AU2018440914B2

AU2018440914B2 - Indoor unit of air-conditioning apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU2018440914B2
Application number: AU2018440914A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Takahiro Komatsu; Masaaki Maruyama; Koki MORO
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2018-09-11
Filing date: 2018-09-11
Publication date: 2022-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-11
Also published as: WO2020053952A1; DE112018007975T5; JPWO2020053952A1; AU2018440914A1; JP6945749B2

Abstract

This indoor unit for an air conditioner is provided with: an indoor unit body having an indoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between air and a heat medium; a connection port provided in the indoor unit body and communicating with the indoor heat exchanger; and a valve kit provided as a separate body from the indoor unit body, the valve kit having a flow rate regulation valve for regulating the flow rate of a heat medium flowing into the indoor heat exchanger, the valve kit also having a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the heat medium. The valve kit is connected to the connection port of the indoor unit body by external piping through which a heat medium flows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

The present disclosure relates to an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to a technology suitable for changing an indoor unit of a direct inflation air-conditioning apparatus to an indoor unit of a chiller type air-conditioning

apparatus. Background

[0002]

Hitherto, a technology for renewing a direct-inflation type air-conditioning

apparatus, which uses refrigerant to condition air, to a chiller type air-conditioning

apparatus, which uses a heat medium such as water, which has been subjected to heat exchange with refrigerant, has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In Patent

Document 1, the refrigerant pipe used in the direct-inflation type air-conditioning

apparatus is reused as a pipe for a heat medium in a chiller-type air-conditioning apparatus, to thereby simplify a pipe connection operation at the time of renewal.

[0003] Meanwhile, as the indoor unit for a chiller-type air-conditioning apparatus, an

indoor unit that includes an indoor heat exchanger, a flow control valve for adjusting the

flow rate of a heat medium flowing into the indoor heat exchanger, and a pressure

sensor for measuring the pressure of the heat medium at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2). Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.

2016-90178

Patent Literature 2: W02017/009955

[0005]

In the technology of Patent Document 1, although the refrigerant pipe is

attempted to be reused, the indoor unit used in the direct-inflation type air-conditioning

apparatus is removed and a new indoor unit is installed. Thus, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a renewal technology that does not reuse an indoor unit of a direct-inflation type air-conditioning apparatus.

[0006] On the other hand, it is required to renew an indoor unit to an indoor unit of a

chiller type air-conditioning apparatus including a flow control valve and a pressure sensor as disclosed in Patent Document 2, while reusing an existing indoor unit of a

direct inflation type air-conditioning apparatus. When the flow control valve and the

pressure sensor are newly installed in the existing indoor unit, the flow control valve and

the pressure sensor are installed separately, and as a result, a problem arises that that operations at a work site become complicated.

[0007]

It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more disadvantages or limitations associated with the prior art, or to at least provide a useful alternative. Summary

[0008]

An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the

present disclosure has an indoor unit main body including an indoor heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between air and a heat medium, a connection port that is provided in the indoor unit main body and communicates with the

indoor heat exchanger, and a valve kit, which is a body different from the indoor unit

main body, including a flow control valve that controls the flow amount of the heat

medium that flows into the indoor heat exchanger and a pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the heat medium. The valve kit is connected to the connection port of

the indoor unit main body by an external pipe through which the heat medium flows.

[0009]

[Blank]

Brief Description of Drawings

[0010]

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are hereinafter described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 illustrates a configuration of an air-conditioning apparatus including

an indoor unit according to Embodiment of the present disclosure.

[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning

apparatus according to Embodiment of the present disclosure.

[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a plan view of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus

according to Embodiment of the present disclosure.

[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a valve kit of the indoor unit of

the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment of the present disclosure.

[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the valve kit of the indoor unit of

the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment of the present disclosure when the valve kit is partially assembled.

