KR102137175B1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The air conditioner of the present invention includes: an outdoor unit having a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; An outdoor heat exchange device provided in the outdoor unit; A control box provided in the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit; An intermediate heat exchanger that heat exchanges the refrigerant flowing therein and is in direct or indirect contact with the control box; And an injection flow path for injecting the refrigerant heat exchanged in the intermediate heat exchanger into the compressor.

Description

Air conditioner

This specification relates to an air conditioner.

The air conditioner is a device for maintaining the air in a predetermined space in the most suitable state according to the purpose and purpose.

In general, the air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, and a refrigeration cycle performing compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes of a refrigerant is driven to cool or heat the predetermined space.

The predetermined space may be variously proposed according to a place where the air conditioner is used. For example, when the air conditioner is disposed in a home or office, the predetermined space may be an indoor space in a house or building. On the other hand, when the air conditioner is disposed in a vehicle, the predetermined space may be a boarding space for people to board.

When the air conditioner performs the cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger provided in the outdoor unit functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger provided in the indoor unit functions as an evaporator. On the other hand, when the air conditioner performs a heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator.

Meanwhile, the air conditioner may be provided with a heat exchanger and a valve device for injecting refrigerant into the compressor.

An air conditioner is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0124684, which is a prior document 1.

The air conditioner disclosed in the prior art document 1 includes a compressor, a condenser, an intermediate heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant condensed in the condenser, and an injection passage for injecting refrigerant exchanged in the intermediate heat exchanger into the compressor.

The intermediate heat exchanger includes a first intermediate heat exchanger and a second intermediate heat exchanger connected in series with each other, and the injection passage is a first injection passage connected to the first intermediate heat exchanger and a second injection connected to the second intermediate heat exchanger It may contain euros.

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0031133, which is a prior document 2.

The outdoor unit of the air conditioner disclosed in the prior art document 2 includes a cabinet and a control box accommodated in the cabinet.

A number of electronic components are accommodated in the control box. Therefore, it is necessary to dissipate heat generated by a plurality of electrical components.

Therefore, in the prior document 2, a flow path through which air flows is formed inside the control box, and a heat sink is provided on the outer surface of the control box. Inside the heat sink, a heat pipe for flowing the refrigerant is built in, and a refrigerant is filled in the heat pipe. As the refrigerant flows up and down, heat transfer is made up and down the heat sink, and the control box is dissipated.

When combining the above-referenced documents 1 and 2, in the outdoor unit, an intermediate heat exchanger for injection and an injection channel exist separately, and a heat sink for separate cooling exists for heat dissipation of the control box.

Therefore, since the flow path for the refrigerant to flow in the outdoor unit is complicated and a plurality of component parts must be individually present in the outdoor unit, there is a problem of less space utilization in the space inside the outdoor unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner in which a separate component for cooling the control box is removed, the number of components is reduced, and the space utilization inside the outdoor unit is increased.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of reducing the length of a refrigerant pipe in an outdoor unit.

An air conditioner of the present invention for solving the above problems includes an outdoor unit having a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; An outdoor heat exchange device provided in the outdoor unit; A control box provided in the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit; An intermediate heat exchanger that heat exchanges the refrigerant flowing therein and is in direct or indirect contact with the control box; A first connection pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger and the intermediate heat exchanger; A second connection pipe communicating with the indoor unit and connected to the intermediate heat exchanger; And an injection passage for injecting the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the intermediate heat exchanger into the compressor, thereby cooling the control box using the intermediate heat exchanger.

In this embodiment, a first refrigerant inlet to which the second connection pipe is connected, a first refrigerant outlet to which the first connection pipe is connected, and an inlet flow path of the injection passage are connected to a first surface of the housing. A second refrigerant outlet to which a second refrigerant inlet and an outlet flow path of the injection flow path are connected may be provided.

