WO2024218872A1 - Air conditioner and program - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner (1000, 1100) comprises: an indoor unit (1002); an outdoor unit (1001); a refrigerant circuit (500) for circulating a combustible refrigerant between the indoor unit (1002) and the outdoor unit (1001); electric circuits (101, 701) for controlling the operation of the indoor unit (1002), the outdoor unit (1001) and the refrigerant circuit (500); and an interface (303) for receiving operation commands. If the installation position of the air conditioner (1000, 1100) has changed during initial energization to the electric circuits (101, 701), or since past energization to the electric circuits (101, 701), the electric circuits (101, 701) request the input of the floor area of a space to be air-conditioned, and then perform operation control in response to commands.

Description

Air conditioner and program

This disclosure relates to an air conditioner that includes an indoor unit having a heat exchanger that uses a combustible refrigerant.

An air conditioner includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The outdoor unit is connected to the indoor unit via refrigerant piping. The refrigerant piping is filled with refrigerant. The refrigerant circulates between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.

In some cases, flammable substances such as propane are used as refrigerants. Safety is especially important for air conditioners that use such substances as refrigerants.

In this regard, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-124311 (Patent Document 1) discloses an air conditioner equipped with a sensor for detecting leakage of flammable refrigerant. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-372317 (Patent Document 2) discloses an air conditioner that instructs the user to open a door or the like to increase the floor area when the actual area value of the room in which the indoor unit is used is smaller than the designed floor area value.

JP 2022-124311 A JP 2002-372317 A

However, in Patent Document 2, if the user forgets to input the actual area value, the above-mentioned instruction is not given even if the actual area value is smaller than the design floor area value. For this reason, there is a demand for technology to more reliably ensure safety in air conditioners that use flammable refrigerants, including the above-mentioned flammable refrigerants.

This invention was conceived in light of this situation, and its purpose is to provide technology to ensure safety in air conditioners that use flammable refrigerants.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an air conditioner that includes an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, a refrigerant circuit that circulates a combustible refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, an electrical circuit that controls the operation of the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, and the refrigerant circuit, and an interface that receives operation commands, and when the electrical circuit is energized for the first time or when the installation position of the air conditioner has changed since the electrical circuit was previously energized, the electrical circuit requests input of the floor area of the space to be air-conditioned, and then controls the operation in accordance with the command.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a program executed by an electric circuit is provided. The air conditioner includes an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, a refrigerant circuit that circulates a combustible refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and an interface that receives commands to operate the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, and the refrigerant circuit. The program, when executed by the electric circuit, causes the air conditioner to perform the following steps: determining whether or not the air conditioner is in a state in which it has been energized for the first time; determining whether or not the installation position of the air conditioner has changed since the electric circuit was previously energized, if it is determined that the electric circuit is not in a state in which it has been energized for the first time; and setting the operation of the electric circuit so as not to control the operation according to the command, if the electric circuit is in a state in which it has been energized for the first time or if the installation position of the air conditioner has changed since the electric circuit was previously energized.

According to the present disclosure, when the electric circuit is energized for the first time, or if the installation location of the air conditioner has changed since the electric circuit was previously energized, the air conditioner requests input of the floor area of the space to be air-conditioned, and then controls operation in accordance with the commands received from the interface. This allows the floor area of the space to be air-conditioned to be more reliably input to the air conditioner. Thus, a technology is provided for ensuring safety in air conditioners that use flammable refrigerants.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an air conditioner. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the outdoor unit 1001. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the appearance of a display member 190. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an indoor unit 1002. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the operation area 290. FIG. 1 is an external view of a remote controller 1003. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating a minimum installation floor area. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a method for calculating the minimum installation floor area. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating a required agitation air volume. 4 is a flowchart of a process executed in the air conditioner 1000. 4 is a flowchart of a process executed in the air conditioner 1000. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of "remove driving command." FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of another embodiment of the air conditioner. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a modified example of the part shown in FIG. 10 among the processes described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

Below, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Several embodiments will be described below, but it is planned from the beginning of the application that the configurations described in each embodiment will be appropriately combined. The same or equivalent parts in the drawings will be given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. The size relationships of the components in the following drawings may differ from the actual ones.

[Configuration of Air Conditioner]
1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an air conditioner. In FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1000 includes a refrigerant circuit 500, an outdoor unit 1001, an indoor unit 1002, and a remote controller 1003.

