A heat exchanger and an air conditioner including the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a heat exchanger and an air conditioner including the same. The heat exchanger includes heat dissipation fins and refrigerant pipes. The refrigerant pipes are disposed through the heat dissipation fins. A plurality of the heat dissipation fins and a plurality of the refrigerant pipes form the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has a concave spherical windward surface and a convex spherical leeward surface. A flow passage is formed between two adjacent heat dissipation fins for air flow. Designing the heat exchanger into a spherical shape in the present invention is beneficial to reducing wind resistance, reducing noise, fully improving the space utilization rate under the same space, increasing the windward area of the heat exchanger, increasing the heat exchange area per unit space, and thus improving the heat exchange efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of heat exchangers, and particularly to a heat exchanger and an air conditioner including the same. Background Art

[0002] At present, most evaporators of air conditioners adopt straight plate type, "V-shaped", "G-shaped", etc. However, the currently used evaporators have problems such as whistling abnormal noise generated under certain wind speeds, poor uniformity of the wind blowing on the evaporator, and low space utilization rate of the evaporator. Existing technical solutions to solve these problems are as follows: One is to increase a sealing strip, which is arranged between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and at the inner angle of the "V" shape, so as to reduce the working noise of the heat exchanger assembly. However, this solution does not fundamentally reduce the wind resistance problem, and sacrifices the part with the largest air volume in the wind field, reducing the heat exchange efficiency to a certain extent. The second is to increase an arc structure, and optimize the structure of the evaporator into a first heat exchange plate, a second heat exchange plate and an arc plate, so that the first side plane, the first arc surface and the second side plane form a continuous curved surface, and then make the flow velocities of the fluid passing through the first heat exchange plate, the arc plate and the second heat exchange plate continuous and uniform respectively, ensuring the uniformity and stability of the wind field. However, the space utilization rate of this solution is not high, and the first side plane and the second side plane do not fundamentally reduce the wind resistance. The third is an arc-shaped evaporator, which is arranged between the air inlet and the fan and partially surrounds the fan. This structure effectively reduces the wind resistance, reduces the noise, and greatly improves the space utilization rate of the machine body. However, this solution uses a cross-flow fan, and the air volume, the windward area, the refrigeration efficiency and the volume of the whole machine are all limited by the length of the cross-flow fan, and the potential of the space utilization rate of the whole machine cannot be fully exploited. Generally speaking, there is still a large room for improvement in terms of the space utilization rate, refrigeration efficiency improvement, etc. of the shapes of the evaporators adopted above. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a heat exchanger and an air conditioner including the same to solve the technical problems of low heat exchange efficiency and low space utilization rate of the heat exchanger in the prior art. Specifically:

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a heat exchanger, including heat dissipation fins and refrigerant pipes, and the refrigerant pipes are penetrated through the heat dissipation fins.

[0005] Multiple heat dissipation fins and multiple refrigerant pipes form the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger has a concave spherical windward surface and a convex spherical leeward surface.

[0006] A flow channel is formed between two adjacent heat dissipation fins for the air flow to pass through.

[0007] Further optionally, the heat sink is an arc-shaped flat plate structure, the radial inner side edge of the heat sink is located on the concave spherical windward surface, and the radial outer side edge of the heat sink is located on the convex spherical leeward surface.

[0008] The heat sink is provided with a plurality of through holes along the arc-shaped extending direction thereof.

[0009] Further optionally, the refrigerant pipe includes a main pipe and a connector, the main pipe is an arc-shaped pipe, and the main pipe is inserted into the insertion hole.

[0010] The connector is a bent pipe, and the ends of the two main pipes are connected through the connector, so that the plurality of main pipes form a connected passage for the circulation of refrigerant.

[0011] Further optionally, the heat exchanger is an integrally formed structure, a microchannel structure is formed in the heat exchanger, the microchannel structure constitutes the refrigerant tube, and the heat sink extends radially along the outer periphery of the refrigerant tube to form

[0012] Further optionally, the spherical edges of the inwardly concave spherical windward surface and the outwardly convex spherical leeward surface form an angle α with the sphere center, wherein α is greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 180 degrees.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an air conditioner comprising the above-mentioned heat exchanger.

