JP2020134126A - Indoor unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a refrigerant leaked from an indoor unit to be detected without using a closed space that may restrict pipe arrangement, or many sensors.SOLUTION: An indoor unit comprises: a pipe drawing part 141a that connects a refrigerant pipe drawn out from a heat exchanger 141 provided inside a housing 110, and refrigerant pipes 142, 143; and pipe connecting parts 144, 145 connecting the refrigerant pipes 142, 143 drawn to the outside of the housing 110 and inter-unit pipes 301, 302 connected to an outdoor unit. The housing 110 has a first opening 153b communicating below the pipe connecting parts 144 and 145, and a refrigerant sensor 154 is provided at a position near the first opening. The refrigerant sensor 154 detects refrigerant leaking from the pipe connecting parts 144 and 145 and the refrigerant leaking from the pipe drawing part 141a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an indoor unit.

Conventionally, an indoor unit of an air conditioner provided with a sensor for detecting a refrigerant leaking from the indoor unit has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the connection portion between the liquid distributor and the gas distributor and the refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger, and the connection portion between the liquid distributor and the expansion valve are arranged in a closed space and sealed. A sensor is installed in the space to prevent the leaked refrigerant from being discharged into the room.

JP-A-2016-84946

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to house the connection portion of the refrigerant pipe and the sensor in a closed space. Therefore, it is necessary to lay out the piping of the indoor unit according to the closed space. On the other hand, if the closed space is arranged according to the layout of the piping, it is necessary to provide a plurality of closed spaces and sensors, which causes a problem of inefficiency.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable detection of refrigerant leaked from an indoor unit without using a closed space that restricts the layout of piping or a large number of sensors. Is what you do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention accommodates a heat exchanger and a blower fan inside the housing, and from the blower space through which the airflow passing through the heat exchanger flows, a piping area partitioned from the blower space. A pipe connection portion is provided at the end of the refrigerant pipe drawn out from the piping region to the outside of the housing, and the refrigerant pipe is connected to an inter-unit pipe connected to the outdoor unit at the pipe connection portion. An opening is formed in the side wall of the housing located below the pipe connection portion, and the refrigerant sensor is arranged in the vicinity of the opening.
According to this, the leakage of the refrigerant from each part of the indoor unit including the portion where the refrigerant is likely to leak can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor. Since the refrigerant sensor only needs to be arranged in the area partitioned from the ventilation space, it can be easily arranged according to the layout of the piping of the outdoor unit. Therefore, the refrigerant sensor can be arranged and the leakage of the refrigerant can be detected without limiting the layout of the piping.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention accommodates the heat exchanger and the blower fan inside the housing, and is partitioned from the blower space through which the airflow passing through the heat exchanger flows. At the end of the refrigerant pipe drawn into the space, a pipe connection portion for connecting to the inter-unit pipe connected to the outdoor unit is provided, an opening is provided in the partition wall for partitioning the ventilation space and the space, and the opening of the partition wall is provided. The refrigerant sensor is arranged at a position below the pipe connection portion.
According to this, the leakage of the refrigerant from each part of the indoor unit including the portion where the refrigerant is likely to leak can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor. Since the refrigerant sensor only needs to be arranged in the area partitioned from the ventilation space, it can be easily arranged according to the layout of the piping of the outdoor unit. Therefore, the refrigerant sensor can be arranged and the leakage of the refrigerant can be detected without limiting the layout of the piping.

According to the indoor unit of the present invention, the refrigerant sensor that can be arranged without restricting the layout of the piping of the indoor unit prevents the refrigerant from leaking from each part of the indoor unit including the portion where the refrigerant is likely to leak. Can be detected with high sensitivity.

Top view of the indoor unit of the first embodiment Enlarged view of the main part of the indoor unit Sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. Top view of the indoor unit of the second embodiment Enlarged view of the main part of the indoor unit Cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. Enlarged sectional view of the main part of the indoor unit

The first invention is a pipe drawer that connects at least a housing that houses a heat exchanger and a blower fan, and a refrigerant pipe and a refrigerant pipe that are provided inside the housing and are drawn from the heat exchanger. In an indoor unit including a unit and a pipe connection portion for connecting the refrigerant pipe drawn out to the outside of the housing and the inter-unit pipe connected to the outdoor unit, the housing is below the pipe connection portion. It has a first opening to communicate with, and a refrigerant sensor is provided in the vicinity of the first opening, and the refrigerant sensor detects a refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and a refrigerant leaking from the pipe extraction portion.
According to this, the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant leaking from the pipe outlet portion with high sensitivity.

