Outdoor machine

Abstract

To provide an outdoor machine comprising an electric component box capable of restraining attachment of dust, lint, etc. to electronic components.SOLUTION: An outdoor machine comprises an air blowing chamber, a machine chamber, and an electric component box. The electric component box comprises an air intake port formed in a lower surface of the electric component box, and a discharge port formed in one side surface of the electric component box. Electronic components are arranged on a front surface and a back surface of a board. At least one of the electronic components arranged on the back surface of the board is provided with a heat sink. The air intake port is provided in front of a rear surface of the board.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for an outdoor unit that includes an outdoor unit housing, a machine room, a blower, and an electrical box, in which the electrical box draws in air from outside the electrical box through an air inlet provided on the underside of the electrical box and expels air from inside the electrical box through an air outlet provided on the side of the electrical box, thereby forming an airflow path inside the electrical box and cooling circuit boards inside the electrical box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 166237 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides an outdoor unit equipped with an electrical box that can suppress adhesion of dust, lint, and the like to electronic components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The outdoor unit of the present disclosure is an outdoor unit having an air blower chamber, a machine chamber, and an electrical box, wherein the electrical box has an air intake port formed on the underside of the electrical box and an exhaust port formed on one side surface of the electrical box, electronic components are arranged on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board, at least one of the electronic components arranged on the back surface of the circuit board is provided with a heat sink, and the air intake port is arranged forward of the rear surface of the circuit board. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In the outdoor unit according to the present disclosure, the inlet is formed only on the front side of the circuit board when viewed from above, which prevents dust, lint, and the like from adhering to electronic components arranged on the rear side of the circuit board. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit with a front cover removed according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit according to a first embodiment, with some components removed; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical box according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5] 1 is a top view of an electrical box according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a front view of an electrical box according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottom surface of an electrical box according to a first embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bottom surface of an electrical box according to another embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bottom surface of an electrical box according to another embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors came up with the idea for the present disclosure, there was a technology in which an electrical box was provided with an air intake and an air exhaust, and an air current was generated by drawing in air with a fan, and the circuit board and electronic components were cooled by contact with the air current. However, the inventors discovered a problem with the conventional technology in that dust and lint sucked in through the air intake could become entangled with the electronic components inside the electrical box, which could cause a short circuit. In order to solve this problem, the inventors came up with the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an outdoor unit equipped with an electrical box that can suppress adhesion of dust, lint, and the like to electronic components inside the electrical box.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, in some cases, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) [1-1.Configuration] [1-1-1.Outdoor unit configuration] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, arrows indicate directions in the installed state of the outdoor unit 10. The symbol UP indicates upward, the symbol FR indicates forward, and the symbol R indicates rightward. In the description, directions such as front, back, left, right, and up and down are based on the outdoor unit 10 in FIG. 1 unless otherwise specified.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outdoor unit 10 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the outdoor unit 10 with the front cover 30 removed. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the outdoor unit 10 with the cover 30, the frame 20, and some of the electrical components 40 removed. The outdoor unit 10 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 11. The housing 11 includes a base 12 that forms the base of the housing 11, a frame 20 that surrounds the housing 11, a cover 30 that covers the side surfaces of the housing 11, and electrical components 40 that are arranged inside the housing 11.

[0012] The base portion 12 includes base portions 13 each having a rectangular pillar shape and provided at the four corners of the lower end of the housing 11, and base connection portions 14 connecting adjacent base portions 13 to each other.

[0013] The frame 20 of the housing 11 is composed of four main frames 21 extending vertically from the top of the base connection portion 14, and sub-frames 22 connecting adjacent main frames 21. The sub-frames 22 are composed of a lower frame 23 provided at the bottom end, a middle frame 24 provided in the middle, and an upper frame 25 provided above the middle frame 24. The lower frame 23, the middle frame 24, and the upper frame 25 are all arranged substantially parallel to one another.

[0014] Covers 30 are attached to the front, right side, and rear of the housing 11. A top plate 15 is provided on the upper end of the main frame 21. The top plate 15 is formed in a lattice shape. A bottom plate 16 is disposed on the lower frame 23.

[0015] In this embodiment, the housing 11 includes an air blower chamber 50 located above the upper frame 25, using the sub-frame 22 as a guide, and a machine chamber 60 located between the upper frame 25 and the lower frame 23.

