Refrigeration cycle device, method for controlling refrigeration cycle device, and program

Abstract

Provided is a refrigeration cycle device in which leakage of refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit is effectively suppressed. A refrigeration cycle device according to the present disclosure comprises: a compressor that compresses refrigerant by rotating a drive shaft; an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between air outside of a building and the refrigerant; a decompression device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant; one or a plurality of indoor heat exchangers that exchange heat between air inside of the building and the refrigerant; refrigerant piping that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the decompression device, and the indoor heat exchanger to form a refrigerant circuit; and a control unit that, upon receiving an emergency signal indicating that an emergency state different from a normal state is occurring at a location where the refrigerant circuit is installed, said emergency signal being different from a signal indicating that the refrigerant has leaked, reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit to a greater extent than when the emergency signal is not acquired.

Description

Refrigeration cycle device, refrigeration cycle device control method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration cycle device, a control method for a refrigeration cycle device, and a program.

[0002] Conventionally, refrigeration cycle apparatuses having a refrigerant leak detection device that detects refrigerant leaks in a refrigerant circuit have been proposed. Patent Document 1 is an example of a conventional refrigeration cycle apparatus. The invention described in Patent Document 1 closes an on-off valve provided in the piping of the refrigeration cycle apparatus when the refrigerant leak detection device detects a refrigerant leak. According to the invention described in Patent Document 1, when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit, the on-off valve is closed to block the flow of refrigerant, thereby suppressing refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit.

[0003] International Publication No. 2018 / 167811

[0004] For example, if a disaster occurs at a location where the refrigeration cycle device is installed, or if an emergency situation that is different from normal occurs at a location where the refrigeration cycle device is installed, there is a high possibility that the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device will leak. The refrigeration cycle device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that even if there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, the flow of refrigerant cannot be blocked unless a refrigerant leakage is actually detected in the refrigerant circuit, and therefore the refrigerant leakage cannot be effectively suppressed.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to effectively suppress refrigerant leakage in a refrigerant circuit.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the refrigeration cycle device of the present disclosure includes a compressor that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the building, a pressure reducing device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the building, refrigerant piping that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the pressure reducing device, and the indoor heat exchangers to form a refrigerant circuit, and a control unit that, when it receives an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed, reduces the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit compared to when it does not receive the emergency signal.

[0007] In addition, the control method and program for a refrigeration cycle device disclosed herein includes a compressor that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the building, a pressure reducing device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the building, and refrigerant piping that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the pressure reducing device, and the indoor heat exchangers to form a refrigerant circuit, and when the control unit receives an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed, the control unit reduces the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit more than when the emergency signal is not received.

[0008] The refrigeration cycle device, the control method for the refrigeration cycle device, and the program disclosed herein have the advantage of being able to effectively suppress refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit.

[0009] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an overview of a refrigerant circuit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control unit of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an overview of a refrigerant circuit according to modified example 1 of embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control unit of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to modified example 1 of embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control unit of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiment 2. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiment 3. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control unit of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiment 3.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and modifications or omissions may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0011] Embodiment 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The functional configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 will be described using Fig. 1. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 includes a refrigerant circuit 10, an emergency state detection unit 20, a refrigerant leak detection unit 30, a control unit 40, an alarm unit 50, and a memory unit 60. Furthermore, a first building 80a and a second building 80b shown in Fig. 1 are shown for the purpose of explanation and are not included in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1.

[0012] The refrigerant circuit 10 is a circuit for circulating refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1. The refrigerant circuit 10 has an outdoor unit 11, a first indoor unit 12a, a second indoor unit 12b, and indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301. The refrigerant circuit 10 also receives signals indicating control commands from a control unit 40, which will be described later.

[0013] The outdoor unit 11 is installed outdoors the first building 80a and the second building 80b. The first indoor unit 12a is installed indoors in the first building 80a. The second indoor unit 12b is installed indoors in the second building 80b. The indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301 is piping for communicating between the outdoor unit 11 and the first indoor unit 12a and between the outdoor unit 11 and the second indoor unit 12b. The specific configuration of the refrigerant circuit 10 will be described later.

[0014] The emergency condition detection unit 20 detects that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed. In the first embodiment, the emergency condition is an earthquake, a fire, or a gas leak detected from a device other than the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1. The emergency condition detection unit 20 also transmits an emergency signal to the control unit 40. The emergency signal is a signal indicating that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed. The emergency signal is also a signal different from a signal indicating that a refrigerant has leaked.

[0015] The emergency detection unit 20 has a first emergency detection unit 20a and a second emergency detection unit 20b. The first emergency detection unit 20a is provided inside the first building 80a and detects an emergency that occurs in the first building 80a. The second emergency detection unit 20b is provided inside the second building 80b and detects an emergency that occurs in the second building 80b. Specifically, the emergency detection unit 20 is composed of sensors for detecting each emergency.

[0016] When the emergency condition detection unit 20 detects an emergency condition, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 detects refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit 10 after a predetermined warning time has elapsed. The refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 also transmits a signal indicating whether a refrigerant leak has occurred to the control unit 40. Specifically, the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 is a gas leak sensor.

[0017] The refrigerant leak detection unit 30 has a first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a and a second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b. The first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a is provided in the first building 80a and detects refrigerant leaks in the first indoor unit 12a. The second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b is provided in the second building 80b and detects refrigerant leaks in the second indoor unit 12b.

[0018] The control unit 40 controls the refrigerant circuit 10 and the alarm unit 50. That is, the control unit 40 transmits control commands to the refrigerant circuit 10 and the alarm unit 50. The control unit 40 also receives an emergency signal from the emergency state detection unit 20. The control unit 40 also receives a signal from the refrigerant leak detection unit 30 indicating whether refrigerant is leaking.

[0019] The control unit 40 determines at every predetermined detection time whether an emergency signal is received from the first emergency condition detection unit 20a or the second emergency condition detection unit 20b. When the control unit 40 receives an emergency signal from the first emergency condition detection unit 20a, the control unit 40 transmits a control command to the first shutoff valve 401 to make the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 smaller than when the control unit 40 does not receive an emergency signal from the first emergency condition detection unit 20a. In this case, the control unit 40 transmits a control command to the first alarm unit 50a to issue an alarm.

[0020] Furthermore, when the control unit 40 receives an emergency signal from the second emergency state detection unit 20b, it transmits a control command to the second shutoff valve 402 to make the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 smaller than when it does not receive an emergency signal from the second emergency state detection unit 20b. In this case, the control unit 40 also transmits a control command to the second alarm unit 50b to issue an alarm.

[0021] Furthermore, when the first emergency condition detection unit 20a detects an emergency condition and the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a does not detect a refrigerant leak after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed, the control unit 40 sends a control command to the first shutoff valve 401 to increase the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 compared to when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a detects a refrigerant leak. In this case, the control unit 40 also sends a control command to the first alarm unit 50a to cancel the alarm.

[0022] Furthermore, when the second emergency condition detection unit 20b detects an emergency condition and the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b does not detect a refrigerant leak after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed, the control unit 40 sends a control command to the second shutoff valve 402 to increase the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 compared to when the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b detects a refrigerant leak. In this case, the control unit 40 also sends a control command to the second alarm unit 50b to cancel the alarm. The processing performed by the control unit 40 will be described later.

[0023] The alarm unit 50 issues an alarm when it receives a control command to issue an alarm from the control unit 40. Furthermore, the alarm unit 50 cancels the alarm when it receives a control command to cancel the alarm from the control unit 40. Specifically, the alarm unit 50 is a buzzer.

[0024] The alarm unit 50 includes a first alarm unit 50a and a second alarm unit 50b. The first alarm unit 50a is provided in the first building 80a and issues an alarm to people in the first building 80a. The second alarm unit 50b is provided in the second building 80b and issues an alarm to people in the second building 80b.

[0025] By being equipped with the alarm unit 50, the refrigeration cycle device 1 of embodiment 1 has the effect of being able to notify people inside a building of the occurrence of an emergency situation when an emergency situation occurs in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed and there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage.

