Outdoor unit

Abstract

DEPCT68 The outdoor unit of the air conditioner (1) includes the enclosure (30) with openings (35). For maintenance and substrates (42) placed in the enclosure (30) and including the first surface. (42a) in which the electrical components (41) are placed and a second surface (42b) facing the opening. (35)Substrate(42)includes the light transmission region(60) through which light is transmitted from surface(42a) to The second surface (42b) is viewed from the front and the first light source (46) is viewed from the front. The first light source (42a) is a surface mounted LED (46). Emit light to the light transmission area(60);

Description

Outdoor unit

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit.

[0002] The outdoor unit of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 includes a circuit board having an LED for fault diagnosis provided on a mounting surface, and a reflector that reflects the light from the LED. The reflector is provided so as to reflect the light from the LED toward an inspection hatch.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-195209

[0004] One method for visually identifying the light from an LED on a board is to transmit the light from the LED in the thickness direction of the board toward the solder surface, which is the backside of the mounting surface where the lead-type LED is mounted. In this method, a groove may be provided on the mounting surface to thin a portion of the board. By emitting light toward this groove, the light from the LED that passes through the board becomes more visible.

[0005] However, for example, to mount a lead-type LED, soldering is required on the solder surface. Furthermore, if a groove is provided on the mounting surface, where the board becomes thin, that portion cannot be effectively utilized. Thus, when mounting an LED on a board, the degree of freedom in board design is not sufficient.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to improve the degree of freedom in designing a substrate on which an LED is provided.

[0007] A first aspect is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner (1), comprising: a casing (30) in which an opening (35) for maintenance is formed; and a substrate (42) that is disposed within the casing (30) and has a first surface (42a) on which predetermined electrical components (41) are disposed, and a second surface (42b) facing the opening (35), wherein the substrate (42) has: a light-transmitting region (60) through which light passes from the first surface (42a) toward the second surface (42b) when the second surface (42b) is viewed from the front; and a first light source (46) provided on the first surface (42a), wherein the first light source (46) is a surface-mounted LED that emits light toward the light-transmitting region (60).

[0008] In the first aspect, by using a surface-mounted LED as the first light source (46), soldering to the second surface (42b) is not required, and the need to provide a thin portion as in the case of mounting a lead-type LED is also eliminated, resulting in efficient use of the surface area of ​​the substrate (42).

[0009] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the light-transmitting region (60) is a region where a light-transmitting suppression material (50a, 50b) that suppresses light transmission between the first surface (42a) and the second surface (42b) is not provided.

[0010] In the second aspect, the region where the light-transmission suppression material (50a, 50b) is not provided can be made a light-transmitting region. As a result, light from the first light source (46) emitted toward the region where the light-transmission suppression material (50a, 50b) is not provided passes through the substrate (42), and the light from the first light source (46) can be seen when the second surface (42b) is viewed from the front.

[0011] In a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the first light source (46) includes: a light-emitting portion (46a) having an LED element; and a light-emitting board (46b) provided on the first surface (42a) and controlling light emission of the light-emitting portion (46a), and the light-emitting portion (46a) is disposed adjacent to the light-emitting board (46b) in a direction along the first surface (42a).

[0012] In the third embodiment, a chip LED of side-light emission type can be used as the first light source (46).

[0013] A fourth aspect is the first or second aspect, wherein the first light source (46) includes a light-emitting unit (46a) having an LED element and a light-emitting substrate (46b) that controls light emission of the light-emitting unit (46a), and the light-emitting unit (46a) is disposed between the first surface (42a) and the light-emitting substrate (46b).

[0014] In the fourth embodiment, a chip LED rear light emitting type can be used as the first light source (46).

[0015] A fifth aspect is any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising: a second light source (47) arranged on the first surface (42a) at a predetermined distance from the first light source (46) and emitting light toward the first surface (42a); and a light-transmission suppression material that suppresses light transmission between the first surface (42a) and the second surface (42b), wherein the light-transmission suppression material (50a, 50b) suppresses light transmission between the first surface (42a) and the second surface (42b) due to light emitted from the second light source (47).

[0016] In the fifth aspect, even if the first light source (46) and the second light source (47) are mounted on the first surface (42a), the light from the second light source (47) is not transmitted through the substrate (42) due to the light transmission suppression materials (50a, 50b), and therefore, when the second surface (42b) is viewed from the front, only the light from the first light source (46) is visible. This prevents, for example, a service person from mistaking the first light source (46) for the second light source (47).

