JP5459303B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner. In particular, the present invention relates to an air conditioner that includes a heat source side heat exchanger including a plurality of heat exchange units to which refrigerant is supplied through different paths, and that can perform a defrost operation for each heat exchange unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air conditioner that can perform a cooling operation and a heating operation by switching a refrigerant flow using a four-way switching valve is known. When heating operation is performed in an environment where the outside air temperature is low by this air conditioner, frost may adhere to the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. Since such frost adhesion causes deterioration of heat exchange efficiency, the air conditioner usually has a defrost (defrost) function for removing frost.

  As one of the defrost functions, there is a reverse cycle defrost operation. When the temperature of the fins of the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit reaches a predetermined temperature, the indoor side is temporarily cooled by switching the four-way switching valve. This is a method of melting and removing frost by operating and supplying a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant to the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit. However, since the heating operation cannot be performed during the reverse cycle defrost operation, the indoor comfort may be impaired.

  Therefore, various techniques for enabling defrost operation while continuing heating operation have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 below includes an outdoor heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchangers (heat exchange portions) to which refrigerant is supplied through different paths are arranged in the vertical direction, and a part of the heat exchange is performed. An air conditioner that can perform a defrost operation with respect to another heat exchanger while performing a heating operation using an oven is disclosed.

JP 2009-281698 A

  The air conditioning apparatus of Patent Document 1 is configured to perform defrosting operation in order from the upper heat exchanger. And according to patent document 1, it adheres to a lower heat exchanger with the heat which the said drain water has by dripping the drain water which generate | occur | produced by the defrost driving | operation with respect to an upper heat exchanger to a lower heat exchanger. The frost can be melted. Furthermore, according to Patent Document 1, even if the drain water deprived of heat in the lower heat exchanger is frozen again, the drain water re-frozen by the subsequent defrost operation for the lower heat exchanger ( (Ice) can be melted.

  However, the ice produced by refreezing the drain water is unlikely to melt unlike frost, so it is difficult to remove it reliably, and long-term defrost operation is required to remove it reliably. Therefore, there is a problem that the possibility of impairing indoor comfort is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and includes a heat source side heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchange units to which refrigerant is supplied through mutually different paths are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. In the air conditioner capable of performing the defrost operation on the other heat exchange unit while performing the heating operation using the heat exchange unit of the unit, the drain water dripped from the upper heat exchange unit is the lower heat. An object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning apparatus that can prevent re-freezing in an exchange unit and suppress a decrease in heating capacity.

In the present invention, a heating operation is performed using a heat source side heat exchanger in which a plurality of heat exchange parts to which refrigerant is supplied through different paths are arranged in the vertical direction, and a part of the heat exchange parts. In the air conditioning apparatus comprising a partial defrosting means for performing a defrosting operation with respect to another heat exchange unit,
A drainage mechanism for draining drain water generated in each heat exchange unit is provided for each heat exchange unit,
The drainage mechanism is provided between heat exchangers adjacent to each other in the vertical direction and receives drain water dripped from the upper heat exchanger, and divides the drain unit that drains the drain water received into a plurality of parts. Each drainage area is equipped with a drain pan,
The drain pan is made of a synthetic resin material, a water receiving plate for receiving drain water, provided on both sides in the width direction of the water receiving plate, and a pair of support plates projecting upward under the the water receiving plate And
The pair of support plates, the upper heat exchange unit is placed on the upper end, the lower end is placed on the upper end of the lower heat exchange unit,
A heat insulating layer made of air is formed by a space surrounded by the upper and lower heat exchange parts, the pair of support plates, and the water receiving plate.

  According to the air conditioner having the above configuration, since the drainage mechanism is provided for each of the plurality of heat exchange units, the drain water generated in the upper heat exchange unit is dropped on the lower heat exchange unit and refreezes. Can be suitably prevented.

Before SL drainage mechanism is provided between the heat exchange portion adjacent to the vertical direction, and than has a drain pan for receiving drain water dropped from the upper side of the heat exchange portion, generated in the heat exchange portion of the upper side The drain water can be reliably received by the drain pan and prevented from dripping onto the lower heat exchange section.

