JP2008190852A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner preventing the damage of a heat exchanger caused by the distortion of a support member in a bending process of an outdoor heat exchanger by preventing the support member for reinforcing a peripheral edge part, from being damaged by distortion in the bending process of the outdoor heat exchanger. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner comprises the heat exchanger including fins for heat exchange, and the support member installed at the peripheral edge part of the heat exchanger to protect the fins. The support member comprises a distortion cushioning section for preventing the damage of a portion distorted in the bending process of the heat exchanger. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to prevent distortion of a bending region of a support member installed at a peripheral portion of a heat exchanger during bending work of a heat exchanger installed inside. Related to the air conditioner.

  An air conditioner is an apparatus that cools or heats indoor air using a refrigeration cycle, and includes an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger.

  A conventional outdoor unit includes a cabinet, a heat exchanger installed in the cabinet, and a blower fan for heat exchange in the heat exchanger.

  Such a heat exchanger includes a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant circulates and fins for heat exchange of the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant pipe. Since such a fin and the refrigerant pipe are weak against external force, A support member is installed at the upper end of the heat exchanger for reinforcement.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heat exchanger installed in a conventional air conditioner.

  In the figure, the heat exchanger has a structure in which one side is bent and bent in order to secure the maximum electric heating area in a limited space in the cabinet. Here, the support member is installed in the heat exchanger before bending, and is bent together with the heat exchanger.

  However, in such a bending process, the support member may be distorted. In other words, the outer side is tensioned and the inner side is compressed with reference to the center of the width direction of the support member, cracks are generated in the tensioned part, resulting in breakage, and wrinkles are generated in the compressed part, resulting in heat exchange. May result in damage to the vessel.

  Therefore, the conventional heat exchanger has a problem that the fin shape is distorted in the bending process, the heat exchange performance is deteriorated, and the thickness and the bending angle of the heat exchanger are limited to prevent the support member from being damaged. There was a point.

  The present invention is for solving the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can prevent a support member that reinforces a peripheral portion from being damaged due to distortion in a bending process of an outdoor heat exchanger. It is in.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can prevent the heat exchanger from being damaged by the distortion of the support member during the bending process of the outdoor heat exchanger.

  An air conditioner according to the present invention that achieves the above object includes a heat exchanger including fins for heat exchange, and a support member installed at a peripheral portion of the heat exchanger to protect the fins. It is an air conditioner provided, The said support member is provided with the distortion buffer part which prevents the failure | damage of the site | part distorted in the bending process of the said heat exchanger.

  The strain buffering portion may be formed in at least one part of a portion compressed in the bending process and a portion to be pulled in the support member.

  The strain buffering portion may include at least one groove formed to be recessed toward the center in the width direction of the support member.

  The groove is formed in a wedge shape.

  The groove is formed in a semicircular shape.

  The groove is formed to be long with a predetermined length along the length direction of the support member.

  A plurality of the grooves are formed at predetermined intervals.

  The heat exchanger is bent from one side, and the support member is installed on at least one of an upper end and a lower end of the heat exchanger.

  Moreover, the heat exchanger according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a heat exchanger comprising a fin for heat exchange and a support member installed at a peripheral portion for protection of the fin, The support member may include a strain buffer portion that prevents damage to a portion that is distorted during the bending process of the heat exchanger.

  In the air conditioner according to the present invention, a support member for protecting the fins and the refrigerant pipe is installed at the peripheral portion of the heat exchanger, and the support member buffers distortion that may occur in the bending process of the heat exchanger. A strain buffer is provided.

  Therefore, the phenomenon that the support member is cracked outside in the bending direction and the phenomenon that the wrinkle is generated inside the bending direction are prevented, thereby preventing damage to the heat exchanger due to breakage of the support member and distortion of the support member. At the same time, the thickness and the bending angle of the heat exchanger can be increased as compared with the conventional one, and the performance of the heat exchanger can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic internal structure of the outdoor unit in the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG.

