JP6727445B2 - Outdoor unit and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit equipped with a device for measuring an outside air temperature, and an air conditioner equipped with this outdoor unit.

Generally, an air conditioner is equipped with a sensor for measuring the outside air temperature, detects the outside air temperature, and controls the rotation speed of a fan or the frequency of a compressor to control the cooling capacity and heating capacity of the air conditioner. Have control. Therefore, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner including a contact-type temperature sensor that measures the outside air temperature has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2003-130397, A

The outdoor unit of Patent Document 1 measures the temperature of the contacted object with a contact-type temperature sensor. The contact-type temperature sensor is also in contact with the fixed component of the temperature sensor and may be affected by the fixed component of the temperature sensor. Further, since the temperature sensor is located near the heat exchanger, the temperature sensor and the fixed parts may be affected by the heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator or a condenser. For example, the radiant heat of the heat exchanger may be transmitted to the temperature sensor, so that the correct outside temperature may not be measured. Further, the radiant heat of the heat exchanger is transmitted to the fixed component of the temperature sensor, and the heat of the fixed component of the temperature sensor is transmitted to the temperature sensor, so that the correct outside temperature may not be measured. Since the outside air temperature detected by the temperature sensor is used for controlling the compressor and the like, highly accurate detection is required.

The present invention is for solving the above problems, and an outdoor unit including an apparatus for measuring an outside air temperature without being affected by radiant heat of a heat exchanger and transferred heat of a fixed part of a temperature sensor, and An object is to provide an air conditioner equipped with an outdoor unit.

The outdoor unit of the present invention includes a housing forming an outer shell of the outdoor unit, a heat exchanger installed in the housing, and a non-contact temperature sensor installed in the housing on the suction side of the heat exchanger. And a member to be measured, which is installed outside the housing so as to face the temperature sensor, the surface temperature of which changes depending on the outside air temperature, and the surface temperature of which is detected by the temperature sensor.

According to the outdoor unit of the present invention, the non-contact temperature sensor indirectly measures the outside air temperature by measuring the temperature of the member to be measured. Therefore, the outside air temperature can be measured without being affected by the radiant heat of the heat exchanger and the transferred heat of the fixed component of the temperature sensor.

It is a front view of the outdoor unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the outdoor unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is an exploded perspective view of the outdoor unit concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the AA line of the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the 1st fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the 2nd fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the 3rd fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the 4th fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which described the design dimension in the outdoor unit of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which described the design dimension of the conventional outdoor unit provided with the contact-type temperature sensor. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the air conditioner using the outdoor unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Hereinafter, an outdoor unit and an air conditioner using the unit according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings and the like. In the following drawings, the components denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and are common to all the sentences of the embodiments described below. Further, the forms of the constituent elements shown in the entire specification are merely examples, and the forms are not limited to the forms described in the specification. Further, in the drawings, the size relationship of each component may be different from the actual one. Note that in this embodiment, a term indicating a direction (for example, “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “front”, “rear”, or the like) is appropriately used in order to facilitate understanding. This is for the purpose of explanation, and these terms do not limit the present invention.

Embodiment 1.
[Outdoor unit configuration]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an outdoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the outdoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the outdoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The configuration of each unit of the outdoor unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The X-axis shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 indicates the left and right width directions of the outdoor unit 100 with the X1 side on the left and the X2 side on the right. Further, the Y-axis indicates the front-back depth direction of the outdoor unit 100 with the Y1 side as the front side and the Y2 side as the back side. Further, the Z-axis indicates the vertical direction of the outdoor unit 100 with the Z1 side as the upper side and the Z2 side as the lower side. In the following description, the front-rear, left-right, or top-bottom positional relationship between the constituent members of the outdoor unit 100 is basically the positional relationship when the outdoor unit 100 is installed in a usable state. Further, in FIG. 3, the outer panel is omitted in order to explain the internal structure of the housing 10.

The outdoor unit 100 is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, and FIG. 1 shows an example configured as a floor-standing heat source side unit. The outdoor unit 100 may be configured as a heat source side unit other than the floor-standing type, for example, a wall-mounted type, a roof-standing type, or a ceiling-hung type heat source side unit. As shown in FIG. 2, the outdoor unit 100 includes a temperature measuring device 40 outside the heat exchanger 33 described later in the depth direction (Y-axis direction).

