Air conditioner

Abstract

An air conditioner of an embodiment includes: an outdoor unit including an outdoor expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, and a compressor; a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve that adjusts an amount of refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger; a refrigerant pipe that connects the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units; a shutoff valve unit that is provided on the refrigerant pipe and incorporates one or more shutoff mechanisms capable of shutting off a flow of refrigerant flowing between the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units; and an emergency power supply device that is arranged in an electric component box made of sheet metal and shuts off the shutoff mechanisms during a power outage, and the electric component box is arranged in the shutoff valve unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an air conditioner including an emergency power supply device that shuts off refrigerant pipes using a shutoff valve unit when a power outage occurs.Background Art

[0002] In an air conditioner, when leakage of refrigerant is detected, a shutoff valve unit shuts off refrigerant pipes to prevent the leakage from increasing. For safety reasons when a power outage occurs, an emergency power supply device is provided to supply power to a shutoff valve unit. The emergency power supply device functions as a backup power supply in an emergency by storing power in a power storage component such as a capacitor and a secondary battery provided on a board.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0003] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2021-46981 Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2021-76368 Patent Literature 3: International Publication No. WO 2021 / 54199 Summary of InventionTechnical Problem

[0004] When there are a large number of refrigerant pipes that need to be shut off during a power outage, a large-capacitance power storage component is required, but when the large-capacitance power storage component fails, damage may be significant.

[0005] Therefore, an air conditioner is provided that can prevent an increase in damage when the power storage component provided in the emergency power supply device fails.Solution to Problem

[0006] An air conditioner of an embodiment includes: an outdoor unit including an outdoor expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, and a compressor; a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve that adjusts an amount of refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger; a refrigerant pipe that connects the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units; a shutoff valve unit that is provided on the refrigerant pipe and incorporates one or more shutoff mechanisms capable of shutting off a flow of refrigerant flowing between the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units; and an emergency power supply device that is arranged in an electric component box made of sheet metal and shuts off the shutoff mechanisms during a power outage, and the electric component box is arranged in the shutoff valve unit.Brief Description of Drawings

[0007] [Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are connected through a cooling / heating switching unit of a shutoff valve device without showing a part of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of the air conditioner. [Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a behavior of a shutoff valve unit during a normal time. [Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a behavior of the shutoff valve unit during a power outage. [Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a system behavior of the air conditioner when a power outage occurs. [Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a control valve housing portion and a cooling / heating switching unit. [Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the shutoff valve unit. [Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing an appearance of the shutoff valve unit. [Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a front view showing an inside of the shutoff valve unit from which a lid is removed. [Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an appearance of the emergency power supply device. [Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the emergency power supply device. [Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are connected through a shutoff valve unit without showing a part of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment. [Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a control valve housing portion and a shutoff valve unit. Description of Embodiments(First Embodiment)

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. An air conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 2 is a multi-type air conditioner including a plurality of indoor units for one outdoor unit and is capable of performing a full heating operation, a full cooling operation, and a simultaneous heating and cooling operation. The full heating operation is an operation mode in which all indoor units perform a heating operation. The full cooling operation is an operation mode in which all indoor units perform a cooling operation. The simultaneous heating and cooling operation are an operation mode in which indoor units performing a cooling operation and indoor units performing a heating operation are present in a mixed manner. In the following description, the full heating operation, the full cooling operation, and the simultaneous heating and cooling operation will be collectively referred to as an air-conditioning operation in some cases.

[0009] The air conditioner 1 is configured to be capable of operating a plurality of indoor units 201, 202, 203, and 204 with one outdoor unit 10. The air conditioner 1 includes, for example, the one outdoor unit 10, the plurality of indoor units 201 to 204, and a multi-port shutoff valve unit 40, and these components configure one refrigeration cycle capable of circulating a refrigerant. The outdoor unit 10 and the multi-port shutoff valve unit 40 are connected to each other through a liquid-side refrigerant pipe L, a gas-side refrigerant pipe GD, and a gas-side refrigerant pipe GS. The multi-port shutoff valve unit 40 and each of the indoor units 201 to 204 are connected to each other through a plurality of liquid-side refrigerant pipes L1 to L4 and a plurality of gas-side refrigerant pipes G1 to G4. Here, the gas-side refrigerant pipe GD corresponds to a discharge gas pipe through which a high-pressure gas refrigerant mainly flows, and the gas-side refrigerant pipe GS corresponds to a suction gas pipe through which a low-pressure gas refrigerant flows. Hereinafter, the high-pressure gas refrigerant and the low-pressure gas refrigerant are also simply referred to as a "high-pressure gas" and a "low-pressure gas", respectively.

