OUTDOOR UNIT AND REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE

Provided is an outdoor unit providing: a housing; multiple heat transfer pipes; multiple fins arranged in a heat transfer pipe direction and provided at the multiple heat transfer pipes; header pipe assemblies each connected to both ends of each heat transfer pipe; a support bracket provided between an outermost one of the fins in the heat transfer pipe direction and each header pipe assembly to block air passage in a space provided with no fins and fixed to the housing to support the heat transfer pipes and the fins; and a fixing member attached to the support bracket and serving as a fixing position for fixing the support bracket to the housing, wherein the fixing member has an insulating portion for insulating the support bracket and the housing from each other.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/JP2018/014701, filed Apr. 6, 2018, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-078901, filed Apr. 12, 2017. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit and a refrigeration cycle device.

2. Related Art

A background art in the present technical field includes Japanese Patent No. 5403085. This publication describes a refrigeration device outdoor unit (see claim 1). The outdoor unit includes a heat exchanger (13) having multiple header pipe assemblies (34, 35), multiple fins (32) arranged at predetermined fin pitches between the multiple header pipe assemblies, and multiple heat transfer pipes (33) inserted into the multiple fins and connected to the multiple header pipe assemblies and having a greater clearance (IS1, IS2) than the fin pitch between the header pipe assembly and the fin (32p, 32q) adjacent to each other; a casing component arranged facing at least one of the multiple header pipe assemblies and surrounding part of the heat exchanger; and a seal member (51, 52, 53, 54) attached to the casing component and configured deformable by pressing against the header pipe assembly and the fin around the clearance facing the casing component to close the clearance. The casing component includes a first casing component (25, 24) arranged on a windward side of the heat exchanger. The seal member includes a first seal member (51, 53) attached to the first casing component and arranged on a windward side of the clearance.

SUMMARY

An outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing; multiple heat transfer pipes; multiple fins arranged in a heat transfer pipe direction and provided at the multiple heat transfer pipes; header pipe assemblies each connected to both ends of each heat transfer pipe; a support bracket provided between an outermost one of the fins in the heat transfer pipe direction and each header pipe assembly to block air passage in a space provided with no fins and fixed to the housing to support the heat transfer pipes and the fins; and a fixing member attached to the support bracket and serving as a fixing position for fixing the support bracket to the housing, wherein the fixing member has an insulating portion for insulating the support bracket and the housing from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a refrigeration cycle system diagram of a refrigeration cycle device according to a first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an internal state in which a top plate of an outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment is detached;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a front view A and a side view B of an outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a header pipe assembly on a machine chamber side of the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a support bracket of the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main portion of a fixing portion between the support bracket and a housing in the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a partial front view A and a partial side view B of fixing members 70 provided at the support bracket of the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIGS. 8A to 8D are a front view A of the fixing member of the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment, a left side view B of A, a right side view C of A, and an upper view D of A;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the structure of attachment of the fixing member to a support target portion according to the first embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIGS. 10A to 10D are a front view A of a fixing member of an outdoor unit according to a variation of the first embodiment as the present embodiment, a left side view B of A, a right side view C of A, and an upper view D of A;

FIGS. 11A to 11D are a front view A of a fixing member of an outdoor unit according to a second embodiment as the present embodiment, a left side view B of A, a right side view C of A, and an upper view D of A;

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the structure of attachment of the fixing member to a support target portion according to the second embodiment as the present embodiment;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are a plan view A of a lower end portion of a support bracket when the fixing members are attached to the support target portions in the outdoor unit according to the second embodiment as the present embodiment and a right side view B of A;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are a plan view A of a lower end portion of a support bracket when a fixing member is attached to support target portions in an outdoor unit according to a third embodiment as the present embodiment and a right side view B of A;

FIGS. 15A to 15C are a front view A of a first fixing portion of the fixing member of the outdoor unit according to the third embodiment as the present embodiment, a left side view B of A, and an upper view C of A; and

FIGS. 16A to 16C are a front view A of a first fixing portion 91 of a fixing member of an outdoor unit according to a variation of the third embodiment as the present embodiment, a left side view B of A, and an upper view C of A.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

Japanese Patent No. 5403085 describes the first seal member. The first seal member functions to reduce air not passing through the fins. However, Japanese Patent No. 5403085 fails to consider that the heat exchanger is supported on and fixed to the housing of the outdoor unit by the first seal member.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, an object thereof is to provide an outdoor unit fixable to a housing without corrosion of a support bracket supporting a heat transfer pipe and a fin and blocking air not passing through the fin.

