EP3370000B1 - Outdoor unit for air conditioner - Google Patents
Outdoor unit for air conditioner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3370000B1 EP3370000B1 EP16859333.3A EP16859333A EP3370000B1 EP 3370000 B1 EP3370000 B1 EP 3370000B1 EP 16859333 A EP16859333 A EP 16859333A EP 3370000 B1 EP3370000 B1 EP 3370000B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- heat exchanger
- main body
- exchanger main
- air
- outdoor unit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 239000003507 refrigerant Substances 0.000 claims description 140
- 238000004378 air conditioning Methods 0.000 claims description 45
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims description 22
- 238000003908 quality control method Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 66
- 239000012071 phase Substances 0.000 description 32
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 25
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 21
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 8
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 4
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001737 promoting effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005057 refrigeration Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000009423 ventilation Methods 0.000 description 2
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005219 brazing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003628 erosive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002349 favourable effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007791 liquid phase Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/06—Separate outdoor units, e.g. outdoor unit to be linked to a separate room comprising a compressor and a heat exchanger
- F24F1/14—Heat exchangers specially adapted for separate outdoor units
- F24F1/16—Arrangement or mounting thereof
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/06—Separate outdoor units, e.g. outdoor unit to be linked to a separate room comprising a compressor and a heat exchanger
- F24F1/14—Heat exchangers specially adapted for separate outdoor units
- F24F1/18—Heat exchangers specially adapted for separate outdoor units characterised by their shape
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/06—Separate outdoor units, e.g. outdoor unit to be linked to a separate room comprising a compressor and a heat exchanger
- F24F1/46—Component arrangements in separate outdoor units
- F24F1/48—Component arrangements in separate outdoor units characterised by air airflow, e.g. inlet or outlet airflow
- F24F1/50—Component arrangements in separate outdoor units characterised by air airflow, e.g. inlet or outlet airflow with outlet air in upward direction
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
- F24F11/80—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
- F24F11/83—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/30—Arrangement or mounting of heat-exchangers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B39/00—Evaporators; Condensers
- F25B39/02—Evaporators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
- F28D1/00—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators
- F28D1/02—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators with heat-exchange conduits immersed in the body of fluid
- F28D1/04—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators with heat-exchange conduits immersed in the body of fluid with tubular conduits
- F28D1/053—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators with heat-exchange conduits immersed in the body of fluid with tubular conduits the conduits being straight
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28F9/00—Casings; Header boxes; Auxiliary supports for elements; Auxiliary members within casings
- F28F9/26—Arrangements for connecting different sections of heat-exchange elements, e.g. of radiators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0059—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers
- F24F1/0063—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers by the mounting or arrangement of the heat exchangers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0059—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers
- F24F1/0067—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers by the shape of the heat exchangers or of parts thereof, e.g. of their fins
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Other Air-Conditioning Systems (AREA)
- Air Filters, Heat-Exchange Apparatuses, And Housings Of Air-Conditioning Units (AREA)
- Heat-Exchange Devices With Radiators And Conduit Assemblies (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus that has improved energy efficiency.
- In a related-art air-conditioning apparatus, liquid refrigerant condensed in a heat exchanger that acts as a condenser mounted in an indoor unit is decompressed by an expansion valve into a two-phase gas-liquid state in which gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant are mixed and then flows into a heat exchanger that acts as an evaporator mounted in an outdoor unit. When the refrigerant in the two-phase gas-liquid state flows into the heat exchanger that acts as the evaporator, refrigerant distribution performance to the heat exchanger degrades. Consequently, to improve the refrigerant distribution performance, there is given a method of using a header as a distributing device for the heat exchanger mounted in the outdoor unit and adjusting a structure inside the header such as a projection amount of a branch pipe into the header, a partition plate inside the header, and formation of an ejection hole.
- Even when the structure inside the header is adjusted as described above, however, distribution of the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant inside the header is greatly affected by a mass velocity of the refrigerant. For example, when a high-output operation is performed, the refrigerant of a higher flow rate is distributed to an upper part of the header than to a lower part of the header. When a low-output operation is performed, the refrigerant of a higher flow rate is distributed to the lower part of the header than to the upper part of the header. Then, there is a problem in that heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger degrades due to the degradation of the refrigerant distribution performance, which brings about a reduction in energy efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus. In addition, air of a higher flow rate flows in a portion closer to a fan in the outdoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus. Consequently, when the refrigerant of a higher flow rate is distributed to the lower part of the header, which is farther from the fan than the upper part of the header, than to the upper part of the header, there is a problem in that the refrigerant distribution performance and the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger further degrade to bring about a further reduction in the energy efficiency.
- To improve the energy efficiency of the air-conditioning apparatus, the distribution of the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant is required to be uniformized. As its method, there has been known a method of providing a turbulence promoting member configured to agitate the refrigerant inside the header (see Patent Literature 1). In
Patent Literature 1, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant inside the header is agitated by the turbulence promoting member to uniformize the distribution of the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. - Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication
JP 5-203 286 -
EP 1 837 608 A1 -
EP 2 725 306 A2 describes an air conditioner which includes a main body having an air suction port and an air discharge port, plural heat exchangers to heat-exchange with sucked air, and a cross-flow fan disposed between the heat exchangers and the air discharge port and configured to blow the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchangers to the air discharge port. The heat exchangers are disposed to the rear of a first imaginary surface which extends perpendicularly from an edge of the cross-flow fan at a front point, and a center in a forward and backward direction of each of the plural heat exchangers is disposed between the first imaginary surface and a second imaginary surface which extends perpendicularly from an edge of the cross-flow fan at a rear point. -
JP 2014 142 138 A - With the related-art method as disclosed in
Patent Literature 1, a structure configured to agitate the refrigerant is provided in the header to improve the refrigerant distribution performance. However, there is a problem in that the structure inside the header becomes complex to lead to an increase in cost. - The present invention has been made to solve the problem described above, and has an object to provide an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus with improved energy efficiency and a reduced increase in cost.
- According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus as defined in
claim 1. Favorable embodiments are described the respective dependent claims. - In the outdoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first heat exchanger main body including the flat pipes having high heat exchange performance as heat transfer pipes is arranged closer to the fan where a contribution rate to heat exchange performance is high, whereas the second heat exchanger main body including the circular pipes having low heat exchange performance and high refrigerant distribution performance with low manufacturing cost as heat transfer pipes is arranged at a position far from the fan where the contribution rate to the heat exchange performance is low. Consequently, the energy efficiency can be improved while the increase in cost is reduced.
-
- FIG. 1
- is a perspective view of an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 1 of the present invention. - FIG. 2
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of
Embodiment 1 of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger. - FIG. 3
- is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of
FIG. 2 . - FIG. 4
- is another example of the sectional view taken along the line A-A of
FIG. 2 . - FIG. 5
- is a sectional view taken along the line B-B of
FIG. 2 . - FIG. 6
- is a schematic view of a distributor of
Embodiment 1 of the present invention. - FIG. 7
- is a schematic view for illustrating a distributing device different from the distributor of
Embodiment 1 of the present invention. - FIG. 8
- is a graph for showing an air flow rate in a height direction of the heat exchanger of
Embodiment 1 of the present invention. - FIG. 9
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of
Embodiment 2 of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger. - FIG. 10
- is a schematic side view for illustrating another example of the heat exchanger of
Embodiment 2 of the present invention and the periphery of the heat exchanger. - FIG. 11
- is a schematic side view for illustrating a further example of the heat exchanger of
Embodiment 2 of the present invention and the periphery of the heat exchanger. - FIG. 12
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of
Embodiment 3 of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger. - FIG. 13
- is a perspective view of an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 4 of the present invention. - FIG. 14
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of
Embodiment 4 of the present invention. - FIG. 15
- is a schematic view for illustrating a part of a configuration when an internal heat exchanger is used as a quality control device for an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus.
