Outdoor unit and air conditioner comprising said outdoor unit

Abstract

There are provided an outdoor unit suppressing the occurrence of galvanic corrosion by preventing a heat exchanger and a bottom plate from coming into contact with each other due to mispositioning of a spacer and an air conditioner including the outdoor unit. An outdoor unit 11 includes: a heat exchanger (13) formed of metal, a bottom plate (41) formed of metal different from the metal of the heat exchanger (13), and a spacer (50) arranged between the heat exchanger (13) and the bottom plate (41) and formed of an insulating material, in which the bottom plate (41) has a fixing part (60) to which the spacer (50) is fixed, the spacer (50) has a mounting part (52) clamping the fixing part (60), and, when the spacer (50) is arranged on the bottom plate (41), the mounting part (52) is mounted on the fixing part (60), restricting the movement of the spacer (50) to the side of space where the heat exchanger (13) is housed in the bottom plate (41).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an outdoor unit and an air conditioner including the outdoor unit.Background Art

[0002] An outdoor heat exchanger arranged inside a casing of an outdoor unit is sometimes formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, for example. The casing of the outdoor unit, particularly a bottom plate on which the outdoor heat exchanger is placed, is sometimes formed of iron, for example.

[0003] When the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate are formed of different metals and are in contact with each other as described above, the presence of water, such as rainwater or condensed water, between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate sometimes causes galvanic corrosion due to the potential difference between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate. When the galvanic corrosion occurs, metals with a high ionization tendency (aluminum in the case of aluminum and iron) corrode.

[0004] Therefore, to prevent the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion, there is an example in which a spacer formed of an insulating material is arranged between the bottom plate and the outdoor heat exchanger (see PTL 1 described later). More specifically, the placement of the outdoor heat exchanger on the spacer formed of an insulating material arranged on the bottom plate prevents the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate from coming into contact with each other due to the self-weight of the outdoor heat exchanger or vibration or the like applied to the outdoor unit from the outside and ensures the insulation between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate. This prevents the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion even when water is present inside the casing of the outdoor unit.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0005] PTL 1: JP 2016-084995 ASummary of InventionTechnical Problem

[0006] The spacer in PTL 1 described above includes surfaces that are not parallel to each other, and the position of the spacer with respect to the bottom plate is determined by arranging these surfaces to abut on a corner part of the bottom plate. Therefore, in a direction from the inside toward the outside of the outdoor unit, which is the direction in which the spacer abuts on the bottom plate, the spacer is restricted by the bottom plate and does not move.

[0007] However, in PTL 1, the movement of the spacer in the direction from the outside toward the inside of the outdoor unit is not restricted, which poses a possibility that, when the outdoor unit is assembled, the spacer is arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate in a state of being shifted inward from the original position where the spacer is to be placed. When the spacer is arranged in the state of being shifted inward from the original position as described above, there is a risk that, when the outdoor unit is transported or operated, the spacer comes out from between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate due to vibration caused by the transportation or the operation. When the spacer comes out from between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate, there is a possibility that the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate come into contact with each other due to the self-weight of the outdoor heat exchanger or vibration or the like applied to the outdoor unit from the outside. When water is present between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate in that state, there is a risk of the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion.

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide an outdoor unit suppressing the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion by preventing the heat exchanger and the bottom plate from coming into contact with each other due to mispositioning of the spacer and an air conditioner including the outdoor unit.Solution to Problem

[0009] An outdoor unit according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a heat exchanger formed of metal; a bottom plate formed of metal different from the metal of the heat exchanger; and a spacer arranged between the heat exchanger and the bottom plate and formed of an insulating material, in which the bottom plate has a fixing part to which the spacer is fixed, the spacer has a mounting part configured to clamp the fixing part, and, when the spacer is arranged on the bottom plate, the mounting part is mounted on the fixing part, restricting the movement of the spacer to the side of space where the heat exchanger is housed in the bottom plate.

[0010] An air conditioner according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an outdoor unit including a heat exchanger formed of metal, a bottom plate formed of metal different from the metal of the heat exchanger, and a spacer arranged between the heat exchanger and the bottom plate and formed of an insulating material, in which the bottom plate has a fixing part to which the spacer is fixed, the spacer has a mounting part configured to clamp the fixing part, and, when the spacer is arranged on the bottom plate, the mounting part is mounted on the fixing part, restricting the movement of the spacer to the side of space where the heat exchanger is housed in the bottom plate; and an indoor unit installed indoor and constituting a refrigeration circuit between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0011] The present invention can provide an outdoor unit suppressing the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion by preventing the heat exchanger and the bottom plate from coming into contact with each other due to mispositioning of the spacer and an air conditioner including the outdoor unit.Brief Description of Drawings

[0012] FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which an outdoor heat exchanger is placed on a bottom plate inside the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a spacer arranged between the bottom plate and the outdoor heat exchanger in the state in which the outdoor heat exchanger is placed on the bottom plate inside the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the spacer is arranged on the bottom plate inside the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a plan view of the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view illustrated in a direction different from the direction in the perspective view illustrated in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a side view of the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating another aspect of the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating, in an enlarged manner, the periphery of a corner part where the spacer is arranged, which is a part of the bottom plate according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a state in which the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state in which the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate and is a perspective view illustrated in a direction different from the direction in the perspective view illustrated in FIG. 12; and FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state in which the spacer according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate and is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state as viewed from the side surface of the spacer. Description of Embodiments

[0013] Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of an outdoor unit 11 of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The air conditioner 1 is described using FIG. 1. The air conditioner 1 is capable of performing heating operation and cooling operation, and includes a refrigerant circuit 2 in which an indoor unit 5 arranged indoor and an outdoor unit 11 installed outdoor are connected to each other via a refrigerant piping 3.

[0015] The outdoor unit 11 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 13, an outdoor fan 16 for blowing the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 13, a compressor 12, an accumulator 19, a four-way valve 15, and an outdoor unit-side expansion valve 14. The outdoor fan 16 is driven by a fan motor. The indoor unit 5 includes an indoor heat exchanger 7 and a fan 9 for blowing the indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 7.

[0016] The refrigerant circuit 2 contains the compressor 12, the four-way valve 15, the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the outdoor unit-side expansion valve 14, the indoor heat exchanger 7, and the accumulator 19 that are connected to one another by the refrigerant piping 3. The refrigerant piping 3 connected to the four-way valve 15 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 serves as a gas-side refrigerant piping 18 and the refrigerant piping 3 connecting the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the outdoor unit-side expansion valve 14 to each other serves as a liquid-side refrigerant piping 17.

[0017] In the embodiment of the present invention, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 has a liquid-side header 23, a gas-side header 24, and a return header 25. The liquid-side header 23 is a first header provided on one end side of the first heat exchange section 21. The gas-side header 24 is a first header provided on one end side of the second heat exchange section 22. The return header 25 is a second header provided on the other end side.

[0018] The outdoor heat exchanger 13 in the embodiment of the present invention is formed in an L-shape as viewed from above. A longitudinal portion of the L-shape is arranged at a position facing the back surface of a casing, and a lateral portion of the L-shape is arranged at a position facing the side surface of the casing. The outdoor heat exchanger 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, for example.

