Air conditioner and outdoor unit thereof

Abstract

An air conditioner and an outdoor unit thereof. The outdoor unit comprises a housing, a first heat exchanger, a conduit portion, and an electrical box. The first heat exchanger is located in the housing. The conduit portion is located in the housing and on the lower side of the first heat exchanger. The conduit portion comprises a conduit housing and a refrigerant connection portion arranged in the conduit housing. The first heat exchanger and the refrigerant connection portion contain a flammable refrigerant, and the refrigerant connection portion is configured to allow the flammable refrigerant to flow through the first heat exchanger in a controlled manner. The electrical box is located in the housing and on the upper side of the conduit portion. The present outdoor unit can prevent a flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connection portion from coming into contact with the electrical box, thereby achieving the effect of reducing potential safety hazards. The density of the flammable refrigerant near the electrical box that is leaked from the refrigerant connection portion can also be reduced, thereby preventing the flammable refrigerant from reaching an explosion limit range, and achieving the effect of reducing potential safety hazards.

Description

Air conditioner and outdoor unit thereof

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese Invention Patent Application No. 202410806333.7, filed on June 20, 2024, with the title of “Air conditioner and outdoor unit thereof”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of air treatment equipment, in particular to an air conditioner and outdoor unit thereof. BACKGROUND

[0004] In order to meet environmental protection requirements, air conditioners need to use refrigerants that do not contain freon molecules, such as R290, etc. At the current stage, refrigerants that do not contain freon molecules are usually flammable and explosive.

[0005] The outdoor unit of an air conditioner is provided with a shell, and the heat exchanger, the refrigerant connection part and the electrical device are all installed in the shell. When flammable refrigerant leaks, the flammable refrigerant diffuses in the shell and is easily trapped near the electrical device. When the electrical device sparks, it may cause a fire, explosion or other accidents, posing a safety hazard. SUMMARY

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present application is proposed in order to provide an air conditioner and outdoor unit thereof that overcomes the above problems or at least partially solves the above problems, aiming to solve the problem that flammable refrigerant is easily diffused in the shell and trapped near the electrical device when it leaks, causing a safety hazard.

[0007] Specifically, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] An air conditioner outdoor unit comprises a shell, a first heat exchanger, a pipeline part and an electrical device box.

[0009] The first heat exchanger is in the shell.

[0010] The pipeline part is in the shell and is below the first heat exchanger. The pipeline part comprises a pipeline shell and a refrigerant connection part arranged in the pipeline shell. The first heat exchanger and the refrigerant connection part have flammable refrigerant therein, and the refrigerant connection part is configured to control the flow of the flammable refrigerant through the first heat exchanger.

[0011] The electrical device box is in the shell and is above the pipeline part.

[0012] Optionally, the outdoor unit further comprises a partitioning member fixedly connected in the shell and dividing the space in the shell into an upper space and a lower space arranged in an up-down manner.

[0013] The first heat exchanger and the electric appliance box are in the upper space.

[0014] The pipeline part is in the lower space.

[0015] Optionally, the distance between the bottom surface of the electric appliance box and the partition member is greater than 1 / 2 of the height of the upper space.

[0016] Optionally, the partition member is horizontally arranged.

[0017] The partition member is a water pan.

[0018] Optionally, the first heat exchanger is a wind-cooled heat exchanger.

[0019] The outdoor unit further comprises a heat exchange fan and a heat exchange opening for connecting the upper space and the outside of the shell, and the heat exchange fan is arranged at the heat exchange opening.

[0020] Optionally, the outdoor unit further comprises a second heat exchanger, and the refrigerant connecting part is configured to control the circulation of the flammable refrigerant between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

[0021] The second heat exchanger is a water-cooled heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger is in the lower space.

[0022] Optionally, the pipeline part is provided with a diffusion hole communicating with the outside of the shell, and the diffusion hole is arranged on the bottom or the side wall of the pipeline part.

[0023] Optionally, the outdoor unit further comprises an exhaust fan, and the exhaust fan is configured to exhaust the gas in the pipeline shell through the diffusion hole.

