KR101662079B1 - Air conditioning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of minimizing the length of piping connecting a plurality of indoor units and outdoor units and diversifying the installation type of the air conditioner.

Description

[0001] AIR CONDITIONING MACHINE [0002]

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. More specifically, the present invention minimizes the length of piping connecting a plurality of indoor units and outdoor units, can diversify the installation mode of the air conditioner, and improves the efficiency of piping arrangement inside the distribution unit connecting the indoor unit and the outdoor unit Thereby minimizing the volume of the distribution unit.

The air conditioner is a cooling / heating system that sucks indoor air and heat-exchanges the refrigerant with low-temperature refrigerant, and then discharges the indoor air into the room by a repetitive action to cool the room or to heat the room by the opposite action. An expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger to form a series of cycles.

In addition, the recent air conditioner has an air purifying function for sucking and filtering the contaminated air in the room in addition to the cooling and heating of the air conditioning space, and for re-supplying the filtered air to the inside of the air conditioning space, And a dehumidifying function for re-supplying air to the air conditioning space.

The air conditioner may be divided into a separate type air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are separately installed, and an integrated air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are integrally provided.

In recent years, a multi-type air conditioner has been used in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit to share an outdoor unit.

Such a multi-type air conditioner can provide a plurality of separate type air conditioners having one outdoor unit and one indoor unit, and can add an indoor unit according to the user's needs.

The outdoor unit constituting the air conditioner is provided with an outdoor heat exchanger and a compressor for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and air outside the air conditioning space where the outdoor unit is installed.

Accordingly, the refrigerant circulated through each indoor unit is collected by the same outdoor unit, and the process of distributing the refrigerant to the indoor unit through the compression process and the condensation process (indoor cooling) may be repeated.

A plurality of indoor units and an outdoor unit connected to each of the indoor units is advantageous in that the number of the outdoor units can be reduced. However, since the indoor units and the outdoor units are individually connected, the piping becomes complicated, The length of the piping increases in proportion to the number of outdoor units.

Particularly, the outdoor unit of the multi-type air conditioner sucks air from the front or rear surface and discharges heat-exchanged air to the rear surface or the front surface. Therefore, the installation direction of the outdoor unit in the installation space of the outdoor unit is specified. The outdoor unit is provided with an indoor unit connection portion to which a refrigerant pipe connected to the indoor unit is connected. However, depending on the installation direction of the outdoor unit and the location of the air conditioning space, And the piping may need to be disposed.

Therefore, when the number of the indoor units is large, the length and the volume of the piping connecting the indoor unit and the outdoor unit become large, which is a factor that hinders the appearance of the outdoor unit installation space.

When the refrigerant pipe is installed to bypass the outdoor unit, the refrigerant pipe connecting all of the indoor units and the outdoor unit is folded together to cause the flow resistance of the refrigerant in all the refrigerant pipes, thereby reducing the energy efficiency of the air conditioner. May also occur.

The present invention minimizes the length of piping connecting a plurality of indoor units and outdoor units, can diversify the installation type of the air conditioner, maximizes the efficiency of piping arrangement inside the distribution unit connecting the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, Which can minimize the volume of the air conditioner.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit including a plurality of indoor units, a compressor, an outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger and a blower fan, a plurality of indoor unit connections connected to the indoor unit, an outdoor unit connection unit connected to the outdoor unit, And a distributing unit connected to the liquid refrigerant pipe, and an electronic expansion valve connected to the distributor, respectively, and a distribution unit detachably mounted inside the outdoor unit, wherein the distributing unit is connected to the liquid refrigerant pipe, Thereby providing a harmonizing device.

The distribution unit includes a distribution unit housing, and the gaseous refrigerant pipe and the liquid refrigerant pipe are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing, and the outdoor unit connection unit is disposed on an upper surface or a lower surface of the distribution unit housing And may be provided at one end of the gaseous refrigerant pipe and the liquid refrigerant pipe extending outwardly.

Here, the gaseous refrigerant pipe and the liquid refrigerant pipe connected to the outdoor unit connection portion may be bent in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing.

The gaseous refrigerant tube and the liquid refrigerant tube extending through the upper surface or the lower surface of the distribution unit housing and extending to the outside may each include an expanded portion having an enlarged inner diameter.

In this case, the expansion portion may be provided at a corresponding height of the gaseous refrigerant pipe and the liquid refrigerant pipe.

Here, one end of the gaseous refrigerant tube and the liquid refrigerant tube extending outward from the upper or lower surface of the distribution unit housing is bent in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing, And the liquid refrigerant pipe may be provided between a portion where the refrigerant pipe is bent and the distribution unit housing.