The refrigerant circuit 500 includes a compressor 200, an outdoor heat exchanger 211, a fan 220, an expansion valve 230, a four-way valve 240, an indoor heat exchanger 110, and a fan 120. The fan 220 constitutes an outdoor blower. The fan 120 constitutes an indoor blower. The four-way valve 240 has ports P1 to P4. For example, an electronic expansion valve (LEV: Linear Expansion Valve) can be used as the expansion valve 230.

The refrigerant circuit 500 is arranged separately for an outdoor unit 1001 and an indoor unit 1002. The outdoor unit 1001 includes a compressor 200, a four-way valve 240, an outdoor heat exchanger 211, a fan 220, and an expansion valve 230. The indoor unit 1002 includes an indoor heat exchanger 110 and a fan 120. The outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002 are connected by piping 310 and piping 320.

In the air conditioner 1000, a flammable refrigerant may be used as the refrigerant. The flammable refrigerant may be a flammable refrigerant (A3 refrigerant) such as propane, a low flammable refrigerant (A2 refrigerant), or a slightly flammable refrigerant (A2L refrigerant).

The outdoor unit 1001 includes a control device 100. The indoor unit 1002 includes a control device 700. The control devices 100 and 700 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via wire or wirelessly.

Compressor 200 is configured to change its operating frequency according to a control signal received from control device 100. Specifically, compressor 200 has a built-in drive motor with a variable rotation speed that is inverter-controlled, and when the operating frequency is changed, the rotation speed of the drive motor changes. The output of compressor 200 is adjusted by changing the operating frequency of compressor 200.

The four-way valve 240 is controlled to be in either a cooling operation state or a heating operation state by a control signal received from the control device 100.

In the cooling operation state, as shown by the solid arrows in FIG. 1, port P1 and port P4 are in communication, and port P2 and port P3 are in communication. By operating compressor 200 in the cooling operation state, refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant circuit in the direction shown by the solid arrows.

In the heating operation state, as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 1, port P1 and port P3 are in communication, and port P2 and port P4 are in communication. By operating compressor 200 in the heating operation state, refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant circuit in the direction shown by the dashed arrows.

The air conditioner 1000 further includes temperature sensors 261-267.
The temperature sensor 261 is disposed in the indoor unit 1002, and detects the room temperature T261 of a room (the room in which the indoor unit 1002 is installed), which is an example of a target space for air conditioning. The temperature sensor 262 is disposed on the side connected to the pipe 320 (liquid pipe) of the indoor heat exchanger 110, and measures a refrigerant temperature T262. The temperature sensor 263 is disposed on the side connected to the pipe 310 (gas pipe) of the indoor heat exchanger 110, and measures a refrigerant temperature T263. The temperature sensor 264 measures a refrigerant temperature T264, which is the temperature of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 110.

Temperature sensor 265 is arranged on the side connected to port P4 of four-way valve 240 of outdoor heat exchanger 211, and measures refrigerant temperature T265. Temperature sensor 266 is arranged on the side connected to expansion valve 230 of outdoor heat exchanger 211, and measures refrigerant temperature T266. Temperature sensor 267 measures refrigerant temperature T267, which is the temperature of the refrigerant in outdoor heat exchanger 211.

The control device 100 controls the opening of the expansion valve 230 and the operation of the fans 220, 120 according to the temperatures measured by each of the temperature sensors 261-267 and the output settings in the air conditioner 1000. In controlling the opening of the expansion valve 230, the SH (superheat) of the refrigerant at the evaporator outlet is adjusted. The control of the operation of the fan 120 may be realized via the control device 700. That is, the control device 100 may determine the rotation speed of the fan 120 and notify the control device 700 of the rotation speed. The control device 700 may control the operation of the fan 120 according to the rotation speed notified by the control device 100.

The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 and a memory 102. The CPU 101 is an example of a control circuit. The memory 102 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control device 100 may further include other elements (such as an input/output buffer) that are not shown. The CPU 101 expands a program that is non-temporarily stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it. The program stored in the ROM is a program that describes the processing procedures of the control device 100. The control device 100 executes control of each device in the air conditioner 1000 in accordance with these programs.

The control device 700 includes a CPU 701, a memory 702, and a communication unit 703. The CPU 701 is an example of a control circuit. The communication unit 703 is an interface for wireless or wired communication with the remote controller 1003. The control device 700 and the remote controller 1003 may be configured to communicate with each other via a network. The memory 702 includes a ROM and a RAM. The control device 700 may further include other elements (such as an input/output buffer) that are not shown. The CPU 701 expands a program that is non-temporarily stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it. The program stored in the ROM is a program in which the processing procedures of the control device 700 are written. The control device 700 executes control of each device in the air conditioner 1000 according to these programs.

