JP5992735B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  The air conditioner for homes adopts a heat pump system, and the separate type is divided into an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. When the air conditioner performs a cooling operation, condensation occurs around the heat exchanger of the indoor unit and drain water is generated. In general, drain water is merely drained outdoors, but proposals have been made to use this drain water for improving the condensation performance of the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. Such an air conditioner is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  The conventional air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 collects drain water generated in an indoor unit and drops it by guiding it to the outside air intake surface of the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. Thereby, the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit is improved to ensure a desired cooling capacity, and labor saving of operating energy during the cooling operation is achieved.

Japanese Patent No. 3861219

  However, the conventional air conditioner as described above has not been devised for improving the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit, which has been a problem of the air conditioner.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner capable of improving the heat exchange efficiency in a heat exchanger of an indoor unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an indoor heat for exchanging heat between an indoor fan that circulates indoor air in the indoor unit and an indoor air that circulates through the refrigerant and is circulated by the indoor fan. In the air conditioner including the exchanger, heat exchange is performed between the drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger and the refrigerant inlet pipe into which the refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger. At least an inflow refrigerant heat exchanger and an outflow refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger and a refrigerant outlet pipe through which the refrigerant flows out of the indoor heat exchanger. And a pipe blower that blows air toward the pipe of the heat exchanger for refrigerant.

  According to this configuration, in the indoor unit, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant, that is, the refrigerant and the drain water in at least one of the refrigerant inlet pipe and the refrigerant outlet pipe of the indoor heat exchanger. Therefore, when heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the drain water in the refrigerant inlet pipe of the indoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger is cooled by the drain water. Further, when heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the drain water in the refrigerant outlet pipe of the indoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger is heated by the drain water, and is in a gas-liquid two-phase state. The refrigerant becomes completely gaseous. Furthermore, drain water is vaporized by the air blow by the pipe blower.

  In the air conditioner having the above-described configuration, the water conduit that extends to above the refrigerant heat exchanger and guides the drain water, and the drain water that has flowed down through the surface of the pipe of the refrigerant heat exchanger And a water receiving container. According to this configuration, heat exchange between the refrigerant and the drain water is facilitated.

  In the air conditioner having the above configuration, the refrigerant inlet pipe includes a water amount detector that detects the amount of drain water, and the drain water is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount based on information obtained from the water amount detector. It is characterized by permitting air blown by the pipe blower toward the top, and not permitting air blown by the pipe blower toward the refrigerant inlet pipe when the drain water is less than a predetermined amount.

  If the pipe blower blows air in a state where drain water is not sufficiently obtained, heat exchange may be performed between the refrigerant and the room air, and the effect may be reduced. Can be difficult. In addition, the “predetermined amount” related to the drain water described here is an arbitrary amount of water set in advance, and is a sufficient amount of water that can suitably perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the drain water, It can be arbitrarily set as appropriate.

  Further, in the air conditioner having the above-described configuration, the drain water led to the upper side of the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger and used for heat exchange in the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger is led to the upper side of the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger. The heat exchanger for effluent refrigerant is used for heat exchange.

  The drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger is generated at various points in the heat exchanger, and the water temperature becomes a temperature between the refrigerant temperature at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet. According to this configuration, the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger is cooled by the drain water, and the refrigerant flowing out from the indoor heat exchanger is further heated.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of improving the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger of the indoor unit.

It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The state at the time of air_conditionaing | cooling operation is shown. It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The state at the time of heating operation is shown. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a part of internal component of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the heat exchanger for inflow refrigerant | coolants at the time of the cooling operation of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the heat exchanger for effluent refrigerant | coolants at the time of air_conditionaing | cooling operation of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the heat exchanger for inflow refrigerant | coolants at the time of air_conditioning | cooling operation of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and the heat exchanger for outflow refrigerant | coolants at the time of air_conditionaing | cooling operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

<First Embodiment>
Initially, the structure and operation | movement outline | summary are demonstrated about the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment of this invention using FIGS. 1-3. FIG.1 and FIG.2 is a schematic block diagram of an air conditioner, respectively, and shows a state during cooling operation and heating operation. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner.

