Outdoor unit

Abstract

To provide an outdoor unit capable of forming an impervious structure between a heat exchange chamber and a machine chamber.SOLUTION: An outdoor unit includes: a control box 10 having two flanges 11 whose edges 11a are opposed to each other; and a board assembly 20 having a plate-like board 21, and a radiation fin 23 provided with a gap G in a surface outward direction with respect to an installation surface of the board 21. The board assembly 20 is provided in the control box 10 in a state in which the respective flanges 11 are interposed in the gap G between the board 21 and the radiation fin 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit provided in a home air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In an outdoor unit of a home air conditioner, a control circuit board is provided between a heat exchange chamber and a machine chamber.

[0003] When a circuit board breaks down, it needs to be replaced on-site. However, because the circuit board is connected to components such as the compressor and solenoid valves by wiring and is surrounded by multiple panels, removing and installing the circuit board takes time and effort. Therefore, it is preferable to assemble the circuit board using a simple configuration to improve the ease of installation and removal.

[0004] In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a substrate and a heat sink are integrated with a substrate holder and are provided so as to be able to be pulled out upward along a guide rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-241939 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In this type of circuit board configuration, rainwater or the like that enters the heat exchange chamber from outside the outdoor unit may be repelled back into the machinery compartment by the rotating fan. If rainwater enters the machinery compartment and comes into contact with the circuit board, it may cause a malfunction.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an outdoor unit in which a water-tight structure can be provided between the heat exchange chamber and the machine chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the outdoor unit of the present disclosure employs the following measures. That is, an outdoor unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a housing having two flange portions with edges facing each other, a board assembly having a plate-shaped substrate and components arranged with gaps in an out-of-plane direction relative to the installation surface of the substrate, and the board assembly is mounted on the housing with each of the flange portions interposed in the gaps between the substrate and the components. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, a water-proof structure can be provided between the heat exchange chamber and the machine chamber. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outdoor unit with the top panel removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outdoor unit with the top panel and lid removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a control box with a board assembly attached. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a substrate assembly. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modified example of the substrate assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outdoor unit 1 includes an outdoor unit housing 31, a top panel 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 34, a fan 35, a control box (housing) 10, and a board assembly 20.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the outdoor unit housing 31 is a box-shaped member with an open top. An air outlet 31a is formed on the front surface of the outdoor unit housing 31. The air outlet 31a has a substantially circular shape and is a portion from which air after heat exchange is blown out.

[0013] 1, a top panel 32 is attached to the top of the outdoor unit housing 31. The top panel 32 is a plate-shaped member, and closes the open top of the outdoor unit housing 31.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the outdoor unit housing 31 defines a heat exchange chamber 41 and a machine chamber 42 inside.

[0015] In the heat exchange chamber 41, devices such as an outdoor heat exchanger 34 and a fan 35 are installed. The outdoor heat exchanger 34 is a heat exchanger formed in a substantially L-shape from the left side to the rear inside the outdoor unit housing 31. An air intake port (not shown) is formed in the outdoor unit housing 31 on the rear side of the outdoor heat exchanger 34. The fan 35 is disposed inside the outdoor unit housing 31 so as to face the air outlet 31a. The fan 35 is driven to rotate by an electric motor (not shown). This causes air outside the outdoor unit 1 to be drawn into the heat exchange chamber 41 through the air inlet, and also causes air that has completed heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger 34 to be blown out through the air outlet 31a.

[0016] On the other hand, in a machine room 42 adjacent to the heat exchange room 41, devices such as a compressor, an expansion valve, and a solenoid valve (not shown) are installed.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a control box 10 is installed between the heat exchange chamber 41 and the machine chamber . A lid 33 is provided above the control box 10 (see FIG. 2), and removing it allows easy access to the control box 10 and the board assembly 20 (see FIG. 3).

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the control box 10 is provided on both sides with flange portions 11 each having an edge 11a. The edges 11a extend vertically (up and down in the figure) and face each other horizontally, with the distance between the edges 11a (the width of the opening) being Wf.

