Patent Grant
11029060
This application is a U.S. national stage application of PCT/JP2014/074723 filed on Sep. 18, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to air-conditioning apparatuses.
There is a conventional air-conditioning apparatus that includes, for example, a main body having an air passage formed therein, and a pair of heat exchangers provided adjacent to each other in a V-shape in the air passage. By arranging the pair of heat exchangers adjacent to each other in a V-shape, the main body can be made compact. The main body is disposed in such an orientation that an air flow generated in the air passage passes horizontally through the pair of heat exchangers. Furthermore, the pair of heat exchangers are provided adjacent to each other, symmetrically with respect to the horizontal plane. A drain pan is disposed below the pair of heat exchangers (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
Patent Literature 1: The Description of U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,779 (column 2, line 36 to column 5, line 37, and FIGS. 1 to 4)
In such an air-conditioning apparatus, both of the condensate water generated in the heat exchanger located on the upper side and the condensate water generated in the heat exchanger located on the lower side gather at the lower end portion of the heat exchanger located on the lower side, and a large quantity of condensate water drops on the drain pan from the lower end portion. Hence, there has been a problem in that the condensate water is spattered outside the drain pan, causing water leakage or other problems. Furthermore, in order to prevent condensate water dropping from the lower end portion of the heat exchanger located on the upper side from splashing at the drain pan and being spattered outside the drain pan, a condensate guide is disposed on the downstream side of the lower end portion of the heat exchanger located on the upper side. However, because a drain port in the guide condensate is formed on the upstream side of a condensate-water receiving portion in a direction of the air flow; and the condensate water is required to flow against the air flow, which leads to a problem in that the drainage efficiency of the condensate water dropping on the guide plate is low.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides an air-conditioning apparatus in which spattering of condensate water to the outside of a drain pan is suppressed and in which the condensate-water drainage efficiency is improved.
An air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body having an air passage formed therein; and a heat-exchange unit disposed in the air passage. The heat-exchange unit includes a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger provided adjacent to each other; and a partition plate disposed in such a state that a first region located inside a space between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and a second region located outside the space are formed. In a first disposition state, the main body is disposed in such an orientation that an air flow generated in the air passage passes through the heat-exchange unit in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity. In the first disposition state, the heat-exchange unit is disposed in such an orientation that the first heat exchanger is provided adjacent to and above the second heat exchanger and that the second region of the partition plate is located on the downstream side of the first region. The second region of the partition plate is provided with an inlet of a drain path communicating with the outside of the main body.
In the air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, because the condensate water generated in the first heat exchanger provided adjacent to and above the second heat exchanger can be discharged to the outside of the main body from the inlet of a drain path formed in the second region of the partition plate, which is located on the outside of the space between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, it is possible to inhibit a large quantity of condensate water from dropping on a drain pan and being spattered outside a drain pan from the lower end portion of the second heat exchanger. Furthermore, because the condensate water is guided to the inlet of a drain path by using the air flow, the condensate-water drainage efficiency is improved.
An air-conditioning apparatus of the present invention will be described below by using drawings.
Note that the configurations and the like described below are merely examples, and the air-conditioning apparatus of the present invention is not limited to one having such configurations and the like. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of the configurations and the like are simplified or omitted, as appropriate. Furthermore, overlapping or similar descriptions are simplified or omitted, as appropriate.
Embodiment 1
An air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described.
Overall Configuration of Air-Conditioning Apparatus
First, the overall configuration of an air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described.
Disposition State in Which Air-Blowing Direction is Oriented Upward
As shown in
The heat-exchange unit 21 is disposed on the downstream side of the fan 13 in the air passage 12a. In other words, the main body 11 is disposed in such an orientation that the air flow generated in the air passage 12a passes through the heat-exchange unit 21 in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity.
The heat-exchange unit 21 includes a pair of heat exchangers 22 and 23 provided adjacent to each other in a V-shape, a first main drain pan 24, and a second main drain pan 25. The heat-exchange unit 21 is integrally attached to and removed from the main body 11. The configuration of the heat-exchange unit 21 will be described in detail below.
The heat-exchange unit 21 is disposed in such an orientation that an end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 closer to the heat exchanger 23 and an end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 closer to the heat exchanger 22 are oriented toward the downstream side, that is, upward. Specifically, the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 are provided adjacent to each other, symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane Pv, and a space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 is gradually narrowed toward the upper side. Furthermore, the first main drain pan 24 is located below the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23.
The air flow generated in the air passage 12a is cooled or heated by passing through the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 and then passing through the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23. The condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 flows into the first main drain pan 24 and is discharged to the outside of the main body 11 from the first main drain pan 24.