  The air conditioner 1 is a separate type air conditioner that includes an outdoor unit 10 and an indoor unit 30 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The outdoor unit 10 is installed on, for example, an outdoor floor surface, and includes a rectangular box-shaped casing 11 composed of synthetic resin parts and sheet metal parts. The housing 11 houses a compressor 12, a switching valve 13, an expansion valve 14, an outdoor blower 15, an outdoor heat exchanger 16, and the like.

  The switching valve 13 is a four-way valve for switching the refrigerant flow direction in different operation modes such as heating operation and cooling operation. As the expansion valve 14, a valve whose opening degree can be controlled is used.

  The outdoor blower 15 is a combination of a propeller fan provided adjacent to the inner wall of the housing 11 and a motor that rotates the propeller fan. The housing 11 is provided with a suction port and a blowout port (not shown). The outdoor heat exchanger 16 is disposed in the vicinity of the outdoor fan 15. When the outdoor blower 15 is driven, the outside air sucked into the housing 11 from the outside through the suction port passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 16 and heat exchange is performed between the outdoor heat exchanger 16 and the outside air. .

  The outdoor unit 10 is connected to the indoor unit 30 through two refrigerant pipes 17 and 18. Liquid refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 17, and a thinner pipe than the refrigerant pipe 18 is used. Therefore, the refrigerant pipe 17 is sometimes referred to as “liquid pipe”, “narrow pipe”, or the like. A gaseous refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 18, and a thicker pipe than the refrigerant pipe 17 is used. Therefore, the refrigerant pipe 18 may be referred to as “gas pipe”, “thick pipe”, or the like, for example. For example, HFC R410A or R32 is used as the refrigerant.

  Regarding the refrigerant pipes 19 and 20 inside the outdoor unit 10, the refrigerant pipe 19 connected to the refrigerant pipe 17 is provided with a two-way valve 21, and the refrigerant pipe 20 connected to the refrigerant pipe 18 is provided with a three-way valve 22. It is done. The two-way valve 21 and the three-way valve 22 are closed when the refrigerant pipes 17 and 18 are removed from the outdoor unit 10 to prevent the refrigerant from leaking from the outdoor unit 10 to the outside. When the refrigerant needs to be recovered from the outdoor unit 10 or the entire air conditioner 1, the recovery is performed through the three-way valve 22.

  The indoor unit 30 is installed near, for example, an indoor wall surface ceiling, and includes a horizontally long casing 31 formed of a synthetic resin component and extending in the horizontal direction. The casing 31 houses the indoor blower 32, the indoor heat exchanger 33, and the like shown in FIGS.

  The indoor blower 32 is a combination of a cross flow fan that extends horizontally in the horizontal direction along the shape of the housing 31 and a motor that rotates the fan. The housing 11 is provided with a suction port and an air outlet (both are not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and refer to FIG. 4). Like the cross flow fan, the indoor heat exchanger 33 extends in the horizontal direction and is configured by combining two pieces (a rear indoor heat exchanger 33A and a front indoor heat exchanger 33B). The indoor heat exchanger 33 including the rear indoor heat exchanger 33A and the front indoor heat exchanger 33B is disposed so as to cover the upper side and the front side of the cross flow fan of the indoor blower 32. When the indoor blower 32 is driven, the indoor air sucked into the housing 31 through the suction port passes through the indoor heat exchanger 33, and the indoor heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the indoor air. In this description and the drawings, the rear indoor heat exchanger 33A and the front indoor heat exchanger 33B may be collectively referred to as an indoor heat exchanger 33 unless particularly limited to any one of them.