In the second invention, the pipe lead-out portion is arranged inside the housing from an air flow flowing through an intake space which is a space on the primary side of the blower fan and a blower space which is a space on the secondary side of the blower fan. Provide a partition wall to separate the piping area.
According to this, it is possible to detect with high sensitivity in a state where it is difficult to be diffused by the air flow due to the partition wall.

In the third invention, the first opening is provided in the housing forming the piping region.
According to this, the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant leaking from the pipe outlet portion through the first opening with high sensitivity.

In the fourth invention, a refrigerant receiver for mounting the refrigerant sensor is provided at a position overlapping the pipe connection portion in a plan view, and the first opening is provided between the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant receiver in the vertical direction. ..
According to this, the refrigerant staying in the refrigerant receiver from the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant leaking from the first opening can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor. In particular, a refrigerant having a higher specific density than air can be quickly detected by a refrigerant sensor.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant receiver is provided with a case for accommodating the refrigerant sensor. The case includes a communication pipe that passes through the first opening and opens to the pipe lead-out portion, a bottom portion of the refrigerant receiver, and the case. It has a second opening that communicates with the inside.
According to this, the leaking refrigerant that stays in the refrigerant receiver from the pipe connection portion and is sent from the second opening and the leaking refrigerant that is sent from the communication pipe that passes through the first opening can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor.

Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the indoor unit 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the indoor unit 1, and is a plan view showing the same surface as in FIG. Further, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

The indoor unit 1 is an indoor unit of a duct type air conditioner installed in a ceiling space, and FIGS. 1 and 2 are views of the indoor unit 1 viewed from above.
The paper surfaces of FIGS. 1 and 2 are substantially parallel to the horizontal plane in the installed state of the indoor unit 1 and substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. In the drawings of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, and the following description of the first embodiment, the front of the indoor unit 1 is indicated by the reference numeral FR, the rear portion is indicated by the reference numeral RE, the right side is indicated by the reference numeral R, and the left side is indicated by the reference numeral R. It is indicated by reference numeral L. Further, in FIG. 3, the upper part is indicated by the reference numeral UP and the lower part is indicated by the reference numeral DN. Each of these directions is based on the installed state of the indoor unit 1.

The indoor unit 1 has a housing 110 composed of a front wall 111, a back wall 112, a right side wall 113, a left side wall 114, a bottom panel 115, and a top panel. The upper surface of the housing 110 is closed by the upper surface panel, but the upper surface panel is not shown in FIG.
In the first embodiment, the left wall 114 corresponds to an example of a wall of the present invention.

The internal space of the housing 110 is divided into an intake space 122 and a ventilation space 123 by a partition wall 121. In the intake space 122, a fan motor 131 and three blower fans 135, 135, 135 connected to the drive shaft 133 of the fan motor 131 and driven by the fan motor 131 are arranged. The configuration of FIG. 1 is an example, and the number of fan motors and blower fans included in the indoor unit 1 is not limited.

The partition wall 121 is provided with an opening (not shown) that communicates with the intake space 122 and the blower space 123, and the blower port of the blower fan 135 is joined to this opening. Further, the intake port of the blower fan 135 opens in the intake space 122.

In the intake space 122, the bottom panel 115 is provided with an intake port 115a, and the intake port 115a is provided with an intake filter 137.
When the blower fan 135 operates, the blower fan 135 takes in air from the intake space 122, so that outside air flows into the intake space 122 through the intake filter 137. This outside air is sent by the blower fan 135 to the blower space 123 through the opening formed in the partition wall 121. That is, the intake space 122 is the space on the primary side of the blower fan 135, and the blower space 123 is the space on the secondary side.

A heat exchanger 141 is arranged in the ventilation space 123. The heat exchanger 141 is a user-side heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant supplied from an outdoor unit (not shown) or a capacitor that condenses the refrigerant.

The airflow sent to the intake space 122 by the blower fan 135 passes through the heat exchanger 141 and is exhausted from the blower port 111a formed in the front wall 111. An air duct (not shown) installed in the ceiling space together with the indoor unit 1 is connected to the air outlet 111a. The air supply duct is installed up to one or more harmonious spaces, and the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 141 is sent to the harmonious space.

A chamber may be provided between the air outlet 111a and the air duct. Further, the intake port 115a may be opened in the ceiling space where the indoor unit 1 is installed, or a duct for supplying air to the indoor unit 1 or a chamber may be connected to the intake port 115a. These chambers and ducts are installed in the ceiling space, for example, like the indoor unit 1.

