JP7621558B2 - Air conditioners - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner equipped with a control box having a clamp through which wiring is passed.

Conventionally, air conditioners equipped with a control box having a clamp through which wiring is passed are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a cable clamp that is inserted into a groove-like region formed in a housing. The cable clamp is an elastic member having a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the groove-like region, with a notch formed along the longitudinal direction, the notch expanding as it approaches the back. In Patent Document 1, when a cable is attached, the cable is pushed into the notch, causing the cable clamp to elastically deform and the notch to expand, and the cable is elastically inserted into the hollow portion at the back of the notch.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-192607

However, the cable clamp disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires the cable to be pushed into the notch when it is attached to the cable clamp. This requires a great deal of force when the cable is attached.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and provides an air conditioner that does not require a great deal of force when attaching the cable.

The air conditioner disclosed herein comprises a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion section, and an indoor heat exchanger are connected by piping, and a control box that controls the operation of the compressor. The control box has a box body that forms an outer shell, a base end that is attached to the inner wall of the box body, and a clamp that is connected to the base end and is biased toward the inner wall of the box body to form a space between the base end and the inner wall of the box body through which wiring can be passed, and has a flexible part that bends around the base end as an axis in a direction away from the inner wall of the box body to form a gap through which wiring can be inserted between the tip and the inner wall of the box body, and has an elastic flexible part that allows the wiring to be inserted into the space.

According to the present disclosure, the flexible portion is bent in a direction away from the inner wall of the solid object around the base end as an axis, creating a gap in which the wiring is inserted. This allows the wiring to pass through the space. In this way, the wiring can be passed through the space with a single touch, simply by bending the flexible portion. Therefore, no significant force is required when the cable is attached.

1 is a circuit diagram showing an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a control box according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a part of the control box according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a control box according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a clamp according to the first embodiment. 5A to 5C are side views showing the operation of the clamp according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional control box. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing mounting holes formed in a conventional control box. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional control box. FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing wiring in a conventional control box. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing a control box according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a clamp according to a second embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional control box.

Below, an embodiment of the air conditioner of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described below. Also, in the following drawings, including FIG. 1, the size relationships of the components may differ from the actual ones. Also, in the following description, terms indicating directions are used as appropriate to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, but these terms are for the purpose of explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure. Examples of terms indicating directions include "up", "down", "right", "left", "front" and "rear".

Embodiment 1.
Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an air conditioner 1 according to embodiment 1. The air conditioner 1 is a device that adjusts the air in a space to be air-conditioned, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes an outdoor unit 2 and an indoor unit 3. The outdoor unit 2 includes, for example, a compressor 6, a flow path switching device 7, an outdoor heat exchanger 8, an outdoor blower 9, an expansion section 10, and a control box 13. The indoor unit 3 includes, for example, an indoor heat exchanger 11 and an indoor blower 12.

The refrigerant circuit 4 is configured by connecting the compressor 6, the flow path switching device 7, the outdoor heat exchanger 8, the expansion section 10, and the indoor heat exchanger 11 with the refrigerant piping 5. The compressor 6 draws in a refrigerant in a low temperature and low pressure state, compresses the drawn refrigerant, and discharges it as a refrigerant in a high temperature and high pressure state. The compressor 6 is, for example, a capacity-controllable inverter compressor. The flow path switching device 7 switches the direction in which the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant circuit 4, and is, for example, a four-way valve. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat between, for example, outdoor air and the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 8 acts as a condenser during cooling operation and as an evaporator during heating operation. The expansion section 10 is a pressure reducing valve or an expansion valve that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and expands it. The expansion section 10 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve whose opening is adjustable.

The indoor heat exchanger 11 exchanges heat between, for example, indoor air and a refrigerant. The indoor heat exchanger 11 acts as an evaporator during cooling operation and as a condenser during heating operation. The indoor blower 12 is a device that sends indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 11.

(Operation mode, cooling operation)
Next, the operation modes of the air conditioner 1 will be described. First, the cooling operation will be described. In the cooling operation, the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 6 is compressed by the compressor 6 and discharged in a high-temperature, high-pressure gas state. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 passes through the flow switching device 7 and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 8 acting as a condenser, where it is heat-exchanged with outdoor air sent by the outdoor blower 9, condensing and liquefying. The condensed liquid refrigerant flows into the expansion section 10, where it is expanded and decompressed to become a low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger 11 acting as an evaporator, where it is heat-exchanged with indoor air sent by the indoor blower 12, evaporating and gasifying. At this time, the indoor air is cooled, and cooling is performed in the room. The evaporated refrigerant in a low-temperature, low-pressure gas state passes through the flow switching device 7 and is sucked into the compressor 6 .

