JP2023051678A - Flow diverter and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress increase in radial dimension.SOLUTION: A flow diverter 12 is composed of three parts: an upper connection part 31 (first member) having a connection pipe 31a; an intermediate part 32 (third member); and a lower connection part 33 (second member) having connection pipes 33a, 33b. The intermediate part 32 is composed of two sub-members: an upper sub-part 321 including a filter ;and a lower sub-part 322 including a contraction flow part. The vicinity of the upper end of the lower connection part 33 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the lower sub-part 322 from the outside, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower subpart 322 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper subpart 321 from the outside, and the vicinity of the upper end of the upper sub-part 321 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper connection part 31 from the outside. D1≤d3, D3'≤d3', D3≤d2, D1≤d2, and D1≤d3' are established.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a flow dividing device and an air conditioner having the same.

Refrigerant flow dividing devices used in air conditioners are usually manufactured as separate parts from other functional parts such as filters. However, in that case, the number of brazing points increases, the structure becomes complicated, and the dimension in the direction along the flow becomes large. In Example 3 of Patent Document 1, a branch block and a mixing block are alternately superimposed between a tapered pipe to which an inflow pipe is connected and a lid body to which a plurality of distribution pipes are connected, thereby homogenizing the refrigerant. Disclosed is a distributor (flow diverter) that allows

JP 2012-163291 A

In the distributor disclosed in Example 3 of Patent Document 1, the branch block is inserted inside the tapered tube, the mixing block is inserted inside the lid, and the branch block and mixing block having the same outer diameter are mixed. The blocks are arranged end-to-end in the longitudinal direction. In such a construction, it is conceivable to join the butted ends to secure the branching block and the mixing block. However, in order to obtain sufficient bonding strength, it is necessary to secure a sufficient width for the abutting portion, which increases the radial dimension of the flow dividing device.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a flow dividing device capable of suppressing an increase in radial dimension, and an air conditioner having the same.

A flow dividing device according to the present disclosure includes a first member having one or more first connection parts, a second member having one or more second connection parts, and between the first member and the second member and a third member having a functional portion that acts on the refrigerant. The number of the second connection portions of the second member is different from the number of the first connection portions of the first member. The vicinity of one end of the first member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the third member, and the vicinity of the other end of the third member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the second member. As a result, coolant channels are formed between one or more of the first connection portions and one or more of the second connection portions via the third member. The outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is equal to or less than the inner diameter (d3) of the one end of the third member, and the outer diameter (D3) of the other end of the third member is The inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member is smaller than the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the first member, and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is smaller than the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member. In the present disclosure, the term “connection portion” is a concept that includes both a connection pipe and a connection hole, and specifically may be a connection pipe or a connection hole.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress an increase in the radial dimension of the flow dividing device.

It is preferable that the number of the second connection portions is larger than the number of the first connection portions. Thereby, since the second member having the second connecting portion which is the outlet is arranged so as to cover the third member from the outside, the structure of the third member can be simplified.

It is preferable that the outer diameter (D3) of the other end of the third member is smaller than the inner diameter (d3) of the one end of the third member. Thereby, it is possible to further suppress an increase in the radial dimension.

The third member may include any one of a filter, a rectifying member, a contraction member, and an agitating member.

It is preferable that the difference between the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member and the outer diameter (D3) of the other end of the third member is 0.15 mm or less. As a result, the members can be firmly joined together in the joining process by brazing.

A difference between an inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member and an outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member may be 0.15 mm or less.

It is preferable that the difference between the inner diameter (d3) of the one end of the third member and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is 0.15 mm or less. As a result, the members can be firmly joined together in the joining process by brazing.

It is preferable that the first member, the second member, and the third member are made of stainless steel. As a result, these members are less likely to be electro-contacted, their rigidity is improved, and they are resistant to vibration.

It is preferable that the third member includes a cylindrical outer peripheral portion and an inner portion positioned radially inward of the outer peripheral portion and forming the functional portion. It becomes easy to share the outer peripheral portions of the plurality of third members having different functions.

At this time, a first portion that is part of the inner portion overlaps the outer peripheral portion in the length direction, and a second portion that is another part of the inner portion overlaps the outer peripheral portion in the length direction. It is preferably non-overlapping and overlapping with the first member or the second member. This makes it possible to reduce the dimension in the length direction.

The third member is formed with a stepped portion having an enlarged diameter at the one end portion, the one end portion of the first member is in contact with the stepped portion of the third member from the inside, and the second It is preferable that the member is formed with a stepped portion having the one end portion enlarged in diameter, and the other end portion of the third member is in contact with the stepped portion of the second member from the inside. This makes it possible to reduce the dimension in the length direction.

The third member includes a first sub-member having a first functional portion that acts on the coolant and a second sub-member that has a second functional portion that acts on the coolant, and the first member a vicinity of one end of the first sub-member is covered from the outside by a vicinity of one end of the first sub-member, and a vicinity of the other end of the first sub-member is covered from the outside by a vicinity of one end of the second sub-member; The vicinity of the other end portion of the second sub-member is covered with the vicinity of the one end portion of the second member from the outside, so that the one or more first connection portions and the one or more second connection portions are separated from each other. A coolant channel passing through the first sub-member and the second sub-member is formed therebetween, and the outer diameter (D3′) of the other end of the first sub-member is equal to that of the second sub-member. It is preferable that the inner diameter (d3′) of the one end is less than or equal to the inner diameter (d3′) of the one end of the first member, and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is less than the inner diameter (d3′) of the one end of the second sub-member. . Thereby, two functional units can be provided in the flow dividing device.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is an air conditioner having a refrigerant circuit with the above-described flow dividing device.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner including a flow dividing device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outdoor heat exchanger and some refrigerant pipes included in the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1; 3 is a front view of the outdoor heat exchanger and some refrigerant pipes shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the outdoor heat exchanger and some refrigerant pipes shown in FIG. 2; Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a flow dividing device included in the outdoor heat exchanger shown in Fig. 4; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the flow dividing device (four-part configuration) shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an upper connection part included in the flow dividing device shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an upper subpart (filter) of the intermediate part included in the flow dividing device shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a lower sub-part (baffle plate) of the intermediate part included in the flow dividing device shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a lower connection part included in the flow dividing device shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a flow dividing device having a two-part configuration except for an intermediate part from the flow dividing device shown in FIG. 5 ; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a flow dividing device that has a three-part configuration by removing a part of intermediate parts from the flow dividing device shown in FIG. 5 ; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a porous body part used as an intermediate part in a flow dividing device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a screw plate used as an intermediate part in a flow dividing device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a flow dividing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a flow dividing device according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

<First Embodiment>
An air conditioner 1 including a flow dividing device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. An air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an indoor unit 2 installed indoors and an outdoor unit 3 installed outdoors. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected to each other by refrigerant pipes 19 .

