Air conditioner with electronic device coupled to cooling tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9807907-B2
Application number	US-201414487539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2014
Priority date	Sep 16, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

An air conditioner is provided. The air conditioner may include an electronic device, which may include a control component to drive a refrigerant cycle, and a cooling tube through which a refrigerant to cool the electronic device may flow. The cooling tube may be coupled to one side of the electronic device. The electronic device may include an electronic case having at least one through hole, an electronic board to which the control component may be coupled, the electronic board being disposed in the electronic case, at least one heat transfer plate disposed to contact the control component, the at least one heat transfer plate being coupled to the electronic case, and at least one heat sink, to which the cooling tube may be coupled, the at least one heat sink contacting the at least one heat transfer plate through the at least one through hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner, comprising:
an electronic device comprising a control component to drive a refrigerant cycle; and
a cooling tube, through which a refrigerant to cool the electronic device flows, the cooling tube being coupled to a side of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises:
an electronic case having at least one through hole;
an electronic board, to which the control component is coupled, the electronic board being disposed within the electronic case;
at least one heat transfer plate disposed to contact the control component, the at least one heat transfer plate being coupled to the electronic case;
at least one heat sink, to which the cooling tube is coupled, wherein the at least one heat sink contacts the at least one heat transfer plate through the at least one through hole;
at least one fixing guide that is disposed on at least one lateral side of the at least one heat transfer plate and spaces the electronic board apart from the at least one heat transfer plate; and
a first coupling member that passes through the at least one fixing guide and the at least one heat transfer plate, and is coupled to the electronic case.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat transfer plate is supported by an inner surface of the electronic case, and wherein the at least one heat sink is supported at an outer surface of the electronic case.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the control component is disposed between the electronic board and the at least one heat transfer plate.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one fixing guide comprises first and second fixing guides disposed, respectively, on each of first and second lateral sides of the at least one heat transfer plate.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one fixing guide comprises:
a first guide coupled to the electronic board; and
a second guide bent to extend from the first guide, the second guide being coupled to the at least one heat transfer plate.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5 , wherein the first coupling member is coupled to the second guide.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 5 , further comprising a spacer disposed between the first guide of the at least one fixing guide and the electronic board.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the first coupling member couples the at least one fixing guide and the at least one heat transfer plate to an inner surface of the electronic case.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 8 , further comprising a second coupling member to couple the at least one heat sink to the electronic case, wherein the second coupling member passes through the at least one heat sink and is coupled to the at least one heat transfer plate.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of coupling guides disposed within the electronic case to support the at least one heat transfer plate such that the at least one heat transfer plate is coupled to an inner surface of the electronic case.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one heat transfer plate is separably coupled in a space between the plurality of coupling guides.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one through hole comprises a first through hole and a second through hole, and wherein the at least one heat sink comprises a first heat sink and a second heat sink, respectively, coupled to the first through hole and the second through hole.

13. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling tube comprises:
a first cooling tube that guides a flow of the refrigerant in a first direction;
a second cooling tube that guides the flow of the refrigerant in a second direction; and
a switching tube rounded or bent between the first cooling tube and the second cooling tube, wherein the refrigerant successively flows into the first cooling tube, the switching tube, and the second cooling tube.

14. The air conditioner according to claim 13 , further comprising at least one recess formed in the at least one heat sink, in which the first or second cooling tube is received.

15. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an outdoor heat exchanger, in which outdoor air and the refrigerant are heat-exchanged with each other; and
a main expansion valve, through which refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger passes, the main expansion valve being disposed on one side of the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the cooling tube guides the refrigerant passing through the main expansion valve to a refrigerant passage of the at least one heat sink.

16. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a supercooling heat exchanger, in which the refrigerant passing through the at least one heat sink is introduced; and
a supercooling distributor disposed on an inlet-side of the supercoiling heat exchanger to branch the flow of the refrigerant.

17. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat sink comprises at least one heat sink plate.

18. An electronic device for an air conditioner, the electronic device comprising:
a case having at least one through hole;
an electronic board, to which a control component for the air conditioner is coupled, the electronic board being disposed within the case;
at least one heat transfer plate disposed to contact the control component, the at least one heat transfer plate being coupled to the case;
at least one heat sink configured to be coupled to a cooling tube of the air conditioner, wherein a first surface of the at least one heat sink contacts the at least one heat transfer plate through the at least one through hole, and wherein a second surface of the at least one heat sink, disposed opposite to the first surface, is disposed outside of the case;
at least one fixing guide that is disposed on at least one lateral side of the at least one heat transfer plate and spaces the electronic board apart from the at least one heat transfer plate; and
a first coupling member that passes through the at least one fixing guide and the at least one heat transfer plate, and is coupled to the electronic case.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein the at least one heat transfer plate is supported by an inner surface of the electronic case, and wherein the at least one heat sink is supported at an outer surface of the electronic case.

20. The electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein the control component is disposed between the electronic board and the at least one heat transfer plate.

21. The electronic device according to claim 18 , further comprising a plurality of coupling guides disposed within the electronic case to support the at least one heat transfer plate such that the at least one heat transfer plate is coupled to an inner surface of the electronic case.

22. The electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein the at least one through hole comprises a first through hole and a second through hole, and wherein the at least one heat sink comprises a first heat sink and a second heat sink, respectively, coupled to the first through hole and the second through hole.

23. The electronic device according to claim 22 , further comprising at least one recess formed in each of the first heat sink and the

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Hakjin
• Kim Taegeol
• Jang Seokhoon

Classifications

• F25B40/02

  Subcoolers · CPC title

• F25B2400/075

  with parallel compressors · CPC title

• F25B2700/21151

  at the suction side of the compressor · CPC title

• F24F1/00 Primary

  Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station · CPC title

• F25B13/00

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