JP6653455B1 - Indoor unit - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to detect a refrigerant leaked from an indoor unit without using a closed space that restricts a layout of piping or a large number of sensors. An indoor unit (1) houses a heat exchanger (141) and a blower fan (135) in a housing (110), and is separated from a blower space (123) from a blower space (123) through which an airflow flows through the heat exchanger (141). At the ends of the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 drawn out to the pipe area 124 and further drawn out of the housing 110 from the pipe area 124, pipe connection sections 144 and 145 connected to inter-unit pipes are provided. An opening was formed in the left side wall 114 at a position lower than 144 and 145, and a refrigerant sensor 154 was arranged near the opening. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit.

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

JP-A-2006-84946

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to store the connection portion of the refrigerant pipe and the sensor in a closed space. For this reason, it was necessary to lay out the piping of the indoor unit in accordance with the closed space. On the other hand, when the closed space is arranged in accordance with the layout of the piping, it is necessary to provide a plurality of closed spaces and sensors, and there is a problem that efficiency is low.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and has an object to enable the detection of a refrigerant leaking from an indoor unit without using a sealed space or a large number of sensors that restrict the layout of piping. Is what you do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a housing accommodating at least a heat exchanger and a blower fan, a refrigerant pipe and a refrigerant pipe provided inside the housing and drawn from the heat exchanger. a pipe lead portion for connecting the housing and the pipe connection portion for connecting the unit pipes leading to the refrigerant pipe and the outdoor unit drawn out of the indoor unit Ru wherein the pipe to the housing A first opening communicating below the connection portion , a refrigerant sensor provided at a position near the first opening , wherein the refrigerant sensor leaks refrigerant from the piping connection portion and leaks from the piping drawing portion; A refrigerant receiver for mounting the refrigerant sensor is provided at a position overlapping the pipe connection part in a plan view, and the first opening is provided between the pipe connection part and the refrigerant receiver in the vertical direction. A case for accommodating the refrigerant sensor in the refrigerant receiver, wherein the case communicates with a communication pipe passing through the first opening and opening to the pipe draw-out portion, and communicating a bottom portion of the refrigerant receiver with the inside of the case. And two openings .
According to this, the refrigerant sensor can detect the leakage of the refrigerant from each part of the indoor unit including the part where the refrigerant is likely to leak with high sensitivity. Since the refrigerant sensor only needs to be arranged in a region partitioned from the ventilation space, it can be easily arranged in accordance with the layout of the piping of the outdoor unit. Therefore, the refrigerant sensor can be disposed and the leakage of the refrigerant can be detected without any restriction on the layout of the piping.
Further, the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and entering the case and the refrigerant leaking from the pipe region and entering the case with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor.
Further, the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and entering the case through the second opening and the refrigerant leaking from the piping region and entering the case through the communication pipe with high sensitivity. In particular, a refrigerant having a specific gravity higher than that of air can be promptly detected by the refrigerant sensor.

  According to the indoor unit of the present invention, leakage of refrigerant from each part of the indoor unit including a portion where the refrigerant is likely to leak, by a refrigerant sensor that can be arranged without providing a restriction on the layout of the piping of the indoor unit, It can be detected with good sensitivity.