[0014] Further optionally, the air conditioner includes an indoor unit, the indoor unit includes a casing and an air outlet panel, the casing is a barrel-shaped structure including side walls and a bottom wall, the air outlet panel is a cover-shaped structure including side walls and a top wall, and the air outlet panel is buckled onto the casing.

[0015] An air duct assembly is disposed in the housing, and an air outlet of the air duct assembly is located at an outlet end of the housing.

[0016] The heat exchanger is buckled at the air outlet of the air duct assembly and is located inside the air outlet panel.

[0017] Further optionally, a plurality of air outlet holes are distributed in a circular area on the top wall of the air outlet panel, and the distribution density of the air outlet holes outside the circular area is greater than the distribution density in the middle of the circular area.

[0018] Further optionally, the indoor unit further comprises a fixing plate, the fixing plate is a circular ring structure, a avoiding groove is arranged on the fixing plate, and a portion of the refrigerant pipe that does not penetrate into the heat sink extends into the avoiding groove.

[0019] The heat exchanger is fixedly mounted on the fixing plate, and the fixing plate is arranged at the outlet end of the casing and connected to the casing and the air duct assembly.

[0020] Further optionally,

[0021] A water receiving tank is further formed on the fixed disk. When the indoor unit is assembled in a vertical state, the water receiving tank can receive the condensed water flowing down from the heat exchanger.

[0022] Further optionally, the indoor unit further includes a water receiving tray. The water receiving tray has an arc-shaped structure and is located inside the air outlet panel and is arranged to fit the side peripheral wall of the air outlet panel.

[0023] When the indoor unit is assembled in a horizontal state, the water receiving tray is located below the heat exchanger and is used to receive the condensed water flowing down from the heat exchanger.

[0024] Further optionally, a concealed air inlet is formed on the side peripheral wall and / or the bottom wall of the casing. The air inlet forms an acute angle with the central axis of the casing.

[0025] A filtering structure is arranged inside the casing, and the filtering mechanism blocks the air inlet.

[0026] In the present invention, designing the heat exchanger into a spherical shape is beneficial to reducing wind resistance, reducing noise, and fully improving the space utilization rate under the same space, increasing the windward area of the heat exchanger, increasing the heat exchange area per unit space, and thus improving the heat exchange efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] By referring to the accompanying drawings and describing its exemplary embodiments in detail, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. The following described drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0028] Figure 1 Showing a schematic structural diagram of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 Showing a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 Showing a schematic structural diagram of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 Showing a schematic cross-sectional view of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 Showing a schematic top wall structure diagram of an air outlet panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 Showing a schematic cross-sectional view of a deformed body of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] In the figure:

[0035] 1. Heat exchanger; 11. Heat sink; 111. Through hole; 12. Refrigerant pipe; 2. Machine shell; 21. Air inlet; 3. Air outlet panel; 31. Air outlet hole; 4. Air duct assembly; 5. Fixed plate; 6. Water receiving tray; 7. Blower; 8. Motor; 9. Electrical box; 10. Filter structure. Specific embodiments

[0036] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0037] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "the" and "said" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. "Plural" generally includes at least two, but does not exclude the case of including at least one.

[0038] It should be understood that the term " / and" used herein is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " herein generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0039] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a commodity or system including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such commodity or system. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including one..." does not exclude the existence of another identical element in the commodity or system including the said element.

[0040] In the prior art, there are problems such as abnormal whistling noises generated by the heat exchanger under certain wind speeds, poor uniformity of the wind blowing on the heat exchanger, and low space utilization rate of the heat exchanger, which reduce the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger and result in a poor user experience.