- FIG. 16
- is a first view for illustrating another example of
FIG. 2 . - FIG. 17
- is a second view for illustrating a further example of
FIG. 2 . - FIG. 18
- is a third view for illustrating a still further example of
Fig 2 . - FIG. 19
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of Example 5, not part of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger.
- FIG. 20
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of Example 6, not part of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger.
- FIG. 21
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of Example 7, not part of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger.
- FIG. 22
- is a schematic side view of a heat exchanger of Example 8, not part of the present invention and a periphery of the heat exchanger.
- FIG. 23
- is a first schematic view for illustrating an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, as an example, in which a turbofan is mounted.
- FIG. 24
- is a second schematic view for illustrating the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus, as an example, in which the turbofan is mounted.
- Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Moreover, in the drawings referred to below, the size relationship between components may be different from the reality in some cases.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit 1OOa of an air-conditioning apparatus according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10a ofEmbodiment 1 of the present invention and a periphery of theheat exchanger 10a.FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A ofFIG. 2 .FIG. 4 is a view for illustrating another example of the sectional view taken along the line A-A ofFIG. 2 .FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B ofFIG. 2 . The arrows inFIG. 1 indicate flow of air, whereas the arrows inFIG. 2 indicate flow of refrigerant or flow of air in a heating operation. - Although the terms for directions (for example, "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "front", and "rear") are suitably used in the following description for easy understanding, the terms are used merely for description and do not limit the invention of the present application. Further, in
Embodiment 1, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "front", and "rear" are used under a state in which theoutdoor unit 100a is viewed from a front side. The same applies toEmbodiment 2 toEmbodiment 4 described later. - The
outdoor unit 100a of the air-conditioning apparatus according toEmbodiment 1 accommodates theheat exchanger 10a illustrated inFIG. 2 . - The
outdoor unit 100a of the air-conditioning apparatus is of top flow type, and a refrigeration cycle is formed by circulating refrigerant between theoutdoor unit 100a and an indoor unit (not shown). Theoutdoor unit 100a is used, for example, as an outdoor unit for a multiple air-conditioning system for a building and is installed on a top of a building or in other places. - The
outdoor unit 100a includes, as illustrated inFIG. 1 , acasing 1 formed in a box-like shape, anair inlet 2 formed of an opening formed in a side surface of thecasing 1, theheat exchanger 10a arranged in thecasing 1 along theair inlet 2, anair outlet 3 formed of an opening formed in an upper surface of thecasing 1, afan guard 4 provided to allow ventilation through thefan guard 4 to cover theair outlet 3, and afan 5 arranged inside thefan guard 4 and configured to suck outside air from theair inlet 2 and exhaust the outside air from theair outlet 3. - The
heat exchanger 10a mounted in theoutdoor unit 100a of the air-conditioning apparatus is configured to exchange heat between the outside air sucked by thefan 5 from theair inlet 2 and the refrigerant. Theheat exchanger 10a is arranged, as illustrated inFIG. 2 , below thefan 5 and includes anupper heat exchanger 11 and alower heat exchanger 12. Theupper heat exchanger 11 and thelower heat exchanger 12 are arranged in an up-and-down direction on a front view or a side view. More specifically, theupper heat exchanger 11 is arranged on an upper side closer to thefan 5, whereas thelower heat exchanger 12 is arranged on a lower side farther from thefan 5. - The
upper heat exchanger 11 includes an upper heat exchangermain body 20 including a plurality offins 21 arranged in parallel at intervals, and a plurality of heat transfer pipes, inside which the refrigerant flows, arranged in a direction of parallel arrangement of thefins 21 to pass through thefins 21, a firstupper header 23 connected to one end of each of the plurality of heat transfer pipes, and a secondupper header 24 connected to another end of each of the plurality of heat transfer pipes. The firstupper header 23 is connected to an upstream side of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 in a heating operation, whereas the secondupper header 24 is connected to a downstream side of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 in the heating operation. Hereinafter, a distributing device connected to the upstream side of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 or a lower heat exchangermain body 30 in the heating operation is referred to as "upstream-side distributing device". - Meanwhile, the
lower heat exchanger 12 includes the lower heat exchangermain body 30 including a plurality offins 31 arranged in parallel at intervals, and a plurality of heat transfer pipes, inside which the refrigerant flows, arranged in a direction of parallel arrangement of thefins 31 to pass through thefins 31, adistributor 34,capillary tubes 33 connecting one end of each of the plurality of heat transfer pipes to thedistributor 34, and alower header 35 connected to another end of each of the plurality of the heat transfer pipes. Thedistributor 34 is connected to an upstream side of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 through thecapillary tubes 33 in the heating operation, whereas thelower header 35 is connected to a downstream side of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 in the heating operation. - The first
upper header 23 of theupper heat exchanger 11 is connected to afirst branch pipe 41 branching from afirst pipe 40 through which two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant, which is a mixture of gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, passes in the heating operation. The secondupper header 24 of theupper heat exchanger 11 is connected to afirst branch pipe 51 branching from asecond pipe 50 through which the gas refrigerant passes in the heating operation. - Meanwhile, the
distributor 34 of thelower heat exchanger 12 is connected to asecond branch pipe 42 branching from thefirst pipe 40. Further, thelower header 35 of thelower heat exchanger 12 is connected to asecond branch pipe 52 branching from thesecond pipe 50. - Although the heat transfer pipes of the
upper heat exchanger 11 ofEmbodiment 1 areflat pipes 22 illustrated inFIG. 3 , each having a flat sectional shape, multi-holeflat pipes 22a illustrated inFIG. 4 , each having a flat sectional shape and a plurality of holes formed inside, may also be used. Although both of theflat pipes 22 illustrated inFIG. 3 and the multi-holeflat pipes 22a illustrated inFIG. 4 have smooth surfaces, a grooved surface, which is grooved to enlarge a heat transfer area, may be formed. Further, the heat transfer pipes of thelower heat exchanger 12 ofEmbodiment 1 arecircular pipes 32 illustrated inFIG. 5 , each having a circular sectional shape. -
FIG. 16 is a first view for illustrating another example ofFIG. 2 , andFIG. 17 is a second view for illustrating a further example ofFIG. 2 . - Although there is a clearance between the
upper heat exchanger 11 and thelower heat exchanger 12 inEmbodiment 1 as illustrated inFIG. 2 , theupper heat exchanger 11 and thelower heat exchanger 12 may be brought into close contact with each other in practice as illustrated inFIG. 16 to drain water drops on surfaces of the fins of theupper heat exchanger 11. Further, integrated fins, which are seamless between theupper heat exchanger 11 and thelower heat exchanger 12, may be shared by theupper heat exchanger 11 and thelower heat exchanger 12 as illustrated inFIG. 17 . - Each of the
flat pipes 22 illustrated inFIG. 3 and the multi-holeflat pipes 22a illustrated inFIG. 4 has a larger heat transfer area per unit volume of the refrigerant than each of thecircular pipes 32 illustrated inFIG. 5 . Consequently, heat exchange performance is high. Because of a small sectional area, however, a flow resistance and a pressure loss increase. Thus, the number of paths corresponding to the heat transfer pipes is required to be increased to reduce an increase in the pressure loss. In this case, a technology of effectively distributing the refrigerant to a large number of the heat transfer pipes is left to be achieved. Meanwhile, although each of thecircular pipes 32 illustrated inFIG. 5 has lower heat exchanger performance than each of theflat pipes 22 illustrated inFIG. 3 and each of the multi-holeflat pipes 22a illustrated inFIG. 4 , manufacturing cost is low. Because of a large sectional area, however, the flow resistance and the pressure loss decrease. Consequently, there is provided an advantage in that the number of paths corresponding to the heat transfer pipes can be reduced to facilitate the improvement of the distribution. - Next, flow of the refrigerant in the heating operation of the
outdoor unit 100a of the air-conditioning apparatus ofEmbodiment 1 is described with reference toFIG. 2 . - In the heating operation, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant passes through the
