CN118687288B

CN118687288B - Refrigerant leakage detection device, protection system and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN118687288B
Application number: CN202411167467.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄鑫杰; 张鸿宙; 蒋旭; 杨和澄
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2024-08-23
Filing date: 2024-08-23
Publication date: 2024-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2044-08-23
Also published as: CN118687288A

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application relates to a refrigerant leakage detection device, a protection system and a control method thereof, wherein the refrigerant leakage detection device comprises a compressor, an exhaust pipe, a sensor and a processing unit; wherein: the exhaust pipe is connected to the compressor, and the exhaust pipe is used to control the circulation flow of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor; the processing unit is connected to the sensor; the sensor is arranged on the exhaust pipe; the sensor is used to: detect target parameters, wherein the target parameters include the internal pressure of the exhaust pipe and/or the temperature of the exhaust pipe; transmit the target parameters to the processing unit; the processing unit is used to: determine whether there is a refrigerant leakage based on the target parameters. Thus, the accuracy of refrigerant detection can be improved.

Description

Refrigerant leakage detection device, protection system and control method thereof

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of refrigeration, and in particular, to a refrigerant leakage detection device, a protection system, and a control method thereof.

Background

In refrigeration systems, refrigeration is typically achieved by a refrigerant. However, current refrigerants are often flammable and present an explosion hazard when mixed with air. For example, in an air conditioning unit, refrigerant may leak in a sealed space of a compressor chamber, and the leakage of refrigerant may leak out once started, resulting in a high concentration of refrigerant being extremely stored inside the compressor chamber. If the components in the unit are in a power-on or power-off state at this time, ignition flowers are very easy to generate, so that the refrigerant leaked into the air is ignited to generate explosion. Currently, it is mainly determined by pressure detection whether or not there is refrigerant leakage. However, in practice, with the use of the refrigeration system, there may be a case where the pressure detection cannot accurately determine whether or not there is leakage of the refrigerant due to aging or the presence of impurities such as dust.

It can be seen that how to improve the accuracy of judging whether the refrigerant has leakage or not is a technical problem of concern.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, in order to solve some or all of the above technical problems, embodiments of the present application provide a refrigerant leakage detection device, a protection system, and a control method thereof.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerant leakage detection apparatus, including a refrigerant discharge unit, a compressor, a discharge pipe, a sensor, and a processing unit, wherein:

The exhaust pipe is connected with the compressor and is used for controlling the refrigerant compressed by the compressor to circularly flow;

The processing unit is connected with the sensor and the refrigerant discharge unit;

the sensor is arranged on the exhaust pipe;

the sensor is used for detecting target parameters, wherein the target parameters comprise the internal pressure of the exhaust pipe and/or the temperature of the exhaust pipe;

The processing unit is used for preliminarily determining whether refrigerant leakage exists or not based on the target parameters, controlling the refrigerant discharge unit to discharge the leaked refrigerant and controlling other components except the refrigerant discharge unit to stop working under the condition that the refrigerant leakage exists, determining a first duration, wherein the first duration is the duration of the continuous working of the refrigerant discharge unit or the duration of the continuous working of the other components in a stop working state, controlling the other components to work under the condition that the first duration is greater than or equal to a first duration threshold value, acquiring the internal pressure of the air inlet side of the exhaust pipe after the other components work, and determining whether the refrigerant leakage exists or not again based on the internal pressure of the air inlet side.

In one possible embodiment, the sensor comprises a first pressure sensor and a first temperature sensor;

the first pressure sensor and the first temperature sensor are respectively connected with the processing unit;

the first pressure sensor and the first temperature sensor are respectively arranged on the exhaust pipe;

The first pressure sensor is used for detecting the internal pressure of the exhaust pipe and transmitting the internal pressure to the processing unit;

The first temperature sensor is used for detecting the temperature of the exhaust pipe and transmitting the temperature to the processing unit;

The processing unit is configured to preliminarily determine whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure and the temperature.

In a possible embodiment, the processing unit is specifically configured to:

Determining whether the internal pressure is smaller than a preset first pressure threshold value or not to obtain a first determination result;

determining whether the temperature is greater than a preset temperature threshold value to obtain a second determination result;

Based on the first determination result and the second determination result, it is preliminarily determined whether or not there is refrigerant leakage.

In one possible embodiment, the sensor further comprises a second pressure sensor;

the first pressure sensor is arranged on the exhaust side of the exhaust pipe;

The second pressure sensor is arranged on the air inlet side of the exhaust pipe;

The first pressure sensor is configured to detect an internal pressure of an exhaust side of the exhaust pipe;

the second pressure sensor is used for detecting the internal pressure of the air inlet side of the exhaust pipe;

The processing unit is specifically configured to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure of the exhaust side, the internal pressure of the intake side, and the temperature.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a protection system for refrigerant leakage, where the protection system for refrigerant leakage includes a detection device and a discharge device, where the detection device is the detection device for refrigerant leakage in any one of the first aspects, and the discharge device includes a compressor cavity, a control unit, a refrigerant discharge unit, a chassis air duct, and a fan cavity, and the refrigerant discharge unit includes a motor and a stop block;

the detection device is connected with the discharge device;

the control unit is connected with the motor;

the chassis air channel is respectively connected with the compressor cavity and the fan cavity;

The stop block is arranged in the chassis air duct and used for controlling the compressor cavity to be communicated with or disconnected from the fan cavity;

The control unit is used for controlling the motor to drive the stop block to be opened under the condition that the detection device determines that the refrigerant leaks, so that the compressor cavity is communicated with the fan cavity through the chassis air duct, and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity is discharged into the fan cavity.

