant detection sensor detects refrigerant leakage are provided, and it was common to design a product to suppress the inflow of refrigerant into the room. In addition, the refrigerant detection sensor used here was generally in an energized state at all times, and had a problem that the refrigerant detection sensor deteriorated due to an increase in the total energization time. Under such circumstances, the inventors obtained the idea of suppressing the deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor by creating a time when the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor is stopped. And the inventors discovered that there was a problem that it was necessary to ensure safety when the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor was stopped in order to realize that idea, and in order to solve that problem, they came to configure the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0009] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air conditioner capable of achieving both ensuring safety and suppressing deterioration of a refrigerant detection sensor.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, a detailed description of well-known matters or a redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description overly redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that 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.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an indoor unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1.

[0012] [1-1. Configuration] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air conditioner 1 in the present embodiment includes an indoor unit 5. The indoor unit 5 includes a box-shaped housing 10. The housing 10 includes a top plate 11 and a bottom plate 12. The left side of the housing 10 in FIG. 1 is a blower chamber 13, and the right side of the housing 10 in FIG. 1 is a heat exchanger chamber 14 that houses the indoor heat exchanger 20. The blower chamber 13 and the heat exchanger chamber 14 are partitioned by a partition wall 15.

[0013] An air inlet 16 for taking in indoor air is provided behind the blower chamber 13, and a plurality (three in the present embodiment) of scroll casings 31 that house sirocco fans 30 are provided inside the blower chamber 13. An air outlet 17 is provided on the front side of the indoor heat exchanger 20 in the heat exchanger chamber 14.

[0014] The scroll casing 31 is formed at both ends of the scroll casing 31, and includes a fan opening 32 that sucks in air flowing in from the air inlet 16 due to the rotation of the sirocco fan 30, and an air duct 33 that discharges the air sucked from the fan opening 32 toward the heat exchanger chamber 14. An electric motor 34 is provided between the scroll casings 31. The electric motor 34 is connected to the rotation shaft 35 of the sirocco fan 30 and rotationally drives the sirocco fan 30.

[0015] The sirocco fan 30 is a centrifugal fan. Due to the operation of the sirocco fan 30, air is sucked in from the air inlet 16, flows into the inside of the scroll casing 31 from the direction of the rotation shaft 35 through the fan opening 32, is blown out from the air duct 33 to the indoor heat exchanger 20, and the conditioned air heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 20 is discharged into the room from the air outlet 17. A drain pan 21 is disposed at the lower part of the indoor heat exchanger 20 housed in the heat exchanger chamber 14 in FIG. 1.

[0016] Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, in the heat exchanger chamber 14, a first partition plate 23 is provided to partition the heat exchange region 22 of the indoor heat exchanger 20 and a pipe connection region where the liquid refrigerant pipe 47 and the gas refrigerant pipe 48 from the outdoor unit 40 (see FIG. 3) are connected at one end side of the indoor heat exchanger 20. The pipe connection region is the first region 24. Also, in the heat exchanger chamber 14, a second partition plate 25 is provided to partition the heat exchange region 22 and a bend portion region where the refrigerant pipe of the indoor heat exchanger 20 is folded back at the other end side of the indoor heat exchanger 20. The bend portion region is the second region 26.

[0017] In the present embodiment, a refrigerant detection sensor 50 for detecting refrigerant leakage is disposed in the first region 24. The refrigerant detection sensor 50 is a semiconductor refrigerant detection sensor that detects when refrigerant leaks into the room from the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner 1. The refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect the leaked refrigerant when it is energized, and when it detects the leaked refrigerant, it transmits a refrigerant detection signal to the control unit 60 (see FIG. 4).

[0018] [1-2. Configuration of Air Conditioner] Next, the configuration of the air conditioner will be described. FIG. 3 is a refrigeration cycle diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner. As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 40 and an indoor unit 5. The outdoor unit 40 houses a compressor 41, a four-way valve 42 for switching the refrigerant flow path, an outdoor heat exchanger 43, an outdoor fan 44, and an outdoor throttling device 45. The compressor 41, the four-way valve 42, the outdoor heat exchanger 43, and the outdoor throttling device 45 are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe 46.