Before Symbol drain pan is provided with the discharge portion for discharging the drain water received externally, the drain water received in the drain pan can be discharged to the outside by the discharge portion, the heat exchanging portion located thereunder It is possible to suitably prevent the drain water from dripping.

Before Symbol drain pan is divided into a plurality of water collecting area, it is provided with the said discharge portion for each the catchment area, by dividing the drain pan into a plurality of catchment area, to reduce the respective catchment areas, It becomes possible to form a water gradient for guiding drain water to the discharge part more rapidly. Accordingly, it is possible to promote the drain water discharge from the discharge portion.
Further, since the drain pan forms a heat insulating layer between the upper and lower heat exchanging portions, the heat transfer between the heat exchanging portion performing the defrost operation and the heat exchanging portion performing the heating operation is suppressed, and defrosting is performed. A decrease in capacity and heating capacity can be suppressed.

The drain pan is preferably formed to be transparent or translucent.
Moreover, it is preferable that the air conditioning apparatus includes a water guide structure that connects the discharge portions of a plurality of drain pans, integrates drain water discharged from each discharge portion, and guides the drain water downward.
With such a configuration, drainage paths from a plurality of drain pans can be integrated and simplified.

Before SL portion defrosting means has a heat exchange portion of the part used in the heating operation, connects the other heat exchange portion which defrosting operation is performed in series, the portion of the heat exchanger from the other heat exchange section It may have a defrost circuit that causes the refrigerant to flow through the part, condenses the refrigerant in the other heat exchange unit and supercools, and then evaporates the refrigerant in the partial heat exchange unit.
According to this configuration, since almost the entire amount of the refrigerant can be supplied to a part of the heat exchange unit used for the heating operation and the heat exchanger (indoor heat exchanger) on the use side, the compressor as in the conventional case. Compared with the case where a part of the refrigerant discharged from the tank is used only for the defrost operation, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the heating capacity.
In addition, the heating system is provided with a flow dividing mechanism that diverts the refrigerant sent from the indoor heat exchanger to each heat exchanging unit during the heating operation, and the defrost circuit defrosts the refrigerant sent from the indoor heat exchanger from the front of the flow dividing mechanism. The refrigerant that has flowed into the gaseous refrigerant outflow side during the heating operation in the other heat exchanging section and further passed through the other heat exchange section from the liquid refrigerant inflow side during the heating operation in the other heat exchange section It is preferable to make it flow in into the liquid refrigerant inflow side at the time of heating operation in the said one part heat exchange part via a diversion mechanism.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent that the drain water dripped from the upper side heat exchange part freezes again in a lower heat exchange part, and can suppress the fall of heating capability.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the outdoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the inside of an outdoor unit. It is a perspective view which shows an outdoor heat exchanger. It is a top view of a drain pan. It is the VV sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the VI-VI sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the VII-VII sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the VIII-VIII sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the IX-IX sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioning apparatus in which a defrost driving | operation is possible. It is the Ph diagram which displayed the refrigerating cycle of defrost operation.

[Configuration of refrigerant circuit]
First, an example of a refrigerant circuit that can be applied to the air conditioner of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner capable of defrosting operation.
The air conditioner 1 is a separate type having an outdoor unit 2 and an indoor unit 3, and a refrigerant circuit (main refrigerant circuit) 4 is formed so that a refrigerant can flow between the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3. Yes.

  The outdoor unit 2 is provided with a compressor 6, a four-way switching valve 7, an outdoor heat exchanger (heat source side heat exchanger) 8, an outdoor expansion valve 9, and the like, which are connected by a refrigerant pipe 21. The outdoor unit 2 is provided with a blower fan 10. The indoor unit 3 is provided with an indoor expansion valve 14, an indoor heat exchanger (use side heat exchanger) 11, and the like. The four-way switching valve 7 and the indoor heat exchanger 11 are connected by a gas side refrigerant communication pipe 12, and the indoor expansion valve 14 and the outdoor expansion valve 9 are connected by a liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 13.