[0026] The storage unit 60 stores information necessary for the control performed by the control unit 40. Specifically, the storage unit stores an alarm time and a detection time, which will be described later.

[0027] Fig. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an overview of the refrigerant circuit 10 according to Embodiment 1. A specific configuration of the refrigerant circuit 10 will be described using Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, the flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 during cooling operation is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of refrigerant during heating operation is indicated by dotted arrows.

[0028] The refrigerant circuit 10 has an outdoor unit 11, a first indoor unit 12a, a second indoor unit 12b, and indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301 that connects the outdoor unit 11 to the first indoor unit 12a and the outdoor unit 11 to the second indoor unit 12b. A shutoff valve 45 for regulating the flow rate of refrigerant is provided in the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301. The shutoff valve is specifically an electrically operated shutoff valve, and the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 is controlled by the control unit 40. Increasing the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 increases the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit.

[0029] The indoor / outdoor refrigerant pipe 301 has a main pipe 311 , a first branch pipe 321 , and a second branch pipe 322 .

[0030] Refrigerant flowing into the first indoor unit 12a and the second indoor unit 12b, or refrigerant flowing out from the first indoor unit 12a and the second indoor unit 12b, flows through the main pipe 311. The main pipe 311 has a pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a provided between the pressure reducing device 112 and the indoor heat exchanger 121, and a four-way valve side main pipe 311b provided between the indoor heat exchanger 121 and the four-way valve 115.

[0031] The first branch pipe 321 is a pipe branched off from the main pipe 311. The first branch pipe 321 is connected to the first indoor unit 12a. That is, the refrigerant flowing into the first indoor unit 12a or the refrigerant flowing out from the first indoor unit 12a flows through the first branch pipe 321. The first branch pipe 321 has a pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a and a four-way valve side first branch pipe 321b. The pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a branches off from the pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a. The four-way valve side first branch pipe 321b branches off from the four-way valve side main pipe 311b.

[0032] Furthermore, the pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a is provided with a first shutoff valve 401, which is the shutoff valve 45 provided in the refrigerant circuit 10. The first shutoff valve 401 adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first branch pipe 321. In the first embodiment, when the control unit 40 receives an emergency signal from the first emergency condition detection unit 20a, the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 is smaller than when the control unit 40 does not receive an emergency signal from the first emergency condition detection unit 20a. In other words, when an emergency condition occurs in the location where the first building 80a is installed, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first branch pipe 321 is smaller than when no emergency condition occurs in the location where the first building 80a is installed, and therefore the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is smaller.

[0033] The second branch pipe 322 is a pipe branching off from the main pipe 311. The second branch pipe 322 is connected to the second indoor unit 12b. That is, the refrigerant flowing into the second indoor unit 12b or the refrigerant flowing out from the second indoor unit 12b flows through the second branch pipe 322. The second branch pipe 322 has a pressure reducing device side second branch pipe 322a and a four-way valve side second branch pipe 322b. The pressure reducing device side second branch pipe 322a branches off from the pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a. The four-way valve side second branch pipe 322b branches off from the four-way valve side main pipe 311b.

[0034] Furthermore, the pressure reducing device-side second branch pipe 322a is provided with a second shutoff valve 402, which is the shutoff valve 45 provided in the refrigerant circuit 10. The second shutoff valve 402 adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the second branch pipe 322. In the first embodiment, when the control unit 40 receives an emergency signal from the second emergency condition detection unit 20b, the second shutoff valve 402 has a smaller opening area than when the control unit 40 does not receive an emergency signal from the second emergency condition detection unit 20b. In other words, when an emergency condition occurs in the location where the second building 80b is installed, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the second branch pipe 322 is smaller than when no emergency condition occurs in the location where the second building 80b is installed, and therefore the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is smaller.

[0035] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the first emergency condition detection unit 20a detects an emergency and the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a does not detect a refrigerant leak after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed since the first emergency condition detection unit 20a reduced the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45, the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 is larger than when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a detects a refrigerant leak. In other words, when an emergency condition occurring in the first building 80a does not cause a refrigerant leak from the first indoor unit 12a, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first branch pipe 321 is greater than when a refrigerant leak occurs from the first indoor unit 12a, and therefore the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is greater.

[0036] That is, in the first embodiment, when the emergency detection unit 20 detects an emergency, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is reduced. With this configuration, when an emergency occurs in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed and there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant regardless of whether refrigerant leakage occurs. Therefore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 has the effect of being able to effectively suppress refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0037] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the emergency condition detection unit 20 detects an emergency condition and the alarm time has elapsed, if the refrigerant leak detection unit 30 does not detect a refrigerant leak, the control unit 40 increases the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the refrigerant leak detection unit 30 detects a refrigerant leak. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 can perform air conditioning operation when there is no refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1, thereby achieving the effect of enabling effective air conditioning operation.

[0038] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the shutoff valve 45 includes a first shutoff valve 401 provided in the first branch pipe 321 and a second shutoff valve 402 provided in the second branch pipe 322, and when the control unit 40 receives a signal indicating an emergency state in the location where the first indoor unit 12a is installed, the control unit 40 reduces the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 compared to when an emergency state in the location where the first indoor unit 12a is installed is not detected. Furthermore, when the control unit 40 receives a signal indicating an emergency state in the location where the second indoor unit 12b is installed, the control unit 40 reduces the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 compared to when an emergency state in the location where the second indoor unit 12b is installed is not detected. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 can reduce the flow rate of refrigerant only in the indoor unit 12 where a leak is occurring, thereby achieving the effect of enabling effective air-conditioning operation.

[0039] The outdoor unit 11 includes a compressor 111, a pressure reducing device 112, an outdoor heat exchanger 113, an outdoor blower 114, and a four-way valve 115. The outdoor unit 11 is formed by communicating each component through outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351. The compressor 111 compresses and discharges the refrigerant that flows in when a motor built into the compressor 111 rotates its drive shaft. The pressure reducing device 112 is a device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, specifically an expansion valve. The four-way valve 115 switches the refrigerant flow between when the refrigerant circuit 10 is performing cooling operation and when the refrigerant circuit 10 is performing heating operation. The outdoor heat exchanger 113 exchanges heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 113 functions as a condenser when the refrigerant circuit 10 is performing cooling operation and as an evaporator when the refrigerant circuit 10 is performing heating operation. The outdoor air blower 114 blows outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 113 .

[0040] The first indoor unit 12a includes a first indoor heat exchanger 121a and a first indoor blower 122a. A first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361 is provided within the first indoor unit 12a. The first indoor heat exchanger 121a exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air of the first building 80a. The first indoor heat exchanger 121a functions as an evaporator when the refrigerant circuit 10 performs cooling operation, and functions as a condenser when the refrigerant circuit 10 performs heating operation. The first indoor blower 122a blows indoor air of the first building 80a to the first indoor heat exchanger 121a.

[0041] The second indoor unit 12b includes a second indoor heat exchanger 121b and a second indoor blower 122b. A second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371 is provided within the second indoor unit 12b. The second indoor heat exchanger 121b exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air of the second building 80b. The second indoor heat exchanger 121b functions as an evaporator when the refrigerant circuit 10 performs cooling operation, and functions as a condenser when the refrigerant circuit 10 performs heating operation. The second indoor blower 122b blows indoor air of the second building 80b to the second indoor heat exchanger 121b.

[0042] The refrigerant circuit 10 connects the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchanger 121 via indoor and outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371.

[0043] The flow of refrigerant when the refrigerant circuit 10 is operating in cooling mode will be described using Figure 2. High-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 111 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 113 through the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351. The high-pressure gas refrigerant that flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 113 is condensed and becomes liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant that flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 113 flows into the pressure reducing device 112 through the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351. The refrigerant that flows into the pressure reducing device 112 is decompressed and expands, becoming low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. The low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant that flows out of the pressure reducing device 112 leaves the outdoor unit 11 through the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351 and flows into the pressure reducing device side main piping 311a.

