JP2011163673A - Electric component box for outdoor unit, outdoor unit, and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric component box for an outdoor unit, the outdoor unit and an air conditioner enabling inexpensive and easy manufacturing of the electric component box for the outdoor unit having a complicated shape and made of sheet metal. <P>SOLUTION: The electric component box for the outdoor unit includes: a first casing 51 formed to have a container shape by using a metallic plate-shaped body and supported from outside; a second casing 52 formed of a metallic plate-shaped body and forming a space to store an electronic component inside together with the first casing 51; and an upper casing 54 arranged adjacent to the upper side of the first casing 51 and the second casing 52 and enabling fixation to the first casing 51 and the second casing 52. An opening 51B opened upwardly is formed on the lateral face 51A of the first casing 51. A projection part 52A protruded downwardly and inserted to the opening 51B is formed at one end of the second casing 52, and a fixation part 52B fixed to the upper casing 54 is provided at an end other than the one end. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical box for an outdoor unit housed inside an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, an outdoor unit, and an air conditioner.

  In the conventional outdoor unit of an air conditioner, a commercial AC power source is once rectified to DC by a converter unit, and then converted to AC of variable voltage and variable current again by an inverter unit, and a compressor using an induction motor, a DC brushless motor, etc. An inverter control circuit device that controls driving of the motor is provided.

  The inverter control circuit device includes electronic components such as a power transistor, a noise filter, a diode stack, and various capacitors. These electronic components are mounted on a substrate, and the substrate on which the electronic components are mounted is housed in an outdoor unit electrical box formed by bending a sheet metal in the outdoor unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-301477 A

However, when the electrical unit box for the outdoor unit is formed by bending a sheet metal as described above, there is a problem that it is difficult to form a complicated shape as compared with the case where it is formed of resin.
For example, even if a complicated shape can be formed by bending a sheet metal, there is a problem that the thickness of the sheet metal is reduced, and there is a portion where the strength of the electrical box for the outdoor unit is reduced. On the other hand, when a complicated shape is integrally formed by bending a sheet metal, there is a problem that the size of the electrical unit box for the outdoor unit is increased as compared with the case where it is formed of resin. Furthermore, the structure of the die for punching and bending the sheet metal becomes complicated, and it may be difficult to manufacture the electrical equipment box for the outdoor unit.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and can be used to manufacture an outdoor unit electrical box made of a sheet metal having a complicated shape at low cost and easily. An object is to provide a box, an outdoor unit, and an air conditioner.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The electrical box for the outdoor unit of the present invention is formed in a container shape using a metal plate-like body and is formed from a first housing supported from the outside and a metal plate-like body, A second housing that forms a space for storing an electronic component therein together with the first housing, and is disposed adjacent to and above the first housing and the second housing; An upper housing that can be fixed to the second housing, and an opening that opens upward is provided on a side surface of the first housing. The part is provided with a protruding part that protrudes downward and is inserted into the opening, and a fixed part that is fixed to the upper housing is provided at an end other than the one end. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, by forming a space for storing electronic components in the first casing and the second casing, even an outdoor unit electrical box having a complicated shape has a simple and different shape. It can be composed of a combination of a first housing and a second housing.
Specifically, the protruding portion of the second housing is inserted into the opening of the first housing from above, and the second housing is inserted into the upper housing disposed above the first housing and the second housing. By fixing the fixing portion, the first casing and the second casing are easily integrated with the upper casing.

On the other hand, the shape of the first housing and the second housing can be simplified as compared with the case where the combination of the first housing and the second housing is integrally formed from the beginning. . Therefore, the first housing and the second housing can be easily formed by processing such as bending a metal plate-like body, and can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, there is little possibility that the strength of the electrical unit box for the outdoor unit composed of the first housing and the second housing will decrease due to the reduction in the plate thickness.
Compared to the case where the outdoor unit electrical box is integrally formed, by dividing the first case and the second case, the size of the individual component units handled at the time of manufacture is reduced. Handling (handling) during production is improved.

  Even when the upper casing is made of a flammable material and the upper casing burns in the event of a fire, the second casing is detached from the first casing and falls downward Can be prevented. That is, since the protrusion of the second housing is inserted into the opening of the first housing from above, even if the upper housing burns and the second housing is no longer held by the upper housing, the protrusion Is trapped in the opening, so that the second housing is prevented from falling off.

