Air conditioner

Abstract

The utility model discloses an air conditioner which comprises a shell, a heat exchanger, an air inlet pipe, an air outlet pipe, an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe. The refrigerant leakage sensor is arranged in the shell and used for monitoring refrigerant leakage of the heat exchanger; the self-adaptive adjusting structure is arranged in the shell and corresponds to the heat exchanger, the refrigerant leakage sensor is slidably connected to the self-adaptive adjusting structure, and the refrigerant leakage sensor can slide and move to the lowest position under the action of the gravity of the refrigerant leakage sensor. The refrigerant leakage sensor is always located below the heat exchanger or in the lower area of the heat exchanger when located at the lowest position. The air conditioner effectively solves the problems that in the prior art, a refrigerant leakage sensor of an air conditioner is complex in disassembly and assembly mode, and potential safety hazards easily exist.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and more specifically, to an air conditioner. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing awareness of environmental protection both at home and abroad, more and more countries and companies are using environmentally friendly refrigerants in refrigeration products. Among them, the most widely used refrigerants, such as R32, R454B, and R290, are mostly flammable and explosive gases with a density greater than air. Under normal temperature and pressure, since air conditioners are mostly installed at the top or high places, if a refrigerant leak occurs, it will gradually diffuse to lower places due to gravity and gradually accumulate at the bottom of the place. After reaching a certain concentration, it will cause discomfort to the human body and pose risks of combustion and explosion.

[0003] Currently, air conditioning units using flammable refrigerants, such as ducted units, rooftop units, and residential units, are mostly equipped with gas leak sensors to detect refrigerant leaks and control the unit's power-on and power-off. Because refrigerant is denser than air, even after the unit is powered off, the leaking refrigerant will continue to diffuse downwards, posing an explosion risk. Therefore, refrigerant leak sensors are generally best installed at the bottom of the unit for optimal detection.

[0004] Air conditioners (indoor units) generally have several installation methods, such as top-discharge, side-discharge, and bottom-discharge, and these different installation methods result in different installation positions for the refrigerant leak sensor. Currently, the most common method for changing the refrigerant leak sensor's position is to remove the unit panel and change the position of the mounting screws. This often involves disassembling and reinstalling the unit, which is inconvenient and complicated. Moreover, if the installer forgets to adjust the refrigerant leak sensor's position after changing the air conditioner's installation method, the sensor will not be able to accurately detect refrigerant leaks, affecting the monitoring effect and leading to safety hazards.

[0005] In summary, the existing technology for refrigerant leakage sensors in air conditioners involves complex disassembly and assembly methods, and is prone to safety hazards. Utility Model Content

[0006] This utility model provides an air conditioner to solve the problem that the refrigerant leakage sensor in the prior art is complicated to disassemble and install, and is prone to safety hazards.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an air conditioner, comprising: a housing, wherein a heat exchanger is disposed inside the housing; a refrigerant leakage sensor disposed inside the housing and used to monitor refrigerant leakage in the heat exchanger; and an adaptive adjustment structure disposed inside the housing and corresponding to the heat exchanger, wherein the refrigerant leakage sensor is slidably connected to the adaptive adjustment structure, and the refrigerant leakage sensor can slide and move to the lowest position under its own gravity, and when the refrigerant leakage sensor is in the lowest position, it is always located below the heat exchanger or in the lower region of the heat exchanger.

[0008] Furthermore, the adaptive adjustment structure includes a track, on which the refrigerant leakage sensor is slidably connected; the track is correspondingly arranged with the heat exchanger, and the refrigerant leakage sensor slides on the track under its own weight; when the air conditioner is in any installation position, the refrigerant leakage sensor will move to the lowest position of the track under the influence of its own weight.

[0009] Furthermore, the track is a circular track, and the plane of the circular track is parallel to the direction of gravity. The refrigerant leak sensor moves in the direction of gravity through a sliding engagement with the circular track.

[0010] Furthermore, the annular track is located entirely below the heat exchanger or in the lower region of the heat exchanger.

[0011] Furthermore, the heat exchanger is V-shaped and includes two heat exchange bodies arranged in a V-shape, with the annular track located in the region between the two heat exchange bodies.

[0012] Furthermore, the heat exchanger is in the shape of a straight flat plate, and the annular track is located entirely on one side of the heat exchanger.

[0013] Furthermore, the air conditioner is installed in two positions: an upper air outlet position and a side air outlet position. The refrigerant leakage sensor has different lowest positions corresponding to the upper air outlet position and the side air outlet position, respectively. The track has two lowest limit positions corresponding to the upper air outlet position and the side air outlet position, respectively.