For solving the above-described problem, one embodiment of the present disclosure is an outdoor unit including a housing, multiple heat transfer pipes, multiple fins arranged in a heat transfer pipe direction and provided at the multiple heat transfer pipes, header pipe assemblies each connected to both ends of each heat transfer pipe, a support bracket provided between the outermost one of the fins in the heat transfer pipe direction and each header pipe assembly to block air passage in a space provided with no fins and fixed to the housing to support the heat transfer pipes and the fins, and a fixing member attached to the support bracket and serving as a fixing position for fixing the support bracket to the housing. The fixing member has an insulating portion for insulating the support bracket and the housing from each other.

According to the present embodiment, the outdoor unit fixable to the housing without corrosion of the support bracket can be provided.

Other problems, configurations, and advantageous effects than those described above will be more apparent from description of embodiments below.

Hereinafter, the present embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a refrigeration cycle system diagram of a refrigeration cycle device 100 of the present embodiment. The refrigeration cycle device 100 includes an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2, and the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 2 are connected to each other by refrigerant pipes (a liquid-side connection pipe 3 and a gas-side connection pipe 4).

The outdoor unit 1 includes, for example, an accumulator 5, a compressor 6, a four-way valve 7, an outdoor heat exchanger 8, and a first expansion valve 9. Moreover, a liquid stop valve 10 connected to the liquid-side connection pipe 3 and a gas stop valve 11 connected to the gas-side connection pipe 4 are provided.

The indoor unit 2 includes, for example, an indoor heat exchanger 12 and a second expansion valve 13.

The refrigeration cycle device 100 is operated as follows in the case of performing air-cooling operation. High-temperature high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 6 is discharged from the compressor 6 together with refrigerator oil. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 8 through the four-way valve 7, and is condensed and liquified by heat exchange with, e.g., outdoor air. The condensed liquified refrigerant passes through the first expansion valve 9 in a fully-open state, and is sent to the indoor unit 2 through the liquid stop valve 10 and the liquid-side connection pipe 3. The liquid refrigerant having flowed into the indoor unit 2 is depressurized and expanded by the second expansion valve 13, and accordingly, turns into a low-temperature low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase flow. Such a flow enters the indoor heat exchanger 12. In the indoor heat exchanger 12, the flow cools a utilization-side medium such as indoor air by heat exchange with the utilization-side medium, and the flow itself is evaporated and vaporized. Thereafter, the gas refrigerant passes through the gas-side connection pipe 4, and returns to the compressor 6 through the gas stop valve 11, the four-way valve 7, and the accumulator 5. Such a refrigeration cycle is configured as described above. It is configured such that extra refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle is stored in the accumulator 5 and the operation pressure and temperature of the refrigeration cycle are held in a normal state.

The refrigeration cycle device 100 is operated as follows in the case of performing air-heating operation. High-temperature high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 6 is discharged from the compressor 6 together with refrigerator oil. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger 12 of the indoor unit 2 through the four-way valve 7, the gas stop valve 11, and the gas-side connection pipe 4. In the indoor heat exchanger 12, the refrigerant heats a utilization-side medium such as indoor air by heat exchange with the utilization-side medium, and the refrigerant itself is condensed and liquified. The condensed liquified refrigerant is depressurized by the first expansion valve 9 through the liquid-side connection pipe 3 and the liquid stop valve 10, and is evaporated and vaporized by heat exchange with a heat source medium such as outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 8. The evaporated vaporized refrigerant returns to the compressor 6 through the four-way valve 7 and the accumulator 5. Such a refrigeration cycle is configured as described above.

