CN117957412A

CN117957412A - Flow dividing device and air conditioner

Info

Publication number: CN117957412A
Application number: CN202280061673.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 正田穗南美; 大沼洋一
Original assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
Priority date: 2021-09-30
Filing date: 2022-05-31
Publication date: 2024-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2042-05-31
Also published as: CN117957412B; JP7185170B1; WO2023053576A1; JP2023051678A

Abstract

The present invention discloses a shunt device, which comprises: a 1 st member (31) having 1 st connecting portions (31 a) of 1 or more; a2 nd member (33) having 1 or more 2 nd connecting portions (33 a, 33 b); and a3 rd member (32) which is disposed between the 1 st member and the 2 nd member and has a functional portion that acts on the refrigerant. The number of the 2 nd connection portions is different from the number of the 1 st connection portions. The vicinity of one end of the 1 st member (31) is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 3 rd member (32), and the vicinity of the other end of the 3 rd member (32) is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 2 nd member (33), whereby a refrigerant flow path through the 3 rd member is formed between 1 or more 1 st connection portions and 1 or more 2 nd connection portions. The outer diameter (D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D3) of the one end portion of the 3 rd member, the outer diameter (D3) of the other end portion of the 3 rd member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D2) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member, and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D2) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member. Thereby, the radial dimension is suppressed from becoming large.

Description

Flow dividing device and air conditioner

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a flow dividing device and an air conditioner having the same.

Background

The refrigerant flow dividing device for an air conditioner is generally manufactured as a component different from other functional components such as a filter. However, in this case, the number of brazing sites increases, the structure becomes complicated, and the dimension in the flow direction increases. In example 3 of patent document 1, a distributor (a flow dividing device) is disclosed which makes the refrigerant uniform by alternately overlapping a branching block and a mixing block between a tapered tube connected to an inflow tube and a cover connected to a plurality of distribution tubes.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2012-163291

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the dispenser disclosed in example 3 of patent document 1, the branching block is inserted into the inside of the tapered tube, the mixing block is inserted into the inside of the cover, and the branching block and the mixing block having the same outer diameter are arranged with the ends in the longitudinal direction butted against each other. In such a structure, in order to fix the branching block and the mixing block, it is considered to join the butted end portions to each other. However, in order to obtain sufficient joining strength, it is necessary to sufficiently obtain the width of the abutting portion, and the radial dimension of the flow dividing device becomes large.

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a flow dividing device capable of suppressing an increase in radial dimensions, and an air conditioner provided with the flow dividing device.

Means for solving the problems

The shunt device of the present disclosure is provided with: a1 st member having 1 or more 1 st connecting portions; a2 nd member having 1 or more 2 nd connecting portions; and a3 rd member disposed between the 1 st member and the 2 nd member, and having a functional portion that acts on a refrigerant. The number of the 2 nd connection portions provided in the 2 nd member is different from the number of the 1 st connection portions provided in the 1 st member. The vicinity of one end of the 1 st member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 3 rd member, and the vicinity of the other end of the 3 rd member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 2 nd member, whereby a refrigerant flow path through the 3 rd member is formed between 1 or more of the 1 st connection portions and 1 or more of the 2 nd connection portions. The outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the one end portion of the 3 rd member, the outer diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the other end portion of the 3 rd member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member, and the outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member. In the present disclosure, the term "connection portion" is a concept including both a connection pipe and a connection hole, and specifically, may be either a connection pipe or a connection hole.

According to the present disclosure, the radial dimension of the flow dividing device can be suppressed from becoming large.

Preferably, the number of the 2 nd connection parts is greater than the number of the 1 st connection parts. Thus, the 2 nd member having the 2 nd connecting portion as the outlet is disposed so as to cover the 3 rd member from the outside, and therefore the structure of the 3 rd member can be simplified.

Preferably, the outer diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the other end portion of the 3 rd member is smaller than the inner diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the one end portion of the 3 rd member. This can further suppress the radial dimension from becoming larger.

The 3 rd member may be provided with any one of a filter, a rectifying member, a flow shrinking member, and a stirring member.

Preferably, a difference between an inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member and an outer diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the other end portion of the 3 rd member is 0.15mm or less. Thereby, the members can be firmly joined to each other in the joining process by brazing.

The difference between the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member and the outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member may be 0.15mm or less.

Preferably, a difference between an inner diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the one end portion of the 3 rd member and an outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is 0.15mm or less. Thereby, the members can be firmly joined to each other in the joining process by brazing.

Preferably, the 1 st member, the 2 nd member, and the 3 rd member are made of stainless steel. As a result, these members are difficult to electrically contact, rigidity is improved, and vibration is also enhanced.

Preferably, the 3 rd member includes a tubular outer peripheral portion and an inner portion located radially inward of the outer peripheral portion, and constitutes the functional portion. It is easy to generalize the outer peripheral portions of the 3 rd members having different functions.

At this time, it is preferable that a1 st part as a part of the inner part overlaps the outer peripheral part in the longitudinal direction, and a 2 nd part as another part of the inner part does not overlap the outer peripheral part in the longitudinal direction and overlaps the 1 st member or the 2 nd member. This can reduce the dimension in the longitudinal direction.

Preferably, the 3 rd member has a stepped portion with the one end portion thereof enlarged, the one end portion of the 1 st member is in contact with the stepped portion of the 3 rd member from the inside, the 2 nd member has a stepped portion with the one end portion thereof enlarged, and the other end portion of the 3 rd member is in contact with the stepped portion of the 2 nd member from the inside. This can reduce the dimension in the longitudinal direction.

Preferably, the 3 rd component comprises: a 1 st sub-component having a 1 st functional unit that acts on the refrigerant; and a2 nd sub-member having a2 nd functional portion that acts on a refrigerant, wherein a vicinity of one end portion of the 1 st sub-member is covered from outside by a vicinity of one end portion of the 1 st sub-member, a vicinity of the other end portion of the 1 st sub-member is covered from outside by a vicinity of one end portion of the 2 nd sub-member, and a vicinity of the other end portion of the 2 nd sub-member is covered from outside by a vicinity of one end portion of the 2 nd sub-member, whereby a refrigerant flow path is formed between 1 or more of the 1 st connection portions and 1 or more of the 2 nd connection portions via the 1 st sub-member and the 2 nd sub-member, an outer diameter (D3 ') of the other end portion of the 1 st sub-member is equal to or smaller than an inner diameter (D3 ') of the one end portion of the 2 nd sub-member, and an outer diameter (D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st sub-member is equal to or smaller than an inner diameter (D3 ') of the one end portion of the 2 nd sub-member. Thus, the shunt device can have two functional units therein.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is an air conditioner having a refrigerant circuit, wherein the refrigerant circuit is provided with the branching device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner including a flow splitting device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an outdoor heat exchanger and a part of refrigerant piping included in the air conditioner shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the outdoor heat exchanger shown in fig. 2 and a part of the refrigerant piping.

Fig. 4 is a partial side view of the outdoor heat exchanger shown in fig. 2 and a part of the refrigerant piping.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the flow dividing device included in the outdoor heat exchanger shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the shunt device (4-part structure) shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional view of an upper connecting part included in the shunt device shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view of an upper sub-part (filter) of the intermediate part included in the flow splitting device shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7C is a cross-sectional view of a lower sub-part (baffle) of the intermediate part included in the flow splitting device shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7D is a cross-sectional view of the lower connecting part included in the shunt device shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the shunt device shown in fig. 5 with the intermediate parts removed to form a 2-piece structure.