[0041] The present invention designs the heat exchanger into a spherical shape, which is beneficial to reducing wind resistance, lowering noise, and fully improving space utilization rate under the same space, increasing the windward area of the heat exchanger, and increasing the heat exchange area per unit space, thereby improving the refrigeration efficiency. At the same time, by optimizing the shape of the evaporator of the air conditioner into a hemispherical evaporator, the purpose of reducing wind resistance and lowering noise is achieved. Meanwhile, the windward area of the evaporator is maximally increased, the contact area between the air and the evaporator is increased, thereby improving the refrigeration efficiency of the air conditioner, and maximally improving the space utilization rate of the machine body and the uniformity of the air blown out by the air duct machine falling on the evaporator. The following is a detailed introduction to the present invention in combination with specific embodiments:

[0042] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 shown, the present invention provides a heat exchanger 1, which includes heat dissipation fins 11 and refrigerant pipes 12. The refrigerant pipes 12 are arranged through the heat dissipation fins 11. A plurality of heat dissipation fins 11 and a plurality of refrigerant pipes 12 form the heat exchanger 1. The heat exchanger 1 has a concave spherical windward surface and a convex spherical leeward surface. A flow passage is formed between two adjacent heat dissipation fins 11 for air flow.

[0043] Specifically, the heat dissipation fin 11 is an arc-shaped flat structure. In this embodiment, the heat dissipation fin 11 is a semi-circular flat structure. The radially inner side of the heat dissipation fin 11 is located on the concave spherical windward surface, and the radially outer side of the heat dissipation fin 11 is located on the convex spherical leeward surface. A plurality of through holes 111 are arranged along the arc extension direction of the heat dissipation fin 11. Preferably, the through holes 111 are evenly distributed along the concentric arc of the inner side of the heat dissipation fin 11. Further, the through holes 111 are distributed in two rows on two arcs with different radii to increase the number of refrigerant pipes 12 arranged, thereby improving the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 1. It is easy to think that in other embodiments, according to the different sizes of the heat dissipation fins 11, single-row through holes 111 can be selected or more than two rows of through holes 111 can be arranged.

[0044] The refrigerant pipe 12 includes a main pipe and a connector. The main pipe is an arc-shaped pipe, and the main pipe is arranged through the through holes 111. The connector is a U-shaped pipe, and the ends of the two main pipes are connected through the connector, so that a plurality of main pipes form a connected path for refrigerant flow.

[0045] Preferably, as Figure 6 shown, the spherical edge of the concave spherical windward surface and the convex spherical leeward surface forms an angle α with the center of the sphere. Among them, the value of α is greater than 0° and less than or equal to 180 degrees. Preferably, the value of α is 180°, that is, the two heat dissipation fins 11 at both ends of the main pipe are located on the same plane, that is, the heat exchanger is a hemispherical body, so as to maximize the heat exchange area of the heat exchanger 1.

[0046] Preferably, the heat sink 11 and the refrigerant pipe 12 of the heat exchanger 1 can be formed as a single part produced by 3D printing technology. A microchannel is provided inside the spherical heat exchanger 1 thus formed, and refrigerant is in the microchannel.

[0047] In the heat exchanger 1 of the present invention, the windward side and the leeward side are set as spherical surfaces, which is beneficial to reducing wind resistance, reducing noise, and fully improving the space utilization rate under the same space, increasing the windward area of the heat exchanger 1, increasing the heat exchange area per unit space, and thus improving the refrigeration efficiency.

[0048] As Figure 3 、 Figure 4 shown, the present invention also provides an air conditioner. In this embodiment, the air conditioner is a split air conditioner, including an indoor unit. The indoor unit includes a casing 2 and an air outlet panel 3. The casing 2 is a barrel-shaped structure, including a side peripheral wall and a bottom wall. The air outlet panel 3 is a cover-shaped structure, including a side peripheral wall and a top wall. The air outlet panel 3 is buckled onto the casing 2. Preferably, the indoor unit is a cylindrical structure, that is, the casing 2 is a round barrel-shaped structure and the air outlet panel 3 is a round cover-shaped structure.

[0049] A duct assembly 4 is provided inside the casing 2. The air outlet of the duct assembly 4 is located at the outlet end of the casing 2. The heat exchanger 1 is buckled at the air outlet of the duct assembly 4 and is located inside the air outlet panel 3. When the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode, the heat exchanger 1 is an evaporator. Specifically, the duct assembly 4 includes a volute and an air outlet section. Preferably, the air outlet section is formed by extending from the air outlet of the volute, that is, the volute and the air outlet section are an integral structure. Further, the outlet end of the air outlet section constitutes the air outlet, and a flared section is formed in the part close to the air outlet, that is, the position of the air outlet forms a horn-shaped structure, so that the air field is affected by the Coanda effect, making the air blown out from the duct more uniform. A wind blade 7 is provided inside the volute, and the wind blade 7 is driven to rotate by a motor 8 provided outside the volute. An electrical box 9 is also included, and the electrical box 9 is connected to electrical components such as the motor 8 and controls the operation of the motor 8.