  In the air conditioner 1 having the above-described configuration, when the cooling operation is performed, the four-way switching valve 7 is maintained in a state indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 8 through the four-way switching valve 7 as indicated by the dotted arrow, and the outdoor fan 10 operates to generate outdoor air and heat. Replace and condense and liquefy. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the fully expanded outdoor expansion valve 9 and flows into the indoor unit 3 through the liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 13. In the indoor unit 3, the refrigerant is decompressed to a predetermined low pressure by the indoor expansion valve 14, and is evaporated by exchanging heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 11. The room air cooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant is blown into the room by an indoor fan (not shown) to cool the room. The refrigerant evaporated and vaporized in the indoor heat exchanger 11 returns to the outdoor unit 2 through the gas side refrigerant communication pipe 12, and is sucked into the compressor 6 through the four-way switching valve 7.

  On the other hand, when the heating operation is performed, the four-way switching valve 7 is held in a state indicated by a solid line in FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 11 of the indoor unit 3 through the four-way switching valve 7 and exchanges heat with room air, as indicated by solid arrows. To condense and liquefy. The indoor air heated by the condensation of the refrigerant is blown into the room by an indoor fan to heat the room. The refrigerant liquefied in the indoor heat exchanger 11 returns to the outdoor unit 2 from the fully expanded indoor expansion valve 14 through the liquid side refrigerant communication pipe 13. The refrigerant that has returned to the outdoor unit 2 is decompressed to a predetermined low pressure by the outdoor expansion valve 9 and further evaporates by exchanging heat with outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 8. The refrigerant evaporated and vaporized in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is sucked into the compressor 6 through the four-way switching valve 7.

  In the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 includes a plurality of heat exchange units 17a to 17c to which refrigerant is supplied through different paths. When heating operation is performed, the refrigerant is divided by a diversion capillary (diversion mechanism) 18 and supplied to the heat exchange units 17a to 17c. The refrigerant that has passed through the heat exchange units 17a to 17c After being merged, it is sucked into the compressor 6. In the example shown in FIG. 10, three heat exchange parts (first to third heat exchange parts) 17 a to 17 c are provided and are divided into three paths by the diversion capillary 18.

  Furthermore, the air-conditioning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can perform a defrost operation (defrosting operation) on other heat exchange units while performing a heating operation using some heat exchange units. It is configured as possible. For this reason, in addition to the main refrigerant circuit 4, the air conditioner 1 changes the refrigerant flow path during the heating operation, and performs a defrost operation on the other heat exchange unit (partial defrost means). 50. Hereinafter, the defrost circuit 50 will be described in detail. In the following description, the refrigerant flow refers to the refrigerant flow direction during heating operation.

[Configuration of defrost circuit]
The defrost circuit 50 includes a bypass pipe 23, first to seventh electromagnetic valves 20a to 20c, 22, 25a to 25c, and the like. More specifically, first to third electromagnetic valves (first to third on-off valves) 20a to 20c are provided between the first to third heat exchange units 17a to 17c and the header pipe 19, respectively. Thus, it is possible to switch between a mode in which the flow of the refrigerant between the heat exchangers 17a to 17c and the header pipe 19 is allowed and a mode in which the flow is blocked.

  In the refrigerant pipe 21 that flows between the outdoor expansion valve 9 and the outdoor heat exchanger 8, a fourth electromagnetic valve (fourth on-off valve) 22 is provided on the upstream side of the branch capillary 18. Furthermore, a bypass pipe 23 branched from the refrigerant pipe 21 is provided on the upstream side of the fourth electromagnetic valve 22. The downstream side of the bypass pipe 23 is first to third bypass branch pipes 24a to 24c that are divided into three by the flow divider 26. The bypass branch pipes 24a to 24c are connected to the heat exchangers 17a to 17c and the header. It is between the pipe | tube 19 and is connected to the upstream rather than the 1st-3rd solenoid valves 20a-20c. The three bypass branch pipes 24a to 24c are provided with fifth to seventh electromagnetic valves (fifth to seventh on-off valves) 25a to 25c, respectively.

