Component unit of air conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025224188-A1
Application number	US-202519092647-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2025
Priority date	Sep 27, 2022
Publication date	Jul 10, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A component unit included in an air conditioning apparatus includes a heat exchanger including heat transfer tubes, a distributor having a first connecting end that opens downward in an up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus, a refrigerant pipe having a second connecting end that opens upward in the up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus. The distributor is connected to the heat exchanger and the refrigerant pipe and distributes refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe to the heat transfer tubes. The heat transfer tubes and the distributor are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy. The refrigerant pipe is made of copper or copper alloy. The second connecting end is connected to the first connecting end directly or through a metal pipe made of a material other than aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, or copper alloy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A component unit included in an air conditioning apparatus, the component unit comprising:
a heat exchanger comprising heat transfer tubes; a distributor having a first connecting end that opens downward in an up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus; a refrigerant pipe having a second connecting end that opens upward in the up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus, wherein the distributor is connected to the heat exchanger and the refrigerant pipe and distributes refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe to the heat transfer tubes, the heat transfer tubes and the distributor are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, the refrigerant pipe is made of copper or copper alloy, and the second connecting end is connected to the first connecting end directly or through a metal pipe made of a material other than aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, or copper alloy.

2 . The component unit of claim 1 , wherein the distributor further comprises:
a distributor body that is connected to the heat exchanger and that distributes the refrigerant to the heat transfer tubes; and a collecting pipe having one end connected to the distributor body, wherein the other end of the collecting pipe is the first connecting end.

3 . The component unit of claim 2 , wherein the collecting pipe is below the distributor body in the up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus.

4 . The component unit of claim 2 , wherein
a part or an entirety of the collecting pipe is an upright pipe portion extending in the up-down direction, and a lower end of the upright pipe portion in the up-down direction is the first connecting end.

5 . The component unit of claim 4 , wherein the entirety of the collecting pipe is the upright pipe portion.

6 . The component unit of claim 4 , wherein the upright pipe portion is straight.

7 . The component unit of claim 6 , wherein the upright pipe portion extends in the up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus.

8 . The component unit of claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant pipe has an up-down portion, and an upper end of the up-down portion in the up-down direction is the second connecting end.

9 . The component unit of claim 8 , wherein the up-down portion is straight.

10 . The component unit of claim 9 , wherein the up-down portion extends in the up-down direction after the component unit is installed in the air conditioning apparatus.

11 . The component unit of claim 7 , wherein
the refrigerant pipe has a straight pipe portion extending in the up-down direction, an upper end of the straight pipe portion in the up-down direction is the second connecting end, and the upright pipe portion and the straight pipe portion are arranged in a straight line.

12 . The component unit of claim 8 , wherein the refrigerant pipe has a U-shaped pipe portion that is continuous with a lower end of the up-down portion of the refrigerant pipe in the up-down direction.

13 . The component unit of claim 4 , wherein
the collecting pipe meanders up and down, and the portion of the collecting pipe is the upright pipe portion.

14 . The component unit of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state or in a liquid single-phase state flows through the refrigerant pipe during an operation of the component unit.

15 . The component unit of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant in a gas single-phase state flows through the refrigerant pipe during an operation of the component unit.

16 . The component unit of claim 1 further comprising:
a casing that houses the heat exchanger, wherein
the first connecting end and the second connecting end are disposed inside the casing.

17 . The component unit of claim 16 , wherein
an opposite end of the refrigerant pipe opposite to the second connecting end is exposed to an outside of the casing, and the refrigerant pipe includes a cover member that covers a portion of the refrigerant pipe and close a clearance between the refrigerant pipe and the casing.

Assignees

• Daikin Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Sakamaki Tomohiko
• Omiya Akira
• Kimura Tsuyoshi
• Miyatani Naonobu

Classifications

• F25B41/40

  Fluid line arrangements · CPC title

• F25B39/028

  having distributing means · CPC title

• F25B13/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) · CPC title

• F28F21/085

  from copper or copper alloys · CPC title

• F28F21/084

  from aluminium or aluminium alloys · CPC title