A piping area 124 is provided inside the housing 110. The piping area 124 is partitioned from the ventilation space 123 by the partition wall 125, and is separated from the intake space 122 by the partition wall 126. The piping area 124 is a space separated from the airflow flowing through the intake space 122 and the ventilation space 123.

One end of the heat exchanger 141 is exposed in the piping area 124. The heat exchanger 141 is configured by joining, for example, a copper refrigerant pipe with metal fins. The refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger 141 is drawn out from the main body of the heat exchanger 141 in the piping region 124 and connected to the two refrigerant pipes 142 and 143. The portion where the refrigerant pipe is pulled out from the main body of the heat exchanger 141 is referred to as a pipe pull-out portion 141a. In the pipe lead-out portion 141a, for example, a plurality of refrigerant pipes are welded to the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143.

One of the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 causes the refrigerant to flow into the heat exchanger 141 from an outdoor unit (not shown), and the other sends the refrigerant from the heat exchanger 141 to the outdoor unit. The refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 are pulled out of the housing 110 through the left side wall 114 at the pipe outlet portion 147. Further, the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 are connected to the unit-to-unit pipes 301 and 302 shown in FIG. 2 by pipe connection portions 144 and 145, respectively. The unit-to-unit pipes 301 and 302 are refrigerant pipes connected to the outdoor unit.

In the pipe connection portion 144, the refrigerant pipe 142 is connected to the unit-to-unit pipe 301 by, for example, a flare joint. In this case, one end of the refrigerant pipe 142 or the inter-unit pipe 301 is flared, and is attached to the other end and tightened with a nut. Similarly, in the pipe connection portion 145, the refrigerant pipe 143 is connected to the unit-to-unit pipe 302 by, for example, a flare joint.

In the indoor unit 1, the space including the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 is set as a detection region 151 for detecting the refrigerant by the refrigerant sensor 154. A refrigerant sensor 154 is arranged in the detection area 151, and the refrigerant sensor 154 mainly detects the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portion 144 and 145 and the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet portion 141a.

Various refrigerants are used in the air conditioner including the indoor unit 1. In recent years, as so-called CFC substitutes, refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, ammonia, and R32 tend to be used in air conditioners. Some of these CFC substitutes are slightly flammable or flammable. When a slightly flammable or flammable refrigerant leaks, the leakage of the refrigerant is detected before the refrigerant concentration in the harmonious space or the installation space of the indoor unit 1 reaches the lower flammable limit (LFL). Is required. The detection area 151 is an area for detecting the leakage of the refrigerant when a slightly flammable or flammable refrigerant is used in the indoor unit 1. The structure installed in the detection region 151 is particularly suitable when a refrigerant having a specific density higher than that of air, such as R32, is used.

The structure installed in the detection area 151 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant receiver 152 is arranged at a position overlapping the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 in a plan view. The refrigerant receiver 152 is a substantially box-shaped container having an open upper portion, and is shown as a structure having a rectangular cross section in the figure, but may have a disk shape.

As is clear from the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the refrigerant receiver 152 is arranged below the pipe connection portions 144 and 145. As a result, when the refrigerant having a large specific gravity leaks from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145, the refrigerant can be retained inside the refrigerant receiver 152, and leaks inside the refrigerant receiver 152 more than outside the refrigerant receiver 152. The concentration of the refrigerant becomes high.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant sensor 154 housed in the case 153 is arranged in the refrigerant receiver 152. A second opening 153a is formed in the lower part of the case 153. Through the second opening 153a, the bottom of the refrigerant receiving 152 and the inside of the case 153 communicate with each other. More preferably, the second opening 153a is provided near the bottom surface of the refrigerant receiving 152. The second opening 153a may be a fine hole as long as it is a hole through which the refrigerant can flow. For example, the opening width of the second opening 153a is preferably 1/2 or less, and may be 1/5 or less, of the depth of the refrigerant receiving 152.

The refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 and staying in the refrigerant receiver 152 flows into the case 153 through the second opening 153a and is promptly detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

Further, the indoor unit 1 has a first opening 153b that communicates below the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 on the left side wall 114 of the housing 110 that forms the piping region 124, and the first opening 153b is a communication pipe. It has 156. The communication pipe 156 is a hollow pipe that communicates the internal space of the case 153 with the piping area 124. The communication pipe 156 opens at the bottom of the piping area 124. When the refrigerant leaks from each part in the pipe area 124 including the pipe lead-out part 141a, the refrigerant flows into the case 153 through the communication pipe 156 and is promptly detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

The diameter of the communication pipe 156 and the openings at both ends of the communication pipe 156 may be as fine as long as the refrigerant can flow. For example, the pipe diameter of the communication pipe 156 and the maximum diameter of the opening are preferably 1/2 or less, and may be 1/5 or less, of the depth of the refrigerant receiver 152.