  In order to control the operation of the air conditioner 1, it is indispensable to know the temperature of each place. For this reason, temperature detectors are arranged in the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 30.

  In the outdoor unit 10, a temperature detector 23 is disposed in the outdoor heat exchanger 16, a temperature detector 24 is disposed in the discharge pipe 12 a serving as a discharge unit of the compressor 12, and a suction pipe serving as a suction unit of the compressor 12. A temperature detector 25 is disposed at 12 b, a temperature detector 26 is disposed at the refrigerant pipe 19 between the expansion valve 14 and the two-way valve 21, and a temperature detector for detecting the outside air temperature at a predetermined location inside the housing 11. 27 is arranged. In the indoor unit 30, a temperature detector 34 is disposed in the indoor heat exchanger 33. Each of the temperature detectors 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 34 is constituted by, for example, a thermistor.

  The indoor unit 30 houses a control unit 60 shown in FIG. 3 in a housing 31 in order to control the operation of the entire air conditioner 1 including the outdoor unit 10. The control unit 60 includes a calculation unit, a storage unit, and the like (not shown), and a series of air-conditioning operations for controlling the room temperature to reach a target value set by the user based on programs and data stored and input in the storage unit. Is realized.

  The control unit 60 issues an operation command to the compressor 12, the switching valve 13, the expansion valve 14, the outdoor blower 15, and the indoor blower 32. Further, the control unit 60 receives output signals of the detected temperatures from the temperature detectors 23 to 27 and the temperature detector 34. The controller 60 issues an operation command to the compressor 12, the outdoor fan 15, and the indoor fan 32 while referring to the output signals from the temperature detectors 23 to 27 and the temperature detector 34, and the switching valve 13 and the expansion valve 14. A state change command is issued to.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the air conditioner 1 is performing a cooling operation or a defrosting operation. At this time, the compressor 12 circulates the refrigerant in a cooling mode, that is, in a circulation mode in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 first enters the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The refrigerant circulates in the direction of the arrow drawn close to the refrigerant pipes 17 to 20 in FIG.

  The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 enters the outdoor heat exchanger 16 where heat exchange with the outside air is performed. The refrigerant dissipates heat to the outside air and condenses. The refrigerant that has condensed into a liquid is decompressed by the expansion valve 14 from the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The decompressed refrigerant is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 33, expands to a low temperature and low pressure, and lowers the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 33. The indoor heat exchanger 33 whose surface temperature has dropped absorbs heat from the room air, and thereby the room air is cooled. After the heat absorption, the low-temperature gaseous refrigerant returns to the compressor 12. The air flow generated by the outdoor blower 15 promotes heat dissipation from the outdoor heat exchanger 16, and the air flow generated by the indoor blower 32 promotes heat absorption of the indoor heat exchanger 33. In the defrosting operation, the indoor fan 32 does not operate, and heat exchange by airflow is not actively performed indoors.

  FIG. 2 shows a state where the air conditioner 1 is performing a heating operation. At this time, the switching valve 13 is switched, and the refrigerant flow is reversed from that during the cooling operation. The compressor 12 circulates the refrigerant in a circulation mode during heating, that is, in a circulation mode in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 first enters the indoor heat exchanger 33. The refrigerant circulates in the direction of the arrow drawn close to the refrigerant pipes 17 to 20 in FIG.

  The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 enters the indoor heat exchanger 33 where heat exchange with the indoor air is performed. The refrigerant dissipates heat to the room air, and the room air is warmed. The refrigerant that has radiated heat and condensed to become liquid is decompressed by the expansion valve 14 from the indoor heat exchanger 33. The decompressed refrigerant is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 and expands to a low temperature and low pressure, thereby lowering the surface temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The outdoor heat exchanger 16 whose surface temperature has dropped absorbs heat from the outside air. After the heat absorption, the low-temperature gaseous refrigerant returns to the compressor 12. The air flow generated by the indoor blower 32 promotes heat dissipation from the indoor heat exchanger 33, and the air flow generated by the outdoor blower 15 promotes heat absorption by the outdoor heat exchanger 16.