The gas-phase refrigerant pipe may include a plurality of gas-phase branch pipes branched from the gas-phase refrigerant pipe toward the indoor unit connection portion at predetermined intervals.

In this case, the indoor unit connection part is provided on the side of the distribution unit housing, and the vapor phase branch pipe can connect the indoor unit connection part and the gaseous refrigerant pipe, respectively.

The liquid refrigerant tube may include a plurality of liquid branch tubes branched from the distributor provided at the other end of the liquid refrigerant tube and connected to the respective electronic expansion valves.

Here, the liquid pipe may further include a liquid connection pipe for connecting the electronic expansion valve and the indoor unit connection portion.

The outdoor unit connection portion includes an outdoor side high voltage socket and an outdoor side low pressure socket, and the heights of the outdoor side high voltage socket and the outdoor side low pressure socket may be different from each other.

The outdoor unit includes a high-voltage socket and a low-voltage socket. The high-voltage socket and the low-voltage socket can be detachably coupled to the outdoor-side high-voltage socket and the outdoor-side low-voltage socket, respectively.

Here, the high-voltage socket and the low-voltage socket can be fastened horizontally to the outdoor-side high-voltage socket and the outdoor-side low-voltage socket.

The length of the refrigerant pipe connecting the plurality of indoor units and the outdoor units can be minimized.

In addition, the air conditioner according to the present invention can be variously installed according to the condition of the installation space.

In addition, it is possible to minimize the volume of the distribution unit by maximizing the efficiency of piping arrangement inside the distribution unit connecting the indoor unit and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

1 shows various examples of various installation positions of a distribution unit connected to an outdoor unit and an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 2 differs from the distribution unit shown in Fig. 1 in that the distribution unit is mounted in a mounting space inside the indoor unit other than the outdoor unit.
Fig. 3 shows a distribution unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
4 is a perspective view of another example of the distribution unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention as viewed from the direction of the indoor unit connection portion.
Fig. 5 shows a part of the distribution unit internal piping of the air conditioner according to the present invention.
6 shows the remaining part of the distribution unit internal piping of the air conditioner according to the present invention.
7 shows an assembled state of the distribution unit internal piping of the air conditioner according to the present invention.
8 and 9 show the flow of the refrigerant in the cooling mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention.
10 and 11 show the flow of the refrigerant in the heating mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure can be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

The air conditioner according to the present invention includes an outdoor unit having a plurality of indoor units, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and a blowing fan, a plurality of indoor units connected to the indoor unit, an outdoor unit connected to the outdoor units, And a distribution unit detachably installed in the outdoor unit, wherein the distribution unit includes a liquid refrigerant pipe connecting the indoor unit connection unit, a gaseous refrigerant pipe, a distributor connected to the liquid refrigerant pipe, and an electronic expansion valve connected to the distributor, Thereby providing an air conditioner. Hereinafter, the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 and the following figures.

1 shows various examples of various installation positions of an outdoor unit 100 of an air conditioner and a distribution unit 200 connected to an outdoor unit 200 according to the present invention.

1 shows various mounting positions of the dispensing unit when the dispensing unit 200 is not mounted in a mounting space inside the outdoor unit 200 but mounted on a separate mounting surface or the like.

Can be installed at various positions according to the position of the air conditioning space provided with the indoor unit (not shown) of the air conditioner and the direction in which the outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioner is installed.

The outdoor unit 100 sucks outdoor air and performs heat exchange, and then discharges the heat-exchanged air in a specific direction (from the outdoor heat exchanger to the blower fan). The connection unit connected to the indoor unit is also provided at a specific portion of the outdoor unit housing. When the indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit by the respective pipes, the aesthetics of the space where the outdoor unit is installed may be damaged. Therefore, the outdoor unit 100 and each indoor unit The length of the pipe proportional to the distance between the outdoor unit 100 and the distribution unit 200 can be reduced.

However, it is also possible to assume that there is no need to be connected through the distribution unit 200 when the installation position of the outdoor unit 200 and the air-conditioning space in which each indoor unit is installed are short. That is, it may be more advantageous that the outdoor unit main body is provided with the indoor unit connection portion including the respective sockets connected to the respective indoor units.

In this case, it is inefficient to install a separate distribution unit in the installation space outside the outdoor unit.

Accordingly, in the outdoor unit of the multi-type air conditioner having a plurality of indoor units, the indoor unit connection unit for connecting the indoor units must be provided in the outdoor unit itself, or the outdoor unit must be connected to the distribution unit The conventional method including only the distribution unit connection part for the user is difficult to meet the needs of various users.

Accordingly, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes the distribution unit 200 detachably mounted or embedded in the outdoor unit.