[0016] A heat exchanger (not shown) is disposed in the machine chamber 60. A blower fan 51 is disposed in the blower chamber 50 with the air blowing direction facing upward. The blower fan 51 is disposed so that the entire surface of the blower fan 51 overlaps with the top plate 15 when viewed from above.

[0017] The electrical box 100 is provided on the front side inside the housing 11. In the electrical box 100, predetermined electronic circuit boards and the like are disposed.

[0018] [1-1-2. Configuration of the electrical box] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the electrical box 100 in embodiment 1. Fig. 5 is a front view of the electrical box 100 in embodiment 1. Fig. 6 is a top view of the electrical box 100 in embodiment 1. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bottom surface of the electrical box 100. The electrical box 100 is composed of an upper surface portion 101 forming the top surface, a left side surface portion 102 (one side surface portion) and a right side surface portion 103 (the other side surface portion) forming the left and right side surfaces, a rear surface portion 104 forming the rear surface, and a lower surface portion 105 forming the bottom surface. The bottom surface portion 105 is formed in a U-shape with its opening facing rearward. That is, it is formed by a lower surface base portion 105a, one side surface portion 105b, and the other side surface portion 105c. The lower surface base portion 105a forms the front side of the lower part of the electrical box 100. The one side surface portion 105b forms the upper side of the bottom surface portion 105, and the other side surface portion 105c forms the lower side of the bottom surface portion 105.

[0019] The front ends of the left side surface portion 102 and the right side surface portion 103 are bent outward in the width direction to form guide portions 102a, 103a. A rectangular pillar-shaped board support portion 106 is provided from the middle of the left side surface portion 102 to the middle of the right side surface portion 103. A plurality of stays 107 are provided on the board support portion 106. A board 110 is provided on the stay 107.

[0020] The rear portion 104 is provided with a plurality of stays 107 extending forward. A stay 107 provided on the rear surface portion 104 supports a substrate 111 . In this embodiment, the boards 111 are arranged as a left board (first board) 111L provided on the left side surface portion 102 side and a right board 111R (second board) provided on the right side surface portion 103 side. An upper board 112 is arranged on the upper left side of the electrical box. The substrates 110, 111, and 112 are supported substantially horizontally with the rear surface portion 104 and substantially vertically with respect to the right side surface portion 102 and the left side surface portion 103.

[0021] An air exhaust port 115 is provided in the left side surface portion 102 of the electrical box 100. The air exhaust port 115 is provided in an upper portion of the left side surface portion 102. An air intake port 120 is formed in one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105. The air intake port 120 is provided across the entire one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105. The air intake port 120 is also provided on the front surface of the substrate 111 when viewed from above. The intake port 120 and the exhaust port 115 are formed such that the total opening area is substantially the same. This suppresses the flow path resistance inside the electrical cabinet 100, and air can flow efficiently inside the electrical cabinet 100.

[0022] The intake port 120 and the exhaust port 115 formed on one side surface portion 105b of the left side surface portion 102 and the lower surface portion 105 are formed with fine holes by, for example, punching. In the present embodiment, the intake port 120 and the exhaust port 115 are formed by a plurality of round holes. The round holes are formed so as to be uniformly arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. By providing such fine holes, intrusion of snakes or the like into the electrical cabinet 100 can be suppressed.

[0023] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part of the substrate 111. The intake port 120 provided on one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105 is composed of a first intake port 121 formed on the left side surface portion 102 side where the exhaust port 115 is provided, and a second intake port 122 formed on the right side surface portion 103 side. The depth of the intake port 120 is formed longer as the height from one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105 of the electrical cabinet 100 to the lower end of the substrate 111 is higher. For example, the depth D1 of the first intake port 121 is defined according to the height H1 from one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105 of the electrical cabinet 100 to the lower end of the left substrate 111L. Similarly, the depth D2 of the second intake port 122 is defined according to the height H2 from one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105 of the electrical cabinet 100 to the lower end of the right substrate 111R. In the present embodiment, since it is configured such that H1 < H2, the depth is also D1 < D2.

