JP2017083147A - Outdoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that does not decrease the amount of humidifying air even when the outdoor unit is installed closely to a wall face of a house etc.SOLUTION: An outdoor unit 30 has a gap between a wall face of a house and a casing 40 determined depending upon service person's judgement when installed, a work space is needed without fail and thereby secured on the side of a right side plate 47 where a liquid-side closing valve 37, a gas-side closing valve 38, and/or a connection part 550 of electric wiring are located for piping construction or electric wiring construction. Consequently, suction resistance from an outside air intake 471 never increases and a necessary amount of humidifying air to be sent into a room is secured.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner having a humidifying function.

  In recent years, outdoor units of air conditioners having a humidifying function have come into widespread use. For example, in the outdoor unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-190828), the adsorbing member is arranged in parallel to the front surface and a part of the adsorbing member is overlapped with the air outlet when viewed from the front surface. The air sucked from the back side and passed through the outdoor heat exchanger flows into the adsorbing member. The adsorbing member adsorbs moisture from the air that passes through it, and is heated at a predetermined location to release the moisture and generate humidified air.

  The outdoor unit as described above tends to be installed with the back side as close as possible to the wall surface of a house or the like when installed, and the adverse effect of increasing the suction resistance due to the approach of the wall surface to the outside air intake port. Invite you. In such a case, the amount of humidified air sent into the room is reduced, which promotes condensation in the transfer hose, and noise is generated between the humidified air flowing in the transfer hose and the condensed water.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that does not reduce the amount of humidified air even when the outdoor unit is installed close to a wall surface of a house or the like.

  An outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner connected to an indoor unit via a refrigerant communication pipe, and includes a humidifying unit and a main body casing. The humidifying unit takes in outside air from the outside air inlet, and sends out humidified air generated by humidifying the outside air to the indoor unit side. The main body casing accommodates the humidifying part and forms an outer shell including a back surface having a suction port and a front surface having an air outlet. The outside air intake port of the humidifying part is formed on a side surface sandwiched between the back surface and the front surface of the main body casing.

  In installing an outdoor unit, it is extremely rare that the side surface of the main casing is placed close to a wall surface of a house or the like. For this reason, in this outdoor unit, the outside air suction port of the humidifying portion is formed on the side surface of the main body casing, so that the suction resistance of the outside air suction port does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air to be sent into the room is ensured. . As a result, dew condensation on the route through which the humid air reaches the indoor unit is suppressed, and the generation of abnormal noise between the humid air and the dew condensation water is also avoided.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect, and the side surface is a surface on the side where the pipe joint portion of the refrigerant communication pipe is located.

  When installing this outdoor unit, the clearance between the wall of the house and the casing of the main body is left to the service person's judgment, but the side where the pipe connection part of the refrigerant communication pipe is located must always have a work space for pipe construction. Therefore, a gap is inevitably secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on the 3rd viewpoint of this invention is an outdoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on a 1st viewpoint, Comprising: A side is a surface where the connection part of the electrical wiring from an indoor unit is located.

  In this outdoor unit, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the main body casing is left to the judgment of the service person at the time of installation, but the side where the electrical wiring connection part is located always requires work space for construction. Inevitably, a gap is secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect, and further includes a cover that is attached to the side surface and covers the outside air inlet and the pipe joint. The cover has an opening.

  In this outdoor unit, the outside air inlet is covered with a cover having an opening, so that rainwater and small animals can be prevented from entering without inhibiting outside air introduction.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the third aspect, and further includes a cover that is attached to the side surface and covers the outside air inlet and the connection portion. The cover has an opening.

  In this outdoor unit, since the outside air inlet is covered with a cover having an opening, it is possible to prevent rainwater and small animals from entering without hindering outside air inhalation.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect, and the cover is formed by a part of the cover being recessed toward the side surface. Has a handle. The opening is provided in a recessed portion of the handle, and when the cover is attached to the side surface, the opening and the outside air inlet face each other.

  In this outdoor unit, the handle is a recessed portion for placing a hand when the service person lifts the outdoor unit, and the portion on which the hand is placed serves as a bag. Therefore, by providing the opening in the recessed portion of the handle, rainwater can be prevented from entering the opening directly, and rainwater can be prevented from entering the outside air inlet.

  An outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, and further includes an electrical component box. A part of the outside air sucked from the opening flows into the electrical component box.

  In this outdoor unit, in addition to the humidifying unit, the electrical component box also requires outside air, so that the trouble of providing a separate air path can be saved by branching outside air taken in from the opening to both.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, the external air suction port of the humidification part is formed on the side surface of the main body casing, so that the intake resistance of the external air suction port does not increase, and the humidification sent to the room The necessary amount of air is secured. As a result, dew condensation on the route through which the humid air reaches the indoor unit is suppressed, and the generation of abnormal noise between the humid air and the dew condensation water is also avoided.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, during installation, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the main body casing is left to the judgment of the service person, but the side surface on which the pipe joint of the refrigerant communication pipe is located is Since a work space is always required for piping construction, a gap is necessarily secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  In the outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the main casing is left to the judgment of the service person at the time of installation. Since a work space is always required, a gap is necessarily secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect of the present invention, the outside air inlet is covered with a cover having an opening, thereby preventing rainwater and small animals from entering without hindering the introduction of outside air. Can do.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the handle is a recessed portion for placing a hand when the service person lifts the outdoor unit, and the portion on which the hand is placed serves as a bag. Therefore, by providing the opening in the recessed portion of the handle, rainwater can be prevented from entering the opening directly, and rainwater can be prevented from entering the outside air inlet.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the electrical component box also needs outside air in addition to the humidifying part, it is troublesome to separately provide an air passage by branching the outside air taken in from the opening to both. Can be omitted.

The block diagram of the freezing apparatus provided with the outdoor unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The external appearance perspective view of an outdoor unit. The perspective view of the outdoor unit in the state where the protection grille, the bell mass, the top plate, and the closing valve cover are removed. The top view of the outdoor unit in the state from which the protective grill, the top plate, and the closing valve cover were removed. The perspective view which shows the flow of the air which passes a humidification rotor and its humidification rotor. The reference perspective view of the humidification unit of a state where the heater was removed. The schematic sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of an outside air inlet, the outside air inlet before a heating, and the connection duct which connects both.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) Outline of Configuration of Air Conditioner 10 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration apparatus including an outdoor unit 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, this refrigeration apparatus is an air conditioner 10 that includes an indoor unit 20, an outdoor unit 30, and refrigerant communication pipes 14 and 16 that connect them. The air conditioner 10 has a plurality of operation modes such as a cooling operation, a heating operation, a dehumidifying operation, a humidifying operation, and an air supply operation, and these operation modes can be appropriately combined.

  An indoor heat exchanger 21 is mounted on the indoor unit 20, and a compressor 31, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an electric expansion valve 34, an accumulator 36, a liquid side shut-off valve 37, and a gas are installed in the outdoor unit 30. A side closing valve 38 is mounted.

  Further, in the humidifying operation and the air supply operation, air is moved between the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 through the air supply hose 18 in order to supply outdoor air into the room. In particular, in the humidifying operation, moisture is taken in from outside air in the outdoor unit 30 in order to supply high humidity air containing a lot of moisture from the outdoor unit 30 to the indoor unit 20.

  In the present embodiment, the humidifying unit 60 is provided in the outdoor unit 30, and the humidifying unit 60 has a function of taking moisture from the outside air.

