KR20160058453A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. More specifically, the air conditioner comprises a heat exchanging unit having a plurality of heat exchangers spaced at preset intervals to form a plurality of stages. A condensate discharge unit is provided between at least one pair of heat exchangers adjacent to each other among the heat exchangers to prevent condensate flowing along the surface of one heat exchanger of the pair of heat exchangers adjacent to each other from flowing into the other heat exchanger.

Description

Air conditioner

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner capable of increasing heat exchange efficiency.

Background Art [0002] Generally, an air conditioner is a device for cooling or heating an indoor space such as a residential space, a restaurant, or an office.

Further, the air conditioner includes a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an outdoor heat exchanger, and the indoor space is cooled or heated according to the circulation direction of the refrigerant.

The air conditioner may include an outdoor unit installed in an outdoor space and an indoor unit installed in an indoor space.

At this time, the outdoor unit includes a compressor for compressing refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant, a blower fan, and various pipes connecting the compressor and the indoor unit. An indoor heat exchanger and an expansion valve.

The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger may be formed in a pin-tube manner.

For example, the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger may have a structure in which a plurality of refrigerant tubes for supporting refrigerant flow are supported by a plurality of fins.

In addition, the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger may be formed by one heat exchanger, or a plurality of heat exchangers may be overlapped to form an end.

At this time, when the heat exchanger is operated as an evaporator, the condensed water generated on the surface of the heat exchanger flows down to the lower portion of the heat exchanger due to gravity. Accordingly, as the thickness of the condensed water increases toward the lower portion of the heat exchanger, the heat exchange performance deteriorates and the amount of airflow decreases.

Also, the heat exchange efficiency varies depending on the area of the heat exchanger depending on the thickness of the condensed water, and the air flow rate of the air passing through the heat exchanger varies.

In addition, when the defrosting operation of the heat exchanger is performed, the defrosting time may become longer as the frozen and frozen ice accumulates at the lowermost end of the heat exchanger.

In addition, when the heat exchanger is formed by a plurality of heat exchangers disposed at a predetermined interval from each other, since the condensed water generated on the surface of the heat exchanger disposed at the upper side or the ice at the defrosted state falls into the heat exchanger disposed at the lower side, There arises a problem that the thickness of the condensed water on the surface of the condenser becomes thick.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the problem of condensed water which may be generated on the surface of a heat exchanger, and to increase the air flow rate of air passing through the heat exchanger, thereby increasing the heat transfer efficiency.

The present invention also aims at reducing the thickness of the condensed water generated on the surface of the heat exchanger, thereby improving the heat transfer performance between the air and the heat exchanger.

Further, the present invention aims to equalize the flow rates of the refrigerant flowing into the respective heat exchangers as the equal amount of air flows into each of the plurality of heat exchangers.

Further, the present invention aims to shorten the defrost time and reduce the occurrence of accumulated freezing by dispersing the ice that is frozen on the surface of the heat exchanger in the defrosting operation into each of the plurality of heat exchangers.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a heat exchanger including a heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchangers spaced at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of stages, wherein at least one of the plurality of heat exchangers A condensed water discharge unit is provided between the pair of heat exchangers to prevent condensed water flowing along the surface of one of the adjacent pair of heat exchangers from flowing into the other heat exchanger.

At this time, the condensed water discharge portion may be formed to prevent condensed water generated on the surface of one of the pair of heat exchangers from flowing into another adjacent heat exchanger when the heat exchanger is operated as an evaporator.

In addition, the plurality of heat exchangers may be vertically arranged.

Also, according to one embodiment, the condensed water discharge portion may be formed in the form of a flat plate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the condensed water discharge unit may include a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the condensed water discharge unit and disposed at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the condensed water discharge unit.

At this time, the condensed water discharge portion may have an extension extending along the thickness direction of the heat exchanger to a length greater than the thickness of the heat exchanger.

Further, the extending portion may be formed to be inclined downward.

