Patent ID: 6701722
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: F25B

Abstract:
An air conditioner, comprising a compressor, an expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor heat exchanger connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe, said refrigerant pipe being sectioned into a high pressure section extending from an outlet port of the compressor to an inlet port of the expansion valve, and a low pressure section extending from an outlet port of the expansion valve to an inlet port of the compressor, the air conditioner comprising:a pressure sensor provided on the refrigerant pipe within said low pressure section; and a control unit detecting a refrigerant leakage in the low pressure section by comparing a variation in refrigerant pressure sensed by the pressure sensor with a preset variation in refrigerant pressure in accordance with a normal operation associated with no refrigerant leakage, during a refrigerant leakage detection mode.