(2) Configuration of Indoor Unit 20 In the indoor unit 20, an indoor fan 22 driven by a motor is disposed on the downstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 as shown in FIG. The indoor fan 22 is a cross flow fan. When the indoor fan 22 is driven, the indoor air sucked from the suction port 23 at the top of the indoor unit 20 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 21 and is blown out from the outlet 24 at the bottom of the indoor unit 20.

  In the indoor unit 20, an air supply port 25 of the air supply hose 18 is provided in the upstream space of the indoor heat exchanger 21. The air supply hose 18 is connected to the humidification unit 60, and high-humidity air sent from the humidification unit 60 is supplied from the air supply port 25 to the upstream space of the indoor heat exchanger 21. By driving the indoor fan 22 in a state where such high-humidity air is supplied from the air supply port 25, the humidity of the conditioned air blown out from the outlet 24 of the indoor unit 20 can be increased.

(3) Configuration of Outdoor Unit 30 (3-1) Overall Configuration FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the outdoor unit 30. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outdoor unit 30 in a state where the protective grill 56, the bell mouth 52, the top plate 48, and the closing valve cover 57 are removed from the outdoor unit 30. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the outdoor unit 30 in a state where the protective grill 56, the top plate 48, and the closing valve cover 57 are removed.

  1 to 4, the outdoor unit 30 includes a casing 40, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an outdoor fan 39, and a humidification unit 60. When the outdoor fan 39 is driven, outside air is sucked from the rear surface side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and is blown out from the outlet 46a (see FIG. 2). Usually, the front side of the air outlet 46a is covered with a protective grill 56 (see FIG. 2) so that the propeller 39b cannot be touched from the outside.

  At least a part of the humidifying unit 60 is disposed in the blower chamber 41 of the outdoor unit 30, and the other is disposed in the machine chamber 42.

(3-2) Detailed configuration (3-2-1) Casing 40
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the casing 40 has a left side plate 45 (see FIG. 4) that forms the left side surface before the front surface is formed in a state where the side of the protective grill 56 shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from the front. The plate 46, the right side plate 47 forming the right side surface (see FIG. 3), the top plate 48 forming the top surface (see FIG. 2), the bottom plate 49 forming the bottom surface (see FIG. 3), and the back surface portion 44 (FIG. 4). The inside is divided into a blower chamber 41 and a machine chamber 42 by a partition member 43 (see FIG. 3). In the blower chamber 41, an outdoor heat exchanger 33 and an outdoor fan 39 are arranged. In the machine room 42, the compressor 31 and a part of the humidification unit 60 are arranged.

  The partition member 43 extends in the vertical direction from the top plate 48 side toward the bottom plate 49 side. Further, the partition member 43 extends from the inner surface side of the front plate 46 while forming a straight portion and an arc portion toward the right end of the outdoor heat exchanger 33. As a result, the partition member 43 has a function of shielding the wind from flowing from the blower chamber 41 to the machine chamber 42.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the blower outlet 46a formed in the front board 46 is circular. A downstream end 521 (see FIG. 4) of a ring-shaped bell mouth 52 is attached to the air outlet 46a along the peripheral edge thereof.

  Further, the front plate 46 is formed with a suction opening 46b (see FIG. 2) in a region sandwiched between the peripheral edge of the air outlet 46a and the upper right corner. The suction opening 46 b is provided for taking in outside air that has not passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

(3-2-2) Compressor 31
As shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 31 is located on the machine room 42 side and is fixed to the bottom plate 49. During operation, the compressor 31 is at a high temperature, so that the temperature in the machine room 42 is higher than that in the blower room 41.

(3-2-3) Electrical component unit 50
As shown in FIG. 3, the electrical component unit 50 is located in the blower chamber 41 and has a control board on which electronic components for driving the compressor 31, the outdoor fan 39, and the like are integrated.

(3-2-4) Outdoor heat exchanger 33
As shown in FIG. 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is formed in an L shape so as to face the back surface portion 44 and the left side plate 45 of the casing 40. Further, the height of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 has a dimension substantially equal to the distance between the top plate 48 and the bottom plate 49.

(3-2-5) Outdoor fan 39
The outdoor fan 39 has a propeller 39b driven by a fan motor 39a, and is provided on the downstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33. A part of the propeller 39b is arranged so as to enter a space surrounded by the bell mouth 52.

(3-2-6) Partition member 43
The partition member 43 partitions the inside of the casing 40 into a blower chamber 41 and a machine chamber 42. In the present embodiment, since a part of the humidifying unit 60 is disposed at the upper part of the machine room 42, the humidifying unit 60 also serves as a part of the upper part of the partition member 43.

(3-2-7) Humidification unit 60
As shown in FIG. 4, the humidification unit 60 is disposed so as to straddle the blower chamber 41 and the machine chamber 42 between the front plate 46 and the back surface portion 44. The humidifying unit 60 includes a humidifying rotor 63, an adsorption duct 68, a heater 71 (see FIG. 1), a humidifying duct 73 (see FIG. 1), a fan 75 (see FIG. 1), and a second humidifying duct 180 (see FIG. 3). See).

(3-2-8) Protective grill 56
As shown in FIG. 2, the protective grill 56 is attached to the front plate 46 of the casing 40 and covers the outlet 46a. The protective grill 56 is formed with a plurality of openings for blowing out air.

(3-2-9) Closing valve cover 57
As shown in FIG. 3, below the right side plate 47, a liquid side closing valve 37 to which the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 14 is connected and a gas side closing valve 38 to which the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16 is connected protrude outward. Yes.

  The closing valve cover 57 is a cover that covers the liquid side closing valve 37 and the gas side closing valve 38. The shut-off valve cover 57 also covers the humidifying second duct 180 protruding from an opening provided in the right side plate 47 in advance. The opening also has a function as an inlet for outside air taken into the heater 71 side of the humidifying unit 60, and is referred to as an outside air inlet 471 for convenience of explanation.

  The outside air inlet 471 also functions as an inlet and outlet for electrical wiring, and an electrical wiring connection portion 550 is provided in the vicinity of the outside air inlet 471.

  The closing valve cover 57 is fixed to the right side plate 47 with screws. As shown in FIG. 2, when the closing valve cover 57 is fixed to the right side plate 47, the liquid side closing valve 37, the gas side closing valve 38, the humidifying second duct 180, the connection portion 550, and the outside air inlet 471 are It is covered and protected by a closing valve cover 57.

  On the outside of the shut-off valve cover 57, there is provided a recessed portion for placing a hand when the service person lifts the outdoor unit 30, and the upper side of the recessed portion functions as a handle 57a for placing a hand. The handle 57a also plays a role as a ridge of the recessed portion.

  Therefore, since the opening 571 is provided in the recessed portion, the handle 57a prevents the rain water from being directly applied to the opening 571, so that only the outside air passes through the opening 571 and reaches the outside air inlet 471 of the right side plate 47. Will come to do.

  In the present embodiment, the dimensions are set so that the outside air inlet 471 and the opening 571 are at substantially the same height.

(4) Detailed configuration of humidification unit 60 (4-1) Humidification rotor 63
As shown in FIG. 4, the humidification rotor 63 is disc-shaped and has an inclined posture rotated around the vertical axis, and is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the opening surface of the outlet 46 a. The predetermined angle θ is less than 90 ° (not including 0 °), but is preferably in the range of 5 ° to 45 °, and a recommended value is 28.5 °.