first pipe 40 to be split into thefirst branch pipe 41 and thesecond branch pipe 42. After the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into thesecond branch pipe 42 flows into thedistributor 34 to be homogenized, the homogenized two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant passes through thecapillary tubes 33 to flow into the lower heat exchangermain body 30. The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into the lower heat exchangermain body 30 exchanges heat with the outside air sucked from theair inlet 2 to be gasified and then flows out to thelower header 35. - Meanwhile, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into the
first branch pipe 41 flows into the firstupper header 23 where the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant is distributed to theflat pipes 22. The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows from theflat pipes 22 into the upper heat exchangermain body 20. The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into the upper heat exchangermain body 20 exchanges heat with the outside air sucked from theair inlet 2 to be gasified and then flows out to the secondupper header 24. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of thedistributor 34 ofEmbodiment 1 of the present invention. - The
distributor 34 illustrated inFIG. 6 includes a distributormain pipe portion 61, adistributor expanding portion 62, and a distributor flow-splittingmember 63. The distributormain pipe portion 61 includes an areasudden reduction portion 64. Further, one end of each of thecapillary tubes 33 is connected to thedistributor 34. - The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows into the
distributor 34 to be expanded in the areasudden reduction portion 64 of the distributormain pipe portion 61. The gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant are agitated in thedistributor expanding portion 62 to be homogenized. The homogenized gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant are distributed to thecapillary tubes 33 by the distributor flow-splittingmember 63. Another ends of thecapillary tubes 33 are each connected to a corresponding one of thecircular pipes 32 of thelower heat exchanger 12. A refrigerant flow rate in each of thecircular pipes 32 can be controlled by adjusting a length of a corresponding one of thecapillary tubes 33. -
FIG. 7 is a schematic view for illustrating a distributing device different from thedistributor 34 ofEmbodiment 1 of the present invention. The arrow inFIG. 7 indicates a direction of gravitational force. - Although the distributing device connected to an upstream side of the lower heat exchanger
main body 30 in the heating operation is thedistributor 34 illustrated inFIG. 6 , aheader 70 illustrated inFIG. 7 may also be used. - The
header 70 illustrated inFIG. 7 has a structure of distributing the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into theheader 70 to thecircular pipes 32, which are the plurality of heat transfer pipes arranged in parallel in the direction of gravitational force. Then, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows upward in a vertical direction inside theheader 70 as an upward flow and is split into the plurality ofcircular pipes 32 at a right angle to the flow inside theheader 70. - The
distributor 34 generally has higher refrigerant distribution performance than the header as the distributing device. When thedistributor 34 is used for the heat exchanger including theflat pipes 22 as the heat transfer pipes, however, the number of paths increases. Consequently, the number of branch portions of thedistributor 34 is required to be increased or a plurality of thedistributors 34 are required to be used. Consequently, there is a disadvantage in that routing of the pipes becomes complicated. - Meanwhile, with the header, the routing of the pipes is easy. Automation such as automatic brazing is easy to apply, and the header can be manufactured at low cost. However, the gravitational force acts on the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. Consequently, when, for example, the refrigerant flow rate is small, there is a problem in that the liquid refrigerant of a higher flow rate having a high density flows unevenly into lower ones of the heat transfer pipes. Consequently, the header has a disadvantage in that the refrigerant distribution performance is generally lower than the
distributor 34. - Further, in comparison to the
distributor 34, the header does not include the areasudden reduction portion 64 and other portions unlike thedistributor 34. Further, thecapillary tubes 33 are not connected to the header. Thus, the pressure loss is small. Hence, for the heat exchanger main body including theflat pipes 22 as the heat transfer pipes, the number of paths increases. Consequently, the header having a small pressure loss, with which the routing of the pipes is easy, is more suitable as the upstream-side distributing device. Meanwhile, the heat exchanger main body including thecircular pipes 32 as the heat transfer pipes has a small number of paths, and hence the routing of the pipes is not complicated. Thus, thedistributor 34 having high refrigerant distribution performance is more suitable. As described above, there are the upstream-side distributing device suitable for the heat exchanger main body including theflat pipes 22 as the heat transfer pipes and the upstream-side distributing device suitable for the heat exchanger main body including thecircular pipes 32 as the heat transfer pipes. -
FIG. 8 is a graph for showing an air flow rate in a height direction of theheat exchanger 10a ofEmbodiment 1 of the present invention. - The
heat exchanger 10a ofEmbodiment 1 is mounted in the top flow-typeoutdoor unit 100a. Consequently, thefan 5 is arranged above theheat exchanger 10a. Air passes through the clearance in theheat exchanger 10a by thefan 5 and the air exchanges heat. Thefan 5 is arranged above theupper heat exchanger 11, and hence an air flow rate distribution inside theoutdoor unit 100a becomes larger in an upper part in theheat exchanger 10a, which is closer to thefan 5, than in a lower part in theheat exchanger 10a as shown inFIG. 8 . Specifically, air of a higher flow rate flows in theupper heat exchanger 11 arranged on the upper side than in thelower heat exchanger 12 arranged on the lower side. Consequently, when theupper heat exchanger 11 and thelower heat exchanger 12 have the same front surface area, theupper heat exchanger 11 has a higher contribution rate to the heat exchange performance of theoutdoor unit 100a than thelower heat exchanger 12. - Consequently, the
upper heat exchanger 11 including theflat pipes 22 having the high heat exchange performance as the heat transfer pipes is arranged in the upper part of theoutdoor unit 100a in which air of a high flow rate flows, specifically, at a position closer to thefan 5, whereas thelower heat exchanger 12 including thecircular pipes 32 having low heat exchange performance and high refrigerant distribution performance as the heat transfer pipes is arranged in the lower part of theoutdoor unit 100a in which of air of a low flow rate flows, specifically, at a position farther from thefan 5. In this manner, the heat exchange performance can be efficiently improved. As a result, energy efficiency of theoutdoor unit 100a of the air-conditioning apparatus can be improved. - Further, higher heat exchange performance can be obtained by causing the refrigerant of a higher flow rate to flow in the
upper heat exchanger 11, which is arranged at a position where air of a high flow rate flows. Consequently, suitable ones are each used as the upstream-side distributing device for a corresponding one of the heat exchanger including theflat pipes 22 as the heat transfer pipes and for the heat exchanger including thecircular pipes 32 as the heat transfer pipes. Specifically, the header is used as the distributing device for the heat exchanger including theflat pipes 22 as the heat transfer pipes, specifically, theupper heat exchanger 11, whereas thedistributor 34 is used as the distributing device for the heat exchanger including thecircular pipes 32 as the heat transfer pipes, specifically, for thelower heat exchanger 12. - A flow resistance of the distributing device is larger in the
distributor 34 than in the header. Consequently, by using the distributing devices as described above, the refrigerant of a higher flow rate can be caused to flow in theupper heat exchanger 11. Consequently, a refrigerant distribution characteristic can be improved to improve the heat exchange performance of theheat exchanger 10a. Further, the refrigerant flow rate in the header can be controlled by changing the length of each of thecapillary tubes 33 connected to thedistributor 34. Consequently, the above-mentioned use of thedistributor 34 and the header is more preferred. -
FIG. 18 is a third view for illustrating a still further example ofFIG. 2 . - Although the
distributor 34 is connected to thecircular pipes 32 and the header is connected to theflat pipes 22 inEmbodiment 1 as illustrated inFIG. 2 , the connection described above is merely an example. For example, a distributing device of the same type may be mounted to each of a set of thecircular pipes 32 and a set of theflat pipes 22 as illustrated inFIG. 18 . Alternatively, thedistributor 34 may be connected to theflat pipes 22, whereas the header may be connected to thecircular pipes 32. - Further, manufacturing cost of the
flat pipes 22 is generally higher than manufacturing cost of thecircular pipes 32. Consequently, by arranging theupper heat exchanger 11 including theflat pipes 22 having high heat exchange performance as the heat transfer pipes at a position close to thefan 5 where the contribution rate to the heat exchange performance of theoutdoor unit 100a is high, theheat exchanger 10a with high cost performance can be provided. - As described above, in the