Inside the housing, an internal flow passage connecting the first refrigerant inlet and the first refrigerant outlet, a heat exchange passage connecting the second refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet, and a refrigerant flow flowing through the internal flow passage And the flow of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchange flow path may form a counter flow.

The first refrigerant inlet may be positioned higher than the first refrigerant outlet, and the second refrigerant inlet may be positioned lower than the first refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet.

The inlet channel of the injection channel may be branched from the first connecting pipe and connected to the second refrigerant inlet, thereby minimizing the length of the refrigerant pipe.

The outdoor unit of the present embodiment may further include an additional injection flow path that is additionally branched from the first connection pipe or the second connection pipe, and the refrigerant of the additional injection flow path may be heat exchanged inside the intermediate heat exchanger.
An air conditioner according to another aspect includes an outdoor unit having a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; An outdoor heat exchange device provided in the outdoor unit; A control box provided in the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit; An intermediate heat exchanger that heat exchanges the refrigerant flowing therein and is in direct or indirect contact with the control box; And an injection flow path for injecting the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the intermediate heat exchanger into the compressor, and the intermediate heat exchanger includes a housing in which a flow path through which the refrigerant flows is formed, and the housing is connected to the injection flow path. It includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the second surface is in contact with the control box, the first surface of the housing, the first refrigerant inlet to the third refrigerant inlet And, a first refrigerant outlet to a third refrigerant outlet is provided, the interior of the housing, the first flow path connecting the first refrigerant inlet and the first refrigerant outlet, the second refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet A first heat exchange channel is connected, and a second heat exchange channel is connected to the third refrigerant inlet and the third refrigerant outlet.

According to the proposed invention, since an intermediate heat exchanger for heat exchange of the refrigerant for injection is installed in the control box, a separate configuration for cooling the control box is unnecessary, so the number of parts is reduced and the space utilization inside the outdoor unit is increased. There is this.

In addition, according to the proposed invention, since a plurality of injection passages may be connected to a single intermediate heat exchanger, the length of the refrigerant pipe in the outdoor unit may be reduced, and the number of parts may be reduced, so that the number of parts is reduced and the inside of the outdoor unit is reduced. It has the advantage of increasing the space utilization of.

1 is a system diagram showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing the arrangement of a control box and an intermediate heat exchanger in an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of an intermediate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a front view of the intermediate heat exchanger of Figure 3;
5 is a view showing the flow of refrigerant in the intermediate heat exchanger of FIG. 3;
6 is a view showing a flow of refrigerant during the heating operation of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through exemplary drawings. It should be noted that in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components have the same reference numerals as possible, even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of related well-known configurations or functions interfere with understanding the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), and the like can be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but another component between each component It should be understood that may be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

1 is a system diagram showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing the arrangement of a control box and an intermediate heat exchanger in an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the air conditioner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an outdoor unit 100 disposed outdoors and an indoor unit disposed indoors.

The indoor unit may include an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air in the indoor space.

The outdoor unit 100, the compressor 110 for compressing the refrigerant, and the oil for separating the oil among the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 disposed on the outlet 111 of the compressor 110 Separator 120 may be included.

The compressor 110 may be a compressor having a constant capacity or an inverter compressor having a variable capacity.

The outdoor unit 100 may further include a recovery passage 122 for recovering oil from the oil separator 120 to the compressor 110.

A check valve 123 for guiding one-way flow of refrigerant from the oil separator 120 to the compressor 110 may be installed in the recovery passage 122.

The outlet pipe 111 is provided with a flow diverter 130 that guides the refrigerant discharged from the oil separator 120 to the outdoor heat exchanger 140 or the indoor unit.

When the air conditioner operates in cooling, the refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 140 by the flow switching unit 130. On the other hand, when the air conditioner is in the heating operation, the refrigerant flows to the indoor heat exchanger side of the indoor unit by the flow switching unit 130.

The outdoor heat exchange device 140 may include a plurality of heat exchange parts 141 and 142 and an outdoor fan 143.