[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 illustrates mounting on the indoor unit main body, of the valve kit of

the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment of the present

disclosure. Detailed Description

[0010A]

According to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure, the existing indoor unit of a direct expansion-type air-conditioning apparatus can be renewed to an indoor unit of a chiller-type air-conditioning apparatus without causing operations at a work site to be complicated.

[0011]

Hereinafter, Embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with

reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same referential signs.

[0012]

Fig. 1 illustrates a configuration of an air-conditioning apparatus provided with the

indoor unit according to Embodiment of the present disclosure. The air-conditioning apparatus shown in Fig. 1 is a chiller-type air-conditioning

apparatus and is provided with an indoor unit 1, an outdoor unit 100, and a heat exchanger 200. The indoor unit 1 shown in Fig. 1 has a configuration that has been renewed from the direct-inflation type to the chiller type. Here, the direct-inflation type is one in which refrigerant flowing through a refrigeration circuit is sent directly to the indoor heat exchanger 30a, to thereby air-condition the room. The chiller type is one in which refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration circuit heats or cools a heat medium and sends the heat medium to the indoor heat exchanger 30a, to thereby air-condition the room.

[0013]

The indoor unit 1 has an indoor unit main body 30 including an indoor heat

exchanger 30a for causing heat exchange to be performed between air and a heat medium, and a valve kit 70. The indoor unit main body 30 has an existing

configuration used in a direct-inflation type air-conditioning apparatus. The valve kit 70

is newly mounted when renewing the indoor unit from the direct-inflation type to the

chiller type. The valve kit 70 is provided with a flow control valve 76 and a pressure

sensor 77. The valve kit 70 will be described later in more detail.

[0014]

In the air-conditioning apparatus, the outdoor unit 100 and the heat exchanger 200 are connected to one another by a refrigerant pipe 10 and a refrigerant pipe 11, and refrigerant passes through in the order of the outdoor unit 100, the refrigerant pipe 10,

the heat exchanger 200, and the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0015]

The heat exchanger 200 is connected to the indoor unit main body 30 by the heat medium pipe 20, the indoor unit main body 30 is connected to the valve kit 70 by the heat medium pipe 21, and the valve kit 70 is connected to the heat exchanger 200 by the heat medium pipe 22. Accordingly, the heat medium circulates in the order of the

heat exchanger 200, the heat medium pipe 20, the indoor unit main body 30, the heat medium pipe, the valve kit 70 and the heat medium pipe 22. Water, an antifreeze

solution or the like is used as the heat medium.

[0016]

Due to the above-mentioned flow of each of the refrigerant and the heat medium,

the heat exchanger 200 causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and the heat medium in the heat exchanger 200. The heat medium that has been heated or cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant is then sent from the heat exchanger 200 to the indoor unit main body 30, and the indoor heat exchanger 30a of the indoor heat exchanger 30 causes heat exchange to be performed between the heat medium and indoor air, whereby a room is thus air-conditioned.

[0017]

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus

according to Embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment of the present

disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the indoor unit main body 30 is of the ceiling-mounted

type, and is provided with a box body 31 having an open lower side and a substantially square-shaped decorative panel 32 covering the opening of the lower side of the box body 31. The indoor heat exchanger 30a (see Fig. 1) is disposed inside the box body 31. The indoor unit main body 30 is mounted in the ceiling of the room in the direction

shown in the figure by using a fixture 12. The box body 31 is disposed above the ceiling surface and the decorative panel 32 is disposed in the indoor space. Near the center of the decorative panel 32, an air inlet 33 is provided to suction air into the indoor

unit main body 30, and around the air inlet 33, an air outlet 34 is provided along the four sides of the decorative panel 32 to blow the conditioned air into the room. An air vent

valve cover 60 is attached to the side of the box body 31.

[0018]

In the side of the box body 31, a connection port 40 and a connection port 41 to which the external pipes are connected are provided. Avalve kit70 is attached to a mounting surface 31a of the box body 31. The connection port 40 and the connection port 41 are existing components in the indoor unit main body 30 used as the direct inflation type indoor unit, and are the portions to which a refrigerant pipe, as an external

pipe, was connected before the renewal.