The condensed water discharge unit may include at least one groove for guiding the condensed water flowing from the heat exchanger disposed at the upper portion of the condensed water discharge unit to the condensed water discharge unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner including a compressor, a first heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a second heat exchanger, wherein at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger includes: A housing having a discharge port; A plurality of heat exchangers disposed at the air intake port side and spaced apart at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of stages; A condensed water discharge portion disposed between at least one pair of heat exchangers adjacent to each other among the plurality of heat exchangers; A blowing fan disposed on the air outlet side; And a drain pan for collecting condensed water generated in the heat exchanger, wherein the condensed water discharge portion guides the condensed water flowing into the condensed water discharge portion to the drain pan.

At this time, the plurality of heat exchangers may be arranged vertically to each other, and the condensed water discharge unit may be provided between the heat exchangers adjacent to each other in the plurality of heat exchangers.

In addition, the condensed water discharge portion may be formed in a flat plate shape.

The condensed water discharge unit may include a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the condensed water discharge unit and disposed at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the condensed water discharge unit.

The condensed water discharge unit may be formed to extend along the thickness direction of the heat exchanger to a length greater than the thickness of the heat exchanger.

Meanwhile, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharge portion may be formed to be inclined downward.

In addition, at least one groove for guiding the condensed water flowing from the heat exchanger disposed at the upper portion of the condensed water discharge portion to the condensed water discharge portion may be formed on the upper surface of the condensed water discharge portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of heat exchangers include a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger disposed below the first heat exchanger, and the condensed water discharge unit is disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger As shown in FIG.

According to the present invention, the problem of condensed water that may be generated on the surface of the heat exchanger can be solved, and the air flow rate of the air passing through the heat exchanger can be increased to increase the heat transfer efficiency.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the condensed water generated on the surface of the heat exchanger, thereby improving the heat transfer performance between the air and the heat exchanger.

In addition, according to the present invention, as the uniform air flow is introduced into each of the plurality of heat exchangers, the plurality of heat exchangers can be effectively used by equalizing the flow rates of the refrigerant flowing into the respective heat exchangers.

Further, according to the present invention, by dispersing the ice that is frozen on the surface of the heat exchanger in the defrosting operation into each of the plurality of heat exchangers, it is possible to shorten the defrost time and reduce the occurrence of accumulated freezing.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram showing a heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a condensed water discharge unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a condensed water discharge unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5A and 5B are conceptual diagrams showing a modified example of the condensed water discharge portion shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In addition, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. For convenience of explanation, the size and shape of each constituent member shown may be exaggerated or reduced have.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a compressor 13, an indoor heat exchanger 11, an expansion valve 15, and an outdoor heat exchanger 12. In the illustrated embodiment, "I" represents an indoor unit and "O" represents an outdoor unit.

The compressor (13) is configured to pressurize the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant into a high temperature and high pressure refrigerant state, and a plurality of the compressors (13) may be provided in the air conditioner (10).

When a plurality of compressors 13 are provided in the air conditioner 10, a plurality of compressors may be provided in series and / or in parallel along the flow direction of the refrigerant.

The indoor heat exchanger 11 and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 can perform the functions of the evaporator and the condenser in the inward mode of the air conditioner 10 respectively and can operate the condenser and the evaporator 10 in the heating mode of the air conditioner 10. [ Respectively.

At this time, the indoor heat exchanger 11 and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 may be a fin-tube type heat exchanger.

Meanwhile, the indoor heat exchanger 11 may be provided with an indoor fan 16, and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 may be provided with an outdoor fan 17.

In addition, the air conditioner 10 may include a flow path switching valve 14 for switching the circulation direction of the refrigerant so that the cooling cycle and the heating cycle are switched.

At this time, the flow path switching valve 14 may be formed as a four-way valve.

The air conditioner 10 separates the refrigerant that has not evaporated from the oil separator (not shown) for returning the oil discharged together with the refrigerant to the compressor 13 back to the compressor 13 in the compressor 13, A liquid separator (not shown) may be further included to prevent the liquid refrigerant from being introduced into the evaporator 13.

In addition, the air conditioner 10 may be provided with one or more sensors for detecting state information of the air conditioning space, such as a temperature sensor and / or a humidity sensor, and state information of the air conditioner 10, Various valves may be provided for control.