The plurality of heat exchange parts 141 and 142 may include a first heat exchange part 141 and a second heat exchange part 142 connected in parallel. The refrigerant that has passed through the flow conversion unit 130 in the cooling process may flow into the first heat exchange unit 141. At this time, the refrigerant passing through the flow switching unit 130 may be restricted to flow to the second heat exchange unit 142 by the check valve 146.

The outdoor heat exchanger 140 may further include a variable flow path 144 that guides the flow of refrigerant from the outlet side of the first heat exchanger 141 to the inlet side of the second heat exchanger 142 when cooling. have.

The variable flow path 144 extends from an outlet side pipe of the first heat exchange portion 141 to an inlet side pipe of the second heat exchange portion 142.

The outdoor heat exchanger 140 may further include a variable valve 145 provided on the variable flow path 144 to selectively block the flow of refrigerant.

Depending on whether the variable valve 145 is turned on or off, the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger 141 in the cooling process may be selectively introduced into the second heat exchanger 142.

In detail, when the variable valve 145 is turned on or open, the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger 141 flows into the second heat exchanger 142 through the variable flow path 144. At this time, the first outdoor valve 153 provided on the outlet side pipe 151 of the first heat exchange unit 141 may be closed.

A second outdoor valve 154 is provided in the outlet-side piping 152 of the second heat exchange unit 142, and the refrigerant heat exchanged in the second heat exchange unit 142 is provided with an open second outdoor valve 154. Through it may be introduced into the intermediate heat exchanger 200 to be described later.

On the other hand, when the variable valve 145 is turned off or closed, the flow of refrigerant to the second heat exchanger 142 is limited, and the refrigerant passing through the first heat exchanger 141 is the first outdoor valve 153 ) May be introduced into the intermediate heat exchanger 200.

Here, the first outdoor valve 153 and the second outdoor valve 145 may be arranged in parallel in correspondence with the arrangement of the first heat exchange unit 141 and the second heat exchange units 141 and 142.

The outlet pipes 151 and 152 mentioned in this embodiment are named based on the refrigerant flow during cooling operation, and it is revealed that the outlet pipes 151 and 152 correspond to the inlet pipe during heating operation.

The first bypass pipe 161 and the second bypass pipe 162 are provided in the outlet side pipe 151 of the first heat exchange portion 141 and the outlet side pipe 152 of the second heat exchange portion 142. This can be connected.

The first and second bypass pipes 161 and 162 extend from the outlet side pipe 111 of the compressor 110, and the first and second heat exchange parts of the high pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 110 Bypass to the outlet side of the heat exchange unit (141,142) selectively with the outlet pipe (151, 152) of the (141, 142).

In the first and second bypass pipes 161 and 162, a first bypass valve 163 and a second bypass valve 164 capable of opening adjustment may be installed, respectively.

The outdoor heat exchanger 140 may be connected to the intermediate heat exchanger 200.

A first connection pipe 231 and a second connection pipe 232 may be connected to the intermediate heat exchanger 200. The first connection pipe 231 connects the intermediate heat exchanger 200 and the outdoor heat exchanger device 140.

During the cooling operation, the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger 140 flows into the intermediate heat exchanger 200 through the first connection pipe 231, and during the heating operation, the refrigerant supplied from the indoor unit is the refrigerant. 2 is introduced into the intermediate heat exchanger 200 through the connecting pipe (232).

The intermediate heat exchanger 200 serves as a heat exchanger for circulating the refrigerant system and heat exchange after partial refrigerant of the refrigerant is branched. The refrigerant circulating in the intermediate heat exchanger and the refrigerant exchanged with the refrigerant may be injected into the compressor 110.

An injection flow path may branch from any one of the first connection pipe 231 and the second connection pipe 232 to pass through the intermediate heat exchanger 200 and be connected to the compressor 110.

In FIG. 1, for example, an injection flow path is branched from the first connection pipe 231.

The injection flow path may include a first injection flow path 241 and a second injection flow path 243.