Fig. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the shunt device shown in fig. 5 with a portion of the intermediate component removed to form a 3-piece structure.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a porous member used as an intermediate member in the flow dividing device according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a spiral plate used as an intermediate member in the flow dividing device according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a flow splitting device of embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a shunt device according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

< Embodiment 1>

Hereinafter, an air conditioner 1 including a flow dividing device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described. The air conditioner 1 shown in fig. 1 includes an indoor unit 2 provided indoors and an outdoor unit 3 provided outdoors. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe 19.

The outdoor unit 3 is provided with a compressor 5 for compressing a refrigerant to generate a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant, an electric expansion valve 7 for decompressing the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 8, a receiver (refrigerant accumulator) 11, a muffler 15, a four-way switching valve 16, a gas shutoff valve 17, and a liquid shutoff valve 18. An indoor heat exchanger 6 is disposed in the indoor unit 2. These plural component parts are connected by a refrigerant pipe 19 to constitute the refrigerant circuit 4.

The indoor heat exchanger 6 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air. An indoor fan 9 is disposed near the indoor heat exchanger 6, and the indoor fan 9 is configured to send indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 6 and send conditioned air to the indoor. The compressor 5 compresses a low-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges a high-pressure gas refrigerant. The compressor 5 has a suction portion 5a and a discharge portion 5b. The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked from the suction portion 5a, and the high-pressure gas refrigerant is discharged from the discharge portion 5b in the direction of arrow D. The electric expansion valve 7 is disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger 8 and the indoor heat exchanger 6 in the refrigerant pipe 19 of the refrigerant circuit 4, and expands and decompresses the refrigerant flowing in. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outdoor air. An outdoor fan 10 for blowing the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is provided in the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger 8.

A bypass device 12 is disposed at an end of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 on the side of the motor-operated expansion valve 7. As described later, the flow dividing device 12 in the present embodiment is a member in which a branch flow path is provided and a filter 326 and a flow constriction 328 (see fig. 5) are arranged. Two refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b (see fig. 2 and 4) extending from the outdoor heat exchanger 8 and one refrigerant pipe 19a located on the motor-operated expansion valve 7 side are connected to the branching device 12. The accumulator 11 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 19b on the suction side of the compressor 5. A muffler 15 for reducing pressure pulsation of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 19c on the discharge side of the compressor 5.

A four-way switching valve 16, a gas shutoff valve 17, and a liquid shutoff valve 18 for switching the refrigerant flow path are connected to the refrigerant pipe 19. By switching the four-way switching valve 16, the flow of the refrigerant is reversed, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is supplied to either the outdoor heat exchanger 8 or the indoor heat exchanger 6, whereby the cooling operation and the heating operation can be switched. The gas shut-off valve 17 and the liquid shut-off valve 18 are used to open or close the path of the refrigerant.

In the heating operation of the air conditioner 1, the four-way switching valve 16 is switched as shown by the solid line in fig. 1, whereby the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow. Thus, the high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 in the direction of arrow D passes through the muffler 15 and the four-way switching valve 16, and then passes through the gas shutoff valve 17 to enter the indoor heat exchanger 6. The high-pressure gas refrigerant radiates heat in the process of passing through the indoor heat exchanger 6 to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant reaches the electric expansion valve 7 via the open liquid shutoff valve 18, and is depressurized by the electric expansion valve 7. The depressurized refrigerant reaches the outdoor heat exchanger 8, and absorbs heat in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 to become a low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 5 through the four-way switching valve 16 and the accumulator 11. During the heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 6 functions as a radiator, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 functions as a heat absorber.

On the other hand, during the cooling operation, the four-way switching valve 16 is switched as indicated by the broken line in fig. 1, whereby the flow of the refrigerant is reversed and the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the arrow of the broken line. Thus, the high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 in the direction of arrow D passes through the muffler 15 and the four-way switching valve 16, and then enters the outdoor heat exchanger 8. The high-pressure gas refrigerant radiates heat in the process of passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 8 to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant reaches the electric expansion valve 7, and is depressurized by the electric expansion valve 7. The depressurized refrigerant reaches the indoor heat exchanger 6 through the open liquid shutoff valve 18, absorbs heat in the indoor heat exchanger 6, and becomes a low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 5 through the gas shut-off valve 17, the four-way switching valve 16, and the accumulator 11. During the cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 6 functions as a heat absorber, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 functions as a radiator.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 includes a plurality of flat plate-like fins 21 stacked at predetermined intervals, and a plurality of heat transfer tubes 22 (only 1 is shown by a broken line in fig. 3) inserted into a plurality of through holes provided in each fin 21. The heat transfer pipes 22 are bent to have an L-shape, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 has a substantially L-shape in plan view. The open end of the heat transfer pipe 22 is connected to the open end of the other heat transfer pipe 22 by a U-bend 23, except for the ends which are the inlet and outlet (two places respectively) for the refrigerant to enter and exit the outdoor heat exchanger 8. Thus, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 of the present embodiment is configured with two flow paths through which the refrigerant passes. The fins 21, the heat transfer tube 22 and the U-bend 23 are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Further, as the heat transfer pipe, a hairpin pipe may be used.

An end plate 25 made of a steel plate or the like is disposed further outside the outermost fins 21. The heat transfer pipe 22 penetrates the end plate 25, and the heat transfer pipe 22 is connected to the U-bend 23 on the outer side of the end plate 25. The refrigerant pipes connected to the two flow paths formed in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 are connected to the ends of the heat transfer pipe 22, to which the U-bends 23 are not connected. Fig. 2 and 4 show two refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b connected to the branching device 12.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the flow dividing device 12 is composed of 3 parts, that is, an upper connecting part 31 (1 st part), an intermediate part 32 (3 rd part), and a lower connecting part 33 (2 nd part). As described later, the intermediate member 32 has two functional portions that act on the refrigerant. The intermediate part 32 is composed of two sub-parts, an upper sub-part 321 and a lower sub-part 322. The four parts 31, 321, 322, 33 are arranged in a row so that the vicinity of the upper end of a certain part covers the vicinity of the lower end of the part located above it from the outside. That is, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower connecting member 33 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the lower sub-member 322 from outside, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower sub-member 322 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper sub-member 321 from outside, and the vicinity of the upper end of the upper sub-member 321 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper connecting member 31 from outside. In fig. 5 to 8, the vertical relationship is opposite to fig. 4, but in the present embodiment, the vertical relationship will be described with reference to fig. 4.

As shown in fig. 7A, the upper connecting member 31 is composed of a cylindrical one connecting pipe 31a (1 st connecting portion) and a main body portion 31b connected to the lower end of the connecting pipe 31 a. The upper connecting part 31 is made of stainless steel. The body 31b is formed by combining a truncated cone portion 31b1 having a diameter larger toward the lower side and connected to the connection pipe 31a, and a cylindrical portion 31b 2. The connection pipe 31a is joined to the refrigerant pipe 19a by brazing. The cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b has an outer diameter D1. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 has a length L1a in the longitudinal direction (referred to as the "up-down direction" in the present embodiment).