[0044] The refrigerant that flows into the pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a branches into a pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a and a pressure reducing device side second branch pipe 322a. The refrigerant that flows into the pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a flows into the first indoor unit 12a through the first indoor unit refrigerant pipe 361. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into the first indoor heat exchanger 121a evaporates and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that flows out of the first indoor heat exchanger 121a flows out of the first indoor unit 12a through the first indoor unit refrigerant pipe 361 and flows into the four-way valve side first branch pipe 321b.

[0045] The refrigerant that flows into the pressure reducing device side second branch pipe 322a flows into the second indoor unit 12b through the second indoor unit refrigerant pipe 371. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 121b evaporates and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that flows out of the second indoor heat exchanger 121b flows out of the second indoor unit 12b and flows into the four-way valve side second branch pipe 322b through the second indoor unit refrigerant pipe 371.

[0046] The refrigerant that flows out of the first indoor unit 12a and flows into the four-way valve side first branch pipe 321b and the refrigerant that flows out of the second indoor unit 12b and flows into the four-way valve side second branch pipe 322b flow into the four-way valve side main pipe 311b. The refrigerant that flows into the four-way valve side main pipe 311b flows into the four-way valve. The refrigerant that flows out of the four-way valve flows into the compressor 111 through the outdoor unit refrigerant pipe 351. Due to this flow of refrigerant, the indoor air of the first building 80a and the second building 80b is cooled in the indoor heat exchanger by the low-pressure refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state.

[0047] 2, the flow of refrigerant when the refrigerant circuit 10 is in heating operation will be described. High-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 111 flows into the four-way valve 115. The refrigerant that flows out of the four-way valve 115 flows into the four-way valve side main pipe 311b through the outdoor unit refrigerant pipe 351. The refrigerant that flows into the four-way valve side main pipe 311b branches and flows into the four-way valve side first branch pipe 321b and the four-way valve side second branch pipe 322b.

[0048] The refrigerant that flows into the four-way valve side first branch pipe 321b flows into the first indoor unit 12a through the first indoor unit refrigerant pipe 361. The high-pressure gas refrigerant that flows into the first indoor heat exchanger 121a is condensed into liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant that flows out of the first indoor heat exchanger 121a flows out of the first indoor unit 12a through the first indoor unit refrigerant pipe 361 and flows into the pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a.

[0049] The refrigerant that flows into the four-way valve side second branch pipe 322b flows into the second indoor unit 12b through the second indoor unit refrigerant pipe 371. The high-pressure gas refrigerant that flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 121b is condensed into liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant that flows out of the second indoor heat exchanger 121b flows out of the second indoor unit 12b through the second indoor unit refrigerant pipe 371 and flows into the pressure reducing device side second branch pipe 322a.

[0050] The refrigerant that flows out of the first indoor unit 12a and flows into the pressure reducing device side first branch pipe 321a, and the refrigerant that flows out of the second indoor unit 12b and flows into the pressure reducing device side second branch pipe 322a flow into the pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a. The refrigerant that flows into the pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a flows into the outdoor unit 11 through the pressure reducing device side main pipe 311a and into the pressure reducing device 112. The liquid refrigerant that flows into the pressure reducing device 112 is decompressed and expands, becoming low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. The low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant that flows out of the pressure reducing device 112 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 113. The low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant that flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 113 evaporates and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 113 flows into the compressor 111. As a result of this flow of refrigerant, the air inside the first building 80a and the second building 80b is heated by the high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger.

[0051] 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1. The hardware configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0052] The refrigeration cycle device 1 has a refrigerant circuit 10 , a processor 150 , a memory 151 , a storage 152 , a refrigerant leak detector 153 , an earthquake detection sensor 154 , a gas detection sensor 155 , a fire detection sensor 156 , and a buzzer 157 .

[0053] The processor 150 executes a program stored in the memory 151. Specifically, the processor 150 changes the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1. The processor 150 also controls the buzzer 157. The processor 150 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0054] The memory 151 stores programs executed by the processor 150. The memory 151 is also used as a work area for the processor 150. The memory may be, for example, a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a non-volatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), or both a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The control unit 40 is realized by the processor 150 and the memory 151.

[0055] The storage 152 stores the alarm time and the detection time. The storage unit 60 is realized by storing information in the storage 152.

[0056] The refrigerant leak detector 153 detects a leak of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10. The refrigerant leak detector 153 detects a gas leak in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1. The refrigerant leak detection unit 30 is realized by the refrigerant leak detector 153.

[0057] The earthquake detection sensor 154 detects earthquake vibrations or shaking. The gas detection sensor 155 detects gas leaks in the rooms of the first building 80a or the second building 80b. The fire detection sensor 156 detects fires that occur in the rooms of the first building 80a or the second building 80b. The emergency condition detection unit 20 is realized by the earthquake detection sensor 154, the gas detection sensor 155, and the fire detection sensor 156.

[0058] The buzzer 157 notifies people in the room that an emergency has occurred in the room of the first building 80a or the room of the second building 80b. The alarm unit 50 is realized by a buzzer.

[0059] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 40 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1. The processing performed by the control unit 40 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0060] Step S101 is performed at each detection time set in the memory unit 60 while the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 is operating. In step S101, the control unit 40 determines whether the first emergency state detection unit 20a has detected an emergency state. More specifically, the control unit 40 determines whether a signal indicating an emergency state has been received from the first emergency state detection unit 20a. In step S101, when the control unit 40 determines whether the conditions are met, the process ends.

[0061] Step S102 is performed when it is determined in step S101 that the first emergency condition detection unit 20a has detected an emergency condition (step S101, Yes). In step S102, the control unit 40 transmits a signal to issue an alarm to the first alarm unit 50a. In step S102, when the control unit 40 transmits a signal to issue an alarm to the first alarm unit 50a, the process ends.

[0062] Step S103 is performed after step S102. In step S103, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first shutoff valve 401 to reduce the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401. More specifically, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first shutoff valve 401 to reduce the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 to half of what it was when step S101 was performed. When the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first shutoff valve 401 to reduce the opening area, the processing of step S103 ends.

[0063] Step S104 is performed after step S103. In step S104, the control unit 40 determines whether the second emergency detection unit 20b has detected an emergency. More specifically, the control unit 40 determines whether a signal indicating an emergency has been received from the second emergency detection unit 20b. When the control unit 40 determines whether the conditions are met in step S104, the process ends.

[0064] Step S105 is performed when it is determined in step S104 that the second emergency detection unit 20b has detected an emergency (step S104, Yes). In step S105, the control unit 40 transmits a signal to issue an alarm to the second alarm unit 50b. In step S105, when the control unit 40 transmits a signal to issue an alarm to the second alarm unit 50b, the process ends.

[0065] Step S106 is performed after step S105. In step S106, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the second shutoff valve 402 to reduce the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402. More specifically, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the second shutoff valve 402 to reduce the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 to half of what it was when step S101 was performed. When the control unit 40 sends a signal to the second shutoff valve 402 to reduce the opening area, the processing of step S106 ends.

[0066] Step S108 is processed after the warning time stored in the memory unit 60 has elapsed since step S106 ended (after step S107 ended). In step S108, the control unit 40 determines whether refrigerant is leaking from the first indoor unit 12a. More specifically, the control unit 40 determines whether the signal detected by the first refrigerant leakage detection unit 30a is a signal indicating that refrigerant is leaking. In step S108, the process ends when it is determined whether the conditions are met.

[0067] Step S109 is performed when it is determined in step S108 that there is no refrigerant leakage in the first indoor unit 12a (step S108, No). In step S109, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first alarm unit 50a to cancel the alarm issued in step S102. In step S109, the processing ends when the signal to cancel the alarm is sent to the first alarm unit 50a.

[0068] Step S110 is performed after the processing of step S109. In step S110, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first shutoff valve 401 to increase the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401. More specifically, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first shutoff valve 401 to double the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 compared to before step S110 was performed. The processing of step S110 ends when the control unit 40 sends a signal to the first shutoff valve 401 to increase the opening area.

[0069] Step S114 is performed when it is determined in step S101 that the first emergency detection unit 20a has not detected an emergency (step S101, No). The processes of steps S114 to S117 are similar to the processes of steps S104 to S107, and therefore their explanations are omitted. Also, when it is determined in step S104 that the second emergency detection unit 20b has not detected an emergency (step S114, No), the control unit 40 ends the process.