The refrigerant of each of the first injection flow passage 241 and the second injection flow passage 243 may be independently connected to the compressor 110, wherein the pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the compressor 110 is different.

The first injection flow passage 241 may be provided with a first pressure reducing valve 242 for depressurizing the refrigerant, and the second injection flow passage 243 may be provided with a second pressure reducing valve 242 for pressurizing the refrigerant. have.

The refrigerant that is heat-exchanged by the intermediate heat exchanger 200 and flows through the second injection channel 243 may be bypassed to the gas-liquid separator 180.

A bypass passage 184 is connected to a passage located at the outlet side of the intermediate heat exchanger 200 among the second injection passages 243. A bypass valve 185 may be provided in the bypass channel 184.

The gas-liquid separator 180 is configured to separate the gaseous refrigerant from the liquid refrigerant before the refrigerant flows into the compressor 110.

The gas-liquid separator 180 may be integrally formed with the receiver 175 or may exist in a separate configuration.

The outdoor unit 100 may further include a low pressure pipe 178 extending from the flow switching unit 130 to the gas-liquid separator 180. The low pressure refrigerant evaporated in the refrigerant cycle may be introduced into the gas-liquid separator 180 via the flow switching unit 130 and the low pressure pipe 178.

The bypass flow path 184 may guide the refrigerant flowing through the second injection flow path 243 to the gas-liquid separator 180, which is directly connected to the gas-liquid separator 180 or is connected to the low-pressure pipe 178. Can be connected.

The receiver 175 may store at least a portion of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system.

The outdoor unit 100 may further include a receiver inlet passage 171 connected to an inlet side of the receiver 175. For example, the receiver inlet passage 171 may branch from the first connection pipe 231 and extend to the receiver 175.

The receiver inlet passage 171 is provided with a receiver inlet valve 173 for regulating the flow of refrigerant. When the receiver inlet valve 173 is opened, some of the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant system may be introduced into the receiver 175.

In addition, a pressure reducing device 172 is provided in the receiver inlet passage 171 to depressurize the refrigerant flowing into the receiver 175.

To the receiver 175, a receiver outlet pipe 176 is connected. The receiver outlet pipe 176 may be extended to the gas-liquid separator 180. At least a portion of the refrigerant stored in the receiver 175 may be introduced into the gas-liquid separator 180 through the receiver outlet pipe 176.

The receiver outlet pipe 176 is provided with a receiver outlet valve 177 capable of adjusting the amount of refrigerant discharged from the receiver 175. Depending on the on/off or opening of the receiver outlet valve 170, the amount of refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 180 may be adjusted.

The outdoor unit 100 may further include a supply pipe 181 for supplying refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator 180 to the compressor 110.

The outdoor unit 100 may further include an oil return pipe 182 extending from the gas-liquid separator 180 to the supply pipe 181. Oil stored in the gas-liquid separator 180 may be introduced into the supply pipe 181 through the oil return pipe 182. An oil valve 183 for adjusting the oil flow rate may be installed in the oil return pipe 182.

Meanwhile, the outdoor unit 100 includes a case 101 forming an external shape, and a control box 300 for controlling the outdoor unit may be provided inside the case 101. For example, the control box 300 may control one or more of various parts such as a compressor, various valves, and outdoor fans.

In the case 101, an outdoor fan 143 and an outdoor fan motor 143a may be provided on the upper side, and the control box 300 may be located below the outdoor fan motor 143a.

The control box 300 may be directly installed on one panel forming the case 101 or may be installed by mounting.

The control box 300 may accommodate a number of parts that generate heat. The plurality of parts in the control box 300 may be cooled by air flowing inside the case 101 when the outdoor fan 143 is rotated.

In addition, the intermediate heat exchanger 200 may be installed in the control box 300 for effective heat dissipation of the control box 300 in the present invention.

In this embodiment, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the intermediate heat exchanger 200 is lower than the temperature of the control box 300.