As described above, the indoor heat exchanger 11 and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 may be a fin-tube type heat exchanger and perform different functions (evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant) based on the cooling mode and the heating mode can do.

On the other hand, the indoor heat exchanger 11 may be formed by an indoor heat exchanger 100 (also referred to as a "first heat exchanger") to be described later, and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 may include an outdoor heat exchanger 200 Heat exchanging portion ").

The indoor heat exchanging unit 100 and the outdoor heat exchanging unit 200 may be formed in the same configuration so that the indoor heat exchanging unit 100 and the outdoor heat exchanging unit 200 can be heat exchanged (100).

That is, the heat exchanging unit 100 described with reference to FIG. 2 may be applied to both the indoor heat exchanging unit and the outdoor heat exchanging unit. However, it is generally applied to the outdoor heat exchanger.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing a heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the heat exchanger may operate as an evaporator or a condenser. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a case where the heat exchanger operates as an evaporator will be described as an example.

For convenience of explanation, in Fig. 2, the X-axis direction is defined as the thickness direction, and the Y-axis direction is defined as the height direction (or vertical direction). In addition, a direction perpendicular to the X and Y axes is defined as a width direction.

Referring to FIG. 2, the heat exchanging unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 110 forming an outer tube, heat exchangers 120 and 120 'disposed inside the housing 110, And a drain pan 140 disposed inside the housing 110. The blowing fan 130 is disposed inside the housing 110,

The housing 110 may be provided with an air inlet 111 and an air outlet 112, respectively.

The air inlet 111 and the air outlet 112 may be provided on one surface (e.g., a front surface) of the housing 11, respectively. Alternatively, the air inlet 111 and the air outlet 112 may be provided on different surfaces of the housing 110, respectively.

For example, the air inlet 111 may be provided on the front surface of the housing 110, and the air outlet 112 may be provided on the upper surface or the lower surface of the housing 110.

In the illustrated embodiment, the air inlet 111 is provided on the front surface of the housing 110, and the air outlet 112 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 110.

The air blowing fan 120 may be disposed on the air outlet 112 side. The air blowing fan 120 functions to generate an air flow inside the housing 110.

Specifically, the blowing fan 120 blows outside air into the housing 110 through the air inlet 111 and discharges the air passing through the heat exchanger 120 to the outside of the housing 110 Can be generated.

On the other hand, when the heat exchanger 120 operates as an evaporator, condensed water C is generated on the surface of the heat exchanger 120. The drain pan 140 collects the condensed water C generated in the heat exchanger 120.

Specifically, the drain pan 140 is located below the heat exchanger 120 and collects condensed water C flowing along the surface of the heat exchanger 120 by gravity.

The heat exchangers 120 and 120 'may be disposed on the air inlet 111 side. The heat exchangers 120 and 120 'may include a plurality of refrigerant tubes 121 and a plurality of fins 122 for supporting the refrigerant tubes 121. The plurality of fins 122 may support the refrigerant tube 121 while being spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval.

The pin 122 may be a thin plate, and may be formed of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity and durability.

The heat exchangers 120 and 120 'may be installed in the housing 110 with a plurality of heat exchangers 120 and 120' spaced at predetermined intervals.

That is, the plurality of heat exchangers 120 and 120 'may be disposed in the housing 110 at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of stages.

At this time, a condensed water discharge unit 150 may be disposed between at least one pair of heat exchangers adjacent to each other among the plurality of heat exchangers 120, 120 '.

The condensed water discharge unit 150 discharges condensed water C flowing from the outer surface of the heat exchanger 120 disposed on the condensed water discharge unit 150 to the condensed water discharge unit 150 through the drain pan 140, As shown in FIG.

For example, when the plurality of heat exchangers 120 and 120 'are disposed so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction (or the height direction), the condensed water C on the upper surface of the heat exchanger flows down to the lower heat exchanger, The thickness of the condensed water (C) on the heat exchanger surface of the heat exchanger can be increased.

This is because generally when the flow P of the condensate C is formed continuously along the surface of the heat exchanger 120, 120 ', the condensed water C becomes thicker toward the lower side of the heat exchanger 120, 120' Because.