In one possible embodiment, the discharge device further comprises a fan;

The fan is connected with the control unit and is arranged in the fan cavity;

The control unit is specifically used for controlling the motor to drive the stop block to open and controlling the fan to rotate under the condition that the detection device determines that the refrigerant leaks, so that the compressor cavity is communicated with the fan cavity through the chassis air duct, and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity is discharged into the fan cavity through the fan.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for controlling a protection system for refrigerant leakage, the method including:

Obtaining target parameters, wherein the target parameters comprise the internal pressure of a discharge pipe connected with a compressor and/or the temperature of the discharge pipe, and the discharge pipe is used for controlling the circulating flow of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor;

based on the target parameter, preliminarily determining whether there is refrigerant leakage;

in the case of preliminary determination that there is a refrigerant leakage, controlling a refrigerant discharge unit in a protection system in which the refrigerant leakage discharges the leaked refrigerant, and controlling other components except the refrigerant discharge unit in the protection system in which the refrigerant leakage is controlled to stop operating;

Determining a first duration, wherein the first duration is a duration of continuous working of the refrigerant discharge unit or a duration of continuous working of the other components in a stop state;

Controlling the other components to work under the condition that the first time length is greater than or equal to a first time length threshold value;

after the other components work, acquiring the internal pressure of the air inlet side of the exhaust pipe;

Determining again whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure of the intake side;

In the case where it is determined again that there is a refrigerant leakage, a protection system controlling the refrigerant leakage performs a refrigerant leakage protection operation.

In one possible embodiment, the target parameters include an internal pressure of the exhaust pipe and a temperature of the exhaust pipe, and

The preliminary determining whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the target parameter includes:

In one possible embodiment, the refrigerant leakage protection system is the refrigerant leakage protection system of any one of the above second aspects, and

The preliminary determining whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the first determination result and the second determination result includes:

when the first determination result indicates that the internal pressure is smaller than the first pressure threshold value and the temperature is larger than the preset temperature threshold value, a motor included in the protection system for controlling the refrigerant leakage drives a stop block to be opened, and other components except the motor in the protection system for controlling the refrigerant leakage stop working;

determining a first time length, wherein the first time length is the time length when the stop block is continuously in an open state or the time length when other components are continuously in a stop working state;

based on the internal pressure of the intake side, it is preliminarily determined whether there is refrigerant leakage.

Before the acquiring the target parameter, the method further includes:

determining whether a start-up instruction of a protection system for the refrigerant leakage is detected;

Under the condition that the starting-up instruction is detected, and before the refrigerant leakage protection system executes the starting-up operation indicated by the starting-up instruction, a motor included in the refrigerant leakage protection system is controlled to drive a stop block to be opened;

determining a second duration for which the stop block is continuously in an open state;

And under the condition that the second time length is greater than or equal to a second time length threshold value, controlling the protection system for refrigerant leakage to execute the starting operation.

In one possible embodiment, in the case that the second time period is greater than or equal to a second time period threshold, the method further includes:

Controlling the motor to drive the stop block to be closed;

determining a third time length between the current time and the last closing time of the stop block;

and under the condition that the third time length is greater than or equal to a third time length threshold value, controlling the motor to drive the stop block to open.

In one possible embodiment, the method further comprises:

collecting the refrigerant in the refrigerant leakage protection system to a preset closed space, wherein the preset closed space is provided with a second temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor;

After pooling the refrigerant into the preset enclosed space, controlling a first parameter of the preset enclosed space, wherein the first parameter comprises the temperature and/or pressure of the enclosed space;

Acquiring temperature data acquired by the second temperature sensor and pressure data acquired by the third pressure sensor in and/or after controlling the first parameter of the preset closed space;

Based on the temperature data and the pressure data, it is determined whether there is a refrigerant leak.

The embodiment of the application provides a refrigerant leakage detection device, which comprises a refrigerant discharge unit, a compressor, an exhaust pipe, a sensor and a processing unit, wherein the refrigerant discharge unit is connected with the compressor; the method comprises the steps of connecting a discharge pipe with a compressor, controlling refrigerant compressed by the compressor to circularly flow through the discharge pipe, connecting a processing unit with a sensor and the refrigerant discharge unit, setting the sensor on the discharge pipe, detecting a target parameter, transmitting the target parameter to the processing unit, primarily determining whether refrigerant leakage exists or not based on the target parameter, controlling the refrigerant discharge unit to discharge the leaked refrigerant and controlling other components except the refrigerant discharge unit to stop working when the refrigerant leakage exists primarily, and determining a first duration, wherein the first duration is a duration of continuous working of the refrigerant discharge unit or a duration of continuous working of the other components, controlling the components to operate when the first duration is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and determining whether the other components are in a state of stopping working when the first duration is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and determining whether the other components are in a state of continuous working when the first duration is equal to or equal to the first duration, and determining whether the other components are in a state of continuous working when the second duration is equal to the first threshold, and determining whether the other components are in a state of continuous working when the other components are in a state. Therefore, refrigerant leakage detection can be performed in two different modes, and the problem that whether the refrigerant leaks or not can not be accurately judged due to aging or sundries such as dust can be eliminated to a certain extent, so that the accuracy of refrigerant detection can be improved.