Hereinafter, referring to Fig. 2 and subsequent drawings, the air conditioning apparatus including the distribution unit according to the present invention will be described in detail.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 shows a state in which the distribution unit 200 is mounted in a mounting space S in an indoor unit other than the exterior of the outdoor unit 100, unlike the distribution unit 200 shown in FIG.

2 shows a state in which a part (side portion) of the outdoor unit housing 110 of the outdoor unit 100 shown in Fig. 2 is opened. The outdoor unit (100) of the air conditioner according to the present invention is detachably mounted inside the dispenser unit (200).

The distribution unit 200 includes a plurality of indoor unit connectors 270. Each indoor unit connection part can be connected to each indoor unit by a pair of refrigerant pipes.

When the distribution unit 200 is installed in the outdoor unit 100, each indoor unit connection unit 270 provided in the distribution unit 200 may be installed to be exposed to the outside.

In the case of the multi-type air conditioner, if the separate unit is not provided, each indoor unit connection portion is provided in the outdoor unit 100 itself. However, the distribution unit 200 shown in FIG. 2 has a distribution unit 200 When installed in the outdoor unit 100, can be installed as a part of the outdoor unit and act as the indoor unit connection units 270 of the indoor units.

The distribution unit 200 may have a plurality of indoor unit connection units 270 on one side and an outdoor unit connection unit 250 connected to the compressor 170 and the outdoor heat exchanger 140 on the other side.

Since the outdoor heat exchanger 140 is disposed in the path of the outdoor air sucked and discharged through the space inside the outdoor unit 100 in a state where the outdoor unit housing 110 is removed, Space is fairly limited.

That is, since the opening of the outdoor unit housing 110 for opening and closing the outdoor air is formed in front of and behind the outdoor unit housing 110, Is not provided in the area where the light-shielding layer is not shielded.

The position of the compressor 170 provided in the outdoor unit 100 is also provided at a position not obstructing the flow of outdoor air.

The position of the compressor 170 and the outdoor heat exchanger 140 or the location where the air flow is not disturbed may be a side edge area of the outdoor unit housing 110, It is preferable that the distribution unit housing 210 has an appropriate length in order to provide a plurality of indoor unit connection portions 270 in the unit 200. The installation space S in which the distribution unit 200 is mounted is not limited to the above- (110) in the vicinity of the side of the outdoor unit housing (110).

When the mounting space S in which the distribution unit 200 is mounted is determined as a region in the vicinity of the side of the outdoor unit housing in the space inside the outdoor unit housing S, The outdoors side connection unit 250 of the unit can be connected to the compressor 170 or the outdoor heat exchanger 140 while minimizing the piping length.

The outdoor connection part 250 of the distribution unit 200 and the pipe connection part 150 of the outdoor unit 100 shown in FIG. 2 are fastened at the upper part of the distribution unit.

Fig. 3 shows a distribution unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

The distributing unit 200 according to the present invention includes a long rectangular column-shaped distribution unit housing 210 and an indoor unit connector 270 for connection with a plurality of indoor units on either side thereof. The distribution unit 200 shown in FIG. 3 includes five indoor unit connectors 270-1, 270-2, 270-3, 270-4, and 270-5 so as to be connected to a total of five indoor units. do. The number of the indoor unit connection units 270 may vary depending on the capacity of the compressor and the like. If the capacity of the compressor or the like is larger, the number of the indoor unit connection portions can be further increased.

A control housing (not shown) for an auxiliary control unit 400 for controlling an electronic expansion valve or the like provided inside the distribution unit is installed on a side of the distribution unit housing 210 opposed to the side where the indoor unit connection unit 270 is provided 410 may be mounted.

The auxiliary control unit 400 provided in the control unit housing 410 is provided to control an electronic expansion valve or a valve included in the distribution unit 200 separately from the control unit provided in the outdoor unit.

The auxiliary control unit 400 provided in the control housing 410 includes an electronic circuit for controlling the electronic expansion valve or the valve that is provided in the distribution unit to regulate or reduce (or expand) the flow rate of the refrigerant .

Even when the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected to each other through the distribution unit, the conventional multi-type air conditioner must include a communication cable for transmitting / receiving control signals to / from the outdoor unit and the distribution unit, In the air conditioner according to the present invention, each of the outdoor units may be directly connected to a transmission / reception cable for transmitting and receiving control signals to / from the respective indoor units, and only the auxiliary control unit 400 of the distribution unit 200 and the outdoor unit may be connected.

That is, the distribution unit and each indoor unit need not be connected by a communication cable for transmitting and receiving a separate control signal.

One of the effects of the distribution unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention is to minimize the length of the refrigerant pipe connecting the outdoor unit and the distribution unit, thereby reducing the installation cost of the air conditioner and obtaining a cosmetic effect. Therefore, the length of the refrigerant pipe is advantageous as the length of the refrigerant pipe is short. However, unlike the refrigerant pipe, the transmission / reception cable for transmitting / receiving the control signal does not greatly increase the installation cost according to the length. Rather, It may be advantageous to minimize.

