JPH10238899A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a piping system which reduces the number of parts by shortening the total length of piping of an outdoor unit and room units in a multiple air conditioning system in which a refrigerant is circulated through the plurality of room units by a distribution refrigerant pipe from one outdoor unit. SOLUTION: A refrigerant divider 10 is so arranged to get a refrigerant further branched off optional distribution refrigerant tubes 5a-5c divided into several systems from an door unit 3 and several room units 1a-1c can be connected ahead thereof. The refrigerant divider is arranged at a selected location indoors at a distance taken as far as possible from the outdoor unit and at an equal distance from the room units to be connected thereto. This reduces the set of the outdoor unit and the piping to one and cuts the total length of the piping. Thus, a simple execution of work and a lowered effect of pressure loss are possible, thereby producing an air conditioning system with a higher operation efficiency.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-type air conditioner for performing air conditioning by distributing and supplying a refrigerant from one outdoor unit to an indoor unit in each room with a distribution refrigerant pipe, and particularly to a piping system. The present invention relates to a multi-system air conditioner improved to perform efficient air conditioning while suppressing pressure loss.

Conventionally, air conditioning of a plurality of rooms in a building is
Using a separate type air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit with air conditioning capacity according to the size of the room are set, an indoor unit is installed in each room, and these indoor units and outdoor units are connected. Each was connected by a refrigerant pipe to perform air conditioning.

[0003] However, this method requires the same number of separate type air conditioners as the number of rooms, which is costly and takes time to connect one outdoor unit and one indoor unit with one refrigerant pipe. Therefore, in recent years, one outdoor unit having a sufficient refrigerant supply capacity is used, and the air conditioning is performed by distributing and supplying the refrigerant from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit of each room to be air-conditioned. A multi-type air conditioner has been proposed.

However, in the case of this multi-type air conditioning system, if the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are simply connected by a refrigerant pipe, two refrigerant pipes of the outward path and the return path are piped by the number of indoor units, and The total piping distance of the piping becomes longer, and the pressure loss that the refrigerant receives from the piping increases, and a large-capacity outdoor unit with a large capacity is used to circulate the required amount of refrigerant, or the outdoor unit itself and There are problems such as high cost and serious construction work, such as complicated piping work around the branch unit and the piping around the outdoor unit.

In recent years, construction techniques have been improved, and rooms with high airtightness and heat insulation can be provided, and it is expected that an indoor unit having a small air-conditioning capacity can perform sufficient cooling and heating. ing.

However, in the conventional refrigerant branch flow, since the refrigerant flows at substantially the same flow rate in each of the branched systems, the air-conditioning ability installed in the room of the above-mentioned building with high comfort is small. The refrigerant flow rate becomes too large for a plurality of indoor units, and it is difficult to cope with the actual situation of the building, which distributes and supplies an appropriate refrigerant flow rate corresponding to each indoor unit.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and can further divide a refrigerant branch flow branched into a plurality of branches, and can easily insert and install the refrigerant into the branch flow passage. Invented a kit-type flow dividing device that can be made, so that refrigerant branching can be performed at a distance far from the outdoor unit, and conversely, at a position closer to the indoor units of the flow dividing target,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-system air conditioner in which the total pipe length is shortened, pressure loss is reduced, and efficient air-conditioning operation is performed.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a method in which a single outdoor unit equipped with a compressor and a heat source side heat exchanger is individually distributed to a plurality of rooms by a distribution refrigerant pipe. In a multi-system air conditioner that supplies air to the use-side heat exchanger of the installed indoor unit and air-conditions it, it can be interposed in any refrigerant distribution pipe, branching the flowing refrigerant into multiple paths, A distribution refrigerant pipe having a unit structure of a refrigerant distribution device for connecting an indoor unit to each of the branch channels and supplying an appropriate amount of refrigerant circulation to the indoor units, and laying the refrigerant distribution device indoors It is arranged in.

Further, the flow dividing device is installed in a place where the distribution refrigerant pipe is laid horizontally and at least a half of the distance between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit and at a location away from the outdoor unit. is there.

[0010] In the refrigerant distribution device, the distribution refrigerant pipe is drawn out of the outdoor unit and bent at the tip of a vertical pipe part which goes up and down along the outer wall of the building to enter a room. In addition, they are arranged at locations that are substantially equidistant from each indoor unit to be connected.