The refrigerant leakage protection system comprises a detection device and a discharge device, wherein the detection device is the refrigerant leakage detection device, the discharge device comprises a compressor cavity, a control unit, a refrigerant discharge unit, a chassis air duct and a fan cavity, the refrigerant discharge unit comprises a motor and a baffle plate, the detection device is connected with the discharge device, the control unit is connected with the motor, the chassis air duct is respectively connected with the compressor cavity and the fan cavity, the baffle plate is arranged in the chassis air duct and used for controlling the compressor cavity to be communicated with or disconnected from the fan cavity, and the control unit is used for controlling the motor to drive the baffle plate to be opened under the condition that the detection device determines that refrigerant leakage exists, so that the compressor cavity is communicated with the fan cavity through the chassis air duct and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity is discharged into the fan cavity. Therefore, under the condition that the refrigerant leaks, the refrigerant can be discharged in time, and the use safety of the refrigerant is improved.

According to the control method of the refrigerant leakage protection system, target parameters can be obtained, wherein the target parameters comprise the internal pressure of a discharge pipe connected with a compressor and/or the temperature of the discharge pipe, the discharge pipe is used for controlling the refrigerant compressed by the compressor to circularly flow, then, whether the refrigerant leakage exists or not is initially determined based on the target parameters, in the case that the refrigerant leakage exists is initially determined, a refrigerant discharge unit in the refrigerant leakage protection system is controlled to discharge the leaked refrigerant, other components except the refrigerant discharge unit in the refrigerant leakage protection system are controlled to stop working, then, a first duration is determined, the first duration is the duration of continuous working of the refrigerant discharge unit or the duration of continuous working of the other components, in the case that the first duration is greater than or equal to a first duration threshold value, the other components are controlled to work, in the case that the other components work, the internal pressure of an air inlet side of the discharge pipe is initially determined, then, in the case that the refrigerant leakage exists on the air inlet side is determined again based on the internal pressure of the refrigerant leakage protection system, and then, whether the refrigerant leakage exists in the air inlet side is again determined, and the refrigerant leakage is again determined. Therefore, corresponding refrigerant leakage protection operation can be timely executed under the condition that refrigerant leakage exists, and the use safety of the refrigerant is improved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the application.

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the application or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings which are used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described, and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without inventive effort.

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which the figures of the drawings are not to be taken in a limiting sense, unless otherwise indicated.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerant leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a protection system for refrigerant leakage according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a control method of a refrigerant leakage protection system according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a control method of another refrigerant leakage protection system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the application. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that terms such as "first," "second," and the like in the embodiments of the present application are used merely to distinguish between different steps, devices or modules and the like, and do not represent any particular technical meaning or logical sequence therebetween.

It should also be understood that in this embodiment, "plurality" may refer to two or more, and "at least one" may refer to one, two or more.

It should also be appreciated that any component, data, or structure referred to in an embodiment of the application may be generally understood as one or more without explicit limitation or the contrary in the context.

In addition, the term "and/or" in the present application is merely an association relation describing the association object, and indicates that three kinds of relations may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate that a exists alone, and a and B exist together, and B exists alone. In the present application, the character "/" generally indicates that the front and rear related objects are an or relationship.

It should also be understood that the description of the embodiments of the present application emphasizes the differences between the embodiments, and that the same or similar features may be referred to each other, and for brevity, will not be described in detail.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the application, its application, or uses.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent figures.

It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present application and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other. For an understanding of embodiments of the present application, the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings in conjunction with the embodiments. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the application. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the application without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the application.

In the structural schematic diagram of the present application, solid lines may represent that the components are connected by using entities such as pipes, and broken lines may represent signal connection between the components.

In order to solve the technical problem of higher cost of refrigerant leakage detection in the prior art, the application provides a refrigerant leakage detection device, a protection system and a control method thereof, which can reduce the cost of refrigerant leakage detection.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerant leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application. The refrigerant leakage detection device can be applied to equipment such as air conditioners, refrigerators and the like.

As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerant leakage detecting device includes a refrigerant discharge unit 100, a compressor 10, a discharge pipe 20, a sensor 30, and a processing unit 40.

The discharge pipe 20 is connected to the compressor 10 and the refrigerant discharge unit 100, and the discharge pipe 20 is used to control the circulation flow of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 10. Wherein the refrigerant is R290 methane.

The processing unit 40 is connected to the sensor 30.

The sensor 30 is provided on the exhaust pipe 20.

The sensor 30 is used for detecting a target parameter. The target parameters are then transmitted to the processing unit 40.

Wherein the target parameter comprises an internal pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 and/or a temperature of the exhaust pipe 20.

The sensor 30 may include at least one of a high pressure sensor (i.e., a first pressure sensor 301), a first temperature sensor (e.g., an exhaust bulb 302), and a low pressure sensor (i.e., a second pressure sensor 303).

The processing unit 40 is configured to preliminarily determine whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the target parameter. And in the case of preliminary determination that there is a refrigerant leakage, controlling the refrigerant discharge unit 100 to discharge the leaked refrigerant, and controlling other components (e.g., the compressor 10, etc.) other than the refrigerant discharge unit 100 to stop operating, determining a first period of time, wherein the first period of time is a period of time in which the refrigerant discharge unit 100 is continuously operating, or a period of time in which the other components are continuously in a stopped operating state. After the other components are operated, the internal pressure of the intake side of the exhaust pipe is obtained. Based on the internal pressure of the intake side, it is determined again whether there is refrigerant leakage.

In the present embodiment, whether or not there is refrigerant leakage may be preliminarily determined based on the target parameter in various manners.

Here, the processing unit 40 and the control unit 60 may be provided as two separate modules, or may be designed as one module, which is not limited herein.

In some alternative implementations of the present embodiment, the sensor 30 includes a first pressure sensor (e.g., a high pressure sensor) and a first temperature sensor (e.g., an exhaust bulb).

The first pressure sensor and the first temperature sensor are respectively connected with the processing unit 40.

The first pressure sensor and the first temperature sensor are respectively provided on the exhaust pipe 20.

