AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an air-conditioning system that controls air conditioning of a living room by an air conditioner installed in an air-conditioning room independent of the living room.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a conventional air-conditioning system, an air conditioner is installed in an air-conditioning room independent of a living room to be air-conditioned, and air-conditioning room air, which is air in the air-conditioning room, is air-conditioned by the air conditioner. The air-conditioning room air is sent to the living room through an air conveyance passage by an air blower (see, for example, PTL 1).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

PTL 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-169808

SUMMARY

In an air conditioner of an air-conditioning system, a flammable refrigerant such as propane is generally used as the refrigerant. Even if the refrigerant leaks from the air conditioner, if the air-conditioning system is operating, the leaked refrigerant is discharged from the air-conditioning room by the air blower. However, when the air-conditioning system is stopped, the leaked refrigerant is not discharged from the air-conditioning room, so that the concentration of the refrigerant in the air-conditioning room increases. It is not desirable to start the air conditioner in a state where the concentration of the flammable refrigerant is high.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a technique for safely starting an air conditioner even when a refrigerant leaks.

An air-conditioning system according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an air-conditioning system that sends air-conditioning room air, which is air in an air-conditioning room independent of a living room, to the living room, the air-conditioning system including: an air conditioner installed in the air-conditioning room; an air blower that blows the air-conditioning room air from the air-conditioning room to the living room; a reception unit that receives an instruction to start the air-conditioning system in a state where the air-conditioning system is stopped; and a controller that starts the air blower first and then the air conditioner when the reception unit receives the instruction to start the air-conditioning system.

Any combinations of the above-described components and modifications of the expressions of the present disclosure among methods, devices, systems, recording media, and computer programs are also effective as aspects of the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, the air conditioner can be safely started even when the refrigerant leaks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an air-conditioning system according to the present example;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure by the control device in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

Before specifically describing an example of the present disclosure, an overview of the example will be described. The present example relates to an air-conditioning system that is disposed in a facility such as a house and executes central air conditioning for the facility. In an air-conditioning system, an air conditioner (indoor unit) and an air blower are installed in an air-conditioning room that is a space different from a living room to be air-conditioned, and the air-conditioning room is air-conditioned by the indoor unit. The air-conditioning room and the living room are connected by a duct. The air blower sends the air in the air-conditioning room (hereinafter, referred to as “air-conditioning room air”) to the living room via the duct, whereby the living room is air-conditioned. When the flammable refrigerant leaks from the indoor unit while the air-conditioning system is stopped, the concentration of the flammable refrigerant in the air-conditioning room increases because the air-conditioning room air is not sent to the living room by the air blower. It is not desirable to start the air conditioner in a state where the concentration of the flammable refrigerant is high.

Even when the refrigerant leaks into the air-conditioning room, it is required to safely start the air conditioner. When receiving an instruction to start the air-conditioning system, the air-conditioning system according to the present example first starts only the air blower while stopping the air conditioner. The air-conditioning room air is sent to the living room by the operation of the air blower. Even if the refrigerant leaks from the air conditioner and the concentration of the flammable refrigerant in the air-conditioning room becomes high, the concentration of the flammable refrigerant in the air-conditioning room decreases by sending the air conditioning room air by the air blower. The air-conditioning system according to the present example starts the air conditioner after a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of the air blower.

The examples described below each indicate a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection modes of the components, steps (steps) and the order of the steps, and the like shown in the following examples are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components in the following examples, components that are not described in the independent claims indicating the most generic concept of the present disclosure are described as optional components. In each drawing, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of air-conditioning system 1000. Air-conditioning system 1000 is installed in a house, and the house includes first living room 10a and second living room 10b, which are collectively referred to as living rooms 10, and air-conditioning room 20. The number of living rooms 10 in the house is not limited to “2”. Living rooms 10 are spaces to be air-conditioned, and air-conditioning room 20 is a space independent of living rooms 10.