  The outdoor unit of the present invention is an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a compressor that compresses refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant between the indoor unit unit of the air conditioner and the refrigerant and outdoor air. And an outdoor fan that attracts the outdoor air toward the outdoor heat exchanger by being rotationally driven, a first region in which the compressor is disposed, and a second region in which the outdoor fan is disposed. A partition part for partitioning and the electrical equipment box for an outdoor unit of the present invention are provided, the first casing is supported from below by the partition part, and the second casing is disposed in the second region. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, even when the upper casing is formed of a flammable material and the upper casing is burned during a fire or the like, the second casing is detached from the first casing. Thus, it is possible to prevent the outdoor fan or the like from falling downward. That is, since the protrusion of the second housing is inserted into the opening of the first housing from above, even if the upper housing burns and the second housing is no longer held by the upper housing, the protrusion Is trapped in the opening, so that the second housing is prevented from falling off.
Furthermore, since the outdoor unit electrical box of the present invention is provided, the outdoor unit can be manufactured inexpensively and easily even if it has a sheet metal outdoor unit box having a complicated shape. be able to.

The air conditioner of the present invention is characterized in that an indoor unit and the outdoor unit of the present invention are provided.
According to the present invention, since the outdoor unit of the present invention is provided, an air conditioner can be manufactured inexpensively and easily even if it has a sheet metal outdoor unit electrical box that has a complicated shape. can do.

  According to the electrical equipment box for an outdoor unit, the outdoor unit, and the air conditioner of the present invention, an opening that opens upward is provided on the side surface of the first housing, and the lower end is provided at one end of the second housing. By providing a protruding portion that protrudes toward the opening and being inserted into the opening, and by providing a fixing portion that is fixed to the upper housing at an end other than the one end, the sheet metal outdoor unit electric power having a complicated shape is provided. There is an effect that the production of the packaging box can be made inexpensively and easily.

It is a perspective view which shows the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view explaining the structure of the electrical equipment box of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the structure of the 1st storage box of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the structure of the 2nd storage box of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the structure of the frame of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the arrangement | positioning relationship of the 1st storage box, the 2nd storage box, and a frame in the electrical equipment box of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the state by which the frame was attached to the 1st storage box. It is a perspective view explaining the state by which the protrusion part of the 2nd housing | casing was inserted in the opening part of the 1st storage box of FIG.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the outdoor unit of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 10 includes an indoor unit 20 and an outdoor unit 30. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe 40 through which the refrigerant conducts, electric wiring (not shown), and the like. Two refrigerant pipes 40 are provided, and the refrigerant flows from the indoor unit 20 to the outdoor unit 30 on one side and from the outdoor unit 30 to the indoor unit 20 on the other side.

  The indoor unit 20 is configured such that a rear base (not shown) and a front panel 21 are integrally formed. The base includes various devices such as a plate fin tube type indoor heat exchanger 22, a substantially cylindrical cross flow fan 23, and a control unit 24 composed of various electric circuit elements for controlling the operation of the indoor unit 20. Is provided.

  The front panel 21 has suction grilles 21a formed on the front and top surfaces, respectively. Indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit 20 from multiple directions by the suction grille 21a. In addition, an air filter 21b is provided behind the suction grille portion 21a to remove dust such as sucked air. Further, the front panel 21 is formed with an air outlet 21c below, from which warmed air or cooled air is blown out. The air suction and air blowing are performed by the rotation of the cross flow fan 23.

  As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the outdoor unit 30 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 32, a propeller fan (outdoor fan) 33, a compressor 34, and an outdoor unit electrical box 50 (hereinafter “ Etc.) and the like. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the outdoor unit 30 is provided with a baffle plate (partition part) 35 that divides the space in the outdoor unit 30 into two substantially at the center.