In addition, according to the conventional system in which the control unit for controlling the indoor unit is provided in the distribution unit, the volume of the control unit increases, so that the volume to be allocated for the control unit in the distribution unit also increases.

Accordingly, since the size of the distribution unit itself increases according to the conventional system, the utility of using the distribution unit can be reduced, and when a distribution unit is installed outdoors, a structure for blocking rainwater, moisture, The size of the entire dispensing unit is further increased.

Therefore, the auxiliary control unit 400 provided inside the control unit housing 410 of the distribution unit 200 of the air conditioner according to the present invention can be configured to control only the electronic expansion valve or the like inside the distribution unit.

When the distribution unit 200 is installed outside the outdoor unit 100, the control unit housing may be additionally installed in the distribution unit housing 210.

However, when the distribution unit 200 is installed in the outdoor unit 100, it is not necessary to separately provide the control unit housing. A valve or the like in the distribution unit housing 210 can be directly connected to the control unit of the air conditioner provided in the outdoor unit.

Therefore, it is preferable that the control housing 410 equipped with the auxiliary control unit 400 is detachably mounted on the distribution unit housing 210.

When the control housing 410 is installed in the distribution unit 200, the distribution unit housing 210 and the control housing 410 are connected to an electronic expansion valve or the like provided inside the distribution unit and the auxiliary control unit 400 And a communication port for connection may be provided at corresponding positions.

Also, a seal member or the like is provided between the distribution unit housing 210 and the control unit housing 410 to prevent foreign matter such as rainwater or moisture from penetrating even when a distribution unit is installed outdoors.

In addition, when the dispensing unit is installed outside the outdoor unit, there may be restrictions on the installation location or installation direction. Therefore, in order to install the dispensing unit in a resilient manner, the liquid refrigerant pipe 220 and the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280, At least one or more expansion parts 222,

The expansion unit refers to a portion of the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 220 extending outward from the upper or lower surface of the distribution unit housing 210 and having an enlarged inner diameter.

The expanded portions 222 and 282 are portions where the diameters of the liquid refrigerant tubes 220 and the gaseous refrigerant tubes 280 are enlarged, and are connected to the refrigerant pipes by cutting the expanded portion.

The expansion parts 222 and 282 may be provided at a portion of the liquid coolant pipe 220 and the gaseous coolant pipe 280 that extend vertically to the upper portion of the distribution unit housing. A description of the outdoor unit connection portion generated by cutting the expansion portion will be described with reference to FIG.

4 is a perspective view of another example of the distribution unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention as viewed from the direction of the indoor unit connection portion. A description overlapping with the description with reference to FIG. 3 will be omitted. The distribution unit 200 shown in FIG. 3 includes a pipe connection part 150 of the outdoor unit for horizontally mounting the pipe connection part 150 of the outdoor unit and the outdoor unit connection part 250 of the distribution unit 200 The liquid refrigerant pipe 220 of the distribution unit 200 and the outdoor unit connection part 250 provided at the end of the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280 are also connected to the pipe connection part 150 of the outdoor unit So that the liquid refrigerant tube and the gaseous refrigerant tube can be bent.

However, such a connection structure may be a structure in which the distribution unit is mounted inside the outdoor unit. In other words. The liquid refrigerant pipe 220 of the distribution unit 200 and the outdoor unit connection part 250 provided at the end of the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280 are connected to the piping connection part 150 of the outdoor unit 100, The liquid refrigerant tube 220 and the gaseous refrigerant tube 280 of the distribution unit may be bent.

However, when the distribution unit 200 is installed in a separate installation site other than the inside of the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit connection unit of the distribution unit need not have a bent structure as shown in FIG.

Therefore, the distribution unit shown in FIG. 4 can cut the expansion portion of the distribution unit shown in FIG. 3 to configure the outdoor unit connection portion 250 '.

The outdoor high-voltage connection part 251 'and the indoor low-voltage connection part 255' are connected to the liquid refrigerant pipe 220 and the vapor-phase refrigerant pipe (not shown) of the distribution unit, respectively, 280 may have a pipe structure larger in diameter than other portions.

4, the outdoor unit connection part 250 'is not formed in the form of a socket, so that a refrigerant pipe for flowing the refrigerant between the outdoor unit and the distribution unit is connected to the outdoor unit May be inserted and welded to the inside of the outdoor side high-voltage connecting portion 251 'and the inside of the indoor side low-voltage connecting portion 255' which constitute the connecting portion 250 '.