  Next, the detailed structure of the indoor unit 30 of the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 30 of the air conditioner 1, FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing some of the internal components of the indoor unit 30, and FIG. 6 is the heat for the inflowing refrigerant during the cooling operation of the indoor unit 30. It is explanatory drawing of an exchanger. In FIG. 6, the refrigerant flow path and the flow direction during the cooling operation are indicated by solid arrows, the drain water flow path and the flow direction are indicated by broken line arrows, and the flow path and flow direction of the air blown by the pipe fan are indicated by white lines. This is indicated by a blank arrow.

  The indoor unit 30 includes a suction port 35 on the top surface of the housing 31 as shown in FIG. The suction port 35 is composed of a large number of slits. A blower outlet 36 that forms a horizontally long rectangle when viewed from the front is formed in the lower front portion of the housing 31. A ventilation path 37 through which the air sent from the indoor blower 32 passes is formed between the indoor blower 32 and the outlet 36. When the indoor blower 32 is driven, the indoor air sucked into the casing 31 from the suction port 35 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 33 and is blown out from the blower outlet 36 toward the room through the ventilation path 37.

  A filter 38 is disposed immediately inside the suction port 35. The filter 38 covers the upper portion of the indoor heat exchanger 33 and collects dust contained in the indoor air sucked into the housing 31 through the suction port 35. The filter 38 can be taken out and cleaned by opening an open / close panel 39 provided on the front surface of the indoor unit 30.

  A louver 40 is disposed at the air outlet 36. The louver 40 also serves as an exterior member that closes a part of the air outlet 36 when the indoor unit 30 is stopped, and has a horizontally long rectangle when viewed from the front like the air outlet 36. The louver 40 is supported by the casing 31 with a shaft 40a extending in the horizontal direction provided at the upper side as a center of rotation and allowing the lower side to swing. During operation of the indoor unit 30, the louver 40 can change the blowing direction of the air sent out by the indoor blower 32 by opening the air outlet 36.

  In the casing 31 of the indoor unit 30, drain pans 41 and 42 that receive drain water such as condensed water and defrost water dripping from the indoor heat exchanger 33 are provided. A rear drain pan 41 is provided for the rear indoor heat exchanger 33A, and a front drain pan 42 is provided for the front indoor heat exchanger 33B. Both drain pans 41 and 42 have a bowl-like shape, and the drain water received by them is sent to the inflowing refrigerant heat exchanger 44 by the action of gravity through the water guide pipe 43 shown in FIG. 5 illustrates the front indoor heat exchanger 33B, the front drain pan 42, the water conduit 43, and the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 as an example, but with respect to the rear indoor heat exchanger 33A and the rear drain pan 41. However, a water guide pipe and an inflow refrigerant heat exchanger are provided separately.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 is provided for the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 through which the refrigerant flows into the front indoor heat exchanger 33 </ b> B. The refrigerant inlet pipe 45 is connected to the outdoor unit 10 via the refrigerant pipe 17 on the upstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation for the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The refrigerant inlet pipe 45 is connected to the front indoor heat exchanger 33B via an expansion mechanism 46 (for example, an expansion valve or a capillary tube) that depressurizes the refrigerant on the downstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation with respect to the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. doing.

  The drain water stored in the front drain pan 42 is guided by a water conduit 43 that is a water conduit extending to above the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The drain water guided to above the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 is dropped into the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The drain water flows down along the surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 in the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 and is received by the water receiving container 47. The drain water received by the water receiving container 47 is drained to the outside through the drain pipe 48. In the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant inlet pipe 45, that is, between the refrigerant and the drain water.