  Next, as an example, among the three heat exchange parts 17a to 17c, the defrost operation is performed on the first heat exchange part 17a at the right end in FIG. 10, and the second and third heat exchange parts 17b at the center and the left end are performed. The case where heating operation is performed using 17c is demonstrated. In FIG. 10, the flow of the refrigerant around the outdoor heat exchanger 8 when performing the defrost operation is indicated by a white arrow. Further, FIG. 11 shows the refrigeration cycle in the case of performing the defrost operation on the Ph diagram.

In order to perform the defrost operation on the first heat exchange unit 17a, first, the first to seventh electromagnetic valves are operated as follows.
First solenoid valve 20a: closed, second solenoid valve 20b: opened, third solenoid valve 20c: opened, fourth solenoid valve 22: closed, fifth solenoid valve 25a: opened, sixth solenoid valve 25b: closed, seventh Solenoid valve 25c: closed.
The outdoor expansion valve 9 has a larger opening than during normal heating operation.

  By closing the fourth electromagnetic valve 22 as described above, the refrigerant flowing from the indoor heat exchanger 11 through the outdoor expansion valve 9 to the branch capillary 18 is cut off, and the refrigerant flows to the bypass pipe 23. Then, the fifth solenoid valve 25a in the first bypass shunt pipe 24a is opened, the sixth and seventh solenoid valves 25b and 25c in the second and third bypass shunt pipes 24b and 24c are closed, and the first solenoid valve 20a is closed. Thus, substantially the entire amount of the refrigerant is caused to flow from the header 19 side into the first heat exchange unit 17a.

  The refrigerant that has flowed into the first heat exchanging portion 17a is decompressed to some extent in the process of flowing through the outdoor expansion valve 9, the bypass pipe 23, etc. (points a to b in FIG. 11), becomes low temperature, The temperature is higher than the outside air temperature. For example, when the outside air is −10 ° C., the refrigerant is set to 5 to 10 ° C. Thereby, the frost adhering to the 1st heat exchange part 17a can be melt | dissolved using the heat | fever of a refrigerant | coolant. The melted frost is drained from the first heat exchanging portion 17a, received by a drain pan 37 and a bottom wall 30f of the outdoor unit 2 (see FIG. 3), and discharged outside.

  The refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchange unit 17a is condensed by heat exchange with frost and is supercooled (points b to c in FIG. 11). Then, the refrigerant flows into the diversion capillary 18, is diverted by the diversion capillary 18, and flows into the second and third heat exchange portions 17b and 17c. The refrigerant is further depressurized in the process of passing through the diversion capillary 18 (point c to point d in FIG. 11). That is, the diversion capillary 18 functions as a pressure reducing mechanism. In the second and third heat exchanging portions 17b and 17c, the refrigerant evaporates by exchanging heat with the outside air, and then compressed through the second and third electromagnetic valves 20b and 20c and the header pipe 19. It is sucked into machine 6.

  As described above, in the defrost operation, the first heat exchange unit 17a and the second and third heat exchange units 17b and 17c are connected in series between the refrigerant and frost in the first heat exchange unit 17a. The refrigerant is condensed and supercooled by performing heat exchange, and the refrigerant is evaporated by performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air in the second and third heat exchange portions 17b and 17c. In this defrost operation, only the second and third heat exchange units 17b and 17c can be used for the heating operation, but the refrigerant is not supplied to the second and third heat exchange units 17b and 17c or the indoor heat exchanger 11. Since almost the entire amount can be flowed in, it is possible to suppress a decrease in heating capacity.