Therefore, when the intermediate heat exchanger 200 is installed in the control box 300, the control box 300 may be cooled by the intermediate heat exchanger 200.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the cooling device provided separately from the intermediate heat exchanger in order to cool the control box 300 is unnecessary, and thus the space utilization in the outdoor unit 100 is improved.

Hereinafter, the intermediate heat exchanger 200 of this embodiment will be described in more detail.

3 is a perspective view of an intermediate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a front view of the intermediate heat exchanger of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a view showing the flow of refrigerant in the intermediate heat exchanger of FIG. 3.

1 to 5, the intermediate heat exchanger 300 of this embodiment may be a plate heat exchanger.

The intermediate heat exchanger 300 may be formed, for example, in the form of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 201. A plurality of refrigerant passages through which the refrigerant flows may be partitioned in the housing 201.

The housing 201 may include a front surface 202 (or first surface) and a rear surface 202 (or second surface) facing the front surface 202.

The rear surface 202 of the housing 201 may be installed to contact the control box 203. The rear surface 202 may be formed in a flat surface so that the contact area between the rear surface 202 and the control box 203 is increased. Therefore, the housing 201 may be installed in the control box 300 such that the rear surface 202 comes into surface contact with the control box 203. As another example, the intermediate heat exchanger 300 is installed in a separate mount provided in the case 101, and may contact the control box 300.

In addition, the intermediate heat exchanger 200 may be arranged to indirectly contact the control box 300 by a heat transfer member.

A first refrigerant inlet 211 and a first refrigerant outlet 212 may be provided on the front surface of the housing 201.

The first refrigerant inlet 211 may be connected to the second connection pipe 232 as an example, and the first connection pipe 231 may be connected to the first refrigerant outlet 212.

Inside the housing 201, an internal flow path 221 connecting the first refrigerant inlet 211 and the second refrigerant outlet 212 may be provided.

For example, the first refrigerant inlet 211 may be located above the first refrigerant outlet 212. Accordingly, the internal flow path 221 may extend in the vertical direction, and the refrigerant introduced through the first refrigerant inlet 211 may be exchanged while flowing downward along the internal flow path 211.

The inner flow path 221 may be a single flow path or may include a plurality of branch flow paths spaced apart in the left and right directions within the housing 201. In this case, when the inner flow path 221 includes a plurality of branch flow paths, the refrigerant introduced through the first refrigerant inlet 211 may be branched to the plurality of branch flow paths and exchange heat while flowing. Subsequently, the refrigerant branched into a plurality of branch passages may be laminated and discharged from the intermediate heat exchanger 200 through the first refrigerant outlet 212.

A second refrigerant inlet 213 and a second refrigerant outlet 214 in communication with the first injection channel 241 may be additionally provided on the front surface 202 of the housing 201.

The first injection flow passage 241 includes a first inlet flow passage 241a connected to the second refrigerant inlet 213, a first outlet flow passage 241c connected to the second refrigerant outlet 214, and the A first heat exchange channel 241b connecting the first inlet channel 241a and the first outlet channel 241c may be included.

The first heat exchange channel 241b is a channel located inside the housing 201. The first outlet flow path 241c is a flow path for guiding the refrigerant to the compressor 110.

The second refrigerant inlet 213 may be positioned lower than the second refrigerant outlet 214. In addition, the second refrigerant inlet 213 may be positioned lower than the first refrigerant inlet 211.

In addition, the second inlet flow path 241a may be branched from the first connection pipe 231.

According to the present embodiment, the refrigerant flowing through the second refrigerant inlet 213 to the first heat exchange channel 241b (which may be referred to as a "second refrigerant") follows the first heat exchange channel 241b. As it rises, it exchanges heat with a refrigerant flowing through the internal flow path 221 (which may be referred to as a "first refrigerant").

At this time, the flow of the second refrigerant in the first heat exchange passage 241b forms a counter flow with the flow of the first refrigerant in the internal flow passage 221.

In the present embodiment, the second refrigerant inlet 213 and the first refrigerant outlet 212 are located at a lower portion of the front 202 of the housing 201.