[0070] Step S111 is performed after the processing of step S110 or after the processing of step S117 when it is determined in step S108 that refrigerant is leaking in the first indoor unit 12a (Yes in step S108). In step S111, the control unit 40 determines whether refrigerant is leaking in the second indoor unit 12b. More specifically, the control unit 40 determines whether the signal detected by the second refrigerant leakage detection unit 30b is a signal indicating that refrigerant is leaking. In step S111, if it is determined whether the condition is met, the processing ends.

[0071] Step S112 is performed when it is determined in step S111 that there is no refrigerant leakage in the second indoor unit 12b (step S111, No). In step S112, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the second alarm unit 50b to cancel the alarm issued in step S105. When the signal to cancel the alarm is sent to the second alarm unit 50b, the processing in step S112 ends.

[0072] Step S113 is performed after step S112. In step S113, the control unit 40 sends a signal to the second shutoff valve 402 to double the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 compared to before step S113 was performed. When the control unit 40 sends a signal to the second shutoff valve 402 to increase the opening area, the process of step S113 ends.

[0073] After the process of step S113, the control unit 40 ends the process.

[0074] Step S118 is performed when it is determined in step S104 that the second emergency condition detection unit 20b has not detected an emergency condition (step S104, No). The processes of steps S118 to S121 are the same as the processes of steps S107 to S110, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, when it is determined in step S119 that refrigerant is leaking from the first indoor unit 12a (step S119, Yes), the control unit 40 ends the process. Furthermore, after the process of step S121, the control unit 40 ends the process.

[0075] As described above, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes the compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress the refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the buildings (corresponding to the first building 80a and the second building 80b), the pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the buildings, refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connect the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10, and the control unit 40 that, when an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and that indicates that an emergency condition other than normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed is received, reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle device 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of effectively suppressing leakage of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.

[0076] Furthermore, in the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 includes a compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air in a building (corresponding to the first building 80a or the second building 80b), a pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and indoor air in the building, and refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connects the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10. When the control unit 40 receives an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, the control unit 40 reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of effectively suppressing refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit.

[0077] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment further includes, as an additional component, a shutoff valve 45 provided in the refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371), and when an emergency signal is received, the control unit 40 reduces the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve compared to when no emergency signal is received. With this additional component, the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first embodiment has the effect of being able to adjust the flow rate of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.

[0078] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes, as an additional configuration, a first indoor heat exchanger 121a and a second indoor heat exchanger 121b as the indoor heat exchanger 121, and the refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) includes a main piping 311 through which refrigerant flowing into the first indoor heat exchanger 121a and the second indoor heat exchanger 121b or refrigerant flowing out from the first indoor heat exchanger 121a and the second indoor heat exchanger 121b flows, a first branch piping 321 branching from the main piping 311 and connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 121a, and a second branch piping 321 branching from the main piping 311 and connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 121b. b, the shutoff valve 45 has a first shutoff valve 401 provided in the first branch pipe 321 and a second shutoff valve 402 provided in the second branch pipe 322, and when the control unit 40 receives an emergency signal for the location where the first indoor heat exchanger 121a is installed, the control unit 40 reduces the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 compared to when the control unit 40 does not receive an emergency signal for the location where the first indoor heat exchanger 121a is installed, and when the control unit 40 receives the emergency signal for the location where the second indoor heat exchanger 121b is installed, the control unit 40 reduces the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 compared to when the control unit 40 does not receive an emergency signal for the location where the second indoor heat exchanger 121b is installed. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can reduce the flow rate of refrigerant only in the indoor unit where a leak is occurring, thereby achieving the effect of enabling effective air-conditioning operation.

[0079] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has the following configuration: when the control unit 40 does not acquire a signal detecting a refrigerant leak in the refrigerant circuit 10 after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed since acquiring the emergency signal, the control unit 40 increases the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when a signal detecting a refrigerant leak is acquired. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can perform air conditioning operation when there is no refrigerant leakage from the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1, thereby achieving the effect of enabling effective air conditioning operation.

[0080] Furthermore, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has an additional configuration in which, when a signal detecting a refrigerant leak in the refrigerant circuit 10 is not acquired after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed since the acquisition of the emergency signal, the control unit 40 increases the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when a signal detecting a refrigerant leak is acquired. With this additional configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can perform air conditioning operation when there is no refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1, thereby achieving the effect of enabling effective air conditioning operation.

[0081] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment further includes, as an additional component, an alarm unit 50 that issues an alarm until an alarm time has elapsed when an emergency signal is received. With this additional component, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of being able to notify people inside a building of the occurrence of an emergency when an emergency occurs in a location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed and there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak.

[0082] Furthermore, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has an additional configuration in which, when an emergency signal is received, the control unit 40 causes the alarm unit 50 to issue an alarm until the alarm time has elapsed. With this additional configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of being able to notify people inside a building of the occurrence of an emergency when an emergency occurs in a location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed and there is a high possibility of refrigerant leakage.

[0083] Although the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to reduce the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 when an emergency signal is received, it may also be configured to only open and close the shutoff valve 45 without adjusting the opening area. In that case, when the emergency condition detection unit 20 detects an emergency condition, the shutoff valve 45 is closed to shut off the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10. Furthermore, when the emergency condition detection unit 20 detects an emergency condition, if there is no refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit 10 after the warning time has elapsed, the shutoff valve 45 is opened.

[0084] Modification 1 of Embodiment 1 Next, a refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1 will be described. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1 is different from the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 in the position where the shutoff valve 46 is provided and the processing performed by the control unit 70. The configuration other than the position where the shutoff valve 46 is provided and the processing performed by the control unit 70 is the same as that of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] FIG. 5 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an overview of a refrigerant circuit 80 according to a first modification of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 , a shutoff valve 46 is provided in the main pipe 331. More specifically, the shutoff valve 46 is provided in the pressure reducing device-side main pipe 331a and adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the pressure reducing device-side main pipe 331a. In the first modification of the first embodiment, the shutoff valve 46 has a smaller opening area when the control unit 70 receives an emergency signal from the first emergency detection unit 20a or the second emergency detection unit 20b than when the control unit 70 does not receive an emergency signal. In other words, when an emergency occurs at the location where the first building 80a or the second building 80b is installed, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the pressure reducing device-side main pipe 331a is lower than when no emergency occurs at the location where the first building 80a or the second building 80b is installed, and therefore the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 80 is lower.

[0086] By providing the shutoff valve 46 in the main pipe 331, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to the first modification of the first embodiment can adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant using the single shutoff valve 46. Therefore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to the first modification of the first embodiment has the effect of being able to efficiently adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0087] Furthermore, in the first modification of the first embodiment, when the first emergency condition detection unit 20a or the second emergency condition detection unit 20b detects an emergency and the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a and the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b do not detect a refrigerant leak after a predetermined warning time has elapsed, the shutoff valve 46 has a larger opening area than when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a detects a refrigerant leak or when the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b detects a refrigerant leak. In other words, when a refrigerant leak does not occur in the first indoor unit 12a or the second indoor unit 12b due to an emergency condition occurring in the first building 80a or the second building 80b, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the pressure reducing device side main pipe 331a is greater than when a refrigerant leak occurs in the first indoor unit 12a or the second indoor unit 12b, and therefore the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 80 is greater.

[0088] 6 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 70 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. The processing performed by the control unit 70 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0089] The processing of steps S201 to S204 is similar to the processing of steps S101 to S102 and the processing of steps S114 to S115 in the first embodiment, respectively, and therefore will not be described again. Step S205 is performed after the processing of step S202. In step S205, the control unit 70 transmits a signal to the shutoff valve 46 to reduce the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 46. More specifically, the control unit 70 transmits a signal to the shutoff valve 46 to reduce the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 46 to half of what it was when step S201 was performed. In step S205, the processing ends when the control unit 70 transmits the signal to reduce the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 46.