The parts of the indoor unit 1 where the refrigerant is likely to leak are, for example, the welded portion of the pipe in the pipe drawer portion 141a and the pipe connection portion 144 and 145. The refrigerant leaking from the pipe lead-out portion 141a is guided to the case 153 by the communication pipe 156 and detected by the refrigerant sensor 154. Further, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 stays in the refrigerant receiver 152, is guided to the case 153 through the second opening 153a, and is detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

In this way, the refrigerant sensor 154 can quickly detect the refrigerant leaked from the pipe lead-out portion 141a and the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145. In particular, since the refrigerant receiver 152 is located below the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 and the second opening 153a opens at the bottom of the refrigerant receiver 152, leakage of a refrigerant having a specific density larger than that of air can be quickly detected. .. Further, since the communication pipe 156 opens at the lower part of the pipe region 124, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe drawer portion 141a can be quickly detected.
In the present embodiment, the refrigerant sensor 154 may be provided in the vicinity of the communication pipe 156 in the piping region 124. In this case, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 enters the pipe region 124 from the refrigerant receiver 152 through the communication pipe 156, so that the refrigerant leaked in the pipe region 124 also enters the pipe connection portion 144 outside the housing. The refrigerant leaking from 145 can also be detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

Further, the piping area 124 is separated from the ventilation space 123 by the partition wall 125 and the partition wall 126. Therefore, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe lead-out portion 141a is detected by the refrigerant sensor 154 without being diffused by the airflow flowing through the ventilation space 123. Further, since the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 and the detection area 151 are located in the external space of the left side wall 114, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 is caused by the airflow flowing through the intake space 122 and the ventilation space 123. It is detected by the refrigerant sensor 154 without diffusing.

Then, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 stays in the refrigerant receiver 152 and then diffuses from the refrigerant receiver 152 into the installation space of the indoor unit 1. Since the amount of refrigerant staying in the refrigerant receiver 152 is sufficiently smaller than the volume of the installation space of the indoor unit 1, there is no possibility that the concentration of the refrigerant in the detection region 151 reaches LFL. Further, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe lead-out portion 141a to the pipe region 124 flows out from the communication pipe 156 to the case 153. That is, since the refrigerant flows out of the piping area 124 through the communication pipe 156, the refrigerant that reaches the LFL does not stay inside the piping area 124.

As described above, the indoor unit 1 of the first embodiment accommodates the heat exchanger 141 and the blower fan 135 inside the housing 110. The ends of the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 drawn from the airflow space 123 through which the airflow passing through the heat exchanger 141 flows to the piping area 124 partitioned from the airflow space 123, and further drawn out from the piping area 124 to the outside of the housing 110. Is provided with pipe connection portions 144 and 145. The refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 are connected to the inter-unit pipes 301 and 302 connected to the outdoor unit at the pipe connection portions 144 and 145, and an opening is opened in the left side wall 114 of the housing 110 located below the pipe connection portions 144 and 145. It is formed and the refrigerant sensor 154 is arranged at a position near the opening.

According to this, one refrigerant sensor 154 can detect the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 of the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 and the refrigerant leaked in the pipe region 124. Further, since the ventilation space 123 and the piping area 124 are separated, it is possible to detect with high sensitivity in a state where it is difficult to be diffused by the ventilation airflow flowing through the ventilation space 123. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant sensor 154 is arranged on the left side with respect to the opening of the communication pipe 156 penetrating the left side wall 114. The refrigerant sensor is located approximately horizontally with respect to the opening of the communication pipe 156 and below the opening. Since the refrigerant sensor 154 is arranged near the opening of the left wall 114 in this way, the leakage of the refrigerant can be detected even if the amount of the leakage of the refrigerant is small. Therefore, one refrigerant sensor 154 can detect the refrigerant leaked inside the housing 110 and the refrigerant leaked at the pipe connection portions 144 and 145.