[0024] Optionally, the exhaust fan is in the pipeline shell and is driven by weak current.

[0025] Optionally, the outdoor unit further comprises a flammable refrigerant detector, and the flammable refrigerant detector is arranged in the pipeline shell and at the bottom of the pipeline shell.

[0026] In another aspect, the application also provides an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit and the above-mentioned outdoor unit.

[0027] In the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of the application, the refrigerant connecting part for controlling the circulation of the flammable refrigerant through the first heat exchanger is arranged separately in the pipeline shell, so that when the flammable refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant connecting part, the flammable refrigerant is limited in the pipeline shell and cannot spread in the whole shell space. The flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connecting part can be prevented from contacting the electric appliance box, thereby reducing the safety hazard.

[0028] On the other hand, by arranging the electric appliance box on the upper side of the pipe portion, even if the flammable refrigerant in the pipe portion diffuses into the housing space, the flammable refrigerant, which has a larger specific gravity than air, will deposit on the bottom of the housing space and is not likely to diffuse to the height of the electric appliance box. The density of the flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connection portion near the electric appliance box can be reduced, and the explosive limit range can be prevented, thereby reducing the safety hazard.

[0029] Further, the outdoor unit of the present application can further prevent the flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connection portion from contacting the electric appliance box by arranging the partition member to divide the inside space of the housing into an upper space and a lower space, and arranging the electric appliance box in the upper space and the pipe portion in the lower space, thereby further reducing the safety hazard.

[0030] Further, the outdoor unit of the present application can prevent the flammable refrigerant leaked from the first heat exchanger from staying and accumulating near the electric appliance box by arranging the heat exchange fan and the heat exchange port in the upper space, so that the flammable refrigerant can be quickly discharged from the housing through the heat exchange fan and the heat exchanger when the flammable refrigerant is leaked from the first heat exchanger, thereby reducing the safety hazard.

[0031] Further, the outdoor unit of the present application can reduce the density of the flammable refrigerant leaked from the first heat exchanger near the electric appliance box by arranging the electric appliance box such that the distance between the bottom surface of the electric appliance box and the partition member is greater than 1 / 2 of the height of the upper space, i.e. the electric appliance box is located on the upper side of the central plane of the upper space, so that the flammable refrigerant will deposit on the bottom of the housing space and is not likely to diffuse to the height of the electric appliance box when the flammable refrigerant is leaked from the first heat exchanger, thereby preventing the explosive limit range and reducing the safety hazard.

[0032] Therefore, the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of some embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. In the drawings:

[0034] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of an outdoor unit according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of an outdoor unit according to still another embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of an outdoor unit according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0038] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS: 100, housing; 200, first heat exchanger; 300, piping portion; 310, piping housing; 320, refrigerant connecting portion; 321, refrigerant piping; 322, compressor; 323, four-way valve; 324, throttling device; 330, diffusion hole; 340, exhaust fan; 400, electric box; 500, partition member; 510, upper space; 520, lower space; 610, heat exchange fan; 620, heat exchange port; 700, second heat exchanger; 710, second side inlet; 720, second side outlet; 800, flammable refrigerant detector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The air conditioner and the outdoor unit thereof according to the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Herein, the directions or positional relationships indicated by "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "lateral" and the like are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are merely intended for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and thus cannot be construed to indicate or imply that the devices or elements indicated thereby must have a particular direction, be constructed and operated in a particular direction, and thus cannot be construed as limiting the present application.

[0040] The terms "first", "second", etc. are used only for the purpose of description, and cannot be construed to indicate or imply relative importance or to implicitly indicate the number of the technical features indicated thereby. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", etc. can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features, i.e., one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified. When a certain feature "includes or comprises" a certain or certain features included therein, this indicates that other features are not excluded and can further include other features, unless otherwise specifically described.

