JP7135391B2 - air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to air conditioners.

An indoor heat exchanger provided in an indoor unit and having a welded portion in a refrigerant flow path, a cover covering the welded portion of the indoor heat exchanger and receiving refrigerant leaking from the welded portion, and discharging the refrigerant in the cover. There is known an air conditioner having a discharge channel provided in the lower portion of the cover for the purpose of air conditioning (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

JP 2008-292066 A

However, when a refrigerant heavier than air is used in an air conditioner as shown in Patent Document 1, the refrigerant heavier than air ejected into the cover from the welded portion (joint portion) is discharged into the discharge flow provided at the bottom of the cover. There is a possibility that it will spurt out from the road as it is. For this reason, the leaked refrigerant is discharged into the room at a high speed from the indoor unit of the air conditioner, and there is a possibility that a region with a high refrigerant concentration may be formed in the room in a short period of time.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems. The purpose is to reduce the discharge speed of the refrigerant into the room from the indoor unit when the refrigerant leaks from the joint of the heat transfer tube of the heat exchanger where the refrigerant heavier than air flows inside under atmospheric pressure. To obtain an air conditioner capable of suppressing formation of a region having a high refrigerant concentration in a room.

An air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes an indoor unit housing installed indoors, and a heat transfer tube that is housed inside the indoor unit housing and through which a refrigerant that is heavier than air under atmospheric pressure flows. and a vessel, wherein the heat transfer tube includes a plurality of straight portions and a U-shaped portion connecting the straight portions, and a joint portion between the straight portion and the U-shaped portion, further comprising a storage part formed with a discharge port that air-tightly covers a vertically lower side than the uppermost joint portion that is the most vertically upward of the joint portions and that is arranged vertically above the uppermost joint portion, and the discharge port is larger than the pipe diameter of the joint portion, the storage portion includes a discharge pipe having the discharge port formed at one end thereof, and the discharge pipe is bent inside the indoor unit housing. .
Alternatively, the air conditioner according to the present disclosure has an indoor unit housing installed indoors, and a heat transfer tube housed inside the indoor unit housing and through which a refrigerant heavier than air under atmospheric pressure flows. a heat exchanger, wherein the heat transfer tube includes a plurality of straight portions and a U-shaped portion connecting the straight portions, and a joint portion between the straight portion and the U-shaped portion a storage part that airtightly covers the vertically lower side than the uppermost joint part that is the most vertically upward among the joint parts, and has a discharge port that is arranged vertically above the uppermost joint part. The diameter of the discharge port is larger than the pipe diameter of the joint portion, and the storage portion includes a discharge pipe having the discharge port formed at one end thereof, the discharge pipe being vertically expandable and contractable. It expands upward when the pressure of is equal to or higher than a preset standard.

According to the air conditioner according to the present invention, when the refrigerant leaks from the joint of the heat transfer tube of the heat exchanger in which the refrigerant heavier than air flows inside under atmospheric pressure, the refrigerant discharge speed from the indoor unit into the room can be reduced, and it is possible to suppress the formation of a region with a high refrigerant concentration in the room within a short period of time.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerant circuit included in an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is sectional drawing which shows typically the whole structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of heat transfer tubes included in the indoor heat exchanger of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a storage section included in the indoor unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an indoor space in an experiment relating to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; It is a figure which shows an example of the result obtained from experiment regarding Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; [ Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a reservoir provided in an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1.
1 to 7 relate to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerant circuit provided in an air conditioner. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the overall configuration of the air conditioner. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of heat transfer tubes provided in an indoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a reservoir included in the indoor unit. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the indoor space in the experiment. And FIG. 7 is a figure which shows an example of the result obtained from experiment.

An air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes an indoor unit 1 and an outdoor unit 2, as shown in FIG. The indoor unit 1 is installed inside a room to be air-conditioned. The outdoor unit 2 is installed outside the room. The indoor unit 1 includes an indoor heat exchanger 3 and an indoor fan 5 . The outdoor unit 2 has an outdoor heat exchanger 4 and an outdoor fan 6 . The indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 are connected by refrigerant pipes 10 . A refrigerant pipe 10 is provided to circulate between the indoor heat exchanger 3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 4 . Refrigerant is enclosed in the refrigerant pipe 10 .