As described above, if the refrigerant pipe is provided with the expansion portion, and if necessary, the expansion portion is cut to form the outdoor high-voltage connection portion 251 'and the indoor-side low-pressure connection portion 255' It is possible to improve the reliability of the gender or the connecting portion.

That is, the difficulty in the welding of pipes having similar diameters in the state where the pipe-tube portion is not formed can be lowered in the working efficiency or the reliability of the connecting portion than in the case where any one pipe is welded in the other pipe .

Fig. 5 shows a part of the distribution unit internal piping of the air conditioner according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows a piping structure centered on a liquid refrigerant pipe for distributing or reducing (expanding) the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit side. For convenience of explanation, the set of pipes supplied to the indoor unit by dividing or reducing (expanding) the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit on the basis of the cooling time is referred to as a high-pressure unit 200A, and the refrigerant recovered from the indoor unit side And a set of refrigerant tubes that collects and supplies refrigerant to the outdoor unit is referred to as a low pressure unit 200B.

The high pressure portion 200A shown in FIG. 5 has the outdoor high pressure socket 251 at one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe 220 which is the main refrigerant pipe, and a high pressure socket (not shown) constituting the pipe connection portion 150 151, respectively.

A distributor 240 may be installed at the other end of the liquid coolant pipe 220. The distributor 240 includes first through fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, 260-2, 260-4, 260-2, 260-4, 5).

The distributor 240 is connected to the first to fifth liquid branch tubes 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, 260-5 for guiding the refrigerant to the respective first to fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, (241-1, 241-2, 241-3, 241-4, 241-5).

The first to fifth liquid branch tubes 241-1, 241-2, 241-3, 241-4, and 241-5 are branched at the distributor 240 and connected to the respective electronic expansion valves.

The refrigerant supplied through the first to fifth liquid branch tubes 241-1, 241-2, 241-3, 241-4, and 241-5 flows through the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5, so that each of the first to fifth indoor high-voltage sockets 271-1, 271-2, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E provided in the respective air conditioning spaces through the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E.

In this case, the first to fifth indoor high voltage sockets 271-1, 271-2, 271-3, 271-4, and 271-5 and the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1 and 260- 265-2, 265-3, 265-4, and 265-5 for connecting the first to fifth liquid phase connection pipes 265-1, 265-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5, respectively, .

A control signal for controlling each of the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5 is input to the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5 so as to be transmitted to the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, 265-2, 265-3, 265-4, and 265-5, which are provided in the control unit of the air conditioner provided in the outdoor unit, respectively, and the first to fifth communication line connection units 265-1, 265-2, 265-2, 265-4, and 265-5 via the first to fifth communication line connection units 265-1, 265-2, 265-3, 265-4, and 265-5 to the communication line connection units 265-1, 265-2, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5 of the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-4, 260-5, Thereby controlling the flow rate and expansion (decompression).

6 shows the remaining part of the distribution unit internal piping of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the low pressure section 200B, which is a piping structure centering on a gaseous refrigerant tube for collecting the refrigerant recovered from the indoor unit side.

The gaseous coolant pipe 280 may include a plurality of vapor branch pipes 277 branched from the gaseous coolant pipe 280 to the indoor side low pressure socket 275 side of the indoor unit connection portion 270 at predetermined intervals . The indoor unit connection part 270 is provided on a side surface of the distribution unit housing, and the gas phase branch pipe 277 can connect the indoor unit connection part and the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280, respectively.

6, the refrigerant recovered from the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E provided in the respective air-conditioned spaces flows through the refrigerant pipes to the first to fifth indoor units 275-2, 275-3, 275-4, and 275-5 and the first to fifth vapor-phase branch pipes 277-1, 277-2, 277-3, 277-4, And a gas-phase refrigerant pipe (280) for collecting and collecting the collected refrigerant to the outdoor side high-voltage socket (255). The gaseous refrigerant tube 280 may not be provided with a separate distributor. However, in consideration of the heating operation, the first to fifth vapor-phase branch tubes 277-1, 277-2, 277-3, and 277- 4 and 277 - 5 and the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 280.

7 shows an assembled state of the distribution unit internal piping of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The distribution unit 200 has a distribution unit housing and the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 220 are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing 210, The refrigerant pipe 250 may be provided at one end of the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 220 extending to the outside through the upper or lower surface of the distribution unit housing 210.

The distribution unit 200 may be installed in a mounting space inside the housing of the outdoor unit 100, or may be installed in a separate installation space. Therefore, when installed in the outdoor unit, it is advantageous to minimize the installation space inside the outdoor unit.