The top view of the indoor unit of 1st Embodiment. The principal part enlarged view of an indoor unit. Sectional drawing in the AA line of FIG. The top view of the indoor unit of 2nd Embodiment. The principal part enlarged view of an indoor unit. Sectional drawing in the BB line of FIG. The principal part expanded sectional view of an indoor unit.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing accommodating at least a heat exchanger and a blower fan, and a pipe drawing provided inside the housing and connecting a refrigerant pipe drawn from the heat exchanger to a refrigerant pipe. parts and the housing and the pipe connection portion for connecting the unit pipes leading to the refrigerant pipe and the outdoor unit drawn out of the indoor unit Ru provided with, lower than the pipe connection portion to the housing And a refrigerant sensor provided at a position near the first opening , wherein the refrigerant sensor detects refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection part and refrigerant leaking from the pipe outlet part. Providing a refrigerant receiver for mounting the refrigerant sensor at a position overlapping the pipe connection part in a plan view, providing the first opening between the pipe connection part and the refrigerant receiver in the up-down direction, Previous Provided case for accommodating a coolant sensor, the case has said communicating pipe to open the first opening as the pipe lead-out portion, and a second opening communicating the interior of the bottom portion of receiving the coolant casing .
According to this, the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaked in the pipe region of the indoor unit and the refrigerant leaked in the pipe connection portion with high sensitivity in a state where it is difficult to be diffused by the airflow. Since the refrigerant sensor only needs to be arranged in a region partitioned from the ventilation space, the refrigerant sensor can be easily arranged in accordance with the layout of the piping of the outdoor unit without restricting the layout of the piping.
Further , the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and entering the case and the refrigerant leaking from the pipe region and entering the case with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor.
Further, the refrigerant sensor can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection portion and entering the case through the second opening and the refrigerant leaking from the piping region and entering the case through the communication pipe with high sensitivity. In particular, a refrigerant having a specific gravity higher than that of air can be promptly detected by the refrigerant sensor.

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

The indoor unit 1 is an indoor unit of a duct type air conditioner installed in a ceiling space, and FIGS. 1 and 2 are views of the indoor unit 1 from above.
1 and 2 are substantially parallel to the horizontal plane when the indoor unit 1 is installed, and are substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. 1, 2 and 3 and the following description of the first embodiment, the front of the indoor unit 1 is indicated by a symbol FR, the rear is indicated by a symbol RE, the right is indicated by a symbol R, and the left is indicated by a symbol R. It is indicated by the symbol L. In addition, in FIG. 3, the upper part is indicated by UP and the lower part is indicated by DN. These directions are based on the installation state of the indoor unit 1.

The indoor unit 1 has a housing 110 including a front wall 111, a rear wall 112, a right wall 113, a left wall 114, a bottom panel 115, and a top panel. Although the upper surface of the housing 110 is closed by the upper panel, illustration of the upper panel is omitted in FIG.
In the first embodiment, the left side wall 114 corresponds to an example of the wall of the present invention.

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

  The partition wall 121 is provided with an opening (not shown) communicating with the intake space 122 and the ventilation space 123, and the ventilation port of the ventilation fan 135 is joined to this opening. In addition, an intake port of the blower fan 135 opens into the intake space 122.

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

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

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

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

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

  One end of the heat exchanger 141 is exposed in the piping area 124. The heat exchanger 141 is configured by joining a metal fin to a refrigerant pipe made of copper, for example. The refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger 141 is drawn out of the main body of the heat exchanger 141 in the pipe region 124 and connected to the two refrigerant pipes 142 and 143. The portion from which the refrigerant pipe is drawn out of the main body of the heat exchanger 141 is referred to as a pipe drawing portion 141a. In the pipe outlet 141a, for example, a plurality of refrigerant pipes are welded to the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143.

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

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

  In the indoor unit 1, the space including the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 is defined as a detection region 151 where the refrigerant is detected by the refrigerant sensor 154. In the detection area 151, a refrigerant sensor 154 is disposed, and the refrigerant sensor 154 mainly detects refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection parts 144 and 145 and refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet part 141a.

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

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

  As is apparent from the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the coolant receiver 152 is disposed below the pipe connection parts 144 and 145. Thereby, when the refrigerant having a large specific gravity leaks from the pipe connection portions 144 and 145, the refrigerant can be retained inside the refrigerant receiver 152, and leaked inside the refrigerant receiver 152 from outside the refrigerant receiver 152. The concentration of the refrigerant becomes high.