[0017] FIG. 1 is a piping system diagram of an air conditioning apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the outdoor unit. FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the outdoor unit. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the electrical equipment unit. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of a circuit board viewed from the pattern surface. FIG. 6 is a side view of a surface-mounted LED mounted on a circuit board. FIG. 7 is a side view of two surface-mounted LEDs mounted on a circuit board according to a modified example. FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which surface-mounted LEDs of another embodiment are mounted on a circuit board.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or its uses. Furthermore, the configurations of the embodiments, modifications, other examples, etc. described below can be combined or partially substituted within the scope of the present invention. In the following drawings, arrows indicate up / down and front / rear / left / right directions. Unless otherwise specified, directions such as up / down will be described according to the directions indicated by these arrows.

[0019] (1) Configuration of an Air Conditioning Apparatus As shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner (1) has a refrigerant circuit (5) that performs a refrigeration cycle by circulating a refrigerant. The air conditioner (1) has an indoor unit (10) and an outdoor unit (20). The indoor unit (10) is installed indoors. The outdoor unit (20) is installed outdoors. The indoor unit (10) and the outdoor unit (20) are connected to each other by a gas pipe (6) and a liquid pipe (7). A gas shut-off valve (8) is connected to the gas pipe (6). A liquid shut-off valve (9) is connected to the liquid pipe (7).

[0020] (2) Indoor Unit The indoor unit (10) has an indoor heat exchanger (11) and an indoor fan (12). The indoor heat exchanger (11) is, for example, a cross-fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger. In the indoor heat exchanger (11), heat is exchanged between the refrigerant flowing inside the heat transfer tube and the air blown by the indoor fan (12).

[0021] 1 to 3, the outdoor unit (20) includes an outdoor heat exchanger (21), an outdoor fan (22), an outdoor expansion valve (23), a compressor (24), a four-way switching valve (25), and an electrical component unit (40). The outdoor heat exchanger (21), the outdoor expansion valve (23), the compressor (24), and the four-way switching valve (25) are connected by a refrigerant pipe (26).

[0022] The outdoor heat exchanger (21) is, for example, a cross-fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger. The outdoor heat exchanger (21) has a plurality of fins (21a) and heat transfer tubes (21b). The plurality of fins (21a) are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the air flow direction. The heat transfer tubes (21b) extend through the fins (21a) in the thickness direction. The heat transfer tubes (21b) are arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction.

[0023] In the outdoor heat exchanger (21), heat is exchanged between the refrigerant flowing inside the heat transfer tube (21b) and the air blown by the outdoor fan (22). The outdoor expansion valve (23) is, for example, an electronic expansion valve.

[0024] The compressor (24) is, for example, a rotary compressor such as a scroll compressor. The four-way selector valve (25) is a selector valve that switches between cooling operation and heating operation. During cooling operation, the first port (P1) and the second port (P2) of the four-way selector valve (25) are in communication with each other, and the third port (P3) and the fourth port (P4) of the four-way selector valve (25) are in communication with each other (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 ). During heating operation, the first port (P1) and the third port (P3) of the four-way selector valve (25) are in communication with each other, and the second port (P2) and the fourth port (P4) of the four-way selector valve (25) are in communication with each other (the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 ).

[0025] The outdoor unit (20) has a casing (30). The casing (30) has a main casing (30a) and a top plate (30b). The main casing (30a) is formed in a box shape with an open top. In other words, the top surface of the main casing (30a) has an opening (35). The top plate (30b) is attached to the main casing (30a) so as to close the opening (35) of the main casing (30a). The top plate (30b) is detachable from the main casing (30a). The opening (35) of the main casing (30a) is an example of an opening (35) for maintenance of the outdoor unit (20).

[0026] A partition member (31) extending in the front-rear and up-down directions is disposed inside the main casing (30a). The partition member (31) divides the interior of the main casing (30a) into a machine chamber (32) and a fan chamber (33).

[0027] The machinery chamber (32) is a space inside the main casing (30a) to the right of the partition member (31). The machinery chamber (32) accommodates the compressor (24), the four-way switching valve (25), the refrigerant piping (26), and the electrical component unit (40).

[0028] The fan chamber (33) is a space inside the main casing (30a) to the left of the partition member (31). The outdoor fan (22) and the outdoor heat exchanger (21) are disposed in the fan chamber (33).

[0029] The rear wall and the left wall of the main casing (30a) are formed with suction ports (30c) communicating with the fan chamber (33). When the outdoor fan (22) is driven, outside air is drawn into the fan chamber (33) through the suction ports (30c). When the outdoor fan (22) is driven, air in the fan chamber (33) is blown out through the outlet ports (30d).

