JP6448981B2 - Air conditioner indoor unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner that uses a combustible refrigerant.

  In recent years, in response to environmental problems such as ozone depletion and global warming, refrigerants such as propane, butane, and R32 are used as so-called CFC substitutes for refrigerants such as R410A currently used in air conditioners. However, it has been used as a refrigerant for air conditioners. However, since these alternative chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants are flammable refrigerants (the flammable refrigerants include not only flammable refrigerants but also slightly flammable refrigerants), the indoor unit of the air conditioner is directed to the room. If the refrigerant leaks, an accident such as a fire may occur.

  For this reason, various refrigerant leak detection methods are considered so that the refrigerant leak from the indoor unit can be detected at an early stage. As this kind of conventional technology, for example, there is one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-98346 (Patent Document 1).

  In the indoor unit of an air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, a heat exchange chamber in which a heat exchanger through which a flammable refrigerant flows is arranged, and a machine room in which a refrigerant pipe connected to the heat exchanger is arranged. And a drain pan extending from the lower part of the heat exchange chamber toward the lower part of the machine room, and a refrigerant leak sensor provided at the lower part of the machine room for detecting the combustible refrigerant. Thereby, since the specific gravity of the combustible refrigerant leaking from the heat exchanger is larger than that of air, it flows to the lower part of the heat exchange chamber regardless of the position of the heat exchanger, reaches the drain pan, and the drain pan. To the bottom of the machine room. For this reason, it describes that it becomes possible to detect the combustible refrigerant | coolant which leaked in the heat exchange chamber with one refrigerant | coolant leak sensor provided in the lower part of the said machine room.

  Further, since the flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant pipe arranged in the machine room has a specific gravity larger than that of air, it flows and stays in the lower part of the machine room, so the refrigerant leakage sensor provided in the lower part of the machine room Is detected.

JP 2002-098346 A

  In the indoor unit of an air conditioner shown in Patent Document 1, when the indoor unit is in an operating state, a part of the air on the indoor side is sucked into the indoor unit and heat exchanged by the heat exchanger, Blown out. For this reason, even if the refrigerant leaks in the heat exchanger, the leaked refrigerant flows into the indoor side together with the air flowing through the indoor unit, and the combustible refrigerant flows through the portion where the refrigerant leakage sensor is installed. The concentration of becomes very thin. For this reason, there is a problem that the detection accuracy of the leaked refrigerant by the refrigerant leak sensor cannot be sufficiently obtained. In particular, as the air flow rate is increased in order to improve the performance of the indoor unit, the concentration of the combustible refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant leakage sensor portion decreases, and it may be difficult to detect the leakage of the combustible refrigerant.

  In addition, since an electrical component box is installed in the machine room where the refrigerant leakage sensor is installed, if a flammable refrigerant leaks, if a spark occurs in the electrical component box, a fire or An accident such as an explosion may occur.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can accurately detect a refrigerant leak even with a small refrigerant leakage amount and can suppress the leakage of the refrigerant into the room.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a heat exchanger having a plurality of refrigerant pipes, a liquid distributor and a gas distributor connected to the plurality of refrigerant pipes of the heat exchanger, and a connection to the liquid distributor. An expansion valve, a blower for circulating indoor air in the heat exchanger, a main body heat insulating material for covering the periphery and upper part of the heat exchanger and suppressing heat leakage, and a lower part of the heat exchanger In an indoor unit of an air conditioner provided with a drain pan for receiving drain generated in the heat exchanger, the indoor unit is a ceiling cassette type four-way outlet provided with the heat exchanger having a generally square shape Type indoor unit (top-cassette four-way indoor unit), both ends of the heat exchanger so as to isolate the liquid distributor, the gas distributor, and the expansion valve from the ventilation path of the indoor air by the blower Arrange them so that they are in between A partition plate provided, partition plate, said main body by a heat insulating material and the drain pan is provided a closed space formed between the ends of the heat exchanger, into the sealed space, the liquid distributor, gas distributor And an expansion valve, and a connection portion between the liquid distributor and gas distributor and a refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger, and a connection portion between the liquid distributor and the expansion valve are also arranged in the sealed space. Further, a refrigerant leak sensor is provided in the sealed space, a refrigerant leak sensor mounting hole is provided in the drain pan at the lower part of the sealed space, and the refrigerant leak sensor is attached to the refrigerant leak sensor mounting hole from below the drain pan. It is inserted and fixed toward the inside of the sealed space .

