Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326788-B2
Application number	US-201816965384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2018
Priority date	Feb 28, 2018
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit, a heat medium relay unit, and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit is installed in an outdoor space, which is a space outside a building including an air-conditioned space. The heat medium relay unit is installed in the outdoor space, and includes a housing that accommodates an intermediate heat exchanger. The indoor unit includes a load heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air and a heat medium. The housing is installed to the outer wall of the building.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:
an outdoor unit installed in an outdoor space, the outdoor unit including a heat-source heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between outside air and refrigerant, the outdoor space being a space outside a building including an air-conditioned space;
a heat medium relay unit installed in the outdoor space, the heat medium relay unit including an intermediate heat exchanger and a housing, the intermediate heat exchanger being configured to exchange heat between a heat medium and the refrigerant, the housing being configured to accommodate the intermediate heat exchanger; and
an indoor unit including a load heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air in the air-conditioned space and the heat medium,
wherein the housing is installed to an outer wall of the building,
wherein the intermediate heat exchanger and the load heat exchanger are connected by a heat medium pipe to form a heat medium circuit in which the heat medium circulates,
wherein the heat medium pipe projects from the heat medium relay unit through a side wall of the housing facing the outer wall, and
wherein the heat medium relay unit includes a pressure relief device disposed inside the housing, the pressure relief device being configured to discharge the heat medium out of the heat medium circuit when a pressure within the heat medium circuit rises to a pressure threshold,
wherein the air-conditioning apparatus further comprises
a mounting component interposed between the housing and the outer wall,

wherein the mounting component has
a fixing plate fixed to the outer wall, and
a projection connected to the fixing plate, the projection having a cutout defined in an upper portion of the projection,

wherein the housing has a hook, the hook having a shape corresponding to the cutout, and
wherein the heat medium relay unit is installed to the outer wall by hooking the hook into the cutout, and
wherein the projection extends across an entire width of the fixing plate and has a U-shaped cross section when viewed from a direction parallel to the outer wall.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the heat medium relay unit includes a ventilation fan configured to send air within the housing to an outside.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the mounting component has a base plate connected to the projection, the base plate having a pipe hole into which the heat medium pipe is inserted.

4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the mounting component has a support plate, the support plate being connected to the base plate to support a lower portion of the housing.

5. An air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:
an outdoor unit installed in an outdoor space, the outdoor unit including a heat-source heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between outside air and refrigerant, the outdoor space being a space outside a building including an air-conditioned space;
a heat medium relay unit installed in the outdoor space, the heat medium relay unit including an intermediate heat exchanger and a housing, the intermediate heat exchanger being configured to exchange heat between a heat medium and the refrigerant, the housing being configured to accommodate the intermediate heat exchanger; and
an indoor unit including a load heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air in the air-conditioned space and the heat medium,
wherein the housing is installed to an outer wall of the building,
wherein the intermediate heat exchanger and the load heat exchanger are connected by a heat medium pipe to form a heat medium circuit in which the heat medium circulates,
wherein the heat medium pipe projects from the heat medium relay unit through a side wall of the housing facing the outer wall,
wherein the air-conditioning apparatus further comprises
a mounting component interposed between the housing and the outer wall,

wherein the mounting component has
a fixing plate fixed to the outer wall, and
a projection connected to the fixing plate, the projection having a cutout defined in an upper portion of the projection,

wherein the housing has a hook, the hook having a shape corresponding to the cutout,
wherein the heat medium relay unit is installed to the outer wall by hooking the hook into the cutout,
wherein the mounting component has a base plate connected to the projection, the base plate having a pipe hole into which the heat medium pipe is inserted,
wherein the mounting component has a support plate, the support plate being connected to the base plate to support a lower portion of the housing,
wherein the support plate has at least one screw hole, and
wherein the housing is fastened to the mounting component with a screw inserted through the screw hole.

6. An air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:
an outdoor unit installed in an outdoor space, the outdoor unit including a heat-source heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between outside air and refrigerant, the outdoor space being a space outside a building including an air-conditioned space;
a heat medium relay unit installed in the outdoor space, the heat medium relay unit including an intermediate heat exchanger and a housing, the intermediate heat exchanger being configured to exchange heat between a heat medium and the refrigerant, the housing being configured to accommodate the intermediate heat exchanger; and
an indoor unit including a load heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air in the air-conditioned space and the heat medium,
wherein the housing is installed to an outer wall of the building,
wherein the intermediate heat exchanger and the load heat exchanger are connected by a heat medium pipe to form a heat medium circuit in which the heat medium circulates,
wherein the heat medium pipe projects from the heat medium relay unit through a side wall of the housing facing the outer wall,
wherein the air-conditioning apparatus further comprises
a mounting component interposed between the housing and the outer wall,

wherein the mounting component has
a fixing plate fixed to the outer wall, and
a projection connected to the fixing plate, the projection having a cutout defined in an upper portion of the projection,

wherein the housing has a hook, the hook having a shape corresponding to the cutout, and
wherein the heat medium relay unit is installed to the outer wall by hooking the hook into the cutout,
wherein the mounting component has a base plate connected to the projection, the base plate having a pipe hole into which the heat medium pipe is inserted,
wherein an outside thermal insulator is mounted to a surface of the base plate of the mounting component, the outside thermal insulator being a stretchable thermal insulator, the surface facing the heat medium relay unit, and
wherein in a state before the heat medium relay unit is installed to the outer wall, the outside thermal insulator has a thickness larger than a projecting height, the projecting height being a height of the projection in a direction in which the projection projects.

7. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein an inside thermal insulator is mounted to a surface of the mounting component facing the outer wall, the inside thermal insulator being a stretchable thermal insulator.

8. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the heat medium relay unit includes a ventilation fan configured to send air within the housing to an outside.

9. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein an outside thermal insulator is mounted to a surface of the base plate of the mounting component, the outside thermal insulator being

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Sawada Kazunari
• Hattori Taro
• Suzuki Kazutaka
• Minamisako Hirokazu

Classifications

• F24F1/32 Primary

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

• F24F1/0003

  characterised by a split arrangement, wherein parts of the air-conditioning system, e.g. evaporator and condenser, are in separately located units · CPC title

• F24F1/0063

  by the mounting or arrangement of the heat exchangers · CPC title

• F24F1/16

  Arrangement or mounting thereof · CPC title

• F24F1/0059

  characterised by heat exchangers · CPC title