JP2013050265A - Outdoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, configured to appropriately discharge frost and dew condensation water falling from a heat exchanger to the outside of a bottom frame 26, to prevent an ice-up phenomenon and the like.SOLUTION: The outdoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 1 includes: a bottom frame 26; and a heat exchanger 13 disposed above an outer edge of the bottom frame 26. In the outdoor unit, a sloped draining surface 47 is formed at a top surface of the outer edge of the bottom frame 26 and at least below an outer surface 13a of the heat exchanger 13 so that the height of the draining surface becomes lower as it goes to the outside in a horizontal direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to an outdoor unit for an air conditioner.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air conditioner that can perform a cooling operation and a heating operation by switching a refrigerant flow using a four-way switching valve is known. When heating operation is performed in an environment where the outside air temperature is low by this air conditioner, frost may adhere to the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. Since such frost adhesion causes deterioration of heat exchange efficiency, the air conditioner usually has a defrost function for removing frost.

As one of the defrost functions, there is a reverse cycle defrost operation. When the temperature of the fins of the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit reaches a predetermined temperature, the indoor side is temporarily cooled by switching the four-way switching valve. This is a method of melting and removing frost by operating and supplying a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant to the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit.
However, if the frost melted in the defrost operation is not properly discharged from the outdoor unit, it is frozen again, and there is a possibility that the drain hole or drainage groove formed in the bottom frame of the outdoor unit is blocked.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1 below, in order to surely discharge the melted frost from the outdoor unit, a water conduit forming wall is set up along the heat exchanger on the bottom plate on which the heat exchanger is placed. An outdoor unit that is formed and provided with a drain drainage hole and a downward inclined surface that continues to the drain drainage hole in the conduit formed by the channel formation wall is disclosed. According to this outdoor unit, the flow rate of drain water dripped from the heat exchanger due to defrosting operation or the like does not drop until it reaches the drain drain hole due to the inclination of the conduit, and the drainage path can be concentrated. It is said that the drain water can be prevented from freezing on the way to the drain hole.

JP 2010-54063 A

  However, even if the air conditioner performs a defrost operation, the frost adhering to the heat exchanger does not necessarily melt completely, only the part touching the heat exchanger melts, and heat exchange remains in a sherbet shape. May fall to the bottom of the container. The sherbet-like frost that has fallen to the lower side of the heat exchanger is not flown into the water conduit, and is more likely to freeze again when returning to normal heating operation. Then, by repeating the normal heating operation and the defrosting operation, an “ice-up” phenomenon occurs in which frost that has fallen to the lower side of the heat exchanger and frozen frost gradually accumulates and grows upward. Such an ice-up phenomenon is not preferable because it causes deterioration in heat exchange efficiency and failure of the heat exchanger.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that can appropriately discharge frost and condensed water falling from a heat exchanger to the outside of a bottom frame and prevent the occurrence of an ice-up phenomenon. To do.

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner including a bottom frame and a heat exchanger disposed above the outer edge of the bottom frame,
An inclined drainage surface is formed on the upper surface of the outer edge portion of the bottom frame and below at least the outer surface of the heat exchanger. The inclined drainage surface becomes lower toward the outer side in the horizontal direction.

  According to the outdoor unit configured as described above, the frost attached to the outer surface of the heat exchanger falls on the drainage surface formed on the bottom frame when melted by defrosting or the like. Since the drainage surface is inclined so as to become lower toward the outside in the horizontal direction, the dissolved frost flows through the drainage surface and is discharged to the outside of the bottom frame. As a result, frost or the like is not accumulated on the bottom frame, and the occurrence of an ice-up phenomenon can be prevented. Moreover, since not only the frost adhering to the heat exchanger but also normal condensed water falls on the drainage surface and is discharged to the outside of the bottom frame, it hardly accumulates on the bottom frame.

The bottom frame is preferably made of synthetic resin.
With such a configuration, the drainage surface can be easily formed on the bottom frame by molding. However, the bottom frame may be made of metal, and may be formed, for example, by pressing or bending a metal plate.