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can accurately detect refrigerant leakage even with a small amount of refrigerant leakage and that can also suppress leakage of the refrigerant into the room.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in Example 1 of this invention. It is a sectional side view of the indoor unit in FIG. 1 (sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 3). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. It is a bottom view of the indoor unit in FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view which expands and shows the sealed space vicinity shown in FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view which expands and shows the sealed space vicinity shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the part which attached | subjected the same code | symbol is the same part.

  A first embodiment of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the indoor unit in FIG. 1 (a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 3), 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2 (a cross-sectional view of the interior of the indoor unit as viewed from the ceiling surface side), FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the indoor unit in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the main part showing the vicinity of the sealed space shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner.

First, the whole structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of a present Example is demonstrated using FIGS. 1-4. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied to a ceiling cassette type four-direction blowout type indoor unit (hereinafter also referred to as a top-cassette four-way indoor unit).
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the indoor unit in a present Example is comprised by the main body (indoor unit main body) 1 and panel 2 of the top-cassette four-way indoor unit. In the casing 1a of the main body 1, there is provided a generally square-shaped heat exchanger 10 (see FIG. 3) for exchanging heat with air sucked from the room. A plurality of flowing refrigerant pipes (copper pipes) and aluminum fins are used, and the sucked room air is cooled or heated by exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipes. The heat-exchanged room air is then blown into the room to cool or heat the room.

  Further, the main body 1 in the direction of the top case 4 is provided with a turbo fan (blower) 6 for circulating indoor air in the main body 1, and as shown in FIGS. A liquid distributor 14 and a gas distributor 15 for distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of refrigerant pipes provided in the heat exchanger 10, and a refrigerant circulation amount flowing through the heat exchanger 10 and adjusting a pressure. An expansion valve 13 and the like are provided.

  8 is a liquid side pipe (liquid side refrigerant pipe) that is connected to the outdoor unit (not shown) side and through which liquid refrigerant flows, and 9 is a gas side pipe (gas side refrigerant pipe) through which gas refrigerant similarly flows, and the liquid side pipe 8 Is connected to the expansion valve 13 side, and the gas side pipe 9 is connected to the gas distributor 15 side.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the panel 2 includes a suction grill 3 for sending room air into the main body 1 of the top and bottom four-way indoor unit, and heat exchange with the refrigerant in the main body 1. Four air outlets 4 are provided for blowing the conditioned air into the room. Further, a control device for controlling the rotational speed of the turbo fan 6 and the opening of the expansion valve 13 between the suction side of the turbo fan 6 provided in the main body 1 and the suction grill 3. And an electrical box 7 in which electrical components (electrical components) such as a power source are accommodated.

  In this embodiment, the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle constituting the air conditioner can prevent ozone layer destruction and suppress global warming phenomenon, and can be slightly flammable or flammable, such as R32, propane, butane, etc. (Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as a flammable refrigerant).

  Reference numeral 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 denotes a main body heat insulating material provided in the casing 1a of the top and bottom four-way indoor unit main body 1, and the heat exchange so as to suppress heat leakage from the main body 1. It is provided so that the circumference | surroundings and the upper part of the container 10 may be covered. Reference numeral 5 denotes a drain pan installed below the heat exchanger 10 for receiving drain water generated when the heat exchanger 10 acts as an evaporator. Furthermore, 12 is a partition plate arranged so as to straddle between both end portions of the heat exchanger 10 while maintaining the shape of the heat exchanger 10 having a substantially rectangular shape, and the partition plate 12 and the main body The heat insulating material 11 and the drain pan 5 form a sealed space 18 so as to block intrusion of air flowing through the heat exchanger 10 in the main body 1. The sealed space 18 is formed between both ends of the heat exchanger 10, and the expansion valve 13, the liquid distributor 14, the gas distributor 15, and the like are provided in the sealed space 18.