  The plate surface of the humidification rotor 63 is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the opening surface of the air outlet 46a, thereby facilitating the arrangement of the casing 40 in the corner or dead space and suppressing the size increase of the outdoor unit 30. it can.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a humidification rotor and a flow of air passing through the humidification rotor. In FIG. 5, the humidification rotor 63 can be rotated by a motor drive. The humidification rotor 63 adsorbs moisture in a fan-shaped region having a central angle of 240 °, and for convenience of explanation, this region is referred to as a moisture adsorption region 63a. Further, the humidifying rotor 63 discharges moisture in a fan-shaped region with a central angle of 120 ° adjacent to the moisture adsorption region 63a, and for convenience of explanation, this region is referred to as a moisture release region 63b. That is, in the humidification rotor 63, the portion that was the moisture adsorption region 63a becomes the moisture release region 63b and the portion that was the moisture release region 63b becomes the moisture adsorption region 63a depending on the rotation angle.

  The humidifying rotor 63 is provided with a gear 63t around it. Further, the gear 63t is engaged with the pinion gear 64a, and the entire humidification rotor 63 is rotated together with the gear 64t when the pinion gear 64a is rotated by the power of the rotor driving motor 64.

  Further, the moisture adsorption region 63a and the moisture release region 63b have a honeycomb structure formed by firing of zeolite or the like. Adsorbents such as zeolite adsorb moisture from air at room temperature and release moisture when the temperature rises due to exposure to air heated by a heater or the like.

  Therefore, in the humidification unit 60, the heater 71 is disposed between the moisture release region 63b of the humidification rotor 63 and the front plate 46 so as to face the moisture release region 63b.

(4-2) Adsorption duct 68
FIG. 6 is a reference perspective view of the humidifying unit 60 with the heater 71 removed. FIG. 6 is not a model that completely matches the humidifying unit 60 shown in FIG. 3, but is functionally equivalent and has no trouble in explaining the operation of each part.

  In FIG. 6, the humidification unit 60 is provided with an adsorption duct 68 for guiding outside air to the moisture adsorption region 63a. The suction duct 68 forms an outside air inlet 681 that opens toward the suction opening 46 b (see FIG. 2) of the front plate 46.

  The air containing moisture is sucked from the outside air inlet 681 and then flows through the adsorption duct 68 to reach the moisture adsorption region 63a of the humidification rotor 63. When the air is permeated there, moisture is adsorbed, and the air discharge port It is discharged from 683 (see FIG. 4). The air discharge port 683 is adjacent to a space (that is, the upstream end 523 of the bell mouth 52) that becomes negative pressure when the outdoor fan 39 rotates, and the air pressure on the air discharge port 683 side is outside air introduction port 681. Air is sucked from the outside air inlet 681 by the action of being lower than the side. Note that the moisture adsorption region 63a is disposed closer to the bell mouth 52 than the moisture release region 63b.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suction opening 46 b is provided on the upper right side of the air outlet 46 a of the front plate 46 and opens toward the front of the front plate 46 like the air outlet 46 a. The air pushed forward by the outdoor fan 39 travels along the bell mouth 52 and is blown out from the blowout port 46a, so that the air blown out from the blowout port 46a is not sucked from the suction opening 46b.

  The purpose of adopting the above configuration is to take in more air containing moisture. Usually, since the humidification operation is performed during the heating operation, the air that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33 has low temperature and low humidity. For this reason, when low-temperature air is inhaled, the amount of moisture that can be adsorbed by the humidifying rotor 63 decreases. However, if the suction opening 46b and the outside air introduction port 681 are configured so as not to suck the air that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33, it is possible to take in outside air containing more moisture, so that the moisture amount adsorbed by the humidification rotor 63 is increased. Can be prevented from decreasing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the fact that the plate surface of the humidifying rotor 63 is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the opening surface of the air outlet 46a means that the plate surface is inclined by the predetermined angle θ with respect to the suction opening 46b. The air discharge port 683 of the suction duct 68 is also inclined in the same manner.

  Therefore, the upstream end portion of the bell mouth 52 and the air discharge port 683 are closer to each other, and the air discharge port 683 can receive more of the negative pressure effect at the upstream end portion of the bell mouth 52. As a result, more outside air can be introduced from the suction opening 46b.

(4-3) Heater 71
The heater 71 heats the air sent to the moisture release region 63b in order to release moisture from the moisture release region 63b of the humidification rotor 63. The heated air releases moisture from the humidification rotor 63 when passing through the moisture release region 63b, and enters the humidification duct 73 as humid air.

(4-4) Humidification duct 73
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the humidification duct 73 guides air to the moisture release region 63 b via the heater 71, and further guides the air that has passed through the humidification rotor 63 to the fan 75. The air flow guided to the humidifying duct 73 is generated by the fan 75.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air guided to the humidification duct 73 is heated by the heater 71 from the preheating outside air inlet 731 located on the opposite side of the heater 71 with the humidification rotor 63 interposed therebetween, toward the heater 71. When the air passes through the humidification rotor 63, the moisture is discharged from the moisture discharge region 63 b to become high-temperature and high-humidity air and travels toward the fan 75.

(4-5) Fan 75
As shown in FIG. 1, the fan 75 includes an impeller 75a that sends out humidified air in a predetermined direction, and a fan motor 75b that drives the impeller 75a. The fan 75 is arranged in such a posture that the rotation shaft of the impeller 75a is in the horizontal direction, and the rotation shaft of the fan motor 75b is directly connected to the rotation shaft of the impeller 75a. The fan 75 is disposed in the machine room 42.

  The impeller 75a is surrounded by a fan casing 81, and the fan casing 81 and the inlet of the humidifying second duct 180 are connected. The fan motor 75b is covered with a motor cover 82 on the outside.

(4-6) Connecting duct 77
FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the outside air inlet 471, the unheated outside air inlet 731, and the connecting duct 77 that connects both. In FIG. 7, the communication duct 77 is a resin-made molded member. The connecting duct 77 has a duct inlet 771, a duct outlet 773, and a connecting path 775.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the right side plate 47 is provided with an outside air inlet 471 that is an opening for inhaling outside air. The duct inlet 771 is disposed so as to face the outside air inlet 471.

  The duct outlet 773 is inserted into the pre-heating outside air inlet 731 of the humidifying duct 73. The communication path 775 connects the duct inlet 771 and the duct outlet 773.

  The outside air taken in from the outside air inlet 471 reaches the unheated outside air inlet 731 through the communication duct 77.

  Note that the outside air sucked from the outside air inlet 471 may be branched and blown to the electrical component unit 50. This is because the control board 51 on which the high heat generating component is mounted is mounted in the electrical component unit 50, so that the high heat generating component can be cooled by the branched outside air.

(4-7) Humidification second duct 180
The humidifying second duct 180 is a duct that guides high-temperature and high-humidity air pushed out from the fan 75 to the connection port of the air supply hose 18 (see FIG. 1). Almost the entire humidifying second duct 180 is located in the machine room 42, but as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, only the predetermined portion including the connection port with the air supply hose 18 sandwiches the right side plate 47. It is located on the opposite side of the machine room 42.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the humidifying second duct 180 has a lateral duct portion 181 and a longitudinal duct portion 182. The lateral duct portion 181 is a duct that guides the hot and humid air in the lateral direction, and the longitudinal duct portion 182 is a duct that guides the hot and humid air flowing into the lateral duct portion 181 downward. The lateral duct portion 181 extends from the machine room 42 toward the rear end of the right side plate 47.

  In FIG. 6, the horizontal duct portion 181 and the vertical duct portion 182 form an angle of about 90 °. However, the angle may be 90 ° or more only for reference.

  The vertical duct portion 182 extends downward from the connection port with the horizontal duct portion 181, and the end is connected to the air supply hose 18.

(5) Operation of the air conditioner 10 (5-1) Cooling operation During the cooling operation, the four-way switching valve 32 connects the discharge side of the compressor 31 and the gas side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and the compressor 31. Are connected to the gas side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 (state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1).