As shown in FIG. 3, a coolant sensor 154 housed in a case 153 is arranged in the coolant receiver 152. An opening 153a as a second opening is formed in a lower portion of the case 153. The bottom of the coolant receiver 152 and the inside of the case 153 communicate with each other through the opening 153a. More preferably, the opening 153a is provided near the bottom surface of the coolant receiver 152. The opening 153a only needs to be a hole through which the refrigerant can flow, and may be a fine hole. For example, the opening width of the opening 153a is preferably １ ／ or less, and may be １ ／ or less as compared with the depth of the coolant receiver 152.

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

The indoor unit 1 has a communication pipe 156 that penetrates the first opening formed in the left side wall 114. The communication pipe 156 is a hollow pipe that connects the internal space of the case 153 and the piping area 124. The communication pipe 156 opens at a lower part of the pipe area 124. When the refrigerant leaks from each part in the pipe region 124 including the pipe outlet 141a, the refrigerant flows into the case 153 through the communication pipe 156, and is quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

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

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

In this way, the refrigerant sensor 154 can quickly detect the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 141a and the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connectors 144 and 145. In particular, since the refrigerant receiver 152 is located below the pipe connection parts 144 and 145, and the opening 153a opens at the bottom of the refrigerant receiver 152, it is possible to quickly detect leakage of the refrigerant having a specific gravity greater than that of air. Further, since the communication pipe 156 is opened below the pipe area 124, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 141a can be detected quickly.
In the present embodiment, refrigerant sensor 154 may be provided near communication pipe 156 in piping area 124. In this case, since the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection parts 144 and 145 enters the pipe area 124 from the refrigerant receiver 152 through the communication pipe 156, the refrigerant leaked in the pipe area 124 also includes the pipe connection part 144 outside the housing. The refrigerant leaked from 145 can also be detected by the refrigerant sensor 154.

  Further, the piping area 124 is separated from the ventilation space 123 by a partition wall 125 and a partition wall 126. For this reason, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 141 a is detected by the refrigerant sensor 154 without being diffused by the airflow flowing through the ventilation space 123. Further, since the pipe connection parts 144 and 145 and the detection area 151 are located in the space outside the left side wall 114, the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection parts 144 and 145 is generated by the airflow flowing through the intake space 122 and the air blowing space 123. It is detected by the refrigerant sensor 154 without being diffused.

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

  As described above, the indoor unit 1 of the first embodiment houses the heat exchanger 141 and the blower fan 135 inside the housing 110. Ends of refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 which are drawn out of the ventilation space 123 through which the airflow passing through the heat exchanger 141 flows into a piping area 124 partitioned from the ventilation space 123 and further drawn out of the casing 110 from the piping area 124. Are provided with piping connection parts 144 and 145. The refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 are connected to the inter-unit pipes 301 and 302 connected to the outdoor units at the pipe connection parts 144 and 145, and an opening is formed in the left side wall 114 of the housing 110 below the pipe connection parts 144 and 145. The coolant sensor 154 is formed near the opening.

  According to this, one refrigerant sensor 154 can detect the refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection parts 144 and 145 of the refrigerant pipes 142 and 143 and the refrigerant leaking in the pipe area 124. Further, since the ventilation space 123 and the pipe region 124 are separated from each other, detection can be performed with high sensitivity in a state where the ventilation space 123 is not easily diffused by the ventilation airflow flowing through the ventilation space 123. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a refrigerant sensor 154 is disposed on the left side with respect to the opening of the communication pipe 156 penetrating the left side wall 114. The refrigerant sensor is located substantially horizontally with respect to the opening of the communication pipe 156, and is located below the opening. As described above, since the refrigerant sensor 154 is disposed near the opening of the left side wall 114, the leakage of the refrigerant can be detected even if the leakage amount of the refrigerant is small. Therefore, one refrigerant sensor 154 can detect the refrigerant leaked inside the housing 110 and the refrigerant leaked at the pipe connection parts 144 and 145.

