In an air conditioner that uses a refrigerant mixture containing at least 1,2-difluoroethylene, high efficiency is achieved. In the air conditioner (1), a compressor (100, 200) can be driven without interposing a power conversion device between an AC power source (90, 190) and a motor (70, 170). Thus, it is possible to provide the air conditioner (1) that is environmentally friendly and has a relatively inexpensive configuration.

A liquid level detector includes: a vertically-mounted accumulator configured to store refrigerant; a heater configured to heat the accumulator; a temperature detector configured to detect a surface temperature of the accumulator; a pressure detector configured to detect a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator; and a controller configured to detect a position of a liquid surface of the refrigerant in the accumulator based on a surface temperature of the accumulator detected by the temperature detector when the accumulator is heated by the heater, and a pressure of the refrigerant in the accumulator detected by the pressure detector.

A system for charging an outdoor unit with refrigerant includes a sensor configured to measure a refrigerant concentration and a user device configured to receive the measured refrigerant concentration. The system includes that the user device is configured to, in response to the measured refrigerant concentration exceeding a threshold, generate and display an alert on a user interface of the user device indicating the measured refrigerant concentration exceeds the threshold.

An air conditioner includes an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, and a controller. The outdoor unit is connected to the indoor unit, and the outdoor unit includes a housing, a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor fan, a separating device, and a plurality of outdoor heat exchangers arranged in parallel. The controller is coupled to the compressor, the four-way valve, the outdoor fan, and the driving assembly, and is configured to control a first portion of a refrigerant flowing out from the compressor to flow into an outdoor heat exchanger; control a second portion of the refrigerant flowing out from the compressor to flow into the indoor unit; and when a time in which the first portion of the refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger is less than a first preset time, prevent a refrigerant flowing out from the indoor unit from flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger, and control the driving assembly to drive the wind blocking portion to move, so as to separate the outdoor fan from the outdoor heat exchanger.

An information processing apparatus, based on a data set including a combination of information indicating a situation, information on the comfort of a user, and information on power consumption when an air conditioner has been operated, executes a process of determining an operation setting according to a situation when the air conditioner is operated, the comfort when the air conditioner is operated, and a condition related to the power consumption when the air conditioner is operated.

The propagation of a disproportionation reaction of a refrigerant is suppressed. Disclosed is a method that uses a composition as a refrigerant in a compressor, in which the composition includes one or more compounds selected from the group of ethylene-based fluoroolefins, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, and 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, and the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through a region around an ignition energy generation portion in the compressor under a predetermined high-pressure condition is greater than or equal to 1 m/s.

A vector control system is used to control a vapor compression circuit. The vector control system may monitor the vapor compression circuit and adjust the speed of one or more motors to increase efficiency of the system by taking into account the torque forces placed on a compressor motor.

The heat source controller transmits the drive permission signal (SE) to the utilization controller when the compression element is drivable. The utilization controller opens a utilization expansion valve when heat exchange in a utilization heat exchanger is required, on condition that the utilization controller receive the drive permission signal (SE).

A heat pump includes a compressor, a metering device, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a first fan, a second fan, and a refrigerant circuit between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. A thermal storage device coupled to the refrigerant circuit is configured to store thermal energy when the refrigerant fluid is above a threshold temperature and discharge thermal energy when the refrigerant fluid is below the threshold temperature. The heat pump is operated in a heating mode in which heat is transferred from the refrigerant fluid at the first heat exchanger and the temperature of the refrigerant fluid at the thermal storage device is above the threshold temperature, and a defrost mode in which heat is transferred to the refrigerant fluid at the first heat exchanger and the temperature of the refrigerant fluid at the thermal storage device is below the threshold temperature.

A refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus performs, even during a heating operation under air conditions leading to formation of frost, a defrosting operation while simultaneously continuing the heating operation and improves comfort through heating by securing an appropriate amount of ventilation. A plurality of refrigeration cycles independently performs a heating operation and a defrosting operation. By controlling a ventilation damper of an indoor unit that is to perform a defrosting operation to increase the amount of ventilation, a prior ventilation operation for securing the time-averaged required amount of ventilation including the period in which the defrosting operation is being performed is performed before the defrosting operation, and after the prior ventilation is terminated, the defrosting operation is started.