Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner outdoor unit in which an operating-valve
bracket is installed on a baseplate of the outdoor unit, and a service cover is provided
at an outer surface side of the operating-valve bracket.
Background Art
[0002] In an air conditioner outdoor unit, an operating-valve bracket that is provided with
operating valves to which refrigerant pipes are connected is installed inside a machine
chamber in the outdoor unit so as to be exposed to the outside from a side panel.
As disclosed in PTL 1, this operating-valve bracket is fixed to a flange portion that
is provided on the periphery of a baseplate of the outdoor unit so as to extend vertically
upward. Furthermore, in order to allow access to the operating valves from the outside,
the operating-valve bracket is installed such that the operating valves are exposed
to the outside from the side panel.
[0003] As the operating valves, two valves, specifically, a gas-side operating valve and
a liquid-side operating valve, are vertically arranged in a slanted direction, and
a gas-side refrigerant pipe and a liquid-side refrigerant pipe that are connected
to an indoor unit can be connected to these operating valves. The operating valves
and the outer surface of the operating-valve bracket are covered with a service cover
(also referred to as side cover) that is detachably attached to a side panel of the
outdoor unit. An opening is provided on a rear surface side of the service cover,
and the refrigerant pipes, a power line, and a communication line, which are to be
connected to the indoor unit, are piped or wired through the opening.
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0004]
{PTL 1} Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H10-259932
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
[0005] In the above-described outdoor unit, since the opening through which the pipes and
the lines pass is provided on the rear surface side of the service cover, which covers
the outer surface side of the operating-valve bracket, rainwater flows into the inside
of the service cover, thus producing drainage water. Furthermore, when a low-pressure
refrigerant is circulated through the gas-side operating valve and the liquid-side
operating valve, the operating valves are cooled, and dew condensation water is produced
on the surfaces thereof. Such drainage water is collected in a drainage portion provided
at a lower portion of the service cover and is then recovered in the baseplate of
the outdoor unit from the drainage portion via a hole formed on a side surface of
the operating-valve bracket which is opposed to the drainage portion.
[0006] However, if a hole is formed in the operating-valve bracket, noise produced in the
machine chamber is emitted to the outside of the unit through the service cover via
the hole. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the noise from being
emitted to the outside. Furthermore, if the opening area of the hole is reduced or
if a noise leakage preventing means is provided in the hole in order to reduce the
level of noise emission, the strength of the operating-valve bracket can be increased,
but on the other hand, when drainage water produced in the service cover is recovered
in the baseplate, it becomes easier for the drainage water to splash or leak out to
the outside.
[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object
thereof is to provide an air conditioner outdoor unit capable of reliably recovering
drainage water produced in the service cover and store it in the baseplate through
the operating-valve bracket, and capable of reducing the emission level of noise produced
in the machine chamber to improve the quality of the outdoor unit. Solution to Problem
[0008] In order to make an improvement in the aforementioned circumstances, an air conditioner
outdoor unit according to the present invention employs the following solutions.
Specifically, according to a first aspect, the present invention provides an air conditioner
outdoor unit in which an operating-valve bracket provided with an operating valve
is fixed to a flange portion that extends vertically upward from a periphery of a
baseplate such that the operating-valve bracket is exposed to the outside of the outdoor
unit from a side panel, and a service cover for covering an outer surface side of
the operating-valve bracket is detachably attached to the side panel, wherein the
service cover is provided with a drainage portion located at a position in the service
cover which is lower than the operating valve, for collecting drainage water produced
in the service cover and discharging the collected drainage water to the baseplate;
and the operating-valve bracket is provided with a concave portion configured at a
lower portion of the operating-valve bracket so that the concave portion faces the
drainage portion, for allowing the drainage water discharged from the drainage portion
to flow into a region of the baseplate located inside the flange portion, a lower
end of the concave portion being provided with a notch.