(Operation mode, heating operation)
Next, the heating operation will be described. In the heating operation, the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 6 is compressed by the compressor 6 and discharged in a high-temperature, high-pressure gas state. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 passes through the flow path switching device 7 and flows into the indoor heat exchanger 11 acting as a condenser, where it is heat exchanged with the indoor air sent by the indoor blower 12, condensed and liquefied. At this time, the indoor air is warmed, and heating is performed in the room. The condensed liquid refrigerant flows into the expansion section 10, where it is expanded and decompressed to become a low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 8 acting as an evaporator, where it is heat exchanged with the outdoor air sent by the outdoor blower 9, evaporating and gasifying. The evaporated low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant passes through the flow path switching device 7 and is sucked into the compressor 6.

The air conditioner 1 does not have to have a flow path switching device 7. In this case, the air conditioner 1 becomes a cooling-only machine or a heating-only machine.

(Control box 13)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the control box 13 according to the first embodiment. Next, the control box 13 will be described in detail. The control box 13 controls the operation of the compressor 6 and the like. In the first embodiment, the control box 13 is provided in the outdoor unit 2. However, the control box 13 is not limited to the outdoor unit 2, and may be provided in the indoor unit 3 or in an external device (not shown). The control box 13 may be provided in any one or more of the outdoor unit 2, the indoor unit 3, and the external device. As shown in FIG. 2, the control box 13 has a box body 20, a control board 22, a spacer 23, wiring 24, a ferrite core 25, electrical components 26, and a clamp 30.

(Box 20)
The box 20 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped with a part of the bottom surface protruding, and the front surface is open, with the front and back surfaces being the largest. A control board 22, spacers 23, wiring 24, ferrite cores 25, electrical components 26, and clamps 30 are housed inside the box 20. Metal sheets 21 with an L-shaped cross section are attached to both side surfaces of the box 20, and the box 20 is fixed to the inner surface of the outdoor unit 2 by the metal sheets 21. An attachment groove 20a is formed on the back surface of the box 20 to which the clamp 30 is attached (see FIG. 5).

(Control board 22)
The control board 22 is a plate-like member attached along the back surface of the box body 20. A plurality of electrical components 26 are mounted on the control board 22. A control device, which is a CPU (Central Processing Unit, also called a central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or processor) that executes a program stored in a dedicated hardware or storage device, is mounted on the control board 22. When the control device is dedicated hardware, the control device corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. Each of the functional units realized by the control device may be realized by individual hardware, or each functional unit may be realized by one piece of hardware.

When the control device is a CPU, each function executed by the control device is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in a storage device. The CPU realizes each function by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage device. Note that some of the functions of the control device may be realized by dedicated hardware and some by software or firmware. The storage device may be configured as a hard disk, or as a volatile storage device such as a random access memory (RAM) that can store data temporarily. The storage device may also be configured as a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory that can store data for the long term.

(Spacer 23)
The spacer 23 is attached along the rear surface of the box 20, and is a member extending in the width direction to support the control board 22. The spacer 23 is made of, for example, resin.

(Wiring 24)
The wiring 24 is a plurality of cables provided, and may connect the control board 22 to each of the electrical components 26 or may connect an external power source (not shown) to the control board 22. The wiring 24 is held in a bundled state inside the box 20 along the inner wall 13a.

(Ferrite core 25)
The ferrite core 25 is a member having a function of suppressing the propagation of noise current, and is attached to the wiring 24 .

(Electrical component 26)
The electrical components 26 include a capacitor, a coil, a resistor, etc., and are mounted on the control board 22 and connected to each other by wiring 24 .

(Clamp 30)
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing a part of the control box 13 according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the control box 13 according to the first embodiment. The clamp 30 holds down the wiring 24 and the like so that they do not get in the way inside the box. The clamp 30 is made of, for example, resin, but may be made of a metal having elasticity such as a leaf spring. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a plurality of clamps 30 are attached along the side surface of the box body 20 to which the metal plate 21 is attached. In Fig. 3, the clamp 30 holds down not only the wiring 24 but also the ferrite core 25.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the clamp 30 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the clamp 30 is formed by bending a long member and forming it into an arc shape. The clamp 30 is attached to the inner wall 13a of the box body 20, and has a base end 31, a flexible portion 34, and a hook portion 35. The base end 31 is attached to the inner wall 13a of the box body 20, and has an extension portion 32 and a bent portion 33.

(Proximal end portion 31, extension portion 32)
The extension 32 of the base end 31 is a rectangular member extending along the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. The extension 32 connects the flexible portion 34 and the hook portion 35. .