  2 and 3, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an indoor unit (not shown) and an outdoor unit 100. The outdoor unit 100 includes cabinets 101 and 102 that form an appearance, and a partition 103 that partitions the internal space of the cabinets 101 and 102.

  The cabinets 101 and 102 are divided into a front cabinet 101 disposed on the top surface and the front surface, and a back cabinet 102 disposed on the side surface, the back surface, and the bottom surface, respectively. Thus, the heat exchange chamber 110 and the electrical component chamber 120 are partitioned.

  The electrical compartment 120 includes a compressor 121 that compresses the refrigerant, and a control box 122 that includes electrical components that supply power to various devices including the compressor 121.

  The heat exchange chamber 110 is provided with a heat exchanger 111 for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the outside air. In front of the heat exchanger 111, a blower fan 112 forcing the outside air into the heat exchange chamber 110, and A fan motor 113 for driving this is provided.

  The heat exchanger 111 includes a refrigerant pipe 111a through which the refrigerant to be heat exchanged flows, and fins 111b installed in the refrigerant pipe 111a to induce active heat exchange of the refrigerant. It is bent from one side so that a large electric heating area can be secured in the limited space of the chamber 110.

  In addition, the heat exchanger 111 further includes a header 111c that distributes the refrigerant to the respective refrigerant pipes on one side and is formed with an inlet and an outlet of the refrigerant, and has an upper end and a lower end that are peripheral portions of the heat exchanger 111. A support member 140 is attached.

  The support member 140 is a reinforcing structure for preventing external force from being directly transmitted to the fins 111a and the refrigerant pipes 111b and protecting the fins 111a and the refrigerant pipes 111b. As in the present embodiment, the heat exchanger 111 is a multichannel flat plate tube. In the case of the shape, the support member 140 is particularly useful because the shape and arrangement of the refrigerant tubes 111b and the fins 111a are weak against external force.

  The heat exchanger 111 is first manufactured in a flat plate shape, and the support member 140 is also joined to the upper end and lower end of the flat plate heat exchanger 111 by brazing, depending on the embodiment, either the upper end or the lower end. May be combined.

  The flat plate heat exchanger 111 has a structure bent by a bending process, and the support member 140 is also bent together by the bending process.

  Here, the bending region 141 of the support member 140 is provided with a strain buffering portion 142 that prevents the support member 140 from being damaged by the strain caused by the bending.

  In the folding region 141, with reference to the center in the width direction, a tensile strain is generated on the outer side in the bending direction, and a compressive strain is generated on the inner side. It may be provided, and may be provided only in any part.

  If the outer region in the bending direction where the tensile strain is generated in the bending region 141 exceeds the allowable tensile deformation amount in the bending process, the outer region may crack, and the inner region in the bending direction The compression causes wrinkles in the vertical direction, which may cause damage to the refrigerant pipe 111b and / or the fins 111a adjacent to the support member.

  The strain buffer 142 has a structure capable of buffering the deformation amount so that the bending region is not damaged by the distortion of the support member 140 generated in the bending process, and the fin 111a and the refrigerant pipe 111b adjacent to the support member 140 are not damaged. Therefore, it can be a groove that is recessed and formed in the bent region 141 of the support member 140 toward the center in the width direction.

  In the folding region 141, the amount of deformation increases toward the outside with respect to the center in the width direction as to the outside in the bending direction, but the strain buffer 142 increases the length of the end portion at the portion to be pulled, and the amount of deformation increases. Damage can be prevented by reducing the outer part in the large bending direction.

  In addition, the strain buffering part 142 formed at the part to be compressed reduces the inner part in the bending direction with a large amount of deformation, and also causes distortion due to compression to occur along the strain buffering part 142, thereby preventing wrinkles. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which a semicircular groove is formed in the bent region as the strain buffering part 142. The grooves formed at both ends before the bending process are subjected to tensile strain after the bending process. The radius of curvature increases outside the bending direction, and conversely, the radius of curvature decreases inside the bending direction where compression strain occurs.