Further, the refrigerant is supplied from one outdoor unit equipped with the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger to the use side heat exchangers of the indoor units individually installed in a plurality of rooms through distribution refrigerant pipes. In a multi-type air conditioner that performs air conditioning,
A flow divider that can be interposed in an arbitrary distribution refrigerant pipe, and branches the flowing refrigerant into a plurality of paths in the main body case, and a branch path that is branched by the flow divider and that can connect an indoor unit to an end at each end, A refrigerant distribution device having a unit structure formed by housing an electric expansion valve or the like capable of appropriately adjusting the amount of refrigerant circulation in accordance with each indoor unit connected and connected to each of the branch channels; The apparatus is arranged in a distribution refrigerant pipe laid horizontally in a room.

The flow dividing device has a structure in which the flow distributor, the flow path, the electric expansion valve, and the like housed in the main body case are molded and fixed with foamed heat insulating material.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an air conditioning system for performing air conditioning of a room on the first floor and a room on the second floor using the refrigerant distribution device of the present invention.

In this figure, indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and 1e are provided one by one in a plurality of rooms R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 on the first and second floors of a two-story house. It is installed by mounting it on a wall. Each indoor unit 1a, 1
Each of b, 1c, 1d, and 1e has a use-side heat exchanger, a use-side blower, and the like installed therein. In this case, the rooms R1, R2, and R3 on the second floor are larger than the rooms R4 and R5 on the first floor. Because it is a small room, indoor units 1a, 1 on the second floor
The air conditioners b and 1c have a smaller air-conditioning capacity than the indoor units 1d and 1e on the first floor, that is, those having a smaller amount of refrigerant circulating. On the other hand, the indoor unit on the first floor is a model in which the amount of the refrigerant circulated is larger.

Reference numeral 3 denotes one outdoor unit installed on the ground, in which a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, a pressure reducing device such as a capillary tube and an electric expansion valve, a heat source side blower and the like are mounted.

From the outdoor unit 3, a plurality of, for example, three-way distribution refrigerant pipes 5a, 5b, 5c configured to branch and supply the refrigerant discharged from the compressor in substantially equal amounts.
Are drawn up, and both of them rise vertically on the outer wall 6b of the building 6. Two of them, the distribution refrigerant pipes 5b and 5c, are piped to the ceiling 7 on the first floor, and the refrigerant pipe 5b is attached to the inner wall of the room. Connected to the indoor unit 1d. The refrigerant pipe 5c is connected to the indoor unit 1e attached to the inner wall of the room by piping.

On the other hand, the distribution refrigerant pipe 5a, which is the remaining one path through which the refrigerant having substantially the same flow rate as the previous two paths flows, is raised to the height of the roof on the second floor and then bent at a right angle to the attic 8 Piping to The three indoor units 1a, 1b, 1 installed in the room on the second floor are located at the end of the distribution refrigerant pipe 1a in this route.
The refrigerant distribution device 10 according to the present invention is disposed on the attic 8 so that the refrigerant can be supplied to the c by dividing the refrigerant in a substantially equal amount.

As is understood from the refrigeration cycle shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant distribution device 10 is provided with a refrigerant distribution device 11 for dividing and supplying the refrigerant to a plurality of paths. Diverging channels 12a, 12b,
12c, refrigerant distribution pipes 13a, 13
b and 13c are connected to each other and are connected to the indoor units 1a, 1b and 1c in the rooms R1, R2 and R3 on the second floor by using the attic 8.

The refrigerant distribution device 10 is provided with an electric expansion valve 15 for each of the distribution channels 12a, 12b, and 12c formed therein. The refrigerant is adjusted to a required amount, and flows out and flows into each of the refrigerant distribution pipes 13a, 13b, 13c.

Now, the refrigerant distribution according to the present invention, which can be easily inserted and installed in any one of a plurality of paths 5a, 5b, 5c for branching and supplying substantially the same amount of refrigerant from the outdoor unit 3, for example, the distribution refrigerant 5a. Using the device 10, a plurality of indoor units 1a,
1b, 1c, the total refrigerant pipe length is shorter than when the outdoor unit 3 and each indoor unit 1a, 1b, 1c are individually connected by the refrigerant pipes on the outward and return paths. Can be shorter.