The first pressure sensor is configured to detect an internal pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 (e.g., an internal pressure of an exhaust side of the exhaust pipe, and/or an internal pressure of an intake side of the exhaust pipe), and to transmit the internal pressure to the processing unit 40.

The first temperature sensor is for detecting the temperature of the exhaust pipe 20. The temperature is transmitted to the processing unit 40.

The processing unit 40 is configured to preliminarily determine whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure and the temperature.

As an example, a relational expression between the internal pressure and the temperature may be set in advance. Thus, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage by determining whether or not the above-described internal pressure and temperature conform to the above-described relational expression.

In addition, it is also possible to preliminarily determine whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure and the temperature in other manners. Please refer to the following description, and the description is omitted herein.

It will be appreciated that in the alternative implementations described above, both the internal pressure and temperature of the discharge tube 20 may be combined to determine whether there is a refrigerant leak. In this way, the accuracy of detecting whether there is refrigerant leakage can be improved.

Here, it may be determined again whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure of the intake side in the following manner.

As an example, if the internal pressure of the intake side is less than a second pressure threshold, it may be determined that there is refrigerant leakage, and if the internal pressure of the intake side is greater than or equal to the second pressure threshold, it may be determined that there is no refrigerant leakage.

In some application scenarios of the above alternative implementation manners, the processing unit 40 is specifically configured to determine whether the internal pressure is smaller than a preset first pressure threshold, so as to obtain a first determination result. And determining whether the temperature is greater than a preset temperature threshold to obtain a second determination result. Then, based on the first determination result and the second determination result, it is preliminarily determined whether or not there is refrigerant leakage.

Wherein the first determination result may indicate whether the internal pressure is less than a preset first pressure threshold.

The second determination result may indicate whether the temperature is greater than a preset temperature threshold.

As an example, in case the first determination result indicates that the internal pressure is smaller than a preset first pressure threshold value and the second determination result indicates that the temperature is larger than a preset temperature threshold value, it may be (preliminarily) determined that there is no refrigerant leakage, in case the first determination result indicates that the internal pressure is larger than or equal to a preset first pressure threshold value or the second determination result indicates that the temperature is smaller than or equal to a preset temperature threshold value

Here, under normal conditions, the amount of refrigerant in the unit is kept constant (unless the refrigerant leaks), and the internal pressure, temperature of the discharge pipe in which the unit operates should always be operated at a set pressure and temperature, and if the pressure is abnormally decreased and/or the temperature is abnormally increased, there is a possibility that the refrigerant leaks.

In addition, it is also possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage based on the first determination result and the second determination result in other manners. Please refer to the following description, and the description is omitted herein.

It will be appreciated that in the above application scenario, it may be determined whether there is leakage of the refrigerant by combining the magnitude relation between the internal pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 and the preset first pressure threshold value, and the magnitude relation between the temperature and the preset temperature threshold value. In this way, the accuracy of detecting whether there is refrigerant leakage can be further improved.

In some application scenarios in the alternative implementations described above, the sensor 30 further includes a second pressure sensor.

The first pressure sensor is provided on the exhaust side of the exhaust pipe 20.

The second pressure sensor is provided on the intake side of the exhaust pipe 20.

The first pressure sensor is for detecting an internal pressure of an exhaust side of the exhaust pipe 20.

The second pressure sensor is for detecting the internal pressure of the intake side of the exhaust pipe 20.

The processing unit 40 is specifically configured to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure of the exhaust side, the internal pressure of the intake side, and the temperature.

As an example, a relational expression between the internal pressure on the exhaust side, the internal pressure on the intake side, and the temperature may be set in advance. Thus, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage by determining whether or not the internal pressure on the exhaust side, the internal pressure on the intake side, and the temperature conform to the relational expressions described above.

Further, it is also possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage based on the internal pressure of the exhaust side, the internal pressure of the intake side, and the temperature in other manners. Please refer to the following description, and the description is omitted herein.

It will be appreciated that in the above application scenario, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage in combination with the internal pressure of the exhaust side of the exhaust pipe 20, the internal pressure of the intake side, and the temperature. In this way, the accuracy of detecting whether there is refrigerant leakage can be further improved.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the processing unit 40 may also be used to implement the function implemented by the control unit in the refrigerant leakage protection system according to the present application, and may also implement the control method of the refrigerant leakage protection system according to the present application, and specific reference is made to the related description of the context, which is not repeated herein.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a protection system for refrigerant leakage according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 2, the protection system for the refrigerant leakage includes a detection device of the refrigerant leakage of any one of the above description, and a discharge device including a compressor chamber 50, a control unit 60, a refrigerant discharge unit, a chassis air duct 90, and a blower chamber 12. The refrigerant discharge unit includes a motor (including a motor 701 and a motor 702 in the drawing), a stopper (including a stopper 801 and a stopper 802 in the drawing).

The detection device is connected with the discharge device.

The control unit 60 is connected to the motor.

The chassis air duct is respectively connected with the compressor cavity 50 and the fan cavity 12;

The stop block is arranged in the chassis air duct and is used for controlling the compressor cavity 50 to be communicated with or disconnected from the fan cavity 12.

The control unit 60 is configured to control the motor to drive the stop block to open when the detection device determines that there is leakage of the refrigerant, so that the compressor cavity 50 is communicated with the fan cavity 12 through the chassis air duct, and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity 50 is discharged into the fan cavity 12.

In some alternative implementations of the present embodiment, the discharge device further includes a blower 11.

The fan 11 is connected to the control unit 60, and the fan 11 is disposed in the fan cavity 12.