[0010] In the present embodiment, the multi-port means that the shutoff valve unit has a configuration having a plurality of port pairs for connecting the indoor units. In the following description, the multi-port shutoff valve unit 40 may be simply referred to as a shutoff valve unit 40. An example will be described in which the shutoff valve unit 40 includes four port pairs and is capable of connecting four indoor units.

[0011] The outdoor unit 10 is installed outdoors. The outdoor unit 10 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 11, an outdoor fan 12, an outdoor expansion valve 13, a compressor 14, a first switching valve 15, and a second switching valve 16. The outdoor heat exchanger 11 has a function of exchanging heat between the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and outside air. The outdoor fan 12 has a function of blowing air to the outdoor heat exchanger 11 to promote heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger 11. A mildly flammable or a flammable refrigerant is used as a refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. In the present embodiment, mildly flammable R32, for example, is used as a refrigerant.

[0012] The outdoor expansion valve 13 is connected to a liquid-side refrigerant pipe L directed from the outdoor unit 10 toward the indoor units 201 to 204. The outdoor expansion valve 13 has a function of adjusting a flow passage width of the refrigerant passing through the inside of the outdoor expansion valve 13 to depressurize the refrigerant, thereby adjusting a flow rate and pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 11 or the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 11. The outdoor expansion valve 13 can be configured by an electronic expansion valve that is driven by receiving an electric signal from a micro control unit (MCU, not shown) provided in a control unit of the outdoor unit 10, for example.

[0013] The first switching valve 15 and the second switching valve 16 have a function of switching a flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, that is, a direction in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 14 flows. The first switching valve 15 and the second switching valve 16 are configured by a four-way valve that is driven by receiving an electric signal, for example, but a plurality of valves other than the four-way valve may be combined as long as the same flow of the refrigerant can be formed.

[0014] The compressor 14 compresses and discharges the refrigerant flowing in the refrigeration cycle. Depending on a switching state of the first switching valve 15 and the second switching valve 16, the compressor 14 sucks the refrigerant on the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and discharges the sucked refrigerant toward the shutoff valve unit 40, or sucks the refrigerant on the shutoff valve unit 40 and discharges the sucked refrigerant toward the outdoor heat exchanger 11.

[0015] Each of the indoor units 201 to 204 is installed in a room that is subjected to the air-conditioning operation. Each of the indoor units 201 to 204 includes an indoor heat exchanger 21, an indoor fan 22, an indoor expansion valve 23, and a leakage detection sensor 24. Although each of the indoor units 201 to 204 can basically have the same configuration, performance and the like of the indoor heat exchanger 21, the indoor expansion valve 23, the indoor fan 22, and the leakage detection sensor 24 can be changed as appropriate depending on the volume of an installation space.

[0016] The indoor heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat between the refrigerant passing through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger 21 and air in the room in which each of the indoor units 201 to 204 is installed. The indoor heat exchanger 21 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the compressor 14, and is configured to allow the refrigerant to circulate among the outdoor heat exchanger 11, the indoor heat exchanger 21, and the compressor 14. The indoor fan 22 has a function of blowing air to the indoor heat exchanger 21 to promote heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 21 and supplying air adjusted in temperature by the indoor heat exchanger 21 into the room.

[0017] The indoor expansion valve 23 has a function of adjusting the flow passage width of the refrigerant passing through the indoor expansion valve 23 to control the amount of refrigerant flow. The indoor expansion valve 23 can be configured by, for example, an electronic expansion valve that is driven by receiving an electric signal from the MCU provided in an indoor control unit of each of the indoor units 201 to 204, similarly to the outdoor expansion valve 13.

[0018] Each of the indoor units 201 to 204 includes the indoor control unit (not shown). The shutoff valve unit 40 also includes a control unit configured with an MCU, which is not shown in detail in the drawing. The outdoor control unit of the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor control unit of each of the indoor units 201 to 204, and the control unit (not shown) of the shutoff valve unit 40 are mutually connected with communication lines, and exchange various types of information.