[0030] (4) Electrical Component Unit The electrical component unit (40) constitutes a power conversion device for supplying electric power to the motor of the compressor (24). As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the electrical component unit (40) includes a board casing (43), predetermined electrical components (41), a board (42), and a surface-mounted LED (46). The electrical component unit (40) is disposed near the top plate (30b) on the machine room (32) side.

[0031] The board casing (43) is a box-shaped member having an opening at the top. The board casing (43) accommodates various electric components (41) including a board (42). In this embodiment, the board casing (43) has one board (42). The opening at the top of the board casing (43) faces the lower surface of the top plate (30b).

[0032] The electric components (41) are mounted on a substrate (42). The electric components (41) are control circuit components such as power transistors, microcomputer chips for controlling the device, and memories for storing control programs.

[0033] A heat sink (not shown) is provided as a member for suppressing the temperature rise of the electrical components (41) that generate a relatively large amount of heat, such as power transistors, etc. The heat sink is made of a metal member.

[0034] (4-1) Substrate As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate (42) has a mounting surface (42a) and a patterned surface (42b). The mounting surface (42a) is an example of a first surface (42a). The patterned surface (42b) is an example of a second surface (42b). The substrate (42) is disposed so that the patterned surface (42b) faces the opening (35) of the main casing (30a). In other words, the substrate (42) is disposed so that the patterned surface (42b) faces upward and the mounting surface (42a) faces downward. The substrate (42) of this embodiment is single-layered.

[0035] The mounting surface (42a) has arranged thereon the electrical components (41) and a surface-mounted LED (46). The surface-mounted LED (46) will be described in detail later. Various connectors (44) are also mounted on the mounting surface (42a). The connectors (44) are used, for example, to connect the output (AC power) of an inverter circuit (not shown) to a load (motor).

[0036] The substrate (42) has a plurality of through holes (hereinafter referred to as "through holes (42c)") formed therein. The through holes (42c) are formed for purposes such as providing electrical continuity between the mounting surface (42a) and the pattern surface (42b). Terminals of the electrical components (41) are soldered to the wiring pattern of the substrate (42).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5 , a wiring pattern (50a) is formed on the pattern surface (42b). Various electrical components (41) are electrically connected to the wiring pattern (50a), thereby forming a predetermined circuit. Silk (50b) is applied to the pattern surface (42b). The silk (50b) is a coating material used to label the pattern surface (42b) with predetermined information, such as the component number, manufacturer's logo, and manufacturing date. The wiring pattern (50a) and the silk (50b) are examples of light-transmitting suppressing materials (50a, 50b). The light-transmitting suppressing materials (50a, 50b) suppress light transmission between the mounting surface (42a) and the pattern surface (42b).

[0038] 5 and 6, the substrate (42) has a light-transmitting region (60). The light-transmitting region (60) is a region through which light passes from the mounting surface (42a) toward the patterned surface (42b) when the patterned surface (42b) is viewed from the front. In other words, the light-transmitting region (60) is a region in which the pattern wiring or silk, which is the light-transmitting suppression material (50a, 50b), is not provided.

[0039] (4-2) Surface-Mounted LED The surface-mounted LED (46) is a light source that notifies a service person of the operation of the microcomputer of the board (42), the communication state, or the occurrence of an abnormality. The surface-mounted LED (46) is a chip LED provided on the mounting surface (42a). In this embodiment, when the air conditioning apparatus (1) is operating normally, the surface-mounted LED (46) blinks. The surface-mounted LED (46) is an example of a first light source (46).

[0040] 6, the surface-mounted LED 46 of this embodiment is a chip LED with a side-light-emitting structure. Specifically, the surface-mounted LED 46 includes a light-emitting portion 46a and a light-emitting substrate 46b.

[0041] The light-emitting portion (46a) is a component that emits light from the LED. Specifically, the light-emitting portion (46a) includes an LED element and a sealing resin. The LED element is encapsulated in the sealing resin. The sealing resin is a transparent or translucent resin (such as silicone or epoxy resin). The sealing resin is formed into a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. The light-emitting substrate (46b) controls the light emission of the LED element of the light-emitting portion (46a). The light-emitting substrate (46b) is attached to the mounting surface (42a).

[0042] The light-emitting portion (46a) is disposed adjacent to the light-emitting board (46b) in a direction along the mounting surface (42a), so that the light-emitting portion (46a) emits light toward the mounting surface (42a) and also in a direction along the mounting surface (42a), as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6 .