[0041] Unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "provide", "mount", "connect", "join", "fix", "couple", etc. should be broadly understood, e.g., can be fixed connection, can be detachable connection, or can be integrated; can be mechanical connection, or can be electrical connection; can be directly connected, or can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly specified. Those skilled in the art should be able to understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] In addition, in the description of the embodiments, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature can include the first and second features being in direct contact, or can include the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact through another feature between them. That is, in the description of the embodiments, the first feature being "on", "above", and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in horizontal height than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below", or "underneath" the second feature can be the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in horizontal height than the second feature.

[0043] In the description of the embodiments, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiment", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, the exemplary description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in an appropriate manner.

[0044] The reference in the specification to any prior art does not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of the application or in any other field, or that this prior art is known to be relevant to the field of the application or any other field.

[0045] The conventional refrigerant contains freon molecules, such as R22, which is chlorodifluoromethane. R22 is non-combustible, non-explosive, and has low toxicity, and has a high safety level. However, R22 will consume the ozone layer, and thus is not suitable for long-term use and will be phased out.

[0046] The refrigerant without freon molecules, such as R290, is propane, which has low toxicity. R290 will not consume the ozone layer, and has a very small promoting effect on global warming. R290 is a natural organic substance, and can be directly obtained from petroleum liquefied gas, and has a low price. R290 has good thermal performance, a large latent heat of vaporization, and a small system liquid volume, and the exhaust temperature can be 20°C lower than that of R22 under the same working conditions, which is beneficial to the service life extension of the compressor. The above advantages make R290 a better choice for replacing R22 in the current and future.

[0047] However, R290 is flammable, and has a lower safety level than R22. The explosion limit of R290 is 2.1%-10.0%, and the explosion point is low. How to prevent the refrigerant without freon molecules from burning or exploding and reduce safety hazards has been a problem that needs to be solved in the field.

[0048] Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Fig. 1, and in combination with Figs. 2-4, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner is provided according to an embodiment of the present application, which comprises a shell 100, a first heat exchanger 200, a pipeline part 300, and an electrical box 400.

[0049] The first heat exchanger 200 is located in the shell 100.

[0050] The pipeline part 300 is located in the shell 100 and at the lower side of the first heat exchanger 200. The pipeline part 300 comprises a pipeline shell 310 and a refrigerant connecting part 320 arranged in the pipeline shell 310. The first heat exchanger 200 and the refrigerant connecting part 320 contain flammable refrigerant, and the refrigerant connecting part 320 is configured to allow the flammable refrigerant to flow through the first heat exchanger 200 in a controlled manner.

[0051] The electrical box 400 is located in the shell 100 and at the upper side of the pipeline part 300.

[0052] In this embodiment, the air conditioner is a split type air conditioner, and the first heat exchanger 200 is arranged at the outdoor side to obtain heat or cold from the outdoor side. The second heat exchanger 700 can be arranged at the outdoor side or at the indoor side. The flammable refrigerant circulates between the first heat exchanger 200 and the second heat exchanger 700 to transfer the heat or cold obtained by the first heat exchanger 200 to the second heat exchanger 700.

[0053] The heat or cold at the outdoor side can come from ambient air, from floor heating, from underground water, from city central heating, from solar energy, or from an energy storage device, as long as it can exchange heat with the flammable refrigerant in the first heat exchanger.

[0054] When the second heat exchanger 700 is arranged at the indoor side, the flammable refrigerant can directly transfer the heat or cold of the first heat exchanger 200 to the indoor side.

[0055] When the second heat exchanger 700 is arranged at the outdoor side, the air conditioner can be a central air conditioning system. The flammable refrigerant can transfer the heat or cold of the first heat exchanger 200 to the second heat exchanger 700, and then a second working medium can transfer the heat or cold of the second heat exchanger 700 to a device at the indoor side. The second working medium can be air, water, oil, etc., and the device at the indoor side can be a third heat exchanger, etc.

[0056] For example, the first heat exchanger 200 is a condenser that can absorb cold from ambient air, and the second heat exchanger 700 is an evaporator arranged at the indoor side.