Outside air introduction duct 102, exhaust duct 106, air-conditioning duct 130, first conveyance duct 150a, second conveyance duct 150b, first circulation duct 162a, second circulation duct 162b, circulation duct 164, first exhaust duct 172a, and second exhaust duct 172b are tubes that carry air, that is, air passages. First conveyance duct 150a and second conveyance duct 150b are collectively referred to as conveyance duct 150. First circulation duct 162a and second circulation duct 162b are collectively referred to as circulation duct 162. First exhaust duct 172a and second exhaust duct 172b are collectively referred to as exhaust duct 172.

Outside air introduction port 100 is disposed in an outer wall of the house. Outside air introduction duct 102 extends from outside air introduction port 100 toward an inner side of the house. Outside air introduction duct 102 is connected to ventilation device 104. An outside air introduction fan (not shown) is installed in ventilation device 104. By the rotation of the outside air introduction fan, air (outside air) is taken in from outside air introduction port 100, and the air flows into ventilation device 104 through outside air introduction duct 102. Outside air introduction duct 102 further extends from ventilation device 104, is connected to circulation duct 164, and allows the air from ventilation device 104 to flow into circulation duct 164.

To ventilation device 104, exhaust duct 106 is also connected. Exhaust duct 106 is connected to first exhaust duct 172a extending from first living room 10a and second exhaust duct 172b extending from second living room 10b. Exhaust duct 106 extends toward the outer wall of the house via ventilation device 104 and is also connected to exhaust port 108 installed in the outer wall of the house. First exhaust duct 172a is also connected to first suction port 170a installed in first living room 10a, and second exhaust duct 172b is also connected to second suction port 170b installed in second living room 10b.

An exhaust fan (not illustrated) is installed in ventilation device 104. The air in first living room 10a is taken in from first suction port 170a by the rotation of the exhaust fan, and flows into ventilation device 104 through first exhaust duct 172a and exhaust duct 106. The air in second living room 10b is taken in from second suction port 170b by the rotation of the exhaust fan, and flows into ventilation device 104 through second exhaust duct 172b and exhaust duct 106. Furthermore, air (exhaust air) is discharged from exhaust port 108 through exhaust duct 106. As described above, ventilation device 104 collects the air from first living room 10a and second living room 10b via first exhaust duct 172a and second exhaust duct 172b, and discharges the air from one exhaust port 108 to the outside via exhaust duct 106. As a result, first living room 10a and second living room 10b, which are different from each other, are ventilated by ventilation device 104, and air inside and outside living rooms 10 is exchanged. In ventilation device 104, heat exchange may be performed between the air (outside air) taken in from outside air introduction port 100 and the air (exhaust air) taken in from living rooms 10.

Inside the house, first circulation duct 162a, second circulation duct 162b, and circulation duct 164 extending from each of living rooms 10 to air-conditioning room 20, and air-conditioning duct 130, first conveyance duct 150a, and second conveyance duct 150b extending from air-conditioning room 20 to each of living rooms 10 are installed.

First circulation duct 162a, second circulation duct 162b, and circulation duct 164 are also called return air ducts. Air-conditioning duct 130, first conveyance duct 150a, and second conveyance duct 150b are also called air supply ducts. The air passages connecting these ducts each have an annular shape.

Circulation duct 164 is connected to first circulation duct 162a extending from first living room 10a, second circulation duct 162b extending from second living room 10b, and outside air introduction duct 102. First circulation duct 162a is also connected to first circulation port 160a installed in first living room 10a. Second circulation duct 162b is also connected to first circulation port 160b installed in second living room 10b. By circulation duct 164, the air from first circulation duct 162a, the air from second circulation duct 162b, and the air from outside air introduction duct 102 are mixed. The mixed air flows toward air-conditioning room 20.

Air-conditioning duct 130 extending from air-conditioning room 20 is connected to branch chamber 140. First conveyance duct 150a and second conveyance duct 150b are connected to branch chamber 140. First conveyance duct 150a is also connected to first blow-out port 152a installed in first living room 10a. Second conveyance duct 150b is also connected to second blow-out port 152b installed in second living room 10b.

In air-conditioning room 20, humidifier 120, indoor unit 122, and air blower 126 are installed. The air from circulation duct 164 flows into air-conditioning room 20. The air flowing into air-conditioning room 20 (air inside air-conditioning room 20) corresponds to the above-described “air-conditioning room air”. Humidifier 120 humidifies or dehumidifies the air-conditioning room air. Indoor unit 122 (air conditioner) is connected to outdoor unit 124 installed outside the facility, and cools or heats the air-conditioning room air. Air blower 126 blows the air-conditioning room air from air-conditioning room 20 to air-conditioning duct 130.