  Moreover, the liquid side closing valve 37 and the gas side closing valve 38 are in an open state. The opening degree of the electric expansion valve 34 is adjusted so that the superheat degree SH of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 21 is constant at the superheat degree target value.

  When the compressor 31, the outdoor fan 39, and the indoor fan 22 are operated in the state of this refrigerant circuit, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 31 and compressed to become a high-pressure gas refrigerant. After that, the high-pressure gas refrigerant is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 via the four-way switching valve 32, exchanges heat with the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 39, and condenses to form a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Become. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 34 and then sent to the indoor unit 20 via the liquid-side closing valve 37 and the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 14.

  The low-pressure refrigerant sent to the indoor unit 20 becomes a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, enters the indoor heat exchanger 21, exchanges heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21, evaporates, and is low-pressure. It becomes a gas refrigerant.

  The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sent to the outdoor unit 30 via the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16 and flows into the accumulator 36 via the gas-side closing valve 38 and the four-way switching valve 32. Then, the low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator 36 is again sucked into the compressor 31.

  Thus, the air conditioner 10 can perform a cooling operation in which the outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as a refrigerant condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as a refrigerant evaporator.

(5-2) Heating Operation During the heating operation, the four-way switching valve 32 connects the discharge side of the compressor 31 and the gas side of the indoor heat exchanger 21, and the suction side of the compressor 31 and the outdoor heat exchanger. 33 is connected to the gas side (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1).

  The opening degree of the electric expansion valve 34 is adjusted so that the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is reduced to a pressure at which the outdoor heat exchanger 33 can evaporate. The liquid side closing valve 37 and the gas side closing valve 38 are open.

  When the compressor 31, the outdoor fan 39, and the indoor fan 22 are operated in the state of this refrigerant circuit, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 31 and compressed to become a high-pressure gas refrigerant, and the four-way switching valve 32, The gas is sent to the indoor unit 20 via the gas-side closing valve 38 and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16.

  The high-pressure gas refrigerant sent to the indoor unit 20 is condensed by exchanging heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21, and becomes a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Sent.

  The liquid refrigerant passes through the liquid side closing valve 37 and enters the electric expansion valve 34. The liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 34 and then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 39 to evaporate into a low-pressure gas refrigerant, and passes through the four-way switching valve 32. And flows into the accumulator 36. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator 36 is again sucked into the compressor 31.

(5-3) Humidification operation In the air conditioner 10, the humidification operation is performed in combination with the heating operation. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the outside air introduction port 681 (see FIG. 3) of the suction duct 68 opens toward the suction opening 46 b (see FIG. 2) of the front plate 46, and the air discharge port 683 (FIG. 4). Is adjacent to the upstream end 523 of the bell mouth 52, which becomes negative pressure when the outdoor fan 39 rotates. When the outdoor fan 39 is operated, the air pressure on the air discharge port 683 side becomes lower than that on the outside air introduction port 681 side, and due to this action, “outside air containing moisture that has not passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33” passes through the suction opening 46b. The air is sucked from the outside air inlet 681.

  The humidification rotor 63 is located between the outside air introduction port 681 and the air discharge port 683 and in the vicinity of the air discharge port 683, and rotates at a predetermined rotation speed by the power of the rotor drive motor 64 (see FIG. 5) during the humidification operation. doing. Due to the rotation of the humidification rotor 63, the moisture adsorbed to the humidification rotor 63 in the moisture adsorption region 63a is carried to the moisture release region 63b along with the rotation of the humidification rotor 63, and comes to a position facing the heater 71.

  Further, since the fan 75 (see FIG. 1) is also driven, the air before being heated by the heater 71 is taken in from the outside air inlet 471 of the right side plate 47 as shown in FIG. Then, after reaching the pre-heating outside air inlet 731, it goes to the heater 71. The outside air before heating goes around the heater 71 and is heated.

  Since the heated air passes through the moisture release region 63b of the humidification rotor 63, moisture is released from the portion exposed to the heated air. Air containing moisture (hereinafter referred to as humidified air) is sucked into the fan 75 and blown out to the air supply hose 18 through the humidifying second duct 180. The humidified air is guided to the indoor unit 20 through the air supply hose 18.

  The outdoor unit 30 tends to be installed so as to be close to the wall surface of the house. Generally, the liquid side closing valve 37 to which the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 14 is connected, and the gas side closing valve to which the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16 is connected. 38 and / or the side surface (the right side plate 47 in the present embodiment) on which the connection part 550 of the electric wiring is located always requires a work space for piping construction or electric wiring construction. Secured.

  Therefore, it is virtually impossible to bring the right side plate 47 close to the wall surface, so that the suction resistance from the outside air suction port 471 does not increase. Therefore, a sufficient amount of humidified air to be sent indoors is ensured.

(6) Features (6-1)
In the outdoor unit 30, the outside air suction port 471 of the humidification unit 60 is formed in the right side plate 47 of the casing 40, so that the suction resistance of the outside air suction port 471 does not increase, and the required amount of humidified air to be sent into the room can be reduced. Secured. As a result, the dew condensation on the route where the humid air reaches the indoor unit 20 is suppressed, and the generation of noise between the humid air and the dew condensation water is also avoided.

(6-2)
In the outdoor unit 30, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the casing 40 is left to the service person at the time of installation, but the liquid side shut-off valve 37, the gas side shut-off valve 38, and / or the electrical wiring connection portion 550 is located. Since the right side plate 47 side always requires a work space for piping construction or electrical wiring construction, a gap is necessarily secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet 471 does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air to be sent into the room is ensured.

(6-3)
In the outdoor unit 30, the outside air inlet 471 is covered with the closing valve cover 57 having the opening 571, thereby preventing rainwater and small animals from entering without hindering outside air inhalation.

(6-4)
In the outdoor unit 30, the opening 571 is provided in the recessed portion of the handle 57 a, thereby preventing rainwater from directly entering the opening 571 and preventing rainwater from entering the outside air inlet 471.

(6-5)
In the outdoor unit 30, the electrical component unit 50 requires outside air in addition to the humidifying unit 60, so that the trouble of providing a separate air path can be saved by branching the outside air taken in from the opening 571 to both.

  As described above, according to the present invention, not only an outdoor unit of an air conditioner provided with a humidifying unit, but other units are arranged so as to straddle the two spaces in a casing divided into two spaces by a partition member. It is also useful for equipment to be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air conditioner 20 Indoor unit 30 Outdoor unit 37 Liquid side closing valve (pipe junction)
38 Gas side shut-off valve (pipe joint)
40 Casing (Main body casing)
44 Back (rear)
44a Suction port 46 Front plate (front)
46a Air outlet 47 Right side plate (side)
471 Outside air inlet 50 Electrical component box 57 Closing valve cover (cover)
57a Handle 571 Opening 60 Humidification unit (humidification part)
550 Connection part

JP 2008-190828 A

  The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner having a humidifying function.

  In recent years, outdoor units of air conditioners having a humidifying function have come into widespread use. For example, in the outdoor unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-190828), the adsorbing member is arranged in parallel to the front surface and a part of the adsorbing member is overlapped with the air outlet when viewed from the front surface. The air sucked from the back side and passed through the outdoor heat exchanger flows into the adsorbing member. The adsorbing member adsorbs moisture from the air that passes through it, and is heated at a predetermined location to release the moisture and generate humidified air.

  The outdoor unit as described above tends to be installed with the back side as close as possible to the wall surface of a house or the like when installed, and the adverse effect of increasing the suction resistance due to the approach of the wall surface to the outside air intake port. Invite you. In such a case, the amount of humidified air sent into the room is reduced, which promotes condensation in the transfer hose, and noise is generated between the humidified air flowing in the transfer hose and the condensed water.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that does not reduce the amount of humidified air even when the outdoor unit is installed close to a wall surface of a house or the like.