From the viewpoint of protecting the global environment, it is desirable to use a refrigerant having a small global warming potential (GWP) as the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant pipe 10 . Moreover, the refrigerant enclosed in the refrigerant pipe 10 is combustible. This refrigerant has a higher average molecular weight than air. That is, refrigerants are denser than air and heavier than air at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the refrigerant has the property of sinking downward in the direction of gravity in the air.

Specific examples of such refrigerants include tetrafluoropropene (CF3CF=CH2:HFO-1234yf), difluoromethane (CH2F2:R32), propane (R290), propylene (R1270), ethane (R170), butane (R600 ), isobutane (R600a), 1.1.1.2-tetrafluoroethane (C2H2F4: R134a), pentafluoroethane (C2HF5: R125), 1.3.3.3-tetrafluoro-1-propene (CF3- CH=CHF:HFO-1234ze), carbon dioxide (CO2:R744), etc. (mixed refrigerant) consisting of one or more refrigerants can be used.

A compressor 7 is provided via a four-way valve 9 in a refrigerant pipe 10 on one side of a refrigerant circulation path between the indoor heat exchanger 3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 4 . The compressor 7 is a device that compresses the supplied refrigerant to increase the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant. For example, a rotary compressor or a scroll compressor can be used as the compressor 7 . An electromagnetic expansion valve 8 is provided in the refrigerant pipe 10 on the other side of the circulation path. The electromagnetic expansion valve 8 is, for example, a linear electronic expansion valve (LEV). The electromagnetic expansion valve 8 expands the inflowing refrigerant to reduce the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant. The four-way valve 9 , the compressor 7 and the electromagnetic expansion valve 8 are provided in the outdoor unit 2 .

The indoor refrigerant pipe 10a, which is the refrigerant pipe 10 on the indoor unit 1 side, and the outdoor refrigerant pipe 10b, which is the refrigerant pipe 10 on the outdoor unit 2 side, are connected via a joint made of metal or the like. Specifically, the refrigerant pipe 10 of the indoor unit 1 is provided with an indoor-side pipe joint portion 11 . In addition, the refrigerant pipe 10 of the outdoor unit 2 is provided with a pipe joint portion 11 on the outdoor side. A connecting refrigerant pipe 10 is connected between the indoor-side pipe joint portion 11 and the outdoor-side pipe joint portion 11 .

A refrigerant circulation path is formed by the refrigerant pipe 10 configured as described above. A refrigerant circulation path formed by refrigerant piping 10, and an indoor heat exchanger 3, an outdoor heat exchanger 4, a four-way valve 9, a compressor 7, and an electromagnetic expansion unit connected to the circulation path by the refrigerant piping 10. A refrigeration cycle (refrigerant circuit) is configured by the valve 8 .

In the refrigeration cycle configured in this way, heat is exchanged between the indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the air in each of the indoor heat exchanger 3 and the outdoor heat exchanger 4. works as a heat pump to move At this time, by switching the four-way valve 9, the circulation direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerating cycle can be reversed to switch between the cooling operation and the heating operation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 1 is installed on the indoor side of the wall 20 of the building. Also, the outdoor unit 2 is installed on the outdoor side of the wall portion 20 of the building. A through hole is formed in the wall portion 20 . The refrigerant pipe 10 is passed through the through hole to connect the indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2 which are installed with the wall portion 20 interposed therebetween. Moreover, in order to suppress heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 10 and the outside air, the outer circumference of the refrigerant pipe 10 is covered with a heat insulating material.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 , the indoor unit 1 has an indoor unit housing 40 . The indoor unit housing 40 is installed indoors. The indoor unit housing 40 is formed with an inlet (not shown) and an outlet 12 . The air outlet 12 is arranged below the vertical central portion of the indoor unit housing 40 . Air that has undergone air conditioning is blown into the room from the air outlet 12 .