[0019] In FIG. 1, the arrows indicated by the solid line illustrate the flow of a refrigerant in the refrigerant piping 3 in the case of cooling operation. In the case of the cooling operation, the refrigerant that has been compressed in the compressor 12 to be brought into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas phase state flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 via the four-way valve 15 and the gas-side refrigerant piping 18. The refrigerant in the high-temperature and high-pressure gas phase state flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 condenses into a refrigerant in a liquid phase state by heat exchange with the outdoor air blown by the outdoor fan 16 while flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 13. The refrigerant in the liquid phase state flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is reduced in pressure when passing through the outdoor unit-side expansion valve 14 via a liquid-side refrigerant piping 17 to be brought into a gas-liquid two-phase state. The refrigerant that has been reduced in pressure to be brought into the gas-liquid two-phase state flows into the indoor heat exchanger 7, exchanges heat with the indoor air blown by the fan 9 while flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 7, evaporates to be a refrigerant in a gas phase state, and flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 7. The refrigerant in the gas phase state flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger 7 returns to the compressor 12 via the accumulator 19 to be compressed to be brought into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas phase state again.

[0020] In FIG. 1, the arrows indicated by the dashed lines illustrate the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant piping 3 in heating operation. In the case of the heating operation, the refrigerant flows in the direction opposite to that in the cooling operation by the four-way valve 15. In the heating operation, the refrigerant that has been compressed in the compressor 12 to be brought into the high-temperature and high-pressure gas phase state flows into the indoor heat exchanger 7. The refrigerant in the high-temperature and high-pressure gas phase state flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 7 dissipates heat by heat exchange with the indoor air blown by the fan 9 while flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 7 to be a refrigerant in a liquid phase state, and flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 7. The indoor air that has exchanged heat with the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 7 is heated. The refrigerant in the liquid phase state passing through the indoor heat exchanger 7 is reduced in pressure when passing through the outdoor unit-side expansion valve 14 to be brought into a gas-liquid two-phase state. The refrigerant that has been reduced in pressure to be brought into the gas-liquid two-phase state flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 via the liquid-side refrigerant piping 17. The refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 13 exchanges heat with the outdoor air blown by the outdoor fan 16 while flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and evaporates to be a gaseous refrigerant state. The gaseous refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 returns to the compressor 12 via the gas-side refrigerant piping 18 and the accumulator 19 to be compressed to be brought into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas phase state.

[0021] Next, the outdoor unit 11 in the embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 2. As in the outdoor unit 11 illustrated in FIG. 2, the vertical direction (top-bottom direction in the drawing) when the outdoor unit 11 is installed on the horizontal surface is referred to as a Z-direction. The right-left direction when the outdoor unit 11 illustrated in FIG. 2 is viewed from a front plate 42 described later is referred to as an X-direction. The direction orthogonal to both the Z-direction and the X-direction is referred to as a Y-direction (forward-backward direction).

[0022] In the following description, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2, the top and the bottom in the Z-direction are referred to as an upper side in the Z-direction or a lower side in the Z-direction, respectively, as appropriate, and the right and the left in the X-direction are referred to as a left side in the X-direction and a right side in the X-direction, respectively. For the Y-direction orthogonal to the Z-direction and the X-direction, the front side of the drawing is referred to as a front side in the Y-direction and the opposite side is referred to as a back side in the Y-direction. The same applies to the figures following FIG. 2.

[0023] For an outdoor unit described below, the outdoor unit 11 having the shape illustrated in FIG. 2 is exemplified. However, for the outdoor unit 11, the shape (aspect ratio) can be set as desired according to the size or the number of various devices attached inside a casing 6, in addition to the shape illustrated in FIG. 2, for example.

[0024] The outdoor unit 11 includes the casing 6 having a box shape. The casing 6 has six surfaces of a top plate 40, a bottom plate 41, the front plate 42, a back plate 43, a left-side plate 44, and a right-side plate 45. The top plate 40 is positioned on the upper side in the Z-direction. The bottom plate 41 is formed of iron, on which the compressor 12, the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and the like are placed. The front plate 42 is positioned on the front side in the Y-direction, and the back plate 43 is positioned on the back side in the Y-direction, which is the side opposite to the front plate 42. The left-side plate 44 is positioned on the left side in the X-direction of the front plate 42. The right-side plate 45 is positioned on the right side in the X-direction of the front plate 42. The back plate 43 and the left-side plate 44 are formed with suction openings (not illustrated). The L-shaped outdoor heat exchanger 13 is positioned facing the suction openings formed in the back plate 43 and the left-side plate 44.

[0025] The outdoor air taken in from the suction openings by the rotation of the outdoor fan 16 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 in the direction indicated by the arrow illustrated on the back side in the Y-direction or on the left side in the X-direction of the casing 6. The front plate 42 of the casing 6 is formed with an outlet 46. To the outlet 46, a fan guard 47 is attached. The rotation of the outdoor fan 16 causes the air that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to blow out of the outlet 46 to the front side of the casing 6 as illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 2.

[0026] Next, the inside of the outdoor unit 11 is described using FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is placed on the bottom plate 41 inside the outdoor unit 11 of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view illustrated in FIG. 3 does not illustrate members constituting the casing 6 other than the bottom plate 41 illustrated in FIG. 2 and devices arranged inside the casing 6. Therefore, only the outdoor heat exchanger 13 attached to the bottom plate 41 and a spacer 50 arranged between the bottom plate 41 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are illustrated.

[0027] The outdoor heat exchanger 13 is formed in the L-shape. An end part of the longitudinal portion of the L-shape and an end part of the lateral portion of the L-shape of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are individually coupled to the bottom plate using fixtures (not illustrated). On the other hand, a place where the longitudinal portion and the lateral portion of the L-shape are connected to each other (hereinafter, this portion is referred to as a "folded part 13a" as appropriate) is not coupled to the bottom plate 41. The spacer 50 described later is arranged between the folded part 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41. More specifically, the folded part 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is merely placed on the spacer 50 to be mounted on the bottom plate 41.

[0028] As described above, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 in the embodiment of the present invention is formed of aluminum or the like, while the bottom plate 41 is formed of iron. When the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 are formed of different species of metals as describe above, and water, such as rainwater or condensed water, is present between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 in the state where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 are in contact with each other, there is a possibility of the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion.

[0029] Thus, the spacer 50 is arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41. This prevents the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 from coming into contact with each other, due to, for example, the movement of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to the lower side in the Z-direction under the self-weight of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the movement of the bottom plate 41 to the upper side in the Z-direction by the application of some force to the bottom plate 41 when the outdoor unit 11 is subjected to vibration or an impact due to a fall, or the like. Accordingly, the spacer 50 functions to prevent the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 from coming into contact with each other and ensures a distance between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41.