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner connected to an indoor unit via a refrigerant communication pipe, and includes a humidifying unit and a main body casing. The humidifying unit takes in outside air from the outside air inlet, and sends out humidified air generated by humidifying the outside air with the humidifying rotor to the indoor unit side. The main body casing accommodates the humidifying part and forms an outer shell including a back surface having a suction port and a front surface having an air outlet. The outside air intake port of the humidifying part is formed on a side surface sandwiched between the back surface and the front surface of the main body casing. The humidifying unit has a communication duct that guides outside air taken in from the outside air inlet to the humidifying rotor.

  In installing an outdoor unit, it is extremely rare that the side surface of the main casing is placed close to a wall surface of a house or the like. For this reason, in this outdoor unit, the outside air suction port of the humidifying portion is formed on the side surface of the main body casing, so that the suction resistance of the outside air suction port does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air to be sent into the room is ensured. . As a result, dew condensation on the route through which the humid air reaches the indoor unit is suppressed, and the generation of abnormal noise between the humid air and the dew condensation water is also avoided.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect, and the side surface is a surface on the side where the pipe joint portion of the refrigerant communication pipe is located.

  When installing this outdoor unit, the clearance between the wall of the house and the casing of the main body is left to the service person's judgment, but the side where the pipe connection part of the refrigerant communication pipe is located must always have a work space for pipe construction. Therefore, a gap is inevitably secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on the 3rd viewpoint of this invention is an outdoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on a 1st viewpoint, Comprising: A side is a surface where the connection part of the electrical wiring from an indoor unit is located.

  In this outdoor unit, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the main body casing is left to the judgment of the service person at the time of installation, but the side where the electrical wiring connection part is located always requires work space for construction. Inevitably, a gap is secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect, and further includes a cover that is attached to the side surface and covers the outside air inlet and the pipe joint. The cover has an opening.

  In this outdoor unit, the outside air inlet is covered with a cover having an opening, so that rainwater and small animals can be prevented from entering without inhibiting outside air introduction.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the third aspect, and further includes a cover that is attached to the side surface and covers the outside air inlet and the connection portion. The cover has an opening.

  In this outdoor unit, since the outside air inlet is covered with a cover having an opening, it is possible to prevent rainwater and small animals from entering without hindering outside air inhalation.

  The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect, and the cover is formed by a part of the cover being recessed toward the side surface. Has a handle. The opening is provided in a recessed portion of the handle, and when the cover is attached to the side surface, the opening and the outside air inlet face each other.

  In this outdoor unit, the handle is a recessed portion for placing a hand when the service person lifts the outdoor unit, and the portion on which the hand is placed serves as a bag. Therefore, by providing the opening in the recessed portion of the handle, rainwater can be prevented from entering the opening directly, and rainwater can be prevented from entering the outside air inlet.

  An outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, and further includes an electrical component box. A part of the outside air sucked from the opening flows into the electrical component box.

  In this outdoor unit, in addition to the humidifying unit, the electrical component box also requires outside air, so that the trouble of providing a separate air path can be saved by branching outside air taken in from the opening to both.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, the external air suction port of the humidification part is formed on the side surface of the main body casing, so that the intake resistance of the external air suction port does not increase, and the humidification sent to the room The necessary amount of air is secured. As a result, dew condensation on the route through which the humid air reaches the indoor unit is suppressed, and the generation of abnormal noise between the humid air and the dew condensation water is also avoided.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, during installation, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the main body casing is left to the judgment of the service person, but the side surface on which the pipe joint of the refrigerant communication pipe is located is Since a work space is always required for piping construction, a gap is necessarily secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  In the outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the main casing is left to the judgment of the service person at the time of installation. Since a work space is always required, a gap is necessarily secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air sent to the room is ensured.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect of the present invention, the outside air inlet is covered with a cover having an opening, thereby preventing rainwater and small animals from entering without hindering the introduction of outside air. Can do.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the handle is a recessed portion for placing a hand when the service person lifts the outdoor unit, and the portion on which the hand is placed serves as a bag. Therefore, by providing the opening in the recessed portion of the handle, rainwater can be prevented from entering the opening directly, and rainwater can be prevented from entering the outside air inlet.

  In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the electrical component box also needs outside air in addition to the humidifying part, it is troublesome to separately provide an air passage by branching the outside air taken in from the opening to both. Can be omitted.

The block diagram of the freezing apparatus provided with the outdoor unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The external appearance perspective view of an outdoor unit. Protective grill, Velma window scan, the top plate, and a perspective view of the outdoor unit in a state where the closing valve cover removed. The top view of the outdoor unit in the state from which the protective grill, the top plate, and the closing valve cover were removed. The perspective view which shows the flow of the air which passes a humidification rotor and its humidification rotor. The reference perspective view of the humidification unit of a state where the heater was removed. The schematic sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of an outside air inlet, the outside air inlet before a heating, and the connection duct which connects both.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) Outline of Configuration of Air Conditioner 10 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration apparatus including an outdoor unit 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, this refrigeration apparatus is an air conditioner 10 that includes an indoor unit 20, an outdoor unit 30, and refrigerant communication pipes 14 and 16 that connect them. The air conditioner 10 has a plurality of operation modes such as a cooling operation, a heating operation, a dehumidifying operation, a humidifying operation, and an air supply operation, and these operation modes can be appropriately combined.

  An indoor heat exchanger 21 is mounted on the indoor unit 20, and a compressor 31, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an electric expansion valve 34, an accumulator 36, a liquid side shut-off valve 37, and a gas are installed in the outdoor unit 30. A side closing valve 38 is mounted.

  Further, in the humidifying operation and the air supply operation, air is moved between the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 through the air supply hose 18 in order to supply outdoor air into the room. In particular, in the humidifying operation, moisture is taken in from outside air in the outdoor unit 30 in order to supply high humidity air containing a lot of moisture from the outdoor unit 30 to the indoor unit 20.

  In the present embodiment, the humidifying unit 60 is provided in the outdoor unit 30, and the humidifying unit 60 has a function of taking moisture from the outside air.

(2) Configuration of Indoor Unit 20 In the indoor unit 20, an indoor fan 22 driven by a motor is disposed on the downstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 as shown in FIG. The indoor fan 22 is a cross flow fan. When the indoor fan 22 is driven, the indoor air sucked from the suction port 23 at the top of the indoor unit 20 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 21 and is blown out from the outlet 24 at the bottom of the indoor unit 20.

  In the indoor unit 20, an air supply port 25 of the air supply hose 18 is provided in the upstream space of the indoor heat exchanger 21. The air supply hose 18 is connected to the humidification unit 60, and high-humidity air sent from the humidification unit 60 is supplied from the air supply port 25 to the upstream space of the indoor heat exchanger 21. By driving the indoor fan 22 in a state where such high-humidity air is supplied from the air supply port 25, the humidity of the conditioned air blown out from the outlet 24 of the indoor unit 20 can be increased.

(3) Configuration of Outdoor Unit 30 (3-1) Overall Configuration FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the outdoor unit 30. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outdoor unit 30 in a state where the protective grill 56, the bell mouth 52, the top plate 48, and the closing valve cover 57 are removed from the outdoor unit 30. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the outdoor unit 30 in a state where the protective grill 56, the top plate 48, and the closing valve cover 57 are removed.