[0057] The refrigerant connecting part 320 can include a refrigerant pipe 321, a compressor 322, a four-way valve 323, a throttling device 324, etc., for facilitating heat exchange of the flammable refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 200 and the second heat exchanger 700. The refrigerant connecting part 320 can further include a gas-liquid separator, a liquid accumulator, etc.

[0058] For the outdoor unit in which the second heat exchanger 700 is arranged on the indoor side, the positions where the flammable refrigerant can leak are mainly the first heat exchanger 200 and the refrigerant connecting part 320. Since there are more valves, pipe joints, etc. in the refrigerant connecting part 320, the flammable refrigerant is more likely to leak in the refrigerant connecting part 320, and then spread and stay near the electrical components, forming a safety hazard.

[0059] In the present embodiment, to solve the above problem, a pipe shell 310 is arranged, and the components in the refrigerant connecting part 320 that are prone to leak are arranged in the pipe shell 310. When the flammable refrigerant leaks in the refrigerant connecting part 320, the flammable refrigerant is confined in the pipe shell 310 and does not spread in the entire shell 100 space. The flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connecting part 320 can be prevented from contacting the electrical box 400, achieving the effect of reducing the safety hazard.

[0060] On the other hand, the specific gravity of the molecules not containing freon is generally greater than that of air, and under the action of gravity, the molecules will deposit at the bottom of the space. For example, the specific gravity of R290 is about 1.5 times that of air. By arranging the electrical box 400 on the upper side of the pipe part 300, even if the flammable refrigerant in the pipe part 300 spreads into the shell 100 space, the flammable refrigerant will deposit at the bottom of the shell 100 space and is not easy to spread to the height of the electrical box 400. The density of the flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connecting part 320 near the electrical box 400 can be reduced, and the flammable refrigerant can be prevented from reaching the explosive limit range, achieving the effect of reducing the safety hazard.

[0061] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the outdoor unit further includes a partition 500 fixedly connected in the shell 100 and dividing the space in the shell 100 into an upper space 510 and a lower space 520 arranged in an up-down manner.

[0062] The first heat exchanger 200 and the electrical box 400 are in the upper space 510. The pipe part 300 is in the lower space 520.

[0063] In the present embodiment, the space in the shell 100 is divided by the partition 500 into the upper space 510 and the lower space 520. The upper space 510 and the lower space 520 can be relatively sealed or can be in limited communication.

[0064] The partition member 500 can be a partition plate, a drain pan, etc. The partition member 500 can be horizontally arranged or slightly inclined, which is not limited herein. The partition member 500 can be flat or curved, which can be arranged according to actual needs.

[0065] By arranging the partition member 500, the upper space 510 and the lower space 520 are relatively partitioned or limitedly communicated. In this way, when the pipeline part 300 leaks the flammable refrigerant, the flammable refrigerant is in the lower space 520 and cannot or is not easy to diffuse to the upper space 510 in a large amount, so that the flammable refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant connection part 320 can be prevented from contacting the electrical box 400, thereby reducing the safety hazard.

[0066] On the other hand, since the flammable refrigerant has a large specific gravity, the flammable refrigerant can be further limited to pass through the partition member 500 upward into the upper space 510.

[0067] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIG. 4, the distance H1 between the bottom surface of the electrical box 400 and the partition member 500 is greater than 1 / 2 of the height H2 of the upper space 510.

[0068] In the present embodiment, the electrical box 400 is above the central plane of the height direction of the upper space 510. In this way, when the first heat exchanger 200 leaks the flammable refrigerant, the flammable refrigerant will deposit at the bottom of the upper space 510 under the action of gravity and is not easy to diffuse to the height of the electrical box 400. The density of the flammable refrigerant leaked from the first heat exchanger 200 near the electrical box 400 can be reduced, and the explosive limit range can be prevented, thereby reducing the safety hazard.

[0069] In the present embodiment, the electrical box 400 can be vertically arranged or horizontally arranged, which is not limited herein.

[0070] Preferably, the distance H1 between the bottom surface of the electrical box 400 and the partition member 500 is 2 / 3 of the height H2 of the upper space 510, so as to further reduce the density of the flammable refrigerant leaked from the first heat exchanger 200 near the electrical box 400, prevent the explosive limit range, and reduce the safety hazard.