outdoor unit 100a of the air-conditioning apparatus ofEmbodiment 1, theupper heat exchanger 11 including theflat pipes 22 having the high heat exchange performance as the heat transfer pipes is arranged at the position close to thefan 5 where the contribution rate to the heat exchange performance is high, whereas thelower heat exchanger 12 including thecircular pipes 32 having the low heat exchange performance and the high refrigerant distribution performance with the low manufacturing cost as the heat transfer pipes is arranged at a position far from thefan 5 where the contribution rate to the heat exchange performance is low. In this manner, the energy efficiency can be improved while an increase in cost is reduced. -
Embodiment 2 of the present invention is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those ofEmbodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10b ofEmbodiment 2 of the present invention and a periphery of theheat exchanger 10b. The arrows inFIG. 9 indicate flow of the refrigerant or flow of the air in the heating operation. - An outdoor unit 100b of the air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 2 includes a gas-liquid separator 80 on an upstream side of theheat exchanger 10b. The gas-liquid separator 80 is used to control a quality of the refrigerant and is connected to athird pipe 82 through which the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows, afourth pipe 83 through which the gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator 80 flows, and thefirst pipe 40 through which the liquid refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator 80 flows. Thefourth pipe 83 is connected to a bypass flowrate control valve 85. The bypass flowrate control valve 85 is connected to afifth pipe 84. Thefifth pipe 84 is connected to thesecond pipe 50. Further, thesecond pipe 50 is connected to acompressor 81. -
FIG. 15 is a schematic view for illustrating a part of a configuration when aninternal heat exchanger 110 is used as the quality control device for the outdoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus. - Although the gas-
liquid separator 80 corresponds to "quality control device" of the present invention, the gas-liquid separator 80 is merely an example of a device configured to control the quality, and the quality control device of the present invention is not limited to this example. As other quality control devices, theinternal heat exchanger 110 as illustrated inFIG. 15 or other heat exchangers configured to exchange heat with a low-temperature heat source or other heat sources may be used. - As illustrated in
FIG. 15 , the refrigerant passes through apipe 111 to flow into theinternal heat exchanger 110. The refrigerant flowing into theinternal heat exchanger 110 is self-cooled by a part of the refrigerant that is bypassed to apipe 116 connected to an outlet of aheat exchanger 117, and passes through apipe 112 under a reduced quality state to flow into theheat exchanger 117. Meanwhile, the bypassed refrigerant passes through apipe 115. A bypass flow rate is controlled by avalve 114 installed on apipe 113. Thevalve 114 installed on thepipe 113 is not limited to a valve and only needs to be a flow resistor such as a capillary tube, a narrow pipe, and a float valve. - Next, flow of the refrigerant in the heating operation of the outdoor unit 100b of the air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 2 is described with reference toFIG. 9 . - In the heating operation, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant passes through the
third pipe 82 to flow into the gas-liquid separator 80. The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 80 is separated into the gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant. The gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator 80 passes through thefourth pipe 83, the bypass flowrate control valve 85, thefifth pipe 84, and thesecond pipe 50 to flow into thecompressor 81. Meanwhile, the liquid refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator 80 passes through thefirst pipe 40 to be split into thefirst branch pipe 41 and thesecond branch pipe 42. - The liquid refrigerant flowing into the
second branch pipe 42 flows into thedistributor 34 to be homogenized and then passes through thecapillary tubes 33 to flow into the lower heat exchangermain body 30. The liquid refrigerant flowing into the lower heat exchangermain body 30 exchanges heat with the outside air sucked from theair inlet 2 to be gasified and then flows out to thelower header 35. Meanwhile, the liquid refrigerant flowing into thefirst branch pipe 41 flows into the firstupper header 23 to be distributed to theflat pipes 22 and then flows from theflat pipes 22 into the upper heat exchangermain body 20. The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flowing into the upper heat exchangermain body 20 exchanges heat with the outside air sucked from theair inlet 2 to be gasified and then flows out to the secondupper header 24. - A flow rate ratio of the refrigerant flowing into the
first branch pipe 41 and the refrigerant flowing into thesecond branch pipe 42 is determined by a total flow resistance of thefirst branch pipe 41, the firstupper header 23, theflat pipes 22, the secondupper header 24, and thefirst branch pipe 51 and a total flow resistance of thesecond branch pipe 42, thedistributor 34, thecapillary tubes 33, thecircular pipes 32, thelower header 35, and thesecond branch pipe 52. In particular, by controlling the length of each of thecapillary tubes 33, the flow rate ratio of the refrigerant flowing into thefirst branch pipe 41 and the refrigerant flowing into thesecond branch pipe 42 can be effectively controlled. - In this case, when a large amount of gas is contained in the refrigerant flowing into the
first branch pipe 41, specifically, a gas refrigerant flow rate/total refrigerant flow rate ratio (hereinafter referred to as "quality") is large, the gas is liable to be accumulated in an upper part of the firstupper header 23. Hence, the liquid refrigerant is liable to unequally flow into theflat pipes 22. Consequently, by reducing the flow rate of the gas refrigerant flowing into the firstupper header 23 with the use of the gas-liquid separator 80, the distribution performance for the refrigerant flowing into the firstupper header 23 is improved to improve the heat exchange performance. - Although the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant is separated into the gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant by the gas-
liquid separator 80 inEmbodiment 2, the flow rate of gas refrigerant flowing into the firstupper header 23 only needs to be reduced even without perfect separation between the gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant. Further, the pressure loss generated during the passage through the distributing device and the heat transfer pipes can be reduced as a whole by using the gas-liquid separator 80. Thus, the control of the flow rate ratio with thecapillary tubes 33 is facilitated. -
FIG. 10 is a schematic side view for illustrating another example of theheat exchanger 10b ofEmbodiment 2 of the present invention and the periphery of theheat exchanger 10b.FIG. 11 is a schematic side view for illustrating a further example of theheat exchanger 10b ofEmbodiment 2 of the present invention and the periphery of theheat exchanger 10b. The arrows inFIG. 10 andFIG. 11 indicate flow of refrigerant or flow of air in the heating operation. - The gas-
liquid separator 80 is not limited to be arranged at a position illustrated inFIG. 9 . The gas-liquid separator 80 may be arranged in thefirst branch pipe 41 as illustrated inFIG. 10 or may be arranged in thesecond branch pipe 42 as illustrated inFIG. 11 . Further, it is more preferred to arrange a plurality of the gas-liquid separators 80 because a control range for the refrigerant flow rate in thefirst branch pipe 41 and thesecond branch pipe 42 is increased. -
Embodiment 3 of the present invention is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those ofEmbodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10c ofEmbodiment 3 of the present invention and a periphery of theheat exchanger 10c. The arrows inFIG. 12 indicate flow of the refrigerant or flow of the air in a cooling operation. - The
heat exchanger 10c ofEmbodiment 3 includes at least two kinds of heat transfer pipes, which are theflat pipes 22 and thecircular pipes 32, connected in series through anintermediate header 26. - The
heat exchanger 10c is arranged below thefan 5 and includes the upper heat exchangermain body 20, the lower heat exchangermain body 30, aheader 25, theintermediate header 26, thedistributor 34, and thecapillary tubes 33. - The upper heat exchanger
main body 20 includes the plurality offins 21 arranged in parallel at intervals and the plurality offlat pipes 22 passing through thefins 21 in a direction of parallel arrangement of thefins 21, inside which the refrigerant flows. The lower heat exchangermain body 30 includes a plurality offins 31 arranged in parallel at intervals and the plurality ofcircular pipes 32 passing through thefins 31 in a direction of parallel arrangement of thefins 31, inside which the refrigerant flows. The upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30 are arranged in the up-and-down direction on a front view or a side view. The upper heat exchangermain body 20 is arranged on an upper side closer to thefan 5, whereas the lower heat exchangermain body 30 is arranged on a lower side farther from thefan 5. - Specifically, the plurality of
flat pipes 22 of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the plurality ofcircular pipes 32 of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 are arranged in parallel in the direction of gravitational force. - One ends of the plurality of