In order to solve the problem of the increase in the thickness of the condensed water (C) on the surface of the lower heat exchanger, the heat exchanging part 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided between at least one pair of heat exchangers 120, (Not shown).

The condensed water discharge unit 150 may be formed to prevent the condensed water C flowing along the surface of one of the pair of heat exchangers 120 and 120 'adjacent to each other from flowing into the other heat exchanger.

That is, when the heat exchanging unit 100 is operated as an evaporator, the condensed water discharging unit 150 is configured such that the condensed water (C) flowing along the heat exchanger surface of one of the pair of heat exchangers 120 and 120 ' To prevent it from flowing along the surface of the other heat exchanger.

Therefore, even the heat exchanger disposed on the lower side is not influenced by the condensed water C flowing from the heat exchanger arranged on the upper side.

Also, the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be provided between the heat exchangers 120 and 120 'adjacent to each other in the plurality of heat exchangers 120 and 120'. That is, when the plurality of heat exchangers 120 and 120 'are formed to have three stages, the condensed water discharging unit 150 may be disposed two.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that two heat exchangers 120 and 120 'are arranged so as to be vertically spaced from each other as shown in FIG.

That is, the plurality of heat exchangers 120 and 120 'may include a first heat exchanger 120 and a second heat exchanger 120' disposed below the first heat exchanger 120. In addition, the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be disposed between the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120 '.

At this time, the condensed water discharging unit 150 discharges the condensed water C flowing from the outer surface of the first heat exchanger 120 to the drain pan 140 so that the thickness T of the heat exchanger 120, 120 ' (T) direction of the heat exchanger (120, 120 ') with a length (L) larger than the length (L) of the heat exchanger (120, 120').

That is, the condensed water discharging part 150 is installed in the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120 so that both longitudinal ends of the condensed water discharging part 150 protrude from both ends in the thickness direction of the heat exchanger 120, 120 ' And may be disposed between the second heat exchanger 120 '.

The condensed water discharge unit 150 may be disposed such that the upper surface thereof is in contact with the lowermost end surface of the first heat exchanger 120 and the lower surface thereof is in contact with the uppermost surface of the second heat exchanger 120 '. Alternatively, the upper surface of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be spaced apart from the lowermost end surface of the first heat exchanger 120 by a predetermined distance, and the lower surface of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be spaced apart from the uppermost end surface of the second heat exchanger 120 ' .

With this configuration, the condensed water C flowing down from the outer surface of the first heat exchanger 120 does not flow into the second heat exchanger 120 'and is discharged to the drain pan 140 through the condensed water discharge portion 150 do.

More specifically, the condensed water (C) flowing down from the outer surface of the first heat exchanger (120) disposed on the upper side is disposed below the second heat exchanger (120 ') along the upper surface of the condensed water discharge portion And is guided toward the drain pan 140.

Accordingly, the condensed water C generated on the surface of the first heat exchanger 120 flows toward the second heat exchanger 120 ', thereby increasing the thickness of the condensed water C on the surface of the second heat exchanger 120' .

That is, the thickness of the condensate C on the surface (e.g., the lower surface) of the second heat exchanger 120 'can be reduced.

Also, as the thickness of the condensate C on the surface of the second heat exchanger 120 '(e.g., the lower surface) is reduced, the heat transfer performance between the air and the heat exchangers 120, 120' .

Further, when the heat exchanger 120, 120 'is operated as an evaporator for a long time in a strong cooling cycle, the condensed water C can be frozen on the surface of the heat exchanger 120, 120'. In this case, a defrost operation is required to operate the heat exchanger 120, 120 'as a condenser.

At this time, the amount of ice that is freezing on the surfaces of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 'also becomes thicker toward the lower surface of the heat exchanger 120 or 120'. That is, when the condensed water discharging unit 150 is not provided, the amount of ice that is frozen on the surfaces of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 'becomes thicker toward the lower second heat exchanger 120'.

The condensed water discharge unit 150 distributes the amount of ice that is frozen on the surfaces of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 'evenly to the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120'. Therefore, the defrosting operation for removing ice formed on the surfaces of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 'can be shortened.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the condensed water discharge unit 150 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

3 is a view illustrating a condensed water discharge unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be formed in a flat plate shape.

