Patent Application
20250109882
This application claims priority to Chinese Application No. 202322672470.X, filed on Sep. 28, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present application belongs to the technical field of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) apparatuses, and specifically relates to an indoor unit of an HVAC apparatus, and an HVAC apparatus.
This section only provides background information related to the present disclosure, and is not necessarily prior art.
In order to cope with the problem of increasing environmental destruction caused by the use of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP) values, governments around the world have further improved their requirements for environmentally friendly refrigerants used in the air conditioning industry. Currently, the refrigerants used in most air conditioning products are gradually replaced by refrigerants with lower GWP values, such as R32, R290, R454B, etc.
During the daily operation of freon-based air conditioning products, the refrigerant in the air conditioning apparatus circulates back and forth between an outdoor air conditioner unit and an indoor air conditioner unit for heat exchange and transfer, which also means that if a pipeline in the indoor air conditioner unit is damaged, there will be a problem of refrigerant leakage into the residential room. However, most current environmentally friendly refrigerants are combustible refrigerants. Once the refrigerant leakage gradually accumulates and reaches a combustible concentration, the refrigerant can be ignited, which will threaten the safety of personnel and houses.
In order to solve the above problem, a refrigerant detection device is added inside the air conditioning apparatus to detect refrigerant leakage. However, existing air conditioning apparatuses have a vertical installation orientation and a horizontal installation orientation, etc., but the installation position of the refrigerant detection device is fixed, so under different installation orientations, the installation position of the refrigerant detection device cannot meet the needs for refrigerant detection.
An object of the present application is to at least solve the technical problem that the refrigerant detection device cannot accurately detect refrigerant leakage in both vertical and horizontal installation orientations when the air conditioning apparatus have vertical and horizontal installation orientations. This object is achieved through the following solutions.
A first aspect of the present application provides an indoor unit of an HVAC apparatus, which has a vertical installation orientation and a horizontal installation orientation, and which includes: a shell, in which an accommodation chamber having an installation area is formed; a heat exchange assembly, which is arranged in the accommodation chamber; and a refrigerant detection device, which is arranged in the installation area and is configured to detect refrigerant that leaks from the heat exchange assembly; in which in the vertical installation orientation, a distance between the refrigerant detection device and a bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to ⅓ of a height of the shell, and in the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to ⅓ of a width of the shell.
According to the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus of the present application, during the operation of the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus, there is a possibility of refrigerant leakage from the heat exchange assembly. The refrigerant detection device is configured in such a way that in the vertical installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to ⅓ of the height of the shell, and that in the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to ⅓ of the width of the shell. In this way, it can be ensured that regardless of whether the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus is in the vertical installation orientation or in the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is small enough, so that when the refrigerant leaks from the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus, since the refrigerant has a density higher than that of air, the refrigerant will first diffuse and deposit in the downward direction as well as in left and right directions. Therefore, at the bottom of the accommodation chamber, the concentration of refrigerant will be higher. The refrigerant detection device is arranged close enough to the bottom of the accommodation chamber to ensure that it can accurately detect refrigerant leakage.
In addition, according to the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus of the present application, the following additional technical features can be further included.
In some embodiments of the present application, in the vertical installation orientation or the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to 110 mm.
In some embodiments of the present application, the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus further includes a water receiving tray, and in the vertical installation orientation or the horizontal installation orientation, the water receiving tray is at least partially arranged at the bottom of the accommodation chamber.
In some embodiments of the present application, the refrigerant detection device includes a body, a first installation plate, and a second installation plate; the first installation plate and the second installation plate protrude out of the body respectively, are connected to each other, and intersect with each other.
In some embodiments of the present application, the body includes a side plate member and a bottom plate member that are connected to each other and intersect with each other; the first installation plate protrudes out of the side plate member and is coplanar with the side plate member, and the second installation plate protrudes out of the bottom plate member and is coplanar with the bottom plate member.
In some embodiments of the present application, the heat exchange assembly further includes a heat exchanger, and the refrigerant detection device is fixedly connected to the heat exchanger through the first installation plate or the second installation plate.
In some embodiments of the present application, the heat exchanger includes a first side plate and a second side plate that intersect with each other and are connected to each other, and the refrigerant detection device is fixedly connected to the first side plate or the second side plate.
In some embodiments of the present application, the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus further includes a connection bracket; the first installation plate or the second installation plate is fixedly connected to the connection bracket, and the connection bracket is connected to the heat exchanger.
In some embodiments of the present application, the connection bracket includes a first connection plate and a second connection plate that are connected to each other and intersect with each other; the first connection plate is fixedly connected to the first installation plate or the second installation plate, and the second connection plate is fixedly connected to the heat exchanger.