[0019] The indoor unit 5 houses an indoor heat exchanger 20, an indoor throttling device 27, and a sirocco fan 30, respectively. The indoor heat exchanger 20 and the indoor throttling device 27 are connected via a refrigerant pipe 28. The compressor 41 of the outdoor unit 40 and the indoor heat exchanger 20 of the indoor unit 5 are connected by a liquid refrigerant pipe 47 and a gas refrigerant pipe 48. Near the indoor unit 5 of the liquid refrigerant pipe 47 and the gas refrigerant pipe 48, refrigerant shut-off valves 49 are provided respectively. The refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is a shut-off valve that is controlled by the control unit 60 to be at least in an open state and a closed state, and is arranged in a pipe near the outside of the housing 10. When the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is in the closed state, the refrigerant cannot pass through the refrigerant shut-off valve 49, and when the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is in the open state, the refrigerant can pass through the refrigerant shut-off valve 49.

[0020] [1-3. Control Configuration] Next, the control configuration of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioner 1 includes a control unit 60. The control unit 60 includes, for example, a processor that executes programs such as a CPU and an MPU, and memories such as a ROM and a RAM. The processor reads out the control program stored in the memory and executes processing, and various processes are executed by the cooperation of hardware and software.

[0021] The control unit 60 controls the compressor 41, the outdoor throttle device 45, the outdoor fan 44, the sirocco fan 30 of the indoor unit 5, and the indoor throttle device 27 of the outdoor unit 40 based on a control program. The control unit 60 performs opening and closing control of the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 and the indoor throttle device 27 based on the detection signals of the refrigerant detection sensors 50 of each indoor unit 5.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the control unit 60 determines whether the room temperature by the room temperature sensor 51 has reached the set temperature. When the set temperature is reached, the compressor 41 is stopped, and a thermo-off operation for driving the sirocco fan 30 is executed.

[0023] [1-4. Operation] Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. During the cooling or heating operation of the air conditioner 1, the control unit 60 drives the electric motor 34 to rotationally drive the sirocco fan 30. As a result, air is sucked in from the suction port 16, and this air flows into the interior of the scroll casing 31 from the direction of the rotary shaft 35 through the fan opening 32, is blown out from the air duct 33 to the indoor heat exchanger 20, and the conditioned air that has undergone heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 20 is discharged from the blowout port 17.

[0024] During the cooling or heating operation of the air conditioner 1, the refrigerant is circulating in the indoor heat exchanger 20 and its surroundings, which are locations where refrigerant leakage is likely to occur indoors. Therefore, at this time, the control unit 60 controls the refrigerant detection sensor 50 to be energized so that the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect refrigerant leakage.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a flowchart regarding the control when the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 of the air conditioner 1 closes. As shown in FIG. 5, when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 detects refrigerant leakage during the cooling or heating operation of the air conditioner 1, the refrigerant detection sensor 50 transmits a refrigerant detection signal to the control unit 60 (SA1: Yes).

[0026] When the control unit 60 receives the refrigerant detection signal, the control unit 60 closes the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 (SA3). As a result, the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 20 is blocked, and the refrigerant leakage amount is suppressed. At this time, the control unit 60 may be configured to stop the compressor 41 as needed. Thereafter, the control unit 60 ends the operation while keeping the refrigerant detection sensor 50 energized (SA5).

[0027] In the present embodiment, even when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 does not detect refrigerant leakage (SA1: No), when the indoor heat exchanger 20 is in an operating state where refrigerant circulation is not performed, the control unit 60 may close the refrigerant shut-off valve 49. Specifically, when the air conditioner 1 receives an operation stop signal, during the blowing operation, or during the thermo-off operation (SA2: Yes), the control unit 60 closes the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 (SA4). As a result, since the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 20 is blocked, even if refrigerant leaks indoors thereafter, the amount of refrigerant leaking indoors can be suppressed. Therefore, even if the refrigerant detection sensor 50 does not continuously monitor for refrigerant leakage, it becomes easier to ensure indoor safety. Therefore, after closing the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 (SA4), the control unit 60 stops the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50 (SA6) and ends the operation. That is, when the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor 50, the control unit 60 stops the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50. Here, instead of stopping the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50, it may be controlled to alternately repeat the power supply and non-power supply of the refrigerant detection sensor 50.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control when the air conditioner 1 starts operation. In the present embodiment, when the air conditioner 1 is stopped, as described above, the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is in a closed state, and the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is in a non-powered state.

[0029] In this state, when the control unit 60 receives a signal to start the cooling or heating operation (SB1: Yes), the control unit 60 starts the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50 (SB2). After the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is started, it takes a predetermined time until the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect refrigerant leakage. In particular, the semiconductor sensor used in the present embodiment takes several tens of seconds to several minutes from the start of power supply until refrigerant can be detected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, after starting the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 (SB2), it waits until the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect refrigerant leakage (SB3), and then opens the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 (SB4) to end the operation start operation. This suppresses the inflow of refrigerant into the indoor heat exchanger 20 when the refrigerant leakage cannot be detected by the refrigerant detection sensor 50.