[0009] According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner outdoor
unit, in which the service cover for covering the outer surface side of the operating-valve
bracket installed on the flange portion on the periphery of the baseplate is detachably
attached to the side panel, the drainage portion for collecting drainage water produced
in the service cover and discharging the drainage water to the baseplate is provided
at a position in the service cover lower than the operating valve is provided, and
the concave portion and the notch for allowing the drainage water discharged from
the drainage portion to flow into the region of the baseplate located inside the flange
portion are provided at a lower portion and a lower end of the operating-valve bracket
so that the concave portion faces the drainage portion. Thus, drainage water produced
in the service cover through intrusion from the outside or drainage water produced
through dew condensation on the surface of the operating valve is collected in the
drainage portion, which is provided at the lower portion in the service cover, and
is discharged to the baseplate of the outdoor unit by the drainage portion. At this
time, the drainage water discharged from the drainage portion can be made to flow
down along the concave portion, which is provided at the lower portion of the operating-valve
bracket opposed to the drainage portion, and the drainage water can be recovered in
the region of the baseplate located inside the flange portion via the notch, which
is provided at the lower end of the concave portion, and the drainage water can be
made to flow to a specified location on the baseplate. Therefore, drainage water produced
in the service cover can be reliably recovered in the baseplate, thus making it possible
to prevent the drainage water from splashing or leaking out to the outside from unspecified
locations on the side panel. Furthermore, by eliminating the need for an opening that
has been conventionally provided in the operating-valve bracket in order to recover
drainage water, it is possible to prevent the leakage of noise in the unit from the
opening and to improve the quality of the outdoor unit.
[0010] Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-described
air conditioner outdoor unit, the drainage portion has a gutter-like projecting portion
as a drainage end for discharging the collected drainage water from the drainage portion.
[0011] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the gutter-like projecting
portion is provided as a discharge end of the drainage portion from which the collected
drainage water is discharged. Thus, the drainage water collected in the drainage portion
can be discharged from the discharge end as a form of the gutter-like projecting portion,
toward the opposed concave portion on the operating-valve bracket and the drainage
water can be recovered in the baseplate via the concave portion. Therefore, it is
possible to reliably guide the drainage water collected in the drainage portion to
the baseplate via the gutter-like projecting portion and to prevent the drainage water
from splashing or leaking out to the outside from unspecified locations.
[0012] Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in one of the
above-described air conditioner outdoor units, the concave portion extends to a lower
end of the operating-valve bracket, the notch has a slit shape which passes through
the operating-valve bracket in a horizontal direction, and the notch is provided at
a lower end of the concave portion.
[0013] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the concave portion extends
to the lower end of the operating-valve bracket, and the notch, which has a slit shape
passing through the operating-valve bracket in the horizontal direction, is provided
at the lower end of the concave portion. Thus, the drainage water recovered in the
baseplate from the drainage portion in the service cover via the concave portion on
the operating-valve bracket can be made to flow to a specified location on the baseplate
through the slit-shaped notch, which is formed at the lower end of the concave portion
and which passes through the operating-valve bracket in the horizontal direction,
and then the drainage water can be discharged. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately
deal with drainage water by preventing the drainage water from splashing or leaking
out from unspecified locations and to minimize the level of noise in the unit leaking
out to the outside from the slit-shaped notch.
[0014] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in one of the
above-described air conditioner outdoor units, the concave portion is provided between
fastening portions which are formed at lower portions and at both sides of the operating-valve
bracket and which are fixed to the flange portion.