The indoor heat exchanger 3 and the indoor fan 5 are housed inside the indoor unit housing 40 . The indoor heat exchanger 3 includes heat transfer tubes 13 and fins 14 . The heat transfer pipe 13 is connected to the indoor refrigerant pipe 10a by, for example, welding. Refrigerant flows inside the heat transfer pipe 13 through the indoor refrigerant pipe 10a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heat transfer tube 13 has a straight portion 13b and a U-shaped portion 13a. The straight portion 13b has a straight shape. A plurality of straight portions 13b are provided. The plurality of straight portions 13b are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction. Each straight portion 13b is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is horizontal.

The U-shaped portion 13a is bent in a U-shape. The U-shaped portion 13a connects the ends of the adjacent straight portions 13b. A connection portion between the straight portion 13b and the U-shaped portion 13a is joined by, for example, brazing. That is, the joint X between the straight portion 13b and the U-shaped portion 13a is a brazed portion. Since the straight portions 13b are arranged in the vertical direction as described above, the joint portions X are also arranged side by side in the vertical direction on one end side of the straight portions 13b. Of these joints X, the one positioned highest in the vertical direction is referred to as the uppermost joint Y herein.

A plurality of fins 14 are provided. Each fin 14 is a flat metal plate. The plurality of fins 14 are arranged side by side so as to be parallel to each other at intervals. Each fin 14 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is vertical. The straight portion 13 b of the heat transfer tube 13 is provided so as to pass through the plurality of fins 14 .

The indoor fan 5 is, for example, a line flow fan. However, the indoor fan 5 is not limited to a line flow fan. For example, a propeller fan, a sirocco fan, or the like may be used as the indoor fan 5 according to the form of the indoor unit 1 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the indoor unit 1 according to this embodiment includes a reservoir 30. As shown in FIG. The configuration of this reservoir 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to FIG. The storage section 30 has a storage chamber 31 and a discharge pipe 32 . The storage chamber 31 is housed inside the indoor unit housing 40 . The storage chamber 31 is a hollow box-shaped member. The storage chamber 31 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped appearance. All the joints X including the uppermost joint Y are accommodated inside the storage chamber 31 . The storage chamber 31 is airtight except for a portion connected to a discharge pipe 32, which will be described below.

In the configuration example of this embodiment, the straight portion 13 b of the heat transfer tube 13 is arranged to penetrate the side portion of the storage chamber 31 . At this time, it is preferable to seal the penetrating portion with a sealing material such as rubber so as not to form a gap between the side portion of the storage chamber 31 and the straight portion 13b.

The discharge pipe 32 is a hollow cylindrical member. One end of the discharge pipe 32 is connected to the upper surface of the storage chamber 31 . The interior of the storage chamber 31 and the interior of the discharge pipe 32 are communicated through this connecting portion. A discharge port 33 is formed at the other end of the discharge pipe 32 . The discharge pipe 32 is arranged to extend upward from the upper surface of the storage chamber 31 . The other end side of the discharge pipe 32 including the discharge port 33 is arranged to protrude upward from the upper surface 41 of the indoor unit housing.

A lid may be provided on the discharge port 33 to prevent entry of foreign matter such as dust and dirt. Also, a mesh filter may be provided at the discharge port 33 . Also, in the configuration example shown here, the direction of the discharge port 33 is vertically upward, but the direction of the discharge port 33 is not limited to this. Alternatively, for example, the discharge port 33 may be oriented vertically downward or horizontally.

In the storage section 30 configured in this manner, the storage chamber 31 airtightly covers all of the joints X on the vertically lower side than the uppermost joint Y. As shown in FIG. Further, the discharge port 33 formed in the reservoir 30 is arranged vertically above the uppermost joint Y. As shown in FIG.