[0019] A board assembly 20 as shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the control box 10 configured in this manner. The board assembly 20 includes a board 21, a bracket 22, and heat dissipation fins (components) 23.

[0020] The substrate 21 is a plate-shaped circuit board, and various electronic components required for control and operation are mounted on the mounting surface. The dimension of the substrate 21 in the width direction (the direction coinciding with the horizontal direction) is greater than the distance between the flange portions 11 (width Wf). The mounting surface is the surface of the substrate 21 on the machine chamber 42 side.

[0021] The bracket 22 is a member provided on the installation surface of the substrate 21, and is a member for attaching the heat dissipation fins 23 to the substrate 21. The dimension of the bracket 22 in the width direction is smaller than the width Wf. The installation surface is the surface of the substrate 21 on the heat exchange chamber 41 side, and is the surface located opposite the mounting surface.

[0022] The heat dissipation fins 23 are metal members for cooling the substrate 21. The dimension in the width direction of the heat dissipation fins 23 (width Wh) is larger than the width Wf. The heat dissipation fins 23 are attached to the installation surface of the substrate 21 via the brackets 22. Therefore, the heat dissipation fins 23 are spaced apart from the installation surface in the out-of-plane direction by the thickness of the brackets 22. In other words, in the regions on both sides of the brackets 22, a gap G is created by the brackets 22 between the heat dissipation fins 23 and the substrate 21. The out-of-plane direction is the direction of the normal to the plane.

[0023] 5, 7, and 8, the board assembly 20 is attached to the control box 10 with the flange portion 11 inserted into the gap G. In other words, the board assembly 20 is attached to the control box 10 with the flange portion 11 interposed between the board 21 and the heat dissipation fins 23. As a result, the control box 10 to which the board assembly 20 is attached has a triple structure made up of the heat dissipation fins 23, the flange portion 11, and the board 21.

[0024] This triple structure functions like a labyrinth structure at the boundary between the control box 10 and the board assembly 20. This blocks water even if it splashes in from the heat exchange chamber 41, reducing the possibility of the water getting inside the control box 10 (the machine chamber 42 side).

[0025] In the control box 10 and board assembly 20 configured as described above, the gap G between the board 21 and the heat dissipation fins 23 functions as a guide groove for the flange portion 11. This allows the board assembly 20 to slide along the flange portion 11. This allows an operator to easily attach and detach the board assembly 20 to and from the control box 10.

[0026] It should be noted that another flange portion may be provided to connect the lower end of one flange portion 11 to the lower end of the other flange portion 11. In this case, the other flange portion extends horizontally. Similar to flange portion 11, the other flange portion is interposed between substrate 21 and heat dissipation fins 23. This allows the other flange portion to also form a watertight structure. Also, another flange portion may be brought into contact with the bottom of the bracket 22. This allows the board assembly 20 to be positioned vertically.

[0027] This embodiment has the following advantages. Outdoor unit 1 is The control box 10 includes a board assembly 20 having two flanges 11 with edges 11a facing each other, a plate-shaped board 21, and heat dissipation fins 23 provided with a gap G in an out-of-plane direction relative to the installation surface of the board 21. The board assembly 20 is mounted on the control box 10 with each flange 11 interposed in the gap G between the board 21 and the heat dissipation fins 23, thereby forming a triple structure in which, from the heat dissipation fin 23 side, the heat dissipation fins 23, the flanges 11, and the board 21 are arranged. This reduces the possibility of water splashing in from the heat exchange chamber 41 side and entering the machine chamber 42 side. In other words, a watertight structure can be provided between the heat exchange chamber 41 and the machine chamber 42 by the triple structure made up of the heat dissipation fins 23, the flanges 11, and the board 21.

[0028] Furthermore, since the edge 11a of each flange portion 11 extends vertically, the board assembly 20 can be attached and detached to and from the control box 10 simply by placing the flange portion 11 in the gap G between the board 21 of the board assembly 20 and the heat dissipation fin 23 and sliding it vertically.

[0029] In addition, the control box 10 has another flange portion connected to the two opposing flange portions 11, and the substrate assembly 20 is provided on the control box 10 with the other flange portion interposed in the gap G between the substrate 21 and the heat dissipation fin 23, so that a watertight structure can also be formed using the other flange portion.