The control by the control device 100 and the control device 700 is not limited to processing by software, but can also be processed by dedicated hardware (electronic circuitry).

The air conditioner 1000 further includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 150, 750. Each of the GPS receivers 150, 750 receives signals from multiple GPS satellites.

The CPU 101 identifies the position of the outdoor unit 1001 by analyzing the signal received by the GPS receiver 150. The CPU 101 may transmit the position of the outdoor unit 1001 to the control device 700.

The CPU 701 identifies the position of the indoor unit 1002 by analyzing the signal received by the GPS receiver 750. The CPU 701 may transmit the position of the indoor unit 1002 to the control device 100.

The indoor unit 1002 includes a leakage sensor 720. The leakage sensor 720 detects the concentration of the leaked refrigerant. One example of the leakage sensor 720 is a semiconductor gas sensor that is sensitive to reducing gases in general.

The indoor unit 1002 includes an emergency operation switch 291 for causing the air conditioner 1000 to perform emergency operation. The CPU 701 controls the air conditioner 1000 according to the number of times the emergency operation switch 291 is operated within a given period (e.g., one second). More specifically, the CPU 701 causes the air conditioner 1000 to perform cooling operation in a predetermined manner with one operation. Cooling operation in a predetermined manner is an example of emergency operation. The CPU 701 causes the air conditioner 1000 to perform heating operation in a predetermined manner with two operations. Heating operation in a predetermined manner is an example of emergency operation. The CPU 701 causes the air conditioner 1000 to stop emergency operation (cooling operation or heating operation) with three operations.

The remote controller 1003 includes a communication unit 301, a display unit 302, an operation unit 303, and a battery 304. The battery 304 supplies power to each element in the remote controller 1003.

The communication unit 301 is an interface for wireless or wired communication with the communication unit 703 of the control device 700. The display unit 302 includes a display and an element (control circuit) that controls the display of the display. The operation unit 303 includes one or more operation buttons and an element (control circuit) that outputs a signal corresponding to each of the one or more operation buttons.

The display unit 302 controls what is displayed on the display according to a signal received by the communication unit 301 from the communication unit 703, or according to the type of button that is operated among one or more operation buttons of the operation unit 303. The display unit 302 displays the operating state of the air conditioner 1000 (cooling/heating, set temperature, etc.). The display unit 302 also displays various messages.

When any of the one or more operation buttons is operated, the operation unit 303 outputs a signal corresponding to the operated button to the communication unit 703 and the display unit 302. The communication unit 703 transmits the signal output from the operation unit 303 to the control device 700.

In FIG. 1, the flow of refrigerant during cooling operation is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of refrigerant during heating operation is indicated by dashed arrows. The control device 100 changes the frequency of the compressor 200 so that the indoor temperature becomes a target (set) temperature. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of the air conditioner 1000 that includes a four-way valve 240, but a configuration dedicated to cooling that does not have a four-way valve 240 may also be used.

[Outdoor unit]
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the outdoor unit 1001. A display member 190 is attached to the outdoor unit 1001. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the display member 190. The display member 190 displays the message "*Caution* To operate in accordance with the operation command, it is necessary to press the emergency operation switch and set the installation floor area." In other words, the display member 190 notifies that control in accordance with the operation command will be carried out after the installation floor area is input to the air conditioner 1000.

The display member 190 may be detachable from the outdoor unit 1001. After checking the information written on the display member 190, the user or installer may remove the display member 190 from the body of the outdoor unit 1001. The display member 190 may be a sticker or a plate that is detachable using a tool. The worker or user may write the installation floor area A on the display member 190 removed from the outdoor unit 1001, and send the display member 190 to the manufacturer of the air conditioner 1000.

In addition, the display member 190 may be attached to the indoor unit 1002 instead of or in addition to being attached to the outdoor unit 1001.

[Indoor unit]
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of indoor unit 1002. As shown in Fig. 4, indoor unit 1002 includes housing 270 and cover 280. Cover 280 covers the front surface of housing 270 in an openable and closable manner. Housing 270 includes operation area 290. Operation area 290 is covered by cover 280.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the operation area 290. The operation area includes an emergency operation switch 291.

[Remote Controller]
Fig. 6 is an external view of the remote controller 1003. As shown in Fig. 6, in the remote controller 1003, the display unit 302 and the operation unit 303 are provided on the outer surface.