For example, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 forming the outdoor unit 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is normally placed inside a housing. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside of the outdoor unit 1 in a state in which a top plate is detached. The housing 20 of the outdoor unit 1 includes the top plate (not shown), a bottom plate 21, and side plates 22 to 25. An internal space of the housing 20 is divided into a heat exchange chamber 31 and a machine chamber 32 by a partition plate 26. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 and an air blower 30 are arranged in the heat exchange chamber 31, and the accumulator 5, the compressor 6, etc. are arranged in the machine chamber 32. The side plates 22 to 25 are a machine-chamber-side front plate 22, a machine-chamber-side back plate 23, a heat-exchange-chamber-side front plate 24, and a heat-exchange-chamber-side back plate 25. The machine chamber 32 is formed by the machine-chamber-side front plate 22, the machine-chamber-side back plate 23, and the partition plate 26. On the other hand, the heat exchange chamber 31 includes the heat-exchange-chamber-side front plate 24 and the heat-exchange-chamber-side back plate 25, and further includes suction ports 27, 28 each provided between the machine-chamber-side back plate 23 and the heat-exchange-chamber-side back plate 25 and between the heat-exchange-chamber-side front plate 24 and the heat-exchange-chamber-side back plate 25. The suction ports 27, 28 are air suction ports. Further, an exhaust port 29 for discharging air heat-exchanged by the outdoor heat exchanger 8 through a front surface of the outdoor unit 1 is provided at the heat-exchange-chamber-side front plate 24. With such a structure, air sucked through the suction ports 27, 28 provided at back and side surfaces of the outdoor unit 1 can be, by the air blower 30, discharged to the outside of the outdoor unit 1 through the exhaust port 29 provided at the outdoor unit front surface after the air has been heat-exchanged by the outdoor heat exchanger 8.

The outdoor heat exchanger 8 in the refrigeration cycle device (an air-conditioner) 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes, in the present embodiment, multiple aluminum flat heat transfer pipes 43 arranged in an upper-to-lower direction between two header pipe assemblies 41, 42 made of aluminum (hereinafter including aluminum alloy) such that one ends thereof are coupled to one header pipe assembly 41 and the other ends thereof are coupled to the other header pipe assembly 42, and multiple aluminum fins 44 joined to the heat transfer pipes 43.

A configuration of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A is a front view of the outdoor heat exchanger 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 includes the header pipe assembly 41, the header pipe assembly 42, the multiple heat transfer pipes 43, and the multiple fins 44. Any of these components is an aluminum member, and these components are joined to each other by brazing (bending of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 of FIG. 2 is ignored in the figure).

The header pipe assembly 41 and the header pipe assembly 42 are formed in an elongated cylindrical shape closed at both ends, and are arranged at a predetermined interval such that a longitudinal direction thereof is the vertical direction. An aluminum gas pipe 45 as an inlet/outlet of gas refrigerant and an aluminum liquid pipe 46 as an inlet/outlet of liquid refrigerant are connected to the header pipe assembly 41.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the heat transfer pipes 43 are in an oval shape having a flat section in a transverse direction, and multiple refrigerant flow paths 47 are formed inside each heat transfer pipe 43. The multiple heat transfer pipes 43 are arranged in parallel in the upper-to-lower direction at certain intervals with long-side surfaces facing each other. One ends of the multiple heat transfer pipes 43 are connected to the header pipe assembly 41, and the other ends of the multiple heat transfer pipes 43 are connected to the header pipe assembly 42. The refrigerant flow paths inside the heat transfer pipes 43 are connected to the header pipe assembly 41 and the header pipe assembly 42.

The fin 44 is in such a vertically-elongated plate shape that cutouts are formed by pressing, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 has such a structure that the heat transfer pipes 43 are inserted into the fins 44. An interval between adjacent ones of the fins 44, i.e., a so-called fin pitch, is about 1.5 mm, for example. On the other hand, an interval between the header pipe assembly 41, 42 and the outermost fin 44 adjacent to the header pipe assembly 41, 42 is, for example, about 20 mm, and is equal to or greater than ten times as great as the fin pitch. Thus, air is more likely to flow toward the peripheries of the header pipe assemblies 41, 42 and a portion between each header pipe assembly 41, 42 and the outermost fin 44 as compared to a portion between adjacent ones of the fins 44.