The drainage surface is preferably formed in a range including the entire width of the heat exchanger in the inner and outer directions.
With such a configuration, it is possible to reliably discharge frost and condensed water falling from the heat exchanger to the outside of the bottom frame.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately discharge frost and condensed water falling from the heat exchanger to the outside of the bottom frame, thereby preventing the occurrence of an ice-up phenomenon.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioning apparatus which has an outdoor unit which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the outdoor unit shown by FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the interior of the outdoor unit shown in FIG. 2. It is a schematic side sectional view showing a part of the bottom frame of the outdoor unit shown in FIG. It is a top sectional view showing the attachment structure of the support to the bottom frame. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the attachment structure of the compressor with respect to a bottom frame. It is a schematic sectional side view which shows a part of bottom frame of the outdoor unit in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the attachment structure of the built-in component with respect to the bottom frame in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Drawing 1 is a mimetic diagram showing the refrigerant circuit of the air harmony device which has the outdoor unit concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention.
The air conditioner 1 is a multi-type air conditioner for buildings, for example, and a refrigerant circuit so that a plurality of indoor units 3 are connected in parallel to one or a plurality of outdoor units 2 so that refrigerant can flow. 10 is formed.

  The outdoor unit 2 is provided with a compressor 11, a four-way switching valve 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, an outdoor expansion valve 14, a blower 23, and the like. The indoor unit 3 is provided with an indoor expansion valve 15, an indoor heat exchanger 16, and the like. The four-way switching valve 12 and the indoor heat exchanger 16 are connected by a gas side refrigerant communication pipe 17a, and the outdoor expansion valve 14 and the indoor expansion valve 15 are connected by a liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 17b. A gas side shut-off valve 18 and a liquid side shut-off valve 19 are provided at a terminal portion of the internal refrigerant circuit of the outdoor unit 2. The gas side closing valve 18 is arranged on the four-way switching valve 12 side, and the liquid side closing valve 19 is arranged on the outdoor expansion valve 14 side. A gas side refrigerant communication pipe 17 a is connected to the gas side shutoff valve 18, and a liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 17 b is connected to the liquid side shutoff valve 19.

  In the air conditioner 1 having the above-described configuration, when the cooling operation is performed, the four-way switching valve 12 is held in a state indicated by a solid line in FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 through the four-way switching valve 12 and is condensed and liquefied by exchanging heat with the outdoor air by the operation of the blower 23. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the fully-expanded outdoor expansion valve 14 and flows into each indoor unit 3 through the liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 17b. In the indoor unit 3, the refrigerant is decompressed to a predetermined low pressure by the indoor expansion valve 15, and further evaporates by exchanging heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 16. The room air cooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant is blown into the room by an indoor fan (not shown) to cool the room. The refrigerant evaporated and vaporized in the indoor heat exchanger 16 returns to the outdoor unit 2 through the gas-side refrigerant communication pipe 17 a and is sucked into the compressor 11.

  On the other hand, when the heating operation is performed, the four-way switching valve 12 is held in a state indicated by a broken line in FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 16 of each indoor unit 3 through the four-way switching valve 12, and exchanges heat with indoor air to condense and liquefy. The indoor air heated by the condensation of the refrigerant is blown into the room by an indoor fan to heat the room. The refrigerant liquefied in the indoor heat exchanger 16 returns from the fully opened indoor expansion valve 15 to the outdoor unit 2 through the liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 17b. The refrigerant that has returned to the outdoor unit 2 is decompressed to a predetermined low pressure by the outdoor expansion valve 14, and further evaporates by exchanging heat with outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 13. The refrigerant evaporated and evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is sucked into the compressor 11 through the four-way switching valve 12.

Moreover, the air conditioning apparatus 1 of this Embodiment can perform a reverse cycle defrost driving | operation. This reverse cycle defrost operation is an operation for removing frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 during the heating operation, and is performed as follows.
When the temperature of the fins of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 or the outdoor temperature reaches a predetermined temperature during the heating operation, the fan of the indoor unit is stopped and the operating frequency of the compressor 11 is lowered. Thereafter, the refrigerant flow is reversed by the four-way switching valve 12 and the blower 23 of the outdoor unit 2 is stopped. When the operating frequency of the compressor 11 is increased again, the indoor heat exchanger 16 acts as an evaporator, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 acts as a condenser, and the high-temperature and high-pressure supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 13. The frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is dissolved by the gaseous refrigerant.