[0019]

In the indoor unit 1 after the renewal, heat medium pipes as the external pipes are connected to the connection port 40 and the connection port 41. Specifically, the heat medium pipe 20 and the heat medium pipe 21 shown in Fig. 1 are connected to the connection port 40 and the connection port 41. Fig. 2 illustrates a state in which, of an inlet side connection port 50 and an outlet side connection port 51 of the valve kit 70, which are described later, the inlet side connection port 50 and the connection port 41 are connected by the heat medium pipe 21. The outlet side connection port 51 is connected to the heat exchanger 200 by the heat medium pipe 20. In this example, since the connection port 40 serves as the inlet side of the heat medium and the connection port 41 serves as the outlet side of the heat medium, the connection port 40 is hereinafter referred to as the inlet side connection port 40 and the connection port 41 is referred to as the outlet side connection port 41.

[0020]

Here, in Embodiment, the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus used as a direct expansion-type air-conditioning apparatus is intended to be renewed to an indoor unit of a chiller-type air-conditioning apparatus including a flow control valve and a

pressure sensors. In Embodiment, the valve kit 70 is used to perform such renewal without causing operations at a work site to be complicated.

[0021]

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the valve kit in the indoor unit of the air

conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the valve kit in the indoor unit of the air-conditioning

apparatus according to Embodiment of the present disclosure in a partially assembled state. In Figs. 4 to 5, the following explanation is given, presuming that the near side is

the front side and the back side is the rear side.

[0022]

The valve kit 70 has a valve kit housing 70a comprising a main body case 71

having an open front surface and a body cover 72 covering the front opening of the main body case 71. Valve kit mounting brackets 73 are fixed to an upper portion and a lower portion of each of the rightward region and the leftward region of a rear side 71a

of the main body case 71.

[0023]

In addition, a U-shaped pipe 78 is accommodated in the valve kit housing 70a. Both ends of the pipe 78 protrude outwardly from the main body case 71 and serve as the inlet side connection port 50 and an outlet side connection port 51.

[0024]

The flow control valve 76 that controls the flow amount of the heat medium that

flows into the indoor unit main body 30 is attached to the pipe 78. The flow control

valve 76 has a valve body (not illustrated) and a valve motor 76a that drives the valve

body. The flow control valve 76 is, for example, a valve such as a regulating valve, an expansion valve, or a solenoid valve. The valve motor 76a is disposed above the pipe 78.

[0025]

In the pipe 78, pressure sensors 77 are attached upstream and downstream of the flow control valve 76. The pressure sensors 77 measure the pressure of the heat medium upstream and downstream of the flow control valve 76. Although two

pressure sensors 77 are provided in Embodiment, only one pressure sensor 77 may alternatively be provided. The valve kit 70 further includes a drain pan 75 that is

disposed below the pipe 78 and that receives drain generated in the valve kit 70.

[0026]

Each component, such as the flow control valve 76, the pipe 78, the pressure sensor 77 and the drain pan 75, is housed in the valve kit housing 70a, in a state being

covered from the front and the rear by two sound absorbers 74. In the two sound absorbers 74, the contact surfaces that are brought in contact with each component have an uneven surface that matches the external shape of each component, and each component is held in close contact with the contact surface. The sound absorber 74 is formed from a natural material, for example, mainly composed of pulp-based fibers, as a sound absorber. By covering the flow control valve 76 and the pipe 78 with the

sound absorber 74, noise due to vibration and driving sound of these components can be minimized. The sound absorber 74 has heat insulating property, thereby preventing the heat of the heat medium from being transferred to the outside.