In some embodiments of the present application, a first positioning side plate is provided on a side of the first connection plate that is away from the second connection plate, and the first positioning side plate and the first connection plate are connected to each other and intersect with each other; and/or a second positioning side plate is provided on a side of the second connection plate that is away from the first connection plate, and the second positioning side plate and the second connection plate are connected to each other and intersect with each other.
A second aspect of the present application also proposes an HVAC apparatus, which includes the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus described in the first aspect of the present application.
The HVAC apparatus according to the second aspect of the present application includes the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus according to the first aspect of the present application, and therefore also has the advantageous effects of the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus.
Described above is only an overview of the technical solutions of the present application. In order to enable a clearer understanding of the technical means of the present application so that the present application can be implemented according to the content of the description, and in order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present application become more obvious and easier to understand, specific embodiments of the present application are listed below.
Upon reading the detailed description of embodiments below, various other advantages and benefits will become clear to those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings are only used for the purpose of illustrating some embodiments, and should not be considered as a limitation to the present application. Moreover, throughout the drawings, the same reference signs are used to denote the same components. In the drawings:
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present application and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.
It should be understood that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific exemplary embodiments, and are not intended to be limitative. Unless clearly indicated otherwise in the context, singular forms “a,” “an,” and “said” as used herein may also mean that plural forms are included. Terms “include,” “comprise,” “contain” and “have” are inclusive, and therefore indicate the existence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be interpreted as requiring them to be executed in the specific order described or illustrated, unless the order of execution is clearly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.
Although terms “first,” “second,” “third” and the like may be used herein to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Unless clearly indicated in the context, terms such as “first,” “second” and other numerical terms do not imply an order or sequence when they are used herein. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.
For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature as shown in the drawings. These relative terms are, for example, “inner,” “outer,” “inside,” “outside,” “below,” “under,” “above,” “over,” etc. These spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or in operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device in the figure is turned over, then elements described as “below other elements or features” or “under other elements or features” will be oriented “above the other elements or features” or “over the other elements or features.” Thus, the exemplary term “below” may include orientations of both above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated by 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relationship descriptors used herein will be explained accordingly.
Referring to
It can be understood that in the vertical installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 is the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom (i.e., a bottom plate) of the accommodation chamber 100 in a height direction of the shell 10. In the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom (i.e., a left side plate or a right side plate) of the accommodation chamber 100 is the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 in a width direction of the shell 10.
According to the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus of the present application, during the operation of the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus, there is a possibility of refrigerant leakage from the heat exchange assembly. The refrigerant detection device 30 is configured in such a way that in the vertical installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to ⅓ of the height of the shell, and that in the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device and the bottom of the accommodation chamber is smaller than or equal to ⅓ of the width of the shell. In this way, it can be ensured that regardless of whether the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus is in the vertical installation orientation or in the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 is small enough, so that when the refrigerant leaks from the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus, since the refrigerant has a density higher than that of air, the refrigerant will first diffuse and deposit in the downward direction as well as in left and right directions. Therefore, at the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100, the concentration of refrigerant will be higher. The refrigerant detection device 30 is arranged close enough to the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 to ensure that it can accurately detect refrigerant leakage.
The shell 10 is of a hollow cuboid shape, having the accommodation chamber 100 formed inside, which is also of a cuboid shape. The shell 10 includes a top plate and a bottom plate arranged opposite to each other, a front plate and a rear side plate arranged opposite to each other, as well as a left side plate and a right side plate arranged opposite to each other. The left side plate, the right side plate, and the rear side plate form side plates of the shell 10. It can be understood that the top plate and the bottom plate are spaced apart from each other in the height direction. The top plate, the bottom plate, the front plate, the rear side plate, the left side plate, and the right side plate together enclose the accommodation chamber 100 of the shell 10. In this disclosure, a plate of the shell 10 is also referred to as a “shell plate.” For example, the bottom plate and the side plate (left or right side plate) of the shell 10 are also referred to as a “shell bottom plate” and a “shell side plate,” respectively.
In an embodiment, the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus includes the vertical installation orientation and the horizontal installation orientation. In the vertical installation orientation, the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus is placed vertically; in this situation, the bottom plate forms the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100. In the horizontal installation orientation, the HVAC apparatus is placed horizontally; in this situation, the left side plate and the right side plate form the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100. It can be understood that the installation area 101 is a cuboid area. The installation area 101 is located near a corner area formed by the bottom plate and the left side plate, or near a corner area formed by the bottom plate and the right side plate.