flat pipes 22 of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 are connected to theheader 25, whereas one ends of the plurality ofcircular pipes 32 of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 are connected to thedistributor 34 through thecapillary tubes 33. Further, another ends of the plurality offlat pipes 22 of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and another ends of the plurality ofcircular pipes 32 of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 are connected to theintermediate header 26. A distributing device connected to the upstream side of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 in the cooling operation is theheader 25, whereas a distributing device connected to the upstream side of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 in the cooling operation is thedistributor 34. - Further, the
header 25 is connected to afirst pipe 91 through which the gas refrigerant passes in the cooling operation, whereas thedistributor 34 is connected to asecond pipe 92 through which the liquid refrigerant passes in the cooling operation. - Next, flow of the refrigerant in the cooling operation of an outdoor unit 100c of the air-conditioning apparatus of
Embodiment 3 is described with reference toFIG. 12 . - In the cooling operation, high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant passes through the
first pipe 91 to flow into theheader 25 to be distributed to theflat pipes 22 and then flows from theflat pipes 22 into the upper heat exchangermain body 20. The gas refrigerant flowing into the upper heat exchangermain body 20 exchanges heat with the outside air sucked from theair inlet 2 to reject heat and turn into a two-phase gas-liquid state and then flows into theintermediate header 26. The two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant in theintermediate header 26 flows into thecircular pipes 32 of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 to further exchange heat with an air in the periphery of thecircular pipes 32 to turn into a liquid single phase. - At this time, when the
flat pipes 22 are used for the heat exchanger through which the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant containing the liquid refrigerant at a larger ratio flows as in the case of thelower heat exchanger 12 including thecircular pipes 32 as the heat transfer pipes, a reduction in heat transfer coefficient in the single liquid phase is more noticeable with theflat pipes 22 than with thecircular pipes 32 in a case where a height of the heat exchanger is the same. Consequently, thecircular pipes 32 are used for the heat exchanger through which the refrigerant containing the liquid refrigerant at a larger ratio flows, whereas theflat pipes 22 are used for the heat exchanger through which the refrigerant in a gas single phase and the refrigerant in the two-phase gas-liquid state flow. In this manner, the disadvantage of theflat pipes 22 in a liquid single phase portion can be compensated for, thereby being capable of providing the heat exchanger excellent in cost performance. -
Embodiment 4 of the present invention is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those ofEmbodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of anoutdoor unit 100d of the air-conditioning apparatus according toEmbodiment 4 of the present invention, andFIG. 14 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10d ofEmbodiment 4 of the present invention. The arrows inFIG. 14 indicate flow of air. - The
outdoor unit 100d of the air-conditioning apparatus according toEmbodiment 4 of the present invention accommodates theheat exchanger 10d illustrated in 14. - The
outdoor unit 100d of the air-conditioning apparatus is of side flow type and a refrigeration cycle is formed by circulating the refrigerant between theoutdoor unit 100d and an indoor unit (not shown). Theoutdoor unit 100d is used, for example, as an outdoor unit for a multiple air-conditioning system for a building and is installed on a top of a building or in other places. - The
outdoor unit 100d includes, as illustrated inFIG. 13 , acasing 101 formed in a box-like shape, an air inlet (not shown) formed of an opening formed in a back surface of thecasing 101, theheat exchanger 10d arranged inside thecasing 101 on a side closer to the back surface, anair outlet 103 formed of an opening formed in a front surface of thecasing 101, afan guard 104 provided to allow ventilation through thefan guard 104 to cover theair outlet 103, and afan 105 arranged inside thefan guard 104 and configured to suck the outside air from the air inlet and exhaust the outside air from theair outlet 103. - The
heat exchanger 10d mounted in theoutdoor unit 100d of the air-conditioning apparatus is configured to exchange heat between the outside air sucked from the air inlet by thefan 105 and the refrigerant. Theheat exchanger 10d is arranged closer to the back surface than thefan 105. - The
heat exchanger 10d includes a front-surface heat exchangermain body 120 including thefins 21 and theflat pipes 22 and a back-surface heat exchangermain body 130 including thefins 31 and thecircular pipes 32. The front-surface heat exchangermain body 120 and the back-surface heat exchangermain body 130 are arranged in a fore-and-aft direction on a front view. More specifically, the front-surface heat exchangermain body 120 is arranged on a front surface side of theoutdoor unit 100d, which is closer to thefan 105, whereas the back-surface heat exchangermain body 130 is arranged on a back surface side of theoutdoor unit 100d, which is farther from thefan 105. - By arranging the front-surface heat exchanger
main body 120 including theflat pipes 22 having high heat exchange performance as the heat transfer pipes in a front row that is closer to thefan 105 and the back-surface heat exchangermain body 130 including thecircular pipes 32 as the heat transfer pipes in a back row as inEmbodiment 4, the heat exchange performance can be improved with high cost performance in the front row in which a temperature difference between the refrigerant and the outside air is large. - The upper heat exchanger
main body 20 and the front-surface heat exchangermain body 120 correspond to "first heat exchanger main body" of the present invention, whereas the lower heat exchangermain body 30 and the back-surface heat exchangermain body 130 correspond to "second heat exchanger main body" of the present invention. Further, the front surface of thecasing 101 corresponds to "side surface of a casing" of the present invention. - Example 5 is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those of
Embodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 19 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10e ofEmbodiment 5 of the present invention and a periphery of theheat exchanger 10e. The arrows inFIG. 19 indicate flow of the refrigerant or flow of the air in the heating operation. - The
heat exchanger 10e of Example 5 includes the firstupper header 23 connected to a refrigerant flow upstream side of the upper heat exchangermain body 20, a firstlower header 140 connected to a refrigerant flow upstream side of the lower heat exchangermain body 30, and aflow control valve 150 on an upstream side of the firstlower header 140. The refrigerant flow rate in the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30 is controlled by a valve opening degree. - Although an expansion valve is described herein as an example of a mechanism configured to control the refrigerant flow rate, the expansion valve is merely an example. Any mechanism such as a capillary tube and a float valve may be used as long as the flow resistance is changed to control the refrigerant flow rate. Further, although the header is connected as the distributing device connected to the upper heat exchanger
main body 20 or the lower heat exchangermain body 30 merely as an example ofEmbodiment 5, the distributing device is not limited to this example. A plurality of the distributors or the header and the distributor may be used together. - According to Example 5, in the heating operation, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the lower heat exchanger
main body 30 including thecircular pipes 32 is controlled by theflow control valve 150 to control the distribution, while the heat exchange contribution rate of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 can be changed. For example, even in a low-load operation, the heat exchanger that can stably supply the refrigerant of a higher flow rate to the upper heat exchangermain body 20 having a larger heat exchange contribution rate and is excellent in cost performance can be provided. - Example 6 is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those of
Embodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 1 Of of Example 6 and a periphery of theheat exchanger 10f. The arrows inFIG. 20 indicate flow of the refrigerant or flow of the air in the heating operation. - In the
heat exchanger 10f of Example 6, a header connected to the upstream side of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 including thecircular pipes 32 and the upper heat exchangermain body 20 including theflat pipes 22 in the heating operation is a singleupstream header 160 without being divided in an up-and-down direction, and a header connected to the downstream side in the heating operation is a singledownstream header 170 without being divided in the up-and-down direction. Specifically, the singleupstream header 160 and the singledownstream header 170 are connected over the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30. - As described above, the headers are not divided in the up-and-down direction. As a result, the number of pipes can be reduced or the need of mounting the plurality of headers is eliminated. Thus, the cost performance can be improved.