[0019] The leakage detection sensor 24 has a function of detecting leakage of the refrigerant in each of the indoor units 201 to 204. The leakage detection sensor 24 may be incorporated in each of the indoor units 201 to 204 or may be installed independently as a leakage detection sensor unit in an indoor space of each room in which each of the indoor units 201 to 204 is installed. In the case of the present embodiment, each of the indoor units 201 to 204 is provided with the leakage detection sensor 24. The leakage detection sensor 24 can be configured by a semiconductor gas sensor, for example. The leakage detection sensor 24 has performance capable of detecting the refrigerant, for example, R32 sealed in the refrigeration cycle. The leakage detection sensor 24 outputs an electric signal, which changes linearly according to the concentration of the refrigerant, for example, for the refrigerant of approximately 300 to 30,000 ppm in the air, and when the detected concentration exceeds a predetermined value, notifies the corresponding indoor units 201 to 204 and the outdoor unit 10 that refrigerant leakage has occurred.

[0020] The shutoff valve unit 40 is provided between the outdoor unit 10 and the respective indoor units 201 to 204. In other words, the outdoor unit 10 and the respective indoor units 201 to 204 are connected via the shutoff valve unit 40. The shutoff valve unit 40 includes four cooling / heating switching units 41 to 44 corresponding to the plurality of indoor units 201 to 204, and a multi-port liquid-side control valve 45. In the following description, the multi-port liquid-side control valve 45 may be simply referred to as a control valve 45.

[0021] The cooling / heating switching units 41 to 44 include multi-port gas control valves 411 and 412, 421 and 422, 431 and 432, and 441 and 442, respectively. Hereinafter, the multi-port gas control valves are also simply referred to as "control valves". The control valves 411 and 412, 421 and 422, 431 and 432, and 441 and 442 are provided on paths of gas-side refrigerant pipes 531 and 532, 541 and 542, 551 and 552, and 561 and 562, respectively, and have a function of controlling the flow of the gaseous refrigerant.

[0022] The gas-side refrigerant pipes 531 and 532, 541 and 542, 551 and 552, and 561 and 562 are part of refrigerant flow passages that connect the indoor heat exchangers 21 of each of the indoor units 201 to 204 and the compressor 14, and allow the gaseous refrigerant to pass. The gas-side refrigerant pipes 531 and 532, 541 and 542, 551 and 552, and 561 and 562 join with the gas-side refrigerant pipes 530, 540, 550, and 560, respectively, and then connected to the indoor heat exchangers 21 of each of the indoor units 201 to 204 through gas-side refrigerant pipes G1, G2, G3, and G4. In this case, the liquid-side refrigerant pipes 571 to 574 and the gas-side refrigerant pipes G1 to G4 connected to the indoor units 201 to 204, respectively, form refrigerant flow passages to which the indoor units 201 to 204 are connected, respectively.

[0023] The control valves 411 and 412, 421 and 422, 431 and 432, and 441 and 442 can be configured as so-called electronically controlled valves that are driven by receiving an electric signal, for example, and can adjust their openings, that is, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the corresponding gas-side refrigerant pipes 531 and 532, 541 and 542, 551 and 552, and 561 and 562, based on electrical signal input from the control unit of the shutoff valve unit 40.

[0024] In each of the cooling / heating switching units 41 to 44, one of the two of control valves 411 and 412, 421 and 422, 431 and 432, and 441 and 442 is adaptable for both high-pressure gas and low-pressure gas, the other is adapted for only low-pressure gas. In the present embodiment, for example, the control valves 411, 421, 431, and 441 are adapted for both high-pressure gas and low-pressure gas, and the control valves 412, 422, 432, and 442 are adapted for only low-pressure gas. The air conditioner 1 can shut off the refrigerant flowing between the indoor heat exchanger 21 of each of the indoor units 201 to 204 and the compressor 14, that is, the refrigerant flowing in the gas-side refrigerant pipes 531 and 532, 541 and 542, 551 and 552, and 561 and 562 by closing the control valves 411, 412, 421, 422, 431, 432, and 442 of each of the cooling / heating switching units 41 to 44.