The liquid side pipe 8, the gas side pipe 9, the expansion valve 13, the liquid distributor 14, the gas distributor 15, and the heat exchanger 10 are connected by welding, and these welds are also connected to the sealed space. It is provided so that it may be located in 18.
Further, a refrigerant leak sensor 20 that can detect when a combustible refrigerant leaks is provided in the sealed space 18.

  The attachment position of this refrigerant | coolant leak sensor 20 is demonstrated using FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the detection part of the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is provided at a position below the sealed space and near the welded part.

  The welded portion connecting the liquid side pipe 8, the gas side pipe 9, the expansion valve 13, the liquid distributor 14, the gas distributor 15, and the heat exchanger 10 is the weakest part in the structure, and is combustible from the indoor unit. In the case where the characteristic refrigerant leaks, this refrigerant leakage almost always occurs from the weld. In the present embodiment, since the welded portion is provided in the sealed space 18, the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 has a concentration that can be detected even when the amount of refrigerant leakage is small, and refrigerant leakage is quickly detected. Is possible.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is provided in the vicinity of the welded portion, the refrigerant leaking from the welded portion can be detected more quickly. For this reason, it is possible to quickly detect the refrigerant leakage even with respect to even smaller refrigerant leakage, and it is safer to avoid accidents such as fires and explosions.

  Further, since the flammable refrigerant has a density higher than that of air, the flammable refrigerant stays in a lower part in the sealed space. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to detect the refrigerant leakage more reliably and with a small amount of leakage. Accordingly, an indoor unit that can more reliably avoid accidents such as fires and explosions can be obtained.

Next, attachment of the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 will be described.
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the suction grille 3 attached to the panel 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the drain pan 5 below the sealed space 18 is attached with a refrigerant leak sensor. A hole 19 is formed. The refrigerant leakage sensor mounting hole 19 is provided with a fixture for fixing the refrigerant leakage sensor 20, and the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is inserted into the refrigerant leakage sensor mounting hole 19 outside the sealed space 18 ( In this example, it is inserted inward from the lower side) and fixed by the fixture.

  By attaching the refrigerant leak sensor 20 in this way, even if the refrigerant leak sensor 20 is out of order, the refrigerant leak sensor 20 can be easily replaced, and maintenance is improved. Can do.

Next, the configuration in the vicinity of the sealed space 18 will be described in detail with reference to enlarged views of main parts of FIGS.
The sealed space 18 includes the partition plate 12 provided so as to isolate the liquid distributor 14, the gas distributor 15, and the expansion valve 13 from the ventilation path of room air by the blower, and the main body heat insulating material 11. And the drain pan 5 (see FIG. 6) is formed as a sealed space so as to be blocked from the air flow path passing through the heat exchanger 10.

  In the sealed space 18, the expansion valve 13, the liquid distributor 14, and the gas distributor 15 are provided, and a refrigerant pipe (copper pipe) that forms a plurality of passages of the heat exchanger 10. Both end openings are also arranged at one end of the heat exchanger 10 and are provided so as to open into the sealed space 18. The liquid distributor 14 is connected by welding to one end side of each refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger 10 via a plurality of liquid distribution pipes 21 (the same number as the number of passages of the heat exchanger 10). Similarly, the gas distributor 15 is connected to the other end side of each refrigerant pipe (copper pipe) of the heat exchanger 10 via a plurality of gas distribution pipes 22 by welding.