Consider the case where the refrigerant leaks from a joint X in the air conditioner configured as described above. As mentioned above, the refrigerants used herein have a higher average molecular weight than air, ie, a higher density than air at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, this refrigerant has the property of sinking vertically downward in air under atmospheric pressure. Therefore, in such a case, the leaked refrigerant flows vertically downward from the leaking location.

Here, the vertically lower side than the uppermost joint Y is airtightly covered with the storage chamber 31 . Therefore, no matter which junction X causes refrigerant leakage, the leaked refrigerant drops into the storage chamber 31 and accumulates from the bottom of the storage chamber 31 . When the interface of the leaked refrigerant accumulated in the storage chamber 31 reaches the upper end of the storage chamber 31, the leaked refrigerant enters the discharge pipe 32 and is discharged from the discharge port 33 into the indoor space. Here, the diameter of the discharge port 33 is configured to be larger than the pipe diameter of the joint X. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the outflow speed of the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 33, that is, the amount of refrigerant passing through the unit cross-sectional area per unit time becomes smaller than the outflow speed of the refrigerant leaking from the junction X.

Thus, according to the air conditioner according to this embodiment, when the refrigerant leaks from the junction X of the heat transfer tubes 13 of the indoor heat exchanger 3 in which the refrigerant heavier than the air flows under atmospheric pressure, , the refrigerant discharge speed from the indoor unit 1 to the room can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the formation of a region with a high refrigerant concentration in the room within a short period of time.

In addition, in the conventional technology that does not include the reservoir 30 as described above, the refrigerant leaking from the joint X is discharged into the indoor space from the outlet 12 arranged on the lower side of the indoor unit housing 40 . On the other hand, according to the air conditioner according to this embodiment, the refrigerant leaking from the joint X is located vertically above the blowout port 12, and furthermore, the discharge port 33 above the upper surface 41 of the indoor unit housing. is discharged into the indoor space. In this manner, the storage chamber 31 that houses the joint X does not communicate with the blowout port 12 , but communicates with the discharge port 33 vertically above the blowout port 12 . Therefore, the leaked refrigerant can be discharged into the indoor space from a position higher than the outlet 12 .

Here, the higher the discharge position of the refrigerant into the indoor space, the lower the refrigerant concentration near the indoor floor surface. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of an experimental apparatus for confirming the relationship between the height of the refrigerant discharge position into the indoor space and the concentration of the refrigerant in the room. In this experiment, the indoor unit 1 was installed on one wall surface in the room, and M [kg] of refrigerant was leaked into the room from the outlet 12 . The indoor space is a closed space with volume V[m^3]. R290 (propane) having a gas specific gravity of 1.6 was used as the refrigerant. A plurality of gas sensors 15 were arranged vertically in the center of the floor, and the concentration of the leaked refrigerant 16 was measured at each height. The experiment was conducted under three conditions, that is, the installation heights of the indoor unit 1 from the floor are h ₀ , h ₁ , and h ₂ [m] (h ₀ <h ₁ <h ₂ ). In addition, after leaking M [kg] of refrigerant under each condition, before conducting the experiment under the following conditions, open the closed space and perform sufficient ventilation, and start the experiment after setting the refrigerant concentration to the same value as before the experiment. did.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of the results of the experiment conducted as described above. The horizontal axis of the graph is the refrigerant (R290) concentration [vol%]. The vertical axis of the graph is the floor height [m]. In the graph, the solid line represents the refrigerant concentration at the installation height h ₀ [m] of the indoor unit 1, the dashed line represents h ₁ [m], and the dashed line represents the refrigerant concentration at h ₂ [m]. It can be seen that the refrigerant concentration sharply increases in a region closer to the floor surface than at a certain height, regardless of the installation height of the indoor unit 1 h ₀ , h ₁ and h ₂ [m]. This is because the leaked refrigerant 16, which is heavier than air, settles and accumulates near the floor surface. Furthermore, the following can be understood by comparing the concentration of the leaked refrigerant 16 particularly in the area near the floor surface. That is, especially in the area close to the floor surface, the concentration of the leaked refrigerant 16 is _highest when the indoor unit ₁ is installed at the lowest installation height h0, and the indoor unit 1 is installed at the highest installation height h2. The refrigerant 16 has the lowest concentration. The concentration of the leaked refrigerant 16 when the installation height of the indoor unit ₁ is h1 is in the middle. This is because the higher the discharge position of the leaked refrigerant 16 into the room, the wider the turbulent flow until the leaked refrigerant 16 settles on the floor surface, the more the leaked refrigerant 16 is agitated, and the wider the leaked refrigerant is. 16 is diffused and diluted.