The defrosting operation for the second heat exchanging part 17b or the third heat exchanging part 17c can be performed by a procedure substantially similar to the above. Specifically, when the defrost operation is performed on the second heat exchange unit 17b, the first to seventh solenoid valves are operated as follows.
First solenoid valve 20a: open, second solenoid valve 20b: closed, third solenoid valve 20c: open, fourth solenoid valve 22: closed, fifth solenoid valve 25a: closed, sixth solenoid valve 25b: open, seventh Solenoid valve 25c: closed.
Thereby, while connecting the 2nd heat exchange part 17b and the 1st, 3rd heat exchange part 17a, 17c in series, and exchanging heat between a refrigerant and frost in the 2nd heat exchange part 17b, The refrigerant can be condensed and supercooled, and the refrigerant can be evaporated by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the outside air in the first and third heat exchange units 17a and 17c.

When performing defrost operation with respect to the 3rd heat exchange part 17c, the 1st-7th solenoid valve is operated as follows.
First solenoid valve 20a: open, second solenoid valve 20b: open, third solenoid valve 20c: closed, fourth solenoid valve 22: closed, fifth solenoid valve 25a: closed, sixth solenoid valve 25b: closed, seventh Solenoid valve 25c: open.
Thereby, while connecting the 3rd heat exchange part 17c and the 1st, 2nd heat exchange part 17a, 17b in series, and exchanging heat between a refrigerant and frost in the 3rd heat exchange part 17c, The refrigerant can be condensed and supercooled, and the refrigerant can be evaporated by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the outside air in the first and second heat exchange units 17a and 17b.

[Configuration of outdoor unit 2]
Next, a more detailed structure of the outdoor unit 2 will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outdoor unit 2 of an air conditioner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the outdoor unit 2. In FIG. 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 8, the ventilation fan 10, and the compressor 6 are shown among the structures of the outdoor unit 2 shown by FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the outdoor unit 2 is configured as a so-called trunk-type outdoor unit 2, and includes front and rear walls 30a and 30b, left and right side walls 30c and 30d, a ceiling wall 30e, and a bottom wall (bottom frame) 30f. A rectangular parallelepiped casing 31 having a rectangular shape. Two blower outlets 32 are formed at the left and right portions of the front wall 30a, and blower grills 33 are attached to the blower outlets 32, respectively. The rear wall 30b and the left side wall 30c of the casing 31 are formed with suction ports (not shown) through which outside air can be sucked into the casing 31.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the casing 31 is partitioned into a machine room S <b> 1 and a heat exchange room S <b> 2 by a partition plate 35. Specifically, in the illustrated example, the right side of the partition plate 35 is the machine chamber S1, and the left side of the partition plate 35 is the heat exchange chamber S2. The partition plate 35 is provided between the front wall 30a and the rear wall 30b, and is formed in a curved shape in which the machine room S1 side is concave when viewed from above. Moreover, the partition plate 35 is arrange | positioned so that the rear part side may incline to machine room S1 side (right side). The rear end portion of the partition plate 35 is connected to a tube plate 8 a provided at the end portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 8.

  In the machine room S1, a compressor 6, an accumulator 28, and the like are disposed. On the other hand, an outdoor heat exchanger 8 and a blower fan 10 are disposed in the heat exchange chamber S2. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 is formed in a substantially L shape in plan view so as to be along the inner side of the rear wall 30b and the left side wall 30c of the casing 31 in which the suction port is formed. The blower fan 10 is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper and lower air outlets 32 (see FIG. 1) formed on the front wall 30a of the casing 31, and the air blower fan 10 is placed in the heat exchange chamber S2 from the suction ports of the rear wall 30b and the left side wall 30c. The outside air sucked in is blown out from the air outlet 32.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the outdoor heat exchanger 8.
As described above, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 of the present embodiment is configured by the plurality of heat exchange units 17 to which the refrigerant is supplied through different paths. And the some heat exchange part 17 is formed in planar view L shape, and is laminated | stacked on the up-down direction. In the example shown in FIG. 3, four heat exchange parts 17 are stacked in the vertical direction, and a drain pan (drainage mechanism) 37 is provided between the heat exchange parts 17. Further, a bottom wall 30f is provided below the lowermost heat exchanging portion 17, and this bottom wall 30f functions as a drain pan.