[0090] Step S206 is performed after step S204. The process of step S206 is similar to the process of step S205, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] Step S209 is performed after the warning time stored in the storage unit 60 has elapsed since step S205 was completed (after step S208 was completed). The processes of steps S209 and S210 are similar to the processes of steps S108 and S109 in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0092] In step S209, if it is determined that refrigerant is leaking from the first indoor unit 12a (step S209, Yes), the control unit 70 ends the process.

[0093] The process of step S212 is performed after the process of step S210, or after the warning time stored in the storage unit 60 has elapsed since the end of step S206 (after the end of step S211). The process of step S212 is the same as the process of step S111 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0094] In step S212, if it is determined that refrigerant is leaking from the second indoor unit 12b (step S212, Yes), the control unit 70 ends the process.

[0095] Step S213 is performed when it is determined in step S212 that there is no refrigerant leakage from the second indoor unit 12b (step S212, No). The process of step S213 is similar to the process of step S112 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0096] Step S214 is performed after the processing of step S213. In step S214, the control unit 70 sends a signal to the shutoff valve 46 to increase the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 46. More specifically, the control unit 70 sends a signal to the shutoff valve 46 to double the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 46 compared to before step S214 was performed. The processing of step S214 ends when the control unit 70 sends the signal to increase the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 46. Furthermore, after the processing of step S214, the control unit 70 ends the processing.

[0097] As described above, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to the first modification of the first embodiment, like the first embodiment, includes the compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress the refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the buildings (corresponding to the first building 80a and the second building 80b), the pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the buildings, refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connect the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 80, and the control unit 70 that, when an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and that indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 80 is installed is received, reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 80 compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle device 2 according to the first modification of the first embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0098] Furthermore, in a control method and a program for a refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to a first variation of the first embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 includes a compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air of a building (corresponding to the first building 80a or the second building 80b), a pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and indoor air of the building, and refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connects the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form a refrigerant circuit 80, the control method and program for a refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to a first variation of the first embodiment include a control signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in a location where the refrigerant circuit 80 is installed, and the control signal reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 80 compared to when the control unit 70 does not receive the emergency signal. With this configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to the first modification of the first embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0099] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 2 according to the first variant of the first embodiment has, as an additional configuration, a first indoor heat exchanger 121a and a second indoor heat exchanger 121b as the indoor heat exchangers 121, and the refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) has a main piping 331 through which refrigerant flowing into the first indoor heat exchanger 121a and the second indoor heat exchanger 121b or refrigerant flowing out from the first indoor heat exchanger 121a and the second indoor heat exchanger 121b flows, a first branch piping 321 branching from the main piping 331 and connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 121a, and a second branch piping 322 branching from the main piping 331 and connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 121b, and a shut-off valve 46 is provided in the main piping 331. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first modification of the first embodiment has the effect of being able to efficiently adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 80 .

[0100] Modification 2 of Embodiment 1 Next, a refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1 will be described. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1 is different from the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 in the contents stored in the storage unit 91 and the processing performed by the control unit 90. The configuration other than the contents stored in the storage unit 91 and the processing performed by the control unit 90 is the same as that of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0101] The storage unit 91 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment stores a table indicating types of emergency states and alarm levels corresponding to information on the emergency states. The alarm level is a numerical value indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3. Specifically, the alarm levels include alarm level 1 and alarm level 2. Alarm level 2 indicates a situation in which the possibility of a refrigerant leak occurring in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 is higher than alarm level 1.

[0102] An example of the warning levels is shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the types of emergency situations and the corresponding warning levels for each emergency situation.

[0103]

[0104] As shown in Table 1, when the type of emergency is an earthquake, if the information indicating the magnitude of the earthquake is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference earthquake value (seismic intensity 3 in Table 1), the warning level is set to 2, and if it is less than the reference earthquake value, the warning level is set to 1. This is because when the seismic intensity detected at the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed is high, the shaking is greater than when the detected seismic intensity is low, and there is a high possibility that a refrigerant leak will occur in the refrigeration cycle device 3.

[0105] Furthermore, when the type of emergency is a fire, if the distance from the fire site to the refrigerant circuit 10 is less than the predetermined fire reference distance (2 m in Table 1), the alarm level is set to 2, and if the distance is equal to or greater than the fire reference distance, the alarm level is set to 1. This is because when the distance from the fire site to the refrigerant circuit 10 is short, there is a higher possibility of a refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle device 3 due to a fire than when the distance is long.

[0106] Furthermore, if the type of emergency is a gas leak, if the distance from the site of the gas leak to the refrigerant circuit 10 is less than the predetermined gas reference distance (3 m in Table 1), the alarm level is set to 2, and if the distance is equal to or greater than the gas reference distance, the alarm level is set to 1. This is because when the distance from the site of the gas leak to the refrigerant circuit 10 is short, there is a higher possibility that a refrigerant leak will occur in the refrigeration cycle device 3 due to the gas leak than when the distance is long.

[0107] The control unit 90 differs from the control unit 40 of the first embodiment in the content of the control commands sent to the alarm unit 50 and the shutoff valve 45. More specifically, the control unit 90 changes the alarm time according to the alarm level. When the alarm level of the detected emergency is 1, the control unit 90 sets the time during which the alarm unit 50 issues an alarm and the time during which the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 is reduced as a first alarm time. Furthermore, when the alarm level of the detected emergency is 2, the control unit 90 sets the time during which the alarm unit 50 issues an alarm and the time during which the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 is reduced as a second alarm time. The second alarm time is set longer than the first alarm time. This configuration allows the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 to issue a warning to the user and reduce the flow rate of refrigerant through the refrigerant circuit 10 for a long period of time when there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leak in the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3, thereby achieving effective control. Note that the control unit 90 is similar to the control unit 40 of the first embodiment except for the content of the control commands sent to the alarm unit 50 and the shutoff valve 45, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0108] As described above, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment, like the first embodiment, includes the compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress the refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the buildings (corresponding to the first building 80a and the second building 80b), the pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the buildings, refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connect the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10, and the control unit 90 that, when an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and that indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed is received, reduces the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle device 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0109] Furthermore, in a control method and a program for a refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to a second variation of the first embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 includes a compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air of a building (corresponding to the first building 80 a or the second building 80 b), a pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and indoor air of the building, and refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connects the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form a refrigerant circuit 10, the control method and program for a refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to a second variation of the first embodiment include, as in the first embodiment, a control signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in a location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, the control signal reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the control unit 90 does not receive the emergency signal. With this configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0110] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has an additional configuration in which the emergency signal is a signal indicating that an earthquake has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, and the control unit 90 extends the warning time when the magnitude of the earthquake is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference earthquake value compared to when the magnitude of the earthquake is less than the reference earthquake value. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has the effect of being able to effectively control the refrigerant circuit and issue a warning according to the magnitude of the earthquake.

[0111] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has an additional configuration in which the emergency signal is a signal indicating that a fire has occurred at the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, and the control unit 90 extends the alarm time when the distance from the fire site to the refrigerant circuit 10 is less than a predetermined fire standard distance compared to when the distance from the fire site to the refrigerant circuit 10 is equal to or greater than the fire standard distance. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has the effect of being able to effectively control the refrigerant circuit and issue an alarm according to the scale of the fire.

[0112] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has an additional configuration in which the emergency signal is a signal indicating that a gas leak has occurred at a location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed from somewhere other than the refrigeration cycle apparatus, and the control unit 90 extends the alarm time when the distance from the site of the gas leak to the refrigerant circuit 10 is less than a predetermined gas reference distance compared to when the distance from the site of the gas leak to the refrigerant circuit 10 is equal to or greater than the gas reference distance. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has the effect of being able to effectively control the refrigerant circuit and issue an alarm according to the scale of the gas leak.

[0113] Although the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment has two alarm levels, the present invention is not limited to this and any alarm levels may be used.

[0114] Furthermore, although the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment determines the warning level based on the seismic intensity, this is not limiting. Any information indicating the scale of the earthquake may be used other than the seismic intensity. For example, the warning level may be determined based on another index such as magnitude.