Also, as described above, the length (L) of the condensed water discharge part 150 is set such that the both ends in the length direction L of the condensed water discharge part 150 protrude from the front and rear surfaces of the heat exchanger 120, 120 ' L may extend to a length greater than the thickness of the heat exchanger 120, 120 '.

The width W1 of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be greater than the width of the heat exchanger 120 or 120 '.

Alternatively, the width W1 of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be smaller than the width of the heat exchanger 120 or 120 ', and a plurality of condensed water discharge units 150 may be formed in the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120' 2 heat exchanger 120 '.

At this time, the condensed water discharge part 150 may be formed with one or more grooves 152 for guiding the condensed water flowing from the first heat exchanger 120 to the condensed water discharge part 150.

Accordingly, the condensed water flowing into the condensed water discharging part 150 is guided through the groove 152, so that the condensed water can be smoothly flowed through the condensed water discharging part 150.

Specifically, a plurality of protrusions 151 may be formed on the surface of the condensed water discharge unit 150 facing the first heat exchanger 120 shown in FIG.

The plurality of protrusions 151 may be formed to extend along the length L of the condensed water discharge unit 150.

Accordingly, one or more grooves 152 are formed between the plurality of protrusions 151.

The one or more grooves 152 may also extend along the length L of the condensed water discharge unit 150.

That is, the at least one groove 152 is formed by the plurality of protrusions 151 spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval.

Therefore, the condensed water flowing down from the surface of the first heat exchanger 120 shown in FIG. 2 can be smoothly discharged toward the drain pan 140 through the groove 152 of the condensed water discharge unit 150.

For example, the condensed water dropped from the first heat exchanger 120 to the upper surface of the condensed water discharging portion 150 is condensed by the wind A blowing toward the heat exchangers 120 and 120 ' May be guided to the drain pan 140 disposed below the second heat exchanger 120 'along the direction of the arrow B as shown in FIG.

The condensed water discharging unit 150 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a central portion 150 'extending along the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharging unit 150 with a length equal to the thickness of the heat exchangers 120 and 120' And an extension 150 '' extending along the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharge part 150 at both longitudinal ends of the central part 150 '.

At this time, the extension part 150 'may be formed to protrude in the thickness direction of the heat exchangers 120 and 120' from the front and rear surfaces in the thickness direction of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 '.

Further, the central portion 150 'and the extending portion 150' 'may be integrally formed.

4 is a view illustrating a condensed water discharge unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 together, the condensed water discharge unit 150 may include a plurality of ribs 155 protruding upward.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the configuration except for the plurality of ribs 155 is similar to that of the condensed water discharge unit 150 described with reference to FIG. Therefore, the configuration of the condensed water discharge unit 150 according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 may be applied to the condensed water discharge unit 150 according to the embodiment of FIG. 4 without any description.

For example, although not shown in the drawing, a plurality of protrusions spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance may be formed on the surface of the condensed water discharge unit 150 facing the first heat exchanger 120 at a predetermined interval.

The condensed water discharge unit 150 according to the present embodiment is also configured such that both end portions in the length direction L of the condensed water discharge unit 150 protrude from the front and rear surfaces of the heat exchanger 120, The length L of the discharge part 150 may be formed to be longer than the thickness of the heat exchanger 120 or 120 '.

The width W2 of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be greater than the width of the heat exchanger 120 or 120 '. Alternatively, the width W2 of the condensed water discharging part 150 may be smaller than the width of the heat exchanger 120 or 120 ', and the plurality of condensed water discharging parts 150 may be formed in the first heat exchanger 120, 2 heat exchanger 120 '.

The condensed water discharging unit 150 according to the present embodiment also has a central portion 150 'extending along the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharging unit 150 with a length equal to the thickness of the heat exchangers 120 and 120' And an extension 150 '' extending along the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharge part 150 at both longitudinal ends of the central part 150 '.

At this time, the extension part 150 'may be formed to protrude in the thickness direction of the heat exchangers 120 and 120' from the front and rear surfaces in the thickness direction of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 '.

In addition, the central portion 150 'and the extended portion 150' 'may all be formed in a flat plate shape, and the central portion 150' and the extended portion 150 'may be integrally formed.