  As described above, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 can perform a defrost operation (defrosting operation) on the other heat exchange units 17 while the heating operation is performed by some of the heat exchange units 17. It is configured as follows. And by performing defrost operation one by one with respect to a plurality of heat exchanging parts 17, it is possible to melt and remove frost attached to all the heat exchanging parts 17 while maintaining indoor heating. It has become. The drain pan 37 is disposed below the upper three heat exchanging units 17 and is configured to receive the drain water generated in the defrosting operation and drain it to the outside. Further, drain water generated by the defrosting operation of the lowermost heat exchanging portion 17 is received by the bottom wall 30f as conventionally known, and is discharged to the outside from a discharge port (not shown) formed in the bottom wall 30f. It has come to be.

  By providing the drain pan 37 as described above, drain water generated by melting of frost in the heat exchange unit 17 performing the defrost operation is dripped onto the lower heat exchange unit 17 performing the heating operation. Can be prevented. Therefore, the dripped drain water is not cooled again and frozen in the lower heat exchanging portion 17, and a decrease in heating capacity can be suppressed.

4 is a plan view of the drain pan 37, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the drain pan 37 disposed between the upper and lower heat exchange portions 17 is formed in a substantially L shape corresponding to the heat exchange portion 17 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface of the drain pan 37 is placed on the upper side of the lower heat exchanging portion 17, and the upper heat exchanging portion 17 is placed on the upper surface thereof.

  Further, the drain pan 37 is divided into a plurality of water collection areas 42 and 43. Specifically, a partition wall 41 is provided substantially at the center in the width direction of the drain pan 37, and is partitioned into two water collection regions 42 and 43 by the partition wall 41. In the present embodiment, a first water collection region 42 formed of a straight portion is formed on the left side of the partition wall 41 in FIG. 4, and the second water collection includes a bent portion that bends approximately 90 degrees on the right side of the partition wall 41. Region 43 is formed. The first and second water collecting regions 42 and 43 are provided with first and second discharge portions 44 and 45 for discharging drain water to the outside, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the drain pans 37 are provided on both the first and second water collecting regions 42 and 43 on both sides in the width direction of the water receiving plate 47 that receives the drain water. The space surrounded by the upper surface of the water receiving plate 47 and the opposed surfaces of the pair of supporting plates 48 is a water receiving space 49. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in each of the first and second water collecting regions 42 and 43, the water receiving plate 47 is inclined so as to become lower as it approaches the first and second discharge portions 44 and 45. The drain water received by the water receiving plate 47 is guided to the first and second discharge portions 44 and 45.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 8, the first discharge portion 44 is a first discharge having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view that protrudes from the first water collection region 42 of the drain pan 37 to the inside of the outdoor unit 2. The first discharge block 51 is connected so that the block 51, the first vertical flow path 52 penetrating the first discharge block 51 in the vertical direction, and the first vertical flow path 52 and the first water collecting region 42 are connected. And a first lateral flow path 53 that penetrates one support plate 48. The drain water received by the water receiving plate 47 in the first water collecting area 42 is guided to the first discharge portion 44 by the inclination of the water receiving plate 47, and the first horizontal flow path 53 and the first vertical flow path 52. The water is discharged from the first water collection area 42 through

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first discharge portions 44 of the drain pans 37 that are vertically adjacent to each other are connected to each other by a water guide pipe 55, and the first discharge portion 44 of the lowermost drain pan 37 has a water guide that extends downward. A pipe 55 is connected. Accordingly, drain water discharged from the first discharge portion 44 of each drain pan 37 is discharged in one system via the water guide pipe 55 and discharged to the outside through the bottom wall 30f.