Disposition State in Which Air-Blowing Direction is Oriented Downward
As shown in
The heat-exchange unit 21 is disposed in such an orientation that the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 closer to the heat exchanger 23 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 closer to the heat exchanger 22 are oriented toward the upstream side, that is, upward. Specifically, the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 are provided adjacent to each other, symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane Pv, and the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 is gradually narrowed toward the upper side. Furthermore, the first main drain pan 24 is located below the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23.
When the disposition state is changed from a disposition state in which the air-blowing direction is oriented upward to a disposition state in which the air-blowing direction is oriented downward, the heat-exchange unit 21 is removed, the main body 11 turned upside down, and then the heat-exchange unit 21 is disposed in the same orientation as it was in before removal.
The air flow generated in the air passage 12a passes through the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 to be cooled or heated and then passes through the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23. The condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 flows into the first main drain pan 24 and is discharged to the outside of the main body 11 from the first main drain pan 24.
Disposition State in Which Air-Blowing Direction is Oriented Rightward
As shown in
The heat-exchange unit 21 is disposed in such an orientation that the heat exchanger 22 is arranged adjacent to and above the heat exchanger 23 and in which the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 closer to the heat exchanger 23 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 closer to the heat exchanger 22 are oriented toward the downstream side, that is, rightward, Specifically, the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 are provided adjacent to each other, symmetrically with respect to a horizontal plane Ph, and the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 is gradually narrowed toward the right side. Furthermore, the second main drain pan 25 is located below the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23. The heat exchanger 22 corresponds to a “first heat exchanger” of the present invention, and the heat exchanger 23 corresponds to a “second heat exchanger” of the present invention. The end 22a corresponds to a “first end” of the present invention, and the end 23a corresponds to a “second end” of the present invention.
When the disposition state is changed from a disposition state in which the air-blowing direction is oriented upward to a disposition state in which the air-blowing direction is oriented rightward, the main body 11 is rotated in the direction in which the right-side surface is located on the lower side, from the state shown in
The air flow generated in the air passage 12a passes through the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 and then passes through the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 to be cooled or heated. The condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 flows into the second main drain pan 25 and is discharged to the outside of the main body 11 from the second main drain pan 25.
Disposition State in Which Air-Blowing Direction is Oriented Leftward
As shown in
The heat-exchange unit 21 is disposed in such an orientation that the heat exchanger 23 is arranged adjacent to and above the heat exchanger 22 and in which the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 closer to the heat exchanger 23 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 closer to the heat exchanger 22 are oriented toward the downstream side, that is, leftward, Specifically, the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 are provided adjacent to each other, symmetrically with respect to the horizontal plane Ph, and the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 is gradually narrowed toward the left side. Furthermore, the second main drain pan 25 is located below the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23. The heat exchanger 23 corresponds to the “first heat exchanger” of the present invention, and the heat exchanger 22 corresponds to the “second heat exchanger” of the present invention. The end 23a corresponds to the “first end” of the present invention, and the end 22a corresponds to the “second end” of the present invention.
When the disposition state is changed from a disposition state in which the air-blowing direction is oriented upward to a disposition state in which the air-blowing direction is oriented leftward, the main body 11 is rotated in the direction in which the left side surface is located on the lower side, from the state shown in
The air flow generated in the air passage 12a passes through the space S between the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 and then passes through the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 to be cooled or heated. The condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 22 and the heat exchanger 23 flows into the second main drain pan 25 and is discharged to the outside of the main body 11 from the second main drain pan 25.
Configuration of Heat-Exchange Unit
Next, the configuration of the heat-exchange unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described.
As shown in
The heat-exchange unit 21 has a partition plate 27 disposed in such a state that a first region 27a located inside the space S and a second region 27b located outside the space S are formed. The partition plate 27 is disposed in such a state that a boundary between the first region (27a) and the second region (27b) is positioned at a portion between the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 closer to the heat exchanger 23 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 closer to the heat exchanger 22. Hence, in a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented rightward or leftward, the second region 27b is located on the downstream side of the first region 27a. Furthermore, the partition plate 27 is disposed in such a state that the relative angle between the partition plate 27 and the heat exchanger 22 and the relative angle between the partition plate 27 and the heat exchanger 23 are equal. In other words, in a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented rightward or leftward, the partition plate 27 is horizontal.
The partition plate 27 is inserted into a first through-hole 28d of a closing plate 28, with a gap therebetween, the closing plate 28 having an end-closing portion 28a for closing the end 22a, an end-closing portion 28b for closing the end 23a, and a connecting portion 28c that connects end-closing portion 28a and the end-closing portion 28b and has the first through-hole 28d. By closing the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 with the closing plate 28, passage of air flows through the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23 is suppressed. Furthermore, the closing plate 28 fixes the end 22a of the heat exchanger 22 and the end 23a of the heat exchanger 23.