[0071] Preferably, the electrical box 400 is horizontally arranged, and the upper end of the electrical box 400 is in contact with or gap-fitted with the top plate of the shell 100, so as to make the electrical box 400 as much as possible at the upper end of the upper space 510 and facilitate the electrical box 400 to dissipate heat upward through the top plate of the shell 100.

[0072] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIG. 4, the partition member 500 is horizontally arranged. The partition member 500 is a drain pan.

[0073] In the embodiment, the partition member 500 for partitioning the upper space and the lower space is not specially arranged in the shell 100, but the water pan is used as the partition member 500. The water pan has a dual-purpose, i.e., saving cost and reducing space occupation.

[0074] The water pan is horizontally arranged as a whole and is located at the lower side of the first heat exchanger 200 to accommodate the condensed water flowing down from the first heat exchanger 200.

[0075] It is understood that the bottom of the water pan can be arranged in a slope or the bottom of the water pan is tapered to facilitate the arrangement of the drain hole at the lowest point of the bottom.

[0076] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIG. 2, the first heat exchanger 200 is a wind-cooled heat exchanger.

[0077] The outdoor unit further comprises a heat exchange fan 610 and a heat exchange opening 620 for connecting the upper space 510 and the outside of the shell 100, and the heat exchange fan 610 is located at the heat exchange opening 620.

[0078] In the embodiment, the first heat exchanger 200 is a wind-cooled heat exchanger, or a gas-liquid heat exchanger, for absorbing heat or cold from the ambient air around the outdoor unit and transferring the heat or cold to the refrigerant. For example, a plate heat exchanger, a fin heat exchanger, etc.

[0079] The heat exchange opening 620 is arranged at the top of the upper space 510, and can also be arranged on the sidewall of the upper space 510, which is not limited here. The heat exchange opening 620 is used to introduce or exhaust the ambient air outside the shell 100, so that the ambient air contacts the first heat exchanger 200 and exchanges heat.

[0080] The heat exchange fan 610 can be an axial fan, a centrifugal fan, etc., for facilitating the rapid flow of ambient air from the first heat exchanger 200, and after exchanging heat, the ambient air is rapidly blown out of the shell 100.

[0081] By arranging the heat exchange fan 610 and the heat exchange opening 620 in the upper space 510, when the flammable refrigerant leaks from the first heat exchanger 200, the flammable refrigerant can be rapidly discharged from the shell 100 through the heat exchange fan 610 and the heat exchanger, which can prevent the flammable refrigerant leaked from the first heat exchanger 200 from staying and accumulating near the electrical box 400, thereby reducing the safety hazard.

[0082] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIG. 2, the outdoor unit further comprises a second heat exchanger 700, and the refrigerant connection part 320 is configured to control the circulation of the flammable refrigerant between the first heat exchanger 200 and the second heat exchanger 700.

[0083] The second heat exchanger 700 is a water-cooled heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger 700 is located in the lower space 520.

[0084] In this embodiment, the air conditioner is a central air conditioning system, and the second heat exchanger 700 is a water-cooled heat exchanger, or a liquid-liquid heat exchanger.

[0085] The second heat exchanger 700 is used to transfer heat or cold from the flammable refrigerant to the second working medium, and then to the indoor side equipment. The second heat exchanger 700 can be a plate heat exchanger, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, a double-pipe heat exchanger, etc.

[0086] Exemplarily, the flammable refrigerant is at the first side of the second heat exchanger 700, and the second working medium is at the second side of the second heat exchanger 700. The second working medium flows into the second side of the second heat exchanger 700 from the second side inlet 710, and the flammable refrigerant at the first side exchanges heat and then flows out from the second side outlet 720 into the indoor side.

