Outdoor unit of airconditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11378288-B2
Application number	US-202016778613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Jan 31, 2019
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner having an expansion valve unit. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner includes a compressor, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between outdoor air and refrigerant compressed by the compressor, an expansion valve unit configured to decompress the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger, a refrigerant pipe configured to deliver the refrigerant, which is decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve unit, to the indoor unit of the air conditioner, and a bracket configured to support the expansion valve unit. The expansion valve unit includes an expansion valve, a first connection portion configured to connect the expansion valve to the heat exchanger, and a second connection portion configured to connect the expansion valve to the refrigerant pipe. The expansion valve, and one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion are fixed to the bracket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner connectable to an
indoor unit, the outdoor unit comprising:
a compressor;
a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air introduced from outside and refrigerant compressed by the compressor;
an expansion valve unit configured to decompress the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger;
a refrigerant pipe configured to deliver the refrigerant, which is decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve unit, to the indoor unit therethrough when the indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit; and
a bracket configured to support the expansion valve unit,
wherein the expansion valve unit comprises an expansion valve, a first connection portion configured to connect the expansion valve to the heat exchanger, and a second connection portion configured to connect the expansion valve to the refrigerant pipe,
the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion comprises: a capillary tube connected to the expansion valve; and a connection tube connected to the capillary tube and one of the heat exchanger or the refrigerant pipe, and
the bracket fixes the expansion valve and the connection tube connected to the capillary tube thereto so that both ends of the capillary tube are supported by the bracket.

2. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the expansion valve is fixed to one surface of the bracket, and
the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion is fixed to an opposite surface of the bracket.

3. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the expansion valve is fixed to one side of the bracket, and
the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion is fixed to an opposite side of the bracket.

4. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the capillary tube comprises one end thereof connected to the connection tube and an other end thereof connected to the expansion valve, and
the bracket fixes the expansion valve and the connection tube to maintain a separation distance in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the one end and the other end of the capillary tube.

5. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 1 , further
comprising:
a first coupling member configured to surround at least a portion of the expansion valve and coupled to the bracket so as to allow the expansion valve to be coupled to the bracket.

6. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein
the first coupling member comprises a rubber material.

7. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein
the first coupling member comprises a first cutout portion, a first support configured to support at least one portion of the expansion valve after a lower end of the expansion valve is inserted through the first cutout portion, and a first coupling portion extending from the first cutout portion and coupled to the bracket.

8. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 7 , wherein
the first coupling portion comprises a support protrusion configured to allow the first coupling portion to be supported by the bracket without being separated from the bracket after the first coupling portion is inserted into the bracket.

9. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 8 , wherein
the bracket comprises a coupling hook comprising an insertion portion to which the first coupling portion is inserted.

10. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 9 , wherein
the coupling hook is arranged at one side end of the bracket.

11. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 5 , further
comprising:
a second coupling member configured to surround one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion and coupled to the bracket so as to allow the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion to be coupled to the bracket.

12. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 11 , wherein
the first coupling member comprises a first cutout portion, a first support configured to support at least one portion of the expansion valve after a lower end of the expansion valve is inserted through the first cutout portion, and a first coupling portion extending from the first cutout portion and coupled to the bracket, and
the second coupling member comprises a second support configured to surround the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion and support the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion, and a second coupling portion coupled to the bracket.

13. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein
the second coupling portion is screwed to the bracket, and
the bracket further comprises a coupling hole to which the second coupling portion is screwed.

14. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner connectable to an
indoor unit, the outdoor unit comprising:
a compressor;
a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air introduced from outside and refrigerant compressed by the compressor;
an expansion valve unit configured to decompress the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger;
a refrigerant pipe configured to deliver the refrigerant, which is decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve unit, to the indoor unit therethrough when the indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit; and
a bracket configured to support the expansion valve unit,
wherein the expansion valve unit comprises an expansion valve, a first connection portion to connect the expansion valve to the heat exchanger, and a second connection portion to connect the expansion valve to the refrigerant pipe, and
the expansion valve is coupled to one surface of the bracket, one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion is coupled to an opposite surface of the bracket so that the expansion valve unit is supported by both the one surface of the bracket and the opposite surface of the bracket in opposite coupling directions.

15. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 14 , further comprising:
a first coupling member configured to surround a lower portion of the expansion valve and coupled to the bracket so as to allow the lower portion of the expansion valve to be coupled to the bracket, and a second coupling member configured to surround one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion and coupled to the bracket so as to allow the one of the first connection portion or the second connection portion to be coupled to the bracket.

16. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 15 , wherein
the bracket comprises a coupling hook comprising an insertion portion to which the first coupling member is inserted, and a coupling hole to which the second coupling member is screwed, and
the coupling hook is arranged on one side of the bracket and the coupling hole is arranged on an other side of the bracket.

17. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 16 , wherein
the first coupling member comprises a rubber material.

18. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner connectable to an
indoor unit, the outdoor unit comprising:
a compressor;
a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between air introduced from outside and refrigerant compressed by the compressor;
an expansion valve unit configured to decompress the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger;
a refrigerant pipe configured to deliver the refrigerant, which is decompressed and expanded by the expansion v

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Munsub
• Kim Youjae
• Kim Hyunho
• Seo Hyeongjoon
• Jung Duhan

Classifications

• F24F1/30

  for use inside the separate outdoor units · CPC title

• F25B41/31

  Expansion valves · CPC title

• F16B2/14

  using wedges · CPC title

• F24F1/40

  Vibration or noise prevention at outdoor units (for outdoor units compressors F24F1/12) · CPC title

• F24F11/84

  using valves · CPC title