A pair of sub drain pans 29 and 30 are each disposed at corresponding one of the front and back sides of the second region 27b of the partition plate 27. The partition plate 27 is held between the pair of sub drain pans 29 and 30, whereby the positional relationship between the partition plate 27 and the first through-hole 28d is maintained. Furthermore, the pair of sub drain pans 29 and 30 are held by the closing plate 28. In a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented rightward, the sub drain pan 29 is located below the second through-hole 27c provided in the second region 27b of the partition plate 27, and, in a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented leftward, the sub drain pan 30 is located below the second through-hole 27c provided in the second region 27b of the partition plate 27. In a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented rightward, the sub drain pan 29 corresponds to a “first drain pan” of the present invention, and the sub drain pan 30 corresponds to a “second drain pan” of the present invention. In a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented leftward, the sub drain pan 30 corresponds to the “first drain pan” of the present invention, and the sub drain pan 29 corresponds to the “second drain pan” of the present invention.
As shown in
The hole area of the second through-hole 27c, that is, the flow-path sectional area of the inlet of a drain path is larger than the hole area of the sub drain port 29a (in the case where a plurality of sub drain ports 29a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the sub drain pan 29. This configuration makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of overflow, clogging, or other problems occurring in the drain path. Furthermore, the hole area of the sub drain port 29a (in the case where a plurality of sub drain ports 29a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the sub drain pan 29 is larger than the hole area of the main drain port 25a (in the case where a plurality of main drain ports 25a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the second main drain pan 25. Furthermore, the hole area of the first through-hole 28d formed in the closing plate 28 is smaller than the hole area of the second through-hole 27c, that is, the flow-path sectional area of the inlet of a drain path, and is larger than the hole area of the sub drain port 29a (in the case where a plurality of sub drain ports 29a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the sub drain section formed in the sub drain pan 29.
Also in a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented leftward, similarly to the state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented rightward, the condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 23 located on the upper side drops on the top surface of the first region 27a of the partition plate 27 and is guided to the second region 27b through the first through-hole 28d by the air flow. The condensate water flowing in the second region 27b flows into the sub drain pan 30 through the second through-hole 27c. The condensate water flowing into the sub drain pan 30 flows down on the inclined surface, is guided to the sub drain port 30a formed in the sub drain pan 30, and flows into the second main drain pan 25 through the drain tube connected to the sub drain port 30a. The condensate water flowing into the second main drain pan 25 flows down on the inclined surface, is guided to the main drain port 25a formed in the second main drain pan 25, and is discharged to the outside of the main body 11. Furthermore, the condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 22 located on the lower side directly drops on the second main drain pan 25 and is discharged to the outside of the main body 11 through the main drain port 25a formed in the second main drain pan 25. In a state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 1 is used in such a disposition state that the air-blowing direction is oriented leftward, the sub drain port 30a corresponds to the “drain section” of the present invention. As shown in
The hole area of the second through-hole 27c, that is, the flow-path sectional area of the inlet of a drain path is larger than the hole area of the sub drain port 30a (in the case where a plurality of sub drain ports 30a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the sub drain pan 30. This configuration makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of overflow, clogging, or other problems in the drain path. Furthermore, the hole area of the sub drain port 30a (in the case where a plurality of sub drain ports 30a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the sub drain pan 30 is larger than the hole area of the main drain port 25a (in the case where a plurality of main drain ports 25a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the second main drain pan 25. Furthermore, the hole area of the first through-hole 28d formed in the closing plate 28 is larger than the hole area of the sub drain port 30a (in the case where a plurality of sub drain ports 30a are formed, the total hole area), that is, the flow-path sectional area of the drain section formed in the sub drain pan 30.
The length of the partition plate 27 in the air-flow passing direction is, for example, about 70 mm. It is desirable that the length of the partition plate 27 be set to such a length that the partition plate 27 can sufficiently suppress dropping of the condensate water generated in the heat exchanger 22 or the heat exchanger 23 located on the upper side on the heat exchanger 23 or the heat exchanger 22 located on the lower side.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2014/074723 | 9/18/2014 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/042643 | 3/24/2016 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3831670 | Mullings | Aug 1974 | A |
| 4000779 | Irwin | Jan 1977 | A |
| 5979171 | Mitchell et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 20070169499 | Rios | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20070169500 | Rios | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20120031134 | Shirota | Feb 2012 | A1 |
| 20120276836 | Stewart | Nov 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| S58-162473 | Oct 1983 | JP |
| H11-063551 | Mar 1999 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Office Action dated Dec. 15, 2017 issued in corresponding CA patent application No. 2,954,337. |
| International Search Report of the International Searching Authority dated Dec. 22, 2014 for the corresponding International application No. PCT/JP2014/074723 (and English translation). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170159967 A1 | Jun 2017 | US |