(Base end portion 31, bent portion 33)
The bent portion 33 of the base end 31 is a rectangular member extending along the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. The bent portion 33 extends from the side of the extending portion 32 opposite to the flexible portion 34, and is bent at a right angle along a corner of the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. In this manner, the extending portion 32 and the bent portion 33 form an L-shape. A protruding portion 36 that protrudes vertically is provided on the tip side of the bent portion 33. The protruding portion 36 is fitted into a mounting groove 20a formed on the back surface of the box body 20, whereby the base end 31 is fixed to the box body 20.

(Flexible portion 34)
The flexible portion 34 is an arc-shaped member with a space 34a formed therein. In the first embodiment, the flexible portion 34 is illustrated as having a semicircular cross section as an example of an arc shape, but may have another arc shape or a polygonal shape. Between the flexible portion 34 and the inner wall 13a of the box body 20, there is a space 34a through which the wiring 24 passes. The flexible portion 34 is normally biased toward the inner wall 13a of the box body 20.

Figure 6 is a side view showing the operation of the clamp 30 according to the first embodiment. The flexible portion 34 is, for example, an arc-shaped elastic member connected to the extension portion 32 of the base end portion 31. As shown in Figure 6, the flexible portion 34 is bent in a direction away from the inner wall 13a of the box body 20 with the boundary 34c with the extension portion 32 of the base end portion 31 as an axis, so that a gap 34b into which the wiring 24 is inserted is generated between the tip of the flexible portion 34 and the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. In this state, the wiring 24 is inserted from the gap 34b and reaches the space 34a (white arrow in Figure 6). When the bending of the flexible portion 34 is released, the flexible portion 34 returns to the inner wall 13a of the box body 20 by its own biasing force, thereby blocking the gap 34b between the tip of the flexible portion 34 and the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. Therefore, the wiring 24 passed through the space 34a is prevented from coming off.

(Hook portion 35)
The hook portion 35 is a rectangular plate-like member that protrudes from the flexible portion 34 and on which a finger can be hooked. The hook portion 35 protrudes from a position slightly above the center of the semicircular flexible portion 34 in a direction away from the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. As shown in FIG. 6, when an operator hooks a finger on the hook portion 35 and pulls it in a direction away from the inner wall 13a of the box body 20, the flexible portion 34 is deflected in a direction away from the inner wall 13a of the box body 20 due to its own biasing force. As a result, a gap 34b into which the wiring 24 is inserted is generated between the tip of the flexible portion 34 and the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. In this state, when the operator releases his/her finger from the hook portion 35, the bending of the flexible portion 34 is released, and the flexible portion 34 returns to the inner wall 13a of the box body 20 due to its own biasing force.

According to the first embodiment, the wiring 24 is inserted into the gap 34b created by the flexible portion 34 bending about the base end 31 in a direction away from the inner wall 13a of the solid. This allows the wiring 24 to pass through the space 34a. In this way, the wiring 24 can be passed through the space 34a with a single touch by simply bending the flexible portion 34. Therefore, no significant force is required when the cable is attached. This allows the wiring 24 and the like to be easily arranged on the wall side of the box body 20. In other words, the wiring 24 is easy to work with.

The clamp 30 also has a hook portion 35 that protrudes from the flexible portion 34 and on which a finger can be hooked. Therefore, the wiring 24 can be passed through the space 34a with only a weak force, such as by hooking a finger on the hook portion 35. Furthermore, the flexible portion 34 is arc-shaped with the space 34a formed inside. Therefore, the impact when bending is softened compared to a polygonal shape, making it less likely to break. Furthermore, because the flexible portion 34 is arc-shaped, the flexible portion 34 can be easily bent with a finger.

Furthermore, when the clamp 30 is made of resin, there is no need to weld the clamp 30 to the box body 20. Therefore, the cost of welding is unnecessary. In addition, the extension portion 32 and the bent portion 33 of the base end portion 31 of the clamp 30 form an L-shape and are aligned with the corner of the box body 20, so the strength of the box body 20 can be improved. Therefore, there is no need to increase the thickness of the box body 20 or to provide reinforcement such as forming ribs, so processing costs can be reduced.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional control box 113, and Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a mounting hole 113a formed in the conventional control box 113. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional control box 113. As shown in Figure 7, conventionally, a clamp 230 that brings the wiring 24 close to the inner wall 13a of the box body 20 is attached to the inner wall 13a using the mounting hole 113a shown in Figure 8. If the control box 113 is installed in a place exposed to condensed water, it is necessary to block the mounting hole 113a using a heat insulating material 114 or the like as shown in Figure 9 in order to prevent water from entering. In contrast, the clamp 30 of the present embodiment 1 is attached to the box body 20 by inserting the protrusion 36 into the mounting groove 20a, so that the mounting hole 113a and the heat insulating material 114 are not required. Therefore, material costs and processing costs can be reduced.