2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the outdoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the interior of the outdoor unit shown in FIG.
The outdoor unit 2 according to the present embodiment includes an outdoor unit main body 5 and devices constituting the refrigerant circuit 10 such as the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the compressor 11, and the four-way switching valve 12 incorporated in the outdoor unit main body 5. A blower 23 and the like provided on the upper part of the outdoor unit body 5 are provided.

  The outdoor unit main body 5 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a bottom frame 26, a support column 27, a cross beam 28, a side panel 29, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom frame 26 is formed in a quadrangular shape in plan view. Further, the bottom frame 26 of the present embodiment is formed of a synthetic resin material. The support columns 27 are made of long members that are long in the vertical direction, and are attached to the four corners of the bottom frame 26. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper end portion of the support column 27 is connected by a cross beam 28. A fan 23 and a bell mouth 30 surrounding the fan 23 are attached to the horizontal beam 28.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 13 is a cross fin coil type, and the heat transfer pipe penetrates horizontally through a large number of aluminum fins, and performs heat exchange with air while the refrigerant flows through the heat transfer pipe. As shown in FIG. 3, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is bent into a substantially square shape along four side surfaces excluding one corner 5 </ b> A of the outdoor unit body 5. Specifically, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 includes a front heat exchange unit 32 along the front side surface (front surface) of the outdoor unit body 5, a left heat exchange unit 33 along the left side surface, and a rear side surface (rear surface). And a right heat exchanging portion 35 along the right side surface. 90 between the front heat exchange unit 32 and the left heat exchange unit 33, between the left heat exchange unit 33 and the rear heat exchange unit 34, and between the rear heat exchange unit 34 and the right heat exchange unit 35. Is bent at a degree. An opening 36 is formed between the right end portion 32 a of the front heat exchange portion 32 and the front end portion 35 a of the right heat exchange portion 35.

  A machine room in which the compressor 11, the four-way switching valve 12, the shut-off valves 18 and 19, the electrical component unit 38, and the like are accommodated in one corner portion 5 </ b> A of the outdoor unit body 5 where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is not disposed. 39 is formed. The machine room 39 is partitioned by a partition wall 40 from a heat exchange chamber 41 in which the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is disposed. The partition wall 40 is constructed between one side end portion 32 a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the other side end portion 35 a, and is provided over the height of the outdoor unit body 5 in the vertical direction. In addition, the outdoor unit body 5 includes a side panel between one side end 32 a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the column 27 and between the column 27 and the other side end 35 a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13. 29 is detachably provided, and the side panel 29 closes the opening 36. Although not shown, a lattice frame or panel capable of air flow may be attached to the side surface of the outdoor unit body 5 where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outdoor unit 2 according to the present embodiment sucks air from four sides except for the side panel 29 of the outdoor unit body 5 by operating the blower 23, and passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 13. Then, the air is blown upward from the upper surface of the outdoor unit main body 5. Since the heat exchange chamber 41 partitioned by the partition wall 40 (FIG. 3) is formed over the entire height in the vertical direction of the outdoor unit body 5, a wide air flow area in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 should be secured. It is possible to improve the heat exchange efficiency. Further, the outdoor unit 2 can expose the opening 36 by removing the side panel 29, and can perform maintenance and replacement of equipment such as the compressor 11 in the machine room 39 through the opening 36. it can.

  4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along arrows IV-IV in FIG. 3) showing a part of the bottom frame of the outdoor unit shown in FIG. The bottom frame 26 includes a top wall portion 44, a side wall portion 45 disposed around the upper surface portion, and a plurality of layers disposed in a lattice shape between the lower surface of the upper wall portion 44 and the inner surface of the side wall portion 45. Ribs 46. Devices such as the compressor 11 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are placed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 44 (see FIG. 3). In FIG. 4, the flow of air passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is indicated by white arrows.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper wall portion 44 of the bottom frame 26 is inclined such that the upper surface of the outer edge portion located below the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is inclined so as to become lower toward the outside in the horizontal direction. A surface (drainage surface) 47 is formed. In FIG. 3, the area of the inclined surface 47 is hatched with a dotted line for easy understanding. The inclined surface 47 is formed in a range over the entire width W in the inner and outer direction of the outdoor heat exchanger 13. Further, the bottom frame 26 of the present embodiment is not formed with the inclined surface 47 below the side end portions 32a and 35a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and below the bent portion, and is a horizontal surface. This portion is used as a support portion 48 for supporting the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

  As described above, the air-conditioning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can perform the reverse cycle defrost operation, and the frost attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is melted by the reverse cycle defrost operation, and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is caused by its own weight. Falls downward from The melted frost falls onto an inclined surface 47 formed on the bottom frame 26, flows through the inclined surface 47, and is discharged to the outside of the bottom frame 26. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 2 of the present embodiment, an ice-up phenomenon (indicated by a two-dot chain line K in FIG. 4) occurs in which frost or the like that has dropped from the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is accumulated on the bottom frame 26. Almost no frost adheres to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the heat exchange efficiency can be prevented from deteriorating.