[Case of outdoor unit]
The outdoor unit 100 has a housing 10 forming an outer shell, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The housing 10 is formed of sheet metal into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the back wall portion 10c in which the suction port 10c1 for sucking the wind generated by the drive of the blower 36 is formed and the wind generated by the drive of the blower 36 are blown out. And a front wall portion 10a having an outlet 10a1 formed therein. Further, the housing 10 has a left side wall portion 10b and a right side wall portion 10d that connect the back surface wall portion 10c and the front surface wall portion 10a. Further, the housing 10 has a top panel 10e that constitutes a ceiling wall of an upper surface portion and a bottom plate 10f that constitutes a bottom wall of a lower surface portion. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 of the outdoor unit 100 has a protection member 11 that faces a heat exchanger 33, which will be described later, and that is installed in an air inlet 10c1 formed in the back wall portion 10c. .. The protection member 11 protects the heat exchanger 33 from contact, and as shown in FIG. 2, metal wires are combined in a grid shape to have a substantially rectangular shape. The protective member 11 is fixed to the housing 10 by attaching the mounting portions 11 a located at the four corners to the back wall portion 10 c of the housing 10. Further, the protection member 11 has a lattice-shaped portion 11b which is formed between the mounting portions 11a and is arranged at a position facing the heat exchanger 33. The lattice portion 11b is configured to bulge outward from the housing 10. The protection member 11 is not limited to a configuration in which metal wires are combined in a lattice shape, and may be configured by, for example, a resin guard member including a flat plate having a plurality of through holes formed therein. Good.

[Internal structure of outdoor unit]
As shown in FIG. 3, the interior of the outdoor unit 100 is divided into a machine room 20 and a blower room 21 by a partition plate 50. In the machine room 20 located in the space on the right side of the outdoor unit 100, a compressor 31, a refrigerant pipe, a flow path switching device, an electrical equipment box (not shown), etc. are housed, and a space on the left side in the outdoor unit 100. A heat exchanger 33, a blower 36, and the like are housed in the blower chamber 21 located at.

The compressor 31 compresses the sucked refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges it, and has a structure of, for example, a rotary type, a scroll type, or a vane type. The heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat between the outside air and the refrigerant, and functions as an evaporator during heating operation and as a condenser during cooling operation. The heat exchanger 33 is configured as a fin-and-tube heat exchanger in which heat transfer tubes penetrate a plurality of fins arranged in parallel. The heat exchanger 33 includes a heat transfer tube that allows the refrigerant to pass therethrough, and fins for increasing the heat transfer area between the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube and the outside air. The heat exchanger 33 is fixed to the bottom plate 10f so that the heat transfer tubes are horizontal. The heat exchanger 33 installed in the housing 10 is formed in a so-called L-shape having a flat plate area and a curved surface area in a plan view. 3 illustrates the case where the heat exchanger 33 is formed in an L shape in a plan view, the heat exchanger 33 may be formed in a plate shape in a plan view. Alternatively, it may be formed in a so-called U shape having curved surface regions at both ends.

The blower 36 is configured as, for example, a propeller fan such as an axial fan, and circulates air in order to efficiently exchange heat between the refrigerant and the air in the heat exchanger 33. The rotation shaft of the blower 36 is arranged so as to face the horizontal direction in the depth direction of the housing 10. When the outdoor unit 100 is driven and the blower 36 rotates, the outdoor air is taken in from the outside of the outdoor unit 100 via the suction port 10c1 formed in the back wall portion 10c. In the heat exchanger 33, heat is exchanged between the outdoor air passing between the fins forming the heat exchanger 33 and the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube. The air that has undergone heat exchange in the heat exchanger 33 is discharged from the internal space of the outdoor unit 100 to the outside of the outdoor unit 100 through the air outlet 10a1 formed in the front wall portion 10a by the blower 36.

