Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326786-B2
Application number	US-201816210783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2018
Priority date	Dec 5, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An air conditioner comprises a compressor configured to have an inlet, through which a refrigerant is sucked in, the sucked refrigerant being compressed by the compressor, and an outlet, through which the compressed refrigerant is discharged, a four-way valve configured to switch flow paths in cooling and heating operations, the four-way valve having a valve body, a D port protruding from the valve body in a first direction to be connected to the outlet, and an S port 26 protruding from the valve body in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, to be connected to the inlet, and a compressor pipe having a discharging pipe to connect the outlet and the D port and a sucking pipe to connect the inlet and the S port, one of the discharging pipe and the sucking pipe has two curved portions and the other has one curved portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner comprising:
a compressor having an accumulator having an inlet through which a refrigerant is sucked in and filtered in the accumulator, and a compressor body in which the sucked refrigerant is compressed, the compressor body having an outlet through which the compressed refrigerant is discharged;
a four-way valve configured to switch flow paths in a cooling operation and a heating operation, the four-way valve having a valve body, a D port protruding from the valve body in a first direction, and an S port protruding from the valve body in a second direction which is opposite of the first direction;
a discharging pipe to connect the outlet and the D port; and
a sucking pipe to connect the inlet and the S port,
wherein one of the discharging pipe and the sucking pipe has two curved portions and an other one of the discharging pipe and the sucking pipe has one curved portion, and the first direction and the second direction are inclined with respect to a top face of the compressor body, and
wherein a center axis of the D port and a center axis of the S port are formed at an angle with respect to a plane including a center axis of the inlet and a center axis of the outlet.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a center axis of the inlet and a center axis of the outlet are parallel to each other.

3. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a center axis of the D port and a center axis of the S port correspond to each other.

4. The air conditioner of claim 3 , wherein the D port and the S port respectively protrude from a center portion of the valve body.

5. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the valve body has a cylindrical shape, and the D port and the S port protrude in directions perpendicular to an axial direction of the valve body.

6. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the four-way valve is slantingly arranged such that the D port is positioned higher than the S port.

7. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the discharging pipe comprises a first linear pipe portion coupled to the D port, a second linear pipe portion coupled to the outlet, a third linear pipe portion extending between the first linear pipe portion and the second linear pipe portion, a first curved pipe portion to connect the first and third linear pipe portions, and a second curved pipe portion to connect the second and third linear pipe portions.

8. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the sucking pipe comprises a first linear pipe portion coupled to the S port, a second linear pipe portion coupled to the inlet, and a curved pipe portion to connect the first linear pipe portion and the second linear pipe portion.

9. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the four-way valve is slantingly arranged such that the S port is positioned higher than the D port.

10. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the S port and the D port are positioned at a corresponding height.

11. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein an angle between the first direction and the top face of the compressor is about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees.

12. An air conditioner comprising:
a compressor having an accumulator having an inlet through which a refrigerant is sucked in and filtered in the accumulator, and a compressor body in which the sucked refrigerant is compressed, the compressor body having an outlet through which the compressed refrigerant is discharged;
an outdoor heat exchanger;
an indoor heat exchanger; and
a four-way valve configured to switch flow paths in a cooling operation and a heating operation, the four-way valve having a valve body, a D port protruding from the valve body and directly coupled to the outlet, an S port protruding from the valve body and directly coupled to the inlet, a C port protruding from the valve body and coupled to the outdoor heat exchanger, and an E port protruding from the valve body and coupled to the indoor heat exchanger,
wherein a length between the D port and the S port is greater than or equal to a length between the outlet and the inlet, the D port is protruding from the valve body in a first direction, the S port is protruding from the valve body in a second direction opposite of the first direction, and the first direction and the second direction are inclined with respect to a top face of the compressor body, and
wherein a center axis of the D port and a center axis of the S port are formed at an angle with respect to a plane including a center axis of the inlet and a center axis of the outlet.

13. The air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein the S port is directly inserted and coupled to the inlet.

14. The air conditioner of claim 13 , wherein the four-way valve comprises a valve body having a cylindrical shape, wherein the D port protrudes in a first direction, which is perpendicular to an axial direction of the valve body, and wherein the S port comprises a first linear port portion protruding in a second direction opposite to the first direction, a second linear port portion coupled to the inlet, and a curved port portion to connect the first and second linear port portions.

15. The air conditioner of claim 14 , wherein the first linear port portion and the second linear port portion form an angle of about 20 degrees to about 90 degrees.

16. The air conditioner of claim 14 , further comprising:
an outdoor heat exchanger pipe to connect the outdoor heat exchanger and the C port, wherein the C port comprises a fourth linear port portion parallel to the first linear port portion, a fifth linear port portion coupled to the outdoor heat exchanger pipe, and a second curved port portion to connect the fourth linear port portion and the fifth linear port portion, and wherein the second curved port portion is bent in an opposite direction of the curved port portion.

17. The air conditioner of claim 14 , further comprising: an indoor heat exchanger pipe to connect the indoor heat exchanger and the E port, wherein the E port comprises a fourth linear port portion parallel to the first linear port portion, a fifth linear port portion coupled to the indoor heat exchanger pipe, and a second curved port portion to connect the fourth linear port portion and the fifth linear port portion, and wherein the second curved port portion is bent in an opposite direction of the curved port portion.

18. The air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein the D port is directly inserted and coupled to the outlet.

19. The air conditioner of claim 18 , wherein the four-way valve comprises a valve body having a cylindrical shape, wherein the D port comprises a first linear port portion protruding in a first direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the valve body, a second linear port portion coupled to the outlet, and a curved port portion to connect the first linear port portion and the second linear port portion.

20. The air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein an angle between the first direction and the top face of the compressor is about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Mun Sub
• Seo Hyeong Joon
• Lee Hyeong Jin
• Jung Du Han

Classifications

• F25B1/04

  with compressor of rotary type ({F25B1/005,} F25B1/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• F25B41/20

  Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) · CPC title

• F25B41/40

  Fluid line arrangements · CPC title

• F25B41/26

  of fluid flow reversing valves · CPC title

• F24F13/02 Primary

  Ducting arrangements · CPC title