The control unit 60 is specifically configured to control, when the detection device determines that there is leakage of refrigerant, the motor to drive the stop block to open, and control the fan 11 to rotate, so that the compressor cavity 50 is communicated with the fan cavity 12 through the chassis air duct, and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity 50 is discharged into the fan cavity 12 through the fan.

It will be appreciated that in the above alternative implementation, the discharge of leaked refrigerant may be accelerated by a fan, thereby further improving the safety of refrigerant use.

It should be noted that, in addition to the above descriptions, the present embodiment may further include the corresponding technical features described in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1, so as to further achieve the technical effects of the detecting device for refrigerant leakage shown in fig. 1, and the detailed description with reference to fig. 1 is omitted herein for brevity.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the control unit 60 may also be used to implement the control method of the protection system for refrigerant leakage in the present application, and the detailed description is omitted herein.

The refrigerant leakage protection system comprises a detection device and a discharge device, wherein the detection device is the detection device for the refrigerant leakage, the discharge device comprises a compressor cavity, a control unit, a refrigerant discharge unit, a motor, a check block, a chassis air duct and a fan cavity, the refrigerant discharge unit comprises the motor and the check block, the detection device is connected with the discharge device, the control unit is connected with the motor, the chassis air duct is respectively connected with the compressor cavity and the fan cavity, the check block is arranged in the chassis air duct and used for controlling the compressor cavity to be communicated with or disconnected from the fan cavity, and the control unit is used for controlling the motor to drive the check block to be opened under the condition that the detection device determines that the refrigerant leakage exists, so that the compressor cavity is communicated with the fan cavity through the chassis air duct and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity is discharged into the fan cavity. Therefore, under the condition that the refrigerant leaks, the refrigerant can be discharged in time, and the use safety of the refrigerant is improved.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a flow chart of a control method of a protection system for refrigerant leakage according to an embodiment of the present application. The refrigerant leakage protection system may be the refrigerant leakage protection system described above, or may be another refrigerant leakage protection system, and is not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 3, the method includes:

In step 101, target parameters are obtained, wherein the target parameters include an internal pressure of a discharge pipe 20 connected with the compressor 10 and/or a temperature of the discharge pipe 20, and the discharge pipe 20 is used for controlling a refrigerant circulating flow compressed by the compressor 10. Wherein the refrigerant is R290 methane.

In the present embodiment, the internal pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 may include at least one of the internal pressure of the exhaust side of the exhaust pipe 20, the internal pressure of the intake side of the exhaust pipe 20.

Step 102, based on the target parameter, primarily determining whether there is refrigerant leakage.

In this embodiment, the specific implementation of step 102 may refer to the relevant description of the context, and will not be described herein.

And 103, in the case that the refrigerant leakage is preliminarily determined, controlling a refrigerant discharge unit in the refrigerant leakage protection system to discharge the leaked refrigerant, and controlling other components except the refrigerant discharge unit in the refrigerant leakage protection system to stop working.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerant discharge unit may include a blower fan, a stopper, and the like. Other components may include, for example, a compressor.

And 104, determining a first time length, wherein the first time length is the continuous working time length of the refrigerant discharge unit or the time length of other components continuously in a stop working state.

In the present embodiment, the continuous operation period may represent a period during which the refrigerant discharge unit is continuously and uninterruptedly operated.

And step 105, controlling the other components to work under the condition that the first time length is greater than or equal to a first time length threshold value.

And 106, after the other components work, acquiring the internal pressure of the air inlet side of the exhaust pipe.

Step 107, based on the internal pressure of the intake side, it is again determined whether there is refrigerant leakage.

In the present embodiment, if the internal pressure of the intake side is less than the second pressure threshold, it may be determined that there is refrigerant leakage, and if the internal pressure of the intake side is greater than or equal to the second pressure threshold, it may be determined that there is no refrigerant leakage.

In step 108, in the case where it is determined again that there is a refrigerant leak, the protection system controlling the refrigerant leak performs a refrigerant leak protection operation.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant leakage protection operation may be to send out an alarm alert, or may be to control the fan of the refrigerant leakage protection system to be turned on.

In some alternative implementations of the present embodiment, the target parameters include an internal pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 and a temperature of the exhaust pipe 20.

On this basis, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage based on the target parameter in the following manner:

The first step, determining whether the internal pressure is smaller than a preset first pressure threshold value or not to obtain a first determination result;

step two, determining whether the temperature is greater than a preset temperature threshold value to obtain a second determination result;

And thirdly, preliminarily determining whether refrigerant leakage exists or not based on the first determination result and the second determination result.

Specific implementation manners of the foregoing alternative implementation manners may refer to relevant descriptions of the contexts, and are not repeated herein.

It will be appreciated that in the above alternative implementation, it may be determined whether there is a refrigerant leak in combination with the magnitude relation between the internal pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 and the preset first pressure threshold value, and the magnitude relation between the temperature and the preset temperature threshold value. In this way, the accuracy of detecting whether there is refrigerant leakage can be further improved.

In some application scenarios of the above alternative implementations, the protection system for refrigerant leakage is the protection system for refrigerant leakage described above.

On this basis, it is possible to preliminarily determine whether or not there is refrigerant leakage based on the first determination result and the second determination result in the following manner:

And a first step of controlling a motor included in the refrigerant leakage protection system to drive a stop block to be opened so as to discharge the leaked refrigerant and controlling other components except the motor in the refrigerant leakage protection system to stop working under the condition that the first determination result indicates that the internal pressure is smaller than the first pressure threshold value and the temperature is larger than the preset temperature threshold value.

And then, determining the duration that the stop block is continuously in an open state after the stop block is driven by the motor to open, and/or determining the duration that other components are continuously in a stop working state after other components stop working.