[0027]

In addition, grooves 79 are formed in an outer surface of the sound absorber 74 at the front. The grooves 79 are provided for routing a wiring 80 of the flow control

valve 76 and a wiring 81 of each pressure sensor 77 that are electric components arranged in the valve kit 70. The wiring 80 and the wirings 81 are accommodated in

the grooves 79 as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, and it is thereby possible to collectively pull out, from the valve kit 70, the wiring 80 and the wirings 81 extending

from the respective electric components. The wirings 80 and 81 that are collectively

pulled out are connected to the indoor unit main body 30.

[0028]

Here, a procedure that is used when the existing indoor unit used as the indoor unit of the direct expansion-type air-conditioning apparatus is converted to the indoor unit of the chiller type air conditioning apparatus including the flow control valve and the

pressure sensors will be described. The refrigerant sealed in the indoor unit main body 30 is recovered in an outdoor unit (not illustrated) of the refrigeration circuit by performing a pump-down operation.

Then, respective refrigerant pipes (not illustrated) of the refrigeration circuit that are

connected to the inlet side connection port 40 and the outlet side connection port 41 of the indoor unit main body 30 are removed.

[0029]

Next, the valve kit 70 is connected to the indoor unit main body 30. Specifically, the valve kit 70 is mounted on the mounting surface 31a of the box body 31 of the

indoor unit main body 30 as illustrated in Fig. 2. Such mounting on the mounting

surface 31a of the box body 31 is illustrated in Fig. 6, which will be referred to next.

[0030]

Fig. 6 illustrates mounting, on the indoor unit main body, of the valve kit of the

indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment of the present

disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the valve kit 70 is mounted by being fixed to the mounting

surface 31a by screws 90 being passed through the respective valve kit mounting brackets 73. Although Fig. 6 illustrates only the main body case 71 for facilitating understanding of a mounting method, the valve kit 70, as a finished component, is mounted on the mounting surface 31a at a work site. In addition, although a configuration in which the valve kit 70 is mounted on the indoor unit main body 30 is described here, the valve kit 70 may alternatively be disposed separately from the indoor unit main body 30 and may be mounted on, for example, a ceiling wall.

[0031]

After the valve kit 70 is fixed in the way mentioned above, as illustrated in Fig. 2,

the outlet side connection port 41 of the indoor unit main body 30 and the inlet side

connection port 50 of the valve kit 70 are connected to one another by the heat medium

pipe 21. Thus, the indoor unit 1 is renewed from the direct expansion-type to the

chiller-type. That is, by only connecting the valve kit 70 to the existing indoor unit main

body, renewal to the chiller-type indoor unit 1 including the flow control valve 76 and the

pressure sensors 77 can be realized.

[0032]

As explained above, according to Embodiment, the indoor unit 1 is provided with

the indoor unit main body 30 and the valve kit 70 that is separate from the indoor unit

main body 30. The indoor unit main body 30 includes the indoor heat exchanger 30a, and the connection port 40 and the connection port 41 communicating with the indoor

heat exchanger 30a. The valve kit 70 includes the flow control valve 76 and the

pressure sensor 77. The indoor unit 1 has a configuration in which one of the

connection port 40 and the connection port 41 of the indoor unit main body 30 and the

valve kit 70 are connected by the heat medium pipe. In other words, the indoor unit

can be renewed to a chiller-type indoor unit having the flow rate control valve 76 and the

pressure sensor 77 by simply connecting the valve kit 70 to the connection port of the

existing indoor unit main body 30 by the heat medium pipe at a site of renewal work. Thus, as compared to a case where the flow control valve 76 and the pressure sensor 77 are installed separately, operations at a site can be simplified.

[0033]

In the valve kit 70, the flow control valve 76, the pressure sensors 77, and the

pipe 78 are covered with the sound absorber 74. Thus, the driving sound of the valve motor 76a incorporated in the flow control valve 76 can be absorbed. The vibration of

the flow control valve 76 and the pipe 78 can also be absorbed. Consequently, by using the sound absorber 74, driving sound and vibration can be absorbed, and it is thereby possible to obtain the quiet indoor unit 1 of the air-conditioning apparatus.