Figure 10 is an enlarged view showing the wiring 24 in a conventional control box 13. As shown in Figure 10, in addition to the clamp 30 provided on the side of the box body 20, a second clamp 330 is provided on the back of the box body 20 in the conventional method. The wiring 24 is passed through the inside of the second clamp 330, and is moved closer to the inner wall 13a of the box body 20. It is necessary to secure space S in the box body 20 for providing the second clamp 330. In the present embodiment 1, the second clamp 330 is not required, and therefore space S for providing the second clamp 330 is also not required. Therefore, the control board 22 can be moved closer to the side of the control box 13, and the control box 13 can be made smaller.

Embodiment 2.
11 is an enlarged view showing the control box 13 according to embodiment 2. This embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in that the clamp 130 and the spacer 23 are integrated together. In this embodiment 2, the same reference numerals are used to denote the parts common to embodiment 1, and the description will be omitted. The following description will focus on the differences from embodiment 1.

As shown in Figure 11, in this second embodiment, the spacer 23 that supports the control board 22 is integrated with the clamp 130. Specifically, the tip of the bent portion 33 of the base end 31 of the clamp 130 and the end of the spacer 23 are connected and integrated.

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing a clamp 130 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 12, a connection portion 131 is provided at the tip of the bent portion 33 of the base end portion 31 of the clamp 130. The connection portion 131 is a pin-shaped member that protrudes in a direction different from the protruding direction of the protrusion 36 at the bent portion 33. The connection portion 131 is fixed to the end of the spacer 23, thereby integrating the clamp 130 and the spacer 23.

According to the second embodiment, the clamp 130 and the spacer 23 are integrated. Therefore, the mounting hole 113a in the box body 20 that is formed when fixing the spacer 23 is not required. This reduces the processing cost.

Figure 13 is a perspective view showing a conventional control box. As shown in Figure 13, conventionally, the clamp 230 and the spacer 23 are separate bodies. In this case, it is necessary to form mounting holes 113a, etc. in the box body 20 in order to attach the spacer 23. In contrast, in this embodiment 2, the clamp 130 and the spacer 23 are integrated, so there is no need for mounting holes 113a in the box body 20 that are formed when fixing the spacer 23. This makes it possible to reduce processing costs.

1 air conditioner, 2 outdoor unit, 3 indoor unit, 4 refrigerant circuit, 5 refrigerant piping, 6 compressor, 7 flow path switching device, 8 outdoor heat exchanger, 9 outdoor blower, 10 expansion section, 11 indoor heat exchanger, 12 indoor blower, 13 control box, 13a inner wall, 20 box body, 20a mounting groove, 21 sheet metal, 22 control board, 23 spacer, 24 wiring, 25 ferrite core, 26 electrical components, 30 clamp, 31 base end, 32 extension, 33 bent section, 34 flexible section, 34a space, 34b gap, 34c boundary, 35 hook section, 36 protrusion, 113 control box, 113a mounting hole, 114 heat insulating material, 130 clamp, 131 connection section, 230 Clamp, 330 Second Clamp, S Space.

Claims (7)

a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion section, and an indoor heat exchanger are connected by piping;
a control box for controlling the operation of the compressor;
The control box includes:
A box body constituting an outer shell;
an air conditioner comprising: a clamp having a base end attached to an inner wall of the box body; and a flexible portion connected to the base end and biased toward the inner wall of the box body to form a space between the base end and the inner wall of the box body through which wiring can be passed, and which bends about the base end as an axis in a direction away from the inner wall of the box body to form a gap between the tip and the inner wall of the box body through which the wiring can be inserted, and which has an elastic flexible portion that allows the wiring to be inserted into the space. The clamp is
The air conditioner according to claim 1 , further comprising a hook portion protruding from the flexible portion and adapted for hooking a finger thereon. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flexible portion has an arc shape with the space formed therein. The base end portion is
An extension portion extending along an inner wall of the box body;
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising: a bent portion extending from the extension portion opposite the flexible portion side, and bent along a corner of the inner wall of the box body to extend along the inner wall of the box body. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the clamp is made of resin. The control box includes:
A control board for controlling the operation of the compressor;
a spacer attached to the box and supporting the control board;
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the clamp and the spacer are integrated together. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein a ferrite core is passed through the space of the clamp.

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