Outdoor unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132512-B2
Application number	US-201415520597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2014
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An outdoor unit is an outdoor unit to which a refrigerant pipe used to circulate refrigerant between an indoor unit and the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit including a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger. The outdoor unit includes: a rectangular bottom panel disposed below the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the rectangular bottom panel supporting the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger; a peripheral panel disposed on a peripheral portion of the bottom panel and positioned upright on the bottom panel; a fixing panel disposed at a corner portion of the bottom panel to be located at an inner side of the peripheral panel and positioned upright on the bottom panel; and a valve which is fixed to the fixing panel and to which the refrigerant pipe is connected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An outdoor unit to which a refrigerant pipe, used to circulate refrigerant between an indoor unit and the outdoor unit, is connected, the outdoor unit comprising:
a compressor;
an outdoor heat exchanger;
a rectangular bottom panel disposed below the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger, the rectangular bottom panel supporting the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger;
a peripheral panel disposed on a peripheral portion of the bottom panel and positioned upright on the bottom panel;
a fixing panel disposed at a corner portion of the bottom panel to be located at an inner side of the peripheral panel, and positioned upright on the bottom panel; and
a valve which is fixed to the fixing panel and to which the refrigerant pipe is connected, wherein
an end portion of the outdoor heat exchanger is opposed to the peripheral panel,
the bottom panel includes a projection portion formed at a portion corresponding to the end portion of the outdoor heat exchanger, the projection portion projecting in a left-right direction,
the projection portion has, at an edge thereof, a tapered-shaped surface extending toward an edge portion, located below the valve, of the bottom panel, and
the peripheral panel extends along the edge portion of the projection portion.

2. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a blower annexed to the outdoor heat exchanger and configured to supply air to the outdoor unit; and
a partition plate disposed to separate a side at which the outdoor heat exchanger and the blower are disposed from a side at which the compressor and the valve are disposed, wherein
the fixing panel is configured to separate a space at a side at which the compressor is disposed from a space at a side at which the valve is disposed.

3. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , further comprising a cover disposed on the peripheral portion of the bottom panel and provided at a position opposed to the fixing panel to cover the valve, wherein
the cover has a lead out section formed to lead out the refrigerant pipe connected to the valve.

4. The outdoor unit of claim 3 , wherein the peripheral panel includes:
a side panel provided on the peripheral portion of the bottom panel and to which the cover is attached; and
a front panel having a side end portion at which the side panel is provided and the cover is attached, the front panel being disposed on the peripheral portion of the bottom panel.

5. The outdoor unit of claim 4 , further comprising a top panel provided on an upper end portion of the peripheral panel to cover an upper portion of the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein
each of the fixing panel, the cover, and the side panel is provided to extend from the bottom panel to the top panel.

6. The outdoor unit of claim 4 , wherein the front panel has a front surface cut portion formed at a lower side of an end portion thereof at the side panel side, the side panel has a side surface cut portion at a lower side of a side end portion of the front panel,
the fixing panel is provided to extend from the bottom panel side to a height position of upper ends of the front surface cut portion and the side surface cut portion, and the cover is provided at the front surface cut portion and the side surface cut portion.

7. The outdoor unit of claim 6 , further comprising a roof panel connected to an upper end portion of the fixing panel, the front surface cut portion, and the side surface cut portion and disposed above the valve.

8. The outdoor unit of claim 4 , wherein
the end portion of the outdoor heat exchanger is opposed to one side end portion of the side panel, and
the side panel extends along the edge portion of the projection portion.

9. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the bottom panel includes a forward-projecting projection portion formed at a side, at which the fixing panel is provided, of the peripheral portion, the forward-projecting projection portion projecting forward, and the valve is disposed above the forward-projecting projection portion.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Jinnai Hiroyuki
• Kubono Toshiyuki
• Yanase Tomoya
• Iwazaki Hiroshi

Classifications

• F24F13/20

  Casings or covers · CPC title

• F24F1/56

  Casing or covers of separate outdoor units, e.g. fan guards · CPC title

• F24F1/34

  Protection means thereof, e.g. covers for refrigerant pipes · CPC title

• F24F1/32 Primary

  for connecting the separate outdoor units to indoor units · CPC title

• F24F1/48 Primary

  characterised by air airflow, e.g. inlet or outlet airflow · CPC title