- Although each of the header connected to the upstream side of the upper heat exchanger
main body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30 in the heating operation and the header connected to the downstream side in the heating operation is a single header in Example 6, the number of headers is not limited to this configuration. For example, the upstream sides may be connected to the single header, whereas the downstream sides may be connected to a plurality of headers that are separated from each other in the up-and-down direction. The upstream sides may be connected to the distributing device other than the header such as the distributor, whereas the downstream sides may be connected to a plurality of headers that are separated from each other in the up-and-down direction. Further, the upstream sides may be connected to a plurality of headers, distributors, or other distributing devices that are separated from each other in the up-and-down direction, whereas the downstream sides may be connected to a single header. - Example 7 is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those of
Embodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10g of Example 7 and a periphery of the heat exchanger l0g. The arrows inFIG. 21 indicate flow of the refrigerant or flow of the air in the heating operation. - The
heat exchanger 10g of Example 7 includes ananticorrosion sheet 180 inserted between the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30. Theanticorrosion sheet 180 is provided to decrease a progression rate of erosion of the lower heat exchangermain body 30 due to water discharge or other factors when, for example, dissimilar metals are provided in an up-and-down direction as in the case where theflat pipes 22 are made of aluminum and thecircular pipes 32 are copper pipes or other metal pipes. Instead of providing theanticorrosion sheet 180, it is effective to make the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30 of an identical material. - Example 8 is described below. Description of the overlapping components to those of
Embodiment 1 is (partially) omitted. Parts identical with or corresponding to those ofEmbodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference signs. -
FIG. 22 is a schematic side view of aheat exchanger 10h of Example 8 and a periphery of theheat exchanger 10h. The arrows inFIG. 22 indicate flow of the refrigerant or flow of the air in the heating operation. - In the
heat exchanger 10h of Example 8, in the heating operation, the lower heat exchangermain body 30 including thecircular pipes 32 is arranged at a position farther from thefan 5 than the upper heat exchangermain body 20 including theflat pipes 22. In at least one of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and the lower heat exchangermain body 30, the heat transfer pipes of the heat exchanger are arranged approximately vertically, specifically, are oriented in the vertical direction. In this manner, the refrigerant flowing through the header connected to the upper heat exchangermain body 20 or the lower heat exchangermain body 30 is little affected by a head difference of the header. Thus, the distribution can be improved. - Further, the
flat pipes 22 having relatively high heat transfer performance are used at the positions closer to thefan 5, whereas thecircular pipes 32 having relatively low heat transfer performance and high cost performance are arranged at the positions farther from thefan 5. In this manner, the heat exchanger excellent in cost performance can be provided. Further, although the header into which the refrigerant flows is positioned below the heat exchanger main body inFIG. 22 , the position of the header is merely an example. For example, the refrigerant inflow position may be an upper portion of the heat exchanger main body or a lower portion of the upper heat exchangermain body 20 and an upper portion of the lower heat exchangermain body 30. -
FIG. 23 is a first schematic view for illustrating anindoor unit 100e of the air-conditioning apparatus, as an example, in which aturbofan 250 is mounted.FIG. 24 is a second schematic view for illustrating theindoor unit 100e of the air-conditioning apparatus, as an example, in which theturbofan 250 is mounted. The arrows inFIG. 23 and FIG. 24 indicate flow of air. - The
indoor unit 100e of the air-conditioning apparatus accommodates theturbofan 250 illustrated inFIG. 23 and FIG. 24 . Further, afirst heat exchanger 200 and asecond heat exchanger 210 are mounted in a periphery of theturbofan 250. Thefirst heat exchanger 200 is arranged in an upper part of theindoor unit 100e, which is above thesecond heat exchanger 210, specifically, arranged closer to a distal end of theturbofan 250. - The
turbofan 250 is rotated by amotor 230. By the rotation of theturbofan 250, air flows into theindoor unit 100e along abellmouth 240 and is brown in a distal direction by theturbofan 250. The brown air exchanges heat as passing through thefirst heat exchanger 200 and thesecond heat exchanger 210, which are arranged in the periphery of theturbofan 250, and is brown along an air passage formed by aceiling member 190. Further, adrain pan 220 is arranged in a lower part of thesecond heat exchanger 210 to provide a structure of accumulating condensed water generated in the heat exchanger. - An air flow rate distribution in the
indoor unit 100e is as illustrated inFIG. 24 . Theflat pipes 22 having relatively high heat exchange performance are used for thefirst heat exchanger 200, which is closer to the distal end of theturbofan 250, in which an air flow rate is large, whereas thecircular pipes 32 having relatively low heat exchange performance and high cost performance are used for thesecond heat exchanger 210, which is farther from the distal end of theturbofan 250, in which the air flow rate is small. - A refrigerant circuit of the
first heat exchanger 200 and a refrigerant circuit of thesecond heat exchanger 210 may be connected in parallel or in series. It is more preferred that thesecond heat exchanger 210 be used as a heat exchanger for the liquid single phase in the cooling operation. Further, although a clearance is illustrated between thefirst heat exchanger 200 and thesecond heat exchanger 210 inFIG. 23 and FIG. 24 , it is more preferred that thefirst heat exchanger 200 and thesecond heat exchanger 210 be held in contact with each other because a water discharge path for the fins is ensured. - Further, a configuration of the
indoor unit 100e is also applicable to the outdoor unit. -
- 1
- casing
- 2
- air inlet
- 3
- air outlet
- 4
- fan guard
- 5
- fan
- 10a
- heat exchanger
- 10b
- heat exchanger
- 10c
- heat exchanger
- 10d
- heat exchanger
- 10e
- heat exchanger
- 10f
- heat exchanger
- 10g
- heat exchanger
- 10f
- heat exchanger
- 11
- upper heat exchanger
- 12
- lower heat exchanger
- 20
- upper heat exchanger main body
- 21
- fin
- 22
- flat pipe
- 22a
- multi-hole flat pipe
- 23
- first upper header
- 24
- second upper header
- 25
- header
- 26
- intermediate header
- 30
- lower heat exchanger main body
- 31
- fin
- 32
- circular pipe
- 33
- capillary tube
- 34
- distributor
- 35
- lower header
- 40
- first pipe
- 41
- first branch pipe
- 42
- second branch pipe
- 50
- second pipe
- 51
- first branch pipe
- 52
- second branch pipe
- 61
- distributor main pipe portion
- 62
- distributor expanding portion
- 63
- distributor flow-splitting member
- 64
- area sudden reduction portion
- 70
- header
- 80
- gas-liquid separator
- 81
- compressor
- 82
- third pipe
- 83
- fourth pipe
- 84
- fifth pipe
- 85
- bypass flow rate control valve
- 91
- first pipe
- 92
- second pipe
- 100a
- outdoor unit
- 100b
- outdoor unit
- 100c
- outdoor unit
- 100d
- indoor unit
- 100e
- indoor unit
- 101
- casing
- 103
- air outlet
- 104
- fan guard
- 105
- fan
- 110
- internal heat exchanger
- 111
- pipe
- 112
- pipe
- 113
- pipe
- 114
- valve
- 115
- pipe
- 116
- pipe
- 117
- heat exchanger
- 120
- front-surface heat exchanger main body
- 130
- back-surface heat exchanger main body
- 140
- first lower header
- 150
- flow control valve
- 160
- upstream header
- 170
- downstream header
- 180
- anticorrosion sheet
- 190
- ceiling member
- 200
- first heat exchanger
- 210
- second heat exchanger
- 220
- drain pan
- 230
- motor
- 240
- bellmouth
- 250
- turbofan
Claims (12)
