Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12523399-B2
Application number	US-202318124335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2023
Priority date	Oct 15, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

An air conditioner is disclosed. The air conditioner comprises: a compressor for compressing a refrigerant; a discharge pipe for guiding the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; an accumulator for storing the refrigerant flowing into the compressor from an outdoor heat exchanger or an indoor heat exchanger; a suction pipe for guiding the refrigerant discharged from the accumulator to the compressor; a subcooler disposed in a pipe between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger so as to secure a degree of subcooling of the refrigerant; an injection pipe for guiding a refrigerant superheated in the subcooler to the compressor; and a fixing member provided for fixing the discharge pipe, the suction pipe, and the injection pipe together.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air conditioner comprising:
a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant; an accumulator connectable to the compressor and configured to store the refrigerant flowing from an outdoor heat exchanger or to store the refrigerant flowing from an indoor heat exchanger; a discharge pipe connectable to the compressor, and configured to guide from the compressor; a suction pipe connectable to the accumulator and configured to guide the refrigerant discharged from the accumulator to the compressor; a subcooler to be disposed between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger and configured to secure a degree of supercooling of the refrigerant; an injection pipe connectable to the subcooler to guide the refrigerant superheated in the subcooler to the compressor; and a fixer to fix the discharge pipe, the suction pipe, and the injection pipe together, the fixer including:
a main body including a main hole to fix the suction pipe;
a first sub-body having a first sub-hole to fix the discharge pipe; and
a second sub-body having a second sub-hole to fix the injection pipe,
wherein a portion of the first sub-body protrudes along a first direction from a first portion of a side surface of the main body,
wherein a portion of the second sub-body protrudes along a second direction from a second portion of the side surface of the main body,
wherein another portion of the first sub-body protrudes along the first direction from a third portion of the side surface of the main body,
wherein another portion of the second sub-body protrudes along the second direction from the third portion of the side surface of the main body,
wherein the first direction is perpendicular to an extending direction of the main body, and the second direction is perpendicular to the direction in which the main body extends, and wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction,
wherein the first sub-hole is axially offset from the main hole in the first direction and the second sub-hole is axially offset from the main hole in the second direction,
wherein the first portion, the second portion and the third portion of the main body include the main hole, the portion and the another portion of the first sub-body include the first sub hole, and the portion and the another portion of the second sub-body include the second sub hole,
wherein the first portion, the third portion and the second portion are arranged along the extending direction of the main body, and the third portion is between the first portion and the second portion along the extending direction of the main body;
wherein the third portion is a reinforcement portion formed in an area in which a height of the first sub-body in the extending direction of the main body overlaps a height of the second sub-body in the extending direction of the main body,
wherein the fixer further comprises:
a fixing groove; and
a support cable to be seated in the fixing groove to support the fixer to fix the discharge pipe, the suction pipe, and the injection pipe together.

2 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the fixer is a first fixer, and the air conditioner further comprises:
at least one second fixer to fix the suction pipe and the injection pipe together at a position different from a position of the first fixer.

3 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the discharge pipe, the suction pipe, and the injection pipe extend in parallel with each other in an area in which the discharge pipe, the suction pipe, and the injection pipe are fixed by the fixer.

4 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the first-fixer further includes a plurality of insertion slits defined in the extending direction of the main body such that the suction pipe, the discharge pipe, and the injection pipe are seated in the main hole, the first sub-hole, and the second sub-hole, respectively.

5 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the compressor is a first compressor, the air conditioner further comprising a second compressor, wherein the suction pipe includes a first suction pipe extending from a lower end of the accumulator, and a second suction pipe and a third suction pipe divided from the first suction pipe.

6 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of compressors including the compressor, the suction pipe includes a main suction pipe extending from a lower end of the accumulator as one pipe, and a plurality of sub-suction pipes divided from the main suction pipe and connected to the plurality of compressors, respectively.

7 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the fixing groove comprises:
a first fixing groove formed along a circumference of the main body and a circumference of the first sub-body; and a second fixing groove formed along the circumference of the main body and a circumference of the second sub-body, and wherein the support cable is seated in the circumference of the main body and the circumference of the first sub-body and seated in the circumference of the main body and the circumference of the second sub-body, respectively, to support the fixer to fix the discharge pipe, the suction pipe, and the injection pipe together.

8 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the main body includes:
an upper portion from which the first sub-body is protruded; and a lower portion from which the second sub-body is protruded, and wherein the first direction which the first sub-body is protruded from the upper portion of the main body is perpendicular to the second direction which the second sub-body is protruded from the lower portion of the main body.

9 . The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein the second suction pipe and the third suction pipe individually extend in an upper direction to a lower direction along a side surface of the accumulator,
wherein the second suction pipe and the third suction pipe are bent at a position higher than an upper end of the first compressor or an upper end of the second compressor, and wherein the second suction pipe and the third suction pipe are connected to a first suction port formed on the upper end of the first compressor and a second suction port formed on the upper end of the second compressor, respectively.

10 . The air conditioner of claim 5 , wherein a branch point at which the second suction pipe and the third suction pipe are divided from the first suction pipe is provided at a position spaced apart from a side surface of the accumulator.

11 . The air conditioner of claim 9 , comprising:
a buffer formed of an elastic material and having a first support hole and a second support hole in which the second suction pipe and the third suction pipe are inserted and supported, respectively; and a buffer bracket fixed to the accumulator by supporting an outer surface of the buffer.

12 . The air conditioner of claim 11 , wherein the buffer includes a plurality of cutouts that allow the second suction pipe and the third suction pipe to be inserted into the first support hole and the second support hole, respectively.

13 . An air conditioner comprising:
a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant; an accumulator connected to the compressor and configured to store the refrigerant flowing from an outdoor heat exchanger or to store the refrigerant flowing from an indoor heat exchanger; a discharge pipe connected to the compressor, and configured to guide refrigerant from the compressor; a suction pipe connected to the accumulator and configured to guide the refrigerant discharged from the accumulator to the compressor; a subcooler disposed in between

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Munsub
• Kang Hyunwuk
• Baek Jiho
• Seo Hyeongjoon
• Jung Duhan
• Choi Jaewoo
• Kim Junyeong
• Seong Taeryong
• Lee Sunghee

Classifications

• F25B2500/13

  Vibrations · CPC title

• F25B2400/075

  with parallel compressors · CPC title

• F25B40/02

  Subcoolers · CPC title

• F16L55/02

  Energy absorbers; Noise absorbers · CPC title

• F16B7/04

  Clamping or clipping connections (friction-grip releasable fastenings in general F16B2/00) · CPC title