[0025] The control valve 45 is provided on the way of the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 57 that connects the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the indoor heat exchanger 21 of each of the indoor units 201 to 204, and has a function of controlling the flow of the liquid refrigerant. The liquid-side refrigerant pipe 57 is a refrigerant flow passage that connects the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the indoor heat exchanger 21 of each of the indoor units 201 to 204 and allows the liquid refrigerant to flow. The liquid-side refrigerant pipe 57 branches into the liquid-side refrigerant pipes 571 to 574 on sides closer to the respective indoor units 201 to 204 relative to the control valve 45, and each of these pipes is connected to one end of the indoor heat exchanger 21 of each of the indoor units 201 to 204 via the liquid-side refrigerant pipes L1, L2, L3, and L4.

[0026] The control valve 45 can be configured as, for example, an electronically controlled valve that is driven by receiving an electric signal, and can adjust its opening, that is, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 51, based on electrical control from the control unit of the shutoff valve unit 40, and has a function of completely shutting off the flow of the refrigerant in the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 57.

[0027] One of the plurality of cooling / heating switching units 41 to 44 includes a pressure relief valve 413. In the case of the present embodiment, the cooling / heating switching unit 41 includes the pressure relief valve 413. The pressure relief valve 413 connects the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 571 and the gas-side refrigerant pipe 530. When the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 571 becomes a liquid sealed state and becomes excessively high pressure, the pressure relief valve 413 has a function of releasing a part of the pressure to the gas-side refrigerant pipe 530.

[0028] For ease of description, Fig. 1 does not show a part of the air conditioner 1 and shows a state in which the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 21 are connected to each other via the shutoff valve unit 40. Furthermore, Fig. 1 shows a state in which a single-port shutoff valve unit having only one port pair for connecting the indoor unit is connected, rather than a multi-port shutoff valve unit. Hereinafter, a description will be given of a single-port shutoff valve unit 40 including the cooling / heating switching unit 41 in Fig. 1. The shutoff valve unit 40 includes a shutoff valve control board 61, which is indicated by "PCB" in the drawing, for driving and controlling each of the control valves 45, 411, and 412. The shutoff valve unit 40 also includes an emergency power supply device 62 that supplies driving power to the control board 61 to shut off each of the control valves 45, 411, and 412 when a power outage occurs in a commercial AC power supply. The control valves 45, 411, and 412 correspond to a shutoff mechanism.

[0029] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the shutoff valve control board 61 is mounted with an AC / DC switching power supply 63 and a valve drive circuit 64. The AC / DC switching power supply 63 generates DC power of 12 V from a commercial AC power supply 65 and supplies it to the valve drive circuit 64. The emergency power supply device 62 includes, for example, a secondary battery 66, such as a lithium ion battery, and a power supply device board 67 corresponding to a power supply control board. The power supply device board 67 is mounted with a charging circuit 68 and a changeover switch circuit 69. The charging circuit 68 is supplied with the DC power of 12 V from the AC / DC switching power supply 63 of the shutoff valve control board 61. The charging circuit 68 charges the secondary battery 66 during a normal state in which the commercial AC power supply 65 is sound. The secondary battery 66 is charged with a voltage stepped down by the charging circuit 68 such that a terminal voltage thereof becomes 7.2 V, for example.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, when a power outage occurs in the commercial AC power supply 65 and DC power is no longer supplied from the AC / DC switching power supply 63, the changeover switch circuit 69 transitions from an OFF state to an ON state, steps up the voltage of the DC power, which is supplied from the secondary battery 66, to 12 V, and supplies it to the valve drive circuit 64 of the shutoff valve control board 61.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 5, when the air conditioner 1 is powered on, the MCU of each of the devices is initialized (S1). When no power outage occurs in the commercial AC power supply 65 (S2; No), the air conditioner 1 enters the normal state shown in Fig. 3 and continues to operate. When a power outage occurs (S2; Yes), the system of the air conditioner 1 stops (S3) and enters the state shown in Fig. 4. In other words, the changeover switch circuit 69 transitions to an ON state (S4), and the valve drive circuit 64 of the shutoff valve control board 61 drives and closes each of the control valves 45, 411, and 412 with the power supplied from the emergency power supply device 62 (S5). When the valves are closed, the changeover switch circuit 69 transitions to an OFF state (S6), and the process ends.

[0032] In addition, when a power outage occurs in the commercial AC power supply 65, standby processing is performed until the commercial AC power supply 65 is restored (S7), and if being restored (Yes), the system of the air conditioner 1 returns to the state before the power outage. In other words, the process proceeds to step S1.