  When the refrigerant is in a two-phase state, as the refrigerant passes through the evaporator from the inlet toward the outlet, the refrigerant pressure decreases, the refrigerant evaporating temperature decreases, and the refrigerant temperature decreases. Therefore, for example, the refrigerant temperature at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger 33 is 21.0 ° C., and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet is 5.3 ° C. The drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 33 is generated at various locations of the heat exchanger, and the water temperature is the refrigerant temperature (21.0 ° C.) at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger 33 and the refrigerant temperature (5.3) at the outlet. Temperature). Therefore, according to the structure of 1st Embodiment, the refrigerant | coolant which flows in into the indoor heat exchanger 33 can be cooled with drain water.

  A pipe blower 49 is provided adjacent to the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The pipe blower 49 is a combination of a sirocco fan 49a and a motor 49b for rotating the sirocco fan 49a. The inlet of the sirocco fan 49a faces the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. When the pipe blower 49 is driven, the room air hits the drain water flowing down along the surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 45, and heat exchange is performed between the drain water and the room air. Thereby, drain water vaporizes and heat exchange is performed between the vaporized drain water and the refrigerant.

  In addition, in order to perform heat exchange suitably between a refrigerant | coolant and drain water, it is calculated | required that drain water has sufficient water quantity. For this reason, the drain pan 42 is provided with a water amount detector 50 for detecting the amount of drain water. Then, the air conditioner 1 permits air blowing by the pipe blower 49 toward the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 when the drain water is a predetermined amount or more based on the information obtained from the water amount detector 50, and the drain water is less than the predetermined amount. In some cases, air blowing by the pipe blower 49 is not permitted toward the refrigerant inlet pipe 45. The “predetermined amount” relating to the drain water is an arbitrary amount of water set in advance, and is a sufficient amount of water that can suitably perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the drain water, and can be arbitrarily set arbitrarily. . At this time, an opening / closing valve is provided in the water guide pipe 43, and the opening / closing valve is closed until the predetermined amount of drain water is stored in the drain pan 42, and the blowing is stopped, and when the predetermined amount of drain water is stored, It is good also as a structure which opens and starts ventilation.

  As described above, the air conditioner 1 causes the indoor unit 30 to exchange heat between the drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 33 and the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 into which the refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger 33. And an expansion mechanism 46 that decompresses the refrigerant, and a pipe blower 49 that blows air toward the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 of the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. Thereby, in the indoor unit 30, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 of the indoor heat exchanger 33, that is, between the refrigerant and the drain water. Therefore, the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 33 can be cooled by the drain water. In the present embodiment, the indoor unit 30 includes the expansion mechanism 46, but may not be provided.

  The air conditioner 1 also extends from the indoor heat exchanger 33 to above the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 and through the surface of the water inlet pipe 43 that guides drain water and the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 of the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. Since the water receiving container 47 for receiving the drain water flowing down is provided, heat exchange can be easily performed between the refrigerant and the drain water.

  The air conditioner 1 includes a water amount detector 50 that detects the amount of drain water, and is piped toward the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 when the drain water is a predetermined amount or more based on information obtained from the water amount detector 50. Air blow by the blower 49 is permitted, and when the drain water is less than a predetermined amount, air blow by the pipe blower 49 is not permitted toward the refrigerant inlet pipe 45. If air is blown by the pipe blower 49 in a state where the drain water is not sufficiently obtained, heat exchange may be performed between the refrigerant and the room air, and the effect may be reduced. Is possible.

  Thus, according to the configuration of the above embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerant flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 33 can be cooled using the drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 33. Therefore, the air conditioner 1 which can aim at the improvement of the heat exchange efficiency in the indoor heat exchanger 33 of the indoor unit 30 can be provided.