[Minimum installation floor space]
The air conditioner 1000 calculates the area (minimum installation floor area) required as the floor area of the space to be air-conditioned. In one implementation example, the method for calculating the minimum installation floor area complies with the international standard (IEC 60335-2-40 Edition 7).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating the minimum installation floor area. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a method for calculating the minimum installation floor area. In the air conditioner 1000, the method for calculating the minimum installation floor area differs depending on whether the air conditioner 1000 is equipped with a sensor (leak sensor 720) that detects refrigerant leakage.

More specifically, if the air conditioner is equipped with a leak sensor, when a refrigerant leak is detected by the leak sensor, the fan will agitate the air in the space to be air-conditioned. If the air conditioner does not have such a configuration, the minimum installation floor area is calculated as Amin shown in formula (1) of Figure 7. On the other hand, if the air conditioner is equipped with a leak sensor, that is, if it has a configuration that agitates the air in response to the detection of a leak by the leak sensor, the minimum installation floor area is calculated as Amin shown in formula (2) of Figure 8.

In formula (1) and formula (2), _mc represents the refrigerant charge amount [kg], and LFL represents the lower flammability limit [kg/m ³ ] of the refrigerant.

In formula (1), the value of 0.35 is used as an example of the value of CF (Concentration factor). h ₀ represents the installation height [m] of the indoor unit 1002.

In formula (2), CF stands for Concentration factor, a coefficient less than or equal to 0.5. The value 2.2 is used as an example of the installation height [m].

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the minimum installation floor area depends on the LFL of the refrigerant. The LFL of the refrigerant depends on the type of refrigerant. Therefore, the value of the minimum installation floor area varies based on the type of refrigerant. The value of the minimum installation floor area also varies depending on whether or not the air conditioner is equipped with a leak sensor.

[Required mixing air volume]
The air volume (required stirring air volume) that needs to be provided to the air conditioning control target when a refrigerant leak is detected by the leak sensor 720 is calculated for the air conditioner 1000. In one implementation example, the required stirring air volume is calculated in accordance with the international standard IEC 60335-2-40 edition 7.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating the required agitation air volume. According to the international standard IEC60335-2-40 edition 7, the required agitation air volume is calculated as the required agitation air volume Qmin [m ³ /min] according to formula (3) in Fig. 9.

In formula (3), Y represents a coefficient having a value of 1 or 1.5. _A0 represents the area of the air outlet of the indoor unit [ ^m2 ]. _mc represents the refrigerant charge [kg], as in formula (1). LFL represents the lower flammability limit concentration of the refrigerant [kg/ ^m3 ], as described above for formulas (1) and (2). CF represents the same value as used in formula (2).

As shown in Figure 9, the required agitation airflow depends on the LFL of the refrigerant. The LFL of the refrigerant depends on the type of refrigerant. Therefore, the value of the required agitation airflow varies based on the type of refrigerant.

[Process flow]
Next, an operation at the start of energization of the air conditioner 1000 will be described. Figures 10 and 11 are flowcharts of the processing executed in the air conditioner 1000. In one implementation example, in the air conditioner 1000, the processing shown in Figures 10 and 11 is carried out by the CPU 701 in the indoor unit 1002 executing a given program, by the CPU 101 in the outdoor unit 1001 executing a given program, or by the CPU 701 and CPU 101 working together.

First, referring to FIG. 10, in step S21, the air conditioner 1000 determines whether the current power-on is the first power-on since the product was shipped. Power-on means that the air conditioner 1000 is connected to a power source, for example, that the power cord of the air conditioner 1000 is plugged into a power outlet.

The air conditioner 1000 may determine whether or not this is the first time it has been energized based on whether or not the "installation floor area A" associated with the air conditioner 1000 is stored in a given memory. In this case, if the "installation floor area A" associated with the air conditioner 1000 is not stored in the given memory, the air conditioner 1000 determines that this current energization is the first time it has been energized since the product was shipped. "Installation floor area A" will be described later in step S27.

The given memory is memory 702, memory 102, and/or an external memory accessible from the air conditioner 1000 (e.g., a memory in a cloud server). In one implementation example, which memory is the given memory is appropriately set in the air conditioner 1000.

In a given memory, data related to the air conditioner 1000, such as "installation floor area A," is stored in association with the air conditioner 1000.

For example, when memory 102 and/or memory 702 are employed as the given memory, memory 102 and memory 702 constitute air conditioner 1000, and therefore data stored in memory 102 or memory 702 is substantially associated with air conditioner 1000.