The future space may be a space near the side of the outdoor unit housing or a space near the compressor. In addition, in the case of constructing a surplus space for attaching and detaching the distribution unit to the inside of the outdoor unit housing, a vertical corner space of the outdoor unit housing may be used as a mounting space in order to minimize an increase in the volume of the outdoor unit itself. In order to provide a plurality of indoor unit connection units 250 and an outdoor unit connection unit 150, the distribution unit housing may be formed in a long rectangular shape and each indoor unit connection unit 250 may be provided in advance on the side of the distribution unit housing 210 And the outdoor unit connection unit 150 is provided on the upper surface of the distribution unit housing 210 and the indoor unit connection unit 250 is exposed to the outside of the outdoor unit, Can be minimized.

5 to 7, the liquid refrigerant tube 220 and the gaseous refrigerant tube 280 inside the distribution unit 200 are arranged in the longitudinal direction inside the distribution unit housing 210, And the branching to the respective indoor unit connection portions provided on the side surface of the unit housing 210, the volume of the distribution unit housing can be minimized.

The lower portions of the liquid refrigerant tubes 220 and the vapor refrigerant tubes 280 constituting the high-pressure portion 200A and the low-pressure portion 200B shown in Figs. 5 and 6 are disposed inside the distribution unit housing, The upper portion of the gas-phase refrigerant pipe (220) and the upper portion of the gas-phase refrigerant pipe (280) extend through the upper surface of the distribution unit housing, and a vertical portion of the distribution unit housing, May be provided. Descriptions of the respective expansion portions are omitted.

The outdoor side high pressure socket 251 and the outdoor side low pressure socket 255 constituting the outdoor unit connection part 250 include a liquid refrigerant pipe 220 penetrating and extending out of the distribution unit housing, And is connected to the high pressure socket 151 and the low pressure socket 155 constituting the piping connection part 150 of the compressor.

The refrigerant decompressed or expanded in each of the first to fifth expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5 flows through the first to fifth indoor unit connectors 270-1 271-2, 271-3, 271-4, 271-5 constituting the first to fifth indoor side high-voltage sockets 271-1, 272-2, 271-3, 270-4, To the respective indoor units.

The gaseous refrigerant pipe 220 bent in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing 210 and the outdoor side high pressure socket (not shown) constituting the outdoor unit connection part 250 provided at the end of the liquid refrigerant pipe 280 251 and the outdoor side low-pressure sockets 255 may be disposed apart from each other at different heights in the vertical direction, the regions above the expansion portions 222, 282 of the liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 220 and the gaseous refrigerant pipe 280 may be bent . That is, the heights of the outdoor side high voltage socket and the outdoor side low pressure socket may be different from each other.

When the high pressure sockets 151 and the low pressure sockets 153 constituting the piping connection part 150 provided at the outdoor unit side are provided in a row in the vertical direction, the outdoor unit connection part 250 and the pipe connection part 150 are arranged horizontally .

That is, the high-voltage socket 151 and the low-voltage socket 153 can be coupled to the outdoor-side high-voltage socket 251 and the outdoor-side low-voltage socket 255 in the horizontal direction.

In addition, the sockets constituting the outdoor unit connection part 250 and the pipe connection part 150 can be arranged vertically to reduce the size of the outdoor unit.

Here, each of the first to fifth indoor unit connectors 270-1, 270-2, 270-3, 270-4, and 270-5 and the outdoor unit connector 150 are arranged in the horizontal direction, . The liquid refrigerant pipe 220 and the gas refrigerant pipe 280 are bent so that the outdoor unit connection part 270 and the pipe connection part 270 are connected to each other in the horizontal direction, The assembling can be facilitated by using the tolerance due to the elastic deformation depending on the material of the liquid coolant pipe 220 and the gaseous coolant pipe 280 even if the design tolerance is small.

The liquid refrigerant pipe 220 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 280 extending through the distribution unit housing 210 and extending outwardly are provided at corresponding heights of the expansion parts 222 and 222 having an enlarged inner diameter .

The gaseous refrigerant pipe 220 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 280 extending through the upper or lower surface of the distribution unit housing 210 are bent in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing 210 And the expansion parts 222 and 282 can be provided between the part where the gaseous refrigerant pipe 220 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 280 are bent and the distribution unit housing 210.

8 and 9 show the flow of the refrigerant in the cooling mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention. 8 is a view showing a case in which all the indoor units of the air conditioner according to the present invention are all-room cooling mode in which the respective air-conditioning spaces are cooled. FIG. Is a partial cooling mode in which the air conditioning space is cooled. In this case, a total of five indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E are connected to one outdoor unit 100 through a distribution unit 200, and the distribution unit 200 is installed outside the outdoor unit 100 And it is assumed that the outdoor unit connection portion of the distribution unit 200 and the pipe connection portion 150 of the outdoor unit are connected by a pair of refrigerant pipes.