[0030] [1-5. Effects, etc.] As described above, in the present embodiment, the air conditioner 1 includes a refrigerant shut-off valve 49 that closes when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 detects refrigerant, and a control unit 60 that controls the refrigerant shut-off valve 49. When the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor 50, the control unit 60 stops the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50. Thereby, the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 shuts off the inflow of refrigerant into the indoor heat exchanger 20, and the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be stopped only when there is little possibility of a large amount of refrigerant leaking into the room. Therefore, while suppressing the risk of refrigerant leakage, the energization time of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be reduced, and the deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be suppressed.

[0031] As in the present embodiment, the control unit 60 may be configured to stop the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 after closing the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 when the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor 50. Thereby, after the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 shuts off the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 20, the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is stopped, and the refrigerant leakage can always be monitored by the refrigerant detection sensor 50 while the refrigerant is flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 20. Therefore, the deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be suppressed while enhancing safety.

[0032] As in the present embodiment, when the control unit 60 changes the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 from the closed state to the open state, it may be configured to start the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 and then open the refrigerant shut-off valve 49. As a result, the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is prevented from opening when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is not energized. Therefore, the air conditioner 1 can be operated safely.

[0033] As in this embodiment, when the control unit 60 changes the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 from the closed state to the open state, it may be configured to start energizing the refrigerant detection sensor 50, and after a period of time during which the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect the refrigerant has elapsed, open the refrigerant shut-off valve 49. As a result, the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is prevented from opening when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 cannot detect the refrigerant. Therefore, the air conditioner 1 can be operated more safely.

[0034] As in this embodiment, when the control unit 60 closes the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 detects refrigerant leakage, it may be configured to continue energizing the refrigerant detection sensor 50. As a result, when the refrigerant detection sensor 50 detects refrigerant, which is more dangerous than normal, the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is closed to block the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 20, and the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is continued. Therefore, safety is further improved.

[0035] As in this embodiment, the control unit 60 may be configured to close the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 at least in any one of the cases when the air-conditioning operation is stopped, the blowing operation is performed, or the thermo-off operation is performed. According to this configuration, when the operation is stopped, during the thermo-off operation, or during the blowing operation, the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 blocks the inflow of refrigerant into the indoor heat exchanger 20, reducing the possibility of a large amount of refrigerant leaking into the room, and the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be stopped. Therefore, while ensuring safety, deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0036] (Other embodiments) As described above, as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application, Embodiment 1 has been described. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to embodiments with changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. Further, it is also possible to combine the elements described in Embodiment 1 above to form a new embodiment. Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

[0037] In Embodiment 1, it was described that the air conditioner 1 includes the refrigerant detection sensor 50 inside the housing 10. The arrangement of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 may be any arrangement that can detect the leaked refrigerant. Therefore, the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is not limited to being arranged inside the housing 10. For example, the refrigerant detection sensor 50 may be provided separately from the air conditioner 1 in the room to be air-conditioned.

[0038] In Embodiment 1, as an example of the refrigerant detection sensor 50, a semiconductor type sensor was described. The refrigerant detection sensor 50 may be any sensor that can detect the refrigerant leaked during energization. Therefore, the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is not limited to a semiconductor type sensor. For example, an infrared type sensor may be used as the refrigerant detection sensor 50.

[0039] In Embodiment 1, it was described that the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 is arranged in the piping near the outside of the housing 10. The refrigerant cutoff valve 49 may be arranged so that it can cut off the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 20 when the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 is closed. Therefore, the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 is not limited to being arranged in the piping near the outside of the housing 10. For example, the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 may be provided inside the housing 10. Further, the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 may be provided on the connection piping connecting the indoor heat exchanger 20 and the external piping.

[0040] In Embodiment 1, the air conditioner 1 was described as having an air outlet 17 at the front. However, the air conditioner 1 to which the technology of the present disclosure is applicable is not limited to the one having an air outlet 17 at the front. For example, it is applicable to any air conditioner as long as refrigerant flows into an air conditioner arranged indoors or near the indoors, such as a ceiling cassette type including a four-way ceiling cassette type, a wall-mounted type, a floor-standing type, etc.