[0034]

Each of the sound absorbers 74 has an uneven shape that matches each component, and it is thereby possible to prevent the components from being mounted on incorrect positions. Specifically, a normal arrangement position of the valve motor

76a of the flow control valve 76 in relation to a pipe to be flow-controlled is determined

by the product specifications thereof, and the valve motor 76a is operated precisely by being disposed at the normal arrangement position. In Embodiment, the normal

arrangement position of the valve motor 76a is a position above a pipe to be flow controlled. Thus, by the sound absorbers 74 each having an uneven shape depending on the normal arrangement position, it is possible to mount the valve motor 76a at the

normal position while avoiding mounting on an incorrect position. Although, in

Embodiment, the use of the valve motor 76a of which the normal arrangement position

is above a pipe to be flow-controlled is described as an example, a valve motor of which a normal arrangement position is below a pipe to be flow-controlled may alternatively be used.

[0035]

Since a groove 79 is provided in the sound absorber 74 for routing the wiring 80 of the flow control valve 76 and the wiring 81 of each of the pressure sensors 77, it is

thereby possible for the wiring 80 and the wirings 81 to be collectively pulled out from

the valve kit 70 and to be connected to the indoor unit main body 30. Thus, by collecting a plurality of wirings that are pulled out from the valve kit 70, it is possible to

shorten the time and reduce the effort related to a wiring operation during mounting of

the valve kit 70.

[0035a]

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context

requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[0035b] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived

from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an

acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or

information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general

knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Reference Signs List

[0036] 1 indoorunit 10 refrigerantpipe 11 refrigerant pipe 12 fixing hardware

piece 20 heat medium pipe 21 heat medium pipe 22 heat medium pipe 30 indoor unit main body 30a indoor heat exchanger 31 box body 31a mounting surface 32 decorative panel 33 air inlet 34 air outlet 40 connection port (inlet side connection port) 41 connection port (outlet side connection port) 50

inlet side connection port 51 outlet side connection port 60 air vent valve cover

70 valve kit 70a valve kit housing 71 main body case 71a rear side 72

main body cover 73 valve kit mounting bracket 74 sound absorber 75 drain

pan 76 flow control valve 76a valve motor 77 pressure sensor 78 pipe 79 groove 80 wiring 81 wiring 90 screw 100 outdoorunit 200 heat exchanger

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

[Claim 1] An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, the indoor unit comprising:

an indoor unit main body including an indoor heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between air and a heat medium; a connection port that is provided in the indoor unit main body and

communicates with the indoor heat exchanger; and

a valve kit, which is a body different from the indoor unit main body, including a

flow control valve that controls a flow amount of the heat medium that flows into the

indoor heat exchanger and a pressure sensor that measures a pressure of the heat medium, wherein

the valve kit includes a pipe to which the flow control valve is attached, and the

pipe, the flow control valve, and the pressure sensor are covered with a sound absorber, and is connected to the connection port of the indoor unit main body by an external pipe in which the heat medium flows.
[Claim 2]

The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the sound absorber has a surface that comes into contact with each of the pipe, the flow control valve, and the pressure sensor, and has an uneven shape to match an outer shape of each of the pipe, the flow control valve, and the pressure sensor.
[Claim 3]

The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the valve kit includes a drain pan that receives drain from inside the

valve kit, and

wherein the drain pan is covered with the sound absorber having a surface that

comes into contact with the drain pan and that has the uneven shape to match an outer

shape of the drain pan.
[Claim 4]

The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the sound absorber has an outer surface having grooves provided to accommodate and route a wiring of the flow control valve and a wiring of the pressure sensor.
[Claim 5]

The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4,

wherein

the valve kit is mounted on the indoor unit main body.
[Claim 6]

The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5,

wherein

the valve kit is disposed separately from the indoor unit main body.