[0015] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the concave portion is provided
between the fastening portions which are fixed to the flange portion and which are
formed at lower portions at both sides of the operating-valve bracket. Thus, when
the operating-valve bracket is fixed to the flange portion of the baseplate via the
fastening portions, which are formed at the lower portions at both sides of the operating-valve
bracket, a flow channel through which drainage water flows down via the concave portion
is formed between the fastening portions, and drainage water flowing from the service
cover can be recovered in the baseplate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent drainage
water produced in the service cover from splashing or leaking out to the outside from
unspecified locations and to reliably recover the drainage water in the baseplate.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0016] According to the present invention, drainage water produced in the service cover
through intrusion from the outside or drainage water produced through dew condensation
on the surfaces of the operating valves is collected in the drainage portion, which
is provided at a lower position in the service cover, and is discharged to the baseplate
of the outdoor unit via the drainage portion. At this time, the drainage water discharged
from the drainage portion can be made to flow down along the concave portion, which
is provided at the lower portion of the operating-valve bracket opposed to the drainage
portion, the drainage water can be recovered in the region of the baseplate located
inside the flange portion through the notch, which is provided at the lower end of
the concave portion, and the drainage water can be made to flow to a specified location
on the baseplate. Thus, drainage water produced in the service cover can be reliably
recovered in the baseplate, and the drainage water can be prevented from splashing
or leaking out to the outside from unspecified locations on the side panel. Furthermore,
by eliminating the need for an opening that has been conventionally provided in the
operating-valve bracket in order to recover drainage water, it is possible to prevent
the leakage of noise in the unit from the opening and to improve the quality of the
outdoor unit.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0017]
{Fig. 1} Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner outdoor unit with
a service panel removed from the outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
{Fig. 2} Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operating-valve
bracket has been installed on a baseplate of the outdoor unit shown in Fig. 1.
{Fig. 3} Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the operating-valve bracket shown in Fig.
2.
{Fig. 4} Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the service
cover has been attached to an outer surface side of the operating-valve bracket shown
in Fig. 2.
{Fig. 5} Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing, in an enlarged form, a portion A shown
in Fig. 4.
{Fig. 6} Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the service cover shown in Fig. 4 viewed
from an inner surface side. Description of Embodiments
[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to
Figs. 1 to 6.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an air conditinoer outdoor unit with a service
panel removed from the outdoor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operating-valve bracket has
been installed on a baseplate of the outdoor unit. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of
the operating-valve bracket. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state
in which the service cover has been attached to an outer surface side of the operating-valve
bracket.
An air conditioner outdoor unit 1 has a chassis 2 comprising a baseplate 3 that is
provided with a plurality of mounting legs 4 on a bottom surface thereof, a front
panel 5 that is provided with an outlet grille 6 and that is installed on the baseplate
3, right and left side panels 7, 8, and a top panel 9.
[0019] The rear surface side of the chassis 2 is almost wholly open, and a plate-fin-tube
outdoor heat exchanger is installed in alignment with the opening. As is known, the
inside of the chassis 2 is separated into a heat exchanger chamber and a machine chamber
by a partition plate. The heat exchanger chamber includes the above-described outdoor
heat exchanger and an air-blowing fan that makes outside air circulate through the
outdoor heat exchanger and that blows it out to the front outside from the outlet
grille 6. The machine chamber includes a compressor, a four-way switching valve, a
control box, an operating-valve bracket 10, and a terminal block 11 to which a power
line and a communication line are connected.
[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the operating-valve bracket 10 and the terminal block 11 are
installed so as to be exposed to the outside from the side panel 7, and the outer
surface side thereof is covered with a service cover (also referred to as side cover)
21, to be described later, that is detachably attached to the side panel 7 of the
outdoor unit 1.
[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the baseplate 3 of the chassis 2 is a horizontally elongated
rectangular steel plate, portions for installing the outdoor heat exchanger, the air-blowing
fan, and the compressor are formed thereon, and a flange portion 3A that extends vertically
upward and has a predetermined height is formed on the periphery thereof. The operating-valve
bracket 10 is fixed to a portion of the flange portion 3A located at the right side
of the baseplate 3, via fastening means, such as screws.
[0022] The operating-valve bracket 10 is a vertically elongated rectangular steel part.
Two operating valves 12 and 13, specifically, a gas-side operating valve (operating
valve) 12 and a liquid-side operating valve (operating valve) 13, to which a gas-side
refrigerant pipe and a liquid-side refrigerant pipe that are connected to an indoor
unit can be respectively connected. The valves are fixed to the operating-valve bracket
10 by means of screws 14 so that the operating valves 12 and 13 are vertically arranged
in a slanted direction. The gas-side operating valve 12 and the liquid-side operating
valve 13 are provided with refrigerant connection pipes 16 and 15 to be connected
to components of the outdoor unit 1.