[0024] Also, the front end position of the intake port 120 is formed on the front side of the electrical cabinet 100 as the height from one side surface portion 105b of the lower surface portion 105 to the lower end of the substrate 111 is higher. In the present embodiment, since H1 < H2, at the front end position 121a of the first intake port and the front end position 122a of the second intake port 122, the front end position 122a of the second intake port 122 is formed to be on the front side of the electrical cabinet compared to the front end position 121a of the first intake port 121.

[0025] An electronic component 131 is disposed on a board 111 disposed inside the electrical box 100. The electronic component 131 is, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit) component 131a. An IC component 131a having a larger number of pins than the IC component 131a disposed on the front surface of the board 111 is disposed on the rear surface of the board 111. A heat sink 131b is attached to a part of the IC component 131a disposed on the rear surface of the board 111.

[0026] [1-2. Operation] [1-2-1. Outdoor unit operation] The outdoor unit 10 is connected to an indoor unit (not shown) via piping and the like (not shown) to form an air conditioner. When the air conditioner starts cooling or heating operation, the outdoor unit 10 also operates. That is, when the air conditioner starts operating and the air conditioner starts cooling or heating operation, the blower fan 51 of the outdoor unit 10 operates and exhausts the air inside the outdoor unit 10. Thus, air is drawn in through an air intake provided in the outdoor unit 10 and sent to the outdoor unit 10. The air sent to the outdoor unit 10 exchanges heat with a refrigerant in a heat exchanger in a machine room 60 inside the outdoor unit 10. The air that has exchanged heat passes through the electrical box 100, is sent to the blower room 50, and is exhausted outside the outdoor unit 10.

[0027] [1-2-2. Operation of the electrical box] When the outdoor unit 10 is operated to operate the blower fan 51, the air inside the electrical box 100 is discharged from the exhaust port 115, generating an airflow that moves from the intake port 120 toward the exhaust port 115. That is, air is taken in through the first intake port 121 and the second intake port 122, passes around the outer periphery of the board 111, and generates an airflow that flows toward the exhaust port 115. The air that passes through the board 111 and flows toward the exhaust port 115 cools the board 111 and the electronic components 131 arranged on the board 111.

[0028] Incidentally, the air drawn in through the air intake 120 contains dust and lint. As air is drawn into the electrical box 100, dust and other particles are drawn into the electrical box 100 along with the air. This dust and other particles are carried by the air current that cools the board 111 and come into contact with the electronic components 131 inside the electrical box 100. At this time, the dust and lint become entangled around the legs of the IC component 131a, which has a large number of pins, and the dust and lint adhere to the IC component 131a. The adhesion of this dust and lint can cause a short circuit in the machine.

[0029] In this embodiment, the air intake 120 is formed in front of the substrate 111 in a top view. The air intake 120 and the electronic component 131 arranged on the front surface of the substrate 111 are arranged so as to overlap each other in a top view. An IC component 131a, which has a large number of pins and is prone to entanglement with dust and lint, is arranged on the rear surface of the substrate 111. A heat sink 131b is attached to the IC component arranged on the rear surface of the substrate 111. Therefore, the electronic component 131 arranged on the front surface of the substrate 111 is cooled by the airflow blowing directly onto it, while the electronic component 131 on the rear surface of the substrate 111 is cooled by the heat sink 131b. In this way, the arrangement of the electronic component 131 on the substrate 111 is changed depending on the tendency for dust, lint, and the like to become entangled. This allows the airflow to efficiently cool the substrate 111 and the electronic component 131 on the substrate 111, while preventing dust, lint, and the like from adhering to the electronic component 131 on the substrate 111. In other words, it is possible to prevent short circuits in the machine caused by dust, lint, etc.

[0030] In this embodiment, depth D2 of second air intake port 122 is longer than depth D1 of first air intake port 121. That is, the amount of air taken in through second air intake port 122 is greater than the amount of air taken in through first air intake port 121. Therefore, by arranging electronic components 131 that generate a large amount of heat above second air intake port 122 and electronic components 131 that generate a small amount of heat above first air intake port 121, airflow can be blown directly according to the amount of heat generated, thereby enabling efficient cooling.