  Propeller fan 33 is arranged in space (second region) SA on the left side (upper left side in FIG. 2) in front view of outdoor unit 30 and space (first region) SB on the right side (lower right side in FIG. 2) SB. Is provided with a compressor 34. As shown in FIG. 2, an electrical box 50 is disposed above the compressor 34, and the left end of the electrical box 50 extends beyond the baffle plate 35 into a space SA where the propeller fan 33 is disposed. Is arranged.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 32 is configured by a refrigerant pipe having a large number of corrugated fins around it, and realizes heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air. The propeller fan 33 is provided in order to constantly take in new air into the unit body 31 and improve heat exchange efficiency. When the propeller fan 33 is rotationally driven, a wind is generated in the unit main body 31 from the outdoor heat exchanger 32 to the propeller fan 33.

  A fingered (not shown) and a fan guard 36 are provided on the back and front of the unit main body 31 where the outdoor heat exchanger 32 and the propeller fan 33 face each other. The fingered is provided so that the corrugated fin is not damaged by an unexpected impact from the outside. Similarly to this, the fan guard 36 is provided for the purpose of protecting the propeller fan 33 from external impact and for the purpose of preventing dust contained in the outside air from being taken into the unit main body 31. Is.

  The compressor 34 converts the low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges it. The compressor 34 plays the most central role among the components constituting the refrigerant circuit. Here, the refrigerant circuit means, in addition to the compressor 34, an indoor heat exchanger 22, an outdoor heat exchanger 32, a refrigerant pipe 40, an expansion valve, and a four-way valve that defines the flow direction of the refrigerant (an expansion valve and a four-way valve). Is a circuit that circulates the refrigerant between the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating the configuration of the electrical box shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electrical box 50 is a sheet metal first storage box (first housing) 51 that houses a board (not shown) on which electronic components that drive and control the compressor 34 are mounted. And a second storage box (second housing) 52, a sheet metal lid 53, and a resin frame (upper part) disposed between the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 and the lid 53. Housing) 54.
In addition, an electronic component for controlling the operation of the compressor 34 is mounted on the substrate, and a heat radiation fin that releases heat of the electronic component (for example, a power transistor) that generates heat to the outside of the electrical box 50 is provided. A heat sink HS is provided.

  The heat sink HS is formed of a material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and is attached to an electronic component such as a power transistor so as to be able to conduct heat. The heat sink HS is provided with a plurality of radiating fins that increase the contact area with the cooling air, and these radiating fins are arranged so as to extend along the flow of outdoor air by the propeller fan 33.

4 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the first storage box in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the second storage box in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the frame in FIG. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first storage box 51 is a rectangular parallelepiped container formed by bending a sheet metal, and forms a space for storing the above-described substrate together with the second storage box 52. . Further, the first storage box 51 is disposed above the space SB in which the compressor 34 is mainly disposed, and is fixed to and supported by the upper end of the baffle plate 35.

Openings 51B used for supporting or fixing the second storage box 52 are formed in a pair of side surfaces 51A adjacent to the side surface (the lower left side surface in FIG. 4) of the first storage box 51 that faces the second storage box 52. Has been.
The opening 51B is a slit-shaped opening formed in a region on the upper side of the second storage box 52 on the pair of side surfaces 51A. The opening 51B is formed in a slit shape inclined downward toward the second storage box 52, and the lower side adjacent to the opening 51B on the side surface 51A is bulged toward the outside of the first storage box 51. Is formed. Therefore, the opening 51 </ b> B is formed in a shape that opens upward and opens toward the second storage box 52.

  Further, a protrusion 51 </ b> C used for engagement with the frame body 54 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the pair of side surfaces 51 </ b> A of the first storage box 51. In the present embodiment, the description is applied to an example in which two protrusions 51C are provided on one side surface 51A.

  The second storage box 52 is a container formed by bending a sheet metal as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. The second storage box 52 has a depth direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5) compared to the first storage box 51. ) Is a rectangular parallelepiped container with a short length. Further, the second storage box 52 is attached to the propeller fan 33 side in the second storage box 52 and is disposed above the space SA in which the propeller fan 33 is disposed.

  The second storage box 52 includes a protruding part 52A used for attachment to the first storage box 51, a fixing part 52B used for fixing to the frame body 54, and an insertion part 52C through which the heat sink HS is inserted. Is provided.