  1 to 4, the outdoor unit 30 includes a casing 40, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an outdoor fan 39, and a humidification unit 60. When the outdoor fan 39 is driven, outside air is sucked from the rear surface side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and is blown out from the outlet 46a (see FIG. 2). Usually, the front side of the air outlet 46a is covered with a protective grill 56 (see FIG. 2) so that the propeller 39b cannot be touched from the outside.

  At least a part of the humidifying unit 60 is disposed in the blower chamber 41 of the outdoor unit 30, and the other is disposed in the machine chamber 42.

(3-2) Detailed configuration (3-2-1) Casing 40
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the casing 40 has a left side plate 45 (see FIG. 4) that forms the left side surface before the front surface is formed in a state where the side of the protective grill 56 shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from the front. The plate 46, the right side plate 47 forming the right side surface (see FIG. 3), the top plate 48 forming the top surface (see FIG. 2), the bottom plate 49 forming the bottom surface (see FIG. 3), and the back surface portion 44 (FIG. 4). The inside is divided into a blower chamber 41 and a machine chamber 42 by a partition member 43 (see FIG. 3). In the blower chamber 41, an outdoor heat exchanger 33 and an outdoor fan 39 are arranged. In the machine room 42, the compressor 31 and a part of the humidification unit 60 are arranged.

  The partition member 43 extends in the vertical direction from the top plate 48 side toward the bottom plate 49 side. Further, the partition member 43 extends from the inner surface side of the front plate 46 while forming a straight portion and an arc portion toward the right end of the outdoor heat exchanger 33. As a result, the partition member 43 has a function of shielding the wind from flowing from the blower chamber 41 to the machine chamber 42.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the blower outlet 46a formed in the front board 46 is circular. A downstream end 521 (see FIG. 4) of a ring-shaped bell mouth 52 is attached to the air outlet 46a along the peripheral edge thereof.

  Further, the front plate 46 is formed with a suction opening 46b (see FIG. 2) in a region sandwiched between the peripheral edge of the air outlet 46a and the upper right corner. The suction opening 46 b is provided for taking in outside air that has not passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

(3-2-2) Compressor 31
As shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 31 is located on the machine room 42 side and is fixed to the bottom plate 49. During operation, the compressor 31 is at a high temperature, so that the temperature in the machine room 42 is higher than that in the blower room 41.

(3-2-3) Electrical component unit 50
As shown in FIG. 3, the electrical component unit 50 is located in the blower chamber 41 and has a control board on which electronic components for driving the compressor 31, the outdoor fan 39, and the like are integrated.

(3-2-4) Outdoor heat exchanger 33
As shown in FIG. 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is formed in an L shape so as to face the back surface portion 44 and the left side plate 45 of the casing 40. Further, the height of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 has a dimension substantially equal to the distance between the top plate 48 and the bottom plate 49.

(3-2-5) Outdoor fan 39
The outdoor fan 39 has a propeller 39b driven by a fan motor 39a, and is provided on the downstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33. A part of the propeller 39b is arranged so as to enter a space surrounded by the bell mouth 52.

(3-2-6) Partition member 43
The partition member 43 partitions the inside of the casing 40 into a blower chamber 41 and a machine chamber 42. In the present embodiment, since a part of the humidifying unit 60 is disposed at the upper part of the machine room 42, the humidifying unit 60 also serves as a part of the upper part of the partition member 43.

(3-2-7) Humidification unit 60
As shown in FIG. 4, the humidification unit 60 is disposed so as to straddle the blower chamber 41 and the machine chamber 42 between the front plate 46 and the back surface portion 44. The humidifying unit 60 includes a humidifying rotor 63, an adsorption duct 68, a heater 71 (see FIG. 1), a humidifying duct 73 (see FIG. 1), a fan 75 (see FIG. 1), and a second humidifying duct 180 (see FIG. 3). See).

(3-2-8) Protective grill 56
As shown in FIG. 2, the protective grill 56 is attached to the front plate 46 of the casing 40 and covers the outlet 46a. The protective grill 56 is formed with a plurality of openings for blowing out air.

(3-2-9) Closing valve cover 57
As shown in FIG. 3, below the right side plate 47, a liquid side closing valve 37 to which the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 14 is connected and a gas side closing valve 38 to which the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16 is connected protrude outward. Yes.

  The closing valve cover 57 is a cover that covers the liquid side closing valve 37 and the gas side closing valve 38. The shut-off valve cover 57 also covers the humidifying second duct 180 protruding from an opening provided in the right side plate 47 in advance. The opening also has a function as an inlet for outside air taken into the heater 71 side of the humidifying unit 60, and is referred to as an outside air inlet 471 for convenience of explanation.

  The outside air inlet 471 also functions as an inlet and outlet for electrical wiring, and an electrical wiring connection portion 550 is provided in the vicinity of the outside air inlet 471.

  The closing valve cover 57 is fixed to the right side plate 47 with screws. As shown in FIG. 2, when the closing valve cover 57 is fixed to the right side plate 47, the liquid side closing valve 37, the gas side closing valve 38, the humidifying second duct 180, the connection portion 550, and the outside air inlet 471 are It is covered and protected by a closing valve cover 57.

  On the outside of the shut-off valve cover 57, there is provided a recessed portion for placing a hand when the service person lifts the outdoor unit 30, and the upper side of the recessed portion functions as a handle 57a for placing a hand. The handle 57a also plays a role as a ridge of the recessed portion.

  Therefore, since the opening 571 is provided in the recessed portion, the handle 57a prevents the rain water from being directly applied to the opening 571, so that only the outside air passes through the opening 571 and reaches the outside air inlet 471 of the right side plate 47. Will come to do.

  In the present embodiment, the dimensions are set so that the outside air inlet 471 and the opening 571 are at substantially the same height.

(4) Detailed configuration of humidification unit 60 (4-1) Humidification rotor 63
As shown in FIG. 4, the humidification rotor 63 is disc-shaped and has an inclined posture rotated around the vertical axis, and is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the opening surface of the outlet 46 a. The predetermined angle θ is less than 90 ° (not including 0 °), but is preferably in the range of 5 ° to 45 °, and a recommended value is 28.5 °.

  The plate surface of the humidification rotor 63 is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the opening surface of the air outlet 46a, thereby facilitating the arrangement of the casing 40 in the corner or dead space and suppressing the size increase of the outdoor unit 30. it can.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a humidification rotor and a flow of air passing through the humidification rotor. In FIG. 5, the humidification rotor 63 can be rotated by a motor drive. The humidification rotor 63 adsorbs moisture in a fan-shaped region having a central angle of 240 °, and for convenience of explanation, this region is referred to as a moisture adsorption region 63a. Further, the humidifying rotor 63 discharges moisture in a fan-shaped region with a central angle of 120 ° adjacent to the moisture adsorption region 63a, and for convenience of explanation, this region is referred to as a moisture release region 63b. That is, in the humidification rotor 63, the portion that was the moisture adsorption region 63a becomes the moisture release region 63b and the portion that was the moisture release region 63b becomes the moisture adsorption region 63a depending on the rotation angle.

  The humidifying rotor 63 is provided with a gear 63t around it. Further, the gear 63t is engaged with the pinion gear 64a, and the entire humidification rotor 63 is rotated together with the gear 64t when the pinion gear 64a is rotated by the power of the rotor driving motor 64.

  Further, the moisture adsorption region 63a and the moisture release region 63b have a honeycomb structure formed by firing of zeolite or the like. Adsorbents such as zeolite adsorb moisture from air at room temperature and release moisture when the temperature rises due to exposure to air heated by a heater or the like.

  Therefore, in the humidification unit 60, the heater 71 is disposed between the moisture release region 63b of the humidification rotor 63 and the front plate 46 so as to face the moisture release region 63b.