When an external memory is used as the given memory, data related to the air conditioner 1000, such as the "installation floor area A," is associated with the air conditioner 1000 by being stored in the external memory together with information identifying the air conditioner 1000 (for example, the serial number of the air conditioner 1000).

If the air conditioner 1000 determines that this is the first time the power has been turned on since the product was shipped (YES in step S21), control proceeds to step S24; if not (NO in step S21), control proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the air conditioner 1000 determines whether or not a change has occurred in the location information of the air conditioner 1000. The location information of the air conditioner 1000 may be the location information of the outdoor unit 1001 or the location information of the indoor unit 1002.

In one implementation example, position information of the outdoor unit 1001 is acquired in step S22. In another implementation example, position information of the indoor unit 1002 is acquired in step S22. In yet another implementation example, position information of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002 is acquired in step S22. As described later with respect to step S38, the position information acquired in step S22 of the past processing is stored in the given memory as past position information.

Then, in step S22, the air conditioner 1000 compares the location information acquired as described above (current location information) with the past location information described above to determine whether or not there has been a change in the location information of the air conditioner 1000.

In step S22, when the position information of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002 is acquired, the current position information of each of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002 is compared with the past position information of each of them. Then, if the current position information of either unit differs from the corresponding past position information, it is determined that a change has occurred in the position information of the air conditioner 1000.

If the past location information is not stored in the given memory, the air conditioner 1000 may determine that no change has occurred in the location information of the air conditioner 1000.

If the air conditioner 1000 determines that a change has occurred in the location information of the air conditioner 1000 (YES in step S22), control proceeds to step S23; if not (NO in step S22), control proceeds to step S36 (Figure 11).

In step S23, the air conditioner 1000 deletes the "installation floor area A" written in the given memory and proceeds to step S24.

In step S24, the air conditioner 1000 sets and displays the exclusion of operation commands in the air conditioner 1000. "Exclusion of operation commands" means that operation commands from the remote controller 1003 input via the communication unit 703 are excluded in the air conditioner 1000. More specifically, even if the air conditioner 1000 appears to accept a command input by the user to the remote controller 1003, it does not carry out control in accordance with that command. As a result, the command input to the indoor unit 1002 via the remote controller 1003 is excluded from the control of the operation of the air conditioner 1000.

In one implementation example, the setting for "remove operation command" is registered in memory 702. When the CPU 701 receives a command from the remote controller 1003, if the setting for "remove operation command" is not registered in memory 702, the CPU 701 controls the operation (cooling operation or heating operation) of the air conditioner 1000 in accordance with the command, and if the setting is registered, the CPU 701 removes the command from the operation control.

In the air conditioner 1000, the display of "remove operation command" is realized by a display on the remote controller 1003. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the display of "remove operation command".

In the example of FIG. 12, the display unit 302 of the remote controller 1003 displays the message "Operation commands cannot be accepted. Press the emergency operation switch and set the installation floor area." as an example of a display for "rejecting operation commands."

Returning to FIG. 10, in step S25, the air conditioner 1000 waits until the emergency operation switch 291 is operated (NO in step S25), and if it determines that the emergency operation switch 291 has been operated (YES in step S25), the control proceeds to step S26.

In step S26, the air conditioner 1000 performs emergency operation. Whether the emergency operation is cooling operation or heating operation is determined according to the number of times the emergency operation switch 291 is operated, as described above for the emergency operation switch 291.

In step S27, the air conditioner 1000 instructs (requests) the user to input the installation floor area A of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioner 1000. The instruction may be realized in any manner, and may be a display or a voice. As an example of an instruction by display, the message "Please set the installation floor area" in FIG. 6 may be displayed on the display unit 302 of the remote controller 1003.

In step S28, the air conditioner 1000 waits until the installation floor area A is input (NO in step S28), and if it determines that it has been input (YES in step S28), the control proceeds to step S29.

Referring to FIG. 11, in step S29, the air conditioner 1000 determines whether or not the air conditioner 1000 is equipped with a leak sensor. The leak sensor 720 may be omitted in the air conditioner 1000. If the air conditioner 1000 is equipped with the leak sensor 720 (YES in step S29), the air conditioner 1000 advances control to step S30, and if not (NO in step S29), the air conditioner 1000 advances control to step S34.

In step S30, the air conditioner 1000 determines whether the installation floor area A is equal to or greater than the minimum installation floor area Amin calculated according to the above formula (2), and if it is determined that it is (YES in step S30), the control proceeds to step S32, and if it is not (NO in step S30), the control proceeds to step S31. The value of LFL may be stored in a memory (memory 102 and/or memory 702) within the air conditioner 1000, or may be stored in an external memory accessible to the CPU 101 and/or CPU 701.