The refrigerant sensor 154 can be arranged in a space partitioned from the ventilation space 123, and may be arranged outside the housing 110, for example, as in the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the detection area 151 in which the refrigerant sensor 154 is installed can be easily secured without limiting the layout of the piping of the indoor unit 1. By arranging the refrigerant sensor 154 in the detection area 151, the refrigerant leaked from the indoor unit 1 and the leaked refrigerant in the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 drawn from the ventilation space 123 can be detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

Further, an opening of the communication pipe 156 is formed in the left side wall 114 that separates the pipe region 124 and the region having the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 outside the housing. The refrigerant receiver 152 is arranged outside the housing 110 at a position corresponding to the opening of the communication pipe 156, which is the opening of the left wall 114 of the housing 110.
According to this, when a refrigerant having a specific density higher than that of air leaks inside the housing 110, the refrigerant stays in the refrigerant receiver 152 through the opening of the communication pipe 156. Therefore, the leaked refrigerant can be quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

Further, the refrigerant receiver 152 is arranged below the pipe connection portions 144 and 145, a case 153 communicating with the bottom of the refrigerant receiver 152 is arranged, and a refrigerant sensor 154 is arranged in the case 153.
According to this, the leaked refrigerant at the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 where the refrigerant easily leaks can be detected quickly and with high sensitivity. In particular, when a refrigerant having a specific gravity larger than that of air leaks from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145, the refrigerant stays in the refrigerant receiver 152. By detecting the refrigerant staying in the refrigerant receiver 152 with the refrigerant sensor 154, the leaked refrigerant can be detected quickly and with high sensitivity.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the indoor unit 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the indoor unit 2, and is a plan view showing the same surface as in FIG. Further, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the indoor unit 2 in which the range indicated by reference numeral C in FIG. 6 is enlarged.

The indoor unit 2 is an indoor unit of a ceiling-suspended air-conditioning device suspended and installed on the ceiling of the harmonious space, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are views of the indoor unit 2 viewed from above.
The paper surfaces of FIGS. 4 and 5 are substantially parallel to the horizontal plane in the installed state of the indoor unit 2 and substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. In the drawings of FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7, and the following description of the second embodiment, the front of the indoor unit 2 is indicated by the reference numeral FR, the rear portion is indicated by the reference numeral RE, and the right portion is indicated by the reference numeral R. The left side is indicated by the symbol L. Further, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper part is indicated by the reference numeral UP and the lower part is indicated by the reference numeral DN. Each of these directions is based on the installation state of the indoor unit 2.

The indoor unit 2 has a housing 210 composed of a front wall 211, a back wall 212, a right side wall 213, a left side wall 214, a bottom panel 215, and a top panel. The upper surface of the housing 210 is closed by the upper surface panel, but the upper surface panel is not shown in FIG.

The internal space of the housing 210 is divided into an intake space 222 and a ventilation space 223 by a partition wall 221. In the intake space 222, a fan motor 231 and two blower fans 235 and 235 connected to the drive shaft 233 of the fan motor 231 and driven by the fan motor 231 are arranged. The configuration of FIG. 4 is an example, and the number of fan motors and blower fans included in the indoor unit 2 is not limited.
In the second embodiment, the partition wall 221 corresponds to an example of the wall of the present invention.

The partition wall 221 is provided with an opening (not shown) that communicates with the intake space 222 and the blower space 223, and the blower port of the blower fan 235 is joined to this opening. Further, the intake port of the blower fan 235 opens in the intake space 222. That is, the intake space 222 is the space on the primary side of the blower fan 235, and the blower space 223 is the space on the secondary side.

In the intake space 222, the bottom panel 215 is provided with an intake port 215a, and the intake port 215a is provided with an intake filter 237. The intake port 215a is exposed in the harmonized space. When the blower fan 235 operates, the blower fan 235 takes in air from the intake space 222, so that outside air flows into the intake space 222 from the harmonious space through the intake filter 237. This outside air is sent by the blower fan 235 to the blower space 223 through the opening formed in the partition wall 221.

A heat exchanger 241 is arranged in the ventilation space 223. The heat exchanger 241 is a user-side heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant supplied from an outdoor unit (not shown) or a capacitor that condenses the refrigerant.

The airflow sent to the intake space 222 by the blower fan 235 passes through the heat exchanger 241 and is exhausted from the exhaust port 216 formed in the bottom panel 215. As shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust port 216 opens downward toward the conditioned space, and conditioned air is blown diagonally downward from the indoor unit 2 suspended from the ceiling.

The heat exchanger 241 is configured by joining metal fins to, for example, a copper refrigerant pipe. The refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger 241 is pulled out from the end of the main body of the heat exchanger 241 and is connected to the two refrigerant pipes 242 and 243. The portion where the refrigerant pipe is drawn out from the main body of the heat exchanger 241 is referred to as a pipe drawing portion 241a. In the pipe lead-out portion 241a, for example, a plurality of refrigerant pipes are welded to the refrigerant pipes 242 and 243.