In addition, 23 is a bend which connects the opening edge part which is not connected to the said liquid distribution pipe 21 or the said gas distribution pipe 22 among the opening parts of the said copper pipe.
The liquid distributor 14 is connected to the expansion valve 13 via a connection pipe 24, and the expansion valve 13 is further connected to the liquid side pipe 8. On the other hand, the gas distributor 15 is connected to the gas side pipe 9.

All the connection portions described above are connected by welding, and these weld portions are configured to be disposed in the sealed space 18.
That is, the connection part a between the copper pipe of the heat exchanger 10 and the liquid distribution pipe 21, the connection part b between the copper pipe of the heat exchanger 10 and the gas distribution pipe 22, and the connection between the liquid distribution pipe 21 and the liquid distributor 14. Part c, connection part d between the gas distribution pipe 22 and the gas distributor 15, connection part e between the liquid distributor 14 and the connection pipe 24, connection part f between the connection pipe 24 and the expansion valve 13, the expansion valve 13 and the liquid The connecting part g with the side pipe 8 and the connecting part h between the gas distributor 15 and the gas side pipe 9 are all joined by welding, and these welded parts are arranged in the sealed space 18.

  Further, at least a detection part of the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 capable of detecting when a flammable refrigerant leaks in the sealed space 18 is located at a position (bottom part) on the lower side of the sealed space 18 near the welded part. Is provided. In most cases, the refrigerant leakage occurs from any part of the welded portions a to h. However, in the present invention, since all the welded portions are provided in the sealed space 18, the refrigerant is in the sealed space 18. If it leaks, it is possible to detect refrigerant leakage quickly and reliably.

Further, in this embodiment, it is configured such that electric energy or the like that causes ignition is not generated in the sealed space 18. That is, the electric box 7 for accommodating an electric component comprising an ignition causes (electrical equipment), since is installed in the sealed space 18 outside of the air passage (air passage) side, the refrigerant leakage in the closed space 18 Even if there is, accidents such as fires and explosions can be reliably avoided.

  Furthermore, since the refrigerant leakage point is configured to be in the sealed space 18, even if the refrigerant leaks, the leaked refrigerant can be prevented from flowing out into the air flow path in the indoor unit. Thus, the refrigerant can be prevented from flowing into the room (inside the room), and accidents such as indoor fires and explosions can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a top-cassette four-way indoor unit as an indoor unit of an air conditioner has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a top-cassette four-way indoor unit. The present invention can be similarly applied to an indoor unit such as an embedded indoor unit, a floor-standing indoor unit, a wall-mounted indoor unit, or a ceiling-suspended indoor unit, and the same effect can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner is a flammable refrigerant. However, the case where a refrigerant such as R410A or R134a that is a nonflammable refrigerant is used. However, by applying the present invention, it is possible to detect refrigerant leakage at an early stage, and to obtain effects such as early prevention of performance degradation due to refrigerant leakage.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the partition plate provided so that the liquid distributor, the gas distributor, and the expansion valve are isolated from the ventilation path of the indoor air by the blower, and the main body heat insulation A sealed space is formed by the material and the drain pan, and the liquid distributor, the gas distributor, and the expansion valve are installed in the sealed space, and the refrigerant pipe of the liquid distributor, the gas distributor, and the heat exchanger, And the connection portion between the liquid distributor and the expansion valve are also arranged in the sealed space, and the refrigerant leakage sensor is provided in the sealed space. Refrigerant leakage can be detected. In addition, since the leaked refrigerant is confined in the sealed space, discharge of the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the sealed space is suppressed, and accidents such as fires and explosions can be avoided even if a flammable refrigerant is used as the air conditioner refrigerant. The effect that can be obtained.

In other words, in this embodiment, devices such as a liquid distributor, a gas distributor, and an expansion valve are arranged in a sealed space provided outside the air flow path (ventilation path) of the blower and are connected to these devices. The connection part (welded part) is tightly confined in the closed space, and a refrigerant leak sensor (refrigerant leak detection means) is provided in the vicinity of the welded part in the sealed space. It becomes possible to detect.