[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to fasten the operating-valve bracket 10
to the flange portion 3A of the baseplate 3 by means of screws, a pair of dish-shaped
fastening portions 17 that is provided with a predetermined distance therebetween
and that project toward the flange portion 3A by a certain dimension are formed integrally
with the operating-valve bracket 10, and the projection portions are provided at fastening
sites to be fixed to the flange portion 3A, which are located at lower portions on
the outer surface of the operating-valve bracket 10. The pair of fastening portions
17 have fastening holes 18 for fastening screws.
[0024] In this way, by providing the pair of dish-shaped fastening portions 17, which project
toward the flange portion 3A by the certain dimension, at the fastening sites on the
operating-valve bracket 10 which are to be fixed to the flange portion 3A, and by
fixing the operating-valve bracket 10 to an inner surface of the flange portion 3A,
as shown in Fig. 2, a space S having the certain dimension can be formed between an
outer surface of the operating-valve bracket 10 and the inner surface of the flange
portion 3A. Thus, dew condensation water that is produced through dew condensation
occurring on the surfaces of the operating-valve bracket 10, the gas-side operating
valve 12, and the liquid-side operating valve 13 and that flows downward along the
surface of the operating-valve bracket 10 can be recovered in the baseplate 3 via
the space S.
[0025] Furthermore, the service cover 21 is detachably attached to the outer surface of
the side panel 7 so as to cover the outer surface side of the operating-valve bracket
10 and the terminal block 11. As shown in Fig. 6, the service cover 21 is a vertically
elongated rectangular cover provided with a covering portion 21A for covering the
outer side of the operating-valve bracket 10 and the operating valves 12 and 13, a
covering portion 21B for covering the outer side of the terminal block 11, and a line
covering portion 21C connecting the covering portion 21A and the covering portion
21B. An opening 22 through which the refrigerant pipes, the power line, and the communication
line pass is provided on a rear surface of the covering portion 21A, which covers
the outer side of the operating valves 12 and 13.
[0026] A lower portion of the service cover 21 is provided with a drainage portion 23 that
collects drainage water produced when rainwater flows into the service cover 21 from
the outside via the opening 22 or drainage water produced through dew condensation
on the surfaces of the operating valves 12, 13, and that discharges the drainage water
to the baseplate 3. In order to receive the drainage water dripping from the operating
valves 12 and 13, the drainage portion 23 is formed into a concave shape on an inner
surface of the service cover 21 at a portion lower than the positions where the operating
valves 12 and 13 are provided, such that the center portion of the concave shape protrudes
downward.
[0027] Furthermore, a gutter-like projecting portion 24 for guiding the collected drainage
water to a concave portion 19, which is described below, provided on a side surface
of the operating-valve bracket 10 is provided at a discharge end of the drainage portion
23, which is closer to the operating-valve bracket 10 than the other end. Note that
a partition wall is provided in the service cover 21 so as to prevent rainwater that
has entered via the opening 22 from flowing upward therein and entering the control
box in the machine chamber via the portion where the terminal block 11 is installed,
thereby forming a structure that prevents the rainwater from entering, and only part
of outside air is circulated therethrough.
[0028] Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, at a lower portion of the operating-valve
bracket 10 opposed to the gutter-like projecting portion 24, which is provided at
the drainage-water discharge end of the drainage portion 23, the concave portion 19
is integrally formed with predetermined depth, width, and height dimensions by which
the side surface of the operating-valve bracket 10 is recessed toward the inner surface
side of the operating-valve bracket 10. The concave portion 19 has dimensions with
which drainage water discharged from the gutter-like projecting portion 24 can be
reliably received. Furthermore, the concave portion 19 extends to the lower end of
the operating-valve bracket 10, and a notch 20 that forms a slit-shaped space passing
through the operating-valve bracket 10 in the horizontal direction above the upper
surface of the baseplate 3 is formed at the lower end of the concave portion 19.