[0087] The second heat exchanger 700 is located in the lower space 520 to block the heat transfer between the first heat exchanger 200 and the second heat exchanger 700 except for the flammable refrigerant. In this way, when the flammable refrigerant leaks from the second heat exchanger 700, the flammable refrigerant is limited in the lower space 520 and does not contact the diffusion to the upper space 510. The flammable refrigerant leaked from the second heat exchanger 700 can be prevented from contacting the electrical box 400, achieving the effect of reducing the safety hazard.

[0088] In particular, by arranging the second heat exchanger 700 in the shell, all the flammable refrigerant is located in the outdoor side and does not enter the indoor side. In this way, even if the flammable refrigerant leaks and combustion or explosion occurs, it only occurs in the outdoor side and does not affect the safety of the indoor users.

[0089] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIG. 2, the second heat exchanger 700 is a water-cooled heat exchanger and is located outside the pipeline shell 310.

[0090] In this way, heat transfer between the second heat exchanger 700 and the refrigerant connecting part 320 except for the flammable refrigerant can be avoided, preventing the influence on the heat exchange efficiency of the second heat exchanger 700 or the heat dissipation efficiency of the refrigerant connecting part 320.

[0091] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present application, as shown in FIG. 3, the pipeline part 300 is provided with a diffusion hole 330 communicating with the outside of the shell 100, and the diffusion hole 330 is located on the bottom or the side wall of the pipeline part 300.

[0092] The diffusion hole 330 is used to discharge the air in the pipeline shell 310, and in particular, when the flammable refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant connecting part 320, the flammable refrigerant can be discharged to the outside of the shell 100, preventing it from staying in the pipeline shell 310 or in the shell 100.

[0093] The diffuser 330 is located at the bottom or side wall of the piping section 300, which facilitates the timely discharge of the heavier combustible refrigerant to the outside of the casing 100.

[0094] It should be noted that the pipe housing 310 and the housing 100 may share some wall panels, such as sharing some side walls, bottom walls, etc., and the diffuser hole 330 may be located on the shared wall panel.

[0095] Of course, the diffuser hole 330 can also be two interconnected holes located on the pipe housing 310 and the housing 100.

[0096] On the other hand, components such as the compressor 322 are installed inside the piping section 300, which generate heat during operation. The diffuser hole 330 is also used to dissipate heat from inside the piping housing 310.

[0097] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present invention, as shown in FIG3, the outdoor unit further includes an exhaust fan 340, which is configured to discharge gas in the pipe housing 310 through a diffuser hole 330.

[0098] In this embodiment, the exhaust fan 340 is used to quickly exhaust the air inside the pipe housing 310. Especially when a flammable refrigerant leaks at the refrigerant connection 320, it can quickly discharge the flammable refrigerant to the outside of the housing 100, preventing it from remaining inside the pipe housing 310 or the housing 100.

[0099] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present invention, as shown in FIG3, the exhaust fan 340 is located inside the pipe housing 310 and is driven by low voltage.

[0100] Compared to the upper space 510, the internal space of the pipe housing 310 is smaller, so a lower-power exhaust fan 340 can be used for exhaust.

[0101] Meanwhile, since the exhaust fan 340 is driven by low-voltage electricity, the probability of it generating electrical sparks during operation is low. Even if flammable refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant connection 320, it will not cause combustion or explosion through the exhaust fan 340.

[0102] In some embodiments of the outdoor unit of the present invention, as shown in FIG3, the outdoor unit further includes a combustible refrigerant detector 800, which is disposed inside the pipe housing 310 and located at the bottom of the pipe housing 310.

[0103] The flammable refrigerant detector 800 is used to detect the concentration or content of flammable refrigerant in the pipe housing 310 to determine whether there is a flammable refrigerant leak. If a leak is detected, the exhaust fan 340 can be turned on to quickly discharge the flammable refrigerant to the outside of the housing 100, preventing it from spreading and lingering in the pipe housing 310 or the lower space 520, thus avoiding potential installation hazards.

[0104] In this embodiment, because the flammable refrigerant has a large specific gravity, when a leak occurs, the concentration at the lower portion is greater than the concentration at the upper portion. By arranging the flammable refrigerant detector 800 at the bottom of the pipeline housing 310, the flammable refrigerant leak can be detected more sensitively or more quickly.