The upper sub-component 321 of the intermediate component 32 is a component that mainly functions as a filter that removes fine dust from the refrigerant and fine bubbles, and is also a rectifying member that adjusts disturbance of the flow of the refrigerant. By making the bubbles finer, the sound generated by the motor-operated expansion valve 7 can be reduced. As shown in fig. 5 and 7B, the upper sub-component 321 is composed of a main body portion 321a and a filter portion 321B. The body 321a has a shape formed by combining an upper tube 323 located above and a lower tube 324 located below. The outer diameter of the upper cylinder 323 is greater than the outer diameter of the lower cylinder 324. Accordingly, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper cylindrical portion 323 and the lower cylindrical portion 324. The lower end of the lower tube portion 324 is slightly reduced in diameter toward the inside, thereby preventing the filter portion 321b from falling off. The upper sub-part 321 is made of stainless steel. However, the filter 326 described below may be made of a material other than stainless steel.

The filter portion 321b, which is an inner portion of the intermediate member 32 and the upper sub-member 321, is located radially inward of the lower tube portion 324 of the main body portion 321 a. The filter portion 321b is a1 st functional portion of the intermediate member 32, and is composed of a cylindrical holding portion 325 and a dome-shaped filter 326 which is a mesh having a plurality of fine holes formed therein. The holding portion 325 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324 of the main body portion 321a, and is fixed to the lower tube portion 324. The filter 326 is fixed to the holding portion 325 near its upper end. The fixing means at these two positions may be mechanical means such as holding or pressure bonding, or chemical means using an adhesive or the like. In the filter 326, a functional region through which the refrigerant passes excluding a region overlapping the holding portion 325 or the lower tube portion 324 protrudes from the lower tube portion 324 of the main body portion 321a toward the side opposite to the upper tube portion 323 and the upper connecting member 31. Thus, in the present embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the filter 326 and the holding portion 325 (the 1 st portion that combines them into the inner portion) overlap with the lower tube portion 324 that is the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate member 32 in the up-down direction. The functional region (the 2 nd portion of the inner portion) of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes is not overlapped with the lower tube portion 324 in the up-down direction and is overlapped with a lower tube portion 328a of the lower sub-component 322 described later.

The upper tube portion 323 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube 323 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b by brazing or welding. The upper barrel 323 has an inner diameter D3 and the lower barrel 324 has an outer diameter D3'. The outer peripheral surface of the upper tube 323 has a length L3a in the up-down direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324 has a length L3b in the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (d1.ltoreq.d3). Wherein the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter D3 is less than or equal to 0.15mm (D3-D1 is less than or equal to 0.15 mm). When the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (D1 < D3), brazing filler metal is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 and the inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 at a thickness equal to the difference therebetween. The same applies to other braze sites. The outer diameter D3 'of the lower barrel portion 324 is smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper barrel portion 323 (D3' < D3). In addition, the length L1a of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L3a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (L1 a > L3 a). The lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is abutted from the inside against a stepped portion formed at the boundary of the upper cylindrical portion 323 and the lower cylindrical portion 324.

The lower sub-part 322 of the intermediate part 32 is a part (baffle) having a flow contracting function of discharging the refrigerant having passed through the filter 326 as a range narrower than a functional region (passable range) of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes. As shown in fig. 5 and 7C, the lower sub-component 322 has a shape in which an upper cylindrical portion 327 located above and a flow shrinkage portion 328 located below are combined. The upper cylindrical portion 327 has an outer diameter larger than that of the constricted flow portion 328. Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 327 and the constricted flow portion 328. The flow shrinkage portion 328 is a 2 nd functional portion of the intermediate member 32, and includes: a lower tube portion 328a connected to the upper tube portion 327; and a disk portion 328b connected to a lower end portion of the lower tube portion 328a to block a lower opening of the lower tube portion 328 a. The lower tube 328a overlaps the functional area of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes in the up-down direction. The disk portion 328b has a tube portion 41 protruding downward at its central portion. The pipe portion 41 communicates with the space inside the lower tube portion 328a via an opening at the upper end thereof. An opening 41a is provided at the lower end of the tube portion 41. The lower sub-part 322 is made of stainless steel.

The upper cylindrical portion 327 covers the lower cylindrical portion 324 of the upper sub 321 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 327 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324 of the upper sub-component 321 by brazing or welding. The upper barrel portion 327 has an inner diameter D3' and the converging portion 328 has an outer diameter D3. The outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 327 has a length L3c in the up-down direction. The outer peripheral surface of the flow shrinkage portion 328 has a length L3d in the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D3 'of the lower tube 324 is equal to or less than the inner diameter D3' of the upper tube 327 (D3 '. Ltoreq.d3'). Wherein the difference between the outer diameter D3 'and the inner diameter D3' is less than or equal to 0.15mm (D3 '-D3'. Ltoreq.0.15 mm). The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 'of the upper cylindrical portion 327 (D1. Ltoreq.d3'). Wherein the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter D3 'is not more than 0.15mm (D3' -D1 is not more than 0.15 mm). The outer diameter D3 of the constriction 328 is smaller than the inner diameter D3 '(D3 < D3') of the upper barrel 327. In addition, the length L3b of the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324 is longer than the length L3c of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 327 (L3 b > L3 c). Therefore, the lower end of the lower tube 324 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tube 327 and the constricted flow portion 328 from the inside.

As shown in fig. 5 and 7D, the lower connecting member 33 is composed of two cylindrical connecting pipes 33a and 33b (the 2 nd connecting portion) and a main body portion 33c connected to the upper ends of the connecting pipes 33a and 33 b. The connection pipes 33a and 33b are connected to the refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b, respectively. The two connection pipes 33a, 33b are separated from each other and symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the lower connection part 33. The main body 33c has a shape formed by combining: an upper tube 333 located above; a lower tube portion 334 located below and connected to the connection tubes 33a, 33 b; and a disk portion 335 connected to a lower end portion of the lower tube portion 334 and closing a lower opening of the lower tube portion 334. The disc portion 335 is provided with two through holes, and the two connection pipes 33a, 33b communicate with the space in the lower tube portion 334 via these through holes. The opening 41a of the tube 41 provided in the lower sub-component 322 is opposed to the wall located between the two through holes in the center portion of the disk 335. The opening 41a of the tube 41 is perpendicular to the wall between the two through holes. The outer diameter of the upper barrel 333 is greater than the outer diameter of the lower barrel 334. Accordingly, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tube portion 333 and the lower tube portion 334. The lower connecting part 33 is made of stainless steel.

The upper tube 333 covers the constricted flow portion 328 of the lower sub 322 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube 333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the flow shrinkage portion 328 of the lower sub-component 322 by brazing or welding. The upper tube 333 of the main body 33c has an inner diameter d2. The outer peripheral surface of the upper tube 333 has a length L2a in the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D3 of the constriction 328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the upper tube 333 (d3.ltoreq.d2). Wherein the difference between the outer diameter D3 and the inner diameter D2 is less than or equal to 0.15mm (D2-D3 is less than or equal to 0.15 mm). The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the upper tube 333 (D1. Ltoreq.d2). Wherein the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter D2 is less than or equal to 0.15mm (D2-D1 is less than or equal to 0.15 mm). Further, the outer diameter D3 of the constriction 328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper tube 323 (D3. Ltoreq.d3). In addition, the length L3d of the outer peripheral surface of the flow shrinkage portion 328 is greater than the length L2a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 333 (L3 d > L2 a). Therefore, the lower end of the flow shrinkage portion 328 is abutted from the inside against a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tube 333 and the lower tube 334. In the present embodiment, d1=d3 '=d3, d3=d3' =d2 may be used.