Therefore, when the first inlet flow path 241a is branched from the first connection pipe 231 connected to the first refrigerant outlet 212, the length of the first inlet flow path 241a can be minimized. There is this.

A first injection pressure reducing valve 242 may be provided in the first inlet flow passage 241a to decompress the refrigerant flowing into the first inlet flow passage 241a before flowing into the intermediate heat exchanger 200.

A third refrigerant inlet 215 and a third refrigerant outlet 216 in communication with the second injection channel 243 may be additionally provided on the front surface of the housing 201.

The second injection passage 243 includes a second inlet passage 243a connected to the third refrigerant inlet 215, a second outlet passage 243c connected to the third refrigerant outlet 216, and the A second heat exchange channel 243b may be connected to the second inlet channel 243a and the second outlet channel 243c.

The second heat exchange passage 243b is a passage located inside the housing 201. The second outlet flow passage 243c is a flow passage for guiding the refrigerant to the compressor 110.

The third refrigerant inlet 215 may be positioned lower than the third refrigerant outlet 215. In addition, the third refrigerant inlet 215 may be positioned lower than the first refrigerant inlet 211.

In addition, the third inlet passage 243a may be branched from the first connection pipe 231.

According to the present embodiment, the refrigerant flowing through the third refrigerant inlet 215 to the second heat exchange channel 243b (which may be referred to as a “third refrigerant”) follows the second heat exchange channel 243b. As it rises, it exchanges heat with a refrigerant flowing through the internal flow path 221 (which may be referred to as a "first refrigerant").

At this time, the flow of the third refrigerant in the second heat exchange passage 241b forms a counter flow with the flow of the first refrigerant in the internal flow passage 221.

In the present embodiment, the third refrigerant inlet 215 and the first refrigerant outlet 212 are located in the lower portion of the front 202 of the housing 201.

Therefore, when the second inlet flow path 243a branches from the first connection pipe 231 connected to the first refrigerant outlet 212, the length of the second inlet flow path 243a can be minimized. There is this.

A second injection pressure reducing valve 244 may be provided in the second inlet flow passage 243a to depressurize the refrigerant flowing into the second inlet flow passage 243a before flowing into the intermediate heat exchanger 200.

In the housing 201, the first heat exchange passage 241b and the second heat exchange passage 243b may be a single flow passage or a plurality of branch flow passages, like the inner flow passage 221.

The first refrigerant inlet 211 may be located between the second refrigerant outlet 214 and the third refrigerant outlet 216.

In addition, the first refrigerant outlet 213 may be located between the second refrigerant inlet 213 and the third refrigerant inlet 215.

The second refrigerant inlet 213 and the second refrigerant outlet 214 are diagonally formed in the housing 201 so that heat exchange between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant is effectively performed in the housing 201. Can be deployed.

In addition, the third refrigerant inlet 215 and the third refrigerant outlet 216 are diagonal in the housing 201 so that heat exchange between the first refrigerant and the third refrigerant is effectively performed in the housing 201. It can be arranged to achieve.

Alternatively, a line connecting the second refrigerant inlet 213 and the second refrigerant outlet 214 and a line connecting the third refrigerant inlet 215 and the third refrigerant outlet 215 may be crossed. .

For example, the first refrigerant inlet 211, the second refrigerant outlet 214, and the third refrigerant outlet 216 may be disposed at the same or similar height to the housing 201, and the first refrigerant The second refrigerant outlet 214 may be located on the left side of the refrigerant inlet 211, and the third refrigerant outlet 216 may be located on the right side (or vice versa).

In this case, the first refrigerant outlet 212, the second refrigerant inlet 213, and the third refrigerant inlet 215 may be disposed at the same or similar height to the housing 201, and the first refrigerant The second refrigerant inlet 213 may be located on the right side of the outlet 212, and the third refrigerant inlet 215 may be located on the left side (or vice versa).

