Outdoor unit of airconditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12429246-B2
Application number	US-202318143263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2023
Priority date	Jul 15, 2022
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner includes a housing including a base forming a bottom surface of the outdoor unit, a fan inside the housing to cause air to flow, a heat exchanger inside the housing to perform heat-exchange with the air caused to flow by the fan, a heater on the base, a drain plug mounted on, and penetrating, the base, and forming a drain hole through which water inside the housing is dischargeable to outside the housing, and a heat conduction plate in contact with the heater and accommodated inside the drain plug to transfer heat generated by the heater to the inside of the drain plug.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner, the outdoor unit comprising:
a housing including a base forming a bottom surface of the outdoor unit;
a fan inside the housing to cause air to flow;
a heat exchanger inside the housing to perform heat-exchange with the air caused to flow by the fan;
a heater on the base;
a drain plug mounted on, and penetrating, the base, spaced apart from the heater, and forming a drain hole; and
a heat conduction plate including:
a support flange supported on, and in contact with, the heater; and
a heating body extending from the support flange and inserted into the drain plug,
so that the heat conduction plate transfers heat generated by the heater to inside of the drain plug,
wherein the heating body includes an auxiliary drain portion accommodated in the drain hole so that water inside the housing is dischargeable through the auxiliary drain portion and the drain hole to outside of the housing.

2. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the support flange includes:
a heat transfer portion in contact with the heater to receive heat generated by the heater; and
a bent portion bent toward the drain plug from the heat transfer portion and connected to the heating body.

3. The outdoor unit of claim 2 , wherein the heating body includes:
an insertion portion extending downward from the bent portion and disposed inside of the drain plug; and
a heating portion connected to the insertion portion,
wherein the auxiliary drain portion extends downward from the heating portion.

4. The outdoor unit of claim 3 , wherein the heating portion is inclined downward toward the auxiliary drain portion.

5. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary drain portion is smaller than the drain hole, and the auxiliary drain portion has a diameter less than 12 mm.

6. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the drain plug includes:
a drain body outside the base and including the drain hole; and
an extension rib extending upward from the drain body, and penetrating the base.

7. The outdoor unit of claim 6 , wherein the extension rib includes:
a seating groove on an upper surface of the extension rib so that a portion of the heat conduction plate is seated in the seating groove.

8. The outdoor unit of claim 6 , wherein the drain plug includes:
a fixing rib extending from the drain body to form a base accommodating groove into which the base is accommodated; and
a fixing hook extending from the drain body and supported on an inner surface of the base.

9. The outdoor unit of claim 6 , wherein the drain body includes:
a base connecting portion forming an upper surface of the drain body in contact with the base; and
a drain guide portion inclined downward from the base connecting portion toward the drain hole.

10. The outdoor unit of claim 9 , wherein the drain guide portion is spaced apart from the heat conduction plate to form a drainage space.

11. The outdoor unit of claim 6 , wherein the drain body includes:
a sealing member accommodating groove on an upper surface of the drain body; and
a sealing member, accommodated in the sealing member accommodating groove, and sealing between the base and the drain plug.

12. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the heater is provided as a pair of heaters, and the drain hole is formed in a region between the heaters of the pair of heaters.

13. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the heat conduction plate is inside of the drain plug and spaced apart from the drain plug.

14. The outdoor unit of claim 1 , wherein the heat conduction plate and the drain plug are formed of different materials.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sun Woong
• Koh Jeonguk
• Park Jaechan
• Shin Kwangnam
• Yun Seungjin
• Lim Jaewook

Classifications

• F24F1/16

  Arrangement or mounting thereof · CPC title

• F24F2013/227

  Condensate pipe for drainage of condensate from the evaporator · CPC title

• F24F2221/34

  Heater, e.g. gas burner, electric air heater · CPC title

• F24F13/222

  for evacuating condensate · CPC title

• F24F1/56

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