Humidifier 120, indoor unit 122, and air blower 126 have a wireless communication function or a wired communication function, and can communicate with control device 200. Humidifier 120 receives an instruction of humidification or dehumidification in humidifier 120 from control device 200. Indoor unit 122 receives an instruction to cool or heat indoor unit 122 from control device 200. Air blower 126 receives an instruction to blow air in air blower 126 from control device 200. Humidifier 120, indoor unit 122, and air blower 126 operate in accordance with instructions received from control device 200.

Air-conditioning room 20 may include a filter. The filter is, for example, a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. The HEPA filter is an air filter that removes dirt, dust, and the like from the air-conditioning room air and outputs clean air-conditioning room air. The clean air-conditioning room air is sent by air blower 126.

Branch chamber 140 branches air-conditioning duct 130 from air-conditioning room 20 into first conveyance duct 150a and second conveyance duct 150b. Conveyance duct 150 is an air passage for sending air-conditioning room air to living room 10.

Control device 200 is a system controller that controls entire air-conditioning system 1000. Control device 200 has a wireless communication function or a wired communication function, and can communicate with humidifier 120, indoor unit 122, and air blower 126. In FIG. 1, control device 200 is installed in first living room 10a, but is not limited thereto.

When air-conditioning system 1000 executes central air conditioning, the air-conditioning room air flowing into air-conditioning room 20 is blown out to first living room 10a and second living room 10b via air-conditioning duct 130, branch chamber 140, first conveyance duct 150a, and second conveyance duct 150b. The air in first living room 10a and second living room 10b is discharged outside the facility via first exhaust duct 172a, second exhaust duct 172b, and exhaust duct 106. Part of the air in first living room 10a and second living room 10b is returned to air-conditioning room 20 through first circulation duct 162a, second circulation duct 162b, and circulation duct 164. At this time, outside air flows into circulation duct 164 through outside air introduction duct 102.

By circulating the air in this manner, the air comes in and out of air-conditioning room 20. That is, the air-conditioning room air is constantly exchanged without staying in air-conditioning room 20. Therefore, even if the refrigerant leaks from indoor unit 122 and the refrigerant is contained in the air-conditioning room air, the air-conditioning room air containing the refrigerant is also exchanged.

Hereinafter, the operation of starting air-conditioning system 1000 will be described on the assumption that air-conditioning system 1000 is stopped. FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of control device 200. Control device 200 includes reception unit 210, controller 220, timer 230, and storage 240. Here, control device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration necessary for describing the operation of starting air-conditioning system 1000, and the configuration included in control device 200 is not limited thereto.

Reception unit 210 is, for example, an interface for receiving an operation from the user. In a state where air-conditioning system 1000 is stopped, reception unit 210 receives an instruction to start air-conditioning system 1000 by an operation from the user. Furthermore, reception unit 210 may have a wireless communication function and be able to communicate with a terminal device carried by the user. The terminal device is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal, and receives an instruction to start air-conditioning system 1000 by an operation from the user. The terminal device may transmit an instruction to start air-conditioning system 1000 to control device 200, and reception unit 210 may receive the instruction to start air-conditioning system 1000.

Controller 220 starts air blower 126 when reception unit 210 receives the instruction to start. At this time, controller 220 does not start indoor unit 122 (air conditioner). Controller 220 also notifies timer 230 of the timing at which air blower 126 is started. Timer 230 measures a time elapsed from the start of air blower 126. Controller 220 monitors the time measured by timer 230. Controller 220 starts indoor unit 122 (air conditioner) when the time measured by timer 230 is equal to or more than the threshold stored in storage 240. At that time, outdoor unit 124 is also started.