[0105] In some embodiments of the air conditioner of the present application, the air conditioner comprises an indoor unit and an outdoor unit of any of the above embodiments or combinations of embodiments.

[0106] The indoor unit and the outdoor unit are connected by a line or a pipeline.

[0107] In some embodiments of the air conditioner of the present application, the indoor unit can be provided with a second heat exchanger 700. The first heat exchanger 200 is used to obtain heat or cold from the outdoor ambient air. The refrigerant connection portion 320 can include a refrigerant pipeline 321, a compressor 322, a four-way valve 323, a throttling device 324, etc., for facilitating circulation of the flammable refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 200 and the second heat exchanger 700.

[0108] The flammable refrigerant transfers the heat or cold obtained from the first heat exchanger 200 to the second heat exchanger 700, which is used to supply the heat or cold to the indoor space.

[0109] In some embodiments of the air conditioner of the present application, the outdoor unit can be provided with a first heat exchanger 200 and a second heat exchanger 700, and the indoor unit can be provided with a third heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger 200 is used to obtain heat or cold from the outdoor ambient air. The refrigerant connection portion 320 can include a refrigerant pipeline 321, a compressor 322, a four-way valve 323, a throttling device 324, etc., for facilitating circulation of the flammable refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 200 and the second heat exchanger 700.

[0110] The flammable refrigerant transfers the heat or cold obtained from the first heat exchanger 200 to the second heat exchanger 700. The second heat exchanger 700 transfers the heat or cold to a second working medium, and the second working medium transfers the heat or cold to the third heat exchanger. The third heat exchanger is used to supply the heat or cold to the indoor space.

[0111] The present application has been described in terms of several exemplary embodiments, however, many modifications and variations to those exemplary embodiments can be made in light of the above teachings without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the application, there is a full equivalency of all the features and functions of the application with other features and functions not expressly set forth, but which are inherently a part of the present application.

Claims

1. An outdoor unit for an air conditioner, comprising: case; A first heat exchanger is located within the housing; The piping section is located within the housing and below the first heat exchanger; the piping section includes a piping housing and a refrigerant connection section disposed within the piping housing; the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant connection section contain combustible refrigerant, and the refrigerant connection section is configured to allow the combustible refrigerant to flow through the first heat exchanger in a controlled manner; An electrical box, which is located inside the housing and above the piping section.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein, The outdoor unit also includes a partition, which is fixedly connected to the housing and divides the space inside the housing into an upper space and a lower space arranged vertically. The first heat exchanger and the electrical box are located within the upper space; The pipeline section is located within the lower space.

3. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein, The distance between the bottom surface of the electrical box and the partition is greater than 1 / 2 of the height of the upper space.

4. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein, The partition is horizontally positioned. The partition is a water receiving tray.

5. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein, The first heat exchanger is an air-cooled heat exchanger; The outdoor unit also includes a heat exchange fan and a heat exchange port for connecting the upper space and the outside of the housing, with the heat exchange fan located at the heat exchange port.

6. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein, The outdoor unit also includes a second heat exchanger, and the refrigerant connection is configured to allow the combustible refrigerant to circulate in a controlled manner between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger; The second heat exchanger is a water-cooled heat exchanger, and the second heat exchanger is located in the lower space.

7. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein, The pipeline section is provided with a diffusion hole that connects to the outside of the housing, and the diffusion hole is located on the bottom or side wall of the pipeline section.

8. The outdoor unit according to claim 7, wherein, The outdoor unit also includes an exhaust fan configured to discharge gas from the pipe housing through the diffuser hole.

9. The outdoor unit according to claim 8, wherein, The exhaust fan is located inside the pipe housing and is driven by low-voltage electricity.

10. The outdoor unit according to claim 8, wherein, The outdoor unit also includes a combustible refrigerant detector, which is installed inside the pipe housing and located at the bottom of the pipe housing.

11. An air conditioner comprising an indoor unit and an outdoor unit as claimed in any one of claims 1-10.

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