In an embodiment, referring to
In an embodiment, regardless of whether in the vertical installation orientation or in the horizontal installation orientation, the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 is smaller than or equal to 110 mm. In an embodiment, the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 is smaller than or equal to 100 mm, 90 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 60 mm, 50 mm, 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm, or 10 mm. Due to the high concentration of refrigerant at the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100, the smaller the distance between the refrigerant detection device 30 and the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100, the better the detection effect of the refrigerant detection device 30.
The heat exchange assembly includes an expansion valve, a heat exchanger 40, and a refrigerant delivery pipeline. The refrigerant delivery pipeline is used to connect the expansion valve and the heat exchanger 40. The heat exchanger 40 is used to achieve heat exchange between the refrigerant and air, thereby cooling the air. The function of the heat exchanger 40 is for low-temperature liquid refrigerant to enter the interior of the pipeline of the heat exchanger 40, so that the low-temperature liquid refrigerant is transformed into a gaseous refrigerant. This process absorbs heat. Heat exchange occurs between the surface of the heat exchanger 40 and the airflow inside the accommodation chamber 100, thereby cooling the airflow inside the accommodation chamber 100. The heat exchanger 40 is a component of the heat exchange assembly that is more prone to refrigerant leakage. When refrigerant leakage occurs, the refrigerant leaks out of the heat exchange assembly. Due to the higher density of the refrigerant than air, the refrigerant will continuously accumulate at the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100.
In an embodiment, the heat exchanger 40 is overall inverted V-shaped. The heat exchanger 40 includes a first side plate 41 and a second side plate 42. The first side plate 41 and the second side plate 42 intersect with each other. In an embodiment, the first side plate 41 and the second side plate 42 form an acute angle. The first side plate 41 includes a bottom surface and a top surface arranged facing away from each other, with the bottom surface arranged near the bottom plate of the shell 10 and the top surface arranged near the top plate of the shell 10. The second side plate 42 also includes a bottom surface and a top surface arranged facing away from each other, with the bottom surface arranged near the bottom plate of the shell 10 and the top surface arranged near the top plate of the shell 10. The top surface of the first side plate 41 is fixedly connected to the top surface of the second side plate 42 through a first sealing plate 43. A second sealing plate 44 is also provided between the first side plate 41 and the second side plate 42. A fixed connection between the first side plate 41 and the second side plate 42 is achieved through the first sealing plate 43 and the second sealing plate 44.
The indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus also includes a water receiving box 20. The water receiving box 20 is used to collect condensate water from the heat exchanger 40 and discharge it. The water receiving box 20 includes a first water receiving box 21 and a second water receiving box 22. The first water receiving box 21 is fixedly connected to the bottom plate of the shell 10, and the second water receiving box 22 is fixedly connected to the left side plate or the right side plate of the shell 10. In the vertical installation orientation of the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus, the first water receiving box 21 is arranged at the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100 to accommodate condensate water. In the horizontal installation position of the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus, the second water receiving box 22 is arranged at the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100. That is, when the second water box 22 is fixedly connected to the left side plate of the shell 10, in a case where the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus is horizontally placed, the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus should be placed in such a way that the left side plate is set as the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100. When the second water box 22 is fixedly connected to the right side plate of the shell 10, in a case where the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus is horizontally placed, the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus should be placed in such a way that the right side plate is set as the bottom of the accommodation chamber 100. In this way, when the indoor unit of the HVAC apparatus is horizontally placed, the accommodation chamber 100 is always provided with the water receiving box 20 at the bottom to accommodate condensate water.
Referring to
The first installation plate 32 protrudes from the rear side plate member and is coplanar with the rear side plate member. In an embodiment, the first installation plate 32 includes a first sub installation plate 321 and a second sub installation plate 322. The first sub installation plate 321 and the second sub installation plate 322 are arranged on left and right sides of the rear side plate member respectively. The second installation plate 33 protrudes from the bottom plate member and is coplanar with the bottom plate member. In an embodiment, the second installation plate 33 includes a third sub installation plate 331 and a fourth sub installation plate 332. The third sub installation plate 331 and the fourth sub installation plate 332 are arranged on left and right sides of the bottom plate member respectively. In an embodiment, the housing is integrated with the first installation plate 32 and the second installation plate 33.
