Refrigerant Leak Isolation Control for Multi-Indoor Air Conditioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In air conditioning systems with multiple indoor units connected to a single outdoor unit, detecting refrigerant leakage can lead to unnecessary shutdown of operational units, compromising comfort and safety, especially when individual refrigerant sensors are not provided for each indoor unit.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning system with a refrigerant leakage detector and suppression devices that specify and isolate the leaking indoor unit, allowing other units to continue operation by referencing pre-defined grouping information, thereby maintaining comfort and enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all indoor units are made nonoperational when refrigerant leakage is detected, then safety is improved, but indoor comfortableness is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the air conditioning network into segments by identifying which specific indoor unit is leaking refrigerant. When leakage is detected, only the affected indoor unit and its connected outdoor unit are shut down, while other indoor units continue to operate normally. This segmentation approach maintains safety by isolating the leakage source while preserving comfort in unaffected areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system applies different operational states to different parts of the system based on local conditions. The indoor unit with refrigerant leakage is set to nonoperational state, while other indoor units without leakage continue operating. This local quality principle ensures that safety measures are applied only where necessary, maintaining overall system comfort.
2Device complexity
If a refrigerant sensor is not provided for each indoor unit, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to specify the leaking indoor unit becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from a single refrigerant sensor in the target space combined with operational status information from multiple indoor units to identify the leakage source. When the sensor detects refrigerant, the controller analyzes which indoor unit is operating and connected to the leakage area, using this feedback to determine and isolate the specific leaking unit without requiring individual sensors on each indoor unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that processes information from the single refrigerant sensor and correlates it with the operational status of multiple indoor units. By mediating between the sensor detection and the indoor unit control, the system can identify which specific indoor unit is leaking based on which unit was operating when leakage was detected, eliminating the need for multiple sensors.
Data Source
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AI summary
A storage device (84) of a system control device (80) stores grouping information that defines an association among a refrigerant sensor (50), a plurality of indoor units (20a, 20b), at least one outdoor unit (10a, 10b), and a plurality of refrigerant leakage suppression devices (70a, 70b). When refrigerant leakage is detected by the refrigerant sensor (50), the system control device (80) performs a process for specifying, from the plurality of indoor units (20a, 20b), an indoor unit in which the refrigerant leakage has occurred. Further, the system control device (80) makes reference to the grouping information to operate a refrigerant leakage suppression device (70a, 70b) corresponding to the indoor unit specified by performing the above-described process.