Next, in the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment, a description will be given of a process in which the refrigerant flowing in from the connection pipe 31a of the upper connection member 31 is discharged from the two connection pipes 33a, 33b of the lower connection member 33 through the intermediate member 32.

The refrigerant flowing in from the connection pipe 31a of the upper connection member 31 slightly expands toward the filter 326 after entering the main body 31b from the connection pipe 31 a. The filter 326 removes fine dust from the refrigerant, fine bubbles, and adjusts disturbance of the flow of the refrigerant. The flow rate of the refrigerant immediately before passing through the filter 326 is larger in the extended region of the connection pipe 31a, and the more deviated from this region from here is smaller. Although this tendency is alleviated by passing through the filter 326, the variation in the flow rate of the refrigerant due to the location is still large. Therefore, when the lower sub-component 322 is not included in the flow dividing device 12, the refrigerant passing through the filter 326 flows into the connection pipes 33a and 33b in a state where the variation in flow velocity is large. Therefore, a large flow difference may be generated in the connection pipe 33a and the connection pipe 33b.

However, in the present embodiment, since the lower sub-component 322 is included in the flow dividing device 12, the refrigerant passing through the filter 326 is once concentrated in the pipe portion 41 and discharged from the opening 41 a. As described above, since the opening 41a of the tube 41 is disposed to face the wall of the central portion of the disk 335 in an orthogonal manner, the refrigerant that collides with the disk 335 spreads substantially uniformly in any direction in the horizontal plane from the collision area. Since the two connection pipes 33a and 33b are positioned symmetrically with respect to the collision area, a large difference between the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the connection pipe 33a and the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the connection pipe 33b is suppressed, and substantially equal amounts of the refrigerant are discharged from the connection pipes 33a and 33 b.

The flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment is composed of three parts, i.e., an upper connecting part 31, an intermediate part 32, and a lower connecting part 33, but the upper connecting part 31 and the lower connecting part 33 can be directly connected as a 2-part structure in which the intermediate part 32 is omitted. Fig. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the shunt device 12' thus constituted. The upper cylindrical portion 333 of the lower connecting part 33 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the upper connecting part 31 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube 333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 by brazing or welding. As described above, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the upper tube 333 (D1. Ltoreq.d2). In addition, the length L1a of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L2a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (L1 a > L2 a). The lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is abutted from the inside against a step formed at the boundary of the upper tube 333 and the lower tube 334. The flow splitting device 12' does not function as a filter or flow constriction member.

In addition, the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment can adopt a 3-piece structure in which one of the two sub-pieces 321 and 322 of the intermediate piece 32 is omitted. For example, the lower sub-component 322 may be omitted and may have a 3-component structure including the upper connecting component 31, the upper sub-component 321, and the lower connecting component 33. Fig. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the shunt device 12″ thus constructed. The upper cylindrical portion 323 of the upper sub-member 321 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the upper connection member 31 from the outside, and the upper cylindrical portion 333 of the lower connection member 33 covers the lower cylindrical portion 324 of the upper sub-member 321 from the outside. Further, the inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 323 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 by brazing or welding, and the inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324 by brazing or welding. As described above, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (D1. Ltoreq.d3). The outer diameter D3 'of the lower tube 324 is less than or equal to the inner diameter D2 of the upper tube 333 (D3'. Ltoreq.d2). Wherein the difference between the outer diameter D3 'and the inner diameter D2 is less than or equal to 0.15mm (D2-D3'. Ltoreq.0.15 mm). In addition, the length L1a of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L3a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (L1 a > L3 a). The length L3b of the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324 is greater than the length L2a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 333 (L3 b > L2 a). Therefore, the lower end portion of the lower tube portion 324 comes into contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary of the upper tube portion 333 and the lower tube portion 334 from the inside. The flow splitting device 12 "functions as a filter but does not function as a flow constriction member. The flow splitting device 12″ can also be said to be a 3-piece flow splitting device having an upper sub-piece 321 as an intermediate piece. In the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment, the upper sub-component 321 of the intermediate component 32 can be omitted, and a 3-component structure including the upper connecting component 31, the lower sub-component 322, and the lower connecting component 33 can be used. Such a flow splitting device 12 functions as a flow contracting member, but does not function as a filter.

As described above, in the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b of the upper connecting member 31 is covered from the outside by the upper cylindrical portion 323 of the upper sub-member 321, the lower cylindrical portion 324 of the upper sub-member 321 is covered from the outside by the upper cylindrical portion 327 of the lower sub-member 322, and the flow contracting portion 328 of the lower sub-member 322 is covered from the outside by the upper cylindrical portion 333 of the lower connecting member 33, whereby a refrigerant flow path is formed between one connecting pipe 31a and the two connecting pipes 33a, 33 b. The refrigerant flow path is a branch flow path having one connection pipe provided on one side and two connection pipes provided on the other side. The conditions that the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper tube 323 (D1. Ltoreq.d3), the outer diameter D3 of the flow shrinkage portion 328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the upper tube 333 (D3. Ltoreq.d2), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the upper tube 333 (D1. Ltoreq.d2) are satisfied. For example, if D1D 2 is not equal to or smaller than D2, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body 31b is relatively large. In the present embodiment, by satisfying the above condition, the size of the flow dividing device 12 can be suppressed from increasing in the radial direction.

Further, since the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment includes the filter 326 inside, the length in the up-down direction can be reduced as compared with the total length of the flow dividing device and the filter in the case where the filter is included in another member outside the flow dividing device.

In the present embodiment, the condition that the outer diameter D3 of the constricted flow portion 328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the upper tubular portion 323 (d3.ltoreq.d3) is satisfied. This can further suppress the size of the shunt device 12 from becoming larger in the radial direction. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D3 'of the lower tube 324 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3' of the upper tube 327 (D3 '. Ltoreq.d3'), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D3 'of the upper tube 327 (D1. Ltoreq.d3'). This can more effectively suppress the size of the 4-part flow splitting device 12 from increasing in the radial direction.

In the present embodiment, the flow dividing device 12 divides the refrigerant flowing in from the one connection pipe 31a into the two connection pipes 33a and 33 b. The filter 326 and the constriction 328 are formed in a shape bulging downstream of the flow, which is effective in achieving the function. In particular, in the contraction flow portion 328, by making the opening 41a of the pipe portion 41 close to the disk portion 335, an effect of distributing the refrigerant more without variation can be expected. Therefore, if a component located upstream (in the present embodiment, the upper side) is used to cover a component located downstream (in the present embodiment, the lower side) is used, it is necessary to form another tube (to cover the upper tube 327 or the contracted flow portion 328 from the outside) downstream of the lower tube 324 for the upper sub-component 321, and it is necessary to form another tube (to cover the upper tube 333 or the lower tube 334 from the outside) downstream of the contracted flow portion 328 for the lower sub-component 322, so that the structures of the upper sub-component 321 and the lower sub-component 322 become complicated. On the other hand, the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment adopts the following configuration: the lower connection part 33 having the connection ports 33a, 33b as the outlets covers the lower sub-part 322 from the outside, the lower sub-part 322 covers the upper sub-part 321 from the outside, and the upper sub-part 321 covers the upper connection part 31 from the outside, so that the structures of the upper sub-part 321 and the lower sub-part 322 can be simplified. The same is true for the shunt device 12 "shown in fig. 8B.