  The 1st discharge part 44 and the water conveyance pipe 55 are the interior side of the outdoor unit 2 rather than the outdoor heat exchanger 8, Comprising: On the downstream side of the air flow (indicated by arrow x in FIG. 2) generated by the blower fan 10 Has been placed. Therefore, the water guide pipe 55 hardly interferes with the air flow passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 8, and heat exchange between the outside air and the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 8 can be suitably performed. Further, since a relatively wide air circulation space is formed on the inner side of the outdoor unit 2 relative to the outdoor heat exchanger 8, a space for providing the first discharge portion 44 and the water guide pipe 55 is easily secured. can do.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 9, the second discharge unit 45 includes a second discharge block 57 having a substantially triangular shape in plan view that protrudes from the bent portion of the drain pan 37 to the outside of the outdoor unit 2. The second discharge block 57 and one support are connected so as to connect the second vertical flow path 58 penetrating the second discharge block 57 in the vertical direction and the second vertical flow path 58 and the second water collecting region 43. The second lateral flow path 59 that penetrates the plate 48 is formed. The drain water received by the water receiving plate 47 in the second water collecting region 43 is guided to the second discharge portion 45 by the inclination of the water receiving plate 47, and the second horizontal flow path 59 and the second vertical flow path 58. It is discharged from the second water collection area 43 via

  As shown in FIG. 3, the second discharge portions 45 of the drain pans 37 that are vertically adjacent to each other are connected to each other by a water guide pipe 55, and the second discharge portion 45 of the lowermost drain pan 37 has a water guide that extends downward. A pipe 55 is connected. Therefore, the drain water discharged from the second discharge portion 45 of each drain pan 37 is discharged in one system through each water conduit 55 and discharged to the outside through the bottom wall 30f.

  Although the 2nd discharge part 45 and the water guide pipe 55 are arrange | positioned in the exterior side of the outdoor unit 2 rather than the outdoor heat exchanger 8, as FIG. 37 is disposed in a dead space formed between the second water collecting area 43 of the casing 37 and the casing 31 which is a component of the outdoor unit 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a new dedicated space in the casing 31 in order to provide the second discharge part 45 and the water guide pipe 55.

  Since the drain pan 37 includes a plurality of water collection areas 42 and 43, the water collection areas 42 and 43 can be formed short (small). Therefore, the inclination angle of the water receiving plate 47 for guiding the drain water to the drainage portions 44 and 45 can be made as large as possible. When the inclination angle of the water receiving plate 47 is increased, for example, even if the outdoor unit 2 is installed in a slightly inclined state, the drain water can be reliably guided to the drainage portions 44 and 45.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a heat insulating layer 60 is formed by the drain pan 37 between the heat exchanging portions 17 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. That is, a region excluding the water receiving plate 47 is a space between the pair of support plates 48 in the drain pan 37, and this space becomes the heat insulating layer 60 and suppresses heat transfer between the upper and lower heat exchange units 17. ing. Therefore, the heat loss in each heat exchange part 17 which performs heating operation and defrost operation can be reduced, and each operation can be performed efficiently.

  The drain pan 37 can be formed of a material such as synthetic resin or metal, but is preferably formed of a material having low thermal conductivity in order to suppress heat transfer between the upper and lower heat exchange units 17. Therefore, it is preferable to form with a synthetic resin material rather than a metal. Moreover, as a synthetic resin material, polycarbonate, ABS, PP, etc. can be used, for example. The drain pan 37 can be formed of a transparent or translucent material. As a result, the state of drain water (drainage state, frozen state) inside the drain pan 37 can be confirmed from the outside.

  The drain pan 37 may include a heater 64 to prevent the drain water from freezing. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by providing a heater 64 in a recess 63 formed on the outer surface of a pair of support plates 48, heat is applied to the drain water in the water receiving space 49 to prevent freezing. Can do.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to the horizontal blowing type outdoor unit 2, but the present invention can also be applied to the upper blowing type outdoor unit 2. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 is not limited to the L shape in plan view, and may be a U shape in plan view, a quadrangular shape in plan view, or the like. The present invention can also be applied to an air conditioning apparatus dedicated to heating that does not perform cooling operation. In this case, the four-way switching valve can be omitted.