[0029] With the above-described structure, the following advantageous effects are achieved
according to this embodiment.
When the air conditioner is operated, and thus a low-pressure refrigerant circulates
through the gas-side operating valve 12 and the liquid-side operating valve 13, the
operating valves 12, 13 and the operating-valve bracket 10 on which the operating
valves 12, 13 are provided are cooled, and water contained in the air may be changed
to dew condensation water on the surfaces thereof. Although the dew condensation water
drips from the operating valves 12, 13 or flows downward along the surface of the
operating-valve bracket 10 in the form of drainage water, it is necessary to recover
the drainage water completely in the baseplate 3.
[0030] Furthermore, since the service cover 21 is provided with the opening 22 on the rear
surface side thereof, rainwater enters the inside via the opening 22, and it is also
necessary to deal with the rainwater as drainage water.
Because the outdoor unit 1 is usually located outside, even if drainage water produced
in the outdoor unit 1 is directly discharged to the outside, this causes little problem.
However, depending on how or where the outdoor unit 1 is located, for example, in
a case in which the outdoor unit 1 is suspended from a balcony, in some cases it is
necessary to avoid a situation in which drainage water splashes or leaks out to the
outside from unspecified locations. In such cases, a discharge hole is generally provided
at a specified location on the baseplate 3, and the drainage water is discharged therefrom.
[0031] However, in this embodiment, the space S corresponding to the projection dimension
of the dish-shaped projection portions 17, which are provided so as to project outward
from the outer surface of the operating-valve bracket 10, is formed between the side
surface of the flange portion 3A on the periphery of the baseplate 3 and the side
surface of the operating-valve bracket 10 to be fixed to the flange portion 3A, and
the operating-valve bracket 10 is fixed to the flange portion 3A on the periphery
of the baseplate 3. Thus, drainage water that is produced through dew condensation
occurring on the surface of the operating-valve bracket 10 when the operating-valve
bracket 10 is cooled by the gas-side operating valve 12 and the liquid-side operating
valve 13 and that flows down can be recovered in the baseplate 3 via the space S.
Therefore, drainage water produced through dew condensation on the surface of the
operating-valve bracket 10 can be reliably recovered in the baseplate 3, thus making
it possible to prevent a situation in which the drainage water splashes or leaks out
to the outside from the side surface on which the operating valves 12, 13 are provided.
[0032] Furthermore, drainage water produced in the service cover 21 when rainwater enters
the service cover 21 from the outside or when dew condensation water that is produced
through dew condensation on the surfaces of the gas-side operating valve 12 and the
liquid-side operating valve 13 and that drips is collected in the drainage portion
23. The drainage water is discharged from the gutter-like projecting portion 24, which
is located at the discharge end of the drainage portion 23, and toward the concave
portion 19, which is provided at the lower portion of the operating-valve bracket
10 opposed to the projecting portion 24, and flows downward along a flow channel formed
by the concave portion 19. Then, the drainage water is recovered in the baseplate
3 located inside the flange portion 3A through the notch 20, which is provided at
the lower end of the concave portion 19, and flows to a specified location (drainage
hole location) on the baseplate 3.
[0033] Thus, the drainage water produced in the service cover 21 is reliably recovered in
the baseplate 3, thus making it possible to prevent the drainage water from splashing
or leaking out to the outside from unspecified locations on the side panel 7. Furthermore,
by eliminating the need for an opening that has been conventionally provided in the
operating-valve bracket 10 in order to recover drainage water, it is possible to prevent
the leakage of machine chamber noise from the opening and to improve the quality of
the outdoor unit 1.
[0034] Furthermore, the drainage portion 23 is provided with the gutter-like projecting
portion 24, which is located at the discharge end from which the collected drainage
water is discharged, thus making it possible to discharge the drainage water collected
in the drainage portion 23 from the discharge end, which is configured as the gutter-like
projecting portion 24, toward the opposed concave portion 19 of the operating-valve
bracket 10, and to recover the drainage water in the baseplate 3 via the concave portion
19. Thus, it is possible to reliably guide the drainage water collected in the drainage
portion 23 to the baseplate 3 via the gutter-like projecting portion 24 and to prevent
the drainage water from splashing or leaking out to the outside from unspecified locations.