[Temperature measuring device]
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the outdoor unit 100 of FIG. The configuration of the device for measuring the temperature, which is provided in the outdoor unit 100, will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4. The temperature measuring device 40 includes a temperature sensor 41, a fixing member 42, and a member 43 to be measured. The temperature measuring device 40 is electrically connected to the control device 25. The control device 25 is composed of, for example, hardware such as a circuit device, or software executed on an arithmetic device such as a central processing unit. The control device 25 acquires the information detected by the temperature sensor 41. The control device 25 controls the operation of the compressor 31, the blower 36, the flow path switching device 32, which will be described later, the indoor blower 37, and the like based on the information acquired from the temperature sensor 41.

The temperature sensor 41 is a non-contact type temperature sensor such as an infrared radiation thermometer. The temperature sensor 41 indirectly detects the outside air temperature by measuring the surface temperature of the measured member 43. The temperature sensor 41 is installed in the housing 10 located on the suction side of the heat exchanger 33.

FIG. 5: is a figure which shows the example of the 1st fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a second fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. FIG. 7: is a figure which shows the example of the 3rd fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. FIG. 8: is a figure which shows the example of the 4th fixing method of the fixing member in the outdoor unit of FIG. The fixing member 42 installs the temperature sensor 41 in the housing 10. The fixing member 42 is formed in a flat plate shape and has a flat plate portion 42c facing the member 43 to be measured and to which the temperature sensor 41 is attached. The material of the fixing member 42 is resin or metal. The fixing member 42 is preferably made of a resin or the like having a low thermal conductivity, but may be made of a metal having a higher thermal conductivity than the resin. The method of fixing the fixing member 42 to the housing 10 is performed by the following method, for example. As shown in FIG. 5, the fixing member 42 has a bent portion 42d that is bent toward the rear wall portion 10c at the upper portion of the flat plate portion 42c, and the bent portion 42d is screwed to the rear wall portion 10c with a screw 45. As a result, the fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10. Alternatively, the fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10 by welding the bent portion 42d to the back wall portion 10c. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the fixing member 42 has a bent portion 42e bent toward the protection member 11 side at the upper portion of the flat plate portion 42c, and the bent portion 42e is screwed to the protection member 11 with a screw 45. As a result, the fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10. Alternatively, the fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10 by welding the bent portion 42e to the protection member 11. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the fixing member 42 has a bent portion 42f bent toward the front wall portion 10a side in the upper portion of the flat plate portion 42c, and the bent portion 42f is attached to the top panel 10e by a screw 45. The fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10 by being screwed. Alternatively, the fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10 by welding the bent portion 42f to the top panel 10e. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, the fixing member 42 has a hook-shaped portion 42g that is bent toward the front wall portion 10a side in the upper portion of the flat plate portion 42c. The fixing member 42 is fixed to the housing 10 by hooking the hook-shaped portion 42g on the heat exchanger 33 and sandwiching the hook-shaped portion 42g between the heat exchanger 33 and the top panel 10e.

The member to be measured 43 is a member whose surface temperature is changed by the temperature of the outside air and whose surface temperature is detected by the temperature sensor 41. The member 43 to be measured is installed outside the housing 10 so as to face the temperature sensor 41. As shown in FIG. 2, the member to be measured 43 has an attachment portion 43a fixed to the protection member 11 and a measurement portion 43b to be measured by the temperature sensor 41. As shown in FIG. 2, the member to be measured 43 is integrally formed with a rectangular measuring portion 43b and a mounting portion 43a formed on a side portion of the measuring portion 43b smaller than the measuring portion 43b. ing. However, the member 43 to be measured has only to have the measuring portion 43b, and the mounting portion 43a may have another shape. For example, the member 43 to be measured may be a simple component in which the mounting portion 43a and the measuring portion 43b are integrated and formed into a flat plate having a single thickness. The material of the measured member 43 is resin, ceramic, or metal.