In the present embodiment, the difference between the outer diameter D3 and the inner diameter D2 is 0.15mm or less (D2-D3. Ltoreq.0.15 mm), the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter D3 is 0.15mm or less (D3-D1. Ltoreq.0.15 mm), and the difference between the outer diameter D3 'and the inner diameter D3' is 0.15mm or less (D3 '-D3'. Ltoreq.0.15 mm). As described above, the four parts 31, 321, 322, 33 constituting the flow dividing device 12 are joined by brazing. In brazing, a brazing material is impregnated between parts by capillary phenomenon. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the gap size of the parts. Therefore, by satisfying the numerical conditions described above, the parts can be firmly joined to each other. Further, since the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter D2 is 0.15mm or less (D2-D1. Ltoreq.0.15 mm), the same effect can be expected also in the flow dividing device 12' in which the upper connecting member 31 and the lower connecting member 33 are directly connected as shown in fig. 8A. Further, since the difference between the outer diameter D3' and the inner diameter D2 is 0.15mm or less (D2-D3 '. Ltoreq.0.15 mm), the same effect can be expected also in the flow dividing device 12' in which the upper sub-component 321 and the lower connecting component 33 are directly connected as shown in fig. 8B.

In the above embodiment, all the parts are made of stainless steel, and thus, the parts are difficult to be electrically corroded. In addition, the rigidity of the component is improved, and the vibration is also enhanced.

In the above embodiment, the upper sub-member 321 including the filter 326 includes the lower tube portion 324 as the tubular outer peripheral portion, and the filter portion 321b radially inward of the lower tube portion 324. The filter 326 is held by a holding portion 325 which is disposed and fixed along the inner peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 324. With such a configuration, it is easy to replace the filter portion 321b or the filter 326 with another filter having a mesh size different from that of the filter 326 or another member having a function different from that of the filter without changing any size or shape of the lower tube portion 324. That is, the outer peripheral portion can be easily used in common among the plurality of functional components.

In the present embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the filter 326 and the holding portion 325, which are the 1 st portion of the filter portion 321b, overlap the lower tube portion 324, which is the outer peripheral portion, in the up-down direction. The functional region of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes, which is the 2 nd portion of the filter portion 321b, is not overlapped with the lower tube portion 324 in the up-down direction, and is overlapped with the lower tube portion 328a of the lower sub-component 322. By overlapping the 2 nd portion with other members in this way, the vertical dimension of the flow dividing device 12 can be reduced as compared with the case where the flow dividing device is not overlapped with other members. In addition, as a modification, the 2 nd portion of the filter portion 321b may overlap with the upper connecting member 31 in the up-down direction. In addition, in the case of a 3-piece structure in which the lower sub-piece 322 is not used, the lower portion 334 of the lower connecting piece 33 may be overlapped with the upper portion in the up-down direction as shown in fig. 8B.

In the present embodiment, the lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper cylindrical portion 323 and the lower cylindrical portion 324 from the inside. The lower end of the lower tube portion 324 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tube portion 327 and the constricted flow portion 328 from the inside. The lower end of the flow shrinkage portion 328 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tube 333 and the lower tube 334 from the inside. In the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment, by adopting such a configuration, improvement in stability and reduction in size in the up-down direction are achieved.

In the present embodiment, the intermediate member 32 is composed of two sub-members, that is, the upper sub-member 321 and the lower sub-member 322 each having a functional portion, and thus, the flow splitting device 12 can have two functional portions therein.

In addition, the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment can join 4 parts together by brazing, so that the occurrence of rattling between parts is less likely to occur, and the manufacturing process is simplified. In the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment, the components 31, 321a, 322, and 33 can be manufactured by press working. Therefore, since the drawing process is not required for both ends of the component in the manufacturing process, the manufacturing is easy, and the clamping margin for the drawing process is not required, so that the length of the shunt device 12 in the up-down direction can be shortened.

Although the description has been made so far mainly of the case where the refrigerant flows in the direction from the connection pipe 31a toward the connection pipes 33a and 33b, the filter 326 also functions to remove fine dust from the refrigerant and to fine bubbles in the case where the refrigerant flows from the connection pipes 33a and 33b toward the connection pipe 31 a. In this case, the flow contracting portion 328 functions to adjust the flow of the refrigerant to be along the direction of the connection pipe 31 a.

< Embodiment 2 >

Next, a flow dividing device according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described. The flow dividing device of the present embodiment is the same as that of embodiment 1 except that a member holding a porous body is used as an intermediate member. Therefore, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described below. The intermediate member 521 shown in fig. 9 is used instead of the intermediate member 32 shown in fig. 5. The intermediate member 521 is similar in structure to the upper sub-member 321 of embodiment 1.

The intermediate member 521 mainly functions as a rectifying member that reduces bubbles in the refrigerant in order to reduce noise generated when the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 19. As shown in fig. 9, the intermediate member 521 is composed of a main body 521a and a porous body 526. The main body 521a has a shape in which an upper tube 523 located above and a lower tube 524 located below are combined. The outer diameter of the upper barrel portion 523 is greater than the outer diameter of the lower barrel portion 524. Accordingly, an inclined step portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tube portion 523 and the lower tube portion 524. The lower end of the lower tube portion 524 is slightly reduced in diameter toward the inside, thereby preventing the porous body 526 from falling off. The porous body 526 is fixed to the lower tube portion 524. The fixation may be performed by any known means.

In the porous body 526, the functional region through which the refrigerant passes except for the region overlapping the lower tube portion 524 protrudes from the lower tube portion 524 of the main body portion 521a toward the side opposite to the upper tube portion 523 and the upper connecting member 31. As described above, in the present embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end (the 1 st part of the inner part) of the porous body 526 is overlapped with the lower tube 524, which is the outer peripheral part of the intermediate member 521, in the up-down direction. The functional region (the 2 nd portion of the inner portion) of the porous body 526 through which the refrigerant passes is not overlapped with the lower tube 524 in the up-down direction and is overlapped with the lower connecting member 33.

In the main body 521a, the upper tube 523 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 523 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper barrel portion 523 has an inner diameter D3, and the lower barrel portion 524 has an outer diameter D3. The outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 523 has a length L3a in the up-down direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 524 has a length L3b in the up-down direction. If the outer shape D3' is replaced with D3, the dimensional relationship in the flow dividing device according to the present embodiment is the same as that described with reference to fig. 8B.

With the flow dividing device of the present embodiment, the flow dividing device 12 of embodiment 1 can be easily manufactured by simply replacing the intermediate member 32 with the intermediate member 521. At least part of the effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained. In the flow dividing device according to the present embodiment, the lower sub-component 322 may be further disposed below the intermediate component 521 so that the vicinity of the upper end of the lower sub-component 322 described in embodiment 1 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the intermediate component 521 from the outside, and the 2 components may be used as intermediate components to have a 4-component structure.