In step S31, the air conditioner 1000 displays information about danger, etc. If control proceeds to step S31, it is highly likely that the installation standards for floor area have not been met. For this reason, information to warn users to avoid placing sources of ignition indoors as much as possible is displayed, for example, on the display unit 302 of the remote controller 1003. In step S31, the air conditioner 1000 may inform the user and/or the installer that the installation standards are highly likely not being met in a manner other than a display (for example, audio). Control then proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, the air conditioner 1000 determines whether the set value Q of the air volume of the fan 120 when the leak was detected by the leak sensor 720 is equal to or greater than the required stirring air volume Qmin in the air conditioner 1000. If it is determined that this is the case (YES in step S32), control proceeds to step S36; if not (NO in step S32), control proceeds to step S33.

In step S33, the air conditioner 1000 changes the setting value Q (for example, stored in memory 702) in the air conditioner 1000 to the required stirring air volume Qmin. Control then proceeds to step S36. As a result, the setting of the operation (rotation speed) for the fan 120 to achieve the required stirring air volume Qmin is stored in the air conditioner 1000.

On the other hand, in step S34, the air conditioner 1000 determines whether the installation floor area A is equal to or greater than the minimum installation floor area Amin calculated according to the above formula (1), and if it determines that it is (YES in step S34), the control proceeds to step S36, and if it is not (NO in step S34), the control proceeds to step S35.

In step S35, the air conditioner 1000 displays information about danger, etc., in the same way as in step S31. More specifically, if control proceeds to step S35, there is a high possibility that the installation standards for floor area have not been met. Therefore, the air conditioner 1000 performs control (display, etc.) for the announcement described above. Thereafter, control proceeds to step S36.

In step S36, the air conditioner 1000 cancels the "rejection of operation commands" that was set in step S24. This causes the air conditioner 1000 to transition to a state in which it can control cooling and heating operations according to commands from the remote controller 1003. In step S36, the air conditioner 1000 further notifies that the "rejection of operation commands" has been canceled. The notification may be realized by displaying the message "Operation commands can now be accepted" on the display unit 302, or by outputting the message as audio.

In step S37, the air conditioner 1000 stores the installation floor area A input in response to the instruction in step S27 in the given memory.

In step S38, the air conditioner 1000 stores the "current location information" detected in step S22 in the given memory. The "current location information" stored in this manner is referred to as "past location information" in subsequent processing. Thereafter, the air conditioner 1000 ends the processing shown in Figures 10 and 11.

In the above process, in step S24, "removal of operation commands" for the air conditioner 1000 is set and displayed.

If the above process is performed when the air conditioner 1000 is turned on for the first time, the control of step S24 is performed.

If the air conditioner 1000 determines in step S21 that this is the first time that power has been applied to only one of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002, the control may proceed to step S24. This allows the control to proceed to step S24 even if only one of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002 has been replaced. For example, if only one of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002 has been replaced, which changes the type of refrigerant used, the control proceeds to step S24.

The above process is performed even if it is not the first time the air conditioner 1000 is powered on, but will be performed if there is a change in the location information of the air conditioner 1000.

For example, if a change in the location information of the air conditioner 1000 is determined based on the location information of the outdoor unit 1001, control proceeds to step S24 even when only the outdoor unit has been replaced. More specifically, consider a case where an outdoor unit that has been used in a first location is replaced and used in a second location. In this case, the first time that electricity is applied to the outdoor unit in the second location does not constitute a "first time that electricity is applied" for that outdoor unit, because the outdoor unit has already been powered in the first location. However, the location information of the outdoor unit (second location) is different from the location information at the time of the first power application (first location). Due to this change in location information, control proceeds to step S24.

In addition, in the air conditioner 1000, when a change in the position information of the air conditioner 1000 is determined based on the position information of the indoor unit 1002, control proceeds to step S24 even when only the installation location of the indoor unit has been changed. More specifically, consider a case where an indoor unit used in a first room has been moved to a second room. In this case, even if power is applied to the indoor unit for the first time in the second room, this does not constitute a "first time power is applied" for that indoor unit, since the indoor unit has already been powered in the first room. However, the position information of the outdoor unit (second location) is different from the position information at the time of the first power application (first location). Due to this change in position information, control proceeds to step S24.

In the above process, input of the installation floor area A is requested while emergency operation is being performed. As a result, when power is first turned on, confirmation of the operation of the air conditioner 1000 through emergency operation and input of the installation floor area A into the air conditioner 1000 are performed in parallel. Note that the air conditioner 1000 may request input of the installation floor area A and accept input of the installation floor area A even when no command has been given to perform emergency operation.