The outdoor unit 3 includes a compressor 5 that compresses the refrigerant to generate a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant, an electric expansion valve 7 that decompresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 8, an accumulator (refrigerant storage device) 11, a muffler 15, A four-way switching valve 16, a gas shutoff valve 17, and a liquid shutoff valve 18 are arranged. An indoor heat exchanger 6 is arranged in the indoor unit 2 . These multiple element parts are connected by refrigerant pipes 19 to form the refrigerant circuit 4 .

The indoor heat exchanger 6 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air. An indoor fan 9 is arranged in the vicinity of the indoor heat exchanger 6 for blowing indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 6 and sending conditioned air indoors. The compressor 5 compresses the low-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges high-pressure gas refrigerant. The compressor 5 has a suction portion 5a and a discharge portion 5b. Low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked from the suction portion 5a, and high-pressure gas refrigerant is discharged in the direction of arrow D from the discharge portion 5b. The electric expansion valve 7 is arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger 8 and the indoor heat exchanger 6 in the refrigerant pipe 19 of the refrigerant circuit 4, and expands and decompresses the refrigerant that has flowed thereinto. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outdoor air. An outdoor fan 10 for blowing outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is provided near the outdoor heat exchanger 8 .

A flow dividing device 12 is arranged at the end of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 on the electric expansion valve 7 side. As will be described later, the flow dividing device 12 in this embodiment is a member in which a branched flow path is provided and a filter 326 and a contraction section 328 (both of which are shown in FIG. 5) are arranged. Two refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b (see FIGS. 2 and 4) extending from the outdoor heat exchanger 8 and one refrigerant pipe 19a on the electric expansion valve 7 side are connected to the flow dividing device 12. there is An accumulator 11 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 19b on the intake side of the compressor 5. As shown in FIG. A muffler 15 for reducing pressure pulsation of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 19 c on the discharge side of the compressor 5 .

The refrigerant pipe 19 is connected to a four-way switching valve 16 for switching refrigerant flow paths, a gas shutoff valve 17 and a liquid shutoff valve 18 . By switching the four-way switching valve 16, the flow of the refrigerant is reversed, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 is supplied to either the outdoor heat exchanger 8 or the indoor heat exchanger 6, and cooling operation and heating operation are performed. It is possible to switch. The gas shutoff valve 17 and liquid shutoff valve 18 are for opening or closing the path of the refrigerant.

During the heating operation of the air conditioner 1, the four-way switching valve 16 is switched as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 to flow the refrigerant in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow. As a result, the high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 in the direction of arrow D passes through the muffler 15 and the four-way switching valve 16 , then passes through the gas shut-off valve 17 and enters the indoor heat exchanger 6 . The high-pressure gas refrigerant releases heat in the process of becoming high-pressure liquid refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 6 . The high-pressure liquid refrigerant reaches the electric expansion valve 7 via the opened liquid closing valve 18 and is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 7 . The decompressed refrigerant reaches the outdoor heat exchanger 8, absorbs heat in the outdoor heat exchanger 8, and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. Low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 5 through the four-way switching valve 16 and the accumulator 11 . During heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 6 functions as a radiator, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 functions as a heat absorber.

On the other hand, during cooling operation, the flow of the refrigerant is reversed by switching the four-way switching valve 16 as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 1, and the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow. As a result, the high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 in the direction of arrow D enters the outdoor heat exchanger 8 after passing through the muffler 15 and the four-way switching valve 16 . The high-pressure gas refrigerant releases heat in the process of becoming high-pressure liquid refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 . The high-pressure liquid refrigerant reaches the electric expansion valve 7 and is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 7 . The decompressed refrigerant reaches the indoor heat exchanger 6 through the opened liquid closing valve 18, absorbs heat in the indoor heat exchanger 6, and becomes a low-pressure gas refrigerant. Low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 5 through the gas shutoff valve 17 , the four-way switching valve 16 and the accumulator 11 . During cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 6 functions as a heat absorber, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 functions as a radiator.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 includes a plurality of flat fins 21 stacked at predetermined intervals and a plurality of through holes provided in each fin 21. heat transfer tubes 22 (only one is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 3). Each heat transfer tube 22 is bent into an L shape, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 has a substantially L shape when viewed from above. Except for the ends that serve as the refrigerant inlet and outlet (two places each) to the outdoor heat exchanger 8, the ends provided with the openings of the heat transfer tubes 22 are formed by U-bends 23 so that the openings of other heat transfer tubes 22 are separated. It is connected with the provided end. Thus, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 of the present embodiment has two flow paths through which the refrigerant passes. Fins 21, heat transfer tubes 22 and U-bends 23 are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. A hairpin tube may be used as the heat transfer tube.

An end plate 25 made of a steel plate or the like is arranged further outside the outermost fins 21 . The end plate 25 is penetrated by the heat transfer tube 22 , and the heat transfer tube 22 is connected to the U bend 23 outside the end plate 25 . Refrigerant pipes leading to the two flow paths configured in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 are connected to the ends of the heat transfer tubes 22 to which the U-bends 23 are not connected. 2 and 4 show two refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b connected to the flow dividing device 12 of them.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the flow dividing device 12 is composed of three parts: an upper connection part 31 (first member), an intermediate part 32 (third member), and a lower connection part 33 (second member). It is The intermediate part 32 has two functional parts that act on the coolant as will be described later. The intermediate part 32 is composed of two sub-members, an upper sub-part 321 and a lower sub-part 322 . These four parts 31, 321, 322, and 33 are arranged in a row so that the vicinity of the upper end of a certain part covers the vicinity of the lower end of the part above it from the outside. That is, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower connection part 33 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the lower sub-part 322 from the outside, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower sub-part 322 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper sub-part 321 from the outside, and the upper sub-part 321 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper sub-part 321 from the outside. The vicinity of the upper end of the part 321 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper connection part 31 from the outside. In FIGS. 5 to 8, the vertical relationship is reversed from that in FIG. 4, but in the present embodiment, the vertical relationship will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the upper connection part 31 includes one cylindrical connection pipe 31a (first connection portion) and a body portion 31b connected to the lower end of the connection pipe 31a. The upper connection part 31 is made of stainless steel. The body portion 31b has a shape in which a cylindrical portion 31b2 and a truncated cone portion 31b1 connected to the connecting pipe 31a and having a larger diameter downward are combined. The connection pipe 31a is joined to the refrigerant pipe 19a by brazing. A cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b has an outer diameter D1. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 has a length L1a in the longitudinal direction (referred to as the "vertical direction" in this embodiment).