[0033] The configuration of the shutoff valve unit 40, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described below. The shutoff valve unit 40 described herein is not the multi-port shutoff valve unit shown in Fig. 2, but the single-port shutoff valve unit shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 10, the secondary battery 66 and the power supply device board 67 of the emergency power supply device 62 are fixed to a substantially rectangular base 70, which is made of, for example, a galvanized steel sheet metal, with screws. The secondary battery 66 is fixed to the base 70 through a battery fixing member 60. One end of a power supply line 71 is fixed to the power supply device board 67 to deliver power from the secondary battery 66 to the shutoff valve control board 61, and the other end thereof is connected to a connector 72. A casing 73 having a box shape is attached to the base 70 from above, the casing 73 being made of the same sheet metal as the base 70 and being open at a bottom side in the drawing.

[0034] A through hole 74 is formed on one side of the casing 73. When the casing 73 is attached to the base 70, the power supply line 71 passes through the through hole 74, and the other end thereof is led out to the outside, as shown in Fig. 11. Thus, the emergency power supply device 62 is housed inside an electric component box 75 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0035] As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the shutoff valve control board 61 and the emergency power supply device 62 are also made of the same sheet metal, and are fixed to a casing 76, which has a shallow box shape and is open at a front side and a top side as shown in Fig. 8, with screws. A lid 77 made of the same sheet metal is attached to the front side of the casing 76 to become a state shown in Fig. 7.

[0036] An electric component box 78 shown in Fig. 7 is open at a top side, but the electric component box 78 is attached to a side of a control valve housing portion 79 which is similarly open at a top side and houses the control valve 45, 411, and 412 therein, as shown in Fig. 6. Then, as shown in Fig. 6, a lid 80 made of the same sheet metal is attached to the top side, thereby closing the top openings of the electric component box 78 and the control valve housing portion 79. Pipe connection portions 82 to 84 connected to the connection pipes L, G1, and G2 extending from the outdoor unit 10 are led out from the control valve housing portion 79 to the outside. The pipe connection portion 82 is connected to the gas-side refrigerant pipe GD (discharge gas pipe). The pipe connection portion 83 is connected to the liquid-side refrigerant pipe L. The pipe connection portion 84 is connected to the gas-side refrigerant pipe GS (suction gas pipe). From an opposite side of the pipe connection portions 82 to 84 of the control valve housing portion 79, pipe connection portions 85 and 86 are led out to the outside to which the liquid-side refrigerant pipes L1 to L4 and the gas-side refrigerant pipes G1 to G4 extending from the indoor units 201 to 204 are connected.

[0037] According to the present embodiment as described above, the air conditioner 1 includes: the outdoor unit 10 including the outdoor expansion valve 13, the outdoor heat exchanger 11, the first switching valve 15 and the second switching valve 16, and the compressor 14; the plurality of indoor units 201 to 204 each including an indoor expansion valve 23 that adjusts the amount of refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 21; the refrigerant pipes L, GD, GS, L1, G1, 57, 571, and 530 to 532 that connect the outdoor unit 10 and each of the indoor units 201 to 204; the shutoff valve unit 40 that is provided on these refrigerant pipes and incorporates the control valves 45, 411, and 412 capable of shutting off the flow of the refrigerant flowing between the outdoor unit 10 and each of the indoor units 201 to 204; and the emergency power supply device 62 that is arranged in the electric component box 78 made of the sheet metal and shuts off by the control valves 45, 411, and 412 during the power outage. Then, the electric component box 75 is arranged in the shutoff valve unit 40.

[0038] The outdoor unit 10 is capable of performing the cooling operation and the heating operation in parallel for each of the indoor units 201 to 204, and the shutoff valve unit 40 is capable of controlling a flow of refrigerant in a discharge gas pipe GD and a suction gas pipe GS for each of the indoor units 201 to 204. With such a configuration, when the secondary battery 66 provided in the emergency power supply device 62 explodes or takes fire due to a malfunction or the like, damage to the surroundings other than the emergency power supply device 62 can be prevented. Moreover, even when a fire breaks out outside the emergency power supply device 62, the emergency power supply device 62 can be prevented from being affected.