[0031] The air drawn in through the air inlet 120 stays in the electrical box 100 longer the farther it is from the exhaust port 115, and therefore the longer it comes into contact with the circuit board 111. That is, by increasing the amount of air drawn in through the second air inlet 122, which is farther from the left side surface 102 than through the first air inlet 121, which is closer to the left side surface 102 where the exhaust port 115 is provided, the amount of air coming into contact with the circuit board 110 can be increased. Therefore, by making the depth D2 of the second air inlet 122 longer than the depth D1 of the first air inlet 121 as in this embodiment, the amount of air drawn in from the second air inlet 122 side can be increased, thereby efficiently cooling the circuit board 111 and the electronic components 131 on the circuit board 111.

[0032] [1-3. Effects, etc.] The outdoor unit 10 has an air blower chamber 50, a machine chamber 60, and an electrical box 100. The electrical box 100 has an air intake 120 formed on the bottom surface of the electrical box 100 and an exhaust vent 115 formed on the left side surface 102 of the electrical box 100. Electronic components 131 are arranged on the front and rear surfaces of the circuit board 111. A heat sink 131b is provided for the electronic components 131 arranged on the rear surface of the circuit board 111. The air intake 120 is arranged forward of the rear surface of the circuit board 111. According to this, since the intake port 120 is provided in front of the rear surface of the substrate 111 in a top view, adhesion of dust, lint, etc. to the rear surface of the substrate 111 can be suppressed.

[0033] The air intake 120 is provided at a position overlapping with an electronic component 131 provided on the front surface of the substrate 111 when viewed from above. This allows the airflow to come into direct contact with electronic components 131 provided on the front surface of substrate 111, thereby enabling efficient cooling.

[0034] The board 111 is provided with at least a left board 111L and a right board 111R. The depth of the air intake 120 corresponding to the electronic components 131 provided on the front surface of the board 111 is determined according to heights H1 and H2 from the bottom surface 105 of the electrical box 100 to the bottom end of the board 111. The greater the height from the bottom surface 105 of the electrical box 100 to the bottom end of the board 110, the greater the depth of the air intake 120 that overlaps with the electronic components 130 provided on the front surface of the board 110. This allows the flow rate of the airflow to be adjusted according to the depth, and the airflow can be blown directly onto the electronic component 131 according to the amount of heat generated by the electronic component 131, thereby enabling efficient cooling.

[0035] The boards 111 are provided with at least a left board 111L and a right board 111R. The position of the front end of the air intake 120 corresponding to the electronic component 131 provided on the front surface of the board 110 is determined according to heights H1 and H2 from the bottom surface 105 of the electrical box 100 to the lower end of the board 110. The higher the height from the bottom surface 105 of the electrical box 100 to the lower end of the left board 111L, the closer to the front of the electrical box 100 the front ends 121a and 122a of the air intake 120 will be. According to this, the air intake 120 is formed in a direction away from the back side of the board 111 when viewed from above, depending on the height from the underside 105 of the electrical box 100 to the lower end of the board 111 provided above the air intake 120, thereby preventing dust, lint, etc. from entering the back side of the board 111.

[0036] (Other embodiments) As described above, the above-mentioned first embodiment has been described as an example disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above-mentioned first embodiment to create new embodiments. Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

[0037] 8 and 9 are perspective views of electrical box 200 in which the shape of air intake port 220 is changed. In the first embodiment described above, a technique has been exemplified in which air intake port 220 is provided over the entire one side surface portion 105b of underside portion 105. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , it is also possible to provide a blocking portion 223 on underside portion 105 and provide it between the left end of one side surface portion 105b and first air intake port 221, or between first air intake port 221 and second air intake port 222. Furthermore, with regard to the positioning of the air intake 220, the front ends of the first air intake 221 and the second air intake 222 may be at the same position, or the front end of the first air intake 221 may be located behind the front end of the second air intake 222, and the rear end of the first air intake 221 may be located forward of the rear end of the second air intake 222 (see Figure 9).

[0038] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0039] (Addendum) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0040] (Technology 1) An outdoor unit having an air blower chamber, a machine chamber, and an electrical box, wherein the electrical box has an air intake port formed on the bottom surface of the electrical box and an air exhaust port formed on one side surface of the electrical box, at least one electronic component is arranged on the front and rear surfaces of a circuit board, one of the electronic components arranged on the rear surface of the circuit board is a heat sink, and the air intake port is provided forward of the rear surface of the circuit board. According to this, since the air intake port is provided forward of the rear surface of the board when viewed from above, it is possible to prevent dust, lint, etc. from adhering to the rear surface of the board.