[0115] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 3 according to the second modification of the first embodiment is configured to determine the alarm time when a fire or gas leak is detected based on the distance between the site of the emergency and the refrigerant circuit, but this is not limiting. For example, information such as the floor on which the emergency occurred may also be taken into consideration. More specifically, if the site of the emergency and the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed are on the same floor, the alarm time is extended.

[0116] Embodiment 2 A refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to embodiment 2 will be described. In embodiment 2, the processing performed by the control unit 130 is different from that in embodiment 1. The configuration except for the processing performed by the control unit 130 is the same as that of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0117] Unlike the control unit of the first embodiment that controls the shutoff valve 45 in the refrigerant circuit 10 and the alarm unit 50, the control unit 130 controls the compressor 111 of the refrigerant circuit 10 and the alarm unit 50. The control of the alarm unit 50 performed by the control unit 130 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0118] The control unit 130 determines whether an emergency signal is received from the first emergency state detection unit 20 a or the second emergency state detection unit 20 b at every predetermined detection time. When the control unit 130 receives an emergency signal from the first emergency state detection unit 20 a, the control unit 130 transmits a control command to the compressor 111 to slow down the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to when the control unit 130 does not receive an emergency signal from the first emergency state detection unit 20 a.

[0119] In addition, when the control unit 130 receives an emergency signal from the second emergency state detection unit 20b, it sends a control command to the compressor 111 to slow down the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to when it does not receive an emergency signal from the second emergency state detection unit 20b.

[0120] In addition, when the first emergency condition detection unit 20a detects an emergency condition and the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a does not detect a refrigerant leak after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed, the control unit 130 sends a control command to the compressor 111 to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a detects a refrigerant leak.

[0121] In addition, when the second emergency condition detection unit 20b detects an emergency condition and the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b does not detect a refrigerant leak after a predetermined alarm time has elapsed, the control unit 130 sends a control command to the compressor 111 to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to when the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b detects a refrigerant leak.

[0122] In this way, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 of the second embodiment changes the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. When the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 is increased, the refrigerant pressure increases, and therefore the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 increases. On the other hand, when the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 is decreased, the refrigerant pressure decreases, and therefore the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 decreases.

[0123] In other words, with this configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 when the emergency condition detection unit 20 detects an emergency condition. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant regardless of whether or not there is a refrigerant leakage when an emergency condition occurs in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed and there is a high possibility of a refrigerant leakage. Therefore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 has the effect of being able to effectively suppress refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0124] Furthermore, when both the first emergency condition detection unit 20a and the second emergency condition detection unit 20b detect an emergency, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 more than when only one of the first emergency condition detection unit 20a or the second emergency condition detection unit 20b detects an emergency. This configuration enables the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 to perform control at multiple stages according to the emergency condition.

[0125] 7 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 130 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to Embodiment 2. The processing performed by the control unit 130 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0126] The processing of step S301 and the processing of step S302 are similar to the processing of step S101 and the processing of step S102 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Step S303 is performed after the processing of step S302. In step S303, the control unit 130 transmits a signal to the compressor 111 to slow the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. More specifically, the control unit 130 transmits a signal to the compressor 111 to reduce the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 to half the speed at which step S301 was performed. The processing of step S303 ends when the control unit 130 transmits the signal to slow the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111.

[0127] The processing of steps S304 and S305 is similar to the processing of steps S104 and S105 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Step S306 is performed after the processing of step S305. In step S306, the control unit 130 transmits a signal to the compressor 111 to slow the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. More specifically, the control unit 130 transmits a signal to the compressor 111 to reduce the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 to half the speed before the processing of step S306. The processing of step S306 ends when the control unit 130 transmits the signal to slow the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111.

[0128] The processing of steps S307 to S309 is the same as the processing of steps S107 to S109 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Step S310 is performed after the processing of step S309. In step S310, the control unit 130 transmits to the compressor 111 a signal to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. More specifically, the control unit 130 transmits to the compressor 111 a signal to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 by two times compared to before the processing of step S310 was performed. The processing of step S310 ends when the control unit 130 transmits the signal to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111.

[0129] The processes of steps S314 to S317 are similar to the processes of steps S304 to S307, and therefore their description will be omitted. Furthermore, the processes of steps S311 and S312 are similar to the processes of steps S111 and S112 in the first embodiment, and therefore their description will be omitted. The process of step S313 is performed after the process of step S312. In step S313, the control unit 130 transmits a signal to the compressor 111 to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. More specifically, the control unit 130 transmits a signal to double the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to before the process of step S313 was performed. The process of step S313 ends when the control unit 130 transmits the signal to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. Furthermore, after the process of step S313, the control unit 90 terminates the process.

[0130] Steps S318 to S320 are similar to the processing of steps S118 to S120, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Step S321 is performed after the processing of step S320. In step S321, the control unit 90 transmits a signal to the compressor 111 to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. More specifically, the control unit 90 transmits a signal to double the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to before the processing of step S321 was performed. The processing of step S321 is terminated when the control unit 90 transmits the signal to increase the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111. After the processing of step S321, the control unit 90 terminates the processing.

[0131] As described above, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, includes the compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress the refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the buildings (corresponding to the first building 80a and the second building 80b), the pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the buildings, refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connect the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10, and the control unit 130 that, when an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle device 4 according to the second embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0132] Furthermore, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment includes a compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air of a building (corresponding to the first building 80 a or the second building 80 b), a pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and indoor air of the building, and refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connects the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10. In this case, when the control unit 130 receives an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is reduced more than when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0133] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment has the control unit 130, when receiving an emergency signal, slowing down the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 compared to when not receiving an emergency signal. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment has the effect of being able to effectively adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.

[0134] In the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 according to the second embodiment, when refrigerant is leaking from either the first indoor unit 12a or the second indoor unit 12b, the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 is halved compared to when there is no refrigerant leakage. Furthermore, when refrigerant is leaking from both the first indoor unit 12b and the second indoor unit 12b, the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 is reduced to one-quarter compared to when there is no refrigerant leakage. In this manner, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 4 is configured to change the rotation speed of the compressor drive shaft depending on the number of indoor units leaking refrigerant, but this is not limiting. The rotation speed of the drive shaft of the compressor 111 may be uniformly reduced when refrigerant is leaking from one or more indoor units.

[0135] Embodiment 3 A refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to embodiment 3 will be described. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to embodiment 3 has a failure determination unit 160, as compared with embodiments 1 and 2. Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to embodiment 3 differs from embodiments 1 and 2 in the processing performed by the control unit 140. The hardware configuration of the refrigerant circuit 10 and the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to embodiment 3 is the same as that of embodiment 1, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0136] Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to embodiment 3. The functional configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 .

[0137] As shown in Fig. 8, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 has a failure determination unit 160. When the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 does not detect a refrigerant leak, the failure determination unit 160 determines whether a failure has occurred in the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30. In other words, the failure determination unit 160 determines whether the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 is operating normally. The failure determination unit 160 also transmits a signal indicating whether a failure has occurred in the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 to the control unit 140.

[0138] The failure determination unit 160 includes a first failure determination unit 160a and a second failure determination unit 160b. When the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a does not detect a refrigerant leak, the first failure determination unit 160a determines whether a failure has occurred in the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a. When the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b does not detect a refrigerant leak, the second failure determination unit 160b determines whether a failure has occurred in the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b.

[0139] When the refrigerant leak detection unit 30 detects a refrigerant leak and the failure determination unit 160 determines that there is no failure in the refrigerant leak detection unit 30, the control unit 140 causes the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve 45 to continue to be smaller than when the refrigerant leak detection unit 30 detects a refrigerant leak and the failure determination unit 160 determines that there is a failure in the refrigerant leak detection unit 30. Furthermore, when the refrigerant leak detection unit 30 does not detect a refrigerant leak and the failure determination unit 160 determines that there is no failure in the refrigerant leak detection unit 30, the control unit 140 sends a control command to the alarm unit 50 to cancel the alarm.

[0140] More specifically, when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a detects a refrigerant leak and the first failure determination unit 160a determines that the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a has not failed, the control unit 140 causes the opening area of ​​the first shutoff valve 401 to continue to be smaller than when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a detects a refrigerant leak and the first failure determination unit 160a determines that the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a has failed. Furthermore, when the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a has not detected a refrigerant leak and the first failure determination unit 160a determines that the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a has not failed, the control unit 140 sends a control command to the first alarm unit 50a to cancel the alarm.