When the distribution unit is installed in the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit connection unit of the distribution unit and the pipe connection unit of the outdoor unit can be directly connected.

The air conditioner according to the present invention may include a plurality of first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E and the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E. And a distribution unit 200 for distributing the refrigerant to the outdoor unit 100 and the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E.

The outdoor unit 100 includes a compressor 170 for compressing refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 140 for exchanging heat between the compressed refrigerant and the outdoor air, and condensing or evaporating the refrigerant. The outdoor unit 100 includes an accumulator (190), and the like.

The outdoor unit 100 is also connected to the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, 300E provided in the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, A four-way valve 150 for switching the direction of the flow of the refrigerant, and the like.

8 and 9, the direction of the arrows indicated on the four-way valve 150 is determined by the operating conditions of the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E, for example, Or the flow of the refrigerant due to the heating operation.

When the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the solid line, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes first to fifth indoor units 300A and 300B installed in the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d and 300e, , 300C, 300D, and 300E operate in a cooling mode for cooling the inside of the air conditioning space. The outdoor unit 100 may include an expansion valve 160 for controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant supplied to the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E or for expanding or reducing the refrigerant according to the operation mode, And the like.

The outdoor unit 100 is provided with a pipe connection unit 150 including an outdoor unit housing and a high pressure socket 151 and a low pressure socket 155 to be connected to the distribution unit. The high pressure socket 151 constituting the piping connection part 150 means a socket through which the refrigerant having passed through the compressor is supplied based on the cooling operation of the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E And the low pressure socket 155 is referred to as a socket in which the refrigerant is recovered to the outdoor unit 100.

The piping connection part 150 including the high pressure socket 151 and the low pressure socket 155 may be provided inside the outdoor unit housing 110 as described above.

The piping connection part 150 including the high pressure socket 151 and the low pressure socket 155 includes an outdoor side high pressure socket 251 and an outdoor side low pressure socket 255 provided in the distribution unit 200 And is connected to the outdoor side connection part 250.

The piping connection part 150 provided in the outdoor unit 100 may be connected to the outdoor connection part 250 of the distribution unit 200 by a connection pipe detachably mountable.

It is assumed that the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E installed in the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d and 300e are in the cooling operation, Review the flow of refrigerant in the unit.

The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 170 is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 140 and discharged to the high pressure socket 151 side of the piping connection part 150 of the outdoor unit 100, And is supplied to the distribution unit 200 through an outdoor high-voltage socket 251 of the distribution unit 200 connected by a connection pipe (not shown).

The refrigerant supplied into the distribution unit 200 is branched and supplied in a number corresponding to the number of the indoor connection units 270 provided in the distribution unit 200.

The process in which the refrigerant supplied into the distribution unit 200 is branched and supplied in a number corresponding to the number of indoor unit connection units provided in the distribution unit 200 is provided in the distribution unit 200, To the distributor 240, which is capable of connecting the first and second antennas.

The refrigerant distributed by the distributor 240 flows through the first to fifth liquid branch tubes 241-1, 241-2, 241-3, 241-4, and 241-5, The operating conditions of the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d and 300e in the fifth electronic expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, (270-1, 270-2, 270-3, and 270-N) that constitute the indoor unit connection unit (270) of the distribution unit by selectively expanding or controlling the flow rate according to the air conditioner 4, and 270-5 to the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E.

An auxiliary control unit (not shown) for controlling the first to fifth electronic expansion valves 260-1, 260-2, 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5 of the distribution unit 200 is connected to the distribution unit 200, (Not shown) that is detachably coupled to the housing 210.

The refrigerant supplied to each of the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D and 300E is supplied to each of the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, The refrigerant is recovered to the outdoor unit after exchanging the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchangers 340-1, 340-1, 340-3, and 300-4.

When the indoor units are provided with separate expansion valves 360-1, 360-1, 360-3, and 360-4, the indoor heat exchangers 340-1, 340-1, 340-3, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > or < / RTI >

The operating state shown in FIG. 9 is a state in which the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E installed in the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, The first to third indoor units 300A, 300B and 300C installed in the three air-conditioning spaces 300a, 300b and 300c are operated in a cooling mode and are installed in the fourth and fifth air- And the fourth and fifth indoor units 300D and 300E do not operate.

In this case, interrupting the supply of the refrigerant to the fourth and fifth indoor units 300D and 300E installed in the fourth and fifth air conditioning spaces 300d and 300e is performed by closing the electronic fourth and fifth expansion valves 260-4, and 260-5. Of course, each indoor unit may have a separate shut-off valve or the like, but the shut-off valve for selectively shutting off the coolant can be omitted or minimized.

Accordingly, the distribution unit 200 selectively distributes the refrigerant to all the indoor units or recovers the refrigerant recovered from all the indoor units to the outdoor unit, and also selectively supplies or blocks the refrigerant to the selectively operated indoor units .