Meanwhile, the center portion 150 'may be provided with the plurality of ribs 155 described above.

At this time, the ribs 155 may be formed in a cylindrical shape or a prismatic shape, and the upper ends of the ribs 155 may be convex hemispherical. Of course, it is also possible that the upper ends of the ribs 155 are formed in a convex polygonal or flat plane shape.

The plurality of ribs 155 may be provided at both longitudinal ends of the central part 150 'and may be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval along the width direction of the condensed water discharge part 150.

Meanwhile, the plurality of ribs 155 may be provided inwardly of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the central portion 150 '.

Therefore, an opening 156 may be formed between the adjacent ribs 155 so that the condensed water on the condensed water discharge unit 150 flows in the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharge unit 150.

At this time, the plurality of ribs 155 may be spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the condensed water discharge unit 150.

For example, the plurality of ribs 155 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the width direction of the condensed water discharge unit 150 while forming two rows.

Accordingly, a plurality of the openings 156 may also be formed along the width direction of the condensed water discharge unit 150.

The plurality of ribs 155 may provide a space between the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120 'as shown in FIG. 2, corresponding to the height of the ribs 155 .

That is, since the ribs 155 protrude upward from the central portion 150 'of the condensed water discharging portion 150, the condensed water discharging portion 150 is disposed between the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanging portion 150' Is disposed between the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120 ', a predetermined space can be secured between the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120'.

Accordingly, the condensed water flowing down from the front and rear surfaces or the lower surface of the first heat exchanger 120 shown in FIG. 2 flows through the central portion 150 'and / or the extended portion 150' The fan 140 is discharged and discharged.

For example, the condensed water that has fallen from the first heat exchanger 120 to the upper surface (the upper surface of the center portion and the extended portion) of the condensed water discharge portion 150 is discharged to the wind (A To a drain pan 140 disposed below the second heat exchanger 120 'along the direction of arrow B' shown in FIG.

That is, the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120 'may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the height direction by the plurality of ribs 155, and between the plurality of ribs 155 The flow of air can be smoothly performed through the openings 156 formed in the air vent.

4, the condensed water collected on the upper surface of the condensed water discharge portion 150 flows along the direction of arrow B 'to the lower portion of the second heat exchanger 120' And can be guided to the disposed drain pan 140.

In other words, as compared with the embodiment of the condensed water discharge unit 150 shown in FIG. 3, the condensed water discharge unit 150 shown in FIG. 4 can discharge the condensed water more smoothly through the flow of air or wind Let's do it.

3, the condensed water discharge unit 150 shown in FIG. 3 can reduce the overall height of the first heat exchanger 120 and the second heat exchanger 120 ', as compared with the condensed water discharge unit 150 shown in FIG. have.

Hereinafter, a modified embodiment of the condensed water discharge unit 150 will be described with reference to FIG.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are views showing a modified example of the condensed water discharge portion shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig.

5 (a) shows a modified example of the condensed water discharge unit 150 according to the embodiment of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 (b) shows a modified example of the condensed water discharge unit 150 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. Fig.

Unless stated otherwise, the following description can be applied to all of the embodiments shown in Figs. 5 (a) and 5 (b).

Referring to FIGS. 2, 5A and 5B, the longitudinally opposite ends of the condensed water discharge unit 150 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be formed to be inclined downward.

That is, both longitudinal ends of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be formed to be inclined toward the second heat exchanger 120 '.

Specifically, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the condensed water discharge unit 150 may be formed to be inclined downward with respect to a line parallel to the ground.

Accordingly, the condensed water flowing down from the first heat exchanger 120 to the upper side of the condensed water discharge unit 150 can be more smoothly guided toward the drain pan 140 disposed below the second heat exchanger 120 '.

For example, the extension portion 150 "of the condensed water discharge portion 150 may be formed to be inclined downward.

That is, the extension 150 '' may be formed to be inclined downward with respect to the center portion 150 'parallel to the paper.

Specifically, the extension 150 '' may be formed to be inclined in a direction toward the second heat exchanger 120 '.