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

Further, an opening of the communication pipe 156 is formed in the left side wall 114 that divides the pipe region 124 from the region having the pipe connection portions 144 and 145 outside the housing. The coolant receiver 152 is arranged outside the housing 110 at a position corresponding to the opening of the communication pipe 156 that is the opening of the left side wall 114 of the housing 110.
According to this, when a refrigerant having a higher specific gravity than air leaks inside the casing 110, the refrigerant stays in the refrigerant receiver 152 through the opening of the communication pipe 156. Thus, the refrigerant sensor 154 can quickly detect the leaked refrigerant.

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

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

The indoor unit 2 is an indoor unit of a ceiling-suspended air conditioner that is suspended from the ceiling of the conditioned space, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are views of the indoor unit 2 from above.
4 and 5 are substantially parallel to the horizontal plane when the indoor unit 2 is installed, and are substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. In each of FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7 and the following description of the second embodiment, the front of the indoor unit 2 is indicated by a symbol FR, the rear is indicated by a symbol RE, and the right is indicated by a symbol R, The left side is indicated by a symbol L. 6 and 7, the upper part is denoted by UP and the lower part is denoted by DN. These directions are based on the installation state of the indoor unit 2.

  The indoor unit 2 has a housing 210 including a front wall 211, a rear wall 212, a right wall 213, a left wall 214, a bottom panel 215, and a top panel. Although the upper surface of the housing 210 is closed by the upper panel, illustration of the upper panel is omitted in FIG.

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

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

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

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

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

  The heat exchanger 241 is configured by joining a metal fin to a copper refrigerant tube, for example. The refrigerant pipe of the heat exchanger 241 is drawn out from the end of the main body of the heat exchanger 241 and connected to the two refrigerant pipes 242 and 243. The part from which the refrigerant pipe is drawn out of the main body of the heat exchanger 241 is referred to as a pipe drawing part 241a. In the pipe outlet 241a, for example, a plurality of refrigerant pipes are welded to the refrigerant pipes 242 and 243.

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

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

  In the indoor unit 2, a region including the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 in the intake space 222 is defined as a detection region 251 where the refrigerant sensor 254 detects refrigerant. A refrigerant sensor 254 is disposed in the detection area 251. The refrigerant sensor 254 mainly detects refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection parts 244 and 245 and refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet part 241a.

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

  As shown in FIG. 5, a coolant receiver 252 is arranged at a position overlapping the pipe connection parts 244 and 245 in plan view. The coolant receiver 252 is a substantially box-shaped container with an open top, and is shown as a structure having a rectangular cross section in the figure, but may be a disk shape.

  As apparent from the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6 and 7, the coolant receiver 252 is disposed below the pipe connection parts 244 and 245. Thereby, when the refrigerant having a large specific gravity leaks from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245, the refrigerant can stay inside the refrigerant receiver 252, and leaks inside the refrigerant receiver 252 from outside the refrigerant receiver 252. The concentration of the refrigerant becomes high.

  A refrigerant sensor 254 housed in a case 253 is arranged in the refrigerant receiver 252. An opening 253a is formed in a lower portion of the case 253. The bottom of the coolant receiver 252 and the inside of the case 253 communicate with each other through the opening 253a. More preferably, opening 253a is provided near the bottom surface of coolant receiver 252. The opening 253a only needs to be a hole through which the refrigerant can flow, and may be a fine hole. For example, the opening width of the opening 253a is preferably １ ／ or less, and may be １ ／ or less as compared with the depth of the coolant receiver 252.

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

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

  In the ventilation space 223, when the refrigerant leaks from each part of the ventilation space 223 including the pipe outlet 241a, the refrigerant flows into the case 253 through the communication pipe 256, and is quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.

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

  As described above, in the detection region 251, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 241 a and the refrigerant leaked from the pipe connectors 244 and 245 can be quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254. In particular, since the refrigerant receiver 252 is located below the pipe connection parts 244 and 245, and the opening 253a opens at the bottom of the refrigerant receiver 252, it is possible to quickly detect leakage of the refrigerant having a specific gravity greater than that of air. In addition, since the communication pipe 256 opens at the lower part of the pipe area 224, the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 241a can be quickly detected.