The protruding portion 52A is inserted into the opening 51B of the first storage box 51, and prevents the second storage box 52 from falling off the first storage box 51. The protruding portion 52A is an overhanging portion that protrudes toward the first storage box 51 out of a pair of side surfaces adjacent to the side surface (the upper right side surface in FIG. 5) of the second storage box 52 that faces the first storage box 51. 52D is a portion that protrudes downward (lower side in FIG. 5) from the overhanging portion 52D.
The overhanging portion 52 </ b> D is disposed so as to extend along the outer surfaces of the pair of side surfaces 51 </ b> A of the first storage box 51 when the second storage box 52 is attached to the first storage box 51.

  The fixing part 52B is used for fixing the second storage box 52 together with the protruding part 52A. The fixing portion 52 </ b> B is a plate-like portion that protrudes in the direction away from the second storage box 52 from the upper end of the side surface (lower left side surface) of the second storage box 52 that is away from the first storage box 51. The fixing portion 52B is provided with a screw hole 52E through which a screw (screw) used for fixing to the frame body 54 is inserted.

  The insertion part 52C is a through hole formed in the bottom surface of the second storage box 52, and is a hole formed in accordance with the shape and arrangement position of the heat sink HS. In the present embodiment, description will be made by applying to an example in which the insertion portion 52 </ b> C is a hole formed in a square shape in most of the bottom surface of the second storage box 52.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 53 is a sheet metal member that covers the surface of the electrical box 50. More specifically, the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 together with the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 form a space for storing substrates and the like, and are attached to the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 via the frame body 54. It is what

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the frame body 54 is disposed between the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 and the lid 53. Further, the frame body 54 fixes the second storage box 52 to the first storage box 51, and also fixes the lid 53 to the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52.

  The frame body 54 includes a resin-made frame portion 54A formed in a square cylindrical shape, and a lower claw portion that extends downward from the long side of the frame portion 54A and engages with the protruding portion 51C of the first storage box 51. 54B, an upper claw 54C extending upward and engaging with the lid 53, and extending from the short side (lower left side in FIG. 6) on the second storage box 52 side toward the outside of the frame portion 54A. An attachment portion 54D to which the fixing portion 52B of the second storage box 52 is attached and fixed is mainly provided.

  Next, the operation of the air conditioner 10 having the above-described configuration will be described separately for the heating operation and the cooling operation with reference to FIG.

  First, during the heating operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant in the compressor 34 passes through the refrigerant pipe 40 and is pumped to the indoor heat exchanger 22 of the indoor unit 20. In the indoor unit 20, heat is given from the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 22 to the indoor air taken in from the suction grille portion 21 a by the cross flow fan 23. Thereby, warm air is blown out from the blower outlet 21c. At the same time, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is condensed and liquefied in the indoor heat exchanger 22 to become a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant.

  The high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve while being sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 32 of the outdoor unit 30 and becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant. In the outdoor unit 30, the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 32 takes heat from new outdoor air taken into the unit main body 31 by the propeller fan 33. The low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant evaporates and vaporizes by taking heat, and becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant. This is sent again to the compressor 34, and the above process is repeated.

  During the cooling operation, the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant circuit in the opposite direction to the above. That is, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant in the compressor 34 passes through the refrigerant pipe 40 and is pumped to the outdoor heat exchanger 32, where the outdoor air is deprived of heat and condensed and liquefied. Become. The high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve to become a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, and is sent again to the indoor heat exchanger 22 through the refrigerant pipe 40. Here, the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant takes heat from the indoor unit and blows out cold air from the outlet 21c, and the refrigerant itself evaporates to become a low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. This is sent again to the compressor 34, and the above process is repeated.

Next, a method for manufacturing or assembling the electrical equipment box 50, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the positional relationship between the first storage box, the second storage box, and the frame in the electrical box shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which the frame is attached to the first storage box. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the protrusion of the second housing is inserted into the opening of the first storage box of FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 are formed from sheet metal, and the frame body 54 is formed from resin. Here, as a formation method of the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52, a known processing method such as press working can be used, and it is not particularly limited. Moreover, the formation method of the frame 54 can also use well-known formation methods, such as injection molding, and is not specifically limited.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the frame body 54 is attached to the first storage box 51. At this time, the lower claw portion 54 </ b> B of the frame body 54 is engaged with the protruding portion 51 </ b> C of the first storage box 51. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 52 </ b> A of the second storage box 52 is inserted into the opening 51 </ b> B of the first storage box 51 from obliquely below. At this time, since the protrusion 52D protrudes downward, the protrusion 52A is caught by the opening 51B. That is, the second storage box 52 is difficult to drop off from the first storage box 51.