- An outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:- a casing (1) having an air inlet (2) and an air outlet (3), and forming an outer shell;- a fan (5) provided inside the casing (1), and configured to suck outside air from the air inlet (2) and exhaust the outside air from the air outlet (3); and- a heat exchanger (10a to 10f) provided inside the casing (1), and configured to exchange heat between the outside air sucked by the fan (5) and a refrigerant, the heat exchanger (10a to 10f) including- a first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) including a plurality of fins (21) arranged in parallel at an interval and a plurality of flat pipes (22) passing through the plurality of fins (21) in a direction of parallel arrangement of the plurality of fins (21), wherein the refrigerant is arranged for flowing inside the plurality of flat pipes (22), and- a second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) including a plurality of fins (31) arranged in parallel at an interval and a plurality of circular pipes (32) passing through the plurality of fins (31) in a direction of parallel arrangement of the plurality of fins (31), wherein the refrigerant is arranged for flowing inside the plurality of circular pipes (32),the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) being arranged closer to the fan (5) than is the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130);
the outdoor unit further comprising:- a header (25) connected to an upstream side of the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120); and- a distributor (34) connected to an upstream side of the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) through a capillary tube (33). - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a quality control device (80, 110) provided on an upstream side of the heat exchanger (10a to 10f), and configured to control a quality of the refrigerant.
- The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are arranged in an up-and-down direction on a front view, the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) is arranged on or above the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130), and the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are connected in series through an intermediate header (26),
wherein the outdoor unit (100a to 100d) is preferably of top flow type having the air outlet (3) formed in an upper surface of the casing (1). - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are arranged in a fore-and-aft direction on a front view.
- The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 4,
wherein the outdoor unit (100a to 100d) is of side flow type having the air outlet (3) formed in a side surface of the casing (1). - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4,
wherein at least any one of the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) has a mechanism of controlling a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130). - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein a distributing device is connected to at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) over the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130). - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7,
further comprising an anticorrosion sheet inserted between the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130). - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8,
wherein the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are made of an identical material. - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6 to 9,
wherein heat transfer pipes of at least one of the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are arranged in a vertical direction. - The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1:wherein the fan is a turbofan (250),the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) being arranged closer to a distal end of the turbofan (250) than is the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130).
- The outdoor unit (100a to 100d) of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 11,wherein the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are connected in series; orwherein the first heat exchanger main body (20, 120) and the second heat exchanger main body (30, 130) are connected in parallel.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2015212216 | 2015-10-28 | ||
PCT/JP2016/061662 WO2017073096A1 (en) | 2015-10-28 | 2016-04-11 | Outdoor unit and indoor unit for air conditioner |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3370000A1 EP3370000A1 (en) | 2018-09-05 |
EP3370000A4 EP3370000A4 (en) | 2019-05-29 |
EP3370000B1 true EP3370000B1 (en) | 2022-07-20 |
Family
ID=58630339
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP16859333.3A Active EP3370000B1 (en) | 2015-10-28 | 2016-04-11 | Outdoor unit for air conditioner |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20180292096A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3370000B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6545277B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN108139089B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2017073096A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2018047330A1 (en) * | 2016-09-12 | 2018-03-15 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Air conditioner |
CN109690211B (en) * | 2016-09-12 | 2020-10-30 | 三菱电机株式会社 | Heat exchanger and air conditioner |
JP6304420B1 (en) * | 2017-03-23 | 2018-04-04 | 日本電気株式会社 | Refrigerant distribution device, cooling device, and refrigerant distribution method in refrigerant distribution device |
JP2018189330A (en) * | 2017-05-10 | 2018-11-29 | 日立ジョンソンコントロールズ空調株式会社 | Outdoor unit of air conditioner |
CN107560117A (en) * | 2017-08-22 | 2018-01-09 | 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 | Air-conditioning system and its control method |
CN108562032B (en) * | 2017-12-21 | 2020-09-01 | 合肥通用机械研究院有限公司 | Radiation and convection coupling heat transfer unified terminal |
CN108870571A (en) * | 2018-07-31 | 2018-11-23 | 云森威尔智能环境(深圳)有限公司 | A kind of novel multi-connected environment machine system |
WO2020129180A1 (en) * | 2018-12-19 | 2020-06-25 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Heat exchanger and refrigeration cycle device |
US11221151B2 (en) * | 2019-01-15 | 2022-01-11 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Hot gas reheat systems and methods |
CN110701675B (en) * | 2019-10-23 | 2021-10-22 | 广东美的暖通设备有限公司 | Air conditioner |
CN113639488B (en) * | 2021-06-28 | 2022-10-18 | 江苏河海新能源股份有限公司 | Efficient dust removal air source heat pump and application method thereof |
CN114812014A (en) * | 2022-04-29 | 2022-07-29 | 青岛海信日立空调系统有限公司 | Heat exchanger and air conditioner |
CN114992799A (en) * | 2022-05-05 | 2022-09-02 | 青岛海尔空调电子有限公司 | Air conditioner outdoor unit and control method of air conditioner |
Family Cites Families (20)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS59189062U (en) * | 1983-06-02 | 1984-12-14 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Air conditioner outdoor unit |
JP3612622B2 (en) * | 2000-11-06 | 2005-01-19 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Indoor unit for air conditioner |
KR100482825B1 (en) * | 2002-07-09 | 2005-04-14 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Heat exchanger |
WO2006068210A1 (en) * | 2004-12-24 | 2006-06-29 | Toshiba Carrier Corporation | Outdoor unit for air conditioner |
EP2122289A4 (en) * | 2007-02-27 | 2013-01-09 | Carrier Corp | Multi-channel flat tube evaporator with improved condensate drainage |
JP2010133656A (en) * | 2008-12-05 | 2010-06-17 | Sharp Corp | Indoor unit of air conditioner |
JP4715963B1 (en) * | 2010-02-15 | 2011-07-06 | ダイキン工業株式会社 | Air conditioner heat exchanger |
JP5079857B2 (en) * | 2010-09-16 | 2012-11-21 | シャープ株式会社 | Air conditioner indoor unit |
KR101233209B1 (en) * | 2010-11-18 | 2013-02-15 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Heat pump |
CN202083248U (en) * | 2011-03-17 | 2011-12-21 | 冠昊有限公司 | Multi-channel type flat-shaped snake coil pipe heat exchanger and heat exchange equipment with same |
JP5518104B2 (en) * | 2012-01-06 | 2014-06-11 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Heat exchanger, indoor unit, and outdoor unit |
JP5901748B2 (en) * | 2012-04-26 | 2016-04-13 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Refrigerant distributor, heat exchanger equipped with this refrigerant distributor, refrigeration cycle apparatus, and air conditioner |
US9702637B2 (en) * | 2012-04-26 | 2017-07-11 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | Heat exchanger, indoor unit, and refrigeration cycle apparatus |