< Embodiment 3>

Next, a shunt device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure will be described. The flow dividing device of the present embodiment is the same as that of embodiment 1 except that a component (screw plate) having a plurality of openings formed at the downstream end is used as an intermediate component. Therefore, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described below. The intermediate part 621 shown in fig. 10 is used instead of the intermediate part 32 shown in fig. 5. The intermediate piece 621 is similar in construction to the lower sub-piece 322 of embodiment 1.

The intermediate part 621 is a part mainly having a stirring function of mixing gas and liquid. As shown in fig. 10, the intermediate member 621 includes an upper cylinder 623 located above, a lower cylinder 624 connected to the upper cylinder 623, and a disk 625 connected to a lower end of the lower cylinder 624 to block a lower opening of the lower cylinder 624. The outer diameter of the upper barrel 623 is greater than the outer diameter of the lower barrel 624. In the disk portion 625, 8 fan-shaped openings 627 are provided by obliquely (for example, at 15 ° to 45 °) raising 8 fan-shaped pieces 626 of the same shape and the same size on the side in the radial direction so as to be cantilevered. The positions of the sides supporting the 8 segments 626 are common to all the segments 626, and the vertices of the segments 626 are disposed on the left side when the segments are positioned in the near front. The 8 openings 627 are equally arranged in the circumferential direction. The refrigerant passing through the intermediate part 621 from top to bottom interferes with the fan-shaped piece 626 after passing through the opening 627, whereby the traveling direction is changed. As a result, a flow is generated in the refrigerant, which rotates clockwise in the bottom view 10.

The upper tube portion 623 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 623 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper barrel 623 has an inner diameter D3 and the lower barrel 624 has an outer diameter D3. The outer peripheral surface of the upper tube 623 has a length L3a in the up-down direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 624 has a length L3b in the up-down direction. If the outer shape D3' is replaced with D3, the dimensional relationships of the shunt device according to the present embodiment are the same as those described with reference to fig. 8B.

With the flow dividing device according to the present embodiment, the flow dividing device 12 according to embodiment 1 can be easily manufactured by replacing the intermediate member 32 with the intermediate member 621. At least part of the effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained. In the flow dividing device according to the present embodiment, the upper sub-component 321 may be further disposed above the intermediate component 621 so that the vicinity of the upper end of the intermediate component 621 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper sub-component 321 described in embodiment 1 from the outside, and the 4-component structure may be configured by using these 2 components as intermediate components.

< Embodiment 4 >

Next, a flow dividing device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 11. The flow dividing device of the present embodiment can be used as an alternative to the flow dividing device 12 shown in fig. 4, except that the lower connecting member is composed of two members, and the intermediate member having two functional portions is not divided into two sub-members, which is the same as embodiment 1. Therefore, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described below.

The flow dividing device 112 shown in fig. 11 is composed of 3 parts, i.e., an upper connecting part 31 (1 st part), an intermediate part 132 (3 rd part), and a lower connecting part 133 (2 nd part). The 3 parts 31, 132, 133 are arranged in a row so that the vicinity of the upper end of a certain part covers the vicinity of the lower end of the part located above it from the outside. That is, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower connecting part 133 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the intermediate part 132 from the outside, and the vicinity of the upper end of the intermediate part 132 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper connecting part 31 from the outside. In fig. 11, the vertical relationship is opposite to fig. 4, but in the present embodiment, the vertical relationship is described with reference to fig. 4.

The upper connecting member 31 is the same as that described in embodiment 1, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted. As described later, the intermediate member 132 has two functional portions that act on the refrigerant. The intermediate member 132 is composed of a main body 1322a and a filter 1322 b. The main body 1322a has a shape in which an upper tube 1327 located above and a flow shrinkage 1328 located below are combined. The flow shrinkage portion 1328 includes a lower tube portion 1328a connected to the upper tube portion 1327, and a disk portion 1328b connected to a lower end portion of the lower tube portion 1328a to block a lower opening of the lower tube portion 1328 a. The outer diameter of the upper cylinder 1327 is greater than the outer diameter of the lower cylinder 1328 a. Accordingly, an inclined step portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tube portion 1327 and the lower tube portion 1328 a.

The filter portion 1322b, which is an inner portion of the intermediate member 132 and the main body portion 1322a, is located radially inward of the upper tube portion 1327 of the main body portion 1322 a. The filter portion 1322b is a1 st functional portion of the intermediate member 132, and is composed of a cylindrical holding portion 1325 and a filter 1326. The filter 1326 has the same shape and function as the filter 326 described in embodiment 1. The holding portion 1325 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 1327 of the main body portion 1322a, and is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 1327. The upper end of the holding portion 1325 is in contact with the lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31 b. The filter 1326 is fixed to the holding portion 1325 near its upper end. The fixing means at these two positions may be mechanical means such as holding, press-fitting, or caulking, or chemical means using an adhesive or the like. In the filter 1326, a functional region through which the refrigerant passes, excluding a region overlapping the holding portion 1325 or the lower tube portion 1328a, protrudes from the upper tube portion 1327 of the main body portion 1322a toward the side opposite to the upper connecting member 31. Thus, in the present embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the filter 1326 and the holding portion 1325 (the 1 st portion which is referred to as the inner portion together) overlap with the upper tube portion 1327 which is the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate member 132 in the up-down direction. The functional region (the 2 nd portion of the inner portion) of the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes is not overlapped with the upper tube 1327 in the up-down direction and is overlapped with the lower tube 1328a and an upper tube 1333 of the lower connecting member 133 described later.

The upper tube portion 1327 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 1327 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper tube 1327 has an inner diameter D13 (corresponding to D3 in embodiment 1), and the lower tube 1328a has an outer diameter D13 (corresponding to D3 in embodiment 1). In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D13 of the upper cylindrical portion 1327 (D1. Ltoreq.d13), and D13-D1 is equal to or smaller than 0.15mm. The outer diameter D13 of the lower barrel 1328a is smaller than the inner diameter D13 of the upper barrel 1327 (D13 < D13). In addition, the length L11a of the outer peripheral surface from the lower end portion of the upper tube portion 1327 to the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L13a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 1327 (L11 a > L13 a). The lower end of the holding portion 1325 is abutted from the inside against a step portion formed at the boundary of the upper tube portion 1327 and the lower tube portion 1328 a.

The main body 1322a of the intermediate member 132 is a member (baffle) having a flow contracting function of discharging the refrigerant passing through the filter 1326 as a range narrower than a functional region (passable range) of the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes. The flow shrinkage portion 1328 of the main body 1322a is the 2 nd functional portion of the intermediate member 132. The lower tube portion 1328a overlaps with a functional area in the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes in the up-down direction. The disk portion 1328b has a pipe portion 141 protruding downward at its central portion. The pipe portion 141 communicates with the space inside the lower tube portion 1328a via an opening at the upper end thereof. An opening 141a is provided at the lower end of the tube portion 141.

In the present embodiment, the lower connecting member 133 is composed of two sub-members, namely, an upper sub-member 1331 made of stainless steel and a lower sub-member 1335 made of aluminum. The upper sub-component 1331 has a shape in which an upper cylindrical portion 1333 located above and a lower cylindrical portion 1334 located below are combined. The outer diameter of the upper cylinder 1333 is greater than the outer diameter of the lower cylinder 1334. Accordingly, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tube portion 1333 and the lower tube portion 1334. The upper portion of the lower sub-part 1335 is disposed inside the lower cylinder portion 1334. The upper end of the lower sub-component 1335 is located at the same position as the lower end of the step formed at the boundary of the upper cylinder 1333 and the lower cylinder 1334. The lower sub-part 1335 is fixed to the lower tube portion 1334 by brazing.

