Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12504201-B2
Application number	US-202217739977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2022
Priority date	Nov 14, 2019
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

An air conditioner includes: a heat exchanger; a refrigerant flow divider causes a liquid refrigerant to be divided and to flow to the heat exchanger; and a case that includes a bottom plate, and accommodates the heat exchanger and the refrigerant flow divider. A first drain unit having a first opening for drainage is disposed on the bottom plate. The refrigerant flow divider includes: a flow divider body including a branching flow path; and refrigerant tubes that project downward from a lower surface of the flow divider body and then bend upward to connect to the heat exchanger at a position above the lower surface. All of the refrigerant tubes have lowermost ends that overlap with the first drain unit when viewed in a vertical direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air conditioner comprising:
a heat exchanger; a refrigerant flow divider causes a liquid refrigerant to be divided and to flow to the heat exchanger; and a case that:
comprises a bottom plate; and
accommodates the heat exchanger and the refrigerant flow divider, wherein
a first drain unit having a first opening for drainage is disposed on the bottom plate, the refrigerant flow divider comprises:
a flow divider body comprising a branching flow path; and
refrigerant tubes that: project downward from a lower surface of the flow divider body and then bend upward to connect to the heat exchanger at a position above the lower surface,
all of the refrigerant tubes have lowermost ends that are entirely within the first opening when viewed in a vertical direction, the first opening and the lowermost ends are opposite to each other in the vertical direction, a second drain unit having a second opening for drainage is disposed on the bottom plate, one or more of the refrigerant tubes each comprise between a corresponding lowermost end and the heat exchanger:
a first slant portion slant with respect to a horizontal direction; and
a second slant portion bent from an end portion of the first slant portion and that is angled differently from the first slant portion, wherein
the second slant portion is slant with respect to the horizontal direction, in which a first end portion of the second slant portion that is adjacent to the first slant portion is lower than a second end portion of the second slant portion,
a boundary of the first slant portion and the second slant portion overlaps with the second drain unit when viewed in a vertical direction,
the boundary is entirely within the second opening when viewed in the vertical direction,
the second opening and the boundary are opposite to each other in the vertical direction, and
the boundary is higher than the corresponding lowermost end.

2 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein
one or more of the refrigerant tubes each comprise:
a first connecting portion connected to the lower surface of the flow divider body and that projects downward from the lower surface of the flow divider body; and
a first slant portion bent from a lower end of the first connecting portion and that is slant with respect to a horizontal direction, and
the first slant portion comprises a lower end portion constituting a corresponding lowermost end.

3 . The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the first slant portion is slant with respect to the horizontal direction by 15 degrees or more.

4 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein
one or more of the refrigerant tubes each comprise:
a first connecting portion connected to the lower surface of the flow divider body and that projects downward from the lower surface of the flow divider body; and
a horizontal portion bent from the first connecting portion into a horizontal direction, and
the horizontal portion constitutes a corresponding lowermost end.

5 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein
the first slant portion is slant upward toward the second slant portion, and the first slant portion has a lower end portion continuous to the corresponding lowermost end.

6 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the first slant portion and the second slant portion are slant with respect to the horizontal direction by 15 degrees or more.

7 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant tubes comprise second connecting portions connected to the heat exchanger, and one or more of the refrigerant tubes are:
disposed vertically between a corresponding second connecting portion and a corresponding lowermost end, or
slant downward from a corresponding second connecting portion toward a corresponding lowermost end.

8 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein
in a plan view, the heat exchanger has a first end and a second end that is apart from the first end, the first end of the heat exchanger is connected to the refrigerant flow divider, and the second end of the heat exchanger is connected to a gas side pipe.

9 . The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein
the first drain unit comprises a concave portion that concave downward from the bottom plate, the first opening is disposed at a bottom portion of the concave portion, and the concave portion has an upper surface that is slant lower toward the first opening.

Assignees

• Daikin Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Satou Ken
• Sakamaki Tomohiko

Classifications

• F24F1/30 Primary

  for use inside the separate outdoor units · CPC title

• F24F13/222 Primary

  for evacuating condensate · CPC title

• F24F1/36

  Drip trays for outdoor units · CPC title

• F25B41/48

  for flow path resistance control on the downstream side of the diverging point, e.g. by an orifice · CPC title