Outdoor unit of air-conditioning apparatus and method for manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435112-B2
Application number	US-201716635294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2017
Priority date	Oct 4, 2017
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

An outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes: a bottom plate having a drain hole formed therein to discharge drain water generated in a heat exchanger; a heater provided at an upper surface of the bottom plate; a heater fixing tool provided to fix the heater to the bottom plate, with the heater interposed between the heater fixing tool and the upper surface of the bottom plate; a screw fastened after inserted into a screw hole from above to fix the heater fixing tool to the bottom plate, the screw hole being provided in overlapping portions of the heater fixing tool and the bottom plate; and a protective cap configured to cover a tip of the screw from below, which projects downwards from a lower surface of the bottom plate. The screw hole is located in a surrounding area which surrounds the drain hole, and the heater fixing tool is fixed to the bottom plate in the surrounding area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:
a bottom plate having a drain hole formed therein to discharge drain water generated in a heat exchanger;
a heater provided on an upper surface of the bottom plate;
a heater fixing tool configured to fix the heater to the bottom plate, with the heater interposed between the heater fixing tool and the upper surface of the bottom plate;
a screw fastened after inserted into a screw hole from above to fasten the heater fixing tool to the bottom plate, the screw hole being provided in overlapping portions of the heater fixing tool and the bottom plate; and
a protective cap configured to cover a tip of the screw from below, which projects downwards from a lower surface of the bottom plate,
wherein the screw hole is located in a surrounding area which surrounds the drain hole, and the heater fixing tool is fixed to the bottom plate in the surrounding area,
the bottom plate has an upper surface at which a raised portion is formed, and
the protective cap includes a cover portion configured to cover the tip of the screw and a pair of flange portions formed to extend from opposite sides of an opening edge of the cover portion, and at one of the pair of flange portions, a caulked joint is formed to fix the one of the pair of flange portions to the raised portion.

2. The outdoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the bottom plate has a lower surface at which a pair of leg portions are formed to support the outdoor unit, and at the pair of leg portions, caulked joints are formed to fix the pair of leg portions to the bottom plate.

3. A method for manufacturing an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus which comprises: a bottom plate having a drain hole formed therein to discharge drain water generated in a heat exchanger; a heater provided on an upper surface of the bottom plate; a heater fixing tool configured to fix the heater to the bottom plate, with the heater interposed between the heater fixing tool and the upper surface of the bottom plate; a screw fastened after inserted into a screw hole from above to fasten the heater fixing tool to the bottom plate, the screw hole being provided in overlapping portions of the heater fixing tool and the bottom plate; and a protective cap configured to cover a tip of the screw from below, which projects downwards from a lower surface of the bottom plate,
wherein the screw hole is located in a surrounding area which surrounds the drain hole, and the heater fixing tool is fixed to the bottom plate in the surrounding area,
the method comprising:
providing the protective cap and a pair of leg portions at the bottom plate after turning over the bottom plate, the pair of leg portions being configured to support the outdoor unit; and
joining the protective cap and the pair of leg portions to the bottom plate by caulking the protective cap and the pair of leg portions simultaneously.

4. The method for manufacturing the outdoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 3 , wherein: the bottom plate has an upper surface at which a raised portion is formed; and the protective cap includes a cover configured to cover a tip of the screw and a pair of flange portions formed to extend from opposite sides of an opening edge of the cover, the pair of flange portions are located to overlap with the raised portion of the bottom plate turned over, and overlapping portions of one of the pair of flange portions and the raised portion are joined to each other by caulking the overlapping portions.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Takahiro
• Ito Kazuho
• Yamauchi Hidetaka

Classifications

• F24F1/56

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

• F24F1/36

  Drip trays for outdoor units · CPC title

• F24F13/20

  Casings or covers · CPC title

• F24F13/222 Primary

  for evacuating condensate · CPC title

• F24F13/32

  Supports for air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation units · CPC title