[0043] The light-emitting portion (46a) is arranged so as not to overlap the wiring pattern (50a) or the silk (50b) when the pattern surface (42b) is viewed from the front. In other words, the surface-mounted LED (46) emits light toward the light-transmitting region (60). Therefore, a portion of the LED light emitted from the light-emitting portion (46a) is transmitted from the mounting surface (42a) toward the pattern surface (42b), making the light of the surface-mounted LED visible when viewed from the pattern surface.

[0044] (5) Features (5-1) Feature 1 In the outdoor unit (20) of this embodiment, when the pattern surface (42b) (second surface) is viewed from the front, the substrate (42) has a light-transmitting region (60) through which light passes from the mounting surface (42a) (first surface) toward the pattern surface (42b) (second surface), and a surface-mounted LED (46) that is provided on the mounting surface (42a) and emits light toward the light-transmitting region (60).

[0045] According to this embodiment, by using a surface-mounted LED as the light source mounted on the mounting surface (42a), the design flexibility of the substrate (42) is increased compared to when a lead-type LED is mounted. Specifically, with a lead-type LED, two leads connected to the LED must be soldered to the pattern surface (42b) via a through-hole (42c). To facilitate transmission of the LED light, a slit (recess) is formed on the mounting surface (42a) facing the LED (specifically, between the two leads), thereby locally thinning the substrate (42). Using a lead-type LED as the light source in this way reduces the available area of ​​the mounting surface (42a) and the pattern surface (42b), reducing the design flexibility. However, by using a surface-mounted LED (46), soldering to the pattern surface (42b) is unnecessary, and the need for a slit is eliminated, allowing for more efficient use of the substrate (42).

[0046] In addition, the light emitted from the surface-mounted LEDs (46) into the light-transmitting region (60) passes through the substrate (42) in the thickness direction, and therefore the light from the surface-mounted LEDs (46) can be seen from the pattern surface (42b). Therefore, the light status of the surface-mounted LEDs (46) can be checked simply by opening the top plate (30b) of the outdoor unit (20). As a result, a service person can easily check the operation of the microcomputer in the substrate (42), the communication status, or the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0047] (5-2) Feature 2 In the outdoor unit (20) of this embodiment, the light-transmitting region (60) is a region where the wiring pattern (50a) and the silk (50b) (light-transmitting suppressing material) that suppress light transmission between the mounting surface (42a) and the pattern surface (42b) are not provided.

[0048] In this embodiment, the wiring pattern (50a) and silk are not provided in the light-transmitting region (60), and therefore, when light from the surface-mounted LED (46) is emitted into such a region, the light can be seen from the pattern surface (42b).

[0049] (5-3) Feature 3 In the outdoor unit (20) of this embodiment, the surface-mounted LED (46) is a side-emitting chip LED. Light emitted from the light-emitting portion (46a) of the side-emitting ...

[0050] (6) Modifications Modifications of the outdoor unit (20) of the present disclosure will be described below, with configurations different from those of the above embodiment.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 7 , two surface-mounted LEDs (46, 47) are mounted on the mounting surface (42a) of the substrate (42) in this example. One surface-mounted LED is referred to as a first surface-mounted LED (46), and the other surface-mounted LED is referred to as a second surface-mounted LED (47). The first surface-mounted LED (46) and the second surface-mounted LED (47) are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other. The first surface-mounted LED (46) is an example of a first light source (46). The second surface-mounted LED (47) is an example of a second light source (47). The first surface-mounted LED (46) and the second surface-mounted LED (47) have the same configuration as the side-emitting LED of the above embodiment. The second surface-mounted LED (47) has a light-emitting portion (47a) and a light-emitting substrate (47b).

[0052] The first surface-mounted LED (46) is a light source that notifies a service person of the operation of the microcomputer of the board (42), the communication state, or the occurrence of an abnormality. The second surface-mounted LED (47) is a light source that is used by a manufacturer to check the quality of the board (42), for example, during the manufacturing process of the board (42). In other words, the second surface-mounted LED (47) is a light source that does not need to be checked by a service person.

[0053] The substrate (42) of this example is provided with a light-transmission suppressing material (50a, 50b) that suppresses transmission of light toward the mounting surface (42a) of the second surface-mounted LED (47). Specifically, the light-transmission suppressing material is silk (50b) that is applied to the pattern surface (42b). The silk (50b) is applied to a position of the pattern surface (42b) that corresponds to the portion where the second surface-mounted LED (47) is to be disposed.