(4-2) Adsorption duct 68
FIG. 6 is a reference perspective view of the humidifying unit 60 with the heater 71 removed. FIG. 6 is not a model that completely matches the humidifying unit 60 shown in FIG. 3, but is functionally equivalent and has no trouble in explaining the operation of each part.

  In FIG. 6, the humidification unit 60 is provided with an adsorption duct 68 for guiding outside air to the moisture adsorption region 63a. The suction duct 68 forms an outside air inlet 681 that opens toward the suction opening 46 b (see FIG. 2) of the front plate 46.

  The air containing moisture is sucked from the outside air inlet 681 and then flows through the adsorption duct 68 to reach the moisture adsorption region 63a of the humidification rotor 63. When the air is permeated there, moisture is adsorbed, and the air discharge port It is discharged from 683 (see FIG. 4). The air discharge port 683 is adjacent to a space (that is, the upstream end 523 of the bell mouth 52) that becomes negative pressure when the outdoor fan 39 rotates, and the air pressure on the air discharge port 683 side is outside air introduction port 681. Air is sucked from the outside air inlet 681 by the action of being lower than the side. Note that the moisture adsorption region 63a is disposed closer to the bell mouth 52 than the moisture release region 63b.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suction opening 46 b is provided on the upper right side of the air outlet 46 a of the front plate 46 and opens toward the front of the front plate 46 like the air outlet 46 a. The air pushed forward by the outdoor fan 39 travels along the bell mouth 52 and is blown out from the blowout port 46a, so that the air blown out from the blowout port 46a is not sucked from the suction opening 46b.

  The purpose of adopting the above configuration is to take in more air containing moisture. Usually, since the humidification operation is performed during the heating operation, the air that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33 has low temperature and low humidity. For this reason, when low-temperature air is inhaled, the amount of moisture that can be adsorbed by the humidifying rotor 63 decreases. However, if the suction opening 46b and the outside air introduction port 681 are configured so as not to suck the air that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33, it is possible to take in outside air containing more moisture, so that the moisture amount adsorbed by the humidification rotor 63 is increased. Can be prevented from decreasing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the fact that the plate surface of the humidifying rotor 63 is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the opening surface of the air outlet 46a means that the plate surface is inclined by the predetermined angle θ with respect to the suction opening 46b. The air discharge port 683 of the suction duct 68 is also inclined in the same manner.

  Therefore, the upstream end portion of the bell mouth 52 and the air discharge port 683 are closer to each other, and the air discharge port 683 can receive more of the negative pressure effect at the upstream end portion of the bell mouth 52. As a result, more outside air can be introduced from the suction opening 46b.

(4-3) Heater 71
The heater 71 heats the air sent to the moisture release region 63b in order to release moisture from the moisture release region 63b of the humidification rotor 63. The heated air releases moisture from the humidification rotor 63 when passing through the moisture release region 63b, and enters the humidification duct 73 as humid air.

(4-4) Humidification duct 73
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the humidification duct 73 guides air to the moisture release region 63 b via the heater 71, and further guides the air that has passed through the humidification rotor 63 to the fan 75. The air flow guided to the humidifying duct 73 is generated by the fan 75.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air guided to the humidification duct 73 is heated by the heater 71 from the preheating outside air inlet 731 located on the opposite side of the heater 71 with the humidification rotor 63 interposed therebetween, toward the heater 71. When the air passes through the humidification rotor 63, the moisture is discharged from the moisture discharge region 63 b to become high-temperature and high-humidity air and travels toward the fan 75.

(4-5) Fan 75
As shown in FIG. 1, the fan 75 includes an impeller 75a that sends out humidified air in a predetermined direction, and a fan motor 75b that drives the impeller 75a. The fan 75 is arranged in such a posture that the rotation shaft of the impeller 75a is in the horizontal direction, and the rotation shaft of the fan motor 75b is directly connected to the rotation shaft of the impeller 75a. The fan 75 is disposed in the machine room 42.

  The impeller 75a is surrounded by a fan casing 81, and the fan casing 81 and the inlet of the humidifying second duct 180 are connected. The fan motor 75b is covered with a motor cover 82 on the outside.

(4-6) Connecting duct 77
FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the outside air inlet 471, the unheated outside air inlet 731, and the connecting duct 77 that connects both. In FIG. 7, the communication duct 77 is a resin-made molded member. The connecting duct 77 has a duct inlet 771, a duct outlet 773, and a connecting path 775.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the right side plate 47 is provided with an outside air inlet 471 that is an opening for inhaling outside air. The duct inlet 771 is disposed so as to face the outside air inlet 471.

  The duct outlet 773 is inserted into the pre-heating outside air inlet 731 of the humidifying duct 73. The communication path 775 connects the duct inlet 771 and the duct outlet 773.

  The outside air taken in from the outside air inlet 471 reaches the unheated outside air inlet 731 through the communication duct 77.

  Note that the outside air sucked from the outside air inlet 471 may be branched and blown to the electrical component unit 50. This is because the control board 51 on which the high heat generating component is mounted is mounted in the electrical component unit 50, so that the high heat generating component can be cooled by the branched outside air.

(4-7) Humidification second duct 180
The humidifying second duct 180 is a duct that guides high-temperature and high-humidity air pushed out from the fan 75 to the connection port of the air supply hose 18 (see FIG. 1). Almost the entire humidifying second duct 180 is located in the machine room 42, but as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, only the predetermined portion including the connection port with the air supply hose 18 sandwiches the right side plate 47. It is located on the opposite side of the machine room 42.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the humidifying second duct 180 has a lateral duct portion 181 and a longitudinal duct portion 182. The lateral duct portion 181 is a duct that guides the hot and humid air in the lateral direction, and the longitudinal duct portion 182 is a duct that guides the hot and humid air flowing into the lateral duct portion 181 downward. The lateral duct portion 181 extends from the machine room 42 toward the rear end of the right side plate 47.

  In FIG. 6, the horizontal duct portion 181 and the vertical duct portion 182 form an angle of about 90 °. However, the angle may be 90 ° or more only for reference.

  The vertical duct portion 182 extends downward from the connection port with the horizontal duct portion 181, and the end is connected to the air supply hose 18.

(5) Operation of the air conditioner 10 (5-1) Cooling operation During the cooling operation, the four-way switching valve 32 connects the discharge side of the compressor 31 and the gas side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and the compressor 31. Are connected to the gas side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 (state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1).

  Moreover, the liquid side closing valve 37 and the gas side closing valve 38 are in an open state. The opening degree of the electric expansion valve 34 is adjusted so that the superheat degree SH of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 21 is constant at the superheat degree target value.

  When the compressor 31, the outdoor fan 39, and the indoor fan 22 are operated in the state of this refrigerant circuit, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 31 and compressed to become a high-pressure gas refrigerant. After that, the high-pressure gas refrigerant is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 via the four-way switching valve 32, exchanges heat with the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 39, and condenses to form a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Become. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 34 and then sent to the indoor unit 20 via the liquid-side closing valve 37 and the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 14.

  The low-pressure refrigerant sent to the indoor unit 20 becomes a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, enters the indoor heat exchanger 21, exchanges heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21, evaporates, and is low-pressure. It becomes a gas refrigerant.

  The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sent to the outdoor unit 30 via the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16 and flows into the accumulator 36 via the gas-side closing valve 38 and the four-way switching valve 32. Then, the low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator 36 is again sucked into the compressor 31.

  Thus, the air conditioner 10 can perform a cooling operation in which the outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as a refrigerant condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as a refrigerant evaporator.