A support bracket 51 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) configured to block an air flow is provided between the header pipe assembly 41 and the outer fin 44 closest to the header pipe assembly 41. Similarly, a support bracket 52 (see FIG. 2) configured to block an air flow is provided between the header pipe assembly 42 and the outer fin 44 closest to the header pipe assembly 42. Hereinafter, the support brackets 51, 52 configured to block the air flow at the peripheries of the header pipe assemblies 41, 42 and the portion between each header pipe assembly 41, 42 and the outermost fin 44 will be described (an example of the support bracket 51 will be mainly described). The support bracket 51 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) and the support bracket 52 (see FIG. 2) have the same structure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the header pipe assembly 41 on a machine chamber 32 side, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the support bracket 51. The support bracket 51 is provided with holes 63 for insertion of the heat transfer pipes 43 (see FIG. 5), and are arranged closer to a fin 44 side between the header pipe assembly 41 and the fin 44. Moreover, the support bracket 51 includes support target portions 61, 62, and the transverse sectional shape of the support bracket 51 including the support target portions 61, 62 is in a backwards C-shape to sandwich the heat transfer pipes 43. Needless to say, such a sectional shape may be various shapes such as a U-shape and a V-shape as long as the air flow can be blocked. The support bracket 51 is made of aluminum, and is joined to the heat transfer pipes 43 or the header pipe assembly 41 at the same time as joining of each member of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 by brazing. At each of the support target portions 61, 62, multiple fixing members 70 (described later) for fixing to the machine-chamber-side back plate 23 (FIG. 2) and the partition plate 26 (FIG. 2) are provided according to the height of the support bracket 51. Further, an auxiliary member 39 is provided between adjacent ones of the fixing members 70 arranged in the upper-to-lower direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, on the machine chamber 32 side, the support target portion 61 of the support bracket 51 positioned upstream of air flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is fixed to and supported on the machine-chamber-side back plate 23 of the housing 20, and the support target portion 62 of the support bracket 51 positioned downstream is fixed to and supported on the partition plate 26.

Further, on a heat exchange chamber 31 side, a support target portion 64 of the support bracket 52 (having a configuration similar to that of the support bracket 51) positioned upstream of the air flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is fixed to the heat-exchange-chamber-side front plate 24 of the housing 20, and a downstream support target portion 65 is fixed to a wind shield 35.

As described above, the support bracket 51, 52 has, as a single component, both of the function of blocking air passage through a portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 not attached to the fin 44 (accordingly improving the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 8) and the function of fixing the outdoor heat exchanger 8 to the housing 20 of the outdoor unit 1. Thus, the number of components can be reduced.

However, the support brackets 51, 52 are made of aluminum. Thus, when the support brackets 51, 52 are not insulated from the housing 20, which is for example made of steel, of the outdoor unit 1, there is a disadvantage that corrosion is easily accelerated.

For this reason, the technique of reducing corrosion of the support brackets 51, 52 will be described below.

Note that the support bracket 52 (including the support target portions 64, 65 and having a configuration similar to that of the support bracket 51) on the heat exchange chamber 31 side also preferably includes a corrosion reduction technique similar to that of the support bracket 51, but the support bracket 51 will be mainly described below.

The fixing member 70 realizes the technique of reducing corrosion, and will be described in detail below. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the fixing members 70 are provided at leg portions, top portions, and middle portions of the support target portions 61, 62, for example. The fixing member 70 includes an insulating portion made of an insulating material (e.g., a resin material), and serves as a fixing position for fixing the support bracket 51 to the housing 20.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main portion of a fixing portion between the support bracket 51 and the housing 20. As illustrated in this figure, the support target portion 61 on an upstream side of air and the machine-chamber-side back plate 23 of the housing 20 are fixed to each other by a screw 38 through the fixing member 70. Moreover, the support target portion 62 on a downstream side and the partition plate 26 are fixed to each other by a screw 38 through the fixing member 70.