The upper sub-part 321 of the intermediate part 32 is a part that mainly functions as a filter that removes fine dust from the refrigerant and makes air bubbles fine, and is also a rectifying member that adjusts the turbulence of the flow of the refrigerant. The noise generated by the electric expansion valve 7 can be reduced by making the air bubbles fine. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7B, the upper sub-part 321 is composed of a body portion 321a and a filter portion 321b. The body portion 321a has a shape in which an upper tubular portion 323 located above and a lower tubular portion 324 located below are combined. The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 323 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower tubular portion 324 . Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 323 and the lower tubular portion 324 . Since the lower end of the lower cylindrical portion 324 is slightly tapered toward the inside, the filter portion 321b is prevented from falling off. The upper subpart 321 is made of stainless steel. However, the filter 326 described below may be made of materials other than stainless steel.

A filter portion 321b as an inner portion of the intermediate part 32 and the upper sub-part 321 is positioned radially inside the lower cylindrical portion 324 of the main body portion 321a. The filter portion 321b is the first functional portion of the intermediate part 32, and is composed of a cylindrical holding portion 325 and a dome-shaped filter 326, which is a mesh having a large number of fine holes. The holding portion 325 is arranged along the inner peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 324 of the main body portion 321 a and fixed to the lower tubular portion 324 . Filter 326 is fixed to holding portion 325 near its upper end. The fixing means at these two points may be mechanical such as gripping or crimping, or may be chemical using an adhesive or the like. In the filter 326, the functional area through which the refrigerant passes, excluding the area overlapping the holding portion 325 or the lower tubular portion 324, extends from the lower tubular portion 324 of the main body portion 321a toward the side opposite to the upper tubular portion 323 and the upper connection part 31. protruding. Thus, in this embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the filter 326 and the holding portion 325 (together, the first portion of the inner portion) vertically overlaps the lower cylindrical portion 324 that is the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate part 32. are doing. The functional region (the second portion of the inner portion) of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes does not overlap with the lower tubular portion 324 in the vertical direction, and does not overlap with the lower tubular portion 328a of the lower sub-part 328 described later. Duplicate.

The upper tubular portion 323 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper tubular portion 323 has an inner diameter d3 and the lower tubular portion 324 has an outer diameter D3'. The outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 has a length L3a in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 324 has a length L3b in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (D1≤d3). However, the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter d3 is 0.15 mm or less (d3-D1≤0.15 mm). When the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is smaller than the inner diameter d3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (D1<d3), there is a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 and the inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323. There is an intervening brazing braze with a thickness equal to the difference. This also applies to other brazing points. The outer diameter D3' of the lower tubular portion 324 is smaller than the inner diameter d3 of the upper tubular portion 323 (D3'<d3). In addition, the length L1a of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L3a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (L1a>L3a). The lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 abuts on the stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 323 and the lower tubular portion 324 from the inside.

The lower sub-part 322 of the intermediate part 32 is a part (baffle plate) that has a contraction function that discharges the refrigerant that has passed through the filter 326 in a narrower range than the functional area (passable range) of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes. is. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7C, the lower sub-part 322 has a shape in which an upper cylindrical portion 327 located above and a constricted flow portion 328 located below are combined. The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 327 is larger than the outer diameter of the contracted flow portion 328 . Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 327 and the contracted flow portion 328 . The contraction portion 328 is a second functional portion of the intermediate part 32, and includes a lower tubular portion 328a connected to the upper tubular portion 327, and a lower tubular portion 328a connected to a lower end portion of the lower tubular portion 328a. and a disk portion 328b that closes the opening. The lower cylindrical portion 328a vertically overlaps the functional region of the filter 326 through which the refrigerant passes. The disc portion 328b has a pipe portion 41 protruding downward at its central portion. The pipe portion 41 communicates with the space inside the lower tubular portion 328a through an opening at its upper end. An opening 41 a is provided at the lower end of the tube portion 41 . The lower subpart 322 is made of stainless steel.

The upper tubular portion 327 covers the lower tubular portion 324 of the upper sub-part 321 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 327 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 324 of the upper sub-part 321 by brazing or welding. The upper tubular portion 327 has an inner diameter d3' and the contracted portion 328 has an outer diameter D3. The outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 327 has a length L3c in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral surface of the contracted flow portion 328 has a length L3d in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter D3' of the lower tubular portion 324 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter d3' of the upper tubular portion 327 (D3'≤d3'). However, the difference between the outer diameter D3' and the inner diameter d3' is 0.15 mm or less (d3'-D3'≤0.15 mm). The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d3' of the upper cylindrical portion 327 (D1≤d3'). However, the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter d3' is 0.15 mm or less (d3'-D1≤0.15 mm). The outer diameter D3 of the contracted flow portion 328 is smaller than the inner diameter d3' of the upper tubular portion 327 (D3<d3'). Further, the length L3b of the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 324 is longer than the length L3c of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 327 (L3b>L3c). Therefore, the lower end portion of the lower tubular portion 324 is in contact with the stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 327 and the constricted flow portion 328 from the inside.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7D, the lower connection part 33 is composed of two cylindrical connection pipes 33a and 33b (second connection portions) and a body portion 33c connected to the upper ends of the connection pipes 33a and 33b. It is configured. The connection pipes 33a, 33b are connected to refrigerant pipes 26a, 26b, respectively. The two connection pipes 33a and 33b are provided symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the lower connection part 33 while being separated from each other. The body portion 33c includes an upper tubular portion 333 located above, a lower tubular portion 334 located below and connected to the connection pipes 33a and 33b, and a lower tubular portion 334 connected to the lower end of the lower tubular portion 334. It has a shape combined with a disk portion 335 that closes the lower opening. Two through holes are provided in the disk portion 335, and the two connection pipes 33a and 33b and the space inside the lower cylindrical portion 334 are communicated through these through holes. The opening 41a of the tube portion 41 provided in the lower sub-part 322 faces the wall between the two through-holes in the central portion of the disc portion 335 . The opening 41a of the tube portion 41 is perpendicular to the wall between the two through holes. The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 333 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower tubular portion 334 . Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 333 and the lower tubular portion 334 . The lower connection part 33 is made of stainless steel.

The upper tubular portion 333 covers the contracted flow portion 328 of the lower sub-part 322 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the contracted flow portion 328 of the lower sub-part 322 by brazing or welding. The upper cylindrical portion 333 of the body portion 33c has an inner diameter d2. The outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 333 has a length L2a in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter D3 of the contracted flow portion 328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d2 of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (D3≤d2). However, the difference between the outer diameter D3 and the inner diameter d2 is 0.15 mm or less (d2-D3≤0.15 mm). The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d2 of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (D1≤d2). However, the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter d2 is 0.15 mm or less (d2-D1≤0.15 mm). Furthermore, the outer diameter D3 of the contracted flow portion 328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (D3≤d3). The length L3d of the outer peripheral surface of the contracted flow portion 328 is longer than the length L2a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylinder portion 333 (L3d>L2a). Therefore, the lower end portion of the contracted flow portion 328 is in contact with the stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 333 and the lower tubular portion 334 from the inside. In this embodiment, D1=D3'=D3 and d3=d3'=d2 may be satisfied.

Next, in the flow dividing device 12 according to the present embodiment, the process until the refrigerant flowing from the connecting pipe 31a of the upper connecting part 31 passes through the intermediate part 32 and is discharged from the two connecting pipes 33a and 33b of the lower connecting part 33. will be explained.

Refrigerant that has flowed from the connection pipe 31 a of the upper connection part 31 enters the body portion 31 b from the connection pipe 31 a and spreads slightly toward the filter 326 . The filter 326 removes fine dust from the refrigerant, reduces air bubbles, and regulates turbulence in the flow of the refrigerant. The flow velocity of the refrigerant immediately before passing through the filter 326 is large in the extension area of the connecting pipe 31a, and becomes smaller as it deviates from there. Although this tendency is alleviated by passing through the filter 326, the flow velocity of the refrigerant still varies greatly depending on the location. Therefore, if the flow dividing device 12 does not include the lower sub-part 322, the refrigerant that has passed through the filter 326 flows into the connection pipes 33a and 33b with a large variation in flow velocity. Therefore, a large difference in flow rate may occur between the connection pipe 33a and the connection pipe 33b.

However, in this embodiment, since the flow dividing device 12 includes the lower sub-part 322, the refrigerant that has passed through the filter 326 is once concentrated in the tube portion 41 and discharged from the opening 41a. Furthermore, as described above, since the opening 41a of the tube portion 41 faces the wall of the central portion of the disk portion 335 so as to be orthogonal, the refrigerant that has collided with the disk portion 335 can travel in any direction within the horizontal plane from the collision area. spreads almost evenly across the Since the two connecting pipes 33a and 33b are in a symmetrical positional relationship with respect to the collision area, a large difference between the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the connecting pipe 33a and the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the connecting pipe 33b is suppressed. Almost the same amount of refrigerant is discharged from the connection pipe 33a and the connection pipe 33b.

The flow dividing device 12 according to the present embodiment is composed of three parts, an upper connection part 31, an intermediate part 32, and a lower connection part 33. However, the upper connection part 31 and the lower connection part 33 can be directly connected. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a flow diverter 12' configured in this manner. The upper cylindrical portion 333 of the lower connecting part 33 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the upper connecting part 31 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 by brazing or welding. As described above, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d2 of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (D1≤d2). Further, the length L1a of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L2a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (L1a>L2a). A lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper cylindrical portion 333 and the lower cylindrical portion 334 from the inside. Flow diverter 12' does not function as a filter and flow constrictor.

Also, the flow dividing device 12 according to the present embodiment can have a three-part configuration in which one of the two sub-parts 321 and 322 of the intermediate part 32 is omitted. For example, the lower sub-part 322 can be omitted to form a three-part configuration consisting of the upper connecting part 31 , the upper sub-part 321 and the lower connecting part 33 . FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the flow dividing device 12″ configured in this way. The upper tubular portion 333 covers the lower tubular portion 324 of the upper sub-part 321 from the outside, and the inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 323 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 by brazing or welding. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 333 is joined by brazing or welding to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 324. As described above, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter d3 of the upper tubular portion 323. (D1≦d3) The outer diameter D3′ of the lower tubular portion 324 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter d2 of the upper tubular portion 333 (D3′≦d2), provided that the difference between the outer diameter D3′ and the inner diameter d2 is 0.15 mm. (d2−D3′≦0.15 mm) Further, the length L1a of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L3a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (L1a>L3a). The length L3b of the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 324 is greater than the length L2a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 333 (L3b>L2a). It abuts from the inside on a stepped portion formed at the boundary of the cylindrical portion 334. The flow dividing device 12'' functions as a filter but does not function as a flow constrictor. This flow dividing device 12″ can be said to be a flow dividing device having a three-part configuration using the upper sub-part 321 as an intermediate part. It is possible to have a three-part configuration consisting of an upper connection part 31, a lower sub-part 322, and a lower connection part 33. Such a flow dividing device 12 functions as a contraction member, but does not function as a filter.

As described above, in the flow dividing device 12 according to this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b of the upper connection part 31 is covered with the upper cylindrical portion 323 of the upper sub-part 321 from the outside. The lower tubular portion 324 is covered from the outside by the upper tubular portion 327 of the lower sub-part 322, and the contraction portion 328 of the lower sub-part 322 is covered from the outside by the upper tubular portion 333 of the lower connection part 33. Thereby, a coolant channel is formed between one connecting pipe 31a and two connecting pipes 33a and 33b. This refrigerant flow path is a branched flow path having one connection pipe provided on one side and two connection pipes provided on the other side. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d3 of the upper cylindrical portion 323 (D1≤d3), and the outer diameter D3 of the contracted portion 328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d2 of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (D3≤d2). , the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d2 of the upper cylindrical portion 333 (D1≤d2). For example, when D1≤d2 does not hold, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is relatively large. In the present embodiment, since the above conditions are satisfied, it is possible to suppress the size of the flow dividing device 12 from increasing in the radial direction.

In addition, since the flow dividing device 12 according to the present embodiment includes the filter 326 inside, the total length of the flow dividing device and the filter when the filter is included in a separate member outside the flow dividing device is Therefore, the length in the vertical direction can be reduced.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the condition that the outer diameter D3 of the contracted flow portion 328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d3 of the upper tubular portion 323 (D3≦d3) is established. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the size of the flow dividing device 12 from increasing in the radial direction. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the outer diameter D3′ of the lower cylindrical portion 324 is less than or equal to the inner diameter d3′ of the upper cylindrical portion 327 (D3′≦d3′), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b is the upper cylindrical portion 327. The condition that the inner diameter d3' or less (D1≤d3') of the is also satisfied. As a result, it is possible to more effectively suppress an increase in the size of the flow dividing device 12 having the above-described four-part configuration in the radial direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, the flow dividing device 12 divides the refrigerant entering from one connecting pipe 31a into two connecting pipes 33a and 33b. It is effective for the function of the filter 326 and contracted flow section 328 to have a shape that swells toward the downstream side of the flow. In particular, in the constricted flow section 328, the opening 41a of the pipe section 41 is brought closer to the disk section 335, so that the effect of distributing the refrigerant more uniformly can be expected. Therefore, if an upstream (upper side in this embodiment) part covers a downstream (lower side in this embodiment) part, the upper sub-part 321 will be closer to the lower tubular part 324 than the lower cylindrical part 324 . It becomes necessary to form another tubular portion downstream (to cover the upper tubular portion 327 or the constricted flow portion 328 from the outside). covering the portion 333 or the lower cylindrical portion 334 from the outside), which complicates the structures of the upper sub-part 321 and the lower sub-part 322 . On the other hand, in the flow dividing device 12 according to this embodiment, the lower connection part 33 having the connection ports 33a and 33b serving as outlets covers the lower subpart 322 from the outside, and the lower subpart 322 covers the upper subpart 321 from the outside. Since the upper subpart 321 covers the upper connection part 31 from the outside, the structures of the upper subpart 321 and the lower subpart 322 can be simplified. This is also the case with the flow dividing device 12'' shown in FIG. 8B.

Further, in the present embodiment, the difference between the outer diameter D3 and the inner diameter d2 is 0.15 mm or less (d2-D3≦0.15 mm), and the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter d3 is 0.15 mm or less (d3- D1≦0.15 mm), and the difference between the outer diameter D3′ and the inner diameter d3′ is 0.15 mm or less (d3′−D3′≦0.15 mm). As described above, the four parts 31, 321, 322, 33 forming the flow dividing device 12 are joined by brazing. In brazing, the capillary action is used to penetrate the braze between the parts. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the gap dimension between the parts. Therefore, by satisfying the above numerical conditions, it is possible to firmly join the parts together. In addition, since the difference between the outer diameter D1 and the inner diameter d2 is 0.15 mm or less (d2-D1≦0.15 mm), the upper connection part 31 and the lower connection part 33 are directly connected as shown in FIG. 8A. A similar effect can be expected in the device 12'. Furthermore, since the difference between the outer diameter D3′ and the inner diameter d2 is 0.15 mm or less (d2−D3′≦0.15 mm), the upper sub-part 321 and the lower connecting part 33 are directly connected as shown in FIG. 8B. A similar effect can be expected for the flow dividing device 12'.

In the embodiment described above, all parts are made of stainless steel, so these parts are less prone to electrolytic corrosion. In addition, the rigidity of the parts is improved and it becomes strong against vibration.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the upper sub-part 321 including the filter 326 includes the lower tubular portion 324, which is a tubular outer peripheral portion, and the filter portion 321b located radially inside the lower tubular portion 324. . A holding portion 325 arranged and fixed along the inner peripheral surface of the lower cylindrical portion 324 holds a filter 326 . With such a structure, the filter portion 321b or the filter 326 can be replaced with another filter having a mesh size different from that of the filter 326 or a filter without changing the size or shape of the lower cylinder portion 324 at all. It is easy to replace with another part having a different function. That is, it becomes easy to share the outer peripheral portion in a plurality of functional members.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the filter 326, which is the first portion of the filter portion 321b, and the holding portion 325 vertically overlap the lower tubular portion 324, which is the outer peripheral portion. The functional region of the filter 326, which is the second portion of the filter portion 321b, through which the refrigerant passes does not overlap with the lower tubular portion 324 in the vertical direction and overlaps with the lower tubular portion 328a of the lower sub-part 322. there is By overlapping the second portion with another member in this manner, the vertical dimension of the flow dividing device 12 can be made smaller than when the second portion does not overlap. As a modification, the second portion of the filter portion 321b may overlap the upper connection part 31 in the vertical direction. Also, in the case of a three-part configuration that does not use the lower sub-part 322, it may overlap with the lower cylindrical portion 334 of the lower connection part 33 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 8B.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 abuts on the stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 323 and the lower tubular portion 324 from the inside. A lower end portion of the lower tubular portion 324 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 327 and the constricted flow portion 328 from the inside. A lower end portion of the contracted flow portion 328 is in contact with a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 333 and the lower tubular portion 334 from the inside. By adopting such a structure, the flow dividing device 12 of the present embodiment realizes an improvement in stability and a reduction in vertical dimension.

In addition, in this embodiment, the intermediate part 32 is composed of two sub-members, the upper sub-part 321 and the lower sub-part 322, each having a functional part. can have.

In addition, since the flow dividing device 12 according to the present embodiment can join the four parts together by brazing, the parts are less likely to rattle, and the manufacturing process is simplified. Moreover, in the flow dividing device 12 according to this embodiment, the parts 31, 321a, 322, and 33 can be manufactured by press working. Therefore, in the manufacturing process, both ends of the parts do not need to be squeezed, so that the production is facilitated.

Although the case where the refrigerant flows from the connecting pipe 31a toward the connecting pipes 33a and 33b has been mainly described so far, the filter 326 can also flow from the connecting pipes 33a and 33b toward the connecting pipe 31a. It functions to remove fine dust from the refrigerant and to make air bubbles fine. Also, at this time, the contracting portion 328 functions to adjust the flow of the refrigerant in the direction along the connecting pipe 31a.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a flow dividing device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The flow dividing device according to this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that a part holding a porous body is used as an intermediate part. Therefore, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below. An intermediate part 521 shown in FIG. 9 is used as a substitute for the intermediate part 32 shown in FIG. The structure of the middle part 521 is similar to the upper sub-part 321 of the first embodiment.

The intermediate part 521 is a part that mainly functions as a rectifying member that reduces air bubbles in the refrigerant in order to reduce noise generated when the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 19 . As shown in FIG. 9, the intermediate part 521 is composed of a body portion 521a and a porous body 526. As shown in FIG. The body portion 521a has a shape in which an upper tubular portion 523 located above and a lower tubular portion 524 located below are combined. The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 523 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower tubular portion 524 . Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 523 and the lower tubular portion 524 . The lower end of the lower cylindrical portion 524 is slightly tapered inward, thereby preventing the porous body 526 from falling off. A porous body 526 is fixed to the lower cylindrical portion 524 . Fixation may be performed using any known means.

The functional region of the porous body 526 through which the refrigerant passes, excluding the region overlapping the lower tubular portion 524, protrudes from the lower tubular portion 524 of the main body 521a toward the side opposite to the upper tubular portion 523 and the upper connecting part 31. ing. Thus, in this embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the porous body 526 (the first portion of the inner portion) vertically overlaps the lower cylindrical portion 524 that is the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate part 521 . The functional region (the second portion of the inner portion) of the porous body 526 through which the coolant passes does not overlap with the lower cylindrical portion 524 and overlaps with the lower connecting part 33 in the vertical direction.

In the body portion 521a, the upper cylinder portion 523 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 523 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper tubular portion 523 has an inner diameter d3 and the lower tubular portion 524 has an outer diameter D3. The outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 523 has a length L3a in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 524 has a length L3b in the vertical direction. The dimensional relationship in the flow dividing device of the present embodiment is the same as explained with reference to FIG. 8B if D3' is replaced with D3.

The flow dividing device according to the present embodiment can be easily manufactured by simply replacing the intermediate parts 32 with the intermediate parts 521 in the flow dividing device 12 according to the first embodiment. Then, at least part of the effects described in the above-described first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the flow dividing device of the present embodiment, a lower subpart is placed below the intermediate part 521 so that the vicinity of the upper end of the lower subpart 322 described in the first embodiment covers the vicinity of the lower end of the intermediate part 521 from the outside. 322 and use these two parts as an intermediate part to form a four-part structure.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a flow dividing device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The flow dividing device according to this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that a part (screw plate) having a plurality of openings formed at the downstream end is used as an intermediate part. Therefore, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below. An intermediate part 621 shown in FIG. 10 is used as a substitute for the intermediate part 32 shown in FIG. The structure of the intermediate part 621 is similar to the lower subpart 322 of the first embodiment.

The intermediate part 621 is a part having a stirring function that mainly mixes gas and liquid. As shown in FIG. 10, the intermediate part 621 includes an upper tubular portion 623 located above, a lower tubular portion 624 connected to the upper tubular portion 623, and a lower tubular portion 624 connected to the lower end of the lower tubular portion 624. and a disk portion 625 closing the lower opening of 624 . The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 623 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower tubular portion 624 . Eight fan-shaped openings are formed in the disc portion 625 by lifting eight fan-shaped pieces 626 of the same shape and size so as to be cantilevered on the side along the radial direction, respectively (for example, 15° to 45°). 627 is provided. The position of the side supporting the eight fan-shaped pieces 626 is common to all the fan-shaped pieces 626, and is the left side when the vertices of the respective fan-shaped pieces 626 are arranged in front. The eight openings 627 are arranged evenly in the circumferential direction. The coolant passing through the intermediate part 621 from top to bottom is changed in direction by interfering with the fan-shaped pieces 626 after passing through the openings 627 . As a result, a clockwise rotating flow occurs in the coolant when viewed from the bottom in FIG. 10 .

The upper cylindrical portion 623 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 623 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper tubular portion 623 has an inner diameter d3 and the lower tubular portion 624 has an outer diameter D3. The outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 623 has a length L3a in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 624 has a length L3b in the vertical direction. These dimensional relationships in the flow dividing device of the present embodiment are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 8B if the outer shape D3' is replaced with D3.

The flow dividing device according to this embodiment can be easily manufactured by simply replacing the intermediate part 32 with the intermediate part 621 in the flow dividing device 12 according to the first embodiment. Then, at least part of the effects described in the above-described first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the flow dividing device of this embodiment, the upper sub-part 321 is further arranged above the intermediate part 621 so that the vicinity of the upper end of the intermediate part 621 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper sub-part 321 explained in the first embodiment from the outside. , and these two parts may be used as an intermediate part to form a four-part structure.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Next, a flow dividing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . The flow dividing device according to this embodiment can be used as an alternative to the flow dividing device 12 shown in FIG. It is the same as the first embodiment except that it is not divided into . Therefore, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below.

The flow dividing device 112 shown in FIG. 11 is composed of three parts: an upper connection part 31 (first member), an intermediate part 132 (third member), and a lower connection part 133 (second member). These three parts 31, 132, 133 are arranged in a row so that the vicinity of the upper end of a certain part covers the vicinity of the lower end of the part above it from the outside. That is, the vicinity of the upper end of the lower connection part 133 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the intermediate part 132 from the outside, and the vicinity of the upper end of the intermediate part 132 covers the vicinity of the lower end of the upper connection part 31 from the outside. In FIG. 11, the top and bottom are reversed from those in FIG. 4, but in this embodiment, the top and bottom relationship will be described with reference to FIG.

Since the upper connection part 31 is the same as that described in the first embodiment, details thereof are omitted. The intermediate part 132 has two functional parts that act on the coolant as will be described later. The intermediate part 132 is composed of a body portion 1322a and a filter portion 1322b. The body portion 1322a has a shape in which an upper cylindrical portion 1327 located above and a constricted flow portion 1328 located below are combined. The contracting portion 1328 includes a lower tubular portion 1328a connected to the upper tubular portion 1327, and a disk portion 1328b connected to the lower end of the lower tubular portion 1328a and closing the lower opening of the lower tubular portion 1328a. The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 1327 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower tubular portion 1328a. Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 1327 and the lower tubular portion 1328a.

The intermediate part 132 and the filter portion 1322b as an inner portion of the main body portion 1322a are positioned radially inside the upper tubular portion 1327 of the main body portion 1322a. The filter portion 1322b is a first functional portion of the intermediate part 132 and is composed of a cylindrical holding portion 1325 and a filter 1326. As shown in FIG. Filter 1326 has the same shape and function as filter 326 described in the first embodiment. The holding portion 1325 is arranged along the inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 1327 of the main body portion 1322a and fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 1327 . The upper end of the holding portion 1325 is in contact with the lower end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b. Filter 1326 is fixed to holding portion 1325 near its upper end. Fixing means at these two locations may be mechanical such as gripping, crimping, or caulking, or may be chemical using an adhesive or the like. The functional region of the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes, excluding the region overlapping the holding portion 1325 or the lower cylindrical portion 1328a, protrudes from the upper cylindrical portion 1327 of the main body portion 1322a toward the side opposite to the upper connecting part 31. As described above, in this embodiment, the vicinity of the upper end of the filter 1326 and the holding portion 1325 (together, the first portion of the inner portion) vertically overlaps the upper cylindrical portion 1327 that is the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate part 132. are doing. The functional region (the second portion of the inner portion) of the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes does not overlap with the upper cylindrical portion 1327 in the vertical direction and is above the lower cylindrical portion 1328a and the lower connecting part 133 described later. It overlaps with the cylindrical portion 1333 .

The upper tubular portion 1327 covers the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 1327 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b by brazing or welding. The upper tubular portion 1327 has an inner diameter d13 (corresponding to d3 in the first embodiment), and the lower tubular portion 1328a has an outer diameter D13 (corresponding to D3 in the first embodiment). In this embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d13 of the upper cylindrical portion 1327 (D1≤d13), and d13-D1≤0.15 mm. The outer diameter D13 of the lower tubular portion 1328a is smaller than the inner diameter d13 of the upper tubular portion 1327 (D13<d13). In addition, the length L11a of the outer peripheral surface from the lower end of the upper tubular portion 1327 to the upper end of the cylindrical portion 31b2 is longer than the length L13a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 1327 (L11a>L13a). A lower end portion of the holding portion 1325 abuts from the inside on a stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 1327 and the lower tubular portion 1328a.

The main body 1322a of the intermediate part 132 is a member (baffle plate) having a contraction function that discharges the refrigerant that has passed through the filter 1326 in a narrower range than the functional area (passable range) of the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes. . A contracted flow portion 1328 of the body portion 1322 a is the second functional portion of the intermediate part 132 . The lower tubular portion 1328a vertically overlaps the functional area of the filter 1326 through which the refrigerant passes. The disc portion 1328b has a pipe portion 141 protruding downward at its central portion. The pipe portion 141 communicates with the space inside the lower cylindrical portion 1328a through an opening at its upper end. An opening 141 a is provided at the lower end of the tube portion 141 .

In this embodiment, the lower connection part 133 is composed of two sub-members, an upper sub-part 1331 made of stainless steel and a lower sub-part 1335 made of aluminum. The upper sub-part 1331 has a shape in which an upper tubular portion 1333 located above and a lower tubular portion 1334 located below are combined. The outer diameter of the upper tubular portion 1333 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower tubular portion 1334 . Therefore, an inclined stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 1333 and the lower tubular portion 1334 . The upper portion of the lower subpart 1335 is arranged inside the lower tubular portion 1334 . The upper end of the lower sub-part 1335 is at the same position as the lower end of the stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 1333 and the lower tubular portion 1334 . The lower subpart 1335 is fixed to the lower tubular portion 1334 by brazing.

The lower sub-part 1335 is formed with two cylindrical connecting holes 133a and 133b (second connecting portions) penetrating vertically. The connection holes 133a and 133b communicate with lower holes 133a1 and 133b1 having the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b, and upper ends of the lower holes 133a1 and 133b1. upper holes 133a2 and 133b2 having inner diameters smaller than the inner diameter. The connection holes 133 a and 133 b are provided symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the lower sub-part 1335 while being separated from each other. Refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b are inserted into the lower holes 133a1 and 133b1 and fixed by brazing. In FIG. 11, illustration of the refrigerant pipe 26a is omitted. A space surrounded by the contracted flow portion 1328, the lower sub-part 1335 and the upper sub-part 1331 communicates with the upper holes 133a2 and 133b2. The opening 141a of the pipe portion 141 provided in the contracted portion 1328 faces the wall located at the center of the upper surface of the lower sub-part 1335 and between the two connection holes 133a and 133b. The opening 141a of the tube portion 141 is perpendicular to the wall between the two connecting holes 133a, 133b.

The upper tubular portion 1333 covers the contracted flow portion 1328 of the intermediate part 132 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 1333 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 by brazing or welding. The outer peripheral surface of the upper cylindrical portion 1333 has a length L12a in the vertical direction. The upper tubular portion 1333 has an inner diameter d12 (corresponding to d2 in the first embodiment). The outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 1328a has a length L13b in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter D13 of the lower tubular portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter d12 of the upper tubular portion 1333 (D13≦d12), and d12−D13≦0.15 mm. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter d12 of the upper cylindrical portion 1333 (D1≤d12), and d12-D1≤0.15 mm. Further, the outer diameter D13 of the lower tubular portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is less than or equal to the inner diameter d13 of the upper tubular portion 1327 (D13≤d13). Further, the length L13b of the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is shorter than the length L12a of the outer peripheral surface of the upper tubular portion 1333 (L13b<L12a). The upper end of the upper tubular portion 1333 contacts the lower end of the step formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 1327 and the lower tubular portion 1328a from the outside. In this embodiment, D1=D13 and d13=d12 may be established.

As described above, in the flow dividing device 112 according to this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b of the upper connection part 31 is covered with the upper cylindrical portion 1327 of the intermediate part 132 from the outside, By covering the cylindrical portion 1328a with the upper cylindrical portion 1333 of the lower connection part 133 from the outside, a coolant flow path is formed between one connection pipe 31a and the two connection holes 133a and 133b. This refrigerant flow path is a branched flow path having one connection pipe provided on one side and two connection holes provided on the other side. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d13 of the upper cylindrical portion 1327 (D1≤d13), and the outer diameter D13 of the lower cylindrical portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d12 of the upper cylindrical portion 1333. (D13≤d12), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d12 of the upper cylindrical portion 1333 (D1≤d12). For example, when D1≤d12 does not hold, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is relatively large. In this embodiment, since the above conditions are satisfied, it is possible to suppress the size of the flow dividing device 112 from increasing in the radial direction. In addition, according to this embodiment, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured at a lower cost than the first embodiment, and compared to the fifth embodiment described later, the aluminum member (lower sub-part 1335) is used. There is an advantage that the amount used can be reduced and the amount of cutting of the aluminum member is reduced. Moreover, according to this embodiment, one or more other effects described in the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Fifth Embodiment>
Next, a flow dividing device according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 12 . The flow dividing device according to this embodiment can be used as a substitute for the flow dividing device 12 shown in FIG. 4, and is the same as the fourth embodiment except that the lower connection part is composed of one part. Therefore, the differences from the fourth embodiment will be mainly described below.

A flow dividing device 212 shown in FIG. 12 is composed of three parts: an upper connection part 31 (first member), an intermediate part 132 (third member), and a lower connection part 233 (second member). These three parts 31, 132, 233 are arranged in a row so that the vicinity of the upper end of a certain part covers the vicinity of the lower end of the part above it from the outside. In FIG. 12, the top and bottom are reversed from those in FIG. 4, but in this embodiment, the top and bottom relationship will be described with reference to FIG.

Since the upper connection part 31 and the intermediate part 132 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, details thereof are omitted.

In this embodiment, the lower connection part 233 is a machined aluminum member. A columnar concave portion 234 is provided on the upper surface of the lower connection part 233 . By providing the recess 234 , a cylindrical portion 235 with a closed lower end is formed around the recess 234 . The tubular portion 235 covers the contracted flow portion 1328 of the intermediate part 132 from the outside. The inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 235 is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 by brazing or welding.

The outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 235 has a length L22a in the vertical direction. The cylindrical portion 235 has an inner diameter d22 (corresponding to d2 in the first embodiment). The outer peripheral surface of the lower tubular portion 1328a has a length L13b in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter D13 of the lower cylindrical portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d22 of the cylindrical portion 235 (D13≤d22), and d22-D13≤0.15 mm. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d22 of the cylindrical portion 235 (D1≦d22), and d22−D1≦0.15 mm. The upper end of the tubular portion 235 abuts from the outside the lower end of the stepped portion formed at the boundary between the upper tubular portion 1327 and the lower tubular portion 1328a. In this embodiment, D1=D13 and d13=d22 may be established.

The lower connection part 233 is formed with two columnar connection holes 233a and 233b (second connection portions) penetrating vertically. The connection holes 233a and 233b communicate with lower holes 233a1 and 233b1 having the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b, and upper ends of the lower holes 233a1 and 233b1. and upper holes 233a2 and 233b2 having inner diameters smaller than the inner diameter. The connection holes 233 a and 233 b are provided symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the lower connection part 233 while being separated from each other. Refrigerant pipes 26a and 26b are inserted into the lower holes 233a1 and 233b1 and fixed by brazing. In FIG. 12, illustration of the refrigerant pipe 26a is omitted. A space surrounded by the contracted flow portion 1328 and the lower connection part 233 communicates with the upper holes 233a2 and 233b2. The opening 141a of the tube portion 141 provided in the contracted flow portion 1328 faces the wall located at the center of the upper surface of the lower connection part 233 and between the two connection holes 233a and 233b. The opening 141a of the tube portion 141 is perpendicular to the wall between the two connecting holes 233a, 233b.