6 is a view showing a flow of the refrigerant during the heating operation of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 6, when the heating operation of the air conditioner 10 starts, the gaseous refrigerant separated from the gas-liquid separator 180 passes through the supply pipe 181 to the first compressor 110. Is inhaled.

The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 110 flows into the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit via the flow switching unit 130 and the engine 131. The refrigerant condensed in the indoor heat exchanger flows into the outdoor unit 100 and flows through the second connection pipe 232.

The refrigerant (first refrigerant) introduced into the outdoor unit 100 flows along the internal flow path 221 of the intermediate heat exchanger 200 and is then discharged to the first connection pipe 231.

A portion of the refrigerant discharged to the first connection pipe 231 (second refrigerant) is branched to the first inlet flow path 241a and is depressurized by the first injection pressure reducing valve 242, and then the first heat exchange It flows along the flow path 241b.

The second refrigerant flowing in the first heat exchange flow path 241b is discharged to the first outlet flow path 241c after heat exchange with the first refrigerant flowing along the inner flow path 221.

The second refrigerant discharged into the first outlet flow passage 241a may be injected into the compressor 110. The pressure of the second refrigerant injected into the compressor 110 is an intermediate pressure between the suction pressure and the discharge pressure of the compressor 110.

Another portion of the refrigerant discharged to the first connection pipe 231 (third refrigerant) is branched to the second inlet flow path 243a and then depressurized by the second injection pressure reducing valve 244, and then the second It flows along the heat exchange flow path 243b.

The third refrigerant flowing in the second heat exchange flow path 243b is discharged to the second outlet flow path 243c after heat exchange with the first refrigerant flowing along the inner flow path 221.

The third refrigerant discharged into the second outlet flow passage 243c may be injected into the compressor 110. The pressure of the third refrigerant injected into the compressor 110 is an intermediate pressure between the suction pressure and the discharge pressure of the compressor 110.

In the course of the heating operation, the bypass valve 185 may be closed. As the bypass valve 185 is closed, the third refrigerant passing through the intermediate heat exchanger 200 may be prevented from flowing into the bypass flow path 184.

The refrigerant discharged to the first connection pipe 131 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 140 and passes at least one of the first heat exchanger 141 and the second heat exchanger 142.

The refrigerant evaporated while passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 140 flows into the gas-liquid separator 180 through the flow switching unit 130 and is sucked into the compressor 110 via the supply pipe 181. Can be.

Meanwhile, in the process of heating operation, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the supply pipe 181 may be sensed by a sensor (not shown).

When the sensed pressure, that is, the low pressure is equal to or less than the first set pressure, it is recognized that the low pressure is in an abnormal range, so that a heating operation for low pressure response, that is, hot gas control may be performed.

When hot gas control is performed, the bypass valve 185 is opened, the second injection pressure reducing valve 244 is closed, and the first injection pressure reducing valve 242 can be opened.

By such a valve action, the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 110 flows through the bypass channel 181 through the opened bypass valve 185 and then flows into the gas-liquid separator 180.

By controlling the hot gas, a relatively high pressure refrigerant can be bypassed to the gas-liquid separator 180 side, that is, the low pressure side, so that an effect of increasing the low pressure can be obtained.

Even in the hot gas control state, the refrigerant may be injected into the compressor 110 through the first injection channel 241.

In this way, the refrigerant passing through the first injection flow path 241 is continuously injected into the compressor, so that the amount of refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant system can be increased and the load of the compressor can be reduced by injecting the medium pressure refrigerant into the compressor. do.

In the above embodiment, the outdoor unit 100 is described as having two injection flow paths, but it is also possible to have one injection flow path. In this case, the intermediate heat exchanger 200 is installed in the control box 300 to cool the control box 300.