This will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. That is, in this explanatory diagram, the air conditioner system operates by supplying the refrigerant to the five indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c1d, and 1e with one outdoor unit 3; As shown in each of the rooms R1, R2, R
3, R4, R4 installed indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c, 1
The d and 1e and the outdoor unit 3 were individually connected by two refrigerant pipes 16a to 16e, one for the forward path and the other for the return path.

Therefore, the connection between the outdoor unit 3 and the two indoor units 1d and 1e having a distance of 10 m is 2 × ｛2 in total.
It requires a pipe of 10m 長 and a length of 40m.
In order to connect the three indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c having a distance of 20 m from the indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c, a pipe having a total length of 3 × {2 × 20 m} and a length of 120 m is required.

Each of the indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d,
Since a large number of 10 pipes in total are connected between 1e and the outdoor unit 3, the connection work is difficult and complicated.

On the other hand, using the refrigerant distribution device 10
Assuming the system of the present invention shown in FIG. 1A in which the refrigerant is supplied to the three indoor units 1a, 1b, and 1c, the three indoor units 1a, 1b, and 1c are connected between the three indoor units 1a, 1b, and 1c. Can be supplied by a pipeline structure in which are connected by a refrigerant passage 17 of one path.

Furthermore, by installing the refrigerant distribution device 10 closer to the three indoor units 1a, 1b, 1c and at substantially the same distance, the refrigerant distribution device 10 is installed.
And the length of the pipe between the three indoor units 1a, 1b, and 1c can also be reduced.

That is, the pipe length between the two indoor units 1c and 1d is the same as 40m, but the arrangement of the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor units 1a, 1b and 1c with a separation distance of 20m. The distance between the refrigerant distribution device 10 and each outdoor unit 3 is 15
m and three indoor units with the refrigerant distribution device 10 at a short distance of 5 m and the distribution pipe lines 13a, 13b,
Connect the pipe at 13c.

In this case, the pipe length between the two indoor units 1d and 1e at a separation distance of 10 m is the same as 40 m, but is required between the three indoor units 1a, 1b and 1c. The length of the pipe is determined by the refrigerant distribution device 10 and the indoor units 1a, 1b,
1c, the total length is 30 × 3 × {2 × 5 m}, and the distance between the outdoor unit 3 and the refrigerant distribution device 10 is {2 × 15
30 m of m｝ is sufficient, resulting in a total pipe length of 60 m.

Therefore, the outdoor unit 3 and the three indoor units 1a, 1
The length of the pipe between b and 1c is reduced to 6
Piping can be performed at 0 m, piping cost can be reduced, piping work can be reduced, and a complicated piping path can be prevented, and maintenance performance can be improved.

Further, in this case, the distribution refrigerant pipe 5a drawn from the outdoor unit 3 is vertically bent along the outer wall 6b of the building 6 and is bent substantially at a right angle at the upper end thereof. In this case, the pipe is piped indoors with a horizontal conduit portion 5H which enters the attic 8 and is disposed horizontally.

Therefore, the refrigerant distribution device 10 is disposed in the horizontal conduit 5H, avoiding the vertical conduit 5V, where pressure loss increases due to the influence of gravity on the flow of the refrigerant. In this case, the number of the vertical refrigerant pipes (vertical pipe section 5V) between the outdoor unit 3 and the refrigerant distribution device 10 is two less than the conventional six pipes by two pipes. By reducing the length of the pipe, the flow rate of the refrigerant affected by gravity decreases, and pressure loss can be reduced.

That is, the refrigerant is divided by the refrigerant distribution device 10 of the present invention, which is placed at a position where the refrigerant flows horizontally, such as the attic 8 after the refrigerant has risen vertically, and particularly the outer wall 6b of the building 6
Therefore, the total length of the piping section affected by gravity is shortened, so that the effect of reducing the pressure loss is large, the refrigerant flow is facilitated, and the use of an indoor unit having a small capacity is possible.

As the position where the refrigerant distribution device 10 is installed, the distance between the outdoor unit and the refrigerant distribution device and the total distance between the refrigerant distribution device 10 and a plurality of indoor units connected thereto are as follows.
It is preferable to satisfy a distance relationship far from the outdoor unit 3 in which the total distance of the latter becomes smaller than the distance relationship of at least one-to-one.