And a second step of determining a first time length.

The first duration is a duration that the stop block is continuously in an open state or a duration that the other components are continuously in a stop working state.

And thirdly, controlling the other components to work under the condition that the first time length is greater than or equal to a first time length threshold value.

Fourth, after the other components are operated, the internal pressure of the intake side of the exhaust pipe 20 is obtained.

Fifth, based on the internal pressure of the intake side, it is preliminarily determined whether or not there is refrigerant leakage.

It can be appreciated that in the above application scenario, after the fan is turned on for a period of time, the other components that have been in operation suspension may be turned on again, and based on the internal pressure of the air inlet side of the exhaust pipe after the other components are turned on again, it is determined whether there is leakage of the refrigerant. In this way, the accuracy of refrigerant leak detection can be further improved.

In some alternative implementations of this embodiment, the protection system for refrigerant leakage is the protection system for refrigerant leakage described above.

On this basis, the following steps may be further performed before the target parameter is acquired:

first, it is determined whether a start-up instruction of the protection system for the refrigerant leakage is detected.

The start-up instruction may be triggered by an object such as a user. The start-up instruction may be used to instruct the protection system for refrigerant leakage to perform a start-up operation.

And secondly, under the condition that the starting-up instruction is detected, and before the refrigerant leakage protection system executes the starting-up operation indicated by the starting-up instruction, a motor included in the refrigerant leakage protection system is controlled to drive a stop block to be opened so as to discharge the refrigerant under the condition that the refrigerant leakage exists.

And a second step. And determining a second duration in which the stop is in the open state continuously.

The second period of time may represent a period of time during which the stopper is continuously in the opened state after the stopper is opened by performing the first step described above.

And thirdly, under the condition that the second time length is greater than or equal to a second time length threshold value, controlling the protection system for refrigerant leakage to execute the starting operation.

It will be appreciated that in the alternative implementation described above, the stop is first opened before each start-up of the refrigerant leak protection system to vent the refrigerant leak in the presence of the same. Thereby, the safety of the refrigerant use is further improved.

In some application scenarios in the above optional implementations, when the second time period is greater than or equal to the second time period threshold, the following steps may be further performed:

and firstly, controlling the motor to drive the stop block to be closed.

And secondly, determining a third time length between the current time and the last closing time of the stop block.

The third duration may represent a duration between a current time and a last closing time of the stopper.

And thirdly, controlling the motor to drive the stop block to open under the condition that the third time length is greater than or equal to a third time length threshold value.

Alternatively, the time period in which the stopper is opened may be a predetermined time period.

It will be appreciated that in the above application scenario, each time the refrigerant leak protection system is operated for a period of time (the third duration threshold), the stop will be opened to vent the refrigerant leak in the presence thereof. Thereby, the safety of the refrigerant use is further improved.

In some alternative implementations of the present embodiment, the following steps may also be performed:

Firstly, collecting the refrigerant in the refrigerant leakage protection system to a preset closed space.

The preset closed space is provided with a second temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor.

The second temperature sensor may be used to detect a temperature of a preset enclosed space or a temperature of a refrigerant in the preset enclosed space.

The third pressure sensor may be used to detect an internal pressure of the preset enclosed space.

And then, after collecting the refrigerant into the preset closed space, controlling a first parameter of the preset closed space.

Wherein the first parameter comprises the temperature and/or pressure of the enclosed space.

For example, the temperature of the enclosed space may be increased or decreased within a preset temperature range, and/or the pressure of the enclosed space may be increased or decreased within a preset pressure range.

The above-mentioned preset temperature range may be determined for the type of the refrigerant, and is a safe temperature range of the corresponding refrigerant, for example, a temperature upper limit value of the preset temperature range is less than an explosion temperature of the refrigerant.

The above-described preset pressure range may be determined for the type of refrigerant, and is a safe pressure range of the corresponding refrigerant, for example, a pressure upper limit value of the preset temperature range is smaller than an explosion pressure of the refrigerant.

And then, in the process of controlling the first parameter of the preset closed space and/or after controlling the first parameter of the preset closed space, acquiring the temperature data acquired by the second temperature sensor and the pressure data acquired by the third pressure sensor.

Finally, it is determined whether there is a refrigerant leak based on the temperature data and the pressure data.

Here, it may be determined whether there is refrigerant leakage based on the temperature data and the pressure data in various manners.

As an example, if the variation trend of the temperature data and the pressure data corresponds to a preset variation trend, it may be determined that there is no refrigerant leakage. If the variation trend of the temperature data and the pressure data does not conform to the preset variation trend, it may be determined that there is refrigerant leakage.

The preset change trend indicates the change trend of the temperature and the pressure of the closed space where the refrigerant is located under the condition that no refrigerant leakage exists.

Here, in the case where it is determined that there is refrigerant leakage based on the target parameter, it may be further preliminarily determined whether there is refrigerant leakage in the manner described in the above-described alternative implementation.

Or it is also possible to determine again whether there is a refrigerant leak based on the internal pressure of the intake side, further in the manner described in the alternative implementations above.

It can be appreciated that in the above alternative implementation manner, the accuracy of refrigerant leakage detection may be further improved by detecting temperature data and pressure data of the preset closed space.

The following description is given by way of example of the embodiments of the present application, but it should be noted that the embodiments of the present application may have the features described below, and the following description does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

Here, refrigerant R290 (propane) in the air conditioning system is described as an example. In practice, however, other refrigerants may be used for refrigeration and/or may be provided in other devices.