In the above process, the air conditioner 1000 may forcibly end emergency operation if the installation floor area A is not input for a certain period of time (for example, one day) after power is turned on. In other words, the air conditioner 1000 may limit the execution of emergency operation without the installation floor area A being input to a certain period of time after power is turned on. This prevents emergency operation from being continuously performed without the installation floor area A being input.

In the above process, the air conditioner 1000 may receive input of the installation floor area A from the remote controller 1003, or from a terminal such as a smartphone carried by an operator.

In the air conditioner 1000, a given code may be used to input the installation floor area A. The air conditioner 1000 may only treat information that uses the given code as the installation floor area A. In other words, the air conditioner 1000 may process information that is input as the installation floor area A as the installation floor area A, provided that the given code is used.

If the above given code is not known to the user but only to the worker, the air conditioner 1000 may be configured to process only the installation floor area A input by the worker. This prevents a false area input by the user from being treated as the installation floor area A in the air conditioner 1000. More specifically, when installing the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002, the worker is in a more objective position than the user of the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002, and is assumed to be less likely to input a false area (for example, an area larger than the actual area). The air conditioner 1000 may accept input of the installation floor area A only from a worker who is in an objective position regarding the outdoor unit 1001 and the indoor unit 1002. The given code may be realized by adding a specific character string to the floor area information, by operating one or more buttons on the operation unit 303 in a special manner (switching the remote controller 1003 to a special mode), or by using the worker's terminal to input the floor area.

In the above process, if the installation floor area A is smaller than the minimum installation floor area Amin, the air conditioner 1000 makes an announcement in step S31. The announcement in step S31 is an example of a "warning." The minimum installation floor area Amin depends on the type of refrigerant. The minimum installation floor area Amin further varies depending on whether the air conditioner 1000 is equipped with a leak sensor, as explained with reference to equations (1) and (2) above.

The air conditioner 1000 may be configured not to cancel the "rejection of operation commands" when the installation floor area A is smaller than the minimum installation floor area Amin. More specifically, the air conditioner 1000 may be configured not to implement control according to an operation command unless a value equal to or greater than the minimum installation floor area Amin is input as the installation floor area A.

In the above process, the air conditioner 1000 may set information for achieving the required agitation air volume as the operation setting for the fan 120 when a refrigerant leak is detected by the leak sensor 720. In one implementation example, the rotation speed of the fan 120 is set to the rotation speed that achieves the required agitation air volume.

[Modification of the method for obtaining the installation floor area A]
13 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention. An air conditioner 1100 shown in FIG 13 further includes a camera 730 compared to the air conditioner 1000 of FIG 1 .

The camera 730 is an example of a condition sensor that detects the condition of the target space for air conditioning. More specifically, the camera 730 captures an image of the room in which the indoor unit 1002 is installed. In one implementation example, the air conditioner 1100 may calculate the installation floor area A by analyzing the image captured by the camera 730 to identify a portion of the image that corresponds to the floor and converting that portion into the actual floor area. The installation height of the indoor unit 1002 may be used for the conversion. A default value (for example, 1.8 m) may be used as the installation height. In this modified example, the air conditioner 1100 calculates the installation floor area A using the detection output of the sensor.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a modified example of the part of the process described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 shown in FIG. 10. Compared to FIG. 10, FIG. 14 includes steps S27A, S28A, and S28B instead of steps S27 and S28.

Referring to FIG. 14, after step S26, in step S27A, the air conditioner 1100 requests an image from the camera 730.

In step S28A, the air conditioner 1100 waits until an image is acquired from the camera 730 (NO in step S28A), and if it determines that an image has been acquired (YES in step S28A), control proceeds to step S28B.

In step S28B, the air conditioner 1100 calculates the installation floor area A by analyzing the image acquired from the camera 730. Control then proceeds to step S29.

The sensor whose detection output is used to calculate the installation floor area A may be a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the room (the space to be air-conditioned).

In one implementation example, the air conditioner 1100 may calculate the installation floor area A by identifying a portion corresponding to the floor of the room from the temperature distribution in the detection output of the temperature sensor and converting the identified portion into the actual floor area. The installation height of the indoor unit 1002 may be used for the conversion. A default value (e.g., 1.8 m) may be used as the installation height.