That is, the distance between the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor unit is L
If so, the arrangement is such that the refrigerant distribution device 10 is installed at a location more than 1/2 x L away from the outdoor unit and closer to the indoor unit. Here, in general, the length of the vertical pipe portion in which the refrigerant pipe rises over the outer wall of the building or the like is generally an architectural style house that is arranged shorter than the horizontal pipe portion extending indoors. If the distance from the outdoor unit is equal to or more than 1/2 × L, advantages such as highly effective pipe saving can be uniformly enjoyed in most houses. Further, the refrigerant distribution device 10 further includes a plurality of indoor units 1a to be connected.
A location that is approximately equidistant from any one of (c) to (c) is selected.

In this way, not only is the piping length required for piping to the outdoor unit smaller, but also the piping length to a plurality of indoor units is shorter, and the total piping length is shorter. Therefore, it is possible to save piping and achieve efficient piping work.

The above advantages can be obtained more greatly by increasing the distance from the outdoor unit to the refrigerant distribution device 10 as much as possible and shortening the distance from the refrigerant distribution device 10 to each indoor unit. .

FIG. 2 shows a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioning system using the above-described refrigerant distribution device 10.

The air conditioning system includes a compressor 18 for compressing a refrigerant, a heat source side heat exchanger 19 for exchanging heat between outside air and cold soot, an electric expansion valve 21 as a pressure reducing device, and an air conditioning system. A plurality of use-side heat exchangers for exchanging heat between the air blown into the room and the refrigerant, that is, the indoor units 1a to 1e (hereinafter, referred to as indoor units).
The indoor unit will be described as a use-side heat exchanger), and a four-way switching valve 22 that switches the refrigerant circulation direction during cooling and during heating.
And the refrigerant distribution device 10 provided in one of the three distribution refrigerant pipes 5a to 5c passing through the electric expansion valve 21 to the distribution refrigerant pipes 5a to 5c and the distribution device 10. Indoor units 1a through which the branched refrigerant flows,
Refrigerant distribution pipes 13a, 13b, 13 connected to 1b, 1c
c to form a refrigeration cycle for air-conditioning the rooms on the first and second floors. In addition, each distribution refrigerant pipe 5a-5
The electric expansion valves 20a to 20c are also provided in c.

The strainer 7 is provided in the refrigeration cycle.
1, a muffler 72a, 72b, 72c, etc. are provided, and a defrosting valve 73 and a receiver tank 74 are interposed, and a high-temperature refrigerant is supplied to the heat source side heat exchanger 19 and the use side heat exchangers 1a to 1e during defrosting. The configuration is such that a defrosting circuit 75 for allowing gas to flow is also provided. In addition, the pipe connection with the heat source side heat exchanger and the use side heat exchanger is made by service valves 76 and 76.

Then, in the refrigeration cycle, four-way switching 2
By switching 2, refrigerant circulates in the direction of the solid arrow during cooling, and circulates in the direction of the dotted arrow during heating. The arrow with a circle at the center indicates the flow of the high-temperature gas during defrosting.

Here, the refrigerant distribution device 10 includes a flow distributor 11 for branching the refrigerant into three branches so as to distribute the refrigerant to the three use-side heat exchangers 1a to 1c.
An electric expansion valve 15 is provided for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchangers a, 12b, and 12c so that the refrigerant flows through the respective use-side heat exchangers 1a to 1c.

Next, the structure of the refrigerant distribution device 10 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the refrigerant distribution device 10 has a small-diameter and a large-diameter two-way for connection to the branch path 5a.
The connecting pipe 30, the flow divider 11 connected to the connecting pipe 30 having the smaller diameter through which the liquid refrigerant flows, and the branching means 11 branching from the flow divider 11 so as to meander inside the main body, and And three separate flow pipes 12a to 12c each of which is connected to each of the use-side heat exchangers 1a to 1c so as to allow the refrigerant to flow therethrough.
A refrigeration circuit component 31 formed of a component body such as the electric expansion valve 15 which is disposed in each of 2a to 12c and can control the refrigerant flow rate is incorporated.

