Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Gyoo-Ha Jung

Young-Dawn Bae

Sung-Han Jung

Hyeong-Joon Seo

An air conditioner and method of detecting a refrigerant leakage in the air conditioner in which the entire refrigerant pipe of the air conditioner is sectioned based on expansion valves into a plurality of sections, the sections are checked one by one to quickly detect a refrigerant leakage from the sections and an exact position of a broken or loosened area of the refrigerant pipe causing such a refrigerant leakage is found. In the method of detecting a refrigerant leakage in the air conditioner, comprising a compressor, an expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor heat exchanger connected to one another by a refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant pipe is sectioned into a high pressure section extending from the outlet port of the compressor to the inlet port of the expansion valve, and a low pressure section extending from the outlet port of the expansion valve to the inlet port of the compressor. A pressure sensor is provided on the refrigerant pipe within the low pressure section. A control unit detects 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 the refrigerant pressure in accordance with a normal operation without the refrigerant pipe having a refrigerant leakage, during a refrigerant leakage detection mode.

Air conditioner and method of detecting refrigerant leakage therein

A fin type heat exchanger includes a plurality of plate shaped fins disposed in spaced parallel relationship to define air channels therebetween for conducting an air flow from an air inlet side to an air exhaust side of each fin. A bent pipe extends through pipe holes formed in the fins for conducting a heat exchange fluid. Groups of slits are formed in each fin, whereby there is a first row of slit groups adjacent the air intake side, and a second row of slit groups adjacent the air exhaust side. There are more slits in the first row than in the second row. The slits in the first row have a width greater than the width of the slits disposed in the second row.

Growing community of inventors

Suwon, South Korea

Gyoo-Ha Jung