10: outdoor unit 110: compressor
130: flow switching unit 140: outdoor heat exchanger
200: intermediate heat exchanger 211: the first refrigerant inlet
212: first refrigerant outlet 213: second refrigerant inlet
214: second refrigerant outlet 215: third refrigerant inlet
216: 3rd refrigerant outlet 241: 1st injection flow path
242: second injection flow path 300: control box

Claims (10)

An outdoor unit having a compressor for compressing the refrigerant;
An outdoor heat exchange device provided in the outdoor unit;
A control box provided in the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit;
An intermediate heat exchanger that heat exchanges the refrigerant flowing therein and is in direct or indirect contact with the control box;
A first connection pipe connecting the outdoor heat exchanger and the intermediate heat exchanger;
A second connection pipe communicating with the indoor unit and connected to the intermediate heat exchanger; And
And an injection flow path for injecting the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the intermediate heat exchanger into the compressor,
The intermediate heat exchanger includes a housing through which a flow path for the refrigerant to flow is formed,
The housing includes a first surface to which the injection passage is connected, and a second surface opposite to the first surface,
The second side contacts the control box,
On the first side of the housing,
A first refrigerant inlet to which the second connection pipe is connected,
A first refrigerant outlet to which the first connection pipe is connected,
A second refrigerant inlet to which the inlet channel of the injection channel is connected,
A second refrigerant outlet to which the outlet flow path of the injection flow path is connected is provided,
Inside the housing,
An internal flow passage connecting the first refrigerant inlet and the first refrigerant outlet,
A heat exchange flow path connecting the second refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet is provided,
An air conditioner in which a refrigerant flow flowing in the internal flow path and a flow of refrigerant flowing in the heat exchange flow path form a counter flow. delete According to claim 1,
The injection passage is an air conditioner that supplies the refrigerant branched from the first connection pipe or the second connection pipe to the intermediate heat exchanger. An outdoor unit having a compressor for compressing the refrigerant;
An outdoor heat exchange device provided in the outdoor unit;
A control box provided in the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit;
An intermediate heat exchanger that heat exchanges the refrigerant flowing therein and is in direct or indirect contact with the control box; And
And an injection flow path for injecting the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the intermediate heat exchanger into the compressor,
The intermediate heat exchanger includes a housing through which a flow path for the refrigerant to flow is formed,
The housing includes a first surface to which the injection passage is connected, and a second surface opposite to the first surface,
The second side contacts the control box,
A first refrigerant inlet to a third refrigerant inlet and a first refrigerant outlet to a third refrigerant outlet are provided on the first surface of the housing,
Inside the housing,
An internal flow passage connecting the first refrigerant inlet and the first refrigerant outlet,
A first heat exchange channel connecting the second refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet,
An air conditioner having a second heat exchange channel connecting the third refrigerant inlet and the third refrigerant outlet. The method of claim 3 or 4,
The first refrigerant inlet is located higher than the first refrigerant outlet,
The second refrigerant inlet is an air conditioner positioned lower than the first refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet. The method of claim 5,
The inlet flow path of the injection flow path is branched from the first connection pipe and connected to the second refrigerant inlet,
An air conditioner provided with a pressure reducing valve for reducing the refrigerant in the inlet passage. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising an additional injection flow path that is additionally branched from the first connection pipe or the second connection pipe,
On the first side of the housing,
A third refrigerant inlet to which the inlet channel of the additional injection channel is connected,
A third refrigerant outlet to which the outlet passage of the additional injection passage is connected is provided,
Inside the housing, an air conditioner is provided with an additional heat exchange channel connecting the third refrigerant inlet and the third refrigerant outlet. The method of claim 7,
An air conditioner in which the flow of the refrigerant flowing through the internal flow path and the flow of the refrigerant flowing through the additional heat exchange path form a counter flow. The method of claim 4,
The first refrigerant inlet is located between the second refrigerant outlet and the third refrigerant outlet,
The first refrigerant outlet is an air conditioner positioned between the second refrigerant inlet and the third refrigerant inlet. The method of claim 9,
A line connecting the second refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant outlet,
An air conditioner in which a line connecting the third refrigerant inlet and the third refrigerant outlet intersects.

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