FIG. 7A is a partial front view of the fixing members 70 provided at the support bracket 51, and FIG. 7B is a side view of such a fixing member 70. FIG. 8(A) is a front view of the fixing member 70, FIG. 8B is a left side view of FIG. 8A, FIG. 8C is a right side view of FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8D is an upper view of FIG. 8A. FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the structure of attachment of the fixing member 70 to the support target portion 61.

As illustrated mainly in FIG. 8A, the fixing member 70 is, for example, a rectangular plate-shaped member as viewed from the front, and includes a first fixing portion 71 functioning as an insulating portion made of an insulating material such as resin. Thick recessed grooves 75 having a recessed shape at center portions are formed at upper, right, and lower surfaces of the first fixing portion 71. Moreover, a rectangular pocket-shaped recessed portion 74 is formed further inside the recessed groove 75 with an opening 74a being formed at a left surface. Further, screw holes 72 penetrate, corresponding to the position of the recessed portion 74, the first fixing portion 71 from a front surface to a back surface thereof.

A second fixing portion 36 having a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the rectangular pocket shape of the recessed portion 74 and made of metal such as steel is housed in the recessed portion 74 through the opening 74a. A screw hole 37 penetrates, e.g., a center portion of the second fixing portion 36, and when the second fixing portion 36 is housed in the recessed portion 74, the positions of the screw holes 72 and the screw hole 37 are coincident with each other.

When the fixing member 70 is attached to the support target portion 61 (the same applies to the support target portion 62), the second fixing portion 36 is housed in the recessed portion 74 of the first fixing portion 71, and the fixing member 70 is completed (prepared in a complete state in advance).

As illustrated in FIG. 9, a rectangular cutout 66 is formed on a tip end side of the support target portion 61, and the shape of an edge portion of the inner periphery of the cutout 66 fits the shape of the recessed groove 75. The recessed groove 75 engages with the edge portion of the inner periphery of the cutout 66, so that the fixing member 70 can be attached to the support target portion 61. Upon screwing with the screw 38 (see FIG. 6) as described above, the screw 38 is inserted into the cutout 66. The position of attachment of the fixing member 70 to the support target portion 61 is the position of screwing to each of the machine-chamber-side back plate 23 and the partition plate 26 (the position of the screw hole at each of the machine-chamber-side back plate 23 and the partition plate 26). When the housing 20 and the support target portions 61, 62 are screwed to each other as described above, the second fixing portion 36 and the support bracket 51 are insulated from each other by the first fixing portion 71. Note that the shape of the fixing member 70 is not limited to the rectangular shape, and may be various shapes. The same applies to the shape of the recessed groove 75 of the fixing member 70 and the shape of the second fixing portion 36 (the recessed portion 74).

As described above, the fixing members 70 are provided at multiple spots in a height direction of the support target portions 61, 62. Moreover, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7D and FIG. 5, the auxiliary member 39 projecting in the same outward direction as that of the fixing member 70 laterally extending from the support target portion 61, 62 is provided between adjacent ones of the fixing members 70 in the upper-to-lower direction. The auxiliary member 39 is made of resin or other insulating materials, and is provided by bonding or other methods. The auxiliary member 39 preferably projects laterally from the support target portion 61, 62 to an extent similar to that of the fixing member 70. Alternatively, the auxiliary member 39 may form part of the support target portion 61, 62.

According to the above-described embodiment, the fixing member 70 includes the insulating portion (the first fixing portion 71) configured to insulate the support bracket 51 and the housing 20 of the outdoor unit 1 from each other, and the fixing member 70 is the position of fixing to the housing 20. Thus, corrosion of the support bracket 51 can be prevented.

The fixing member 70 includes the second fixing portion 36, and the second fixing portion 36 allows screwing of the support bracket 51 to the housing 20. Since the second fixing portion 36 does not contact the support bracket 51 even upon screwing, corrosion of the support bracket 51 due to the second fixing portion 36 can be prevented.

Since the fixing member 70 is attached to the cutout 66 of the support target portion 61, 62, projection of the fixing member 70 from the support target portion 61, 62 can be reduced, and the structure of attachment of the support bracket 51 to the housing 20 can be compactly formed.

Since the auxiliary members 39 are provided at the support target portions 61, 62, a clearance is less formed between adjacent ones of the fixing members 70. Thus, entrance of air into the support bracket 51 can be reduced, and the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 8 can be improved.