[0054] In this way, even if the second surface-mounted LED (47) emits light, the light directed toward the mounting surface (42a) is prevented from passing through the substrate (42) by the silk (50b) (see the arrow in FIG. 7 ). This allows the service person to see only the first surface-mounted LED (46), preventing the service person from mistaking the light from the first surface-mounted LED (46) for the light from the second surface-mounted LED (47).

[0055] (7) Other Embodiments The above-described embodiment and the above-described modified examples may be configured as follows.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 8 , the surface-mounted LED (46) may be a chip LED backlight type. In a backlight type LED, a light-emitting portion (46a) is sandwiched between a light-emitting substrate (46b) and a mounting surface (42a). The light-emitting substrate (46b) is electrically connected to the substrate (42). Light is emitted from the light-emitting portion (46a) toward the mounting surface (42a) and in a direction parallel to the mounting surface (42a) (see the arrows in FIG. 8 ). A portion of the light directed toward the mounting surface (42a) passes through the light-transmitting region. That is, even in a chip LED backlight type, light transmitted through the substrate (42) can be viewed from the pattern surface (42b).

[0057] The substrate (42) may be a laminate of multiple substrates (42). In this case, the light-transmitting region (60) is a region where light passes between the layers. In other words, the light-transmitting region (60) is a region where the wiring pattern (50a) and the silk (50b) are not provided between the layers. Therefore, even in the case of a multilayer substrate (42), by arranging a surface-mounted LED (46) at a position on the mounting surface (42a) corresponding to the light-transmitting region (60), the light from the LED can be viewed from the back side (pattern surface (42b)) of the mounting surface (42a).

[0058] In the above modification, the light-transmission suppressing material (50a, 50b) may be the wiring pattern (50a). Specifically, the second surface-mounted LED (47) may be disposed on the rear surface (mounting surface (42a)) of the wiring pattern (50a). In this way, the wiring pattern (50a) suppresses the transmission of light from the second surface-mounted LED (47) toward the substrate (42) through the substrate (42).

[0059] Although the embodiments and modifications have been described above, it will be understood that various modifications in form and detail are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. Furthermore, the above embodiments and modifications may be combined or substituted as appropriate as long as the functionality of the subject matter of the present disclosure is not impaired. The terms "first," "second," etc., described above, are used to distinguish the terms to which these terms are attached, and do not limit the number or order of the terms.

[0060] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present disclosure is useful for outdoor units.

[0061] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 air conditioner 20 outdoor unit 30 casing 35 opening 41 electrical component 42 substrate 42a mounting surface (first surface) 42b pattern surface (second surface) 46 surface-mounted LED, first surface-mounted LED (first light source) 46a light-emitting portion 46b light-emitting substrate 47 second surface-mounted LED (second light source) 50a, 50b light-transmitting suppressing material 60 light-transmitting area

Claims

DEPCT681. Outdoor unit of an air conditioner (1) which is assembled with: an enclosure (30) with an opening (35) for maintenance and a substrate (42) which is placed in the enclosure (30) and includes the first surface (42a) on which the electrical components (41) are placed and the second surface (42b) facing the opening (35) on which the substrate (42) includes the light transmission area (60) through which light is transmitted from the first surface (42a) to the second surface (42b) when the surface The second surface (42b) is viewed from the front, and the first light source (46) is provided on the first surface (42a), and the first light source (46) is an LED mounted on the surface that emits light to the light transmission area (60).

2. The outdoor unit of claim 1 in which the light transmission area (60) is the area in which the light-reducing material (50a, 50b) that reduces the light transmission between the first surface (42a) and the second surface (42b) is not provided.3.The outdoor unit of the first or second claim where the first light source (46) includes a light emitter (46a) which includes an LED element and a light-emitting substrate (46b) provided on the first surface (42a) and which is configured to control the emission of the LED element and the light emitter (46a) adjacent to the light-emitting substrate (46b) in a direction along the first surface (42a).

4. The outdoor unit of the first or second claim where the first light source (46) includes a light emitter (46a) which includes an LED element and a light-emitting substrate (46b) provided on the first surface (42a) and which is configured to control the emission of the LED element and the light emitter (46a) placed between the first surface (42a) and the light-emitting substrate (46b). 5.The external unit of any one of the claims 1 through 4 shall be further comprised of: a second light source (47) placed on the first surface (42a) at a predetermined distance from the first light source (46) and constructed to emit light onto the first surface (42a); and light-reducing materials (50a, 50b) that reduce the transmission of light between the first surface (42a) and the second surface (42b), in which the light-reducing materials (50a, 50b) reduce the transmission of light between the first surface (42a) and the second surface (42b), from which light is emitted from the second light source (47);

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