Refrigeration cycle apparatus and refrigeration cycle system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigeration apparatuses consume unnecessary energy and allow local refrigerant concentration increases due to inefficient fan operation and faulty refrigerant detection unit usage, with changed or failed sensors being continuously used.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cycle apparatus with a controller that operates an air-blowing fan based on refrigerant concentration changes and uses nonvolatile memory to track leakage and failure histories, ensuring the fan stops when refrigerant leakage ceases and faulty units are replaced.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air-blowing fan is driven continuously until refrigerant concentration becomes zero, then refrigerant leakage is prevented, but unnecessary energy is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors refrigerant concentration through the detection unit and adjusts fan operation in real-time. When concentration drops below a threshold, the fan stops; when concentration rises again, the fan restarts. This closed-loop feedback system eliminates continuous operation while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The fan operation transitions from static continuous running to dynamic on-demand operation. The system adapts fan speed and runtime based on real-time refrigerant concentration conditions, optimizing energy consumption while maintaining refrigerant safety.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the air-blowing fan is stopped after fixed time or manual switch, then energy consumption is reduced, but local refrigerant concentration may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detection unit provides continuous feedback on refrigerant concentration, allowing the controller to extend or maintain fan operation until concentration is truly safe. This prevents premature shutdown that would cause local concentration buildup.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continues fan operation preliminarily beyond fixed time limits when detection units indicate elevated refrigerant levels. This ensures complete dispersion before shutdown, preventing subsequent concentration increases.
3Productivity
If the refrigerant detection unit is continuously used after exposure to refrigerant atmosphere, then detection capability is maintained, but detection characteristics change
Solution Approach 1:
When detection units show signs of degradation from refrigerant exposure, the system replaces them with fresh sensors. This ensures measurement precision is maintained while allowing continuous system operation through periodic sensor replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system proactively replaces detection units before complete failure occurs, based on usage history and performance monitoring. This preliminary replacement prevents detection errors while maintaining continuous operational capability.
4Device complexity
If the failed refrigerant detection unit is kept in continuous use, then system simplicity is maintained, but detection reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects sensor failures and replaces failed detection units with functional ones. This maintains system simplicity through automated management while ensuring detection reliability by removing failed components.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller monitors detection unit health through feedback signals and automatically triggers replacement when failures are detected. This feedback-driven replacement maintains both simplicity and reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents unnecessary energy consumption and local refrigerant concentration increases by accurately stopping fan operation and replacing faulty detection units, ensuring safe and efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigerant detection unit configured to detect a concentration of leaked refrigerant and to output a detection signal to the controller
Implementation Method 2
refrigerant is diffused or exhausted by the air-blowing fan driven by the controller when a refrigerant leakage occurs
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a refrigeration cycle apparatus including: a refrigeration cycle (40, 310) configured to circulate refrigerant by a compressor (3); a heat exchanger unit (1, 2, 400, 300) configured to accommodate at least a heat exchanger (7, 202, 5, 201) of the refrigeration cycle (40, 310); and a controller (30, 301, 401) configured to control the heat exchanger unit (1, 2, 400, 300), the heat exchanger unit (1, 2, 400, 300) comprising a refrigerant detection unit (99) configured to detect the refrigerant; the controller (30, 301, 401) comprising a control board (31b) to which the refrigerant detection unit (99) is unremovably connected, and a nonvolatile memory provided on the control board (31b), the nonvolatile memory being provided with a first failure history storage area for storing any one of first information indicating a state of having no failure history in the refrigerant detection unit (99) and second information indicating a state of having a failure history in the refrigerant detection unit (99), wherein changing of the information stored in the first failure history storage area is allowed only in one way from the first information to the second information, and the controller (30, 301, 401) is configured to change the information stored in the first failure history storage area from the first information to the second information when the refrigerant detection unit (99) fails, stop the compressor when the information stored in the first failure history storage area is changed from the first information to the second information, and prevent the compressor from starting until the information stored in the first failure history storage area is changed from the second information to the first information by replacement of the control board.