In this way, by raising the discharge position of the leaked refrigerant 16 into the room, the concentration of the leaked refrigerant 16 near the floor surface can be reduced. Therefore, according to the air conditioner of this embodiment, when the refrigerant leaks from the joint X in the indoor unit housing 40, the leaked refrigerant can be discharged into the room from vertically above the joint X. It is possible to suppress the refrigerant concentration increase near the floor surface of the.

In the configuration example described here, the storage chamber 31 of the storage unit 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and the discharge pipe 32 has a cylindrical shape, but these shapes are not limited to those described here. Also, in the configuration example described here, the indoor unit 1 is installed on the wall, but the installation location of the indoor unit 1 is not limited to that described here. Alternatively, for example, the indoor unit 1 may be suspended from the ceiling or embedded in the ceiling.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 8 relates to Embodiment 2 of the present invention and is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Embodiment 2 to be described here is configured such that, in the configuration of Embodiment 1 described above, part of the storage section 30 is configured using part of the indoor unit housing. The air conditioner according to the second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. The configuration whose description is omitted is basically the same as that of the first embodiment.

An air conditioner according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention includes a first partition wall 34 and a second partition wall 35 in an indoor unit housing 40, as shown in FIG. The first partition wall 34 divides the internal space of the indoor unit housing 40 into two. The first partition wall 34 is arranged between the joint X and the fin 14 arranged closest to the U-shaped portion 13a. The indoor heat exchanger 3 and the indoor fan 5 (not shown in FIG. 8) are housed in one of the spaces divided by the first partition 34 (hereinafter simply referred to as "one space"). This one space communicates with the outlet 12 . On the other hand, the other space divided by the first partition 34 (hereinafter simply referred to as “the other space”) does not communicate with the outlet 12 . A storage chamber 31 is formed in the other space.

In the configuration example shown here, the electrical component box 17 is housed in the other space. A space in which the electrical component box 17 is accommodated is separated from the storage chamber 31 by a second partition wall 35 . By doing so, it is possible to prevent contact between the refrigerant leaking into the storage chamber 31 and the electrical circuit of the electrical component box 17 .

As described above, in this embodiment, the storage chamber 31 is formed by the first partition 34 and the second partition 35 and part of the indoor unit housing 40 . That is, part of the storage section 30 is part of the indoor unit housing 40 . One end of the discharge pipe 32 is connected to a portion of the upper surface 41 of the indoor unit housing forming the storage chamber 31 . A discharge port 33 is formed at the other end of the discharge pipe 32 .

The air conditioner configured as described above can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, by forming part of the reservoir 30 using part of the indoor unit housing 40, the number of members required for the reservoir 30 can be reduced.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 9 relates to Embodiment 3 of the present invention and is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Embodiment 3 described here is configured such that, in the configuration of Embodiment 1 described above, the discharge pipe of the reservoir is bent inside the indoor unit casing. The air conditioner according to the third embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. The configuration whose description is omitted is basically the same as that of the first embodiment.

In the air conditioner according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, the discharge pipe 32 is bent inside the indoor unit housing 40 as shown in FIG. Specifically, here, one end of the discharge pipe 32 is connected to the upper surface of the storage chamber 31 . An intermediate portion of the discharge pipe 32 is bent inside the indoor unit housing 40 so as to be folded up and down. The other end side of the discharge pipe 32 is exposed to the outside of the indoor unit housing 40 from the upper surface 41 of the indoor unit housing.