  After that, the end of the second storage box 52 on the fixed portion 52B side is moved upward while rotating around the protrusion 52A inserted into the opening 51B, and a screw (not shown) is inserted into the screw hole 52E of the fixed portion 52B. ), And screws are screwed into the attachment portions 54D of the frame body 54 to complete the assembly of the first storage box 51, the second storage box 52, and the frame body 54 (see FIG. 3).

According to said structure, even if it is the electrical equipment box 50 which has a complicated shape by forming the space which stores an electronic component with the 1st storage box 51 and the 2nd storage box 52, it has a simple and different shape. The first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 can be combined. Therefore, compared with the case where an electrical equipment box is formed integrally, the electrical equipment box 50 of this embodiment, the outdoor unit 30 provided with the electrical equipment box 50, and the air conditioner 10 can be manufactured inexpensively and easily. .
Specifically, the protruding portion 52A of the second storage box 52 is inserted into the opening 51B of the first storage box 51 from above, and the frame body 54 disposed above the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52. By fixing the fixing portion 52B of the second storage box 52, the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 can be easily integrated with the frame body 54.

On the other hand, compared with the case where the combination of the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 is integrally formed from the beginning, the shape of the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 is simplified. can do. Therefore, the 1st storage box 51 and the 2nd storage box 52 can be easily formed by processes, such as bending a metal plate-shaped object, and can be manufactured cheaply. Furthermore, there is little possibility that the strength of the electrical equipment box 50 including the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 will decrease due to the reduction in the plate thickness of the plate-like body.
Compared with the case where the electrical box 50 is integrally formed, the division into the first storage box 51 and the second storage box 52 makes it possible to reduce the size of individual component units handled at the time of manufacture. Handling (handling) is improved.

  Even when the frame body 54 is burned during a fire or the like, it is possible to prevent the second storage box 52 from being detached from the first storage box 51 and falling below the propeller fan 33 or the like. That is, since the protrusion 52A of the second storage box 52 is inserted into the opening 51B of the first storage box 51 from above, the frame body 54 burns and the second storage box 52 is not held by the frame body 54. However, since the protrusion 52A is caught by the opening 51B, the second storage box 52 is prevented from falling off.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air conditioner 20 Indoor unit 30 Outdoor unit 32 Outdoor heat exchanger 33 Propeller fan (outdoor fan)
34 Compressor 35 Baffle plate (partition)
50 Electrical box for outdoor unit 51 First storage box (first housing)
51B Opening 52 Second Storage Box (Second Housing)
52A Protruding part 52B Fixed part 54 Frame (upper housing)
SA space (second area)
SB space (first area)

Claims (3)

A first casing that is formed into a container shape using a metal plate and is supported from the outside;
A second housing that is formed from a metal plate-like body and forms a space for housing electronic components together with the first housing;
An upper housing disposed adjacent to and above the first housing and the second housing, and capable of being fixed to the first housing and the second housing;
Is provided,
An opening that opens upward is provided on the side surface of the first housing,
One end portion of the second casing is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes downward and is inserted into the opening, and is fixed to the upper casing at an end portion other than the one end portion. An electrical equipment box for an outdoor unit, wherein a fixing portion is provided. A compressor that compresses the refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant between the indoor unit of the air conditioner;
An outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air;
An outdoor fan that attracts the outdoor air toward the outdoor heat exchanger by being driven to rotate;
A partition that divides a first region in which the compressor is disposed and a second region in which the outdoor fan is disposed;
The electrical equipment box for the outdoor unit according to claim 1,
Is provided,
The first housing is supported from below by the partition,
The outdoor unit is characterized in that the second housing is disposed in the second region. An indoor unit,
An outdoor unit according to claim 2,
Is provided with an air conditioner.

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