[Variation of First Embodiment]

In the present variation, the same reference numerals are used to represent, e.g., members common to those of the above-described first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 10A is a front view of the fixing member 70, FIG. 10B is a left side view of FIG. 10A, FIG. 10C is a right side view of FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10D is an upper view of FIG. 10A. A difference of the present variation from the first embodiment is that the screw hole 72 formed at the first fixing portion 71 does not penetrate the fixing member 70 and a tip end of the screw 38 (FIG. 6) remains in the middle of the fixing member 70. In an example of FIGS. 10A to 10D, a tip end portion 72a of the screw hole 72 remains in the middle of the first fixing portion 71. Note that the screw hole 72 may remain in the second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 9).

As described above, the screw hole 72 does not penetrate the fixing member 70, and the tip end of the screw 38 (FIG. 6) remains in the fixing member 70. Thus, when the fixing member 70 is screwed to the housing 20, no iron powder generated from the second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 9) or the screw 38 (FIG. 6) does not come out of the fixing member 70. Such iron powder drops onto the support bracket 51, and causes corrosion of the support bracket 51. Thus, corrosion of the support bracket 51 can be prevented.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to represent, e.g., members common to those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In an example of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment, portions 61a, 62a of the support target portions 61, 62 are exposed at the lowermost portions of the fixing members 70. Thus, these portions 61a, 62a contact a bottom portion (the bottom plate 21) of the housing 20 of the outdoor unit 1, leading to corrosion of the support bracket 51. For preventing such corrosion, an extra member configured to prevent corrosion is necessary.

For this reason, a fixing member 80 illustrated in FIGS. 11A to 11D is used for a bottom portion of a support bracket 51 instead of the fixing member 70. FIG. 11A is a front view of the fixing member 80, FIG. 11B is a left side view of FIG. 11A, FIG. 11C is a right side view of FIG. 11A, and FIG. 11D is an upper view of FIG. 11A.

The fixing member 80 is a rectangular plate-shaped member as viewed from the front, and includes a first fixing portion 81 functioning as an insulating portion made of an insulating material such as resin. Thick recessed grooves 85 having a recessed shape at center portions are formed at upper and right surfaces of the first fixing portion 81. Moreover, a rectangular pocket-shaped recessed portion 84 is formed further inside the recessed groove 85 with an opening 84a being formed at a left surface. Further, screw holes 82 penetrate, corresponding to the position of the recessed portion 84, the first fixing portion 81 from a front surface to a back surface thereof (does not necessarily penetrate as in the variation of the first embodiment).

A second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 9) having a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the rectangular pocket shape of the recessed portion 84 and made of metal such as steel is housed in the recessed portion 84 through the opening 84a. A screw hole 37 (FIG. 9) penetrates, e.g., a center portion of the second fixing portion 36, and when the second fixing portion 36 is housed in the recessed portion 84, the positions of the screw holes 82 and the screw hole 37 (FIG. 9) are coincident with each other.

A difference of the fixing member 80 from the fixing member 70 is that no recessed groove 85 is formed at a lower portion of the first fixing portion 81 and the entirety of a bottom portion of the fixing member 80 forms a bottom portion 83 forming part of the first fixing portion 81.

When the fixing member 80 is attached to a support target portion 61 (the same applies to a support target portion 62), the second fixing portion 36 is housed in the recessed portion 84 of the first fixing portion 81, and the fixing member 80 is completed (prepared in a complete state in advance).

A rectangular cutout 67 is formed at the lowermost end portion of the support target portion 61, 62 as illustrated in FIG. 12, and the shape of an edge portion of the inner periphery of the cutout 67 fits the shape of the recessed groove 85. Thus, the recessed groove 85 engages with the edge portion of the inner periphery of the cutout 67, so that the fixing member 80 can be attached to the support target portion 61, 62. Upon screwing with a screw 38 (FIG. 6) as in the case of the above-described fixing member 70, the screw 38 is inserted into the cutout 67.

FIG. 13A is a plan view of a lower end portion of the support bracket 51 when the fixing member 80 is attached to the support target portion 61, 62, and FIG. 13B is a right side view of FIG. 13A.