In addition, at the base of each of the small-diameter and large-diameter connection pipes for connecting to the heat-use-side heat exchangers 1a to 1c in the respective branch pipe lines 12a to 12c, the heat-use-side heat exchanger is provided. A temperature sensor 3 such as a thermistor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into and out of the exchangers 1a to 1c and controlling each of the electric expansion valves 15 so as to flow an appropriate refrigerant flow rate based on the detected value.
3 is inserted and mounted as shown in FIG. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid pipe portion 15d of the electric expansion valve 15 has
The sound insulation member 43 such as rubber is wound to reduce unpleasant noise caused by the flow of the liquid refrigerant.

The ground wire 34 is a ground terminal fitting 34.
The two connection pipes 30 protruding from one end of the main body and the branch pipes 12a, 12b, and 12c protruding from the other end of the main body are coated with a covering member formed of a rubber material or the like. 35a and 35b are covered and protected. In addition, the entire refrigeration circuit component 31 is used as a rubber member 7
9 for protection.

The refrigeration circuit component 31 of the refrigerant flow dividing device 10 composed of the above-described components is housed in a main body case 36 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape by sheet metal.

In this case, since the refrigerant distribution device 10 is installed in the attic 8 or the like, if dew condensation occurs in the low-temperature metal main body case 36, a problem such as water leakage will be caused indoors, and as a countermeasure, a drain pan It is necessary to construct the main body with heat insulating material and store it in the main body case 36 so that it is not necessary to take this measure because it is necessary to construct and install drain pipes on the attic and pipe. planned.

The method of storing and fixing the mold by the heat insulating material will be described. The main body case 36 made of sheet metal is composed of an upper plate 40 and a bottom plate 41 (see FIG. 5 and the like) assembled and fixed to each other by screws, and side plates standing up and down. , And left and right side plates 63, 63
(See FIG. 10 etc.). The left and right side plates 63,
63 is a pair of upper and lower divided side plates as shown in FIG. 10 having arc-shaped cutouts 42, 42 which are divided into upper and lower parts, and when combined, form connection holes 42A of the connection pipe 30 and the refrigerant distribution pipes 12a to 12c. 63a and 63b.
Reference numerals 37, 37 denote fixing screws.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the refrigeration circuit component 31 is housed in the main body case 36, and is finally closed with the upper plate 40. When the upper plate 40 is closed, the ground wire 34 is pulled out from the notch 44 provided on one side thereof.

Thereafter, the main body case 36 is set in a foaming jig, and urethane foaming is performed while the temperature of the foaming jig is raised and the main body case 36 is kept at a required temperature for good foaming.

At this time, the injection port of the foam is connected to the main body case 36.
Can be any aspect of
As shown by a dashed line P in FIG.
Therefore, the main body case 36 is set in the foaming jig with the bottom plate 41 side facing upward, and urethane is injected from the arrow direction X.

The injected urethane 50 falls on the inner surface of the lower plate 40 of the main body case 36, and the internal space of the main body case 36 takes a long time due to natural foaming. It foams from the 40 side toward the lower plate 41 side. The air inside by foaming escapes from an air escape hole provided at an appropriate position on the peripheral surface of the main body case 36.

At this time, the direction of arrow Y in which foaming proceeds is as follows:
This is convenient for firmly fixing the valve driving coil 15C of the electric expansion valve 15 using the stepping motor.

The reason is that the electric expansion valve 15 is
Valve body 15A of a cylindrical metal case containing a valve body for adjusting the flow opening area by entering and leaving the flow path
And a valve driving coil 15 fitted to the valve body 15A.
C, so that the foaming direction of the urethane 50 indicated by the arrow Y and the fitting direction in which the valve driving coil 15C shown by the arrow Z is fitted into the valve main body 15A match. Accordingly, the valve driving coil 15C can be brought into a pressed state by the foaming pressure, and the fixing of the valve driving coil 15C can be stabilized.

The urethane foam material 50 is flame-retardant so as not to spread the fire in a fire or the like because the refrigerant distribution device 10 is installed indoors. A urethane material is used which has a property of hardly causing secondary foaming or the like which absorbs and expands and damages the main body case 36.