  In addition, since the electrical box containing the electrical components such as the control device for controlling the expansion valve and the blower is provided outside the sealed space, an accident such as a fire or explosion caused by the electrical components is avoided even if the refrigerant leaks. be able to. Furthermore, even if the flammable refrigerant flows out around the electrical components, the electrical box is installed in the ventilation path of the indoor air by the blower, so that it is possible to prevent the leakage refrigerant concentration from increasing around the electrical box, From this point, it is possible to reliably avoid fires and explosions caused by ignition from electrical components.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, Various modifications are included. The above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

1 ... main body, 1a ... housing,
2 ... Panel, 3 ... Suction grill, 4 ... Air outlet,
5 ... Drain pan, 6 ... Turbo fan (blower), 7 ... Electric box,
8 ... Liquid side piping, 9 ... Gas side piping, 10 ... Heat exchanger,
11 ... Main body heat insulating material, 12 ... Partition plate,
13 ... expansion valve, 14 ... liquid distributor, 15 ... gas distributor,
18 ... Sealed space, 19 ... Refrigerant leak sensor mounting hole, 20 ... Refrigerant leak sensor,
21 ... Liquid distribution pipe, 22 ... Gas distribution pipe, 23 ... Bend, 24 ... Connection pipe.

Claims (7)

A heat exchanger having a plurality of refrigerant pipes, a liquid distributor and a gas distributor connected to the plurality of refrigerant pipes of the heat exchanger, an expansion valve connected to the liquid distributor, and an indoor air to the heat exchanger A blower for circulating the heat, a main body heat insulating material provided to cover the periphery and upper part of the heat exchanger, and a drain generated in the heat exchanger installed below the heat exchanger. In an air conditioner indoor unit equipped with a drain pan for receiving,
The indoor unit is a ceiling cassette type four-direction blowout type indoor unit (a top-cassette four-way indoor unit) provided with the heat exchanger having a generally square shape,
A partition plate that is disposed so as to straddle between both ends of the heat exchanger so as to isolate the liquid distributor, the gas distributor, and the expansion valve from the ventilation path of the indoor air by the blower;
A sealed space formed between both ends of the heat exchanger by the partition plate, the main body heat insulating material and the drain pan;
The liquid distributor, the gas distributor, and the expansion valve are installed in the sealed space, the liquid distributor and the connection portion between the gas distributor and the refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger, and the liquid distributor and the A connection portion with the expansion valve is also arranged in the sealed space, and further, a refrigerant leak sensor is provided in the sealed space ,
A refrigerant leak sensor mounting hole is provided in the drain pan below the sealed space, and the refrigerant leak sensor is inserted and fixed to the refrigerant leak sensor mounting hole from below the drain pan toward the inside of the sealed space . An air conditioner indoor unit.   The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a combustible refrigerant is used as a refrigerant for the air conditioner.   The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an electric box containing electrical components such as a control device for controlling the expansion valve and the blower, the electric box being outside the sealed space and by the blower. An indoor unit for an air conditioner, wherein the indoor unit is provided in a ventilation path for indoor air.   The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a connection portion between the liquid distributor and the gas distributor and a refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger, and a connection portion between the liquid distributor and the expansion valve are welded. The indoor unit of an air conditioner is characterized in that the refrigerant leakage sensor is provided in the vicinity of a welded portion joined by welding.   The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein a connection part between a liquid side pipe of the air conditioner connected to the indoor unit and the expansion valve, a gas side pipe of the air conditioner and the gas distributor, The air conditioner indoor unit is characterized in that the connecting portions are also joined by welding, and these welded portions are also arranged in the sealed space.   6. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the liquid distributor is connected to one end side of each refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger by welding via a plurality of liquid distribution pipes. Is connected to the other end of each refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger via a plurality of gas distribution pipes by welding, and the liquid distributor is connected to the expansion valve via a connection pipe by welding. An air conditioner indoor unit characterized in that the unit is also disposed in the sealed space.   The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit of the refrigerant leakage sensor is installed at a position on the lower side in the sealed space.

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