Second Embodiment
Next, the air conditioner of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the heat exchanger for refrigerant flowing out during the cooling operation of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. In FIG. 7, the refrigerant flow path and the flow direction during the cooling operation are indicated by solid arrows, the drain water flow path and the flow direction are indicated by broken line arrows, and the flow path and flow direction of the air blown by the pipe fan are indicated by white lines. This is indicated by a blank arrow. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as before. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The air conditioner 1 of 2nd Embodiment is provided with the heat exchanger 51 for the effluent refrigerant | coolant at the time of the air_conditionaing | cooling operation shown in FIG. The outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51 is provided, for example, with respect to the refrigerant outlet pipe 52 through which the refrigerant flows out from the front indoor heat exchanger 33B during the cooling operation. The refrigerant outlet pipe 52 is connected to the front indoor heat exchanger 33B on the upstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation with respect to the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51. The refrigerant outlet pipe 52 is connected to the outdoor unit 10 via the refrigerant pipe 18 on the downstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation for the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51.

  The drain water stored in the front drain pan 42 is guided by a water guide pipe 43 that extends to above the heat exchanger 51 for the outflow refrigerant. The drain water led to the upper side of the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51 is dropped to the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51. The drain water flows down through the surface of the refrigerant outlet pipe 52 in the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51 and is received by the water receiving container 47. The drain water received by the water receiving container 47 is drained to the outside through the drain pipe 48. In the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant outlet pipe 52, that is, between the refrigerant and the drain water.

  When the refrigerant is in a two-phase state, as the refrigerant passes through the evaporator from the inlet toward the outlet, the refrigerant pressure decreases, the refrigerant evaporating temperature decreases, and the refrigerant temperature decreases. Therefore, for example, the refrigerant temperature at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger 33 is 21.0 ° C., and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet is 5.3 ° C. The drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 33 is generated at various locations of the heat exchanger, and the water temperature is the refrigerant temperature (21.0 ° C.) at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger 33 and the refrigerant temperature (5.3) at the outlet. Temperature).

  Thus, according to the structure of 2nd Embodiment, in the indoor unit 30, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant | coolant exit piping 52 of the indoor heat exchanger 33, ie, a refrigerant | coolant, and drain water. Therefore, the refrigerant flowing out from the indoor heat exchanger 33 is heated by the drain water, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant can be made into gas more reliably. Therefore, the air conditioner 1 which can aim at the improvement of the heat exchange efficiency in the indoor heat exchanger 33 of the indoor unit 30 can be provided.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the air conditioner of 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an inflow refrigerant heat exchanger during the cooling operation of the indoor unit of the air conditioner and an outflow refrigerant heat exchanger during the cooling operation. In FIG. 8, the refrigerant flow path and the flow direction during the cooling operation are indicated by solid arrows, the drain water flow path and the flow direction are indicated by broken line arrows, and the flow path and flow direction of the air blown by the pipe blower are white. This is indicated by a blank arrow. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as before. The description of the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The air conditioner 1 of the third embodiment includes an inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 during cooling operation and an outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51 during cooling operation shown in FIG. The inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 is provided, for example, with respect to the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 through which refrigerant flows into the front indoor heat exchanger 33B during cooling operation, and the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51 receives refrigerant from the front indoor heat exchanger 33B. It is provided for the refrigerant outlet pipe 52 that flows out.

  The refrigerant inlet pipe 45 is connected to the outdoor unit 10 via the refrigerant pipe 17 on the upstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation with respect to the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The refrigerant inlet pipe 45 is connected to the front indoor heat exchanger 33B via an expansion mechanism 46 that depressurizes the refrigerant on the downstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation with respect to the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44.

  The refrigerant outlet pipe 52 is connected to the front indoor heat exchanger 33B on the upstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation with respect to the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51. The refrigerant outlet pipe 52 is connected to the outdoor unit 10 via the refrigerant pipe 18 on the downstream side in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation for the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51.

  The drain water stored in the front drain pan 42 is guided by a first water conduit 53 that extends to above the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The drain water guided to above the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 is dropped into the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44. The drain water flows down along the surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 45 in the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 and is received by the water receiving container 47. The drain water received by the water receiving container 47 is guided to the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51 by the second water guide pipe 54. In the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44, heat is exchanged between the refrigerant inlet pipe 45, that is, between the refrigerant and the drain water, and the drain water is warmed.