  When the strain buffering portion 142 is formed on the support member 140 as described above, it is possible to prevent the support member 140 from being damaged and distorted during the bending process, and to further increase the bending angle of the heat exchanger 111.

  It is preferable that three to five strain buffer portions 142 are arranged at intervals in each region to be compressed or tensile deformed.

  FIG. 5 shows various other embodiments of the strain buffer formed in the support member 140 before bending, and various groove shapes are shown.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the strain buffering portion 142a is formed only at the inner end portion in the bending direction of the support member 140 where compression strain occurs, and the shape thereof is a semicircular groove.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B, the strain buffer 142b is formed by a groove formed long along the length direction of the support member 140, where the groove is formed along the bent region. .
This is based on the fact that distortion due to bending increases toward the outside and the inside with respect to the center in the width direction of the support member 140, and a part of the support member 140 on the outside and inside of the center in the width direction where deformation is large. By removing, problems such as breakage due to distortion can be solved.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5C, the strain buffering portion 142 c is formed by a wedge-shaped groove, and is formed on both sides based on the center in the width direction of the bent region of the support member 140.

  This wedge-shaped groove is generally similar in function and effect to the semicircular groove of (a) above, and after the bending process, the groove increases in pitch outside the folding direction, and conversely in the folding direction. Inside, the pitch decreases.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5D, the wedge-shaped groove as the strain buffer portion 142d is formed only inside the folding direction of the support member 140, and is the same as the embodiment shown in the above-described (c). It is.

It is a perspective view which shows the heat exchanger with which the conventional air conditioner is equipped. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the schematic internal structure of the outdoor unit in the air conditioner by one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the state of the supporting member before and behind the bending of a heat exchanger. It is a top view which shows the support member in which the distortion buffer part by other Example of this invention was formed, and is an Example by which the semicircle groove | channel was formed in the one side of a bending area | region. It is a top view which shows the support member in which the distortion buffer part by other Example of this invention was formed, and is an Example by which the long groove | channel was formed in the length direction on both sides of the bending area | region. It is a top view which shows the support member in which the distortion buffer part by other Example of this invention was formed, and is an Example by which the wedge-shaped groove | channel was formed in the both sides of the bending area | region. It is a top view which shows the support member in which the distortion buffer part by other Example of this invention was formed, and is an Example by which the wedge-shaped groove | channel was formed in the one side of a bending area | region.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Outdoor unit 103 Partition 110 Heat exchange room 111 Heat exchanger 112 Blower fan 113 Fan motor 120 Electrical equipment room 121 Compressor 140 Support member 141 Bending area 142 Strain buffer part

Claims (14)

An air conditioner comprising: a heat exchanger including fins for heat exchange; and a support member installed at a peripheral portion of the heat exchanger to protect the fins,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the support member includes a strain buffering portion that prevents damage to a portion that is distorted in the bending process of the heat exchanger.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the strain buffering part is formed in at least one part of a portion compressed in the bending process and a portion to be pulled in the support member. .   The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the strain buffering portion includes at least one groove that is recessed and formed toward the center in the width direction of the support member.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the groove is formed in a wedge shape.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the groove is formed in a semicircular shape.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the groove is formed to have a predetermined length along the length direction of the support member.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the grooves are formed at predetermined intervals.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is bent from one side, and the support member is installed at at least one of an upper end and a lower end of the heat exchanger. A heat exchanger comprising a fin for heat exchange and a support member installed at a peripheral edge for protecting the fin,
The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the support member includes a strain buffering portion that prevents damage to a portion that is distorted during the bending process of the heat exchanger.   10. The heat exchanger according to claim 9, wherein the strain buffering part is formed in at least one part of a part to be compressed and a part to be pulled in the supporting member during the bending process.   11. The heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein the strain buffering portion includes at least one groove formed to be recessed toward the center in the width direction of the support member.   The heat exchanger according to claim 11, wherein the groove is formed in a wedge shape.   The heat exchanger according to claim 11, wherein the groove is formed in a semicircular shape.   The heat exchanger according to claim 11, wherein the groove is formed long along a length direction of the support member.

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