[0030] Further, the spacer 50 comes into contact with both the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41, and therefore, when the spacer 50 has a property of conducting electricity, the galvanic corrosion eventually occurs. Thus, the spacer 50 is formed of an insulating material. Various materials, such as resin and rubber, can be adopted, for example, insofar as the materials are insulating materials.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the spacer 50 is arranged between the bottom plate 41 and the heat exchanger 13. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the spacer 50 arranged between the bottom plate 41 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 in the state in which the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is placed on the bottom plate 41 inside the outdoor unit 11 of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates the spacer 50, which is hidden by the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and is not visible in FIG. 3, by the dashed lines. As described later, the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate 41 by the mounting of a mounting part 52 on a fixing part of the bottom plate 41. Then, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is placed on the upper side in the Z-direction of the spacer 50. By the placement of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 on the spacer 50, the spacer 50 is arranged between the bottom plate 41 and the heat exchanger 13.

[0033] Next, FIG. 5 does not illustrate the outdoor heat exchanger 13 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 and illustrates a state in which only the spacer 50 is mounted on the bottom plate 41 inside the outdoor unit 11 of the air conditioner 1.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the bottom plate 41 is provided with a raised part 41b formed by raising a peripheral part of a bottom surface 41a to the upper side in the Z-direction. By the formation of the raised part 41b, the bottom plate 41 has a box shape as a whole in which the upper side (upper side in the Z-direction) is opened. The devices, such as the outdoor heat exchanger 13, are housed in space surrounded by the raised part 41b in the bottom surface 41a.

[0035] In the following description, a side facing space where the devices, such as the outdoor heat exchanger 13, are housed in the raised part 41b is referred to as a "first surface F1". The surface on the side opposite to the first surface F1 is referred to as a "second surface F2". More specifically, the surface facing the inside of the casing 6 of the raised part 41b is the first surface F1 and the surface facing the outside of the casing 6 is the second surface F2. Even when the raised part 41b formed in the bottom plate 41 as in the embodiment of the present invention is not formed, the first surface F1 faces space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is housed and the opposite side thereto corresponds to the second surface F2. In this case, the surface on which the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the like are placed is the first surface F1 and the back surface, i.e., surface facing the installation surface, is the second surface F2.

[0036] FIG. 5 does not illustrate the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and therefore illustrates the entirety of the spacer 50 mounted on the bottom plate 41 only a part of which is visible in FIG. 3. As described above, the spacer 50 is arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 and functions to ensure the distance and the insulation between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 so that the galvanic corrosion does not occur between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41. Thus, the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention is arranged on the upper side in the Z-direction (on the side of the first surface F1) of the bottom plate 41 and inside the casing 6.

[0037] The bottom plate 41 has a bottom surface 41a that is not formed in a flat plane, but is formed such that condensed water dropping from an upper part to a lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, for example, is collected in a lower place. The devices, such as the outdoor heat exchanger 13, which are not to be brought into contact with condensed water, are configured to be able to be installed in a higher place. Thus, the bottom surface 41a is made uneven.

[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention is arranged in a corner part of the bottom plate 41 on the left side in the X-direction and the back side in the Y-direction, when the outdoor unit 11 is viewed from the front. The spacer 50 comes into contact with the lower surface of the folded part 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to support the outdoor heat exchanger 13 as described above, and therefore the spacer 50 is arranged at such a position.(Spacer 50)

[0039] The spacer 50 is described in detail using FIGS. 6 to 10. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. For assisting understanding, FIG. 6 illustrates a part of a long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction and a part of a short side 41d on the left side in the X-direction of the bottom plate 41 by the dashed lines. Thus, the dashed lines in FIG. 6 are merely illustrated for convenience, and do not illustrate a state in which the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41. Similarly, for convenience of understanding, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 (folded part 13a) to be placed on the spacer 50 is illustrated by the alternate long and short dashed lines.

[0040] The spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41 by the mounting of the mounting part 52 described later on a fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41. More specifically, when the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41, the mounting part 52 of the spacer 50 described later is mounted on the fixing part 60 to clamp the fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41. The attachment of the spacer 50 to the bottom plate 41 as described above restricts the movement of the spacer 50 to the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is housed in the bottom plate 41, i.e., to the space surrounded by the raised part 41b in the bottom plate 41.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention has a deformed hexagon shape and includes a first side 50a to a sixth side 50f. Among the six sides of the spacer 50, the first side 50a is arranged to face the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction of the bottom plate 41 such that the first side 50a and the long side 41c are parallel to each other. The second side 50b is arranged to face the short side 41d on the left side in the X-direction of the bottom plate 41 such that the second side 50b and the short side 41d are parallel to each other.

[0042] Thus, the third side 50c positioned between the first side 50a and the second side 50b is arranged at a position facing a corner part 41e formed by the contact between the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction and the short side 41d on the left side in the X-direction of the bottom plate 41. As illustrated in FIG. 6, none of the first side 50a to the third side 50c is in contact with the long side 41c or the short side 41d.

[0043] Since the first side 50a to the third side 50c are arranged at such positions, the fourth side 50d parallel to the first side 50a, the fifth side 50e parallel to the second side 50b, and the sixth side 50f parallel to the third side 50c are positioned inside the casing 6 relative to the first side 50a to the third side 50c, i.e., on the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is housed.

[0044] The placement surface 51 surrounded by the first side 50a to the sixth side 50f of the spacer 50 is a region where, when the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is assembled to the bottom plate 41, the folded part 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is placed as illustrated by the dashed lines in FIG. 4 or as illustrated by the alternate long and short dashed lines in FIG. 6. Therefore, the placement surface 51 is approximately parallel to the bottom surface 41a of the bottom plate 41 with which the placement surface 51 comes into contact. Thus, the spacer 50 is arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 such that the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 do not come into contact with each other.

[0045] The first side 50a of the spacer 50 is provided with the mounting part 52. The mounting part 52 is a portion to be mounted on the fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41 described in detail later using FIG. 11, when the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41. The mounting part 52 clamps the fixing part 60, so that the spacer 50 is mounted on the bottom plate 41.

[0046] The details of the spacer 50 are described also using FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the appearance of the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the appearance of the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in a direction different from the direction in FIG. 7.

[0047] The mounting part 52 includes a base part 52a, a facing part 52b, and an arm part 52c. The base part 52a rises to the upper side in the Z-direction continuously from the placement surface 51 in the first side 50a and formed along the first surface F1 in the raised part 41b with the mounting part 52 mounted on the fixing part 60. The facing part 52b is arranged at a position facing the base part 52a and formed along the second surface F2 in the raised part 41b with the mounting part 52 mounted on the fixing part 60. The arm part 52c connects one end of the base part 52a and one end of the facing part 52b to each other.

[0048] The base part 52a rises along the first surface F1 in the raised part 41b from the placement surface 51 as described above. The first side 50a of the spacer 50 formed with the mounting part 52 is not in contact with the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction. Therefore, when the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41, the base part 52a faces the first surface F1.

[0049] As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the facing part 52b is arranged at the position facing the base part 52a. When the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41, the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction is arranged between the base part 52a and the facing part 52b. Therefore, the facing part 52b faces the second surface F2 in the raised part 41b.

[0050] The two arm parts 52c connect such a base part 52a and such a facing part 52b to each other at one end 52aa of the base part 52a and one end 52ba of the facing part 52b, respectively. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, the arm part 52c extends from the base part 52a outward as viewed from the placement surface 51, i.e., toward the outside of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is housed in the bottom plate 41, in an arch-like manner and is connected to the one end 52ba of the facing part 52b.