The air conditioner configured as described above can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, by bending the discharge pipe 32, the speed at which the leaked refrigerant passes through the discharge pipe 32 can be slowed down. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the speed of the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 33 into the indoor space.

In addition, it is possible to lengthen the time from the occurrence of refrigerant leakage until the refrigerant is discharged into the room. For this reason, it is possible to secure sufficient time for taking countermeasures such as ventilation after the user or worker in the room recognizes the leakage.

In the configuration example described here, the discharge pipe 32 is bent downward, but the bending direction of the discharge pipe 32 is not limited to that described here. Alternatively, for example, the discharge pipe 32 may be bent in the horizontal direction or bent in a spiral manner.

Embodiment 4.
FIG. 10 relates to Embodiment 4 of the present invention and is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Embodiment 4 to be described here differs from the configuration of Embodiment 1 described above in that a partition wall having a through hole formed therein is provided inside the reservoir. Hereinafter, the air conditioner according to the fourth embodiment will be described with a case based on the configuration of the first embodiment as an example, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. The configuration whose description is omitted is basically the same as that of the first embodiment.

In the air conditioner according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, a partition wall 18 is provided inside the reservoir 31 of the reservoir 30 as shown in FIG. The partition wall 18 is arranged between the portion where the discharge pipe 32 is connected to the storage chamber 31 and the joint portion X in the storage chamber 31 . A through hole 19 is formed in the partition wall 18 . The refrigerant leaking from the joint X reaches the discharge pipe 32 through the through hole 19 and is discharged from the discharge port 33 into the indoor space.

In the configuration example of this embodiment, a plurality of partition walls 18 are provided. These partition walls 18 are arranged in parallel. The through-holes 19 of each partition wall 18 are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the wall surface of the partition wall 18 .

The air conditioner configured as described above can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the partition wall 18 can block the flow of the refrigerant leaking from the junction X into the storage chamber 31 until it reaches the discharge pipe 32 . Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the speed of the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 33 into the indoor space. In addition, compared to the configuration of Embodiment 3, the space inside the indoor unit housing 40 can be used more effectively, and the capacity of the refrigerant that can be stored in the storage section 30 can be increased.

In addition, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 10 , the through holes 19 are arranged alternately at the upper end portion and the lower end portion of each partition wall 18 . By doing so, the moving distance from when the leaked refrigerant passes through the through hole 19 of one partition wall 18 to when it passes through the through hole 19 of the next partition wall 18 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to further hinder the circulation of the leaked refrigerant.

In addition, in the configuration example described here, the walls of the partition wall 18 are arranged vertically, but the arrangement of the partition wall 18 is not limited to that described here. Alternatively, for example, the wall surface of the partition wall 18 may be arranged horizontally or inclined.

Embodiment 5.
FIG. 11 relates to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, and is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a reservoir included in an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Embodiment 5 described here is the configuration of any one of Embodiments 1 to 4 described above, in which the discharge pipe can be extended and contracted in the vertical direction, and when the refrigerant leaks into the storage chamber, the discharge pipe extends. It is designed to In the following, the air conditioner according to Embodiment 5 will be described with a case based on the configuration of Embodiment 1 as an example, focusing on differences from Embodiment 1. FIG. The configuration whose description is omitted is basically the same as that of any one of the first to fourth embodiments.

In the air conditioner according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, the discharge pipe 32 has a telescopic structure composed of, for example, a plurality of cylinders with slightly different diameters. This telescopic structure allows the discharge pipe 32 to extend and contract in the vertical direction. Note that the discharge pipe 32 is not limited to a telescopic structure as long as it can be expanded and contracted. Alternatively, for example, the discharge tube 32 may have a bellows structure.

Under normal conditions, the discharge pipe 32 is retracted. When the exhaust pipe 32 is retracted, the entire exhaust pipe 32 is housed inside the indoor unit housing 40 . That is, the discharge port 33 is vertically below the upper surface 41 of the indoor unit housing.

The discharge port 33 is provided with a lid. The lid of the discharge port 33 is normally closed. The lid of the discharge port 33 is opened when a predetermined amount of force is applied from the inside. The force required to open the lid of the discharge port 33 is greater than the force required to extend the telescopic structure of the discharge tube 32 .