[0014] Furthermore, the air conditioner is installed in two positions: an upper air outlet position and a side air outlet position. When the air conditioner is installed in the upper air outlet position, the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger is oriented upwards. The refrigerant leakage sensor is located at the furthest point of the annular track from the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger.

[0015] When the air conditioner is installed in the side-outlet position, the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger is set towards the side of the air conditioner, and the refrigerant leakage sensor is located between the two heat exchange bodies, with the refrigerant leakage sensor close to the heat exchange body located below.

[0016] Furthermore, the adaptive adjustment structure includes: a fixed structure on which the refrigerant leakage sensor is mounted and fixed; and a pulley mounted on the fixed structure.

[0017] Furthermore, there are multiple pulleys, which are divided into multiple groups, with each group containing at least two pulleys; there is at least one track, and each group of pulleys corresponds to the same track.

[0018] The adaptive adjustment structure of this invention allows the refrigerant leak sensor to slide under its own weight and move to the lowest position. Due to gravity, during various installation processes, the refrigerant leak sensor will move downwards under its own weight, ensuring it remains below or in the lower part of the heat exchanger. Since flammable refrigerant is denser than air, it will diffuse downwards due to gravity after a leak, keeping the sensor in the optimal monitoring position and eliminating safety hazards, making the air conditioner safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the movement of the refrigerant leak sensor occurs simultaneously with the reinstallation of the air conditioner, requiring no human intervention and eliminating the need for manual disassembly and assembly, thus directly solving the problem of complex installation and disassembly. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the air conditioner in the top air outlet position according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the air conditioner in the side air outlet position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cooperation structure between the refrigerant leakage sensor and the adaptive adjustment structure of an air conditioner;

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of the refrigerant leak sensor and its adaptive adjustment structure. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the present invention.

[0024] See Figures 1 to 4As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an air conditioner is provided, comprising a housing 10, a refrigerant leak sensor 20, and an adaptive adjustment structure 30. A heat exchanger 11 is disposed inside the housing 10; the refrigerant leak sensor 20 is disposed within the housing 10 and used to monitor refrigerant leakage in the heat exchanger 11; the adaptive adjustment structure 30 is disposed within the housing 10 and correspondingly disposed to the heat exchanger 11. The refrigerant leak sensor 20 is slidably connected to the adaptive adjustment structure 30, and the refrigerant leak sensor 20 can slide and move to its lowest position under its own weight. When the refrigerant leak sensor 20 is in its lowest position, it is always located below or in the lower region of the heat exchanger 11.

[0025] The adaptive adjustment structure of this invention allows the refrigerant leak sensor to slide under its own weight and move to the lowest position. Due to gravity, during various installation processes, the refrigerant leak sensor will move downwards under its own weight, ensuring it remains below or in the lower region of the heat exchanger 11. Since flammable refrigerant is denser than air, it will diffuse downwards due to gravity after a leak, keeping the sensor in the optimal monitoring position and eliminating safety hazards, making the air conditioner safer and more reliable. Furthermore, the movement of the refrigerant leak sensor occurs simultaneously with the reinstallation of the air conditioner, requiring no human intervention and eliminating the need for manual disassembly and assembly, thus directly solving the problem of complex disassembly and assembly.

[0026] Preferably, the adaptive adjustment structure 30 includes a track 31, and the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is slidably connected to the track 31;

[0027] The track 31 is correspondingly arranged to the heat exchanger 11, and the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 slides on the track 31 under its own gravity.

[0028] When the air conditioner is in any installation position, the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 will move to the lowest position of the track 31 under the influence of its own gravity.

[0029] The sliding fit between the track 31 and the refrigerant leak sensor allows the refrigerant leak sensor 20 to move more smoothly under its own weight, ensuring that the refrigerant leak sensor can descend to the optimal position normally and continuously monitor the refrigerant leak, thus ensuring the safe operation of the air conditioner.

[0030] It should be noted that the shape of track 31 needs to match the shape of the heat exchanger. For example, if the heat exchanger is U-shaped, the track can be designed as a straight segment, with the two extreme positions of the straight segment corresponding to the lowest positions of the two installation positions (top air outlet and side air outlet). Alternatively, the track can be an arc segment, corresponding to more than three lowest positions, matching three installation positions or multiple installation positions at different angles.