When the foaming is completed, the microcomputer chip 60M
Board 45 on which a number of various circuit components 60 are mounted
Is installed using one side surface (mounting surface) 46 of the main body case 36. At this time, an insulating sheet 47 is provided between the electric board 45 and the mounting surface of the main body case 36, and the plastic mounting legs 8 around which the electric board 45 is provided.
By using 0, 80, etc., the electronic component board 45 is mounted on the mounting surface 46 by being floated from the mounting surface 46 to prevent a short circuit accident or the like caused by the electrical board 45 coming into contact with the metal body case 36, thereby preventing control from being disabled.

In addition to the electric board 45, electric parts such as a transformer 49, a terminal plate 51, and a wire holder 52 are mounted on the mounting surface 46 of the main body case 36 as shown in FIGS. Thus, the electrical component 61 is formed.

Finally, an electrical cover 54 formed by combining several cover plates 54 so as to protect the electrical board 45 and other electrical components 49, 51, 52, etc.
And is screwed to the main body case 36 so as to protect the circuit portion from dust and prevent damage to the covered wire due to a mouse or the like. An explanation board 55 for a branch circuit and the like are attached to the surface of the electrical cover 54.

Thus, the refrigeration circuit component 31 having a structure for diverting the refrigerant is accommodated in the main body case 36 made of sheet metal, and the internal space is foam-filled with the urethane material 50.
The refrigerant distribution device 10 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape fixed with a mold is completed.

Then, the completed refrigerant distribution device 10
As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, since one side plate surface has fixing holes 58, 58 and a hooking hole 59 for attachment, it is as close as possible to any of the plurality of heat-using-side heat exchangers to be divided. Is selected and installed on an attic or the like, and the fixing holes 58, 5
If the bolts 8 and the holes 59 are used for bolting and fixing, etc., the refrigerant pipe can be easily constructed.

The attached refrigerant distribution device 10 has a heat insulating structure made of a foamed heat insulating material 50 such as urethane filling the inside of the main body case 36, so that there is no dew condensation on the main body case 36, and drain water is drained to the attic 8. Eliminates the need for measures such as forming roads. For this reason, construction of the air conditioner can be facilitated.

In the embodiment, the refrigerant distribution device 10 is
Although the case where it is installed in the attic 8 of the second floor has been described, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the ceiling is viewed from the partition wall that separates the refrigerant distribution device between the first floor and the second floor, that is, the room on the first floor.
May be provided at a location corresponding to.

Further, it goes without saying that the indoor unit to which the refrigerant is branched by using the refrigerant distribution device 10 can be applied to a room on the second floor or a room on the first floor.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an air conditioner for supplying refrigerant to a plurality of indoor units by using a distribution refrigerant pipe from an outdoor unit, the distribution refrigerant pipe in an indoor space such as a ceiling or an attic can be easily used. A refrigerant distribution device that can be interposed and installed and circulated to several indoor units connected to the tip by further branching the flow of the refrigerant, so that the refrigerant can be distributed near the indoor units. Thus, the connection with the outdoor unit can be made by one set of pipes, and the total pipe length can be shortened. Therefore, piping can be saved, piping work can be performed efficiently, and construction can be facilitated.

In this case, if the refrigerant distribution device is placed at a location more than 1/2 of the distance between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit and farther from the outdoor unit, the rise connection pipe between the outdoor unit and the disadvantageous unit causing pressure loss may be formed. The path length can be shortened, and reasonable effects such as cost reduction can be enjoyed. This effect is almost the same as in ordinary houses, since the length of the vertical pipe section where the refrigerant pipes go up the outer walls of the building is often shorter than the horizontal pipe section that extends indoors, so that most buildings It will be useful to cover the style of the house.

Further, by arranging the refrigerant distribution device in the horizontal pipe section which enters the room from the vertical pipe along the building wall, the vertical pipe which deteriorates the refrigerant flow under the influence of gravity can be shortened. The pressure loss is reduced, an indoor unit having a small capacity can be used, and the cost can be kept low.

In particular, a place as far as possible from the outdoor unit and equidistant from the indoor unit to be connected is selected.
When the refrigerant distribution device is installed, the effect of shortening the total pipe length and the effect of simplifying the construction are further enhanced.

Further, the refrigerant distribution device itself contains therein a refrigeration circuit component including a flow distributor, a distribution channel, and an electric expansion valve for adjusting the amount of circulating refrigerant, and is not particularly complicated. Since the structure is inexpensive and unitized, it can be carried out without much labor for transportation and installation.