As clearly seen from FIGS. 13A and 13B, the lower end portion of the support bracket contacts a housing 20 of an outdoor unit 1 through the bottom portion 83 of the fixing member 80, and therefore, corrosion of the support bracket 51 is less caused.

In this state, the height of the support bracket 51 is increased by the bottom portion 83, and as illustrated in FIG. 13A, a space 89 is formed below the support bracket 51 to form an air passage. Thus, e.g., a spacer is preferably provided in the space 89 to close the space 89, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency of an outdoor heat exchanger 8.

Third Embodiment

A third embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to represent, e.g., members common to those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The present embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that a single fixing member 90 used instead of the fixing member 70 is attached to lower end portions of both of a support target portion 61 and a support target portion 62.

FIG. 14A is a plan view of a lower end portion of a support bracket 51 when the fixing member 90 is attached to the support target portions 61, 62, and FIG. 14B is a right side view of FIG. 14A.

FIG. 15A is a front view of a first fixing portion 91 of the fixing member 90, FIG. 15B is a left side view of FIG. 15A, and FIG. 15C is an upper view of FIG. 15A. The fixing member 90 has the first fixing portion 91 functioning as an insulating portion. The first fixing portion 91 has a bottom plate 96 having a width from the support target portion 61 to the support target portion 62, the width including later-described housing portions 94. Side plates 97 each stand from both side portions of the bottom plate 96. The housing portion 94 configured to house a second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 12) is formed on an inner surface of the side plate 97. The outer upper shape of a L-shaped raised member 95 (protruding inward of the first fixing portion 91) forming the housing portion 94 and protruding inward of the fixing member 90 from the side plate 97 fits an edge portion of a cutout 67 (FIG. 12). The housing portion 94 is not in a pocket shape, and no wall is present inside the fixing member 90. An inlet 94a serves as an inlet for housing the second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 12). The second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 12) is supported at the inner periphery of the raised member 95. A screw hole 92 is formed at each side plate 97. The position of the screw hole 92 is coincident with the position of a screw hole 37 when the second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 12) is housed in the housing portion 94 (a state in which the second fixing portion 36 is housed in the housing portion 94 is not shown in the figure). Note that the screw hole 92 may be present to the middle of the second fixing portion 36 and does not necessarily penetrate the first fixing portion 91 and the second fixing portion 36. Note that a screw 38 (FIG. 6) passes through the cutout 67, and does not contact the support target portion 61, 62.

The second fixing portion 36 (FIG. 12) is attached to the first fixing portion 91 as described above, a lower end side of the support bracket 51 is inserted into the first fixing portion 91, and the cutout 67(Fig. 12) of the support target portion 61, 62 is supported by the outer upper shape of the raised member 95. Thus, the fixing member 90 can be attached to the support bracket 51. Accordingly, the fixing member 90 covers the entirety of a bottom surface of the support bracket 51.

Note that unlike the first and second embodiments, the fixing member 90 is not configured to sandwich each of the support target portion 61 and the support target portion 62 from both sides thereof by the first fixing portion 91, but is configured such that the side plate 97 projects on the outside of each of the support target portion 61 and the support target portion 62.

As described above, the single fixing member 90 is attached to the lower end portions of both of the support target portion 61 and the support target portion 62, and therefore, an attachment process can be facilitated.

Moreover, the bottom plate 96 forming part of the first fixing portion 91 can contact the housing 20 of the outdoor unit 1, and therefore, corrosion of the support bracket 51 can be prevented.

Further, as compared to the cases of the first and second embodiments, the area of contact between the bottom surface of the support bracket 51 and the fixing member 90 is increased, and therefore, stability upon placement of an outdoor heat exchanger 8 is increased.

In addition, with the structure of covering the entirety of the bottom surface of the support bracket 51, a clearance between the support bracket 51 and the fixing member 90 is eliminated, and entrance of air into the support bracket 51 can be prevented.

[Variation of Third Embodiment]

In the present variation, the same reference numerals are used to represent, e.g., members common to those of the above-described third embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 16A is a front view of the first fixing portion 91 of the fixing member 90, FIG. 16B is a left side view of FIG. 16A, and FIG. 16C is an upper view of FIG. 16A.