[0031] In this embodiment, the track 31 is a circular track, and the plane of the circular track is parallel to the direction of gravity. The refrigerant leak sensor 20 moves in the direction of gravity by sliding with the circular track.

[0032] The shape of the circular track allows for optimal smooth sliding of the refrigerant leak sensor. Furthermore, the circular track can accommodate different installation positions, allowing the refrigerant leak sensor to move freely under its own power. It can be adjusted at any time to follow the installation method of the air conditioner without getting stuck, ensuring that the refrigerant leak monitoring position is always kept in the optimal position.

[0033] Considering the positional relationship with the heat exchanger, a ring track ensures optimal monitoring between the refrigerant leak sensor and the heat exchanger. In this embodiment, the ring track is located entirely below or in the lower region of the heat exchanger 11.

[0034] The circular track is positioned as described above to prevent the refrigerant leak sensor from moving away from the heat exchanger or lower area when the air conditioner is installed in a specific location, thus ensuring that the refrigerant leak sensor is in the optimal monitoring position.

[0035] Preferably, the heat exchanger 11 is V-shaped and includes two heat exchange bodies 11a arranged in a V-shape, with the annular track located in the region between the two heat exchange bodies 11a.

[0036] The V-shaped heat exchanger ensures efficient heat exchange for both top and side air outlets, resulting in high heat exchange efficiency for the air conditioner. Furthermore, the position of the annular track maintains a constant monitoring relationship with the heat exchanger, allowing the refrigerant leak sensor to be positioned to monitor both heat exchange units, thus maximizing safety.

[0037] Preferably, the air conditioner is installed in two positions: an upper air outlet position and a side air outlet position, and the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 has different lowest positions corresponding to the upper air outlet position and the side air outlet position, respectively.

[0038] The track 31 has two minimum limit positions corresponding to the upper air outlet position and the side air outlet position, respectively.

[0039] The air conditioner in this embodiment is an indoor unit (residential indoor unit). Therefore, depending on the needs of cold and hot air or the actual installation conditions, the installation position of the air conditioner can be selected from the top air outlet position and the side air outlet position. During the adjustment process, the refrigerant leakage sensor will slide on the track and move to the corresponding lowest limit position, so that it is always in the best monitoring position when installed, thereby improving safety.

[0040] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the installation positions of the air conditioner include top air outlet positions and side air outlet positions;

[0041] When the air conditioner is installed in the top air outlet position, the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger 11 is set upwards; the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is located at the farthest point of the annular track from the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger 11.

[0042] When the air conditioner is installed in the side-outlet position, the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger 11 is set towards the side of the air conditioner, and the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is located between the two heat exchange bodies 11a, with the refrigerant leakage sensor 20 close to the heat exchange body 11a located below.

[0043] exist Figure 1 When the air conditioner is installed in the position shown, the refrigerant leak sensor moves to the optimal monitoring position under its own gravity. This position can detect the sinking refrigerant leaking from both heat exchangers. The monitoring range covers all heat exchangers, providing a wide monitoring range and a high safety factor.

[0044] exist Figure 2 When the air conditioner is installed in the position shown, the refrigerant leak sensor moves to the optimal monitoring position under its own gravity. This position can detect refrigerant leaks from the heat exchanger located above (as shown in the diagram) immediately. Simultaneously, it can also detect refrigerant leaks from the heat exchanger below that are spreading upwards to a certain extent over a certain period. With the refrigerant leak sensor positioned at this optimal monitoring location, the air conditioner's safety is ensured, and its versatility is also improved.

[0045] Figure 1 As shown in the diagram, the upper part of the air conditioner consists of the air duct, fan, and motor, while the lower part consists of the heat exchanger and water tray. The adaptive adjustment device is located in the center of the heat exchanger baffle, and the refrigerant leakage sensor is located directly below the adaptive adjustment device.

[0046] Figure 2 As shown in the side air outlet position, the air duct, fan, and motor inside the air conditioner form the left half, while the heat exchanger and water tray form the right half. The adaptive adjustment device is located in the center of the heat exchanger partition.

[0047] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the adaptive adjustment structure 30 includes a fixed structure 32 and a pulley 33. The refrigerant leakage sensor 20 is fixedly mounted on the fixed structure 32, and the pulley 33 is mounted on the fixed structure 32.

[0048] The fixed structure 32 is either a fixed plate structure or a fixed block structure, which ensures the structural stability of the refrigerant leak sensor. The pulleys slide against the track, allowing for smooth movement under their own weight. This increases smoothness, reduces friction, and enables the refrigerant leak sensor to automatically adjust its position under its own weight under any conditions, maximizing safety.