One of the refrigerant pipes 242 and 243 causes the refrigerant to flow into the heat exchanger 241 from an outdoor unit (not shown), and the other sends the refrigerant from the heat exchanger 241 to the outdoor unit. The refrigerant pipes 242 and 243 penetrate the partition wall 221 at the pipe take-out portion 247 and are drawn out to the intake space 222. The refrigerant pipes 242 and 243 are connected to the unit-to-unit pipes 305 and 306 shown in FIG. 5 by pipe connection portions 244 and 245, respectively. The unit-to-unit pipes 305 and 306 are refrigerant pipes connected to the outdoor unit. The inter-unit pipes 305 and 306 are pulled out of the housing 210 from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 through the back wall 212 and connected to the outdoor unit.

The pipe connection portion 244 and the pipe connection portion 245 are located in the intake space 222. In the pipe connection portion 244, the refrigerant pipe 242 is connected to the unit-to-unit pipe 305 by, for example, a flare joint. In this case, one end of the refrigerant pipe 242 or the inter-unit pipe 305 is flared, and is attached to the other end and tightened with a nut. Similarly, in the pipe connection portion 245, the refrigerant pipe 243 is connected to the unit-to-unit pipe 306 by, for example, a flare joint.

In the indoor unit 2, the area including the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 in the intake space 222 is set as a detection area 251 for detecting the refrigerant by the refrigerant sensor 254. A refrigerant sensor 254 is arranged in the detection area 251, and the refrigerant sensor 254 mainly detects the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portion 244 and 245 and the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet portion 241a.

The refrigerant sensor 254 is a sensor for detecting the leakage of the slightly flammable or flammable refrigerant described in the first embodiment in the indoor unit 2. The structure arranged in the detection region 251 is particularly suitable when a refrigerant having a specific density higher than that of air, such as R32, is used.

As shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerant receiver 252 is arranged at a position overlapping the pipe connecting portions 244 and 245 in a plan view. The refrigerant receiver 252 is a substantially box-shaped container having an opening at the upper side, and is shown as a structure having a rectangular cross section in the figure, but may have a disk shape.

As is clear from the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6 and 7, the refrigerant receiver 252 is arranged below the pipe connection portions 244 and 245. As a result, when the refrigerant having a large specific gravity leaks from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245, the refrigerant can be retained inside the refrigerant receiver 252, and leaks inside the refrigerant receiver 252 than outside the refrigerant receiver 252. The concentration of the refrigerant becomes high.

The refrigerant sensor 254 housed in the case 253 is arranged in the refrigerant receiver 252. An opening 253a is formed in the lower part of the case 253. Through the opening 253a, the bottom of the refrigerant receiving 252 and the inside of the case 253 communicate with each other. More preferably, the opening 253a is provided near the bottom surface of the refrigerant receiver 252. The opening 253a may be a fine hole as long as it is a hole through which the refrigerant can flow. For example, the opening width of the opening 253a is preferably 1/2 or less, and may be 1/5 or less, of the depth of the refrigerant receiving 252.

The refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 and staying in the refrigerant receiver 252 flows into the case 253 through the opening 253a and is promptly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.
In the case 253, the opening 253a is located at the top. Therefore, when a refrigerant having a specific density higher than that of air stays in the refrigerant receiver 252, the refrigerant quickly flows into the case 253 from the refrigerant receiver 252. The refrigerant sensor 254 is located at the bottom of the case 253. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the refrigerant sensor 254 is composed of a circuit board 254a fixed to the bottom surface of the case 253 and a sensor body 254b mounted on the circuit board 254a. In this configuration, since the refrigerant has a high concentration around the sensor body 254b, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 can be quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.

The indoor unit 2 has a communication pipe 256 penetrating the partition wall 221. The communication pipe 256 is a hollow pipe that communicates the internal space of the case 253 and the ventilation space 223, and opens in the ventilation space 223 to the pipe lead-out portion 241a.
The diameter of the communication pipe 256 and the openings at both ends of the communication pipe 256 may be as fine as long as the refrigerant can flow. For example, the pipe diameter of the communication pipe 256 and the maximum diameter of the opening are preferably 1/2 or less, and may be 1/5 or less, of the depth of the refrigerant receiver 252.

When the refrigerant leaks from each part of the air blowing space 223 including the pipe lead-out portion 241a in the air blowing space 223, the refrigerant flows into the case 253 through the communication pipe 256 and is promptly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.

The parts of the indoor unit 2 where the refrigerant is likely to leak are, for example, the welded portion of the pipe in the pipe drawer portion 241a and the pipe connection portion 244 and 245. The refrigerant leaking from the pipe lead-out portion 241a is guided to the case 253 by the communication pipe 256 and detected by the refrigerant sensor 254. Further, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 stays in the refrigerant receiver 252, is guided to the case 253 through the opening 253a, and is detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.