  In the present embodiment, since the inclined surface 47 is formed over the entire width W of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 in the inner and outer direction, the melted frost or the like is surely dropped on the inclined surface 47 and the bottom. It can be discharged out of the frame 26. Further, not only the frost melted by the defrost operation but also the condensed water adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 by the normal heating operation falls on the inclined surface 47 and flows on the inclined surface 47 to the outside of the bottom frame 26. It is supposed to be discharged.

  In addition, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 47 of the bottom frame 26 is set to such an extent that the dissolved frost or condensed water can be discharged from the bottom frame 26, for example, set to an angle of 30 ° to 45 ° with respect to the horizontal. Can do.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a mounting structure of the column 27 with respect to the bottom frame 26. Concave grooves 49 extending in the vertical direction are formed in both side wall portions 45 that sandwich the corner portion of the bottom frame 26. A substantially L-shaped guide ridge 50 is formed between both concave grooves 49. The guide ridges 50 are disposed slightly inside the outer surface 45 a of the side wall 45 of the bottom frame 26.

  On the other hand, the column 27 is formed in a shape along the guide ridge 50 and the groove 49, and is fitted into the guide ridge 50 and the groove 49. Specifically, the support column 27 includes an L-shaped bent portion 51 substantially along the guide ridge 50 and a fitting portion 52 bent so as to enter the concave groove 49 from both sides of the bent portion 51. The bent portion 51 and the fitting portion 52 are inserted into the guide protrusion 50 and the groove 49 from above.

  The support column 27 is fixed to the bottom frame 26 by mounting bolts 53 and mounting nuts 54. The mounting nut 54 is fixed to a metal backing plate 56 by welding or the like. The backing plate 56 is formed in a substantially L shape in plan view and is disposed across the back surfaces (inner surfaces) of the two concave grooves 49. Then, the support bolts 53 are screwed into the mounting nuts 54 fixed to the backing plate 56 so that the support bolts 27 are passed through the fitting portions 52 of the support columns 27 and the recessed grooves 49 of the bottom frame 26, so that the support columns 27 are attached to the bottom frame 26. It is fixed to.

  When the column 27 is fixed to the bottom frame 26, the column 27 is temporarily fixed to the bottom frame 26 by fitting the bent portion 51 and the fitting portion 52 of the column 27 to the guide protrusion 50 and the groove 49 of the bottom frame 26. can do. Thereby, it is possible to save labor for fixing the column 27 to the bottom frame 26. Note that the mounting nut 54 is not necessarily fixed to the backing plate 56, and may be separate from the backing plate 56. Further, the mounting nut 54 may be omitted, and a female screw for screwing the mounting bolt 53 to the backing plate 56 may be formed. One backing plate 56 may be provided corresponding to each of the two concave grooves 49. Further, the backing plate 56 may be omitted, and the mounting nut 54 may be embedded on the back side of the concave groove 49 by insert molding or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer side surface of the support column 27 and the outer side surface of the side panel 29 are arranged at positions slightly inside the outer side surface 45 a of the side wall portion 45 of the bottom frame 26. Therefore, when the outdoor unit 2 is transported, for example, when the outdoor unit 2 is carried into an elevator or the like, even if the bottom frame 26 contacts the wall surface of the elevator or the like, the column 27 or the side panel 29 hardly contacts. . For this reason, it is possible to prevent the paint on the support column 27 and the side panel 29 from being peeled off. Further, since the bottom frame 26 is made of a synthetic resin material, the contacted wall surface and the like are hardly damaged.

  FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a structure for attaching the compressor to the bottom frame. The compressor 11 is mounted on the upper wall portion 44 of the bottom frame 26 and is fixed by a fixing bolt 59 and a fixing nut 60. As described above, since the bottom frame 26 of the present embodiment is made of a synthetic resin, the rigidity is lower than that of a metal bottom frame, and the supporting strength for supporting a heavy device such as the compressor 11. Also lower. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a metal backing plate 61 is provided on the lower surface of the upper wall portion 44 of the bottom frame 26, the upper wall portion 44 is sandwiched between the backing plate 61 and the compressor 11, and the compressor 11, the flange portion 62, the upper wall portion 44, and the backing plate 61 are connected by a fixing bolt 59 and a fixing nut 60. Thereby, the support strength of the compressor 11 can be raised. It should be noted that not only the compressor 11 but also other components placed on the bottom frame 26 can be fixed in the same manner.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a part of the bottom frame of the outdoor unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the inclined surface (drainage surface) 47 formed on the bottom frame 26 is not in the range over the entire width W in the inner and outer direction of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, but below the outer surface 13 a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13. It is formed in a range including a region (a region on the outer side in the horizontal direction from the inner side surface 13b). Therefore, in this embodiment, when the frost and the dew condensation water adhering to the outer side surface 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 fall, it can be suitably discharged | emitted by the inclined surface 47 out of a bottom frame.

  In the outdoor unit 2 of the present embodiment, as shown by the white arrow, since air passes from the outside to the inside of the outdoor unit 2, the dew condensation water is formed on the outer side surface 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 that the air first touches. And frost easily occurs. Therefore, by forming the inclined surface 47 in the lower region of the outer side surface 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, dissolved frost and dew condensation water can be discharged almost reliably, and the ice-up phenomenon (2 points) (Shown by a chain line K) can also be suitably prevented.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a structure for attaching the compressor to the bottom frame in the third embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, a metal laying plate 65 is provided on the upper wall portion 44 of the bottom frame 26, and the compressor 11 is placed on the upper surface of the laying plate 65 and the flange portion 62 of the compressor 11. The laying plate 65, the upper wall portion 44, and the backing plate 61 are connected by a fixing bolt 59 and a fixing nut 60. Thus, the support strength of the compressor 11 can be further increased by sandwiching the upper wall portion 44 between the laying plate 65 and the backing plate 61. The laying plate 65 may be provided in the entire range of the machine room 39 (see FIG. 3) or in the entire range of the upper wall portion 44 of the bottom frame 26.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, in the said embodiment, although the outdoor heat exchanger 13 was provided along the four side surfaces of the outdoor unit main body 5, it is not limited to this, It is along one to three side surfaces of the outdoor unit main body 5. It may be provided. In this case, the inclined surface (drainage surface) 47 of the bottom frame 26 can be formed in accordance with the arrangement of the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the inclined surface 47 is not formed under the side edge parts 32a and 35a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and the downward direction of a bending part, the inclined surface 47 is formed also in these places. It may be. Further, the inclined surface 47 may be formed on the entire circumference of the outer edge portion of the bottom frame 26.
The bottom frame 26 is not limited to being made of synthetic resin, but may be made of metal (made of sheet metal).

In the said embodiment, although the example which applied this invention with respect to the top blowing type outdoor unit 2 was demonstrated, this invention is applicable also to a horizontal blowing type outdoor unit.
Moreover, although the outdoor unit 2 of the said embodiment melt | dissolved frost by reverse cycle defrost operation, you may melt | dissolve frost by not only this but normal cycle defrost operation, but the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is vibrated. The structure which makes frost fall by making it may be sufficient. Further, the present invention can also be applied to the outdoor unit 2 that does not have a defrost function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus 2 Outdoor unit 13 Outdoor heat exchanger 13a Outer side surface 26 Bottom frame 47 Inclined surface (drainage surface)

Claims (3)

An air conditioner outdoor unit comprising a bottom frame (26) and a heat exchanger (13) disposed above an outer edge of the bottom frame (26),
An inclined drainage surface (47), which is an upper surface of an outer edge portion of the bottom frame (26) and below at least the outer surface (13a) of the heat exchanger (13) and becomes lower toward the outer side in the horizontal direction. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner characterized in that is formed.   The outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the bottom frame (26) is made of synthetic resin.   The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drainage surface (47) is formed in a range including the entire width (w) in the inner and outer directions of the heat exchanger (13).

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