A difference of the present variation from the third embodiment is that a planar portion 93 for supporting the entirety of the bottom surface of the support bracket 51 at an upper surface of the bottom plate 96 is in the same backwards C-shape as that of the bottom surface of the support bracket 51 as illustrated in FIG. 16A, and the inside of the planar portion 93 forms an inclined surface 98 inclined downward to an opening portion (the outside of the support bracket 51) of the backwards C-shape.

As described above, the inclined surface 98 inclined downward to the outside of the support bracket 51 is provided at the upper surface of the bottom plate 96. Thus, accumulation of rainwater etc. on the bottom plate 96 can be reduced, and corrosion of the support bracket 51 can be reduced.

Note that the present embodiments are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and include various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments are detailed description for the sake of clear description of the present embodiments, and are not limited to those including all configurations described above. Moreover, part of a configuration of a certain embodiment may be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment, or a configuration of another embodiment may be added to a configuration of a certain embodiment. Further, addition/omission/replacement of other configurations may be made to part of the configuration of each embodiment.

For example, two support target portions 61, 62 are provided at the support bracket 51, but three or more support target portions or a single support target portion may be provided.

Screwing is used for attachment of the support bracket 51 to the housing 20 of the outdoor unit 1, but other attachment methods may be used.

Moreover, the auxiliary members 39 may be provided on both sides of the support target portion 61, 62.

The foregoing detailed description has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the subject matter described herein to the precise form disclosed. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. An outdoor unit comprising:

a housing;
multiple heat transfer pipes;
multiple fins arranged in a heat transfer pipe direction and provided at the multiple heat transfer pipes;
header pipe assemblies each connected to both ends of each heat transfer pipe;
a support bracket provided between an outermost one of the fins in the heat transfer pipe direction and each header pipe assembly to block air passage in a space provided with no fins and fixed to the housing to support the heat transfer pipes and the fins; and
a fixing member attached to the support bracket and serving as a fixing position for fixing the support bracket to the housing,
wherein the fixing member has an insulating portion for insulating the support bracket and the housing from each other.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein

the fixing member includes a first fixing portion functioning as the insulating portion made of a material for insulating the support bracket and the housing from each other, and a second fixing portion provided as a metal member provided at the first fixing portion and provided with a screw hole corresponding to the first fixing portion, and
a screw is inserted into the screw hole to screw the fixing member and the housing to each other such that the second fixing portion does not contact the support bracket, and in such a state, the support bracket is fixed to the housing.

3. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein

a cutout is formed at the support bracket,
the fixing member is provided at the cutout, and
the screw is inserted into the cutout.

4. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein

a tip end of the screwed screw remains in a middle of the fixing member, and does not penetrate the fixing member.

5. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein

a lower end portion of the support bracket contacts the housing through the fixing member.

6. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein

the support bracket has multiple support target portions, and
the single fixing member is attached to a lower end portion of each support target portion.

7. The outdoor unit according to claim 6, wherein

the fixing member covers an entirety of a bottom surface of the support bracket.

8. The outdoor unit according to claim 6, wherein

an inclined surface inclined downward to an outside of the support bracket is provided at an upper surface of the fixing member between the support target portions.

9. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein

the fixing member includes multiple fixing members provided at multiple spots in a height direction of the support bracket, and
an auxiliary member projecting in a direction identical to that of the fixing member extending to an outside of the support bracket is provided between adjacent ones of the fixing members in an upper-to-lower direction.

10. A refrigeration cycle device comprising:

an indoor unit; and
the outdoor unit according to claim 1, the outdoor unit being connected to the indoor unit through a refrigerant pipe.
Patent History
Publication number: 20200011618
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 17, 2019
Publication Date: Jan 9, 2020
Inventors: Nagatoshi OKI (Tokyo), Shuuhei TADA (Tokyo), Takeshi ENDO (Tokyo)
Application Number: 16/572,774
Classifications
International Classification: F28F 9/10 (20060101); F28D 1/04 (20060101); F24F 1/14 (20060101);