Patent ID: 9027357
Filing Date: 2015-05-12
Classification: F25B,Y02B,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for determining if refrigerant charge is sufficient and charging an air-conditioner with refrigerant, comprising: receiving, at a controller of the air-conditioner, an instruction to evaluate a sufficiency of a charge of refrigerant in the air-conditioner, and in response thereto: operating the air-conditioner in a first operation mode, wherein in the first operation mode is a mode in which the air-conditioner is operated in an all-room blowing mode, in which indoor air blowers of all indoor units of the air-conditioner are operated for blowing but indoor expansion valves and outdoor expansion valves are closed such that the refrigerant is not introduced into all the indoor units; changing the operation of the air-conditioner to a second operation mode when an operation time of the all-room blowing mode is greater than or equal to a pre-set time, and an indoor temperature detected by an indoor temperature sensor and an outdoor temperature detected by an outdoor temperature sensor are within respective pre-set temperature ranges, wherein the second operation mode is an all-room cooling or heating operation mode, in which all the indoor units of the air-conditioner are operated for cooling or heating; detecting a temperature of a liquid pipe that connects an outdoor heat exchanger and an indoor heat exchanger of the air-conditioner; determining that the charge of refrigerant in the air-conditioner is not sufficient if the detected temperature of the liquid pipe is higher than a pre-set liquid pipe temperature; calculating a shortage amount of refrigerant according to a difference between the detected liquid pipe temperature and the pre-set liquid temperature; and adding the calculated shortage amount of refrigerant to the air-conditioner.