In one implementation example, the air conditioner 1100 may calculate the installation floor area A from the change in temperature distribution (airflow arrival time) in the detection output of the temperature sensor. More specifically, the sensor may be attached to the indoor unit 1002. The air conditioner 1100 may calculate the distance from the indoor unit 1002 (sensor) to the front wall, the distance from the indoor unit 1002 (sensor) to the left wall, and the distance from the indoor unit 1002 (sensor) to the right wall based on the timing at which the temperature begins to change on the wall located in front of the indoor unit 1002, the wall located to the left of the indoor unit 1002, and the wall located to the right of the indoor unit 1002 after the indoor unit 1002 starts blowing out hot or cold air. The air conditioner 1100 may then use these distances to calculate the installation floor area A.

By having the air conditioner 1100 calculate the installation floor area A using the detection output of the sensor, the user or worker is not required to carry out the cumbersome task of inputting the installation floor area A. Furthermore, the installation floor area A calculated using the detection output of the sensor is expected to be a more objective value than the installation floor area A input by the worker or user.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

100,700 Control device, 110 Indoor heat exchanger, 120,220 Fan, 150,750 GPS receiver, 190 Display member, 200 Compressor, 211 Outdoor heat exchanger, 261-267 Temperature sensor, 270 Housing, 280 Cover, 290 Operation area, 291 Emergency operation switch, 310,320 Pipes, 500 Refrigerant circuit, 1000,1100 Air conditioner, 1001 Outdoor unit, 1002 Indoor unit, 1003 Remote controller.

Claims (15)

An indoor unit;
The outdoor unit,
a refrigerant circuit that circulates a combustible refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit;
an electric circuit that controls the operation of the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, and the refrigerant circuit;
An air conditioner comprising: an interface for receiving the operation command,
The air conditioner wherein, when the electrical circuit is energized for the first time or when the installation location of the air conditioner has changed since the electrical circuit was last energized, the electrical circuit requests input of the floor area of the space to be air-conditioned, and then controls the operation in accordance with the command. The electrical circuit includes:
Acquire current location information of the outdoor unit;
The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein when the current location information differs from past location information of the outdoor unit stored in a given memory, it is determined that the installation location of the air conditioner has changed. An air conditioner according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which, when the floor area is input, the electrical circuit issues a notification that the operation will be controlled in accordance with the command. The electric circuit further includes a display member that displays that the control of the operation according to the command is performed after the floor area is input,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the indication member is detachably provided on the outdoor unit. It also has an emergency operation switch,
An air conditioner as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electrical circuit performs the operation in a manner corresponding to the emergency operation switch in accordance with operation of the emergency operation switch before the floor area is input. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the operation according to the operation of the emergency operation switch is performed only for a certain period of time after the electrical circuit is energized before the floor area is input. The air conditioner according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the electrical circuit requests input of the floor area during the operation according to the operation of the emergency operation switch. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the floor area is input from a device other than the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the electrical circuit processes the floor area input from the device on the condition that a special code is used in the input from the device. Further comprising a state sensor for detecting a state of the target space,
The electrical circuit includes:
The floor area is input by acquiring a detection output of the status sensor;
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the floor area is calculated by utilizing the detection output. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the electrical circuit issues a warning when the floor area is less than the minimum installation floor area based on the type of flammable refrigerant used in the refrigerant circuit. An air conditioner according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the electric circuit controls the operation in accordance with the command, on the condition that the floor area is equal to or greater than the minimum installation floor area based on the type of combustible refrigerant used in the refrigerant circuit. The air conditioner according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the minimum installation floor area varies depending on whether the air conditioner is equipped with a leakage sensor that detects refrigerant leakage. a leakage sensor for detecting leakage of the refrigerant;
and a fan that sends air to the target space when the leakage sensor detects a refrigerant leakage.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the electric circuit sets the operation of the fan so as to achieve a required stirring air volume based on the type of combustible refrigerant used in the refrigerant circuit. A program executed by an electrical circuit that controls an air conditioner,
The air conditioner includes an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, a refrigerant circuit that circulates a combustible refrigerant between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and an interface that receives commands to operate the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, and the refrigerant circuit;
The program is executed by the electric circuit to cause the air conditioner to:
determining whether the electrical circuit is in an energized state for the first time;
a step of determining, when it is determined that the electric circuit is not in an initial energized state, whether or not an installation position of the air conditioner has changed since the electric circuit was energized in the past;
The program executes a step of setting the operation of the electrical circuit so as not to control the operation in accordance with the command when the electrical circuit is energized for the first time or when the installation location of the air conditioner has changed since the electrical circuit was previously energized.

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