REFRIGERANT SYSTEM DETECTION METHOD, REFRIGERANT SYSTEM DETECTION SYSTEM AND STORAGE COMPONENT WITH REFRIGERANT SYSTEM DETECTION PROGRAM

• US 20100319362A1
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Hisaoka, Kunitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,302,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/56
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/49 ensuring correct operation, e.g. by trial operation or configuration checks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/06 Several compression cycles arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/26 characterised by the startup of the refrigeration cycle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A refrigerant system detection method for detecting refrigerant systems in an air conditioning system includes a drive step, an operation inhibition step and a recording step. The air conditioning system includes a plurality of indoor units having temperature sensors respectively connected to a plurality of outdoor units. The drive step puts the plurality of outdoor units into a driven state after a start-up time. The operation inhibition step stops or weakens the outdoor units one unit at a time after the drive step. The recording step correlates and records the outdoor units in which operation has been inhibited and the indoor units in which detection values of the temperature sensors have changed as a result of the outdoor units being inhibited. A refrigerant system detection system includes the connected indoor and outdoor units and a management component configured to perform the method. A storage component includes a program to perform the method.

Claims

1. A refrigerant system detection method for detecting refrigerant systems in an air conditioning system including a plurality of indoor units having physical quantity sensors respectively and a plurality of outdoor units connected to the plurality of indoor units respectively, the refrigerant system detection method comprising:

a drive step putting the plural outdoor units into a driven state after a start-up time required for start-up;

an operation inhibition step inhibiting operation by stopping or weakening output of the outdoor units one unit at a time after the drive step; and

a recording step correlating and recording

the outdoor units on which operation has been inhibited and

the indoor units in which detection values of the physical quantity sensors have changed as a result of operation of the outdoor units being inhibited.

2. The refrigerant system detection method according to claim 1, wherein

the physical quantity sensors are temperature sensors.

3. The refrigerant system detection method according to claim 2, wherein

the indoor units have indoor heat exchangers, and

the temperature sensors detect temperature of refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchangers.

4. The refrigerant system detection method according to claim 2, wherein

the indoor units condition temperature of indoor air, and

the temperature sensors detect temperature of conditioned air conditioned by the indoor units.

5. The refrigerant system detection method according to claim 3, wherein

the start-up time is an amount of time from when operation of the outdoor units is started to when the temperature detected by the temperature sensors becomes constant.

8. The refrigerant system detection method according to claim 4, wherein

the start-up time is an amount of time from when operation of the outdoor units is started to when the temperature detected by the temperature sensors becomes constant.

6. A refrigerant system detection system comprising:

a plurality of indoor units having physical quantity sensors respectively;

a plurality of outdoor units connected to the indoor units to form parts of refrigerant circuits; and

a management component configured

to put the plurality of outdoor units into a driven state after a start-up time required for start-up,

to perform operation inhibition control that stops or weakens output of the outdoor units one unit at a time, and

to correlate and record

the outdoor units on which the operation inhibition control has been performed and

the indoor units in which detection values of the physical quantity sensors have changed as a result of the operation inhibition control of the outdoor units being performed.

9. The refrigerant system detection system according to claim 6, wherein

the physical quantity sensors are temperature sensors.

10. The refrigerant system detection system according to claim 9, wherein

the indoor units have indoor heat exchangers, and

the temperature sensors detect temperature of refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchangers.

11. The refrigerant system detection system according to claim 10, wherein

the start-up time is an amount of time from when operation of the outdoor units is started to when the temperature detected by the temperature sensors becomes constant.

12. The refrigerant system detection system according to claim 9, wherein

the indoor units condition temperature of indoor air, and

the temperature sensors detect temperature of conditioned air conditioned by the indoor units.

13. The refrigerant system detection system according to claim 12, wherein

the start-up time is an amount of time from when operation of the outdoor units is started to when the temperature detected by the temperature sensors becomes constant.

7. A storage component having a refrigerant system detection program stored therein for detecting refrigerant systems in an air conditioning system comprising a plurality of indoor units having physical quantity sensors respectively connected to a plurality of outdoor units, comprising:

a drive instruction for putting the plural outdoor units into a driven state after a start-up time required for start-up by a management component;

an operation inhibition instruction for inhibiting operation by stopping or weakening the output of the outdoor units one unit at a time after the drive step by the management component; and

a recording instruction for correlating and recording

the outdoor units on which operation has been inhibited and

the indoor units in which detection values of the physical quantity sensors have changed as a result of operation of the outdoor units being inhibited by the management component.