Therefore, when the refrigerant leaks from the junction X and the pressure inside the storage chamber 31 and the discharge pipe 32 increases, the discharge pipe 32 first extends while the cover of the discharge port 33 remains closed. When the discharge pipe 32 extends, the discharge port 33 side of the discharge pipe 32 protrudes above the upper surface 41 of the indoor unit housing. That is, in this embodiment, the discharge pipe 32 extends upward when the pressure in the reservoir 30 exceeds a preset reference value. When the leakage of the refrigerant continues even after the discharge pipe 32 reaches its maximum length and the pressure inside the storage chamber 31 and the discharge pipe 32 further increases, the lid of the discharge port 33 opens and the refrigerant flows out from the discharge port 33. Ejected.

The air conditioner configured as described above can also achieve the same effect as any one of the first to fourth embodiments. Furthermore, since the discharge pipe 32 can be accommodated inside the indoor unit housing 40 in normal times, the design of the indoor unit 1 can be improved. Furthermore, the discharge pipe 32, which normally does not protrude, protrudes from the indoor unit housing 40 when the refrigerant leaks, so that users or workers in the vicinity can be notified of the occurrence of refrigerant leakage.

In Embodiments 1 to 4, for example, a sensor that detects the pressure in the storage chamber 31 may be provided to detect the occurrence of refrigerant leakage. Then, when the occurrence of refrigerant leakage is detected using a sensor, it may be notified by, for example, lighting of an LED, ringing of sound, or the like.

1 indoor unit 2 outdoor unit 3 indoor heat exchanger 4 outdoor heat exchanger 5 indoor fan 6 outdoor fan 7 compressor 8 electromagnetic expansion valve 9 four-way valve 10 refrigerant pipe 10a indoor refrigerant pipe 10b outdoor refrigerant pipe 11 pipe joint 12 outlet 13 heat transfer tube 13a U-shaped portion 13b straight portion 14 fin 15 gas sensor 16 leaked refrigerant 17 electrical component box 18 partition wall 19 through hole 20 wall portion 30 storage portion 31 storage chamber 32 discharge pipe 33 discharge port 34 first partition wall 35 Second partition 40 Indoor unit housing 41 Upper surface of indoor unit housing X Joint Y Uppermost joint

Claims (4)

an indoor unit housing installed indoors;
a heat exchanger that is housed inside the indoor unit housing and has a heat transfer tube through which a refrigerant that is heavier than air under atmospheric pressure flows;
The heat transfer tube includes a plurality of straight portions and a U-shaped portion connecting the straight portions,
The joint between the straight portion and the U-shaped portion is airtightly covered vertically below the uppermost joint, which is the most vertically upward of the joints, and is arranged vertically above the uppermost joint. further comprising a reservoir formed with a discharge port,
a diameter of the discharge port is larger than a pipe diameter of the joint,
The reservoir includes a discharge pipe having the discharge port formed at one end,
The air conditioner , wherein the discharge pipe is bent inside the indoor unit housing . an indoor unit housing installed indoors;
a heat exchanger that is housed inside the indoor unit housing and has a heat transfer tube through which a refrigerant that is heavier than air under atmospheric pressure flows;
The heat transfer tube includes a plurality of straight portions and a U-shaped portion connecting the straight portions,
The joint between the straight portion and the U-shaped portion is airtightly covered vertically below the uppermost joint, which is the most vertically upward of the joints, and is arranged vertically above the uppermost joint. further comprising a reservoir formed with a discharge port,
a diameter of the discharge port is larger than a pipe diameter of the joint,
The reservoir includes a discharge pipe having the discharge port formed at one end,
The discharge pipe is
It is vertically stretchable,
An air conditioner that expands upward when the pressure in the reservoir exceeds a preset standard. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein a partition wall having a through hole is provided inside said reservoir. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a portion of the storage section is a portion of the indoor unit housing .

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