R290 is commonly used as an alternative to freon and other refrigerants in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The use of R290 can effectively reduce the carbon emissions of the system, thereby reducing the environmental impact. R290 has good heat conduction performance and extremely high refrigerating efficiency in the heat pump field, and can effectively reduce energy consumption. R290 is free of chlorofluorocarbons, does not have a destructive effect on the ozone layer, and has a low global warming potential. R290 is widely used in refrigeration equipment such as commercial and domestic air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, and the like. The R290 refrigerant presents a certain safety risk because it is a flammable refrigerant that presents an explosion hazard when mixed with air. Particularly, in the air conditioning unit, if the refrigerant leaks into the sealed space of the compressor chamber, the leakage of the refrigerant is leaked out once started, so that the high-concentration R290 refrigerant is extremely easy to store in the compressor chamber. If the components in the unit are in a power-on or power-off state at this time, ignition flowers are very easy to generate, so that R290 refrigerant leaked into the air is ignited to generate explosion discovery.

In view of this, this scheme can solve the extra cost problem that R290 air conditioner outer machine increased refrigerant detection device and brought to and solve the R290 refrigerant and reveal the safety class problem that the back leads to because of local too big concentration in the compressor cavity.

As shown in fig. 2, the device includes a high pressure sensor 301, an exhaust bulb 302 (i.e., the first temperature sensor), a low pressure switch, an environment bulb 304, and two movable stoppers (shown as a stopper 801 and a stopper 802) and a motor (shown as a click 701 and a click 702).

The device is composed of a high-pressure sensor 301, an exhaust temperature sensing bag 302 and a low-pressure sensor 303 on a compressor exhaust pipe 20, and two movable check blocks and a motor, wherein the motor is controlled by a control unit 60, the check blocks can reciprocate, when the motor works, the check blocks can be moved away, and a compressor cavity 50 at the moment is communicated with a fan cavity 12 through a chassis air duct 90.

When the fan 11 works, the stoppers on two sides are opened, and the refrigerant in the compressor cavity 12 is sucked into the fan cavity 12, so that leaked refrigerant is discharged to the outside, the concentration of the refrigerant in the compressor cavity 12 is reduced, and the explosion-proof requirement is met.

The following describes the present scheme in detail:

1. starting and timing emptying protection:

As shown in fig. 2 and fig. 4, when a user inputs a command to make the unit start to work normally, the control unit controls the fan to start to work, at this time, other components (i.e., the other components, such as an electrical box for supplying power to the components) are not operated, the two motors at the bottom are activated to start to work, the stop block is pulled open, so that the fan cavity is communicated with the compressor cavity, and after the time S seconds (i.e., the second duration threshold value), the unit operates normally again. (if the refrigerant leaks in the period of the machine set which is not electrified and is not emptied in time, the ignition phenomenon generated when the compressor is electrified during the machine set operation is likely to detonate the refrigerant leaked into the cavity of the compressor, so that a safety accident is generated, the control can greatly reduce the hidden trouble, the accumulated refrigerant is discharged into the external environment in advance, and the refrigerant concentration in the cavity of the compressor is reduced.) after normal starting (the components of the machine set are normally started) the stop block is not retracted, and if the high-pressure sensor and the exhaust temperature sensing bag at the moment do not feed back abnormality (the feedback value of detection facilities such as the sensor and the temperature sensing bag is larger than the value in the set allowable range), the stop block is closed after S1 seconds, and the machine set normally operates.

The stop block can be used for communicating the compressor cavity with the fan cavity, and air in the compressor cavity can be pumped into the fan cavity because pressure can be generated when the fan works.

In the normal running process of the unit, when a period of time X (namely the third time threshold) passes, the control unit controls the stop block to start working, at the moment, the stop block is opened to communicate the two sides for exhausting again, and the stop block is closed again after the period of exhausting X1, so that the control can avoid that the refrigerant is discharged as much as possible when the exhaust temperature and the high-pressure sensor cannot feed back data with smaller difference values rapidly under the condition that the system has micro-leakage, and the safety and the reliability of the product are improved.

2. Leakage protection:

As shown in fig. 4, when the unit works normally, the pressure sensor in the exhaust pipe of the compressor and the exhaust temperature sensing bag can continuously collect data, the environment temperature sensing bag can synchronously collect the temperature of the external environment at the moment, and when the unit needs data comparison, the real-time environment temperature can be compared with the unit operation parameters required by the set requirements in the system, so that the unit is ensured to operate in a controllable range. When the value P1 of the high pressure sensor (i.e. the internal pressure of the exhaust side of the exhaust pipe) < P (i.e. the first pressure threshold value), and the exhaust temperature T1 is greater than T (i.e. the preset temperature threshold value), the system will evaluate the possible leakage of the refrigerant, at this time, the control unit will forcibly stop the power supply to other components, the fan will still work normally, and the motor will be started to work, so that the stop block on the chassis will be pulled open, and the air inside the compressor cavity and the fan cavity will be together, and the refrigerant will be discharged to the outside air. Because the density of R290 refrigerant is much higher than that of air, leaked refrigerant can be continuously converged below the unit, so that the refrigerant can be rapidly discharged, and because the refrigerant is continuously leaked, the internal air pressure of the compressor cavity is obviously higher than the atmospheric pressure, so that the leaked refrigerant can be continuously discharged into the air, the discharge of the refrigerant is accelerated, and the concentration of the refrigerant in the compressor cavity can be better prevented from reaching an explosion value.

Under normal conditions, the refrigerant quantity in the unit is kept constant (unless the unit leaks refrigerant), the pressure value of the unit operation should always operate at the set pressure and temperature, and if the pressure and temperature have a problem change, the refrigerant leakage is possible.