Two cylindrical connecting holes 133a and 133b (the 2 nd connecting portion) penetrating up and down are formed in the lower sub-component 1335. The connection holes 133a and 133b are respectively composed of lower holes 133a1 and 133b1 having the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b, and upper holes 133a2 and 133b2 communicating with the upper ends of the lower holes 133a1 and 133b1 and having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower holes 133a1 and 133b 1. The connection holes 133a and 133b are separated from each other and are symmetrically disposed with respect to the central axis of the lower sub-component 1335. The refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b are inserted into the lower holes 133a1 and 133b1, and are fixed by brazing. In fig. 11, the refrigerant pipe 26a is not shown. The space surrounded by the constriction 1328, the lower sub-component 1335, and the upper sub-component 1331 communicates with the upper holes 133a2 and 133b 2. The opening 141a of the pipe portion 141 provided in the flow shrinkage portion 1328 is opposed to a wall located in the center of the upper surface of the lower sub-component 1335 and located between the two connection holes 133a and 133 b. The opening 141a of the tube portion 141 is orthogonal to the wall between the two connection holes 133a, 133 b.

The upper tube portion 1333 covers the constricted portion 1328 of the intermediate member 132 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tube section 1333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube section 1328a of the constricted flow portion 1328 by brazing or welding. The outer peripheral surface of the upper tube 1333 has a length L12a in the up-down direction. The upper tube 1333 has an inner diameter d12 (corresponding to d2 in embodiment 1). The outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 1328a has a length L13b in the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D13 of the lower tube portion 1328a of the constricted flow portion 1328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D12 of the upper tube portion 1333 (d13.ltoreq.d12), and D12 to d13.ltoreq.0.15 mm. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D12 of the upper cylindrical portion 1333 (D1. Ltoreq.d12), and D12-D1 is equal to or smaller than 0.15mm. The outer diameter D13 of the lower tube portion 1328a of the constricted flow portion 1328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D13 of the upper tube portion 1327 (d13.ltoreq.d13). In addition, the length L13b of the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is shorter than the length L12a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tube portion 1333 (L13 b < L12 a). The upper end of the upper tube 1333 abuts against the lower end of a step formed at the boundary between the upper tube 1327 and the lower tube 1328a from the outside. In the present embodiment, d1=d13 and d13=d12 may be used.

As described above, in the flow dividing device 112 of the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b of the upper connecting member 31 is covered from the outside by the upper cylindrical portion 1327 of the intermediate member 132, and the lower cylindrical portion 1328a of the flow shrinkage portion 1328 is covered from the outside by the upper cylindrical portion 1333 of the lower connecting member 133, whereby a refrigerant flow path is formed between one connecting pipe 31a and the two connecting holes 133a, 133 b. The refrigerant flow path is a branch flow path having one connection pipe provided on one side and two connection holes provided on the other side. And, the following condition holds: the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D13 of the upper tube portion 1327 (D1. Ltoreq.d13), the outer diameter D13 of the lower tube portion 1328a of the flow shrinkage portion 1328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D12 of the upper tube portion 1333 (D13. Ltoreq.d12), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D12 of the upper tube portion 1333 (D1. Ltoreq.d12). For example, if D1D 12 is not equal to or smaller than D1, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body 31b is relatively large. In the present embodiment, by satisfying the above condition, the size of the flow dividing device 112 can be suppressed from increasing in the radial direction. Further, this embodiment has an advantage that it can be manufactured at a low cost as compared with embodiment 1, and has an advantage that the amount of aluminum components (lower sub-component 1335) used can be reduced and the amount of aluminum components to be cut can be reduced as compared with embodiment 5 described below. Further, according to this embodiment, 1 or more other effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained.

< Embodiment 5>

Next, a flow dividing device according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 12. The flow dividing device of the present embodiment can be used as an alternative to the flow dividing device 12 shown in fig. 4, except that the lower connecting member is formed of one member, which is the same as that of embodiment 4. Therefore, differences from embodiment 4 will be mainly described below.

The flow dividing device 212 shown in fig. 12 is composed of 3 parts, that is, an upper connecting part 31 (1 st part), an intermediate part 132 (3 rd part), and a lower connecting part 233 (2 nd part). The 3 parts 31, 132, 233 are arranged in a row so that the vicinity of the upper end of a certain part covers the vicinity of the lower end of the part located above it from the outside. In fig. 12, the vertical relationship is opposite to that of fig. 4, but in the present embodiment, the vertical relationship is described with reference to fig. 4.

The upper connecting member 31 and the intermediate member 132 are the same as those described in embodiment 1, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the lower connecting member 233 is a member made of aluminum by cutting. A cylindrical recess 234 is provided on the upper surface of the lower connecting member 233. By providing the recess 234, a cylindrical portion 235 having a closed lower end is formed around the recess 234. The tube 235 covers the constricted portion 1328 of the intermediate member 132 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the tube 235 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tube 1328a of the constricted flow portion 1328 by brazing or welding.

The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 235 has a length L22a in the up-down direction. The cylindrical portion 235 has an inner diameter d22 (corresponding to d2 in embodiment 1). The outer peripheral surface of the lower tube portion 1328a has a length L13b in the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D13 of the lower tube portion 1328a of the constricted flow portion 1328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D22 of the tube portion 235 (d13.ltoreq.d22), and d22—d13.ltoreq.0.15 mm. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D22 of the cylindrical portion 235 (D1. Ltoreq.d22), and D22-D1 is equal to or smaller than 0.15mm. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 235 abuts against the lower end of a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper cylindrical portion 1327 and the lower cylindrical portion 1328a from the outside. In the present embodiment, d1=d13 and d13=d22 may be used.

The lower connection member 233 has two cylindrical connection holes 233a and 233b (2 nd connection portion) penetrating up and down. The connection holes 233a and 233b are respectively composed of lower holes 233a1 and 233b1 having the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b, and upper holes 233a2 and 233b2 which communicate with the upper ends of the lower holes 233a1 and 233b1 and have an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower holes 233a1 and 233b 1. The connection holes 233a and 233b are separated from each other and symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the lower connection part 233. The refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b are inserted into the lower holes 233a1 and 233b1, and are fixed by brazing. In fig. 12, the refrigerant pipe 26a is not shown. The space surrounded by the flow shrinkage portion 1328 and the lower connecting member 233 communicates with the upper holes 233a2, 233b 2. The opening 141a of the pipe portion 141 provided in the flow shrinkage portion 1328 is opposed to a wall located at the center of the upper surface of the lower connection member 233 and located between the two connection holes 233a and 233 b. The opening 141a of the tube portion 141 is orthogonal to the wall between the two connection holes 233a, 233 b.