[0041] In Embodiment 1, when the air conditioner 1 starts operating from the stopped state, it was described that the control unit 60 energizes the refrigerant detection sensor 50, and after the time until the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect the refrigerant has elapsed, the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 is opened. This operation can be applied to an operation including the operation of opening the refrigerant cutoff valve 49, and thus is not limited to being performed when starting the operation of the air conditioner 1 from the stopped state. For example, when the indoor heat exchanger 20 shifts from the thermo-off operation or the air supply operation to the cooling or heating operation, the control unit 60 may energize the refrigerant detection sensor 50, and after the time until the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can detect the refrigerant has elapsed, the refrigerant cutoff valve 49 may be opened.

[0042] In Embodiment 1, the configuration in which the air conditioner includes one indoor unit was described, but the present invention is also applicable to a configuration including a plurality of indoor units. In this case, when refrigerant is circulating in one indoor unit among the plurality of indoor units and not circulating in the other indoor units, it is preferable that the refrigerant cutoff valve is closed and the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor is stopped for the indoor unit in which the refrigerant is not circulating, and the refrigerant cutoff valve corresponding to the indoor unit in which the refrigerant is circulating is opened and the energization of the refrigerant detection sensor is continued. Thereby, the operation of the refrigerant detection sensor during the air conditioning operation can be continued to ensure safety, and the deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor can be suppressed for the indoor unit with a low possibility of refrigerant leakage. In Embodiment 1, when the refrigerant shut-off valve 49 is closed due to factors other than refrigerant leakage detection by the refrigerant detection sensor 50, a configuration for continuously stopping the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50 was described. In order to suppress the deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor 50, it is only necessary that the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor can be suppressed compared to the case where the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is continuously powered. Control for intermittently repeating the power supply and non-power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50 may also be used. In this case, compared to the case where the power supply to the refrigerant detection sensor 50 is continuously stopped, the deterioration of the refrigerant detection sensor 50 can be suppressed while further enhancing the safety against refrigerant leakage.

[0043] Note that the above-described embodiments are for exemplifying the technology in the present disclosure, and various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of the claims or the equivalent scope thereof.

Industrial Applicability

[0044] As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention can be used in an air conditioner provided with refrigerant leakage prevention measures.

Explanation of Signs

[0045] 1 Air conditioner 5 Indoor unit 10 Housing 11 Top plate 12 Bottom plate 13 Blower chamber 14 Heat exchanger chamber 15 Partition wall 16 Suction port 17 Outlet 20 Indoor heat exchanger 21 Drain pan 22 Heat exchange area 23 First partition plate 24 First area 25 Second partition plate 26 Second area 27 Indoor throttling device 28 Refrigerant pipe 30 Sirocco fan 31 Scroll casing 32 Fan opening 33 Air duct 34 Electric motor 35 Rotating shaft 40 Outdoor unit 41 Compressor 42 Four-way valve 43 Outdoor heat exchanger 44 Outdoor fan 45 Outdoor throttle device 46 Refrigerant pipe 47 Liquid refrigerant pipe 48 Gas refrigerant pipe 49 Refrigerant shut-off valve 50 Refrigerant detection sensor 51 Room temperature sensor 60 Control unit

Claims

1. A refrigerant cutoff valve that closes when a refrigerant detection sensor detects refrigerant, a control unit that controls the refrigerant cutoff valve, and an indoor heat exchanger, When the refrigerant cutoff valve is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor, the control unit stops energization of the refrigerant detection sensor, or alternately repeats energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection sensor, When in an operating state where refrigerant does not circulate in the indoor heat exchanger, the control unit closes the refrigerant cutoff valve and stops energization of the refrigerant detection sensor, or alternately repeats energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection sensor An air conditioner characterized by the above.

2. When the refrigerant cutoff valve is closed due to factors other than refrigerant detection by the refrigerant detection sensor, the control unit stops energization of the refrigerant detection sensor after closing the refrigerant cutoff valve, or alternately repeats energization and non-energization of the refrigerant detection sensor The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. When the control unit changes the refrigerant cutoff valve from the closed state to the open state, it starts energization of the refrigerant detection sensor and then opens the refrigerant cutoff valve The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. When the control unit changes the refrigerant cutoff valve from the closed state to the open state, it starts energization of the refrigerant detection sensor, and after a period of time during which the refrigerant detection sensor can detect refrigerant has elapsed, it opens the refrigerant cutoff valve The air conditioner according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. When the control unit closes the refrigerant cutoff valve upon detecting refrigerant leakage by the refrigerant detection sensor, it continues energization of the refrigerant detection sensor The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

6. The control unit closes the refrigerant cutoff valve in at least one of the cases when the air conditioning operation stops, the blowing operation starts, or the thermo-off operation starts The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

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