[0050] As Figure 5 shown, a plurality of air outlet holes 31 are distributed in a circular area on the top wall of the air outlet panel 3. The air outlet holes 31 are a microporous structure with uneven distribution. Specifically, the distribution density of the air outlet holes 31 outside the circular area is greater than the distribution density at the middle position of the circular area. Due to the Coanda effect, the air volume in the middle of the air passing through the heat exchanger 1 is large, and the air volume around is small. Such an air outlet design has a small number of holes in the middle but high utilization rate, and a large number of holes around can relatively enhance the air outlet volume, making the air outlet uniform and achieving a windless feeling in the air outlet effect.

[0051] The indoor unit further includes a fixing plate 5. The fixing plate 5 is in a circular ring structure. The heat exchanger 1 is fixedly installed on the fixing plate 5. An avoidance groove is provided on the fixing plate 5, and the part of the refrigerant pipe 12 that does not penetrate into the heat dissipation fins 11 extends into the avoidance groove. The fixing plate 5 is arranged at the outlet end of the casing 2 and is hermetically connected to the casing 2 and the air duct assembly 4 to prevent air leakage.

[0052] Preferably, a water receiving groove is further formed on the fixing plate 5. When the indoor unit is assembled in a vertical state, the water receiving groove can receive the condensed water flowing down from the heat exchanger 1. Further, the water receiving groove is communicated with the drain pipe of the indoor unit, and the condensed water is discharged through the drain pipe.

[0053] The indoor unit further includes a water receiving tray 6. The water receiving tray 6 is in an arc-shaped structure. Preferably, the water receiving tray 6 is in an arc-shaped groove structure. Further, the water receiving tray 6 is adapted to the inner peripheral wall of the air outlet panel 3. The water receiving tray 6 is located inside the air outlet panel 3 and is arranged in a manner that fits the side peripheral wall of the air outlet panel 3. The water receiving tray 6 is connected to the drain pipe of the indoor unit, and the condensed water is discharged through the drain pipe.

[0054] A concealed air inlet 21 is formed on the side peripheral wall and / or the bottom wall of the casing 2. The air inlet 21 forms an acute angle with the central axis of the casing 2. Preferably, a plurality of air inlets 21 are distributed along the circumferential direction on the side peripheral wall of the casing 2. The air inlets 21 open obliquely downward on the outer side of the side peripheral wall, so as to play a role in dust prevention, insect prevention and anti-misoperation. Further, an air inlet 21 is provided on the bottom wall of the casing 2, and the air inlet 21 is inclined towards the edge of the bottom wall, also playing a role in dust prevention, insect prevention and anti-misoperation. Specifically, the anti-misoperation mainly aims at certain specific groups of users (children) in the use scenario where the whole machine is placed vertically. They may put their fingers into the grille of the air inlet. This solution sets a "concealed" air inlet 21, and the air inlet 21 is inclined, extending the inlet path and blocking the risk of hands directly reaching into the air inlet to a certain extent.

[0055] The insect prevention mainly aims at the use scenario where the whole machine is hung on a building wall as a wall-mounted air conditioner. There may be a situation where flying insects fly into the air inlet 21. Similarly, by setting a "concealed" air inlet 21, the air inlet 21 is inclined, extending the inlet path and blocking the risk of hands directly reaching into the air inlet to a certain extent.

[0056] A filtering structure 10 is arranged inside the casing 2. The filtering structure 10 blocks the air inlet 21, and the filtering component can filter out impurities in the air to ensure the freshness of the input air.