The first installation plate 32 is formed with a first installation hole 323. Specifically, the first installation hole 323 includes a first sub installation hole and a second sub installation hole. The first sub installation hole is arranged on the first sub installation plate 321, and the second sub installation hole is arranged on the second sub installation plate 322. The second installation plate 33 is formed with a second installation hole 333. Specifically, the second installation hole 333 includes a third sub installation hole and a fourth sub installation hole. The third sub installation hole is arranged on the third sub installation plate 331, and the fourth sub installation hole is arranged on the fourth sub installation plate 332. In use, two fasteners can be used to pass through the first sub installation hole, the second sub installation hole, and two via holes on the connected member respectively, so that the refrigerant detection device 30 is fixedly connected to the connected member through the first installation plate 32. In some embodiments, two fasteners can be used to pass through the third sub installation hole, the fourth sub installation hole, and two via holes on the connected member respectively, so that the refrigerant detection device 30 is fixedly connected to the connected member through the second installation plate 33. The fasteners can be screws or bolts. The connected member is any member of the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus that is located in the installation area 101. In an embodiment, the connected member is the heat exchanger 40. It can be understood that the connected member is not limited to the heat exchanger 40. Due to the fact that the heat exchanger 40 is a member inside the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus that is prone to refrigerant leakage, fixing the refrigerant detection device 30 to the heat exchanger 40 is advantageous for the refrigerant detection device 30 to more accurately detect refrigerant leakage.
In an embodiment, the first installation plate 32 and the second installation plate 33 are perpendicular to each other. Since the refrigerant detection device 30 can be fixedly connected to the connected member through the first installation plate 32 or through the second installation plate 33, the first installation plate 32 and the second installation plate 33 enable the refrigerant detection device 30 to be installed to the connected member at different angles, thus facilitating the fixed connection of the refrigerant detection device 30 to the connected member within the installation area 101. In an embodiment, the refrigerant detection device 30 is fixedly connected to the heat exchanger 40 through the first installation plate 32 or the second installation plate 33; specifically, it is connected to the first side plate 41 or the second side plate 42 of the heat exchanger 40.
In an embodiment, the indoor unit 1 of the HVAC apparatus further includes a connection bracket 50, and the refrigerant detection device 30 is fixedly connected to the heat exchanger 40 through the connection bracket 50. Specifically, the first installation plate 32 or the second installation plate 33 is fixedly connected to the connection bracket 50, and the connection bracket 50 is connected to the heat exchanger 40.
The connection bracket 50 includes a first connection plate 51 and a second connection plate 52, which are connected to each other and intersect with each other. In an embodiment, the first connection plate 51 and the second connection plate 52 are perpendicular to each other. At least one first via hole is formed on the first connection plate 51. In an embodiment, two first via holes are formed on the first connection plate 51. The two first via holes on the first connection plate 51 are aligned with the first sub installation hole and the second sub installation hole on the first installation plate 32 respectively, and the first connection plate 51 and the first installation plate 32 are fixedly connected by fasteners. In another embodiment, the two first via holes on the first connection plate 51 are aligned with the third sub installation hole and the fourth sub installation hole on the second installation plate 33 respectively, and the first connection plate 51 and the second installation plate 33 are fixedly connected by fasteners. Therefore, the first connection plate 51 can be fixedly connected to the refrigerant detection device 30 in two directions that are perpendicular to each other. The fasteners can be screws or bolts.
At least one second via hole 521 is formed on the second connection plate 52. In an embodiment, four second via holes are formed on the second connection plate 52. The second via holes 521 on the second connection plate 52 are aligned with the via holes on the heat exchanger 40 respectively, and then fasteners pass through the second via holes 521 on the second connection plate 52 and the via holes on the heat exchanger 40 respectively to achieve a fixed connection between the second connection plate 52 and the heat exchanger 40. The fasteners can be screws or bolts. Referring to
In an embodiment, the connection bracket 50 further includes a first positioning side plate 53 and a second positioning side plate 54. The first positioning side plate 53 is arranged on a side of the first connection plate 51 that is away from the second connection plate 52. The second positioning side plate 54 is arranged on a side of the second connection plate 52 that is away from the first connection plate 51. The first positioning side plate 53 and the first connection plate 51 are connected to each other and intersect with each other. In an embodiment, the first positioning side plate 53 is perpendicular to the first connection plate 51. The second positioning side plate 54 and the second connection plate 52 are connected to each other and intersect with each other. In an embodiment, the second positioning side plate 54 is perpendicular to the second connection plate 52. In use, by abutting the first positioning side plate 53 with the refrigerant detection device 30 and abutting the second positioning side plate 54 with a side surface of the side plate of the heat exchanger 40, the refrigerant detection device 30 can be accurately positioned with the side plate of the heat exchanger 40, so that the two via holes on the first connection plate 51 are aligned with the first installation hole 323 or the second installation hole 333, and the via holes on the second connection plate 52 are aligned with the via holes on the heat exchanger 40, thus facilitating a fixed connection between the first connection plate 51 and the first installation plate 32 using fasteners, while also fixedly connecting the second connection plate 52 with the heat exchanger 40.
Described above are only preferred specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited to this. Any changes or replacements that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application should be covered within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be accorded with the scope of protection of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202322672470.X | Sep 2023 | CN | national |