As described above, in the flow dividing device 212 of the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b of the upper connecting member 31 is covered from the outside by the upper cylindrical portion 1327 of the intermediate member 132, and the lower cylindrical portion 1328a of the flow shrinkage portion 1328 is covered from the outside by the cylindrical portion 235 of the lower connecting member 233, whereby a refrigerant flow path is formed between one connecting pipe 31a and the two connecting holes 233a, 233 b. The refrigerant flow path is a branch flow path having one connection pipe provided on one side and two connection holes provided on the other side. And, the following condition holds: the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D13 of the upper tube portion 1327 (D1. Ltoreq.d13), the outer diameter D13 of the lower tube portion 1328a of the flow shrinkage portion 1328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D12 of the upper tube portion 1333 (D13. Ltoreq.d12), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter D22 of the tube portion 235 (D1. Ltoreq.d22). For example, if D1D 22 is not equal to or smaller than D1, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body 31b is relatively large. In the present embodiment, by satisfying the above condition, the size of the flow dividing device 212 can be suppressed from increasing in the radial direction. Further, according to the present embodiment, there is an advantage in that the number of brazing sites can be reduced, since the lower connecting member is one piece, as compared with embodiment 4. Further, according to this embodiment, 1 or more other effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained.

In the above-described flow dividing devices according to embodiment 4 and embodiment 5, a 2-part structure in which the intermediate part 132 is omitted may be adopted as described in embodiment 1. In embodiment 4 and embodiment 5, the intermediate part 132 may be separated into an upper sub-part for holding the filter and a lower sub-part having a flow constriction portion, as in embodiment 1.

< Modification >

In the above embodiment, the case where the intermediate part includes one or two sub-components has been described, but the intermediate part may include any number of sub-components of three or more. In this case, each sub-component can be used alone as an intermediate component (3 rd component). In the above embodiment, the case where the number of the 2 nd connection portions is larger than the number of the 1 st connection portions has been described, but the number of the 1 st connection portions may be larger than the number of the 2 nd connection portions. The number of 1 st connection portions and the number of 2 nd connection portions may be any number as long as they are different. For example, the number of 2 nd connection portions may be 3 or 4. In the above embodiment, the flow splitting device in the outdoor heat exchanger 24 was described as an example, but the flow splitting device of the present disclosure may be located in the indoor heat exchanger 11.

The embodiments have been described above, but it is understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

Description of the reference numerals

1: An air conditioner;

2: an indoor unit;

3: an outdoor unit;

8: an outdoor heat exchanger;

12: a shunt device;

19: refrigerant piping;

22: a heat transfer tube;

26a, 26b: refrigerant piping;

31: upper connecting part (part 1);

31a: a connection pipe (1 st connection part);

31b: a main body portion;

31b1: a truncated cone section;

31b2: a cylindrical portion;

32: intermediate part (3 rd part);

321: an upper sub-part;

322: a lower sub-part;

321a: a main body portion;

321b: a filter section;

323: an upper cylinder part;

324: a lower cylinder part;

325: a holding section;

326: a filter;

327: an upper cylinder part;

328: a flow shrinking part;

328a: a lower cylinder part;

328b: a disc portion;

33: lower connecting parts (part 2);

33a, 33b: a connection pipe (2 nd connection part);

33c: a main body portion;

333: an upper cylinder part;

334: a lower cylinder part;

335: a disc portion;

41: a tube section;

41a: an opening.

Claims

1.A shunt device, wherein,

The shunt device is provided with:

A1 st member (31; 31) having 1 or more 1 st connecting portions (31 a;31 a);

a 2 nd component (33; 133; 233) having 1 or more 2 nd connecting portions (33 a, 33b;133a, 133b;233a, 233 b); and

A 3 rd member (32; 132;521; 621) disposed between the 1 st member and the 2 nd member and having a functional portion for acting on a refrigerant,

The number of the 2 nd connecting portions (33 a, 33b;133a, 133b;233a, 233 b) of the 2 nd member is different from the number of the 1 st connecting portions (31 a;31 a) of the 1 st member,

The vicinity of one end of the 1 st member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 3 rd member, the vicinity of the other end of the 3 rd member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 2 nd member, whereby a refrigerant flow path through the 3 rd member is formed between 1 or more 1 st connecting portions (31 a;31 a) and 1 or more 2 nd connecting portions (33 a, 33b;133a, 133b;233a, 233 b),

The outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the one end portion of the 3 rd member,

The outer diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the other end portion of the 3 rd member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member,

The outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member.

2. The shunt device according to claim 1, wherein,

The number of the 2 nd connecting portions (33 a, 33b;133a, 133b;233a, 233 b) is greater than the number of the 1 st connecting portions (31 a;31 a).

3. The shunt device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

The outer diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the other end of the 3 rd part (32; 132) is smaller than the inner diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the one end of the 3 rd part.

4. The flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

The 3 rd member (32; 132;521; 621) is provided with any one of a filter (326; 1326), a rectifying member (521), a flow shrinking member (328; 1328) and a stirring member (621).

5. The flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The difference between the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member (33; 133; 233) and the outer diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the other end portion of the 3 rd member (32; 132) is 0.15mm or less.

6. The flow splitting device of any of claims 1-5, wherein,

The difference between the inner diameter (D2; D12; D22) of the one end portion of the 2 nd member (33; 133; 233) and the outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member (31; 31) is 0.15mm or less.

7. The flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

The difference between the inner diameter (D3; D13; D13) of the one end portion of the 3 rd member (32; 132) and the outer diameter (D1; D1; D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member (31; 31) is 0.15mm or less.

8. The shunt device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein,

The 1 st part, the 2 nd part and the 3 rd part are made of stainless steel.

9. The shunt device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein,

The 3 rd component (32; 132) comprises: a cylindrical outer peripheral portion; and an inner portion constituting the functional portion, which is located radially inward of the outer peripheral portion.

10. The shunt device according to claim 9, wherein,

A1 st part as a part of the inner part overlaps the outer peripheral part in a length direction, and a 2 nd part as another part of the inner part does not overlap the outer peripheral part in a length direction and overlaps the 1 st member (31; 31) or the 2 nd member (33; 133; 233).

11. The shunt device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein,

The 3 rd member (32) is formed with a stepped portion in which the one end portion is expanded, the one end portion of the 1 st member (31) is abutted against the stepped portion of the 3 rd member from the inside,

The 2 nd member (33) is formed with a stepped portion in which the one end portion is expanded, and the other end portion of the 3 rd member (32) is in contact with the stepped portion of the 2 nd member from the inside.

12. The shunt device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein,

The 3 rd component (32) comprises: a1 st sub-member (321) having a1 st functional unit (321 b) that acts on the refrigerant; and a2 nd sub-member (322) having a2 nd functional portion (1328) that acts on the refrigerant,

The vicinity of the one end of the 1 st member (31) is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 1 st sub-member (321), the vicinity of the other end of the 1 st sub-member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the 2 nd sub-member (322), the vicinity of the other end of the 2 nd sub-member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of the one end of the 2 nd member (33), thereby forming a refrigerant flow path between 1 or more of the 1 st connection portions and 1 or more of the 2 nd connection portions via the 1 st sub-member and the 2 nd sub-member,

An outer diameter (D3 ') of the other end portion of the 1 st sub-member (321) is equal to or smaller than an inner diameter (D3') of the one end portion of the 2 nd sub-member (322),

An outer diameter (D1) of the one end portion of the 1 st member is equal to or smaller than an inner diameter (D3') of the one end portion of the 2 nd sub-member.

13. An air conditioner, wherein,

The air conditioner includes a refrigerant circuit including the flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.