[0035] Furthermore, the concave portion 19 extends to the lower end of the operating-valve
bracket 10, and the slit-shaped notch 20, which passes through the operating-valve
bracket 10 in the horizontal direction, is formed at the lower end of the concave
portion 19. Thus, drainage water recovered in the baseplate 3 from the drainage portion
23 in the service cover 21 via the concave portion 19 on the operating-valve bracket
10 can be made to flow through the slit-shaped notch 20, which is formed at the lower
end of the concave portion 19 and which passes through the operating-valve bracket
10 in the horizontal direction, to the specified location on the baseplate 3 and can
be discharged. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately deal with drainage water
by preventing the drainage water from splashing or leaking out from unspecified locations
and to minimize the level of machine chamber noise leaking out to the outside from
the slit-shaped notch 20.
[0036] Furthermore, the concave portion 19 is provided between the fastening portions 17
which are connected to the flange portion 3A, which are formed at the lower portions
and at both sides of the operating-valve bracket 10. Thus, when the operating-valve
bracket 10 is fixed to the flange portion 3A of the baseplate 3 via the fastening
portions 17, which are formed at the lower portions and at both sides of the operating-valve
bracket 10, a flow channel through which drainage water flows via the concave portion
19 is formed between the fastening portions 17, and drainage water flowing from the
service cover 21 can be recovered in the baseplate 3. Therefore, it is possible to
prevent drainage water produced in the service cover 21 from splashing or leaking
out to the outside from unspecified locations and to reliably recover the drainage
water in the baseplate 3.
[0037] Note that the present invention is not limited to the invention according to the
above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing
from the scope thereof. For example, in the above-described embodiment, although a
description has been given of an example case in which the operating-valve bracket
10 is fixed to the flange portion 3A with screws, screws are not necessarily used
for fixing the bracket, and, another means, for example, welding, can be used. Furthermore,
the shape of the operating-valve bracket 10 and the specific structure of the gas-side
operating valve 12 and the liquid-side operating valve 13 are not limited to those
of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be adopted.
[0038] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, although the pair of fastening portions
17, having a predetermined distance therebetween, are provided at the lower portions
on the outer surface of the operating-valve bracket 10, similar fastening portions
that project toward the operating-valve bracket 10 may be provided on the flange portion
3A of the baseplate 3. With this structure, by fixing the operating-valve bracket
10 to the fastening portions, the space S corresponding to the projection dimension
of the fastening portions can be formed between the side surface of the flange portion
3A and the side surface of the operating-valve bracket 10, and dew condensation water
produced through dew condensation on the surface of the operating-valve bracket 10
can be recovered in the baseplate 3 via the space S.
[0039] Furthermore, in addition to the fastening portions 17 provided on the operating-valve
bracket 10 or on the flange portion 3A, a bulging portion that bulges outward by a
certain dimension may be provided at a place between the pair of fastening sites on
the flange portion 3A witch are fixed to the operating-valve bracket 10, to increase
the space S. With this structure, the space S formed between the side surfaces of
the flange portion 3A and the operating-valve bracket 10 can be increased by the outward-bulging
dimension of the flange portion 3A. Thus, the space S for guiding dew condensation
water produced through dew condensation on the surface of the operating-valve bracket
10 to the inside of the baseplate 3 can be made larger, thus facilitating the recovery
of the dew condensation water in the baseplate 3.
Reference Signs List
[0040]
- 1
- outdoor unit
- 3
- baseplate
- 3A
- flange portion
- 7
- side panel
- 10
- operating-valve bracket
- 12
- gas-side operating valve (operating valve)
- 13
- liquid-side operating valve (operating valve)
- 17
- fastening portions
- 19
- concave portion
- 20
- notch
- 21
- service cover
- 23
- drainage portion
- 24
- gutter-like projecting portion