10 and 11 show the flow of the refrigerant in the heating mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows a case in which all of the indoor units of the air conditioner according to the present invention are in the all-room heating mode in which the respective air-conditioning spaces are heated. FIG. Is a partial heating mode in which the corresponding air conditioning space is heated. 8 and 9 will not be repeated.

Basically, when the air conditioner according to the present invention heats the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d and 300e, the outdoor heat exchanger provided in the outdoor unit acts as an evaporator, Of the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser.

When each indoor unit is operated in a heating mode for heating each of the air conditioning spaces, the electronic expansion valve provided in the distribution unit can control the flow rate of the refrigerant according to the air conditioning load or the heating load of each air conditioning space.

The operation state of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 11 is the same as that of the first to fifth indoor units 300A, 300B, 300C, 300D, and 300E installed in the first to fifth air conditioning spaces 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, The first to the second indoor units 300A and 300B installed in the first to second air conditioning spaces 300a and 300b operate in the heating mode and are operated in the third to fifth air conditioning spaces 300c, 3 to the fifth indoor units 300c, 300d, and 300e are in an inoperative state. In this case, the supply of the refrigerant to the third to fifth indoor units 300c, 300d and 300e installed in the third to fifth air conditioning spaces 300c, 300d and 300e is interrupted by the third to fifth electrons And the expansion valves 260-3, 260-4, and 260-5 may be shut off in the same manner as the above-described cooling mode.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. . It is therefore to be understood that the modified embodiments are included in the technical scope of the present invention if they basically include elements of the claims of the present invention.

100: outdoor unit 200: distribution unit
220: liquid refrigerant tube 250: outdoor unit connection part
270: indoor unit connection part 280: vapor-phase refrigerant pipe

Claims (13)

A plurality of indoor units;
An outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and a blowing fan in an outdoor unit housing; And
A plurality of indoor units connected to the indoor unit, an outdoor unit connected to the outdoor unit, a liquid refrigerant pipe connected to the outdoor unit connection unit and the indoor unit connection unit, a gaseous refrigerant pipe connected to the indoor unit connection unit, a distributor connected to the liquid refrigerant pipe, And an electronic expansion valve, wherein the distribution unit is detachably mounted inside the outdoor unit,
Wherein the distribution unit is detachably installed in a mounting space formed on one side of the both sides of the outdoor unit housing adjacent to the compressor,
Wherein the distribution unit includes a distribution unit housing and the gaseous refrigerant pipe and the liquid refrigerant pipe are disposed inside the distribution unit housing in the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing in a height direction of the outdoor unit housing, Wherein the liquid refrigerant tube is provided at one end of the gaseous refrigerant tube and the liquid refrigerant tube extending outwardly through an upper surface or a lower surface of the distribution unit housing. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the gaseous refrigerant tube and the liquid refrigerant tube connected to the outdoor unit connection portion are bent in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the gaseous refrigerant tube and the liquid refrigerant tube extending through the upper surface or the lower surface of the distribution unit housing and extending to the outside are each provided with an expanded portion having an enlarged inner diameter. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the expansion portion is provided at a corresponding height of the gaseous refrigerant pipe and the liquid refrigerant pipe. 6. The method of claim 5,
The gaseous refrigerant pipe extending through the upper or lower surface of the distribution unit housing and the one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe are bent in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the distribution unit housing, Wherein the liquid coolant pipe is provided between a portion where the liquid coolant pipe is bent and the distribution unit housing. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the gas-phase refrigerant pipe includes a plurality of vapor-phase branching pipes branched from the gaseous refrigerant pipe toward the indoor unit connection portion at predetermined intervals. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the indoor unit connection part is provided on a side surface of the distribution unit housing, and the vapor phase branch pipe connects the indoor unit connection part and the gaseous refrigerant pipe, respectively. The method according to claim 1,
And a plurality of liquid branch tubes branched from the distributor provided at the other end of the liquid refrigerant tube and connected to the respective electronic expansion valves. 10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a liquid connection pipe connecting the electronic expansion valve to the indoor unit connection portion side. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the outdoor unit connection portion includes an outdoor side high voltage socket and an outdoor side low pressure socket, and the heights of the outdoor side high voltage socket and the outdoor side low pressure socket are different from each other. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the outdoor unit includes a high-voltage socket and a low-voltage socket, and the high-voltage socket and the low-voltage socket are detachably coupled to the outdoor-side high-voltage socket and the outdoor-side low-voltage socket, respectively. 13. The method of claim 12,
And the high pressure socket and the low pressure socket are fastened in a horizontal direction to the outdoor side high pressure socket and the outdoor side low pressure socket.

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