Air conditioner coolant amount judgment system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-type air conditioners face challenges in accurately judging the adequacy of refrigerant quantity due to inconsistencies in initial charging and fluctuating reference values caused by pipe length, unit combinations, and installation height differences, leading to degraded accuracy in refrigerant quantity assessment.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerant quantity judging system that stores operation state quantities during test operations, compares them with current values, and uses correlation and correction formulas to account for varying operating conditions, ensuring accurate refrigerant quantity assessment even when initial charges are inconsistent or reference values fluctuate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional refrigerant quantity judgment methods using fixed reference values are applied to multi-type air conditioners, then the judgment process is simple, but the accuracy of refrigerant quantity assessment deteriorates due to inconsistencies in initial charging and fluctuations from pipe length, unit combinations, and installation height differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reference values that automatically adapt to different operating conditions. The system stores multiple reference values corresponding to different pipe lengths, unit combinations, and installation height differences, and selectively applies the appropriate reference value based on current operating parameters. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by maintaining high measurement precision across varying conditions without requiring complex manual calibration procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of reference values based on operating conditions such as pipe length, unit combination, and installation height. By storing multiple sets of reference values and selecting the appropriate set based on detected operating parameters, the system maintains accurate refrigerant quantity assessment across different installation scenarios while keeping the judgment process relatively simple through automated parameter selection.
2Reliability
If fixed reference values are used for refrigerant quantity judgment, then the system is easy to operate, but the reliability of judgment deteriorates when initial refrigerant charging is inconsistent or operating conditions vary
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting operating conditions (pipe length, unit combination, installation height) and selecting the appropriate reference values without requiring manual intervention. The controller automatically compares current operation state quantities with the corresponding reference values, ensuring reliable judgment while maintaining ease of operation through automated adaptation to different installation scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts to varying operating conditions by storing and selecting from multiple reference value sets. This dynamic approach ensures that the most appropriate reference values are always used, maintaining high reliability of judgment across different initial charging conditions and operating scenarios while keeping the system easy to operate through automated selection.
3Measurement precision
If multiple reference values are stored for different operating conditions, then the accuracy of refrigerant quantity judgment is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from detected operating parameters (pipe length, unit combination, installation height) to automatically select the appropriate reference values. This feedback mechanism ensures that the most accurate reference values are always applied without requiring complex manual management, as the system self-adjusts based on real-time operating conditions while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple operating conditions and reference value sets. By integrating the capabilities to detect operating parameters, store multiple reference values, and automatically select the appropriate set, the system achieves high accuracy across diverse scenarios while keeping the overall complexity manageable through a unified control architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a multi-type air conditioner, the adequacy of the refrigerant quantity charged in the air conditioner can be accurately judged, even when the refrigerant quantity charged on site is inconsistent, or even when a reference value of the operation state quantity, which is used for judging the adequacy of the refrigerant quantity, fluctuates depending on the pipe length of the refrigerant communication pipe, combination of utilization units, and the difference in the installation height among each unit. In an air conditioner (1) including a refrigerant circuit (10) configured by the interconnection of a heat source unit (2) and utilization units (4, 5) via refrigerant communication pipes (6, 7), a refrigerant quantity judging system judges the adequacy of the refrigerant quantity and includes a state quantity storing means and a refrigerant quantity judging means. The state quantity storing means stores the operation state quantity of constituent equipment or the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit (10) in which refrigerant is charged up to an initial refrigerant quantity by on-site refrigerant charging. The refrigerant quantity judging means compares the operation state quantity during test operation as a reference value with a current value of the operation state quantity, and thereby judges the adequacy of the refrigerant quantity.