[0030] In addition, for example, when two flange portions 11 extend in the vertical direction, the other flange portion Hafu It extends horizontally to connect the lower ends of the flange portions 11. At this time, by abutting the bottom of the bracket 22 against the other flange portion, the board assembly 20 can be positioned vertically.

[0031] Furthermore, since the gap G is formed by combining the substrate 21 and the heat dissipation fins 23, the heat dissipation fins 23 that have been provided conventionally can be used as members for forming the water-blocking structure.

[0032] [Variations] The components that form the gap G are not limited to the combination of the substrate 21 and the heat dissipation fins 23 . For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the bracket 22 may be modified to form a gap G between the substrate 21 and the bracket 22 in combination.

[0033] The embodiment described above can be understood, for example, as follows. That is, an outdoor unit (1) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a housing (10) having two flange portions (11) with edges (11a) facing each other, a board assembly (20) having a plate-shaped base plate (21) and components (23) arranged with gaps (G) in an out-of-plane direction relative to the installation surface of the base plate, and the board assembly is mounted in the housing with each of the flange portions interposed in the gaps between the base plate and the components.

[0034] According to the outdoor unit of this aspect, The outdoor unit isThe housing includes two flanges with opposing edges, a plate-shaped substrate, and a substrate assembly having components spaced apart from the surface on which the substrate is installed. The substrate assembly is mounted in the housing with the flanges interposed in the gaps between the substrate and the components, forming a triple structure consisting of the components, flanges, and substrate in order from the component side. This reduces the likelihood of water seeping into the interior of the housing (e.g., the machine compartment) even if water splashes in from the component side (e.g., the heat exchange chamber side). In other words, a watertight structure can be established between the heat exchange chamber and the machine compartment using the triple structure consisting of the components, flanges, and substrate.

[0035] In the outdoor unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the edge portion of each flange portion extends in the vertical direction.

[0036] In the outdoor unit of this embodiment, the edges of each flange portion extend vertically, so that the board assembly can be attached and detached to and from the housing simply by placing the flange portion in the gap between the board of the board assembly and the component and sliding it vertically.

[0037] Furthermore, in an outdoor unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing has another flange portion connected to the two opposing flange portions, and the substrate assembly is provided in the housing with the other flange portion interposed in the gap between the substrate and the component.

[0038] According to the outdoor unit of this embodiment, the housing has another flange portion connected to the two opposing flange portions, and the substrate assembly is provided in the housing with the other flange portion interposed in the gap between the substrate and the component, so that a watertight structure can also be formed by the other flange portion.

[0039] In addition, for example, when two flange portions extend vertically, the other flange portion HafuThe flanges extend horizontally to connect the lower ends of the flanges. At this time, the bottoms of the components that make up the board assembly can be abutted against the other flanges to position the board assembly vertically.

[0040] In the outdoor unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the component is a heat dissipation fin (23).

[0041] According to the outdoor unit of this aspect, the component parts are heat dissipation fins, so that conventionally provided components (heat dissipation fins) can be used as members for constituting the water-blocking structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Outdoor unit 10 Control box (housing) 11 Flange 11a Edge 20 PCB Assembly 21 PCB 22 Bracket 23 Heat dissipation fin (component) 31 Outdoor unit housing 31a Air outlet 32 Top panel 33 Lid 34 Outdoor heat exchanger 35 Fans 41 Heat exchange room 42 Machine room

Claims

1. a housing having two flange portions whose edges face each other and another flange portion connected to the two flange portions whose edges face each other; a substrate assembly including a plate-shaped substrate, components provided with gaps in an out-of-plane direction relative to an installation surface of the substrate, and brackets for attaching the components to the substrate; Equipped with the substrate assembly is provided in the housing with the flange portion and the other flange portion interposed in the gap between the substrate and the component; The outdoor unit in which the base plate assembly is positioned in the vertical direction by the other flange portion and the bracket.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the edges of the flange portions extend vertically.

3. The outdoor unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the component is a heat dissipation fin.

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