[0039] In addition, the emergency power supply device 62 includes a power supply device board 67 that controls charging and discharging of the secondary battery 66, and the secondary battery 66 and the power supply device board 67 are arranged inside the electric component box 78 in a state of being covered by the sheet metal of the electric component box 75 constituting the housing of the emergency power supply device 62. Thus, the secondary battery 66 is doubly covered by the electric component boxes 75 and 78, and thus influences to and from the outside can be more reliably prevented.

[0040] Furthermore, the emergency power supply device 62 is connected to the shutoff valve control board 61, which constitutes the shutoff valve unit 40, through the power supply line 71, charges the secondary battery 66 during the normal time to hold the power to cause the control valves 45, 411, and 412 to shut off during the power outage, and autonomously controls to recharge the secondary battery 66 during restoration from the power outage to the normal time. This makes it possible to control charging and discharging of the secondary battery 66 without receiving control from the outside.(Second Embodiment)

[0041] Hereinafter, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described, and different components will be described. As shown in Fig. 12, an air conditioner 90 of a second embodiment is configured in which an outdoor unit 10 is connected to a single indoor unit 201 through a shutoff valve unit 91. The shutoff valve unit 91 includes a control valve 45 and a control valve 93 arranged in a refrigerant pipe 92 connected to the outdoor unit 10. Fig. 13 is a perspective view equivalent to Fig. 6 showing the mechanical appearance of the shutoff valve unit 91. An electric component box 95 housing an emergency power supply device 62 is arranged on a side of a control valve housing portion 94, a lid 96 replacing the lid 80 is attached to close a top opening. Pipe connection portions 97 and 98 connected to refrigerant pipes L and G are led out from the control valve housing portion 94 to the outside.(Other Embodiments)

[0042] The number of control valves provided in the shutoff valve unit may be four or more.

[0043] The number of indoor units is not limited to one or four.

[0044] The secondary battery is not limited to a lithium-ion battery.

[0045] Furthermore, the power storage component is not limited to the secondary battery, and may also use a large-capacitance capacitor or the like.

[0046] The material of the sheet metal is not limited to the galvanized steel sheet.

[0047] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments have been presented as examples and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are involved in the scope and spirit of the invention and involved in the invention recited in the claims and an equivalent range thereof.Reference Signs List

[0048] 1 air conditioner 10 outdoor unit 11 outdoor heat exchanger 13 outdoor expansion valve 14 compressor 15 first switching valve 16 second switching valve 21 indoor heat exchanger 23 indoor expansion valve 201 to 204 indoor unit 40 shutoff valve unit 41 to 44 cooling / heating switching unit 45, 411, and 412 control valve G, GD, GS, G1 to G4, L, L1 to L4, 530 to 532, 540 to 542, 550 to 552, 560 to 565, 57, and 571 to 574 refrigerant pipe 61 shutoff valve control board 62 emergency power supply device 66 secondary battery 67 power supply device board 75 and 78 electric component box 91 shutoff valve unit 95 electric component box

Claims

1. An air conditioner comprising: an outdoor unit including an outdoor expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, and a compressor; a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve that adjusts an amount of refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger; a refrigerant pipe that connects the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units; a shutoff valve unit that is provided on the refrigerant pipe and incorporates one or more shutoff mechanisms capable of shutting off a flow of refrigerant flowing between the outdoor unit and each of the indoor units; and an emergency power supply device that is arranged in an electric component box made of sheet metal and shuts off the shutoff mechanisms during a power outage, wherein the electric component box is arranged in the shutoff valve unit.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the outdoor unit is capable of performing a cooling operation and a heating operation in parallel for each of the indoor units, and the shutoff valve unit is configured to be capable of controlling a flow of refrigerant in a discharge gas pipe and a suction gas pipe for each of the indoor units.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the emergency power supply device includes a secondary battery and a power supply control board that controls charging and discharging of the secondary battery, and the secondary battery and the power supply control board are arranged inside the electric component box in a state of being covered by sheet metal constituting a housing of the emergency power supply device.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the emergency power supply device is connected to a unit control board, which constitutes the shutoff valve unit, through a power supply line, and the emergency power supply device charges the secondary battery during a normal time to store power to cause the shutoff mechanism to shut off during the power outage, and autonomously controls to recharge the secondary battery to recharge during restoration from the power outage to the normal time.

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