[0141] Furthermore, when the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b detects a refrigerant leak and the second failure determination unit 160b determines that the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b has not failed, the control unit 140 causes the opening area of ​​the second shutoff valve 402 to continue to be smaller than when the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b detects a refrigerant leak and the second failure determination unit 160b determines that the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b has failed. Furthermore, when the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b has not detected a refrigerant leak and the second failure determination unit 160b determines that the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b has not failed, the control unit 140 sends a control command to the second warning unit 50b to cancel the warning.

[0142] With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment can maintain a reduced flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 when the refrigerant leakage detection unit 30 fails and is unable to correctly detect a refrigerant leakage in the refrigerant circuit 10. Therefore, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 has the effect of being able to effectively suppress refrigerant leakage.

[0143] 9 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control unit 140 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to Embodiment 3. The processing performed by the control unit 140 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0144] The processing of steps S401 to S408 is the same as the processing of steps S101 to S108 in embodiment 1, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The processing of step S409 is performed when it is determined in step S408 that there is no refrigerant leak in the first indoor unit 12a (step S408, No). In step S409, the control unit 140 determines whether a malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a. More specifically, the control unit 140 determines whether a signal indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a has been received from the first malfunction determination unit 160a. In step S409, if it is determined whether the condition is met, the processing ends.

[0145] In step S409, if it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leakage detection unit 30a (step S409, Yes), the control unit 140 carries out step S412.

[0146] Step S410 is performed when it is determined in step S409 that no malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a (step S409, No). The processes of steps S410 to S412 and steps S416 to S419 are similar to the processes of steps S109 to S111 and steps S114 to S117 in the first embodiment, respectively, and therefore will not be described further.

[0147] Step S413 is performed when it is determined in step S412 that there is no refrigerant leak in the second indoor unit 12b (step S412, No). In step S413, the control unit 140 determines whether a malfunction has occurred in the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b. More specifically, the control unit 140 determines whether a signal indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b has been received from the second malfunction determination unit 160b. When it is determined in step S413 that the condition is satisfied, the process ends.

[0148] Step S414 is performed when it is determined in step S413 that no malfunction has occurred in the second refrigerant leak detection unit 30b (step S413, No). The processes of step S414 and step S415 are similar to the processes of step S112 and step S113 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0149] Step S420 is performed when it is determined in step S404 that the second emergency detection unit 20b has not detected an emergency (step S404, No). The processes of steps S420 and S421 are similar to the processes of steps S118 and S119 in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described again.

[0150] Step S422 is performed when it is determined in step S421 that there is no refrigerant leakage in the first indoor unit 12a (step S421, No). In step S422, the control unit 140 determines whether a malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leakage detection unit 30a. When it is determined in step S422 that the condition is met, the process ends.

[0151] In step S422, if it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leakage detection unit 30a (step S422, Yes), the control unit 140 ends the process.

[0152] Step S423 is performed when it is determined in step S422 that no malfunction has occurred in the first refrigerant leak detection unit 30a (step S422, No). The processes of step S423 and step S424 are similar to the processes of step S410 and step S411, and therefore will not be described again.

[0153] As described above, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment, like the first embodiment, includes the compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress the refrigerant, the outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air outside the buildings (corresponding to the first building 80a and the second building 80b), the pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the buildings, refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connect the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10, and the control unit 140 that, when an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and that indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed is received, reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the refrigeration cycle device 5 according to the third embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0154] Furthermore, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment includes a compressor 111 that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 113 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air of a building (corresponding to the first building 80 a or the second building 80 b), a pressure reducing device 112 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers 121 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and indoor air of the building, and refrigerant piping (corresponding to the indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping 301, the outdoor unit refrigerant piping 351, the first indoor unit refrigerant piping 361, and the second indoor unit refrigerant piping 371) that connects the compressor 111, the outdoor heat exchanger 113, the pressure reducing device 112, and the indoor heat exchangers 121 to form the refrigerant circuit 10. In this case, when the control unit 140 receives an emergency signal that is different from a signal indicating a refrigerant leak and indicates that an emergency condition different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit 10 is installed, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is reduced compared to when the emergency signal is not received. With this configuration, the control method and program for the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0155] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment has the following configuration: if a refrigerant leak detection device (corresponding to the refrigerant leak detection unit 30) that detects a refrigerant leak in the refrigerant circuit 10 is not operating normally after the elapse of the alarm time following receipt of the emergency signal, the control unit 140 maintains a state in which the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 is lower than when the refrigerant leak detection device is operating normally. With this additional configuration, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 5 according to the third embodiment can reduce the flow rate of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 when a malfunction has occurred in the refrigerant leak detection device and a refrigerant leak in the refrigerant circuit 10 cannot be correctly detected, thereby achieving the effect of effectively suppressing refrigerant leakage.

[0156] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the third embodiment includes the failure determination unit as a constituent element, but is not limited to this. Even if the failure determination unit is outside the refrigeration cycle apparatus, it is sufficient that the refrigeration cycle apparatus is configured to receive the failure determination result of the refrigerant leak detection unit.

[0157] Although the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to Embodiments 1 to 3 has a configuration having two indoor units for one outdoor unit, this is not limiting. The refrigeration cycle apparatus may have a configuration having one indoor unit for one outdoor unit, or a configuration having three or more indoor units. Also, the refrigeration cycle apparatus may have a configuration having multiple outdoor units for one indoor unit. Also, the refrigeration cycle apparatus may have a configuration having multiple outdoor units and multiple indoor units.

[0158] Although the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments includes an emergency state detection unit as a component, the present invention is not limited to this. The refrigeration cycle apparatus may be configured to receive an emergency signal. For example, the refrigeration cycle apparatus may be connected to an external server and receive an emergency signal from the external server.

[0159] Furthermore, in the refrigeration cycle devices according to the first to third embodiments, the emergency information is information indicating the occurrence of an earthquake, a fire, or a gas leak, but is not limited to these. The emergency information may be any one of these. Furthermore, the emergency information is not limited to these three. The emergency information may be information indicating that an emergency situation different from normal has occurred in the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed.

[0160] Furthermore, although the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments includes a refrigerant leak detection unit as a component, this is not limiting. Even if the refrigerant leak detection unit is not included in the refrigeration cycle apparatus, it is sufficient that the refrigeration cycle apparatus is configured to receive the refrigerant leak detection result.

[0161] In addition, in the refrigeration cycle devices according to Embodiments 1 to 3, the refrigerant leak detection unit is configured to detect refrigerant leaks in both the first indoor unit and the second indoor unit, but this is not limited to this. The refrigerant leak detection unit may be provided only in the first indoor unit or only in the second indoor unit. The refrigerant leak detection unit may also be provided in the outdoor unit and detect refrigerant leaks in the outdoor unit.

[0162] In the refrigeration cycle apparatuses according to the first to third embodiments, the shutoff valve is an electrically operated shutoff valve, but this is not limiting. For example, the shutoff valve may be an electromagnetic shutoff valve configured to control the opening / closing time or opening / closing angle. Alternatively, the shutoff valve may be a mechanical shutoff valve.

[0163] In the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments, the shutoff valve is provided in the refrigerant piping between the pressure reducing device and the indoor unit, but this is not limiting. For example, the shutoff valve may be provided between the indoor unit and the four-way valve. Alternatively, the pressure reducing device may be used as the shutoff valve without providing a new shutoff valve.

[0164] In the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments, the shutoff valve is provided in the main pipe or the branch pipe, but the shutoff valve may be provided in both the main pipe and the branch pipe. In the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments, the shutoff valve is provided in the indoor / outdoor refrigerant pipe, but this is not limited thereto. The shutoff valve may be provided in the indoor unit refrigerant pipe or the outdoor unit refrigerant pipe.

[0165] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle devices according to the first to third embodiments are configured to include a four-way valve for switching between cooling and heating operations, but are not limited to this. They may be configured to perform only cooling operation or only heating operation without including a four-way valve.