The threshold is determined based on a time during which air blower 126 can sufficiently discharge the refrigerant from air-conditioning room 20 in a situation where air-conditioning system 1000 is stopped and the concentration of the refrigerant in air-conditioning room 20 increases due to leakage of the refrigerant from indoor unit 122. For example, the amount of the air-conditioning room air in air-conditioning room 20 is calculated based on the floor area and the height of air-conditioning room 20. By dividing the calculated amount of the air-conditioning room air by the blown air volume per unit time of air blower 126, the time during which all the air-conditioning room air can be discharged is calculated. The threshold is determined as, for example, a time at which ¼ of the calculated air-conditioning room air can be discharged. Since a general flammable refrigerant is heavier than air, the flammable refrigerant tends to accumulate below air-conditioning room 20. In other words, the larger the floor area of air-conditioning room 20, the larger the amount of air-conditioning room air required for discharge. That is, the threshold is determined based on the size of the floor area of air-conditioning room 20 and the blown air volume of air blower 126. The threshold increases as the floor area of air-conditioning room 20 increases, and the threshold increases as the blown air volume of air blower 126 decreases.

The device, the system, or a subject of the method in the present disclosure is provided with a computer. Execution of a program by this computer implements the functions of the device, the systems, or the subject of the method in the present disclosure. The computer includes, as a main hardware configuration, a processor that operates according to a program. The type of the processor is not limited as long as the processor can implement the function by executing the program. The processor includes one or a plurality of electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integration (LSI). The plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or may be provided on a plurality of chips. The plurality of chips may be aggregated into one device or may be provided in a plurality of devices. The program is recorded in a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a read only memory (ROM), an optical disk, or a hard disk drive. The program may be stored in advance in a recording medium, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

Operations of air-conditioning system 1000 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure by control device 200. Reception unit 210 receives an instruction to start air-conditioning system 1000 (S10). Controller 220 starts air blower 126 (S12). Timer 230 starts measuring the time from the start of air blower 126 (S14). If the measured time is not equal to or more than the threshold (N in S16), timer 230 continues measuring the time. When the measured time is equal to or more than the threshold (Y in S16), controller 220 starts indoor unit 122 (air conditioner) (S18).

According to the present example, when an instruction to start air-conditioning system 1000 is received, air blower 126 is started first, and then the air conditioner is started. Therefore, even if the refrigerant leaks from the air conditioner, the refrigerant does not continue to stay in air-conditioning room 20 and is constantly exchanged. That is, the air conditioner can be safely started from living room 10 in a state where the concentration of the refrigerant in air-conditioning room 20 decreases. In addition, since the time elapsed from the start of air blower 126 is measured and the air conditioner is started when the measured time becomes equal to or more than the threshold, the start time of air blower 126 and the start time of the air conditioner can be shifted.

Since the threshold is determined based on the size of the floor area of air-conditioning room 20 and the blown air volume of air blower 126, the time for discharging the air-conditioning room air can be reflected in storage 240. The threshold increases as the floor area of air-conditioning room 20 increases, and the threshold increases as the blown air volume of air blower 126 decreases, so that the air-conditioning room air can be discharged before the air-conditioning room is started.

The outline of an aspect of the present disclosure is as follows.

Item 1

An air-conditioning system (1000) that sends air-conditioning room air, which is air in air-conditioning room (20) independent of living room (10), to living room (10), the air-conditioning system including:

• • an air conditioner installed in air-conditioning room (20);
  • air blower (126) that blows the air-conditioning room air from air-conditioning room (20) to living room (10);
  • reception unit (210) that receives an instruction to start air-conditioning system (1000) in a state where air-conditioning system (1000) is stopped; and controller (220) that starts air blower (126) first and then starts the air conditioner when reception unit (210) receives an instruction to start the air-conditioning system.

Item 2

Air-conditioning system (1000) according to item 1, further including timer (230) that measures a time elapsed after air blower (126) is started, in which controller (220) starts the air conditioner when the time measured by timer (230) becomes equal to or more than a threshold.

Item 3

Air-conditioning system (1000) according to item 2, in which the threshold is determined based on a size of a floor area of air-conditioning room (20) and a blown air volume of air blower (126).

Item 4

Air-conditioning system (1000) according to item 3, in which

• • the threshold increases as the floor area of air-conditioning room (20) increases, and
  • the threshold increases as the blown air volume of air blower (126) decreases.

Although the present disclosure has been described above based on examples, the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples at all, and it can be easily inferred that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.