[0041] (Technical Aspect 2) The outdoor unit according to Technical Aspect 1, wherein the air intake is provided at a position overlapping with electronic components provided on the front surface of the board when viewed from above. This allows the airflow to be blown directly onto the electronic components provided on the front surface of the board, thereby enabling efficient cooling.

[0042] (Technology 3) The outdoor unit according to Technology 1 or 2, wherein the boards include at least a first board and a second board, and the depth of the air intake corresponding to the electronic components provided on the front surface of the first board and the second board is determined depending on the height from the bottom surface of the electrical box to the lower ends of the first board and the second board, and the greater the height from the air intake to the lower ends of the first board and the second board, the greater the depth of the air intake overlapping with the electronic components provided on the front surface of the first board and the second board, compared to when the height from the air intake to the lower ends of the boards is shorter. This allows the flow rate of the airflow to be adjusted according to the depth, and the airflow can be blown directly onto the electronic components that require cooling.

[0043] (Technology 4) An outdoor unit according to any one of Technologies 1 to 3, wherein the boards include at least a first board and a second board, and the position of the front end of the air intake corresponding to the electronic components provided on the front surface of the first board and the second board is determined according to the height from the bottom surface of the electrical box to the lower ends of the first board and the second board, and the position of the front end of the air intake is such that the greater the height from the air intake to the lower ends of the first board and the second board, the more forward the air intake is provided on the front side of the electrical box compared to when the height from the air intake to the lower ends of the first board and the second board is short. According to this, the air intake port is formed in a direction away from the back side of the board when viewed from above, so that it is possible to prevent dust, lint, etc. from entering the back side of the board. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] As described above, the outdoor unit according to the present invention can be used as an outdoor unit for an air conditioner, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Outdoor unit 11. Housing 12 Base 13 Base 14 Base connection 15 Top plate 16 Bottom plate 20 frames 21 Mainframe 22 Subframe 23 Lower frame 24 Central Frame 25 Upper Frame 30 Cover 40 Electrical Components 50 Blow room 51 Blower fan 60 Machine room 100 Electrical box 101 Top part 102 Left side part 102a Guide part 103 Right side part 103a Guide part 104 Rear part 105 Bottom part 105a Lower base 105b One side side part 105c Other side side part 106 Substrate support 107 Stay 110 Substrate 111 Substrate 111R Left side board (first board) 111L Right side board (second board) 112 Upper board 115 Exhaust port 120 Air Intake 121 First intake 121a front end 122 Second intake 122a front end 131 Electronic Components 131a IC parts 131b Heat sink 200 Electrical box 220 Air Intake 221 First intake 222 Second intake 223 Occlusion

Claims

1. In an outdoor unit having an air blower chamber, a machine chamber, and an electrical box, The electrical box includes an intake port formed on a bottom surface of the electrical box and an exhaust port formed on one side surface of the electrical box, Electronic components are arranged on the front and rear surfaces of the board, At least one of the electronic components disposed on the rear surface of the substrate is provided with a heat sink; The air intake is provided forward of the rear surface of the substrate. outdoor unit.

2. the air intake is provided at a position overlapping with an electronic component provided on the front surface of the substrate when viewed from above; The outdoor unit according to claim 1 .

3. The substrate includes at least a first substrate and a second substrate, a depth of the air intake port corresponding to electronic components provided on the front surfaces of the first board and the second board is determined according to a height from a lower surface of the electrical box to lower ends of the first board and the second board; the greater the height from the air intake port to the lower ends of the first and second substrates, the greater the depth of the air intake port that overlaps with electronic components provided on the front surfaces of the first and second substrates, compared to when the height from the air intake port to the lower ends of the substrates is low. The outdoor unit according to claim 1 .

4. The substrate includes at least a first substrate and a second substrate, a position of a front end of the air intake port corresponding to an electronic component provided on a front surface of the first board and the second board is determined according to a height from a lower surface of the electrical box to a lower end of the first board and the second board, The position of the front end of the air intake port is such that the greater the height from the air intake port to the lower ends of the first board and the second board, the more the front end of the air intake port is provided on the front side of the electrical box compared to when the height from the air intake port to the lower ends of the first board and the second board is low. The outdoor unit according to claim 1 .

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