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

  The refrigerant leaked from the pipe connection portions 244 and 245 stays in the refrigerant receiver 252 and then diffuses from the refrigerant receiver 252 to the intake space 222. Since the amount of the refrigerant staying in the refrigerant receiver 252 is sufficiently smaller than the volume of the conditioned space of the indoor unit 2, there is no possibility that the concentration of the refrigerant in the conditioned space reaches the LFL. Furthermore, when the refrigerant leaks, the refrigerant is quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254, so that the refrigerant can be dealt with before the concentration of the refrigerant in the conditioned space reaches the LFL.

  The refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 241a enters the case 253 through the communication pipe 256, and diffuses from the refrigerant receiver 252 into the intake space 222. In addition, a part of the refrigerant leaked from the pipe outlet 241a is diffused by an airflow passing through the ventilation space 223. Therefore, the refrigerant that reaches the LFL does not stay around the pipe outlet 241a.

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

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

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

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

A case 253 communicating with the bottom of the coolant receiver 252 is provided, and a coolant sensor 254 is provided in the case 253.
According to this, the refrigerant remaining in the refrigerant receiver 252 can be detected with high sensitivity by the refrigerant sensor 254. In particular, a refrigerant having a specific gravity higher than that of air can be quickly detected by the refrigerant sensor 254.

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

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

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

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the indoor unit according to the present invention can be suitably used as an indoor unit of an air conditioner that can detect leakage of refrigerant with high sensitivity by a refrigerant sensor that can be arranged without restricting the layout of piping. .

1, 2 Indoor unit 110 Housing 111 Front wall 111a Blow outlet 112 Back wall 113 Right side wall 114 Left side wall 115 Bottom panel 115a Inlet 121 Partition wall 122 Intake space 123 Blow space 124 Piping area 125, 126 Partition wall 131 Fan motor 133 Drive shaft 135 Ventilation fan 137 Intake filter 141 Heat exchanger 141a Pipe outlet 142, 143 Refrigerant pipe 144, 145 Pipe connector 147 Pipe outlet 151 Detection area 153 Case 153a Opening 154 Refrigerant sensor 156 Communication pipe 210 Housing 211 Front wall 212 Back wall 213 Right side wall 214 Left side wall 215 Bottom panel 215a Intake port 216 Exhaust port 221 Partition wall 222 Intake space 223 Blow space 224 Piping area 231 Fan motor 233 Drive shaft 235 Send Wind fan 237 Intake filter 241 Heat exchanger 241a Pipe outlet 242, 243 Refrigerant pipe 244, 245 Pipe connection 247 Pipe outlet 251 Detection area 253 Case 253a Opening 254 Refrigerant sensor 254a Circuit board 254b Sensor body 256 Communication pipe 301, 302 , 305, 306 Unit piping

Claims (1)

A housing accommodating at least a heat exchanger and a blower fan,
A pipe drawing portion provided inside the housing and connecting a refrigerant pipe and a refrigerant pipe drawn from the heat exchanger,
A pipe connecting portion for connecting the unit pipes leading to the refrigerant pipe and the outdoor unit drawn out of the casing, the indoor unit Ru provided with,
A first opening communicating with the housing below the pipe connection portion;
A refrigerant sensor is provided near the first opening ,
The refrigerant sensor detects a refrigerant leaking from the pipe connection part, and a refrigerant leaking from the pipe drawing part,
A refrigerant receiver for mounting the refrigerant sensor is provided at a position overlapping the pipe connection part in a plan view,
The first opening is provided between the pipe connection portion and the refrigerant receiver in the up-down direction,
Providing a case for housing the refrigerant sensor in the refrigerant receiver,
The indoor unit , wherein the case has a communication pipe passing through the first opening and opening to the pipe drawing portion, and a second opening communicating the bottom of the refrigerant receiver and the inside of the case .

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