The temperature sensor 41 is attached to the fixing member 42, and is installed in the housing 10 by the fixing member 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat plate portion 42c of the fixing member 42 is arranged between the suction side of the heat exchanger 33 and the rear wall portion 10c. The temperature sensor 41 is arranged on the outer side wall 42b of the fixing member 42, which is opposite to the inner side wall 42a of the fixing member 42 facing the heat exchanger 33. In FIG. 4, a gap having a distance LD is formed between the fixing member 42 and the heat exchanger 33. However, it is not always necessary to form a gap between the fixing member 42 and the heat exchanger 33, and the fixing member 42 and the heat exchanger 33 may abut. Further, it suffices that the temperature detecting portion of the temperature sensor 41 faces the member to be measured 43, the fixing member 42 fixes a part of the temperature sensor 41, and the temperature sensor 41 and the heat exchanger 33 contact each other. You may contact. The member to be measured 43 is attached to the lattice-shaped portion 11b of the protection member 11, and is installed outside the housing 10 outside the back wall portion 10c in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the housing 10. In the case of the housing 10 in which the back wall portion 10c is arranged between the temperature sensor 41 and the member to be measured 43, the temperature sensor 41 can directly measure the temperature of the member to be measured 43. Therefore, an opening may be formed in the back wall portion 10c.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing design dimensions in the outdoor unit 100 of FIG. In FIG. 9, the distance LA represents the distance between the heat exchanger 33 and the outer surface portion of the measured member 43 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. The outer surface of the member to be measured 43 is a wall 43d that constitutes the member to be measured 43, and the wall 43d is opposite to the wall 43c that constitutes a surface of the member to be measured 43 that faces the temperature sensor 41. Make up the side surface. The wall portion 43d of the member to be measured 43 is arranged in the temperature sensor 41, the fixing member 42, and the member to be measured 43 at a position farthest from the housing 10 in the outward direction. The distance LB represents the distance between the heat exchanger 33 and the member to be measured 43 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100, and the outside temperature is measured by the side surface of the heat exchanger 33 and the temperature sensor 41. It represents the distance to the detected part. The distance LC represents the thickness dimension of the measured member 43 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. Therefore, the design dimension of the outdoor unit 100 is distance LA=distance LB+distance LC.

Further, in FIG. 9, the distance LD represents the distance between the heat exchanger 33 and the fixing member 42 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. The heat exchanger 33 and the fixing member 42 may be in contact with each other as described above. Therefore, the distance LD between the heat exchanger 33 and the fixing member 42 may be zero. The distance LE represents the total thickness of the temperature sensor 41 and the fixing member 42 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. The distance LF represents the distance between the temperature sensor 41 and the inner wall of the back wall portion 10c in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100, and how much the temperature sensor 41 is inside the housing 10. Is a distance that represents. The distance LG is the distance between the outer wall of the back wall portion 10c and the member to be measured 43 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100, and how much the measuring surface of the member to be measured 43 is the housing 10. It is a distance that indicates whether it needs to be installed outside. The distance LH represents a wall thickness dimension between the inner wall and the outer wall of the back wall portion 10c in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. Therefore, the design dimensions of the outdoor unit 100 are distance LD≧0, distance LE>0, distance LF≧0, distance LG≧0, distance LH>0, distance LB=distance LD+distance LE+distance LF+distance LG+distance LH. ..

The distance LI is the distance between the temperature sensor 41 and the measured member 43 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. Therefore, the design dimension of the outdoor unit 100 is distance LI=distance LF+distance LH+distance LG. The distance LJ is the distance between the heat exchanger 33 and the back wall portion 10c in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 100. Since the outdoor unit 100 uses the non-contact type temperature sensor 41, it is not affected by the radiant heat of the heat exchanger 33. Therefore, the design dimension of the outdoor unit 100 should be distance LJ>distance LD. You can

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing design dimensions of a conventional outdoor unit 150 including a contact type temperature sensor. An example of the outdoor unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10 in comparison with an example of the outdoor unit 150 including a contact-type outdoor air temperature sensor. As with the outdoor unit 100, the outdoor unit 150 has a heat exchanger 133 installed in the housing 110. The outdoor unit 150 has a temperature sensor 141 and a fixing member 142. It is assumed that the outdoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 150 are different in the configuration of the temperature detecting portion and have the same positional relationship between the heat exchanger and the housing.