[0049] To further improve smoothness and reduce friction, in this embodiment, there are multiple pulleys 33, which are divided into multiple groups, with each group containing at least two pulleys 33. There is at least one track 31, with each group of pulleys 33 corresponding to the same track 31. The number of tracks 31 is set according to the number of pulley groups, preferably two tracks 31 arranged concentrically. This ensures smoothness without affecting excessive friction. For a detailed structure, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 .

[0050] In another embodiment not shown in the figure, an air conditioner is provided, which has a structure that is basically the same as the air conditioner in the above embodiment, except that the shape of the heat exchanger and the position of the annular track are different. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 11 is in the shape of a straight plate, and the annular track is located on one side of the heat exchanger 11.

[0051] If the heat exchanger is a straight-plate type, placing the entire heat exchanger track on one side of the heat exchanger will ensure that the monitoring range of the refrigerant leak sensor always covers the entire heat exchanger to the greatest extent, guaranteeing that the leak detection can provide feedback in the shortest possible time and ensuring the safety of the air conditioner.

[0052] The adaptive adjustment structure of the air conditioner is not only simple in structure and cost-controllable, but also makes it easy to realize that the refrigerant leakage sensor can automatically adjust to the appropriate position according to the different air outlet direction of the unit. This prevents the refrigerant leakage sensor from failing to detect refrigerant leakage or affecting the monitoring effect due to improper position after changing the air outlet direction of the unit.

[0053] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0054] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0055] Of course, the above are preferred embodiments of this utility model. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the basic principles of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, characterized in that, include: A housing (10) is provided with a heat exchanger (11) inside the housing (10); A refrigerant leak sensor (20) is disposed inside the housing (10) and is used to monitor refrigerant leaks in the heat exchanger (11); An adaptive adjustment structure (30) is disposed inside the housing (10) and corresponding to the heat exchanger (11). The refrigerant leakage sensor (20) is slidably connected to the adaptive adjustment structure (30). The refrigerant leakage sensor (20) can slide and move to the lowest position under its own gravity. When the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) is in the lowest position, it is always located below the heat exchanger (11) or in the lower region of the heat exchanger (11).

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adaptive adjustment structure (30) includes a track (31), and the refrigerant leak sensor (20) is slidably connected to the track (31); The track (31) is arranged correspondingly to the heat exchanger (11), and the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) slides on the track (31) under its own gravity; When the air conditioner is in any installation position, the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) will move to the lowest position of the track (31) under the influence of its own gravity.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that, The track (31) is a circular track, and the plane of the circular track is parallel to the direction of gravity. The refrigerant leakage sensor (20) moves in the direction of gravity through sliding cooperation with the circular track.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, characterized in that, The annular track is located entirely below the heat exchanger (11) or in the lower region of the heat exchanger (11).

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heat exchanger (11) is V-shaped and includes two heat exchange bodies (11a) arranged in a V-shape. The annular track is located in the region between the two heat exchange bodies (11a).

6. The air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heat exchanger (11) is in the shape of a straight plate, and the annular track is located on one side of the heat exchanger (11).

7. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that, The air conditioner is installed in two positions: the top air outlet position and the side air outlet position. The refrigerant leakage sensor (20) has different lowest positions corresponding to the top air outlet position and the side air outlet position, respectively. The track (31) has two minimum limit positions corresponding to the upper air outlet position and the side air outlet position, respectively.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 5, characterized in that, The air conditioner can be installed at both the top air outlet position and the side air outlet position. When the air conditioner is installed in the top air outlet position, the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger (11) is set upwards; the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) is located at the farthest point of the annular track from the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger (11); When the air conditioner is installed in the side-outlet position, the V-shaped tip of the heat exchanger (11) is set towards the side of the air conditioner, and the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) is located between the two heat exchange bodies (11a), with the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) close to the heat exchange body (11a) located below.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adaptive adjustment structure (30) includes: A fixed structure (32) is provided on which the refrigerant leakage sensor (20) is mounted and fixed; A pulley (33) is mounted on the fixed structure (32).

10. The air conditioner according to claim 9, characterized in that, The pulleys (33) are multiple, and the multiple pulleys (33) are divided into multiple groups, with each group having at least two pulleys (33); There is at least one track (31), and each set of pulleys (33) corresponds to the same track (31).

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