[0051] When the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41, the fixing part 60 in the long side 41c of the raised part 41a of the bottom plate 41 enters between the base part 52a and the facing part 52b. Therefore, the arm part 52c is arranged to extend over the long side 41c (raised part 41b). The base part 52a and the facing part 52b are connected to each other by the arm part 52c. Therefore, the base part 52a faces the first surface F1 and the facing part 52b faces the second surface F2, so that the base part 52a and the facing part 52b hold the fixing part 60 therebetween from both surfaces.

[0052] As the arm part 52c in the embodiment of the present invention, the two arm parts 52c are formed at a distance along the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction of the bottom plate 41 as illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8. Since the two arm parts 52c, 52c are formed as described above, a first gap part 52d is formed between the two arm parts 52c, 52c. Under the base part 52a, a rectangular second gap part 52e is formed to penetrate the placement surface 51 and the base part 52a.

[0053] As described later, the space dimension between a first rib 52f of the base part 52a in contact with the first surface F1 and a second rib 52g of the facing part 52b in contact with the second surface F2 is formed to be smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the long side 41c in the fixing part 60. Therefore, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the arm parts 52c, 52c are deformed, so that the base part 52a and the facing part 52b are pressed and widened. The mounting part 52 is formed with the first gap part 52d and the second gap part 52e, making it easy for the mounting part 52 to be elastically deformed as a whole. Therefore, the base part 52a and the facing part 52b are easily pressed and widened.

[0054] When the arm parts 52c, 52c are opened to the side of the facing part 52b, the one end 52aa of the base part 52a is pulled to the side of the facing part 52b, and the side of the placement surface 51 of the base part 52a is deformed outward. Therefore, a portion continuous from the placement surface 51 in the base part 52a is also deformed. At this time, the portion is formed with the second gap part 52e, and therefore the base part 52a of the mounting part 52 is easily deformed with less force.

[0055] The first gap part 52d and the second gap part 52e are provided as described above, making it easy to mount the mounting part 52 on the fixing part 60. Further, the entirety of the spacer 50 can be easily fixed to the bottom plate 41.

[0056] In the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention, the second gap part 52e is formed under the first gap part 52d. However, the position where the second gap part 52e is formed does not necessarily have to be the position under the first gap part 52d insofar as the second gap part 52e is formed under the base part 52a. Two or more of the second gap parts 52e may be provided.

[0057] The second gap part 52e is formed from a lower part of the base part 52a to the contraposition surface 51. Therefore, condensed water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 placed on the placement surface 51 can be discharged to the bottom plate 41 without being accumulated in the spacer 50.

[0058] In the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention, a hole, such as the second gap part 52e, is provided not only in the lower part of the base part 52a described above, but in a lower part of the second side 50b or the third side 50c. This further enhances the drainage properties of the condensed water generated in the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

[0059] The mounting part 52 includes the two first ribs 52f, 52f each formed on the outside of each arm part 52c in a convex shape from the base part 52a toward the first surface F1 in the raised part 41b. More specifically, the first ribs 52f, 52f each are formed on the outside which is the side opposite to the side where the first gap part 52d is provided in the arm parts 52c, 52c.

[0060] More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the first rib 52f, the arm part 52c, the first gap part 52d, the arm part 52c, and the first rib 52f are arranged in this order as viewed from the corner part 41e of the bottom plate 41 in the first side 50a of the spacer 50. The arm parts 52c, 52c are arranged to be held between the two first ribs 52f, 52f.

[0061] As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, the first rib 52f is formed in a convex shape from the base part 52a toward the first surface F1 in the raised part 41b, has a cross-section formed in a substantially triangular shape, and protrudes toward the back side in the Y-direction. The first rib 52f is provided with a contact portion 52fa that comes into contact with the first surface F1 of the fixing part when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. In such a first rib 52f, the protrusion amount to the side of the first surface F1 is smaller in the lower side in the Z-direction close to the placement surface 51 than in the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 on the upper side in the Z-direction. The first rib 52f is inclined such that the protrusion amount gradually increases from the lower side in the Z-direction toward the contact portion 52fa.

[0062] The first rib 52f rises along the first surface F1 in the raised part 41b from the placement surface 51 as with the base part 52a and protrudes to the back side in the Y-direction toward the upper side in the Z-direction. The first rib 52f is formed in such a shape, and therefore, when the spacer 50 is fixed to the fixing part 60, the first rib 52f comes into contact with the first surface F1 in the fixing part 60, and the first rib 52f and a second rib 52g described next hold the fixing part 60 therebetween.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the second rib 52g having a substantially square cross-section projecting from the facing part 52b toward the second surface F2 in the raised part 41b is formed at one end 52ba of the facing part 52b of the mounting part 52. The second rib 52g protrudes toward the front side in the Y-direction. The second rib 52g is provided with a contact portion 52ga in contact with the second surface F2 of the fixing part when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. The protrusion amount to the front side in the Y-direction of the contact portion 52ga with the second surface F2 is smaller than the protrusion amount of a nail part 52h described later.

[0064] More specifically, the second rib 52g is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and protrudes from the facing part 52b to the front side in the Y-direction as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 9. Therefore, when the spacer 50 is fixed to the fixing part 60, the second rib 52g comes into contact with the second surface F2 in the fixing part 60 to hold the fixing part 60 with the first rib 52f therebetween. In the embodiment of the present invention, the second rib 52g is provided only in one place of the facing part 52b, but may be provided in a plurality of places.

[0065] Herein, the positional relation in the forward-backward direction in the Y-direction between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g is described. FIG. 9 is a side view of the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the right side in the X-direction. In FIG. 9, the left side of the drawing corresponds to the inside (side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the like are housed) of the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41 when the spacer 50 is mounted on the bottom plate 41. The right side of the drawing corresponds to the outside of the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41.

[0066] In FIG. 9, the spacer 50 is viewed from the right side in the X-direction, and therefore the first rib 52f furthest from the corner part 41e is visible on the frontmost side. In FIG. 9, the arm part 52c and the second rib 52g (facing part 52b) are visible in order from the first rib 52f toward the deep side of the drawing (approaching the corner part 41e).

[0067] When the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the first rib 52f comes into contact with the first surface F1 in the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41 and the second rib 52g comes into contact with the second surface F2 in the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41. Herein, FIG. 9 illustrates a case where the spacer 50 alone before the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60 is viewed. The position of the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f in the spacer 50 and the position of the contact portion 52ga with the second surface F2 in the second rib 52g are identical to each other in the Y-direction illustrated in FIG. 9, i.e., direction orthogonal to the first surface F1 and the second surface F2.

[0068] More specifically, in the Y-direction in FIG. 9, the position of the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f and the contact portion 52ga with the second surface F2 of the second rib 52g are aligned with each other. In FIG. 9, the alternate long and short dashed lines are drawn in the Z-direction. The position of the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f and the position of the contact portion 52ga with the second surface F2 of the second rib 52g are aligned with each other at the position of the alternate long and short dashed lines. More specifically, the space dimension in the Y-direction in FIG. 9 between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g is 0.

[0069] The relation between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g in the mounting part 52 of the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention is as described above and is smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the fixing part 60. Therefore, when the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g hold the fixing part 60 therebetween in the mounting of the mounting part 52 on the fixing part 60, the fixing part 60 can be firmly held between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g.