In this way, the detection region 251 can quickly detect the refrigerant leaked from the pipe lead-out portion 241a and the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 by the refrigerant sensor 254. In particular, since the refrigerant receiver 252 is located below the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 and the opening 253a opens at the bottom of the refrigerant receiver 252, leakage of a refrigerant having a specific density larger than that of air can be quickly detected. Further, since the communication pipe 256 opens at the lower part of the pipe region 224, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe drawer portion 241a can be quickly detected.

Further, since the detection area 251 is partitioned from the ventilation space 223 by a partition wall 221, the refrigerant leaked at the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 is not diffused by the airflow passing through the heat exchanger 241 and is not diffused by the refrigerant sensor 254. Detected.

The refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 stays in the refrigerant receiver 252 and then diffuses from the refrigerant receiver 252 into the intake space 222. Since the amount of refrigerant staying in the refrigerant receiver 252 is sufficiently smaller than the volume of the harmonious space of the indoor unit 2, there is no possibility that the concentration of the refrigerant in the harmonious space will reach LFL. Further, when the refrigerant leaks, the refrigerant sensor 254 promptly detects the refrigerant, so that the leakage of the refrigerant can be dealt with before the concentration of the refrigerant in the harmonious space reaches LFL.

The refrigerant leaking from the pipe lead-out portion 241a enters the case 253 through the communication pipe 256 and diffuses from the refrigerant receiver 252 into the intake space 222. Further, a part of the refrigerant leaking from the pipe lead-out portion 241a is diffused by the air flow passing through the ventilation space 223. Therefore, the amount of refrigerant that reaches LFL does not stay around the pipe lead-out portion 241a.

As described above, the indoor unit 2 of the second embodiment accommodates the heat exchanger 241 and the blower fan 235 inside the housing 210. Pipe connections connected to the unit-to-unit pipes 305 and 306 at the ends of the refrigerant pipes 242 and 243 drawn from the airflow space 223 through which the airflow passing through the heat exchanger 241 flows to the intake space 222 partitioned from the airflow space 223. 244 and 245 are provided. An opening of the communication pipe 256 is provided in the partition wall 221 that divides the ventilation space 223 and the space, and the refrigerant sensor 254 is arranged below the opening and the pipe connection portions 244 and 245.

According to this, one refrigerant sensor 254 can detect the refrigerant leaked in the blower space 223 and the refrigerant leaked in the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 with high sensitivity in a state where it is difficult to be diffused by the blower airflow. Since the refrigerant sensor 254 may be arranged in a space partitioned from the ventilation space 223, it can be easily arranged according to the layout of the piping of the outdoor unit without restricting the layout of the piping.

The refrigerant sensor 254 may be arranged in a space partitioned from the ventilation space 223, and can be easily arranged so as not to restrict the layout of the piping of the indoor unit 2 as in the intake space 222, for example.

Further, the refrigerant receiver 252 is arranged below the opening of the partition wall 221 and the pipe connection portions 244 and 245.
According to this, by retaining the leaked refrigerant in the refrigerant receiver 252, the leaked refrigerant can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor 254.

Further, a case 253 communicating with the bottom of the refrigerant receiver 252 is arranged, and a refrigerant sensor 254 is arranged in the case 253.
According to this, the refrigerant staying in the refrigerant receiver 252 can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor 254. In particular, a refrigerant having a higher specific density than air can be quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.

Further, the refrigerant sensor 254 is arranged at a position facing the pipe drawing portion 241a from which the refrigerant pipes 242 and 243 are drawn from the heat exchanger 241 with the partition wall 221 interposed therebetween.
According to this, the leaked refrigerant in the pipe outlet portion 241a from which the refrigerant pipes 242 and 243 are drawn from the heat exchanger 241 easily flows into the position of the refrigerant sensor 254 through the opening of the communication pipe 256 penetrating the partition wall 221. Therefore, the refrigerant sensor 254 can detect the refrigerant leaked from the pipe lead-out portion 241a with high sensitivity.

Further, the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 are partitioned from the ventilation space 223, and are provided in the intake space 222 through which the suction air of the ventilation fans 235 and 235 flows.
According to this, the refrigerant leaked at the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 and the refrigerant flowing into the intake space through the opening of the partition wall 221 can be quickly diffused by the air flow of the blower fans 235 and 235.

Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. Since this is merely an example of one embodiment of the present invention, it can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the indoor unit 1 described in the above embodiment is an indoor unit of a duct type air conditioner, and the indoor unit 2 is an indoor unit of a ceiling-suspended air conditioner, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can be applied to various indoor units such as indoor units of ceiling-embedded cassette type air conditioners. Further, for example, the specific configuration of the refrigerant sensors 154 and 254 is arbitrary, and may be appropriately selected according to the type of the refrigerant to be detected. Further, the detailed configuration including the shape and number of the heat exchangers 141 and 241 of the indoor units 1 and 2 can be appropriately changed.

As described above, the indoor unit according to the present invention can be suitably used as an indoor unit of an air conditioner capable of sensitively detecting the leakage of refrigerant by a refrigerant sensor that can be arranged without restricting the layout of piping. ..

1, 2 Indoor unit 110 Housing 111 Front wall 111a Blower 112 Back wall 113 Right side wall 114 Left side wall 115 Bottom panel 115a Intake port 121 Partition wall 122 Intake space 123 Blower space 124 Piping area 125, 126 Partition wall 131 Fan motor 133 Drive shaft 135 Blower fan 137 Intake filter 141 Heat exchanger 141a Piping outlet 142, 143 Plumbing piping 144, 145 Piping connection 147 Piping outlet 151 Detection area 152 Refrigerator receiver 153 Case 153a Second opening 153b First opening 154 156 Communication pipe 210 Housing 211 Front wall 212 Back wall 213 Right side wall 214 Left side wall 215 Bottom panel 215a Intake port 216 Exhaust port 221 Partition wall 222 Intake space 223 Blower space 224 Piping area 231 Fan motor 233 Drive shaft 235 Blower fan 237 Intake Filter 241 Heat exchanger 241a Piping outlet 242, 243 Plumbing piping 244, 245 Piping connection 247 Piping outlet 251 Detection area 253 Case 253a Opening 254 Refrigerator sensor 254a Circuit board 254b Sensor body 256 Communication pipes 301, 302, 305 Piping between units

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a housing that houses at least a heat exchanger and a blower fan, and a refrigerant pipe and a refrigerant pipe that are provided inside the housing and are drawn out from the heat exchanger. In an indoor unit including a pipe lead-out portion for connecting the above housing and a pipe connection portion for connecting the refrigerant pipe drawn out to the outside of the housing and the inter-unit pipe connected to the outdoor unit, the pipe connection to the housing is provided. It has a first opening that communicates below the portion, and a refrigerant sensor is provided at a position near the first opening. The refrigerant sensor leaks from the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and leaking from the pipe drawer portion. A pipe that detects the refrigerant and arranges the pipe lead-out portion from the airflow flowing through the intake space, which is the space on the primary side of the blower fan, and the blower space, which is the space on the secondary side of the blower fan, inside the housing. It is characterized in that a partition wall for separating the regions is provided .
According to this, the leakage of the refrigerant from each part of the indoor unit including the portion where the refrigerant is likely to leak can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor. Since the refrigerant sensor only needs to be arranged in the area partitioned from the ventilation space, it can be easily arranged according to the layout of the piping of the outdoor unit. Therefore, the refrigerant sensor can be arranged and the leakage of the refrigerant can be detected without limiting the layout of the piping.

Claims (5)

At least a housing that houses the heat exchanger and the blower fan inside,
A pipe outlet portion provided inside the housing and connecting the refrigerant pipe drawn from the heat exchanger and the refrigerant pipe,
In an indoor unit including a pipe connection portion for connecting the refrigerant pipe drawn out to the outside of the housing and a pipe between units connected to the outdoor unit.
The housing has a first opening that communicates below the pipe connection.
A refrigerant sensor is provided near the first opening.
The refrigerant sensor detects the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant leaking from the pipe extraction portion.
An indoor unit characterized by that. A partition that separates the piping area for arranging the pipe lead-out portion from the airflow flowing through the intake space, which is the space on the primary side of the blower fan, and the airflow space, which is the space on the secondary side of the blower fan, inside the housing. Set up a wall
The indoor unit according to claim 1. The first opening is provided in the housing forming the piping region.
2. The indoor unit according to claim 2. A refrigerant receiver for mounting the refrigerant sensor is provided at a position overlapping the pipe connection portion in a plan view.
The first opening is provided between the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant receiver in the vertical direction.
The indoor unit according to claim 1. A case for accommodating the refrigerant sensor is provided in the refrigerant receiver.
The case includes a communication pipe that passes through the first opening and opens to the pipe lead-out portion.
It has a bottom of the refrigerant receiver and a second opening that communicates with the inside of the case.
The indoor unit according to claim 4, wherein the indoor unit is characterized in that.

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