JP5511897B2 (en) * | 2012-06-20 | 2014-06-04 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Refrigeration cycle apparatus and refrigerator, low-temperature apparatus, and air conditioner using this refrigeration cycle apparatus |
WO2014020651A1 (en) * | 2012-08-03 | 2014-02-06 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Air-conditioning device |
KR20140056465A (en) * | 2012-10-26 | 2014-05-12 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Air conditioner |
WO2014091536A1 (en) * | 2012-12-10 | 2014-06-19 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Flat tube heat exchange apparatus |
JP6066736B2 (en) * | 2013-01-15 | 2017-01-25 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Air conditioner outdoor unit |
JP2014142138A (en) * | 2013-01-24 | 2014-08-07 | Toshiba Corp | Air conditioner |
WO2015097761A1 (en) * | 2013-12-24 | 2015-07-02 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Heat exchanger and outdoor unit provided with this heat exchanger |
-
2016
- 2016-04-11 EP EP16859333.3A patent/EP3370000B1/en active Active
- 2016-04-11 WO PCT/JP2016/061662 patent/WO2017073096A1/en active Application Filing
- 2016-04-11 CN CN201680061472.5A patent/CN108139089B/en active Active
- 2016-04-11 JP JP2017547637A patent/JP6545277B2/en active Active
- 2016-04-11 US US15/766,243 patent/US20180292096A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JPWO2017073096A1 (en) | 2018-06-07 |
WO2017073096A1 (en) | 2017-05-04 |
CN108139089A (en) | 2018-06-08 |
EP3370000A4 (en) | 2019-05-29 |
CN108139089B (en) | 2021-01-01 |
US20180292096A1 (en) | 2018-10-11 |
JP6545277B2 (en) | 2019-07-17 |
EP3370000A1 (en) | 2018-09-05 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP3370000B1 (en) | Outdoor unit for air conditioner | |
EP2853843B1 (en) | A refrigerant distributing device, and heat exchanger equipped with such a refrigerant distributing device | |
EP2851641B1 (en) | Heat exchanger, indoor unit, and refrigeration cycle device | |
EP1809971A2 (en) | Parallel flow evaporator with non-uniform characteristics | |
US9618269B2 (en) | Heat exchanger with tube arrangement for air conditioner | |
EP3540318B1 (en) | Indoor unit for air conditioner, and air conditioner | |
EP3805687B1 (en) | Refrigerant distributor, heat exchanger, and air conditioner | |
US11885570B2 (en) | Cooling system | |
CN113217996A (en) | Microchannel heat exchanger and air conditioner | |
JP2016200338A (en) | Air conditioner | |
JP2008542677A (en) | Parallel flow evaporator with liquid trap for good flow distribution | |
EP3647711A1 (en) | Heat exchanger | |
EP3524915B1 (en) | Refrigeration cycle apparatus | |
US10041712B2 (en) | Refrigerant distributor and refrigeration cycle device equipped with the refrigerant distributor | |
CN111902683B (en) | Heat exchanger and refrigeration cycle device | |
JP6817996B2 (en) | Header for heat exchanger, heat exchanger, outdoor unit and air conditioner | |
EP4317812A1 (en) | Heat exchanger, and outdoor unit comprising said heat exchanger | |
JPWO2018142567A1 (en) | Air conditioner | |
CN115244356A (en) | Heat exchanger | |
CN115698608A (en) | Refrigerant distributor, heat exchanger and air conditioner | |
JP2020085268A (en) | Heat exchanger | |
CN111750730A (en) | Heat exchanger flow divider | |
KR20180080879A (en) | Heat exchanger | |
KR20190137313A (en) | Heat exchanger | |
JP2012082983A (en) | Parallel flow heat exchanger, and heat pump device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION HAS BEEN MADE |
|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20180423 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: BA ME |
|
DAV | Request for validation of the european patent (deleted) | ||
DAX | Request for extension of the european patent (deleted) | ||
A4 | Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched |
Effective date: 20190430 |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Ipc: F24F 11/83 20180101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F24F 1/16 20110101AFI20190424BHEP Ipc: F24F 1/50 20110101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F25B 39/02 20060101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F28F 9/26 20060101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F28D 1/053 20060101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F25B 41/00 20060101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F24F 13/30 20060101ALI20190424BHEP Ipc: F24F 1/18 20110101ALI20190424BHEP |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: EXAMINATION IS IN PROGRESS |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20210507 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: EXAMINATION IS IN PROGRESS |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: GRANT OF PATENT IS INTENDED |
|
INTG | Intention to grant announced |
Effective date: 20220202 |
|
GRAS | Grant fee paid |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR3 |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE PATENT HAS BEEN GRANTED |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: EP |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R096 Ref document number: 602016073689 Country of ref document: DE |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: AT Ref legal event code: REF Ref document number: 1505745 Country of ref document: AT Kind code of ref document: T Effective date: 20220815 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: IE Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: LT Ref legal event code: MG9D |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: NL Ref legal event code: MP Effective date: 20220720 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: RS Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: PT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20221121 Ref country code: NO Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20221020 Ref country code: NL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: LV Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: LT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: FI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: ES Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: AT Ref legal event code: MK05 Ref document number: 1505745 Country of ref document: AT Kind code of ref document: T Effective date: 20220720 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: PL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: IS Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20221120 Ref country code: HR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: GR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20221021 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R097 Ref document number: 602016073689 Country of ref document: DE |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SM Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: RO Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: DK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: CZ Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: AT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SK Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: EE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 20230302 Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
P01 | Opt-out of the competence of the unified patent court (upc) registered |
Effective date: 20230517 |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20230421 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: AL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20230228 Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: SI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: CH Ref legal event code: PL |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: LU Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230411 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: BE Ref legal event code: MM Effective date: 20230430 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: MC Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: MC Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20220720 Ref country code: LI Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230430 Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230430 Ref country code: CH Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230430 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: IE Ref legal event code: MM4A |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: BE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230430 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: IE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20230411 |