  The drain water used for heat exchange with the refrigerant in the inflow refrigerant heat exchanger 44 is guided by a second water guide pipe 54 that extends to above the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51. The drain water led to the upper side of the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51 is dropped to the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51. The drain water flows down through the surface of the refrigerant outlet pipe 52 in the outflow refrigerant heat exchanger 51 and is received by the water receiving container 47. The drain water received by the water receiving container 47 is drained to the outside through the drain pipe 48. In the effluent refrigerant heat exchanger 51, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant outlet pipe 52, that is, between the refrigerant and the drain water, and the refrigerant is warmed.

  When the refrigerant is in a two-phase state, as the refrigerant passes through the evaporator from the inlet toward the outlet, the refrigerant pressure decreases, the refrigerant evaporating temperature decreases, and the refrigerant temperature decreases. Therefore, for example, the refrigerant temperature at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger 33 is 21.0 ° C., and the refrigerant temperature at the outlet is 5.3 ° C. The drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 33 is generated at various locations of the heat exchanger, and the water temperature is the refrigerant temperature (21.0 ° C.) at the inlet of the indoor heat exchanger 33 and the refrigerant temperature (5.3) at the outlet. Temperature).

  Therefore, according to the structure of 3rd Embodiment, the refrigerant | coolant which flows in into the indoor heat exchanger 33 can be cooled with drain water, and also the refrigerant | coolant which flows out out of the indoor heat exchanger 33 can be heated.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the drain water stored in the drain pan is naturally guided to the refrigerant heat exchanger using the action of gravity, but may be guided using a functional element such as a pump or circulated. good.

  The present invention can be used in an air conditioner.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 10 Outdoor unit 30 Indoor unit 31 Case 32 Indoor fan 33 Indoor heat exchanger 41, 42 Drain pan 43 Water guide pipe (water guide channel)
44 Heat exchanger for inflow refrigerant (heat exchanger for refrigerant)
45 Refrigerant inlet piping (piping)
46 Expansion Mechanism 47 Water Receiving Container 48 Drainage Pipe 49 Piping Blower 50 Water Quantity Detector 51 Heat Exchanger for Outflow Refrigerant (Heat Exchanger for Refrigerant)
52 Refrigerant outlet piping (piping)
53 1st water conduit (water conduit)
54 Second water conduit (water conduit)

Claims (3)

In an air conditioner comprising: an indoor fan that circulates indoor air in an indoor unit; and an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the indoor air that circulates through the interior and that is circulated by the indoor fan.
An inflow refrigerant heat exchanger for exchanging heat between drain water generated in the indoor heat exchanger and a refrigerant inlet pipe into which the refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger; and the indoor heat exchange. and outflow coolant heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant outlet pipe the refrigerant and the drain water generated in the vessel from the indoor heat exchanger flows out, the air towards the pipe of the heat exchanger for the refrigerant A piping blower for blowing air ,
The drain water led to the upper side of the heat exchanger for inflow refrigerant and used for heat exchange in the heat exchanger for inflow refrigerant is led to the upper side of the heat exchanger for outflow refrigerant to exchange heat with the heat exchanger for outflow refrigerant. air conditioner which is characterized to have access to.   A water conduit that extends above the refrigerant heat exchanger and guides the drain water, and a water receiving container that receives the drain water flowing down through the surface of the pipe of the refrigerant heat exchanger. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein   A water amount detector for detecting the amount of drain water is provided, and air blow by the pipe blower is permitted toward the refrigerant inlet pipe when the drain water is a predetermined amount or more based on information obtained from the water amount detector. And when the said drain water is less than predetermined amount, the ventilation by the said piping air blower is not permitted toward the said refrigerant | coolant inlet piping, The air conditioner of Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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