The temperature sensor 141 is a contact-type temperature sensor such as a thermistor. The fixing member 142 is formed in a flat plate shape, and fixes the temperature sensor 141 to the outside of the housing 10 in order to avoid the influence of radiant heat from the heat exchanger 133. As shown in FIG. 10, the temperature sensor 141 is installed inside the fixing member 142.

The distance PB shown in FIG. 10 represents the distance between the heat exchanger 133 and the temperature sensor 141 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 150. Since the temperature sensor 141 is a contact-type temperature sensor, it is arranged at an appropriate distance that is not affected by the radiant heat from the heat exchanger 133. The distance PC represents the distance between the heat exchanger 133 and the fixing member 142 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 150. The fixing member 142 also has the contact-type temperature sensor 141 arranged therein, and thus is arranged at an appropriate distance that is not affected by the radiant heat from the heat exchanger 133.

As shown in FIG. 10, the temperature sensor 141 is arranged inside the fixing member 142. The distance PD represents the distance between the outer wall of the fixed member 142 and the temperature sensor 141 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 150. In other words, the distance PD represents the thickness dimension between the outer wall and the temperature sensor 141 in the wall portion of the fixing member located on the side opposite to the wall portion of the fixing member facing the housing 110. The distance PE represents the distance between the outer walls forming the temperature sensor 141 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 150, and represents the wall thickness dimension of the temperature sensor 141. The distance PF represents the distance between the outer wall of the fixed member 142 and the temperature sensor 141 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 150, and is the outer wall of the wall of the fixed member 142 facing the housing 110. The thickness dimension between the temperature sensor 141 and the temperature sensor 141 is shown. The distance PA represents the distance between the heat exchanger 133 and the outer side surface portion of the fixing member 142 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the outdoor unit 150. The outer side surface portion of the fixing member 142 is a wall portion 142b that forms the fixing member 142, and the wall portion 142b is on the opposite side of the wall portion 142a that forms a surface of the fixing member 142 that faces the heat exchanger 133. Make up a surface. The wall portion 142b of the fixing member 142 is arranged in the temperature sensor 141 and the fixing member 142 at a position farthest from the housing 10 in the outward direction.

Here, attention is paid to the dimensions of the portions of the outdoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 150 that are most protruded from the casing 10 and the casing 110. Therefore, when the distance LA between the heat exchanger 33 and the outer side surface of the measured member 43 is equal to the distance PA between the heat exchanger 133 and the outer side surface of the fixing member 142 (distance LA=distance PA). First, the difference in configuration between the outdoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 150 will be examined.

When the configuration of the outdoor unit 100 is the distance LA=the distance PA, the relationship between the distance LB between the heat exchanger 33 and the member to be measured 43 and the distance PB between the heat exchanger 133 and the temperature sensor 141. Is distance LB=distance LA-distance LC, distance PB=distance PA-distance PD-distance PE. When the measured member 43 of the outdoor unit 100 and the outer wall thickness of the fixing member 142 of the outdoor unit 150 are parts having the same thickness, the distance LC can be designed to be the distance PD. In this case, from the distance LA=distance PA, the distance LA=distance LB+distance LC, the distance PA=distance PB+distance PD+distance PE, the distance PE becomes the thickness dimension of the temperature sensor 141, and the distance LB>distance PB. Therefore, the outdoor unit 100 can take a distance from the heat exchanger 33 to the measurement point, and the measurement point is less affected by the radiant heat of the heat exchanger 33, and the detection accuracy of the outside air temperature is improved. To do.

Next, regarding the outdoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 150, attention is paid to the distance between the heat exchanger and the location where the outside air temperature is measured. Therefore, when the distance LB between the heat exchanger 33 and the member to be measured 43 and the distance PB between the heat exchanger 133 and the temperature sensor 141 are made equal (distance LB=distance PB), the outdoor unit 100 The difference in configuration between the outdoor unit 150 and the outdoor unit 150 will be examined. Here, when the distance LB=the distance PB, the distance LA between the heat exchanger 33 and the outer side surface of the member 43 to be measured is set to the distance LA=the distance LB+the distance LC, and the heat exchanger 133 and the fixing member 142. The distance PA to the outer side surface of the is defined as distance PA=distance PB+distance PD+distance PE. When the measured member 43 of the outdoor unit 100 and the outer wall thickness of the fixing member 142 of the outdoor unit 150 are parts having the same thickness, the distance LC can be designed to be the distance PD. In this case, distance LB=distance PB, distance LB=distance LA-distance LC, distance PB=distance PA-distance PD-distance PE, distance PE that is the thickness dimension of temperature sensor 141, distance LA<distance PA. Become. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 100, the distance LA between the heat exchanger 33 and the outer surface of the member to be measured 43 can be made smaller, and the dimension of the portion most protruding from the casing 10 is the casing of the outdoor unit 150. The size can be made smaller than the size of the most protruding portion from 110. Therefore, the outdoor unit 100 can reduce the protruding portion as compared with the outdoor unit 150, and can reduce the installation space.