[0070] As described above, in the mounting of the mounting part 52 on the fixing part 60, the arm part 52c is deformed such that the base part 52a and the facing part 52b are spaced from each other. Therefore, after the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the deformed arm part 52c is subjected to a force with which the fixing part 60 returns to the original shape (restoring force). This restoring force causes the first rib 52f to press the first surface F1 and causes the second rib 52g to press the second surface F2 in the opposite directions to each other. This action allows the mounting part 52 to firmly hold the fixing part 60 therein.

[0071] The space dimension in the Y-direction between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g illustrated in FIG. 9 may be a negative dimension. More specifically, it refers to the positional relation where the position of the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f and the position of the contact portion 52fg with the second surface F2 in the second rib 52g illustrated in the side view of the spacer 50 in FIG. 9 overlap with each other in the Z-direction.

[0072] Such a positional relation is described using FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating another aspect of the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the spacer 50 illustrated in FIG. 10, the protrusion amount to the back side in the Y-direction of a first rib 52f' and the protrusion amount to the front side in the Y-direction of a second rib 52g' are protrusion amounts different from and larger than the protrusion amount to the back side in the Y-direction of the first rib 52f and the protrusion amount to the front side in the Y-direction of the second rib 52g, respectively, in the spacer 50 illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0073] Herein, the line drawn by the alternate long and short dashed lines in the Z-direction in FIG. 9 is drawn as it is also in FIG. 10. More specifically, the position illustrated by the alternate long and short dashed lines is the position where the position of the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f and the position of the contact portion 52ga with the second surface F2 of the second rib 52g are aligned with each other in FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 10, the protrusion to the back side in the Y-direction of the first rib 52f' further protrudes to the back side in the Y-direction beyond the alternate long and short dashed lines. Similarly, the protrusion to the front side in the Y-direction of the second rib 52g' further protrudes to the front side in the Y-direction beyond the alternate long and short dashed lines.

[0074] Therefore, the position of a contact portion 52f'a with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f' and the position of a contact portion 52g'a with the second surface F2 of the second rib 52g' are not aligned with each other on the alternate long and short dashed lines. More specifically, the space dimension in the Y-direction in FIG. 10 between the first rib 52f' and the second rib 52g' is a negative dimension. Therefore, in FIG. 10, the position of the contact portion 52f'a with the first surface F1 of the first rib 52f' and the position of the contact portion 52g'a with the second surface F2 of the second rib 52g' overlap with each other.

[0075] Due to the fact that the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g overlap with each other in the Y-direction as described above, the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g can more firmly hold the fixing part 60 therebetween as compared with the case where the space dimension in the opposite directions between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g is 0.

[0076] The positional relation between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g described so far is the positional relation in the spacer 50, before the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41. When the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41, the first ribs 52f, 52f and the second rib 52g clamp the fixing part 60. Therefore, the space dimension in the opposite directions between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g is separated by at least the plate thickness in the raised part 41b.

[0077] The first rib 52f comes into contact with the first surface F1 and the second rib 52g comes into contact with the second surface F2 to clamp the long side 41c in the raised part 41b. In view of this fact, the space dimension in the Y-direction illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 may be a space dimension larger than 0 insofar as the space dimension is smaller than the plate thickness of the long side 41c, without being limited to the case where the dimension space is 0 or less described above.

[0078] Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 9, a nail part 52h having a protrusion dimension larger than that of the second rib 52g from the facing part 52b toward the base part 52a is formed under the second rib 52g in the mounting part 52. The nail part 52h is formed in a substantially triangular shape in front view (X-direction) in FIG. 9 and protrudes toward the front side in the Y-direction, i.e., toward the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the like are housed in the bottom plate 41. More specifically, a tip part 52ha of the nail part 52h protrudes relative to the second rib 52g.

[0079] The nail part 52h and the second rib 52g have the same protrusion direction as described above. However, as is clear from particularly FIG. 9, the protrusion amount of the tip part 52ha is larger than that of the second rib 52g. By this formation, the tip part 52ha of the nail part 52h can be fitted into a fitting hole 63 formed in the fixing part 60 described later.

[0080] Once the nail part 52h is fitted into the fitting hole 63, a portion on the upper side in the Z-direction of the nail part 52h protrudes through the fitting hole 63 toward the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the like are housed in the bottom plate 41. Thus, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the portion on the upper side in the Z-direction of the nail part 52h comes into contact with the fitting hole 63, and therefore the movement of the spacer 50 to the upper side in the Z-direction is restricted.

[0081] As described above, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 in the embodiment of the present invention is formed of aluminum or the like, while the bottom plate 41 is formed of iron. When the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 are formed of different species of metals as describe above, and water, such as rainwater or condensed water, is present between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 in the state where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 are in contact with each other, there is a possibility of the occurrence of the galvanic corrosion.

[0082] Thus, the arrangement of the spacer 50 between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 prevents the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 from coming into contact with each other due to, for example, the movement of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 to the lower side in the Z-direction under the self-weight of the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the movement of the bottom plate 41 to the upper side in the Z-direction by the application of some force to the bottom plate 41 when the outdoor unit 11 is subjected to vibration or an impact due to a fall, or the like. Thus, the spacer 50 prevents the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41 from coming into contact with each other.

[0083] Further, the spacer 50 comes into contact with both the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41, and therefore, when the spacer 50 has the property of conducting electricity, the galvanic corrosion eventually occurs. Thus, the spacer 50 is formed of an insulating material. Various materials, such as resin and rubber, can be adopted, for example, insofar as the materials are insulating materials.(Bottom plate 41)

[0084] Next, the fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41 on which the spacer 50 described above is mounted is described. FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating, in an enlarged manner, the periphery of the corner part 41e where the spacer 50 is arranged, which is a part of the bottom plate 41 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] The bottom plate 41 is formed with the fixing part 60 on which the mounting part 52 of the spacer 50 is mounted. As is clear from FIG. 11, the fixing part 60 is provided in the long side 41c of the raised part 41b. By the mounting of the mounting part 52 of the spacer 50 on the fixing part 60, the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41.

[0086] The fixing part 60 has two hook parts 61. In these hook parts 61, the two arm parts 52c are arranged when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. The hook parts 61 are formed according to the number of the arm parts 52c of the spacer 50.

[0087] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the two hook parts 61 are formed apart from each other by a dimension corresponding to the space dimension between the arm parts 52c along the X-direction in the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41. Between the two hook parts 61, a convex part 62 is formed which protrudes to the upper side in the Z-direction from the hook parts 61 toward the upper side in the Z-direction.

[0088] The two hook parts 61 are formed to be recessed to the lower side in the Z-direction from the upper end of the long side 41c. This is because, the arm part 52c is arranged in the hook part 61 as described above, and, after the arm part 52c is arranged in the hook part 61, the mounting part 52, in turn the spacer 50, can be restricted from moving in the X-direction along the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41 as described later.

[0089] Thus, the height in the Z-direction of the two hook parts 61 is not limited insofar as the movement of the spacer 50 described above can be restricted. For example, the alignment of the positions in the highest portion on the upper side in the Z-direction of the arm part 52c and the upper end of the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction of the bottom plate 41 is one example thereof.