Further, the refrigeration circuit component of the main body case 36 is molded with a foamed heat insulating material such as urethane to form a refrigerant distribution device, so that the problem of condensation on the low-temperature refrigerant distribution device can be solved. It is not necessary to form a drainage channel so that drain water does not leak, and it is not necessary to cover the refrigerant distribution device with a heat insulating material, so that the number of parts can be reduced and workability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an air conditioner for performing indoor air conditioning of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the advantages of the air conditioner according to the system of the present invention in comparison with the air conditioners of the conventional system. FIG. 2A is a piping diagram of the present invention, and FIG. It is a piping diagram.

FIG. 3 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of the air conditioner of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front structural view of a refrigeration circuit component which is a main part of the refrigerant distribution device used in the air conditioner of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of a refrigerant distribution device showing a state before a foam insulation material is emphasized inside and a form of heat insulation foaming, in which a refrigeration / refrigeration circuit component is housed in a main body case, covered with an upper plate, It is.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an aspect in which a refrigerant temperature detecting temperature sensor for controlling an electric expansion valve is attached to a refrigerant pipe.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a refrigeration / refrigeration circuit component before being incorporated in a main body case.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the refrigeration circuit component.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a motor-operated expansion valve, which is a part of a refrigeration circuit component.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a refrigerant distribution device which is almost completed with an electric control board mounted thereon.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a mounting surface of a main body case on which an electric component board and circuit components are mounted.

FIG. 12 is a plan view and left and right side views of an electrical cover for protecting the electrical component.

FIG. 13 is a front view, a plan view, and a right side view showing the external shape of the assembled refrigerant distribution device, respectively.

FIG. 14 is an external perspective view of a refrigerant distribution device that has completed urethane foaming and has been fitted with an electrical component to be a finished product.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a-1e Indoor Unit 3 Outdoor Unit 5a-5c Distribution Refrigerant Pipe 12a-12c Dividing Channel 13a-13c Refrigerant Distribution Pipe 10 Refrigerant Distribution Device 11 Distributor 15 Electric Expansion Valve 31 Refrigeration Circuit Parts 36 Body Case 50 Heat Insulation Material 61 Electrical Parts

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerant is supplied from one outdoor unit equipped with a compressor and a heat source side heat exchanger to a use side heat exchanger of an indoor unit individually installed in a plurality of rooms by a distribution refrigerant pipe. In a multi-system air conditioner that performs air conditioning, it is possible to interpose in any refrigerant distribution pipe, branch the flowing refrigerant into multiple paths, connect indoor units for each of the divided paths, and connect these indoor units to An air conditioner comprising: a refrigerant distribution device having a unit structure for supplying an appropriate refrigerant circulation amount; and the refrigerant distribution device is disposed in a distribution refrigerant pipe laid indoors. 2. The flow dividing device is installed in a place where a distribution refrigerant pipe is laid horizontally and at a location separated from the outdoor unit by at least half or more of a distance between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The refrigerant distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the distribution refrigerant pipe is drawn from an outdoor unit, is bent from a vertical pipe end that goes up and down along the outer wall of the building, and enters the indoor part, 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is disposed at a location substantially equidistant from each indoor unit to be connected. 4. A refrigerant is supplied from one outdoor unit equipped with a compressor and a heat source side heat exchanger to a use side heat exchanger of an indoor unit individually installed in a plurality of rooms by a distribution refrigerant pipe. In a multi-system air conditioner that performs air conditioning, a flow divider that can be interposed in an arbitrary distribution refrigerant pipe and branches the flowing refrigerant into a plurality of paths in a main body case, and a branch that is branched by the flow divider and ends at the end A unit formed by housing a branch channel that can connect to each indoor unit and an electric expansion valve and the like that can appropriately adjust the refrigerant circulation amount according to each indoor unit that is installed and connected to each branch channel. An air conditioner, comprising a refrigerant distribution device having a structure, wherein the refrigerant distribution device is disposed in a distribution refrigerant pipe horizontally laid indoors. 5. The diverter according to claim 1, wherein the diverter, the diverter, the electric expansion valve, and the like housed in a main body case are molded and fixed with a foamed heat insulating material. Item 5. An air conditioner according to Item 4.