[Air conditioner]
FIG. 11: is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the air conditioner 1 using the outdoor unit 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. In FIG. 11, solid arrows indicate the flow of the refrigerant during the cooling operation in the air conditioner 1, and dotted arrows indicate the flow of the refrigerant during the heating operation in the air conditioner 1. The air conditioner 1 of FIG. 11 includes an outdoor unit 100 and an indoor unit 200, and the outdoor unit 100 and the indoor unit 200 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 300 and a refrigerant pipe 400. In the air conditioner 1, the compressor 31, the flow path switching device 32, the heat exchanger 33, the expansion valve 34, and the indoor heat exchanger 35 are sequentially connected via the refrigerant pipe. The air conditioner 1 can be realized by switching the heating operation or the cooling operation by switching the flow of the refrigerant using the flow path switching device 32 of the outdoor unit 100. The configuration of the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 11 is an example, and for example, the air conditioner 1 of FIG. 11 may be provided with a muffler, an accumulator and the like.

The outdoor unit 100 includes a compressor 31, a flow path switching device 32, a heat exchanger 33, and an expansion valve 34. The compressor 31 compresses the discharged refrigerant as described above and discharges it. The flow path switching device 32 is, for example, a four-way valve, and is a device that switches the direction of the flow path of the refrigerant. The air conditioner 1 can realize the heating operation or the cooling operation by switching the flow of the refrigerant using the flow path switching device 32. The heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air (outdoor air). The heat exchanger 33 functions as an evaporator during heating operation, and evaporates and vaporizes the refrigerant. Further, the heat exchanger 33 functions as a condenser during the cooling operation, condensing and liquefying the refrigerant. A blower 36 is provided near the heat exchanger 33 so as to face the heat exchanger 33. The expansion valve 34 is a throttle device (flow rate control means), and functions as an expansion valve by adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the expansion valve 34, and decompresses the refrigerant that has flowed in. For example, when the expansion valve 34 is composed of an electronic expansion valve or the like, the opening degree is adjusted based on an instruction from a control device (not shown) or the like.

The indoor unit 200 has an indoor heat exchanger 35. The indoor heat exchanger 35 exchanges heat between the air to be air-conditioned and the refrigerant. The indoor heat exchanger 35 functions as a condenser during heating operation and condenses and liquefies the refrigerant. In addition, the indoor heat exchanger 35 functions as an evaporator during the cooling operation to evaporate and vaporize the refrigerant. An indoor blower 37 is provided near the indoor heat exchanger 35 so as to face the indoor heat exchanger 35.

As described above, the outdoor unit 100 indirectly detects the outside air temperature by the temperature sensor 41 measuring the temperature of the measured member 43. Therefore, the outside air temperature can be measured without being affected by the radiant heat of the heat exchanger and the transferred heat of the fixing member 42 of the temperature sensor.

Further, in a conventional outdoor unit having a contact type temperature sensor such as a thermistor, the temperature sensor and the fixed part and the heat exchanger are protected from being affected by the heat generated by the heat exchanger. There needs to be a proper gap between and. Therefore, in the conventional outdoor unit, a space for forming an appropriate gap between the temperature sensor and the fixed component and the heat exchanger is required in the housing, and the capacity of the housing increases. On the other hand, in the outdoor unit 100, the temperature sensor 41 measures the temperature of the measured member 43 to indirectly detect the outside air temperature. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a gap between the heat sensor 33 and the temperature sensor 41 and the fixing member 42, and the capacity of the housing 10 can be reduced. Further, in the outdoor unit 100, the temperature sensor 41 and the fixing member 42 can be installed in the housing 10, and the measuring portion 43b of the measured member 43 installed outside the housing 10 may have a simple shape. It is also possible to reduce the area that pops out to save space.