[0090] When the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the arm part 52c is arranged in the hook part 61 and the convex part 62 of the fixing part 60 is inserted into the first gap part 52d of the spacer 50.

[0091] The convex part 62 is provided by the formation of the two hook parts 61, but the convex part 62 does not have to be provided insofar as the hook part 61 can restrict the movement of the spacer 50 in the X-direction. Thus, the position (height) of an end part on the upper side in the Z-direction of the convex part 62 does not necessarily have to be aligned with the position (height) on the upper side in the Z-direction of the long side 41c. However, the convex part 62 is provided and inserted into the first gap part 52d of the mounting part 52, and therefore the movement of the spacer 50 in the X-direction can be further restricted.

[0092] Under the convex part 62, the fitting hole 63 is formed. Into the fitting hole 63, the nail part 52h of the mounting part 52 is fitted when the mounting part 52 of the spacer 50 is mounted on the fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41. As described above, the nail part 52h protrudes toward the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the like are housed in the bottom plate 41 relative to the second rib 52g. The fitting hole 63 is formed to penetrate the long side 41c of the raised part 41b in the fixing part 60, and therefore the nail part 52h is fitted through the fitting hole 63.

[0093] More specifically, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the mounting part 52 is moved from the upper side in the Z-direction toward the lower side in the Z-direction of the fixing part 60, for example. Then, when the nail part 52h reaches a portion of the fitting hole 63, the nail part 52h moves from the back side in the Y-direction to the front side in the Y-direction illustrated in FIG. 8. Due to the fact that the nail part 52h is fitted into the fitting hole 63, an operator can understand that the spacer 50 is properly mounted on the bottom plate 41. In addition, the movement of the spacer 50 to the upper side in the Z-direction can be restricted.

[0094] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the fitting hole 63 is formed in a rectangular shape that is approximately a square shape. However, the fitting hole 63 is not limited to such a shape, and may have a shape that allows the fitting of the nail part 52h into the fitting hole 63.(Fixation of bottom plate 41 to spacer 50)

[0095] Next, for the mounting part 52 and the fixing part 60 described so far, the state in which the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60 is described using FIGS. 12 to 14. FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state in which the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate 41. FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state in which the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate 41 and is a perspective view illustrated in a direction different from the direction in the perspective view illustrated in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state in which the spacer 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the bottom plate 41 and is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the state as viewed from the right side in the X-direction of the spacer 50.

[0096] In FIGS. 12 to 14, for convenience of description, the direction from the inside toward the outside of the bottom plate 41 in the Y-direction is indicated by an "arrow A". The direction from the outside toward the inside of the bottom plate 41 in the Y-direction is indicated by an "arrow B".

[0097] When the spacer 50 is fixed to the bottom plate 41, the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g of the mounting part 52 first interfere with (contact) the upper end in the Z-direction of the long side 41c where the fixing part 60 is provided. Then, when the mounting part 52 is pressed into the fixing part 60 to move to the lower side in the Z-direction in that state, the contact portion 52fa of the first rib 52f comes into contact with the first surface F1. In addition, the contact portion 52ga of the second rib 52g comes into contact with the second surface F2.

[0098] At this time, the arm part 52c is elastically deformed, so that the facing part 52b moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A. The reason that the arm part 52c is easily movable as described above is because the arm part 52c is more easily elastically deformed by the provision of the first gap part 52d.

[0099] At this time, the base part 52a is not completely motionless. Since the second gap part 52e is formed under the base part 52a, the side of the one end 52aa of the base part 52a moves to the side of the facing part 52b and a lower part of the base part 52a continuous from the placement surface 51 moves to the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is housed. The reason that the base part 52a is easily movable is because the base part 52a is more easily elastically deformed by the provision of the second gap part 52e.

[0100] The arm part 52c is pressed and widened in the directions indicated by the arrow A and the arrow B illustrated in FIGS 12 to 14, for example. More specifically, the base part 52a and the facing part 52b are spaced from each other in a direction in which the base part 52a and the facing part 52b are separated from each other. The reason that the arm part 52c is pressed and widened is because the space dimension between the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g is originally smaller than the plate thickness of the long side 41c as described above. This is because the first rib 52f and the second rib 52g in such a positional relation rise on the first surface F1 and the second surface F2 of the long side 41c, respectively.

[0101] In this state, the mounting part 52 is pressed downward in the Z-direction until the arm part 52c of the spacer 50 comes into contact with the hook part 61 from the upper side to the lower side in the Z-direction. At this time, the long side 41c enters between the base part 52a and the facing part 52b.

[0102] For example, in the first rib 52f, the protrusion amount to the side of the first surface F1 is smaller in the lower side in the Z-direction close to the placement surface 51 than in the contact portion 52fa with the first surface F1 on the upper side in the Z-direction as illustrated in FIG. 9. The first rib 52f is inclined such that the protrusion amount gradually increases from the lower side in the Z-direction toward the contact portion 52fa. Therefore, when the mounting part 52 moves from the upper side in the Z-direction to the lower side in the Z-direction, the mounting part 52 can be moved to the lower side in the Z-direction without being caught by the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction.

[0103] The nail part 52h has the tip part 52ha protruding to the front side in the Y-direction relative to the second rib 52g and is formed in a substantially triangular shape as viewed in the X-direction as illustrated in FIG. 9. When the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the inclined surface connecting the tip part 52ha and the lower end of the nail part 52h to each other touches the long side 41c of the fixing part 60. Thus, the mounting part 52 can be smoothly moved to the lower side in the Z-direction without the nail part 52h being caught by the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction.

[0104] The first rib 52f has the substantially triangular shape as described above and the protrusion amount is small in a portion where the mounting part 52 enters earlier when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. The protrusion amount is larger in a portion where the mounting part 52 enters later than in the portion where the mounting part 52 enters earlier, and the protrusion amount gradually increases between the portions due to the inclination. The second rib 52g has the substantially rectangular shape as described above, and the end surface facing the fixing part 60 comes into contact with the second surface F2. Therefore, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the mounting part 52 is pressed downward by an inclined part under the contact portion 52fa in the first rib 52f, while the end surface of the second rib 52g is along the second surface F2 of the fixing part 60. This allows the mounting part 52 to be smoothly mounted on the fixing part 60.

[0105] The mounting part 52 is pressed into the fixing part 60 until the arm part 52c touches the hook part 61 and the nail part 52h is fitted into the fitting hole 63, so that the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. In this state, the two arm parts 52c, 52c are arranged in the hook parts 61, 61 of the fixing part 60. The convex part 62 formed between the two hook parts 61, 61 is fitted into the first gap part 52d formed between the two arm parts 52c, 52c arranged side by side in the X-direction.

[0106] The nail part 52h of the mounting part 52 protrudes to the front side in the Y-direction (direction indicated by the arrow B) from the facing part 52b as described above. In the mounting of the mounting part 52 on the fixing part 60, when the mounting part 52 is pressed into the fixing part 60, so that the nail part 52h reaches the position of the fitting hole 63, the nail part 52h is inserted into the fitting hole 63 of the fixing part 60 in the direction indicate by the arrow B. FIG. 14 illustrates a state in which the nail part 52h penetrates the fitting hole 63.