Therefore, the condensed water on the condensed water discharge portion 150 can be more smoothly guided toward the drain pan 140. [

In addition, it is possible to prevent the ice, which has frozen on the surface of the first heat exchanger 120, from falling to the second heat exchanger 120 'during the defrost operation of the heat exchangers 120 and 120'.

Of course, the ice that has frozen on the surface of the first heat exchanger 120 will also be guided to the drain pan 140 through the condensed water discharge part 150.

The ribs 155 shown in FIG. 5 (b) are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the thickness direction of the heat exchangers 120 and 120 ', and a plurality of ribs 155 are provided along the width direction of the heat exchangers 120 and 120' .

That is, the plurality of ribs 155 may be arranged to form two rows, and the distance between the two rows may be less than or equal to the thickness of the heat exchanger 120, 120 '.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that the condensed water discharge unit 150 is disposed between the heat exchangers 120 and 120 'that form a plurality of stages (two stages in the illustrated embodiment) in the vertical direction .

According to the above feature, the problem that the thickness of the condensed water on the surface of the specific heat exchanger becomes thick can be solved, the heat transfer performance between the air and the heat exchanger can be increased, and the defrost time can be shortened during the defrost operation of the heat exchanger .

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, And additions should be considered as falling within the scope of the following claims.

10: air conditioner 13: compressor
14: expansion valve 100: heat exchanger
110: housing 120: first heat exchanger
120 ': second heat exchanger 121: refrigerant tube
122: pin 130: blowing fan
140: Drain fan 150: Condensate discharge part

Claims (16)

And a heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchangers spaced at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of stages,
And a condensing water discharge valve for preventing condensed water flowing along the surface of one of the adjacent pair of heat exchangers from flowing into the other heat exchanger between at least one pair of the heat exchangers adjacent to each other among the plurality of heat exchangers Wherein the air conditioning unit is provided with an air conditioning unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the condensed water discharging portion is formed to prevent condensed water generated on a surface of one of the pair of heat exchangers from flowing to another adjacent heat exchanger when the heat exchanging portion is operated as an evaporator. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of heat exchangers are vertically arranged with respect to each other. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the condensed water discharge portion is formed in a flat plate shape. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the condensed water discharging portion includes a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the condensed water discharging portion and disposed at predetermined intervals along a width direction of the condensed water discharging portion. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the condensed water discharge portion has an extension extending along the thickness direction of the heat exchanger to a length greater than the thickness of the heat exchanger. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the extension portion is formed to be inclined downward. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein at least one groove for guiding the condensed water flowing from the heat exchanger disposed in the upper portion of the condensed water discharge portion to the condensed water discharge portion is formed in the condensed water discharge portion. 1. An air conditioner comprising a compressor, a first heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a second heat exchanger,
Wherein at least one of the first heat exchanging portion and the second heat exchanging portion includes:
A housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
A plurality of heat exchangers disposed at the air intake port side and spaced apart at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of stages;
A condensed water discharge portion disposed between at least one pair of heat exchangers adjacent to each other among the plurality of heat exchangers;
A blowing fan disposed on the air outlet side; And
And a drain pan for collecting condensed water generated in the heat exchanger,
Wherein the condensed water discharge portion is configured to guide the condensed water flowing into the condensed water discharge portion to the drain pan. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the plurality of heat exchangers are vertically arranged,
Wherein the condensed water discharge portion is provided between the heat exchangers adjacent to each other in the plurality of heat exchangers. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the condensed water discharge portion is formed in a flat plate shape. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the condensed water discharging portion includes a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the condensed water discharging portion and disposed at predetermined intervals along a width direction of the condensed water discharging portion. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12,
Wherein the condensed water discharge portion is formed to extend along the thickness direction of the heat exchanger to a length greater than the thickness of the heat exchanger. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein both longitudinal ends of the condensed water discharge portion are formed to be inclined downward. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein at least one groove for guiding the condensed water flowing from the heat exchanger disposed in the upper portion of the condensed water discharge unit to the condensed water discharge unit is formed on the upper surface of the condensed water discharge unit. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the plurality of heat exchangers include a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger disposed below the first heat exchanger,
And the condensed water discharge portion is disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

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