  Although the outdoor unit 2 of the said embodiment was equipped with the two ventilation fans 10 up and down, you may be equipped with the 1 or 3 or more ventilation fans 10. FIG. Further, the number of heat exchanging units 17 (the number of passes) is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more. The defrosting operation may be performed one by one heat exchange unit 17 or a plurality of heat exchange units 17 (for example, two each).

  The defrost circuit 50 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 10 and can be changed as appropriate. Also, the mode of defrosting operation is not limited to that described in the above embodiment, and various conventionally known modes can be adopted. For example, a part of the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to a heat exchange unit that performs a defrost operation, and the frost attached to the heat exchange unit is melted by the heat of the refrigerant. 2001-59664 and JP-A-2009-281698) can be employed. Moreover, the well-known aspect (for example, refer 2009-162393 gazette) which gives the heat | fever of a heater with respect to the heat exchange part 17 which performs a defrost driving | operation, and can melt | dissolve frost is also employable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus 2 Outdoor unit 4 Refrigerant circuit 6 Compressor 8 Outdoor heat exchanger 17 Heat exchange part 30f Bottom wall (drain pan)
37 Drain pan (drainage mechanism)
42 1st water collection area 43 2nd water collection area 44 1st discharge part 45 2nd discharge part 50 Defrost circuit (partial defrost means)
55 Water transfer pipe (water transfer structure)
60 Thermal insulation layer

Claims (5)

Heating is performed using a heat source side heat exchanger (8) in which a plurality of heat exchange sections (17) to which refrigerant is supplied through different paths are arranged in the vertical direction, and a part of the heat exchange sections (17). In the air conditioner comprising the partial defrosting means for performing the defrosting operation on the other heat exchanging part (17) while performing the operation,
A drainage mechanism (37, 30f) for draining drain water generated in each heat exchange section (17) is provided for each heat exchange section (17),
The drainage mechanism (37, 30f) is provided between the heat exchanging portions (17) adjacent in the vertical direction and receives drain water dripped from the upper heat exchanging portion (17), and receives the drain water received. discharge unit for discharging to the outside (44, 45) provided with a drain pan (37) which is provided for each plurality of segmented catchment area (42, 4 3),
The drain pan (37) is made of a synthetic resin material and is provided on a water receiving plate (47) for receiving drain water and on both sides in the width direction of the water receiving plate (47). It is composed of a pair of support plates (48) protruding downward ,
The pair of support plates (48) has an upper heat exchange portion (17) placed on the upper end thereof, and a lower end portion placed on the upper end of the lower heat exchange portion (17),
An air characterized in that a heat insulating layer (60) is formed by a space surrounded by the upper and lower heat exchange sections (17), the pair of support plates (48), and the water receiving plate (47). Harmony device. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the drain pan (37) is formed to be transparent or translucent . The water discharge structure (55) which connects the said discharge part (44,45) in several drain pans (37), integrates the drain water discharged | emitted from each discharge part (44,45), and guides below is provided. the air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2. The partial defrost means connects a part of the heat exchange unit (17) used for the heating operation and another heat exchange unit (17) in which the defrost operation is performed in series, and the other heat exchange unit (17). Then, the refrigerant is caused to flow to the part of the heat exchanging part (17), condensed in the other heat exchanging part (17) and supercooled, and then the refrigerant is supplied to the part of the heat exchanging part (17). The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a defrost circuit (50) for evaporation . A diversion mechanism (18) for diverting the refrigerant sent from the indoor heat exchanger (11) during the heating operation to each heat exchange section (17);
The defrost circuit (50) is a gaseous refrigerant at the time of heating operation in the other heat exchange section (17) that performs the defrost operation of the refrigerant sent from the indoor heat exchanger (11) from the front side of the flow dividing mechanism (18). The refrigerant that has flowed into the outflow side and further passed through the other heat exchanging section (17) is transferred from the liquid refrigerant inflow side during the heating operation in the other heat exchanging section (17) through the diversion mechanism (18). The air conditioner according to claim 4 , wherein the air conditioner is caused to flow into a liquid refrigerant inflow side during heating operation in some of the heat exchange units (17) .

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