[0107] Particularly due to the fact that the protrusion amount of the nail part 52h is larger than the protrusion amount of the second rib 52g, the mounting part 52 moves to the lower side in the Z-direction while the nail part 52h is in contact with the second surface F2, for example, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. Then, when the nail part 52h reaches the portion of the fitting hole 63, the nail part 52h moves in the direction indicated by the arrow B.

[0108] An operator mounting the fitting spacer 50 on the bottom plate 41 feels the resistance associated with the movement while the nail part 52h is in contact with the second surface F2 until then, when the nail part 52h is fitted into the fitting hole 63 until then. When the nail part 52h reaches the portion of the fitting hole 63, the operator does not feel the resistance and can feel that the nail part 52h has been fitted into the fitting hole 63. By getting such a feel that a part is fitted into a place into which the part is expected to be fitted, the operator can understand that the spacer 50 has been properly fitted into the bottom plate 41.

[0109] As illustrated in FIG. 14, when the nail part 52h is fitted into the fitting hole 63, the portion on the upper side in the Z-direction of the nail part 52h protrudes through the fitting hole 63 toward the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the like are housed in the bottom plate 41. Thus, the movement to the upper side in the Z-direction of the spacer 50 is restricted as described above.

[0110] Thus, while the mounting part 52 is moving from the upper side in the Z-direction to the lower side in the Z-direction in the fixing part 60, the nail part 52h is supposed to come into contact with the second surface F2. On the other hand, the second rib 52g does not come into contact with the second surface F2 while the mounting part 52 is moving because the protrusion amount to the side of the second surface F2 is smaller than that of the nail part 52h. The second rib 52g finally comes into contact with the second surface F2 when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60 and the nail part 52h is inserted into the fitting hole 63.

[0111] When the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the base part 52a and the facing part 52b, which are spaced further apart than the space between their original positions by the elastic deformation, tend to return to their original positions. However, the fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41 is held between the base part 52a and the facing part 52b. Thus, the base part 52a and the facing part 52b cannot return to their original positions by the plate thickness of the raised part 41b of the bottom plate 41.

[0112] At this time, a force that causes the base part 52a and the facing part 52b to tend to return to their original positions is applied to the fixing part 60. More specifically, the first ribs 52f, 52f come into contact with the first surface F1 in the fixing part 60, and a force pressing the base part 52a via the first rib 52f in the direction indicated by the arrow A acts. The second rib 52g comes into contact with the second surface F2 in the fixing part 60, and a force pressing the facing part 52b via the second rib 52g in the direction indicated by the arrow B acts. Therefore, the mounting part 52 holds the fixing part 60 therein, and forces are applied in the opposite directions to each other of the direction to the back side in the Y-direction (direction indicated by the arrow A) and the direction to the front side in the Y-direction (direction indicated by the arrow B).

[0113] As described above, the arm part 52c is arranged in the hook part 61 when the spacer 50 is mounted on the fixing part 60 of the bottom plate 41. The hook part 61 is formed to be recessed to the lower side in the Z-direction from the upper end of the long side 41c of the bottom plate 41 as described using FIG. 11. Thus, both ends (one ends denoted by the reference signs 61a, 61a in FIG. 11) in the X-direction of the long side 41c in the hook part 61 are formed to rise to the upper side in the Z-direction. Similarly, the other ends 61b, 61b of the hook part 61 forming the convex part 62 are also formed to rise to the upper side in the Z-direction.

[0114] Therefore, when the arm part 52c is arranged in the hook part 61, the one ends 61a, 61a of the hook part 61 rise toward the upper side in the Z-direction on the outside in the X-direction of the arm part 52c. Thus, the arm part 52c is restricted from moving in the X-direction in the long side 41c on the back side in the Y-direction.

[0115] In the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the convex part 62 formed by the other ends 61b, 61b of the hook part 61 is inserted into the first gap part 52d formed between the two arm parts 52c, 52c. Thus, the arm part 52c is restricted from moving in the X-direction in the long side 41c also by the other ends 61b, 61b of the hook part 61.

[0116] Although the case where the mounting part 52 in this embodiment described above has the two arm parts 52c, 52c is described, one arm part may be acceptable or three or more arm parts may be provided without being limited to the above. When one arm part is provided, the fixing part 60 can be more firmly held by the first rib 52f of the base part 52a and the second rib 52g of the facing part 52b after the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60. This is because, when the mounting part 52 is mounted on the fixing part 60, the arm part is more difficult to be elastically deformed as compared with the case where two arm parts are provided. When three or more arm parts are provided, the arm parts are more easily elastically deformed as compared with the case where two arm parts are provided, making it easy to perform the work of mounting the mounting part 52 on the fixing part 60. When one arm part is provided, the first gap part 52d is not provided, and therefore the convex part 62 of the fixing part 60 described in the embodiment of the present invention is not required. When three or more arm parts are provided, two or more of the first gap parts 52d are provided, and therefore two or more of the convex parts 62 may be provided.

[0117] As described above, the mounting of the mounting part 52 on the fixing part 60 restricts the movement of the spacer 50 in the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction. Thus, the spacer 50 can be prevented from moving toward the inside of the bottom plate 41 as indicated by the large arrows in FIGS. 12 and 13, particularly before the folded part 13a of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is placed on the placement surface 51 of the spacer 50 and in the state in which the spacer 50 is merely attached to the bottom plate 41.

[0118] The restriction of the movement of the spacer 50 to the side of the space where the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is housed in the bottom plate 41 can prevent the spacer 50 from coming out from between the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41, even when the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is placed on the spacer 50. This can avoid the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the bottom plate 41, which are formed of different species of metals, from coming into contact with each other and causing the galvanic corrosion.

[0119] This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and one example of the present invention is given. In the implementation stage, the invention can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without deviating from the gist of the invention. Various alternations or modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments. Various inventions can be formed by combining the plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments as appropriate.

[0120] For example, some constituent elements may be deleted from all of the constituent elements described in the embodiments. Further, constituent elements across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate, and such altered or modified forms can also be included in the present invention. The embodiments and the modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in each claim and equivalents thereof.

[0121] For example, the spacer 50 in the embodiment of the present invention has the deformed hexagon shape but the shape may be any shape insofar as the spacer 50 can perform the functions described above when arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate.

[0122] In the spacer in the embodiment of the present invention, the mounting part is formed in the first side of the spacer to be fixed to the long side on the back side in the Y-direction of the bottom plate. However, the position of the mounting part is not limited to such a position, and, for example, the mounting part may be formed in the second side of the spacer and mounted on the fixing part formed in the short side of the left side in the X-direction of the bottom plate.

[0123] Although the position of the mounting part in the spacer may be provided in either the first side or the second side, the mounting part to be provided is one place in the spacer. This is because, for example, the mounting parts are provided in two places of the first side and the second side, making it difficult to permit variations in processing of the spacer or the bottom plate.

[0124] More specifically, when the mounting parts are provided in a plurality of places of the spacer, a possibility that the mounting parts cannot be mounted on the fixing part is supposed. Alternatively, when the mounting parts are forcibly mounted, a possibility that a localized force is applied to the spacer, for example, and the spacer is broken during the transportation of the outdoor unit, for example, is also supposed.