[0166] In the refrigeration cycle devices according to the first to third embodiments, the control unit is configured to perform processing at each detection time, but this is not limiting. For example, the control unit may be configured to perform processing when an emergency signal is received.

[0167] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments may be configured to transmit an emergency signal to an external terminal to display an emergency state, thereby notifying users who are not indoors and cannot hear the alarm that an emergency state has occurred.

[0168] Furthermore, in the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments, the outdoor unit is configured to include the pressure reducing device, but this is not limiting, and the indoor unit may be configured to include the pressure reducing device.

[0169] Furthermore, although the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first to third embodiments is configured to control the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve after controlling the alarm unit, this is not limiting and the control of the opening area of ​​the shutoff valve may be performed before the control of the alarm unit.

[0170] The configurations described in the above embodiments are merely examples of the contents of the present disclosure, and may be combined with other known technologies. Furthermore, parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0171] REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE, 2 REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE, 3 REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE, 4 REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE, 5 REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE, 10 REFRIGERATOR CIRCUIT, 11 OUTDOOR UNIT, 12 INDOOR UNIT, 12a FIRST INDOOR UNIT, 12b SECOND INDOOR UNIT, 20 EMERGENCY STATE DETECTION UNIT, 20a FIRST EMERGENCY STATE DETECTION UNIT, 20b SECOND EMERGENCY STATE DETECTION UNIT, 30 REFRIGERATOR LEAK DETECTION UNIT, 30a FIRST REFRIGERATOR LEAK DETECTION UNIT, 30b SECOND REFRIGERATOR LEAK DETECTION UNIT, 40 CONTROL UNIT, 45 Shut-off valve, 46 Shut-off valve, 50 ALARM UNIT, 50a FIRST ALARM UNIT, 50b SECOND ALARM UNIT, 60 MEMORY UNIT, 70 CONTROL UNIT, 80 REFRIGERATOR CIRCUIT, 80a FIRST BUILDING, 80b SECOND BUILDING, 90 CONTROL UNIT, 91 MEMORY UNIT, 111 COMPRESSOR, 112 DECOMPRESSION DEVICE, 113 OUTDOOR HEAT EXCHANGER, 114 OUTDOOR BLOWER UNIT, 115 Four-way valve, 121 indoor heat exchanger, 121a first indoor heat exchanger, 121b second indoor heat exchanger, 122a first indoor blower, 122b second indoor blower, 130 control unit, 140 control unit, 150 processor, 151 memory, 152 storage, 153 refrigerant leak detector, 154 earthquake detection sensor, 155 gas detection sensor, 156 fire detection sensor, 157 buzzer, 160 failure determination unit, 160a first failure determination unit, 160b second failure determination unit, 301 indoor / outdoor refrigerant piping, 311 main piping, 311a pressure reducing device side main piping, 311b four-way valve side main piping, 321 first branch piping, 321a pressure reducing device side first branch piping, 321b four-way valve side first branch piping, 322 second branch piping, 322a Pressure reducing device side second branch pipe, 322b four-way valve side second branch pipe, 331 main pipe, 331a pressure reducing device side main pipe, 351 outdoor unit refrigerant pipe, 361 first indoor unit refrigerant pipe, 371 second indoor unit refrigerant pipe, 401 first shut-off valve, 402 second shut-off valve.

Claims

1. A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising: a compressor that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between outdoor air of a building and the refrigerant; a decompression device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant; one or more indoor heat exchangers that exchange heat between indoor air of the building and the refrigerant; a refrigerant pipe that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the decompression device, and the indoor heat exchanger to form a refrigerant circuit; and a control unit that, when receiving an emergency signal that is a signal different from a signal indicating that the refrigerant has leaked and indicates that an abnormal state different from normal has occurred at a location where the refrigerant circuit is installed, reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit more than when not acquiring the emergency signal.

2. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shut-off valve provided in the refrigerant pipe, wherein the control unit, when acquiring the emergency signal, reduces the opening area of the shut-off valve more than when not acquiring the emergency signal.

3. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the indoor heat exchanger includes a first indoor heat exchanger and a second indoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant pipe has a main pipe through which the refrigerant flowing into or out of the first indoor heat exchanger and the second indoor heat exchanger flows, a first branch pipe branched from the main pipe and connected to the first indoor heat exchanger, and a second branch pipe branched from the main pipe and connected to the second indoor heat exchanger, and the shut-off valve is provided in the main pipe.

4. The indoor heat exchanger includes a first indoor heat exchanger and a second indoor heat exchanger. The refrigerant pipe has a main pipe through which the refrigerant flowing into or out of the first indoor heat exchanger and the second indoor heat exchanger flows, a first branch pipe branched from the main pipe and connected to the first indoor heat exchanger, and a second branch pipe branched from the main pipe and connected to the second indoor heat exchanger. The shut-off valve has a first shut-off valve provided in the first branch pipe and a second shut-off valve provided in the second branch pipe. When the control unit acquires the emergency signal at the location where the first indoor heat exchanger is installed, the opening area of the first shut-off valve is made smaller than when the emergency signal at the location where the first indoor heat exchanger is installed is not acquired. When the control unit acquires the emergency signal at the location where the second indoor heat exchanger is installed, the opening area of the second shut-off valve is made smaller than when the emergency signal at the location where the second indoor heat exchanger is installed is not acquired. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. When the control unit acquires the emergency signal, the rotational speed of the drive shaft of the compressor is made slower than when the emergency signal is not acquired. The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. After a predetermined alarm time has elapsed since the control unit acquired the emergency signal, when a signal for detecting leakage of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is not acquired, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit is made larger than when a signal for detecting leakage of the refrigerant is acquired. The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. After the alarm time has elapsed since the control unit acquired the emergency signal, when the refrigerant leakage detection device for detecting leakage of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is not operating normally, the state in which the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit is smaller than when the refrigerant leakage detection device is operating normally is continued. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 6.

8. When the emergency signal is acquired, it further includes an alarm unit that issues an alarm until the alarm time elapses. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The emergency signal is a signal indicating that an earthquake has occurred at the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed. When the magnitude of the earthquake is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference earthquake value, the control unit makes the alarm time longer than when the magnitude of the earthquake is less than the reference earthquake value. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 8.

10. The emergency signal is a signal indicating that a fire has occurred at the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed. When the distance from the fire occurrence site to the refrigerant circuit is less than a predetermined fire reference distance, the control unit makes the alarm time longer than when the distance from the fire occurrence site to the refrigerant circuit is equal to or greater than the fire reference distance. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 8.

11. The emergency signal is a signal indicating that gas leakage has occurred from outside the refrigeration cycle device at the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed. When the distance from the gas leakage occurrence site to the refrigerant circuit is less than a predetermined gas reference distance, the control unit makes the alarm time longer than when the distance from the gas leakage occurrence site to the refrigerant circuit is equal to or greater than the gas reference distance. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 8.

12. A control method for a refrigeration cycle device having a compressor that rotates a drive shaft to compress refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the outdoor air of a building and the refrigerant, a decompression device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or more indoor heat exchangers that exchange heat between the indoor air of the building and the refrigerant, and refrigerant piping that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the decompression device, and the indoor heat exchanger to form a refrigerant circuit. When the control unit receives an emergency signal that is different from the signal indicating that the refrigerant has leaked and indicates that an abnormal state different from normal has occurred at the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed, the control unit reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit more than when it does not acquire the emergency signal. A control method for a refrigeration cycle device.

13. In a refrigeration cycle apparatus having a compressor that rotates a drive shaft to compress a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between outdoor air of a building and the refrigerant, a decompression device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, one or a plurality of indoor heat exchangers that exchange heat between indoor air of the building and the refrigerant, and refrigerant piping that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the decompression device, and the indoor heat exchanger to form a refrigerant circuit, a program in which a control unit reduces the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit when receiving an emergency signal that is a signal different from a signal indicating that the refrigerant has leaked and indicates that an abnormal state different from normal has occurred at the location where the refrigerant circuit is installed, as compared to when not acquiring the emergency signal.

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