[0057] The whole unit can be used as a modular unit, enabling customized matching of different cooling capacities to meet different cooling capacity requirements. The whole machine can be installed in multiple scenarios. It can be embedded in a building as a duct machine, and the ventilation duct of the duct machine is connected to the air inlet 21 of the outer casing. Or the whole machine is placed vertically with the air outlet facing upwards and the air inlet 21 at the lower part of the outer casing of the whole machine to achieve bottom air inlet and top air outlet. At this time, the evaporator fixing plate 5 functions as a water receiving tray 6. Or the whole machine can be hung on a building wall as a wall-mounted air conditioner.

[0058] Furthermore, the air conditioner of the present invention can also be a movable integrated air conditioner for use in a vertical state. The above heat exchanger 1 is provided as an evaporator at the upper part of the machine body, and components such as a compressor assembly and a condenser are provided at the lower part of the machine body.

[0059] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically shown and described above. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the detailed structures, arrangements, or implementation methods described herein; on the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, characterized in that, The indoor unit includes a casing, an air outlet panel and a heat exchanger, wherein: The heat exchanger includes a plurality of radiating fins and a plurality of refrigerant tubes to form the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger has an inner concave spherical windward surface and an outer convex spherical leeward surface. A flow channel is formed between two adjacent heat sinks for air flow; The housing is a barrel-shaped structure, the air outlet panel is a cover-shaped structure, and the air outlet panel is buckled onto the housing; An air duct assembly is arranged in the housing, an air outlet of the air duct assembly is located at the outlet end of the housing, and the heat exchanger is buckled at the air outlet of the air duct assembly and is located in the air outlet panel; The air duct assembly comprises a volute, a fan blade and an air outlet section, wherein the air outlet section is formed by extending the air outlet of the volute, the outlet end of the air outlet section constitutes the air outlet, and a flared section is formed at the part close to the air outlet; the fan blade is arranged in the volute, and the fan blade is driven to rotate by a motor arranged outside the volute; A plurality of air outlet holes are distributed in a circular area on the top wall of the air outlet panel. The plurality of air outlet holes are unevenly distributed microporous structures, wherein the distribution density of the air outlet holes outside the circular area is greater than the distribution density in the middle of the circular area.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat sink is an arc-shaped flat plate structure, the radial inner side edge of the heat sink is located on the concave spherical windward surface, and the radial outer side edge of the heat sink is located on the convex spherical leeward surface. The heat sink is provided with a plurality of through holes along the arc-shaped extending direction thereof.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein The refrigerant pipe includes a main pipe and a connector, the main pipe is an arc-shaped pipe, and the main pipe is inserted into the insertion hole. The connecting head is an elbow, and the ends of the two main pipes are connected through the connecting head, so that the multiple main pipes form a connected passage for the circulation of refrigerant.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat exchanger is an integrally formed structure. A microchannel structure is formed in the heat exchanger. The microchannel structure constitutes the refrigerant tube. The heat sink is formed on the outer periphery of the refrigerant tube and extends radially thereof.

5. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The spherical edges of the inwardly concave spherical windward surface and the outwardly convex spherical leeward surface form an angle α with the sphere center, wherein α is greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 180 degrees.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein The casing includes a side peripheral wall and a bottom wall, and the air outlet panel includes a side peripheral wall and a top wall.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein, The indoor unit further comprises a fixing plate, which is a circular ring structure, and a relief groove is arranged on the fixing plate, and the part of the refrigerant pipe that does not penetrate into the heat sink extends into the relief groove. The heat exchanger is fixedly mounted on the fixing plate, and the fixing plate is arranged at the outlet end of the casing and connected to the casing and the air duct assembly.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, characterized in that: The fixing plate is also formed with a water receiving groove, and when the indoor unit is assembled in a vertical state, the water receiving groove can receive condensed water flowing down from the heat exchanger.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indoor unit further comprises a water receiving tray, which is an arc-shaped structure, and is located inside the air outlet panel and is arranged in close contact with the side peripheral wall of the air outlet panel. When the indoor unit is assembled in a horizontal state, the water receiving pan is located at the lower side of the heat exchanger and is used to receive condensed water flowing down from the heat exchanger.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein, A hidden air inlet is formed on the side peripheral wall and / or the bottom wall of the casing, and the air inlet forms an acute angle with the central axis of the casing; A filtering structure is arranged in the casing, and the filtering mechanism blocks the air inlet.

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