[0125] The description above describes an example in which the galvanic corrosion occurs taking the case where the bottom plate 41 is formed of iron and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy as an example. The description above applies to the case where the metal constituting the bottom plate 41 and the metal constituting the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are different from each other, which results in a combination that may cause the galvanic corrosion.

[0126] For the technology described in the embodiments of the present invention, the following configurations can also be adopted. (1) An outdoor unit including: a heat exchanger formed of metal; a bottom plate formed of metal different from the metal of the heat exchanger; and a spacer arranged between the heat exchanger and the bottom plate and formed of an insulating material, in which the bottom plate has a fixing part to which the spacer is fixed, the spacer has a mounting part configured to clamp the fixing part, and when the spacer is arranged on the bottom plate, the mounting part is mounted on the fixing part, restricting the movement of the spacer to the side of space where the heat exchanger is housed in the bottom plate. (2) The outdoor unit according to (1) above, in which the bottom plate has a first surface facing the space and a second surface on the side opposite to the first surface, and the mounting part is mounted with the first surface and the second surface in the fixing part held therein. (3) The outdoor unit according to (2) above, in which the mounting part has a shape of holding the fixing part therein from both surfaces of the first surface and the second surface to cover the fixing part. (4) The outdoor unit according to (2) or (3) above, in which the mounting part includes: a base part formed along the first surface in the fixing part; a facing part arranged at a position facing the base part and formed along the second surface in the fixing part; and an arm part configured to connect one end of the base part and one end of the facing part to each other. (5) The outdoor unit according to (4) above, in which the arm part includes at least two arm parts, and a first gap part is provided between the two arm parts. (6) The outdoor unit according to (4) or (5) above, having a second gap part under the base part. (7) The outdoor unit according to any one of (4) to (6) above, in which the mounting part includes: a first rib formed in a convex shape from the base part toward the first surface in the fixing part outside the arm part; and a second rib formed in a convex shape from the facing part toward the second surface in the fixing part at one end of the facing part. (8) The outdoor unit according to (7) above, in which the space dimension in the direction in which the first rib and the second rib face each other is smaller than the thickness dimension of the fixing part. (9) The outdoor unit according to (7) above, in which, when the mounting part is mounted on the fixing part, the position of a contact portion in the first rib in contact with the first surface of the bottom plate and the position of a contact portion in the second rib in contact with the second surface of the bottom plate are identical to each other in a direction orthogonal to the first surface and the second surface. (10) The outdoor unit according to any one of (1) to (9) above, in which the bottom plate has a raised part formed in a peripheral part of the bottom plate, and the fixing part is provided in the raised part. (11) The outdoor unit according to any one of (6) to (10) above, in which the fixing part has a hook part, and, when the spacer is mounted on the fixing part, the arm part is arranged in the hook part. (12) The outdoor unit according to (11) above, in which the hook part is formed according to the number of the arm parts of the spacer, and the fixing part includes a convex part formed between a plurality of the hook parts and inserted into a first gap part of the spacer. (13) The outdoor unit according to any one of (7) to (12), in which a nail part is formed under the second rib, the nail part having a protrusion dimension larger than the protrusion dimension of the second rib from the facing part toward the base part, and the fixing part is formed with a fitting hole into which the nail part is fitted. (14) An air conditioner including: the outdoor unit according to any one of (1) to (13) above; and an indoor unit installed indoor and constituting a refrigeration circuit between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. Reference Signs List

[0127] 1: air conditioner 2: refrigerant piping 3: refrigerant piping 5: indoor unit 6: casing 7: indoor heat exchanger 9: fan 11: outdoor unit 12: compressor 13: outdoor heat exchanger 14: outdoor unit-side expansion valve 15: four-way valve 16: outdoor fan 17: liquid-side refrigerant piping 18: gas-side refrigerant piping 19: accumulator 20: heat exchange part 21: first heat exchange part 22: second heat exchange part 23: liquid-side header 24: gas-side header 25: return header 40: top plate 41: bottom plate 41a: bottom surface 41b: raised part 41c: long side on back side in Y-direction 41d: short side on left side in X-direction 41e: corner part 42: front plate 43: back plate 44: left-side plate 45: right-side plate 46: outlet 47: fan guard 50: spacer 51: placement surface 52: mounting part 52a: base part 52aa: one end part of base part 52b: facing part 52ba: one end part of facing part 52c: arm part 52d: first gap part 52e: second gap part 52f: first rib 52g: second rib 52h: nail part 60: fixing part 61: hook part 62: convex part 63: fitting hole A: direction B: direction F1: first surface F2: second surface

Claims

1. An outdoor unit comprising: a heat exchanger formed of metal; a bottom plate formed of metal different from the metal of the heat exchanger; and a spacer arranged between the heat exchanger and the bottom plate and formed of an insulating material, wherein the bottom plate has a fixing part to which the spacer is fixed, the spacer has a mounting part configured to clamp the fixing part, and when the spacer is arranged on the bottom plate, the mounting part is mounted on the fixing part, restricting the movement of the spacer to a side of space where the heat exchanger is housed in the bottom plate.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate has a first surface facing the space and a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface, and the mounting part is mounted with the first surface and the second surface in the fixing part held in the mounting part.

3. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein the mounting part has a shape of holding the fixing part in the mounting part from both surfaces of the first surface and the second surface to cover the fixing part.

4. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the mounting part includes: a base part formed along a first surface in the fixing part; a facing part arranged at a position facing the base part and formed along a second surface in the fixing part; and an arm part configured to connect one end of the base part and one end of the facing part to each other.

5. The outdoor unit according to claim 4, wherein the arm part includes at least two arm parts, and a first gap part is provided between the two arm parts.

6. The outdoor unit according to claim 4, wherein a second gap part is provided under the base part.

7. The outdoor unit according to claim 4, wherein the mounting part includes: a first rib formed in a convex shape from the base part toward the first surface in the fixing part outside the arm part; and a second rib formed in a convex shape from the facing part toward the second surface in the fixing part at one end of the facing part.

8. The outdoor unit according to claim 7, wherein a space dimension in a direction in which the first rib and the second rib face each other is smaller than a thickness dimension of the fixing part.

9. The outdoor unit according to claim 7, wherein, when the mounting part is mounted on the fixing part, a position of a contact portion in the first rib in contact with the first surface of the bottom plate and a position of a contact portion in the second rib in contact with the second surface of the bottom plate are identical to each other in a direction orthogonal to the first surface and the second surface.

10. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate has a raised part formed in a peripheral part of the bottom plate, and the fixing part is provided in the raised part.

11. The outdoor unit according to claim 10, wherein the fixing part has a hook part, and when the spacer is mounted on the fixing part, an arm part is arranged in the hook part.

12. The outdoor unit according to claim 11, wherein the hook part is formed according to a number of the arm parts of the spacer, and the fixing part includes a convex part formed between a plurality of the hook parts and inserted into a first gap part of the spacer.

13. The outdoor unit according to claim 7, wherein a nail part is formed under the second rib, the nail part having a protrusion dimension larger than a protrusion dimension of the second rib from the facing part toward the base part, and the fixing part is formed with a fitting hole into which the nail part is fitted.

14. An air conditioner comprising: the outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13; and an indoor unit installed indoor and constituting a refrigeration circuit between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.

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