The principle of temperature change is that, for example, 1kg (kilogram) of original refrigerant, the heat X generated by the compressor at each time t under the same frequency is constant, when 1kg of refrigerant circulates at the moment, the 1kg of refrigerant averagely divides the heat X, and when the refrigerant leaks, the heat of the compressor is unchanged, but the refrigerant is reduced, the heat of the refrigerant is increased, and the exhaust temperature is higher and higher.

In order to prevent misjudgment of the pressure sensor, after the time S is small (namely the first time threshold), the unit is started again to run, the stop block is still opened at the moment, the fan works normally, when the unit starts, the low-pressure sensor collects data, if the unit at the moment is subjected to low-pressure protection, the unit is forced to be shut down and is not allowed to be started for use any more, an alarm is sent to a user to prompt the refrigerant leakage of the unit, after-sales personnel is notified to go to the door for maintenance, the unit starts forced power failure measures, the unit is guaranteed to be unable to be forced to start by the user, and if the low-pressure protection is not reported, the unit continues to work normally.

The refrigerant is compressed into the whole air conditioning system, if a leakage point occurs in a system of the unit, the refrigerant is discharged into the air, and the condition of lower pressure value occurs after the refrigerant in the unit leaks out.

It should be noted that, in addition to the above descriptions, the present embodiment may further include the technical features described in the above embodiments, so as to achieve the corresponding technical effects shown in the above, and the detailed description is referred to above, and is omitted herein for brevity.

At present, the industry mainly considers the problem of indoor refrigerant leakage, and the common practice is that a refrigerant detection sensor is additionally arranged on the indoor side, and when the refrigerant leakage is detected, the refrigerant is discharged by an indoor exhaust fan. However, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is installed outdoors, so that the problem of refrigerant leakage outside the air conditioner is not considered in the current industry, and in fact, if the outdoor unit leaks, the compressor cavity of the outdoor unit has good relative tightness, and when the refrigerant leaks, the concentration of the refrigerant is higher than that of the refrigerant at the indoor side, and the danger is more likely to occur.

The refrigerant concentration sensor can be additionally arranged on the outdoor side in the same way, refrigerant leakage is detected and then discharged through the processing device, but the manufacturing cost of an air conditioner product is high, meanwhile, the precision of the refrigerant concentration sensor needs to be corrected irregularly, and the current use requirement is not met. According to the complete machine protection device and the control method, the state of the complete machine is detected in the shutdown state/running state by utilizing the existing detection devices of the current machine set, such as a high-pressure sensor/temperature sensing bulb and the like, and after abnormality judgment, the refrigerant is discharged to an air outlet of the complete machine by utilizing the discharge device, so that the safety risk caused by refrigerant leakage is reduced, and meanwhile, the cost is reduced.

According to the scheme, the running state of the unit can be comprehensively judged by judging the numerical change of the pressure sensor/temperature after the refrigerant leaks, whether the refrigerant leaks or not is identified, and meanwhile, corresponding forced discharge measures are adopted after the refrigerant leaks, so that accidents are avoided.

The embodiment of the application also provides a storage medium (computer readable storage medium). The storage medium here stores one or more programs. The storage medium may include volatile memory, such as random access memory, or nonvolatile memory, such as read only memory, flash memory, hard disk, or solid state disk, or a combination of the foregoing.

When one or more programs in the storage medium are executable by one or more processors, the control method of the refrigerant leakage protection system executed on the electronic device side is realized.

The above-mentioned processor is configured to execute a control program of the refrigerant leakage protection system stored in the memory to realize the following steps of a control method of the refrigerant leakage protection system executed on the electronic device side:

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, and that the various illustrative elements and steps are described above generally in terms of function in order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may be disposed in Random Access Memory (RAM), memory, read Only Memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order described or illustrated, unless an order of performance is explicitly stated. It should also be appreciated that additional or alternative steps may be used.

The foregoing is only a specific embodiment of the application to enable those skilled in the art to understand or practice the application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. The refrigerant leakage detection device is characterized by comprising a compressor, an exhaust pipe, a sensor and a processing unit, wherein:

The detection device is connected with the discharge device, the discharge device comprises a compressor cavity, a control unit, a refrigerant discharge unit, a chassis air duct and a fan cavity, and the refrigerant discharge unit comprises a motor and a stop block;

the sensor is arranged on the exhaust pipe;

2. The refrigerant leak detection device as recited in claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a first pressure sensor and a first temperature sensor;

3. The refrigerant leak detection device as recited in claim 2, wherein the processing unit is specifically configured to:

4. The refrigerant leak detection device as recited in claim 2 wherein the sensor further comprises a second pressure sensor;

the first pressure sensor is arranged on the exhaust side of the exhaust pipe;

5. A refrigerant leakage protection system, characterized in that the refrigerant leakage protection system comprises a detection device and a discharge device, the detection device being the refrigerant leakage detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4;

the detection device is connected with the discharge device;

the control unit is connected with the motor;

6. The refrigerant leak protection system as recited in claim 5 wherein the discharge device further comprises a fan;

The fan is connected with the control unit and is arranged in the fan cavity;

7. A control method of a refrigerant leakage protection system, characterized in that the refrigerant leakage protection system is the refrigerant leakage protection system according to claim 5 or 6, the method comprising:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the target parameters include an internal pressure of the exhaust pipe and a temperature of the exhaust pipe, and

9. The method of claim 7, wherein prior to the obtaining the target parameter, the method further comprises:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein in the event that the second time period is greater than or equal to a second time period threshold, the method further comprises:

Controlling the motor to drive the stop block to be closed;

11. The method according to one of claims 7-10, characterized in that the method further comprises: