JP2023102026A - Outdoor unit of air conditioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioning device that can restrain corrosion of a heat exchanger.SOLUTION: An outdoor unit of an air conditioning device comprises a heat exchanger comprising header pipes 52 and 54 in which flattened tubes 62 are connected to side surfaces 51 and 53, a case 10 housing the heat exchanger, and fixing members 70 fixing the heat exchanger inside the case 10. The fixing members 70 comprise: fixed parts 74 fixed inside the case 10; and holding parts 72 in contact with portions other than connection surfaces 55 and 57 to which the flattened tubes 62 are connected, out of the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54, and holding them. The holding parts 72 comprise contact parts 80 in contact with predetermined places of the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54. The side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 comprise exposed surfaces 59 exposed to the outside without being in contact with the contact parts 80 in the circumferential direction of the header pipes 52 and 54 at the same heights as those of the places in contact with the contact parts 80.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an outdoor unit that prevents corrosion of a bracket for mounting a heat exchanger. In this outdoor unit, the mounting piece of the bracket made of aluminum is fixed to the side plate of the fan room side made of steel. The fan chamber side plate made of steel plate has an opening through which the mounting piece of the bracket made of aluminum passes. The mounting piece of the aluminum bracket is fixed through this opening. The resin cover is interposed between the aluminum bracket and the steel plate on the side of the blower chamber to form a predetermined gap therebetween.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-139930

The present disclosure provides an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that can suppress corrosion of heat exchangers.

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes: a heat exchanger including a header pipe to which a flat tube is connected to a side surface thereof; a housing that houses the heat exchanger; and a fixing member that fixes the heat exchanger inside the housing; the fixing member includes a fixing portion fixed to the housing; The side surface of the header pipe is provided with an exposed surface that is exposed to the outside without coming into contact with the contact portion in the circumferential direction of the header pipe at the same height as the contact portion with the contact portion.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the retention of water on the fixing member and the side surface of the header pipe with which the fixing member is in contact. Therefore, corrosion of the heat exchanger can be suppressed.

A perspective view of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure Plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the outdoor unit Perspective view showing a heat exchanger Side view showing heat exchanger FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a header pipe fixed to the housing by a fixing member; FIG. 11 is a side view showing a fixing member and a header pipe according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a header pipe fixed to a housing by a fixing member according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure; A plan view schematically showing the internal structure of an outdoor unit according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a header pipe fixed to the housing by a fixing member;

(Knowledge, etc. on which this disclosure is based)
At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, there was a technique for preventing corrosion of a bracket, which is a fixing member for attaching a heat exchanger to a housing in an outdoor unit. This outdoor unit includes a heat exchanger made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, a bracket made of aluminum or aluminum alloy attached to a header pipe of the heat exchanger, a side plate of a non-aluminum metal housing to which the bracket is fixed, and a non-metallic member forming a predetermined gap between the bracket and the side plate.
As a result, the aluminum or aluminum alloy bracket and the non-aluminum metal side plate do not come into contact with each other through the non-metal member, thereby preventing corrosion of the bracket due to corrosion between the non-aluminum metal and the aluminum metal.

However, in the conventional structure, water such as rainwater and condensed water may remain at the location where the header pipe and the fixing member are in contact with each other. Then, the inventors discovered the problem that the header pipe may be corroded due to oxidation-reduction reaction or the like caused by this stagnant water, and have come to constitute the main subject of the present disclosure in order to solve the problem.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or redundant descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description from becoming more redundant than necessary and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.
It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to allow those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the claimed subject matter thereby.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. The symbol FR shown in each figure indicates the front of the outdoor unit when it is installed on the installation surface and is normally used, the symbol UP indicates the upper side of the outdoor unit, and the symbol LH indicates the left side of the outdoor unit. In the following description, each direction is a direction along the direction of these outdoor units.

[1-1. composition]
[1-1-1. Configuration of outdoor unit]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit 1 of an air conditioner according to this embodiment.
The air conditioner of the present embodiment includes an indoor heat exchanger housed in the indoor unit, and a refrigeration circuit formed of the compressor 5, the expansion valve, the outdoor heat exchanger 50, etc. housed in the outdoor unit 1. An air conditioner air-conditions a space to be conditioned in which an indoor unit is provided by circulating a refrigerant in this refrigeration circuit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outdoor unit 1 of the present embodiment is an outdoor unit of a so-called side flow type or horizontal blowing type, in which air is sucked inside through an outdoor heat exchanger 50 arranged on a side surface, the air is heat-exchanged with a refrigerant, and the air is blown out from the other side surface.

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the outdoor unit 1. FIG. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the edges of the bottom plate 12 that form the lower edges of the front air inlet 15 and the side air inlets 17, and predetermined portions of the back plate 18 that forms the edge of the air outlet 19 are indicated by dashed lines. In FIG. 2, airflow directions A1 and A2, which are directions of airflow, are indicated by chain double-dashed lines.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outdoor unit 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10 whose longitudinal direction extends along the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, each part of housing 10 is formed of a steel plate.
The housing 10 includes a bottom plate 12 forming the bottom surface of the housing 10, a top plate 14 forming the top surface, a front plate 16 forming the front surface, a rear plate 18 forming the rear surface, a left plate 11 forming the left side surface, and a right side plate 13 forming the right side surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 16 is provided with a front intake port 15 . The front intake port 15 is a rectangular opening through which air is drawn from the outside of the housing 10 to the inside. In the front panel 16 , the front intake port 15 is provided at a position closer to the left panel 11 than to the right panel 13 .
A plurality of fastening holes 20, which are through holes, are provided in the front plate 16 at positions close to the edge of the front air inlet 15 on the right side plate 13 side. These fastening holes 20 are arranged on the same straight line extending along the vertical direction of the housing 10 . In this embodiment, the front plate 16 is provided with three fastening holes 20 .

The left side plate 11 is provided with a side intake port 17 . The side intake port 17 is a rectangular opening through which air is drawn into the housing 10 . In the left side plate 11 , the side intake port 17 is provided at a position closer to the front plate 16 than the rear plate 18 .
Three fastening holes 20 are provided in the left side plate 11 so as to be aligned on the same straight line extending along the vertical direction of the housing 10 at a position close to the edge of the side air inlet 17 on the side of the rear plate 18 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear plate 18 is provided with an exhaust port 19 . The exhaust port 19 is an opening through which the air sucked into the housing 10 is blown out of the housing 10 .
A filter or a grid-like protective member may be provided at the front air intake 15, the side air intake 17, and the air outlet 19 described above.

The internal space S of the housing 10 is partitioned into two spaces by a partition plate 21 . The partition plate 21 is a plate-like member that extends along the vertical direction of the housing 10 with a predetermined height dimension and extends along the front-rear direction of the housing 10 . The partition plate 21 is fixed to the housing 10 by connecting the lower end to the bottom plate 12 . The partition plate 21 has an end located on the front side of the housing 10 connected to the front plate 16 and an end located on the back side of the housing 10 connected to the rear plate 18 .
As a result, two spaces, a machine room S1 positioned on the right side of the housing 10 and a blower room S2 positioned on the left side of the housing 10, are provided in the housing 10 with the partition plate 21 interposed therebetween.

The machine room S1 houses the compressor 5, expansion valves, header pipes 52 provided in the outdoor heat exchanger 50, members constituting a refrigeration circuit such as refrigerant pipes, various electric parts, and the like.
The blower room S2 accommodates the blower fan 30 and the outdoor heat exchanger 50 excluding the header pipe 52 .
The blower fan 30 is an axial fan that introduces air from the outside of the housing 10 into the blower chamber S2 by rotationally driving the air, exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 50, and then discharges the air to the outside of the housing 10 again. This blower fan 30 includes a fan motor 32 and an impeller 34 .
The fan motor 32 is a driving portion that rotates the impeller 34, and the fan motor 32 has a drive shaft 36 to which the impeller 34 is attached.
The impeller 34 is a rotating component that sends out air in the axial direction by being rotated by the fan motor 32 .

The blower fan 30 is fixed by a fan support member 40 provided in the blower chamber S2. The fan support member 40 includes a pair of struts 42 , a motor mounting member 44 and a fixing plate 46 .
Each of the pair of support columns 42 is a columnar member that stands upright and extends upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 12 . The pair of pillars 42 are arranged side by side with a predetermined interval from each other along the left-right direction of the housing 10 .
The motor mounting member 44 is a member that holds the fan motor 32 . The motor mounting member 44 is mounted so as to be sandwiched between the pair of struts 42 . The motor mounting member 44 is mounted on the pair of pillars 42 at a position separated from the bottom plate 12 by a predetermined height dimension.

The fixing plate 46 is a member that fixes the upper ends of the pair of supports 42 . The fixing plate 46 is a plate-like member arranged such that its plane surface faces the bottom surface of the housing 10 and its longitudinal direction extends along the front-rear direction of the housing 10 . The fixed plate 46 is fixed to the housing 10 by connecting both ends in the longitudinal direction to the front plate 16 and the rear plate 18 by, for example, screw fastening. A fixing plate 46 fixed to the housing 10 is arranged above the upper end of the outdoor heat exchanger 50 .
Note that the fixing plate 46 may be fixed by engaging the end located on the front plate 16 side with the upper end of the outdoor heat exchanger 50 .

Upper ends of the pair of pillars 42 are connected to a flat surface of the fixing plate 46 facing the bottom surface of the housing 10 . Thereby, the pair of support columns 42 are fixed to the housing 10 via the fixing plate 46 .
The fixing plate 46 of the present embodiment is made of sheet metal.

The fan support member 40 supports the blower fan 30 by attaching the fan motor 32 to the motor attachment member 44 . The blower fan 30 fixed to the fan support member 40 is arranged at a position where the impeller 34 faces the exhaust port 19 and the tip of the drive shaft 36 faces the exhaust port 19 .

[1-1-2. Configuration of outdoor heat exchanger]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the outdoor heat exchanger 50. FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the outdoor heat exchanger 50. FIG.
The outdoor heat exchanger 50 is a heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant supplied from the indoor unit or a condenser that condenses the refrigerant.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 50 of the present embodiment is generally formed in a substantially L shape in plan view.

The outdoor heat exchanger 50 includes a pair of header pipes 52 , 54 , a first refrigerant pipe 66 , a second refrigerant pipe 68 , a partition wall 60 , a plurality of flat tubes 62 and a plurality of fins 64 .
In the present embodiment, these members included in the outdoor heat exchanger 50 are all made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

Both of the header pipes 52 and 54 are hollow columnar members extending along the vertical direction of the housing 10 . In this embodiment, the header pipes 52 and 54 are both cylindrical. These header pipes 52 and 54 are provided at both ends of the outdoor heat exchanger 50, respectively.

A first refrigerant pipe 66 and a second refrigerant pipe 68 are connected to one header pipe 52 . The first refrigerant pipe 66 and the second refrigerant pipe 68 function as refrigerant inlets or outlets in the outdoor heat exchanger 50 .
The first refrigerant pipe 66 is connected above the side surface 51 of one header pipe 52 . The second refrigerant pipe 68 is connected below the side surface 51 of one header pipe 52 .
In the present embodiment, the first refrigerant pipe 66 and the second refrigerant pipe 68 are connected to substantially the same location in the circumferential direction of the header pipe 52 in plan view.

Inside the header pipe 52, a partition wall 60 is provided that vertically separates the internal space SP of the header pipe 52 into an upper space SP1 positioned above and a lower space SP2 positioned below. The partition wall 60 is arranged at a position substantially midway between the first refrigerant pipe 66 and the second refrigerant pipe 68 in the height direction of the header pipe 52 .
An internal space SQ is provided inside the header pipe 54 .

The plurality of flat tubes 62 are flat elongated members in which channels through which coolant flows are provided.
The flat tubes 62 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the header pipes 52 and 54, and both ends of the flat tubes 62 are connected to the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54, respectively.
That is, one ends of the respective flat tubes 62 are arranged in a line and connected to a predetermined location on the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 along the longitudinal direction of the header pipe 52 at predetermined intervals. Similarly, the other ends of the flat tubes 62 are connected in a line to a predetermined location on the side surface 53 of the header pipe 54 along the longitudinal direction of the header pipe 54 at predetermined intervals.
Therefore, the longitudinal direction of each flat tube 62 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the outdoor heat exchanger 50 .

Each flat tube 62 is connected to each header pipe 52, 54 such that the respective width directions thereof are parallel to each other.
Hereinafter, predetermined portions of the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 to which the flat tubes 62 are connected are referred to as connecting surfaces 55 and 57, respectively.

The plurality of fins 64 is a flat plate member provided with a plurality of insertion holes in a plane through which each of the flat tubes 62 can be inserted. Each flat tube 62 is inserted into each fin 64 and connected to each header pipe 52 , 54 . That is, each fin 64 is arranged with its longitudinal direction and width direction perpendicular to each flat tube 62 . The longitudinal direction of each fin 64 arranged in this manner coincides with the longitudinal direction of each header pipe 52 , 54 .
In this embodiment, the pair of header pipes 52, 54, the partition wall 60, the first refrigerant pipe 66, the second refrigerant pipe 68, the plurality of flat tubes 62, and the plurality of fins 64 are fixed to each other by brazing.

In the fan room S2, the outdoor heat exchanger 50 is arranged along the front plate 16 and the left side plate 11 in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the header pipe 52 is arranged at a position close to the edge of the front air intake 15 on the right side plate 13 side, and the header pipe 54 is arranged at a position close to the edge of the side air intake 17 on the rear plate 18 side. The outdoor heat exchanger 50 is bent so as to approach the corner 23 of the housing 10 formed by the front plate 16 and the left side plate 11 .

In the outdoor heat exchanger 50 arranged in this way, most of the flat tubes 62 and the plurality of fins 64 are exposed from the housing 10 through the front air intake 15 and the side air intake 17, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the header pipe 52 is shielded by the front panel 16 and the header pipe 54 is shielded by the left panel 11 .

In addition, the partition plate 21 is provided so as to pass between the header pipe 52 and the plurality of fins 64 .
Accordingly, the header pipe 52 is arranged in the machine room S1, and the plurality of flat tubes 62, the fins 64, and the header pipe 54 are arranged in the blower room S2. Therefore, the header pipe 52 is shielded by the partition plate 21 from the air flowing into the blower chamber S2 from the front air inlet 15 and the side air inlet 17, and the moisture and salt contained in the air, thereby suppressing corrosion.

[1-1-3. Configuration of fixing member]
As shown in FIG. 2 , the outdoor unit 1 includes fixing members 70 that fix the outdoor heat exchanger 50 to the housing 10 .
Specifically, the header pipe 52 is fixed to the front plate 16 by a plurality of fixing members 70 , and the header pipe 54 is fixed to the left side plate 11 by a plurality of fixing members 70 . In this embodiment, each of the header pipes 52 and 54 is fixed by three fixing members 70 .

Each of the header pipes 52 and 54 fixed to the housing 10 in this manner is arranged such that the longitudinal direction thereof extends along the vertical direction of the housing 10 . The longitudinal direction of each header pipe 52, 54 is substantially the same as the vertical direction.
Although the fixing structure of the header pipe 52 will be described below, the fixing structure of the header pipe 54 has the same configuration, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the header pipe 52 fixed to the housing 10 by the fixing member 70. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5 , each fixing member 70 includes a holding portion 72 and a fixing portion 74 .

The fixing portion 74 is a member that fixes the fixing member 70 to the housing 10 . This fixed portion 74 is provided at a position spaced apart from the header pipe 52 . For this reason, the fixing portion 74 is formed of a material having high rigidity and a higher longitudinal elastic modulus and yield point than the holding portion 72 regardless of the ionization tendency. Such materials include, for example, steel plates.
As a result, the fixing member 70 is prevented from being detached from the housing 10 or deformed, even when vibration or the like occurs due to the driving of the compressor 5, for example. Therefore, the header pipe 52 and the outdoor heat exchanger 50 are prevented from deviating from their positions.

The fixed portion 74 is formed by bending a flat plate member such as a sheet metal so as to have an L shape in plan view. In the fixing portion 74 thus formed, a fastening hole 77, which is a through hole, is provided on the plane of the contact portion 75, which is one bent end side.
The fixing portion 74 is attached to the front plate 16 by inserting the fastening member 92 through the fastening hole 77 and the fastening hole 20 in a state where the plane of the contact portion 75 and the plane of the front plate 16 facing the internal space S are in contact with each other. The fixing member 70 is thereby attached to the housing 10 .

In the fixing portion 74 , a connection hole 73 that is a through hole is provided on the plane of the contact portion 71 that is the other bent end portion side.

The holding portion 72 is a member that holds the header pipe 52 in contact with the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 other than the connecting surface 55 .
The holding part 72 is entirely made of a metal material that has an ionization tendency equal to or higher than that of the aluminum forming the outdoor heat exchanger 50 including the header pipe 52 and the flat tubes 62, that is, a metal material that has a potential equal to or lower than that of aluminum. Such metal materials include, for example, zinc (Zn).
In this way, by forming the holding portion 72 from a metal material having a potential equal to or lower than that of the metal material forming the outdoor heat exchanger 50, it is possible to suppress the progress of corrosion of the header pipe 52 due to the contact of dissimilar metals promoted by stagnant water such as condensed water and rainwater at the portion where the holding portion 72 holds the header pipe 52.

The holding portion 72 includes a connecting portion 86 . The connecting portion 86 is a flat plate portion having a flat surface facing the exposed surface 59 . A connecting hole 87 , which is a through hole, is provided substantially in the center of the connecting portion 86 .
The holding portion 72 and the fixed portion 74 are connected by inserting the fastening member 90 through the connecting hole 87 and the connecting hole 73 while the plane of the connecting portion 86 and the plane of the contact portion 71 are in contact with each other.

Extending portions 84 are provided at both ends of the connecting portion 86 in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , each extending portion 84 is a flat plate portion having a rectangular surface shape when the outdoor heat exchanger 50 is viewed from the side. Each extending portion 84 extends from the connecting portion 86 in a predetermined length dimension toward the side opposite to the fixed portion 74 . In other words, the pair of extending portions 84 are connected by the connecting portion 86 .
By providing these extending portions 84 to the holding portion 72 , the fixing portion 74 is arranged away from the exposed surface 59 of the header pipe 52 when the holding portion 72 holds the header pipes 52 and 54 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 80 is provided at the end of each extension portion 84 . As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of contact portions 80 are both formed to have a rectangular surface shape when the outdoor heat exchanger 50 is viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 5, these contact portions 80 are bent to have substantially the same curvature as the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the pair of contact portions 80 are arranged so as to be opposite to each other with the header pipe 52 interposed therebetween at positions avoiding the connection surface 55 . A plane provided by each of the pair of contact portions 80 is in contact with the side surface 51 . That is, the pair of contact portions 80 are in surface contact with the side surface 51 so as to sandwich the header pipe 52 . Thereby, the fixing member 70 can fix the header pipes 52 and 54 more reliably. Hereinafter, the curved surface of each contact portion 80 in contact with the side surface 51 is referred to as a contact surface 83 , and the portion of the side surface 51 with which the contact surface 83 contacts is referred to as a contacted surface 58 .

The pair of contact portions 80 are arranged on the opposite side of the connecting surface 55 with the header pipe 52 interposed therebetween in the circumferential direction of the side surface 51 with a predetermined spacing therebetween. Therefore, when the header pipe 52 is held by the holding portion 72 , an exposed surface 59 is formed between the pair of contact surfaces 58 of the side surface 51 so that the contact portion 80 is not in contact with the exposed surface 59 . The exposed surface 59 is formed so that the length dimension along the vertical direction of the header pipe 52 is the same as the length dimension of each contact portion 80 . That is, the exposed surface 59 is provided from the upper end to the lower end of each contact portion 80 and the holding portion 72 . The exposed surface 59 is provided at the same height as the contact surface 58 in the vertical direction of the header pipe 52 .

In this manner, the holding portion 72 holds the header pipe 52 in surface contact so that the exposed surface 59 is provided, thereby reducing the area of the holding portion 72 in contact with the header pipe 52 . For this reason, water such as dew condensation water and rainwater remaining in the holding portion 72 and the contact portion between the holding portion 72 and the header pipe 52 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 72 due to the water can be suppressed.

The exposed surface 59 functions as a drainage channel through which the water remaining in the fixing member 70 is drained downward of the header pipe 52 along the exposed surface 59 . As a result, moisture such as dew condensation water and rainwater remaining in the holding portion 72 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 72 due to the moisture can be suppressed.

On side 51 of header pipe 52 , exposed surface 59 is located opposite connecting surface 55 . As a result, water such as condensed water and rainwater remaining at the contact points between the fixing member 70 and the holding portion 72 and the header pipe 52 is drained downward from the header pipe 52 by gravity through the exposed surface 59 spaced apart from the connecting surface 55. Therefore, in the outdoor heat exchanger 50, the moisture is prevented from flowing and remaining on the connecting surface 55, the surfaces of the flat tubes 62, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the length dimension L1 of the exposed surface 59 along the circumferential direction of the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 is formed to be longer than the length dimension L2 of each contact portion 80 and each contacted surface 58 along the circumferential direction of the side surface 51.
As a result, the area where the holding portion 72 contacts the header pipe 52 is reduced. Therefore, even if a small amount of moisture adheres to the holding portion 72, which is less likely to be affected by gravity and is likely to be held at the contact portion between the holding portion 72 and the header pipe 52 due to surface tension, the adhesion portion of the water is reduced.

In addition, since the exposed surface 59 has a length dimension longer than the portion where the holding part 72 contacts the header pipe 52, a larger drainage channel is formed, and in the outdoor unit 1, more water adhering to the holding part 72 can be drained. Therefore, water remaining in the holding portion 72 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 72 due to the water can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 3 , three fixing members 70 are attached to the header pipe 52 along the longitudinal direction of the header pipe 52 . Each exposed surface 59 provided on the side surface 51 by each of these fixing members 70 is arranged so that at least a part of the header pipe 52 in the circumferential direction overlaps with each other when the header pipe 52 is viewed from above. In this embodiment, these exposed surfaces 59 are located on the same straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the header pipe 52 on the side surface 51 .

As a result, water drained from the upper fixing member 70 of the three fixing members 70 along the exposed surface 59 is drained further down the header pipe 52 along the exposed surface 59 provided by the lower fixing member 70. - 特許庁That is, even when the header pipe 52 is fixed by a plurality of fixing members 70, water discharged from the fixing members 70 positioned above does not stay in the fixing members 70 positioned below.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, even when the header pipe 52 is fixed by a plurality of fixing members 70, water remaining in each fixing member 70 can be drained below all the fixing members 70. Further, the header pipe 52 can be more reliably fixed by the plurality of fixing members 70, and the stagnation of water in each fixing member 70 can be suppressed.

[1-2. motion]
The operation of the outdoor unit 1 configured as described above will be described below.

First, the flow of refrigerant in an air conditioner will be described.
In the heating operation of the air conditioner, when the outdoor unit 1 starts operating, the compressor 5 is driven. The compressor 5 compresses the refrigerant enclosed in the refrigeration circuit and sends out gas refrigerant through each refrigerant pipe.

This gas refrigerant releases heat in the indoor heat exchanger and is condensed, flows through the pipe into the expansion valve, is decompressed by the expansion valve, and flows through the second refrigerant pipe 68 into the lower space SP2 of the outdoor heat exchanger 50. The refrigerant that has flowed into the lower space SP2 flows through each flat tube 62 located below the partition wall 60 into the internal space SQ. After that, the refrigerant flows toward the header pipe 52 through each flat tube 62 located above the partition wall 60 . The refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 50 absorbs heat and evaporates by exchanging heat with the air sent out by the blower fan 30 in the flat tubes 62 . The refrigerant evaporated in the flat tube 62 returns to the compressor 5 through the first refrigerant pipe 66 after flowing into the upper space SP1.

Next, the direction of air flow in the outdoor unit 1 will be described.
When the outdoor unit 1 starts operating, the blower fan 30 starts rotating prior to the compressor 5 . The rotationally driven blower fan 30 causes air to flow from the outside of the outdoor unit 1 into the inside of the housing 10, that is, the blower chamber S2, as shown in airflow directions A1 and A2 in FIG. Specifically, the air mainly flows into the fan chamber S2 from the front air intake 15 and the side air intake 17 . The air flowing into the blower chamber S2 passes between the flat tubes 62 and the fins 64 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the outdoor heat exchanger 50, in other words, along the width direction of the flat tubes 62.

This facilitates heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing inside the plurality of flat tubes 62 and the air flowing between the plurality of fins 64 .
The air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant is discharged to the outside of the housing 10 from the exhaust port 19 by the blower fan 30 .

By repeating the operation described above, the outdoor unit 1 absorbs heat from the outdoor air into the refrigerating circuit and sends it indoors.
When the air conditioner performs cooling operation, the direction of refrigerant circulation in the refrigerating circuit is opposite to that in heating operation, and the outdoor heat exchanger 50 functions as a condenser.

In the outdoor unit 1 that operates as described above, rainwater or moisture in the atmosphere may enter from the outside of the housing 10 along with the airflow from the blower fan 30 . In addition, in the outdoor heat exchanger 50, moisture such as dew condensation may occur on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 50 as the refrigerant is heat-exchanged. In the outdoor unit 1, the water may adhere to the upper surface of the holding portion 72 of each fixing member 70 holding the header pipes 52 and 54 and the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 adjacent to the upper surface.

The fixing member 70 of the present embodiment holds the header pipes 52 and 54 by contacting the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the side surfaces 51 and 53 so as to form an exposed surface 59 except for the contact portion 80 contacting them. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, even if various types of moisture adhere to the upper surface of the holding portion 72, the moisture can flow down along the header pipes 52 and 54 by gravity via the exposed surface 59.
That is, in the outdoor unit 1 , retention of moisture on the upper surface of the holding portion 72 is suppressed. Further, in the outdoor unit 1, corrosion of the header pipes 52, 54 at locations where the holding portions 72 of the fixing member 70 hold the header pipes 52, 54 can be suppressed.

[1-3. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the outdoor unit 1 includes the outdoor heat exchanger 50 including the header pipes 52 and 54 to which the flat tubes 62 are connected to the side surfaces 51, the housing 10 that houses the outdoor heat exchanger 50, and the fixing member 70 that fixes the outdoor heat exchanger 50 inside the housing 10. The fixing member 70 includes a fixing portion 74 that is fixed inside the housing 10, and a holding portion 72 that contacts and holds the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 other than the connection surfaces 55 and 57 to which the flat tubes 62 are connected. The side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 have exposed surfaces 59 that are exposed to the outside without coming into contact with the contact portion 80 in the circumferential direction of the header pipes 52 and 54 at the same height as the contact portion 80 .

As a result, in the outdoor unit 1 , the exposed surface 59 functions as a drainage channel for water adhering to the upper surface of the holding portion 72 , so that it is possible to suppress the accumulation of water in the holding portion 72 . Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, corrosion of the header pipes 52, 54 at the portions where the holding portions 72 of the fixing member 70 hold the header pipes 52, 54 can be suppressed.

As in the present embodiment, the length L1 of the exposed surface 59 along the circumferential direction of the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 may be longer than the length L2 of the contact portion 80 along the circumferential direction of the side surfaces of the header pipes 52 and 54.
As a result, the area of the holding portion 72 in contact with the header pipe 52 is reduced. Therefore, for example, during cooling or heating low-load operation when there is little condensed water, or when there is little rainwater, even if a small amount of water that is not easily affected by gravity and is likely to be retained at the contact portion between the retaining portion 72 and the header pipe 52 due to surface tension adheres to the retaining portion 72, the retention of the moisture can be suppressed.
In addition, a larger drainage channel is formed in the holding portion 72 . Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, water remaining in the holding portion 72 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 72 due to the water can be suppressed.

As in this embodiment, the contact portion 80 includes a contact surface 83 that contacts the side surfaces 51, 53 of the header pipes 52, 54. As shown in FIG. The holding portion 72 may have a plurality of contact portions 80 and the contact surfaces 83 of the contact portions 80 may contact the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 to hold the header pipes 52 and 54 .

As a result, each fixing member 70 provides exposed surfaces 59 on the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 , and holds the header pipes 52 and 54 by sandwiching the header pipes 52 and 54 with contact portions 80 that are in surface contact with the side surfaces 51 and 53 . Therefore, each fixing member 70 can drain water attached from the drainage channel, and can fix the header pipes 52 and 54 more reliably.

As in the present embodiment, the header pipes 52 and 54 are provided with their longitudinal directions extending along the vertical direction of the housing 10 . A plurality of fixing members 70 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the header pipes 52 and 54 . The exposed surfaces 59 provided by holding the header pipes 52 and 54 by the fixing members 70 may be arranged so that at least a part of the header pipes 52 and 54 in the circumferential direction overlap each other in a plan view of the header pipes 52 and 54.

As a result, the moisture drained from the upper fixing member 70 is successively transferred to the exposed surface 59 provided by the lower fixing member 70 and is drained further downward through the header pipes 52 and 54 . Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, even when the header pipe 52 is fixed by a plurality of fixing members 70, the water remaining in each fixing member 70 can be discharged below all the fixing members 70, and the water can be suppressed from remaining in each fixing member 70. - 特許庁

As in this embodiment, the contact portion 80 may be made of a metal material having a potential equal to or lower than that of the header pipes 52 and 54 .
Thereby, the contact portion 80 is made of a metal that is more base than aluminum or a metal that is as base as aluminum. Therefore, at the portion where the holding portion 72 holds the header pipe 52, it is possible to suppress the progress of corrosion of the header pipes 52 and 54 due to the contact of dissimilar metals promoted by stagnant moisture such as dew condensation water and rainwater.

As in the present embodiment, the fixed portion 74 may be made of a material having a greater longitudinal elastic modulus and yield point than the contact portion 80 .
As a result, the fixing member 70 is prevented from being detached from the housing 10 or deformed, even when vibration or the like occurs due to the driving of the compressor 5, for example. Therefore, the header pipes 52 and 54 are prevented from moving from the positions covered by the front plate 16 and the left side plate 11 to the positions exposed from the front intake port 15 and the side intake ports 17 .

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to FIG.
[2-1. Configuration of fixing member]
FIG. 6 is a side view showing fixing member 170 and header pipe 52 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIGS. 3 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
The outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 2 differs from the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 at least in that the fixing member 170 is used instead of the fixing member 70 . Although the fixing structure of the header pipe 52 will be described below, the fixing structure of the header pipe 54 has the same configuration, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The fixing member 170 includes a holding portion 172 and a fixing portion 74 .
The holding portion 172 is made of the same material as the holding portion 172 of the first embodiment, and has a pair of contact portions 180 . These contact portions 180 are bent to have substantially the same curvature as the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 in plan view. The length dimension of each contact portion 180 along the circumferential direction of the side surface 51 is substantially the same as the length dimension L2 of each contact portion 80 along the circumferential direction of the side surface 51 and each contacted surface 58 in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of contact portions 180 are both formed to have a substantially trapezoidal surface shape when the outdoor heat exchanger 50 is viewed from the side. The upper surface 185 of each contact portion 180 is formed so as to slope downward from the connection surface 55 toward the extension portion 84 when in contact with the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 . In other words, upper surface 185 has a shape that slopes downward toward exposed surface 59 .

Accordingly, even if moisture adheres to the upper surface of the holding portion 172 , the moisture flows along the direction in which the upper surface 185 of each contact portion 180 is inclined and is guided to the exposed surface 59 . Then, the moisture is caused to flow downward from the fixing member 170 from the exposed surface 59 .

Therefore, even if a small amount of water, which is less likely to be affected by gravity and is likely to be retained at the contact portion between the retaining portion 172 and the header pipe 52 due to surface tension, adheres to the retaining portion 172, the outdoor unit 1 can suppress the accumulation of the moisture during, for example, a cooling or heating low-load operation with little condensed water or a season with little rainwater.

[2-2. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the upper surface 185 of each contact portion 180 has a shape that slopes downward toward the exposed surface 59 .
As a result, the moisture adhering to the upper surface of the holding portion 172 flows toward the exposed surface 59 along the slope of the upper surface 185 due to gravity. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, water remaining in the holding portion 72 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 72 due to the water can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 3)
Embodiment 3 will be described below with reference to FIG.
[3-1. Configuration of fixing member]
FIG. 7 is a side view showing header pipe 52 fixed to housing 10 by fixing member 270 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 7, the same parts as those in FIG. 5 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
The outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 3 differs from the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 at least in that the fixing member 270 is used instead of the fixing member 70 . Although the fixing structure of the header pipe 52 will be described below, the fixing structure of the header pipe 54 has the same configuration, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the fixing member 270 has a holding portion 272 and a fixing portion 74 .
The holding portion 272 is a member that contacts and holds the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 other than the connecting surface 55 . Holding portion 272 is entirely made of the same material as holding portion 72 in the first embodiment.

The holding portion 272 includes a connecting portion 286 . The connecting portion 286 is formed substantially the same as the connecting portion 86 of the first embodiment. The holding portion 272 and the fixing portion 74 are connected by inserting the fastening member 290 through the connecting hole 287 provided in the connecting portion 286 and the connecting hole 73 while the plane of the connecting portion 286 and the plane of the contact portion 71 are in contact with each other.

The fastening member 290 is a rod-shaped fastening member having a predetermined length. The fastening member 290 is entirely made of the same material as the holding portion 272 . The fastening member 290 has a protruding end 292 with one end protruding toward each surrounding portion 282 . A flat contact surface 293 is provided at the tip of the projecting end 292 .

Extending portions 284 are provided at both ends of the connecting portion 286 in the horizontal direction. Each extending portion 284 is formed substantially the same as the connecting portion 86 of the first embodiment, and extends upright from the connecting portion 286 toward the opposite side of the fixing portion 74 .

A pair of surrounding portions 282 is provided at the tip of each connecting portion 286 . Both of the pair of surrounding portions 282 are formed to have a rectangular surface shape when the outdoor heat exchanger 50 is viewed from the side. These surrounding portions 282 are formed by being bent so as to have substantially the same curvature as the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 in plan view.
The pair of enclosing portions 282 are arranged so as to be positioned opposite to each other with the header pipe 52 interposed therebetween at positions avoiding the connection surface 55 . The pair of enclosing parts 282 are arranged on the opposite side of the connection surface 55 with the header pipe 52 therebetween, with a predetermined space therebetween.

Each of these surrounding portions 282 is provided with a contact portion 280 . These contact portions 280 have a projecting shape projecting with a predetermined width dimension from the facing surface 285 of each enclosing portion 282 facing the side surface 51 . In the present embodiment, each contact portion 280 is provided at an end portion of each surrounding portion 282 located on the connection surface 55 side. Each contact portion 280 is provided substantially in the center of each enclosing portion 282 in the vertical direction.
A flat contact surface 283 is provided at the tip of these contact portions 280 .

The holding portion 272 holds the header pipe 52 by contacting the side surfaces 51 with the contact surfaces 283 of the contact portions 280 . Therefore, when the holding portion 272 holds the header pipe 52 , each surrounding portion 282 is arranged apart from the side surface 51 .

Furthermore, when the holding portion 272 holds the header pipe 52, the contact surface 293 of the projecting end 292 abuts. The projecting end 292 has substantially the same function as the contact portion 280 .
That is, the holding portion 272 holds the header pipe 52 by the contact surface 283 of each contact portion 280 and the contact surface 293 of the projecting end 292 abutting against the side surface 51 . Hereinafter, a contact surface 258 is defined as a portion of the side surface 51 where the contact surface 283 and the contact surface 293 contact each other.

As a result, when the header pipe 52 is held by the holding portion 272, an exposed surface 259 is formed between the contact surfaces 258 on the side surface 51 so that the contact surface 283 and the contact surface 293 are exposed without coming into contact with each other.

In this manner, in the outdoor unit 1, the holding portion 272 is held in contact with the header pipe 52 only at the projecting contact portions 280 and the projecting end 292, thereby providing the exposed surface 259 and reducing the contact area of the holding portion 272 with the header pipe 52.
Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, moisture such as dew condensation water and rainwater remaining in the holding portion 272 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 72 due to the moisture can be suppressed. In addition, a larger drainage channel is formed on the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52, so that more water adhering to the contact portion between the holding portion 272 and the header pipe 52 can be drained.

[3-2. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, each contact portion 280 and the projecting end 292 have a projecting shape projecting toward the side surfaces 51 and 53 of the header pipes 52 and 54 . The holding portion 272 holds the header pipes 52 and 54 by contacting the side surfaces 51 and 53 with the contact surfaces 283 and 293 of the contact portions 280 , which are the tips of the projecting shapes.
As a result, the holding portion 272 is in contact with the side surface 51 only at the contact surface 283 and the contact surface 293, and the area in contact with the header pipe 52 is reduced. A larger drainage channel is formed on the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 . Therefore, even if a small amount of water, which is less likely to be affected by gravity and is likely to be retained at the contact portion between the retaining portion 272 and the header pipe 52 due to surface tension, adheres to the retaining portion 272, the outdoor unit 1 can suppress the stagnation of the moisture, for example, during cooling or heating low-load operation when there is little condensed water, or when there is little rainwater.

(Embodiment 4)
Embodiment 4 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG.
[4-1. composition]
[4-1-1. Configuration of outdoor unit]
FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the outdoor unit 300 according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8, the same parts as in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
The outdoor unit 300 according to Embodiment 4 differs from the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 in that it includes at least a plurality of outdoor heat exchangers 50 and uses a fixing member 370 instead of the fixing member 70 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , the outdoor unit 300 includes multiple outdoor heat exchangers 50 . These outdoor heat exchangers 50 are arranged at substantially the same locations as the outdoor heat exchangers 50 of the first embodiment. These outdoor heat exchangers 50 are arranged side by side along the direction from the outside to the inside of the housing 10 . Therefore, the header pipes 52 provided in each outdoor heat exchanger 50 are arranged along the direction from the front plate 16 toward the interior of the housing 10 . Similarly, the header pipes 54 provided in each outdoor heat exchanger 50 are arranged along the direction from the side plate 11 toward the interior of the housing 10 . In other words, the plurality of header pipes 52 and 54 are arranged in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the header pipes 52 and 54 .

[4-1-2. Configuration of fixing member]
Each header pipe 52 , 54 is fixed to the housing 10 by a plurality of fixing members 370 .
The fixing structure of each header pipe 52 will be described below, but the fixing structure of the header pipe 54 has the same structure, so the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a plurality of header pipes 52 fixed to housing 10 by fixing member 370 according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8, the same parts as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 9 , the fixing member 370 has a pair of holding portions 372 and a fixing portion 374 .

The fixing portion 374 is a member that fixes the fixing member 70 to the housing 10 . The fixing portion 374 is made of the same material as the fixing portion 74 of the first embodiment, and is formed by bending a flat plate member into an L shape. In the fixing portion 374 , two connecting holes 373 are provided side by side along the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 371 on the plane of the contact portion 371 which is one bent end side. The contact portion 371 is formed to be longer than the contact portion 71 in the longitudinal direction.
The fixing portion 374 includes a contact portion 375 that is the other bent end portion. The fixing portion 374 is attached to the front plate 16 by inserting the fastening member 92 through the fastening hole 77 provided in the contact portion 375 and the fastening hole 20 .

Each holding portion 372 is a member that contacts and holds the side surface 51 of the header pipe 52 other than the connecting surface 55 . Each holding portion 372 is entirely made of the same material as the holding portion 72 of the first embodiment.

Each holding portion 372 includes a connecting portion 386 and extension portions 384 extending upright from both ends of the connecting portion 386 . The connecting portion 386 is substantially the same as the connecting portion 286 of the third embodiment, and the extension portion 384 is substantially the same as the extension portion 284 of the third embodiment. A connecting hole 387 is provided in the connecting portion 386 .

An enclosing portion 382 is provided at the tip of each extending portion 384 . These surrounding portions 382 have the same shape as the surrounding portions 282 of the third embodiment.
A contact portion 380 is provided on one of these surrounding portions 382 . The contact portion 380 has substantially the same shape as that of the third embodiment, and protrudes with a predetermined width from the facing surface 385 of the enclosing portion 382 on one side facing the side surface 51 of the contact portion 280 . A flat contact surface 383 is provided at the tip of the contact portion 380 . In this embodiment, the contact portion 380 is provided at the end of the enclosing portion 382 located on the connection surface 55 side.
The other surrounding portion 382 is provided with a connecting hole 389 which is a through hole.

Each holding portion 372 is attached to the contact portion 371 of the fixing portion 374 . Specifically, the holding portions 372 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 371 so that the surrounding portions 382 provided with the connecting holes 389 are adjacent to each other.
Each holding portion 372 and fixing portion 374 are connected by inserting a fastening member 390 through a connecting hole 387 provided in each connecting portion 386 and a pair of connecting holes 373 in a state where the plane of each connecting portion 386 and the plane of the contact portion 371 are in contact with each other.

These fastening members 390 are substantially the same members as the fastening members 290 of the third embodiment. Each fastening member 390 has a protruding end 392 and a planar contact surface 393 is provided at the tip of the protruding end 392 .

A fastening member 394 is inserted through the connecting hole 389 of each holding portion 372 arranged adjacent to each other. Thereby, the pair of holding portions 372 are connected to each other.
The fastening member 394 is a rod-shaped fastening member having a predetermined length. The fastening member 394 is entirely made of a metal that is more base than aluminum or a metal that is as base as aluminum. When the fastening member 394 is inserted through each connecting hole 389 , both ends of the fastening member 394 protrude from each of the opposing surfaces 385 with a predetermined width dimension. Both ends of the fastening member 394 are provided with flat contact surfaces 395 .

When the fixing member 370 is fixed to the front plate 16 , the holding portions 372 are arranged side by side in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the header pipes 52 . Therefore, each holding portion 372 can hold a plurality of header pipes 52 arranged side by side.

Each holding portion 372 holds each header pipe 52 by the contact surface 383 of the contact portion 380 , the contact surface 395 of one of the fastening members 394 , and the contact surface 393 of the projecting end 392 contacting each side surface 51 . That is, the projecting end 392 and the fastening member 394 have substantially the same function as the contact portion 280 .
Thus, when each holding portion 372 holds each header pipe 52 , each enclosing portion 382 is spaced apart from the side surface 51 . Further, when the header pipe 52 is held by the holding portion 372 , an exposed surface 359 is formed on the side surface 51 so that the contact surface 283 and the contact surface 293 are not in contact with each other.

By holding the header pipe 52 by the holding portion 372 so that the exposed surface 359 is provided in this way, the area of the holding portion 372 in contact with the header pipe 52 is reduced. Therefore, water such as condensed water and rainwater remaining in the holding portion 372 is suppressed, and corrosion of the header pipe 52 and the holding portion 372 due to the water can be suppressed.
Further, the header pipe 52 is formed with an exposed surface 359 functioning as a drainage channel, so that more water adhering to the contact portion between the holding portion 372 and the header pipe 52 can be drained.

[4-2. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of holding portions 372 are arranged in the fixing portion 374 along the direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the header pipes 52 and 54 .
Thereby, the outdoor unit 300 can fix the plurality of header pipes 52 and 54 arranged side by side in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction with one fixing member 370 . Therefore, in the outdoor unit 300, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and the plurality of outdoor heat exchangers 50 can be easily fixed.

A fastening member 394 is inserted as in this embodiment. Thereby, the pair of holding parts 372 are connected to each other by the fastening member 394 . Contact surfaces 393 are provided at both ends of the fastening member 394 . The pair of holding portions 372 may hold the header pipes 52 and 54 by contacting the side surfaces 51 and 53 with the contact surfaces 393 .
Thereby, the fastening member 394 can fasten the plurality of holding portions 372 and support the header pipes 52 and 54 .

In this embodiment, the fixing member 370 has two holding portions 372, but the fixing member 370 may have three or more.
Further, for example, although the contact surfaces 393 are provided on both ends of the fastening member 394 in the present embodiment, they may be provided on only one of them.
Further, for example, the holding portion 372 is not limited to the projecting contact portions 280 as in the third embodiment, and may have a shape that holds the header pipe 52 by surface contact like the contact portion 80 in the first embodiment.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, Embodiments 1 to 4 have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments with modifications, replacements, additions, omissions, and the like. Also, it is possible to combine the constituent elements described in the first and second embodiments to form a new embodiment.
Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

In Embodiments 2 and 3 described above, the fixing members 270 and 370 hold the header pipes 52 and 54 by contacting the header pipes 52 and 54 at three points with the contact portions 280 and 380, the projecting ends 292 and 392, and the fastening members 394. However, the fixing members 270 and 370 may hold the header pipes 52 and 54 by abutting on the header pipes 52 and 54 at two or four or more positions.

In each embodiment described above, the contact surfaces 83, 283, 293, 383, 393, 395 of the fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 may be provided with grooves extending along the longitudinal direction of the header pipes 52, 54. As a result, flow paths are formed between the contact portions 80, 180, 280, 380 and the side surfaces 51, 53 of the header pipes 52, 54 to allow water to flow. Therefore, the fixed members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 can hold the header pipes 52 , 54 and suppress corrosion of the header pipes 52 , 54 by draining stagnant water such as dew condensation water and rainwater from the grooves.

In each embodiment described above, the fixing members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 may hold the header pipes 52 , 54 at positions avoiding the partition wall 60 . As a result, the bulkhead 60 is restrained from being subjected to a load due to the fixing members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 holding the header pipes 52 , 54 .

In each of the embodiments described above, at least a portion of the contact surfaces 83, 283, 383, 395 may be positioned to contact or overlap the edges of the connection surfaces 55, 57. FIG. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the contact portions 80, 180, 280, 380 may be arranged to abut the edges of the connecting surfaces 55, 57 or the flattened tube 62 at their ends.
As a result, in the heat exchanger 50, when moisture such as condensed water generated in the flat tube 62 flows down along the side surface of the flat tube 62 and the connection surfaces 55 and 57, when it comes into contact with the ends of the contact portions 80, 180, 280 and 380, it is attracted to the contact portions 80, 180, 280 and 380 by surface tension. Therefore, in the heat exchanger 50 , water adhering to each flat tube 62 can be drained, and retention of water in each flat tube 62 is suppressed.

In each embodiment described above, a plurality of fixing members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 are provided along the longitudinal direction of header pipes 52 , 54 .
Here, in the header pipes 52 and 54, dew condensation water is generally more likely to occur in the lower part than in the upper part.
In this case, the fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 provided below the header pipes 52, 54 may be formed so that the contact surfaces 83, 283, 293, 383, 393, 395 in the circumferential direction of the header pipes 52, 54 are smaller than the fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 provided above the header pipes 52, 54.

Accordingly, in the outdoor unit 1, 300, the contact surfaces 83, 283, 293, 383, 393, 395 of the fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 provided above the header pipes 52, 54 can be made larger. In addition, the exposed surfaces 59, 259, 359 formed by the fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 provided below the header pipes 52, 54 can be made larger.
Therefore, the contact surfaces 83, 283, 293, 383, 393, and 395 of the fixing members 70, 170, 270, and 370 positioned above, where condensed water is less likely to occur, are formed larger, so that the header pipes 52 and 54 can be supported more reliably. On the other hand, the lower fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 can form larger exposed surfaces 59, 259, 359, and can more reliably drain accumulated moisture.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the fixing member 70 may be provided above the header pipes 52 and 54 and the fixing member 270 may be provided below the header pipes 52 and 54 .
Further, for example, the fixing member 370 may be formed such that the contact surface 383 of the holding portion 372 located on the windward side is smaller than the contact surface 383 located on the leeward side.

In each embodiment described above, the fixing members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 are fixed to the housing 10 via the fixing portions 74 , 374 . However, the fixing members 70, 170, 270, and 370 may be fixed to the housing 10 by providing fastening holes in the side surfaces of the extending portions 84, 284, and 384 and fastening the extending portions 84, 284, and 384 to the left side plate 11 and the front plate 16 using fastening members. In this case, the fixing members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 may omit the fixing portions 74 , 374 .

In each of the embodiments described above, the holding portions 72, 172, 272, 372, the fastening members 290, 390, and the projecting end 392 are all made of a metal material having a potential equal to or lower than that of the material forming the header pipes 52, 54.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the contact portions 80, 280, 380 and the contact surfaces 293, 393, 395 may be made of a metal material having a potential equal to or lower than that of the material forming the header pipes 52, 54.

Further, the contact portions 80, 280, 380 and the contact surfaces 293, 393, 395 are not limited to a metal material having a potential equal to or lower than that of the material forming the header pipes 52, 54, and may be formed of a non-metal material such as a ceramic material or a resin material.
As a result, at the locations where the holding portions 72, 172, 272, and 372 hold the header pipes 52, progress of corrosion due to contact between dissimilar metals promoted by stagnant water such as condensed water and rainwater can be suppressed.

Further, for example, the contact portions 80, 280, 380 and the contact surfaces 293, 393, 395 may be coated with a passive film, plated with a metal having a potential equal to or lower than that of the material forming the header pipes 52, 54, or resin-coated. In this case, the contact portions 80 , 280 , 380 and the contact surfaces 293 , 393 , 395 may be made of a metal material having a potential equal to or higher than that of the material forming the header pipes 52 , 54 .
Also, these processes may be applied to the fixed portions 74 and 374 .

In each embodiment described above, the fixing members 70 , 170 , 270 , 370 are attached to the front plate 16 . However, the fixing members 70, 170, 270, 370 are not limited to this, and may be other members provided inside the housing 10, such as the partition plate 21, for example.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the outdoor unit 1, 300 is assumed to be a horizontal-blowing heat exchange unit. However, the outdoor units 1 and 300 are not limited to this, and the outdoor units 1 and 300 may be, for example, so-called top-blowing heat exchange units in which air is sucked from the side of the housing 10 and air is blown upward from the top of the housing 10.

Note that the above-described embodiment is for illustrating the technology in the present disclosure, and various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of the claims or equivalents thereof.

The present disclosure is applicable to outdoor units in which header pipes are fixed to a housing using fixing members. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to an outdoor unit or the like including a flat tube heat exchanger.

Reference Signs List 1, 300 outdoor unit 10 housing 50 outdoor heat exchanger 51, 53 side surface 52, 54 header pipe 55, 57 connecting surface 59, 259, 359 exposed surface 62 flat tube 70, 170, 270, 370 fixing member 72, 172, 272, 372 holding part 74, 374 fixing part 80, 1 80, 280, 380 contact portion 83, 283, 293, 383, 393, 395 contact surface 292, 392 projecting end (contact portion)
394 fastening member (contact part)

Claims (16)

a heat exchanger comprising a header pipe to which flattened tubes are laterally connected;
a housing that houses the heat exchanger;
a fixing member for fixing the heat exchanger inside the housing,
The fixing member includes a fixing portion fixed to the housing;
a holding part that contacts and holds the side surface of the header pipe other than the connection surface to which the flat tube is connected,
The holding portion includes a contact portion that contacts a predetermined portion of the side surface of the header pipe,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner, wherein the side surface of the header pipe is provided with an exposed surface that is exposed to the outside without coming into contact with the contact portion in the circumferential direction of the header pipe at the same height as a portion that contacts the contact portion. Among the side surfaces of the header pipe held by the holding portion,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the length dimension of the exposed surface along the circumferential direction of the side surface of the header pipe is longer than the length dimension of the contact portion along the circumferential direction of the side surface of the header pipe. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the exposed surface is provided on the opposite side of the connection surface among the side surfaces of the header pipe. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact portion is provided in contact with an edge portion of the connection surface. The contact portion has a contact surface that contacts the side surface of the header pipe,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holding portion includes a plurality of the contact portions, and the contact surface of each contact portion contacts the side surface of the header pipe to hold the header pipe. the contact portion has a projecting shape projecting toward the side surface of the header pipe,
The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the holding portion includes a plurality of the contact portions, and the protrusion-shaped tip of each contact portion holds the header pipe by coming into contact with the side surface of the header pipe. A plurality of the heat exchangers are arranged in the housing along a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the header pipe,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of the holding portions are arranged in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the header pipe and provided in the fixing portion. The plurality of holding parts are fastened together by fastening members,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the fastening member is provided with a contact portion that contacts at a predetermined location on the side surface of the header pipe held by at least one of the holding portions. The plurality of holding parts are fastened together by fastening members,
8. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the fastening member is provided with a contact portion that contacts at a predetermined location on the side surface of the header pipe held by each of the holding portions. The header pipe has a longitudinal direction along the vertical direction of the housing,
A plurality of the fixing members are provided along the longitudinal direction of the header pipe,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein each of the exposed surfaces exposed by each of the fixing members is provided so as to at least partially overlap each other in a plan view of the header pipe. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the upper surface of the contact portion has a shape that slopes downward toward the exposed surface. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the contact portion has a shape that slopes downward toward the exposed surface. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the contact portion is provided with a groove extending along the longitudinal direction of the header pipe. The header pipe is provided with a partition wall that partitions the space inside the header pipe,
The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the holding portion holds the air conditioner at a position avoiding the partition wall. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the contact portion is made of a metallic material or a non-metallic material having a potential equal to or lower than that of the header pipe. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 15, wherein the fixed portion is made of a material having a greater longitudinal elastic modulus and yield point than the contact portion.

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