As described above, in the flow dividing device 212 according to this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the main body portion 31b of the upper connection part 31 is covered with the upper cylindrical portion 1327 of the intermediate part 132 from the outside, By covering the tubular portion 1328a with the tubular portion 235 of the lower connection part 233 from the outside, a coolant flow path is formed between one connection pipe 31a and the two connection holes 233a and 233b. This refrigerant flow path is a branched flow path having one connection pipe provided on one side and two connection holes provided on the other side. The outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d13 of the upper cylindrical portion 1327 (D1≤d13), and the outer diameter D13 of the lower cylindrical portion 1328a of the contracted flow portion 1328 is equal to or less than the inner diameter d12 of the upper cylindrical portion 1333. (D13≤d12), and the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is equal to or less than the inner diameter d22 of the cylindrical portion 235 (D1≤d22). For example, when D1≦d22 does not hold, the outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical portion 31b2 of the body portion 31b is relatively large. In this embodiment, since the above conditions are satisfied, it is possible to suppress the size of the flow dividing device 212 from increasing in the radial direction. Moreover, according to this embodiment, compared with the fourth embodiment, there is an advantage that the number of brazing points can be reduced because the lower connection part is a single part. Moreover, according to this embodiment, one or more other effects described in the first embodiment can be obtained.

Also in the flow dividing devices according to the fourth and fifth embodiments described above, it is possible to adopt a two-part configuration in which the intermediate part 132 is omitted as described in the first embodiment. Further, in the fourth and fifth embodiments, as in the first embodiment, the intermediate part 132 may be separated into an upper subpart holding the filter and a lower subpart having a contraction portion.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiments, the intermediate part includes one or two sub-members, but the intermediate part may include any number of sub-members equal to or greater than three. Also, in such a case, each sub-member can be used alone as an intermediate part (third member). Also, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the number of second connection portions is greater than the number of first connection portions has been described, but the number of first connection portions may be greater than the number of second connection portions. The number of first connections and the number of second connections can be any number as long as they are different. For example, the number of second connections may be three or four. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the flow dividing device in the outdoor heat exchanger 24 has been described as an example, but the flow dividing device of the present disclosure may be in the indoor heat exchanger 11 .

Although the embodiments have been described above, it will be appreciated that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 air conditioner 2 indoor unit 3 outdoor unit 8 outdoor heat exchanger 12 flow dividing device 19 refrigerant pipe 22 heat transfer pipes 26a, 26b refrigerant pipe 31 upper connection parts (first member)
31a connecting pipe (first connecting part)
31b main body portion 31b1 truncated conical cylindrical portion 31b2 cylindrical portion 32 intermediate part (third member)
321 upper subpart 322 lower subpart 321a main body 321b filter 323 upper cylinder 324 lower cylinder 325 holding part 326 filter 327 upper cylinder 328 contraction part 328a lower cylinder 328b disc 33 lower connection part (second Element)
33a, 33b connecting pipe (second connecting part)
33c body portion 333 upper cylinder portion 334 lower cylinder portion 335 disk portion 41 pipe portion 41a opening

The third member includes a first sub-member having a first functional portion that acts on the coolant and a second sub-member that has a second functional portion that acts on the coolant, and the first member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the first sub-member, and the vicinity of the other end of the first sub-member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the second sub-member , the vicinity of the other end of the second sub-member is covered with the vicinity of the one end of the second member from the outside, so that the one or more first connection portions and the one or more second connection portions A coolant flow path passing through the first sub-member and the second sub-member is formed between the The inner diameter (d3′) of the one end of the member is equal to or less than the inner diameter (d3′) of the one end of the first member, and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is equal to or less than the inner diameter (d3′) of the one end of the second sub-member. is preferred. Thereby, two functional units can be provided in the flow dividing device.

Claims (13)

a first member having one or more first connections;
a second member having one or more second connections;
A third member disposed between the first member and the second member and having a functional portion that acts on the refrigerant,
The number of the second connection portions of the second member is different from the number of the first connection portions of the first member,
The vicinity of one end of the first member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the third member, and the vicinity of the other end of the third member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the second member. Thereby, a coolant channel passing through the third member is formed between one or more of the first connection portions and one or more of the second connection portions,
The outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is equal to or less than the inner diameter (d3) of the one end of the third member,
The outer diameter (D3) of the other end of the third member is equal to or less than the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member,
The flow dividing device, wherein the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is equal to or less than the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member. 2. The flow dividing device according to claim 1, wherein the number of said second connections is greater than the number of first connections. The flow dividing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer diameter (D3) of the other end of the third member is smaller than the inner diameter (d3) of the one end of the third member. The flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third member comprises any one of a filter, a rectifying member, a contracting member, and an agitating member. The difference between the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member and the outer diameter (D3) of the other end of the third member is 0.15 mm or less, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. shunt device. The difference between the inner diameter (d2) of the one end of the second member and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is 0.15 mm or less, according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Diversion device. The difference between the inner diameter (d3) of the one end of the third member and the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is 0.15 mm or less, according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Diversion device. The flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first member, the second member, and the third member are made of stainless steel. The third member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the third member includes a cylindrical outer peripheral portion and an inner portion located radially inside the outer peripheral portion and constituting the functional portion. Diversion device. A first portion that is part of the inner portion overlaps the outer peripheral portion in the length direction, and a second portion that is another part of the inner portion overlaps the outer peripheral portion in the length direction. 10. The flow diverter of claim 9, wherein the flow diverter is free and overlaps the first member or the second member. The third member is formed with a step portion having an enlarged diameter at the one end portion, and the one end portion of the first member is in contact with the step portion of the third member from the inside,
2. The second member is formed with a stepped portion having an enlarged diameter at the one end, and the other end of the third member is in contact with the stepped portion of the second member from inside. 11. The flow dividing device according to any one of items 1 to 10. The third member includes a first sub-member having a first functioning portion that acts on the coolant and a second sub-member having a second functioning portion that acts on the coolant,
The vicinity of one end of the first member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of the one end of the first sub-member, and the vicinity of the other end of the first sub-member is covered from the outside by the vicinity of one end of the second sub-member. and the vicinity of the other end portion of the second sub-member is covered with the vicinity of one end portion of the second member from the outside, so that one or more of the first connecting portions and one or more of the second sub-members A coolant flow path passing through the first sub-member and the second sub-member is formed between the connection portion and the
The outer diameter (D3') of the other end of the first sub-member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (d3') of the one end of the second sub-member,
The flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the outer diameter (D1) of the one end of the first member is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter (d3') of the one end of the second sub-member. An air conditioner having a refrigerant circuit comprising the flow dividing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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