(5-2) Heating Operation During the heating operation, the four-way switching valve 32 connects the discharge side of the compressor 31 and the gas side of the indoor heat exchanger 21, and the suction side of the compressor 31 and the outdoor heat exchanger. 33 is connected to the gas side (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1).

  The opening degree of the electric expansion valve 34 is adjusted so that the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is reduced to a pressure at which the outdoor heat exchanger 33 can evaporate. The liquid side closing valve 37 and the gas side closing valve 38 are open.

  When the compressor 31, the outdoor fan 39, and the indoor fan 22 are operated in the state of this refrigerant circuit, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 31 and compressed to become a high-pressure gas refrigerant, and the four-way switching valve 32, The gas is sent to the indoor unit 20 via the gas-side closing valve 38 and the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16.

  The high-pressure gas refrigerant sent to the indoor unit 20 is condensed by exchanging heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21, and becomes a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. Sent.

  The liquid refrigerant passes through the liquid side closing valve 37 and enters the electric expansion valve 34. The liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 34 and then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 39 to evaporate into a low-pressure gas refrigerant, and passes through the four-way switching valve 32. And flows into the accumulator 36. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator 36 is again sucked into the compressor 31.

(5-3) Humidification operation In the air conditioner 10, the humidification operation is performed in combination with the heating operation. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the outside air introduction port 681 (see FIG. 3) of the suction duct 68 opens toward the suction opening 46 b (see FIG. 2) of the front plate 46, and the air discharge port 683 (FIG. 4). Is adjacent to the upstream end 523 of the bell mouth 52, which becomes negative pressure when the outdoor fan 39 rotates. When the outdoor fan 39 is operated, the air pressure on the air discharge port 683 side becomes lower than that on the outside air introduction port 681 side, and due to this action, “outside air containing moisture that has not passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33” passes through the suction opening 46b. The air is sucked from the outside air inlet 681.

  The humidification rotor 63 is located between the outside air introduction port 681 and the air discharge port 683 and in the vicinity of the air discharge port 683, and rotates at a predetermined rotation speed by the power of the rotor drive motor 64 (see FIG. 5) during the humidification operation. doing. Due to the rotation of the humidification rotor 63, the moisture adsorbed to the humidification rotor 63 in the moisture adsorption region 63a is carried to the moisture release region 63b along with the rotation of the humidification rotor 63, and comes to a position facing the heater 71.

  Further, since the fan 75 (see FIG. 1) is also driven, the air before being heated by the heater 71 is taken in from the outside air inlet 471 of the right side plate 47 as shown in FIG. Then, after reaching the pre-heating outside air inlet 731, it goes to the heater 71. The outside air before heating goes around the heater 71 and is heated.

  Since the heated air passes through the moisture release region 63b of the humidification rotor 63, moisture is released from the portion exposed to the heated air. Air containing moisture (hereinafter referred to as humidified air) is sucked into the fan 75 and blown out to the air supply hose 18 through the humidifying second duct 180. The humidified air is guided to the indoor unit 20 through the air supply hose 18.

  The outdoor unit 30 tends to be installed so as to be close to the wall surface of the house. Generally, the liquid side closing valve 37 to which the liquid refrigerant communication pipe 14 is connected, and the gas side closing valve to which the gas refrigerant communication pipe 16 is connected. 38 and / or the side surface (the right side plate 47 in the present embodiment) on which the connection part 550 of the electric wiring is located always requires a work space for piping construction or electric wiring construction. Secured.

  Therefore, it is virtually impossible to bring the right side plate 47 close to the wall surface, so that the suction resistance from the outside air suction port 471 does not increase. Therefore, a sufficient amount of humidified air to be sent indoors is ensured.

(6) Features (6-1)
In the outdoor unit 30, the outside air suction port 471 of the humidification unit 60 is formed in the right side plate 47 of the casing 40, so that the suction resistance of the outside air suction port 471 does not increase, and the required amount of humidified air to be sent into the room can be reduced. Secured. As a result, the dew condensation on the route where the humid air reaches the indoor unit 20 is suppressed, and the generation of noise between the humid air and the dew condensation water is also avoided.

(6-2)
In the outdoor unit 30, the clearance between the wall surface of the house and the casing 40 is left to the service person at the time of installation, but the liquid side shut-off valve 37, the gas side shut-off valve 38, and / or the electrical wiring connection portion 550 is located. Since the right side plate 47 side always requires a work space for piping construction or electrical wiring construction, a gap is necessarily secured. Therefore, the suction resistance from the outside air inlet 471 does not increase, and the necessary amount of humidified air to be sent into the room is ensured.

(6-3)
In the outdoor unit 30, the outside air inlet 471 is covered with the closing valve cover 57 having the opening 571, thereby preventing rainwater and small animals from entering without hindering outside air inhalation.

(6-4)
In the outdoor unit 30, the opening 571 is provided in the recessed portion of the handle 57 a, thereby preventing rainwater from directly entering the opening 571 and preventing rainwater from entering the outside air inlet 471.

(6-5)
In the outdoor unit 30, the electrical component unit 50 requires outside air in addition to the humidifying unit 60, so that the trouble of providing a separate air path can be saved by branching the outside air taken in from the opening 571 to both.

  As described above, according to the present invention, not only an outdoor unit of an air conditioner provided with a humidifying unit, but other units are arranged so as to straddle the two spaces in a casing divided into two spaces by a partition member. It is also useful for equipment to be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air conditioner 20 Indoor unit 30 Outdoor unit 37 Liquid side closing valve (pipe junction)
38 Gas side shut-off valve (pipe joint)
40 Casing (Main body casing)
44 Back (rear)
44a Suction port 46 Front plate (front)
46a Air outlet 47 Right side plate (side)
471 Outside air inlet 50 Electrical component box 57 Closing valve cover (cover)
57a Handle 571 Opening 60 Humidification unit (humidification part)
550 Connection part

JP 2008-190828 A

Claims (7)

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner connected to the indoor unit (20) via a refrigerant communication pipe,
A humidifying unit (60) for taking in outside air from the outside air inlet (471) and humidifying the outside air to send out the humidified air to the indoor unit (20) side;
A main body casing (40) for housing the humidifying part (60) and forming an outer shell including a back surface (44) having a suction port (44a) and a front surface (46) having a blower outlet (46a);
With
The outside air inlet (471) of the humidifying part (60) is formed on a side surface (47) sandwiched between the back surface (44) and the front surface (46) of the main body casing (40).
Air conditioner outdoor unit (30). The side surface (47) is a surface on the side where the pipe joint of the refrigerant communication pipe is located.
The outdoor unit (30) of the air conditioner according to claim 1. The side surface (47) is a surface on the side where a connection portion of electrical wiring from the indoor unit (20) is located.
The outdoor unit (30) of the air conditioner according to claim 1. A cover (57) attached to the side surface (47) and covering the outside air inlet (471) and the pipe joint;
The cover (57) has an opening (571);
The outdoor unit (30) of the air conditioner according to claim 2. A cover (57) attached to the side surface (47) and covering the outside air inlet (471) and the connecting portion;
The cover (57) has an opening (571);
The outdoor unit (30) of an air conditioner according to claim 3. The cover (57) has a handle (57a) formed by a part of which is recessed toward the side surface (47).
The opening (571) is provided in a recessed portion of the handle (57a). When the cover (57) is attached to the side surface (47), the opening (571) and the outside air inlet (471) Confront,
The outdoor unit (30) of the air conditioner according to claim 4 or 5. It further comprises an electrical component box (50),
Part of the outside air sucked from the opening (571) flows into the electrical component box (50).
The outdoor unit (30) of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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