In addition, the outdoor unit has a temperature sensor such that the temperature sensor is installed outside the housing or the fixing member is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity so that the temperature sensor is not affected by the heat generated by the heat exchanger. Special design considerations are needed to protect the heat from heat. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 100 indirectly detects the outside air temperature by the temperature sensor 41 measuring the temperature of the measured member 43. Therefore, the outdoor unit 100 does not require design consideration for installing the temperature sensor 41 so as not to be affected by the heat generated by the heat exchanger 33, and the fixing member 42 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as metal. It is possible to adopt parts, and the degree of freedom in designing the outdoor unit 100 is improved.

Further, for example, it is conceivable to provide a radiation temperature sensor in an indoor unit of an air conditioner and indirectly measure the outside air temperature with a non-contact sensor for the surface temperature of a window or a wall. However, as a result of providing a temperature sensor in the indoor unit, it is unavoidable that the window or wall is the object to be measured, the distance between the temperature sensor and the object to be measured becomes large, and the temperature detection accuracy may deteriorate. .. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 100 indirectly detects the outside air temperature by the temperature sensor 41 measuring the temperature of the measured member 43 attached to the protection member 11. Therefore, the outdoor unit 100 can maintain the temperature detection accuracy without making the distance between the temperature sensor and the measured object too large as compared with the case where the window or the wall is used as the measured object. Further, the outdoor unit 100 can improve the detection accuracy of the outside air temperature by installing the measured member 43 outside the housing 10 and directly contacting the outside air.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in FIG. 2, the temperature measuring device 40 is arranged to face the upper left part of the heat exchanger 33, but the installation position of the temperature measuring device 40 is not limited to this position. It suffices that the temperature measuring device 40 be installed in the lattice-shaped portion 11b of the protection member 11, and may be arranged so as to face other portions such as the central portion and the lower right portion of the heat exchanger 33.

1 air conditioner, 10 case, 10a front wall part, 10a1 air outlet, 10b left side wall part, 10c rear wall part, 10c1 suction port, 10d right side wall part, 10e top panel, 10f bottom plate, 11 protective member, 11a Installation part, 11b Lattice part, 20 Machine room, 21 Blower room, 25 Control device, 31 Compressor, 32 Flow path switching device, 33 Heat exchanger, 34 Expansion valve, 35 Indoor heat exchanger, 36 Blower, 37 Room Blower, 40 Temperature measuring device, 41 Temperature sensor, 42 Fixed member, 42a Inner side wall, 42b Outer side wall, 42c Flat plate part, 42d Bent part, 42e Bent part, 42f Bent part, 42g Hook part, 43 Measured member, 43a Mounting part, 43b measuring part, 43c wall part, 43d wall part, 50 partition plate, 100 outdoor unit, 110 housing, 133 heat exchanger, 141 temperature sensor, 142 fixing member, 142a wall part, 142b wall part, 150 outdoor part Machine, 200 indoor unit, 300 refrigerant pipe, 400 refrigerant pipe.

Claims (7)

A casing that forms the outer shell of the outdoor unit,
A heat exchanger installed in the housing,
A non-contact type temperature sensor which is located on the suction side of the heat exchanger and is installed in the housing,
A member to be measured which is installed outside the housing so as to face the temperature sensor, the surface temperature is changed by the outside air temperature, and the surface temperature is detected by the temperature sensor,
Outdoor unit having. Installed at the air inlet formed in the housing, further comprising a protective member for protecting the heat exchanger,
The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the member to be measured is installed on the protection member. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing member that fixes the temperature sensor to the housing. The outdoor unit according to claim 3, wherein the fixing member is in contact with the heat exchanger. The outdoor unit according to claim 3, wherein the fixing member is made of metal. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is in contact with the heat exchanger. An air conditioner comprising the outdoor unit according to claim 1.

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