Outdoor unit for air conditioner

Abstract

An outdoor unit for an air conditioner comprises a control box in which a terminal block is accommodated, wherein: the terminal block has a terminal block body, an input terminal and an output terminal that are provided to the terminal block body, and a fuse that is connected between the input terminal and the output terminal; a fuse accommodation part that has an opening on the front surface side of the terminal block and accommodates the fuse is formed in the terminal block body; the fuse is covered by a fuse cover attached to the opening; and the fuse cover prevents visual recognition such that the fuse cannot be visually recognized from the outside of the terminal block.

Description

Outdoor unit of an air conditioner

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a harmonic suppression device. This harmonic suppression device connects a three-phase three-wire commercial power supply and a load device such as an air conditioner or a refrigerator via internal lines. The harmonic suppression device has a terminal block, a control circuit, a drive circuit, a ripple filter circuit, a noise filter circuit, a surge suppression circuit, a current detection circuit, a capacitor, a reactor, a fuse, and a voltage detection circuit. The fuse is configured to cut off the noise filter circuit etc. from the commercial power supply when an overcurrent flows due to a failure in the noise filter circuit etc. The terminal block and the fuse are connected by wiring.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-206032

[0004] In the harmonic suppression device as described above, since the terminal block is connected to the commercial power supply, a thick coated wire capable of withstanding a large current is used for the wiring connecting the terminal block and the fuse. Therefore, the wiring cannot be routed in a small space, and a sufficient distance is required between the terminal block and the fuse. Accordingly, there has been a problem that the degree of freedom in arranging components inside the control box decreases and the control box becomes larger.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner that can make the control box smaller.

[0006] The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present disclosure is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner including a control box in which a terminal block is housed, the terminal block having a terminal block body, input terminals and output terminals provided on the terminal block body, and a fuse connected between the input terminals and the output terminals, the terminal block body having a fuse housing portion formed with an opening on the front side of the terminal block for housing the fuse, the fuse being covered by a fuse cover attached to the opening, and the fuse cover having non-visibility such that the fuse cannot be visually recognized from outside the terminal block.

[0007] According to this disclosure, the control box in the outdoor unit of an air conditioner can be made smaller.

[0008] This is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. This is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of the control box of the outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to Embodiment 1. This is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to Embodiment 1. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an air conditioner having multiple outdoor units. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an air conditioner having multiple outdoor units. This is a front view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to Embodiment 2. This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to Embodiment 3.

[0009] The embodiments relating to this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, this disclosure includes all possible combinations of the configurations shown in each of the embodiments described below. In particular, the combinations of components are not limited to the combinations in each embodiment, and components described in one embodiment can be applied to another embodiment. In addition, in the following description, terms indicating direction (e.g., "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," "back," etc.) will be used as appropriate to facilitate understanding, but these are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit this disclosure. Also, in each drawing, components with the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and this is common throughout the entire specification. Note that the relative dimensions or shapes of each component in each drawing may differ from those of the actual components.

[0010] Embodiment 1. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to this embodiment. The vertical direction in Figure 1 represents the vertical direction. The outdoor unit 1 shown in Figure 1 is a top-flow type with the air outlet formed on the top surface, but it may also be a side-flow type with the air outlet formed on the side.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the outdoor unit 1 comprises an outdoor heat exchanger 2, a control box 4, a compressor 11, and a fan 3.

[0012] The outdoor unit 1 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, and its outer casing is made up of a housing 40. The housing 40 is made up of a top panel 41, a front panel 42, two side panels 43 and 44, a bottom panel 45, and a rear panel (not shown). The rear panel is located on the back side of the housing 40 in Figure 1. The bottom panel 45 also serves as a drain pan and discharges drain water and rainwater. The drain pan may be provided separately from the bottom panel 45. The front panel 42, side panels 43 and 44, and the rear panel are provided with air intakes for taking in outdoor air. Of the surfaces formed by the front panel 42, side panels 43 and 44, and the rear panel, at least one surface is used as a work surface when performing maintenance work.

[0013] The front panel 42, side panels 43, side panels 44, and rear panel are provided along the periphery of the bottom panel 45. The front panel 42, side panels 43, side panels 44, and rear panel extend vertically from the periphery of the bottom panel 45. Above the front panel 42, side panels 43, side panels 44, and rear panel, a top panel 41 is provided. The top panel 41 is provided with an air outlet 47 for releasing air from inside the outdoor unit 1 to the outside. A fan 3 is provided in the air outlet 47. A fan guard 46 is provided around the fan 3.

[0014] The compressor 11 draws in a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant, compresses it to a high-temperature, high-pressure state, and discharges it. The compressor 11 is an inverter compressor that can control the capacity, which is the amount of refrigerant delivered per unit time, by arbitrarily changing the drive frequency, for example.

[0015] Fan 3 takes in outdoor air through intake ports provided on the front panel 42, side panel 43, side panel 44, and rear panel, and supplies it to the outdoor heat exchanger 2. The air supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 2 is discharged from the outlet 47.

[0016] The outdoor heat exchanger 2 is positioned along the front panel 42, side panel 43, side panel 44, and rear panel. The outdoor heat exchanger 2 is positioned along the top of each panel. The outdoor heat exchanger 2 performs heat exchange between the outdoor air supplied by the fan 3 and the refrigerant. The arrows in Figure 1 show an example of the airflow taken in by the fan 3. Air is taken in through the four panels, the front panel 42, side panel 43, side panel 44, and rear panel, passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 2, and is discharged from the outlet 47. When the air conditioner is in cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 2 functions as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant and releases the heat of condensation to the outdoor air. When the air conditioner is in heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 2 functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant and absorbs the heat of vaporization from the outdoor air.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of the control box of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to this embodiment. Figure 2 shows the physical positional relationship of each component inside the control box 4. As shown in Figure 2, the control box 4 is formed in the shape of a box, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped. The control box 4 is provided with a control board 50. Electrical components such as a terminal block 51, a noise filter 52, a reactor 53, a control circuit section 54, an inverter circuit section 55, an inverter circuit section 56, and a communication circuit section 57 are mounted on the control board 50.

[0018] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to this embodiment. Figure 3 shows the terminal block 51 with the input terminal cover 71 and output terminal cover 73 removed. Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to this embodiment. The upper part of Figures 3 to 5 shows the front side of the terminal block 51. In this embodiment, a three-phase four-wire terminal block 51 is shown as an example, but the terminal block 51 can be applied to other wiring systems as well.

[0019] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the terminal block 51 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The terminal block 51 includes a terminal block body 60, a plurality of input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, an input terminal cover 71, a plurality of output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d, an output terminal cover 73, a plurality of fuses 74a, 74b, 74c, a shorting bar 75, and a fuse cover 76. The terminal block 51 is a fuse-integrated terminal block in which the terminal block body 60 and the plurality of fuses 74a, 74b, 74c are integrated. The terminal block 51 is mounted on the control board 50 in a position where the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d are located at the top and the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, 70d are located at the bottom.

[0020] The terminal block body 60 has an input terminal housing section 61, an output terminal housing section 62, and a fuse housing section 63. The input terminal housing section 61 is formed on one end of the terminal block body 60. The input terminal housing section 61 is a recess that opens on the front side of the terminal block body 60. The input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d are housed in the input terminal housing section 61. Each of the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d has a structure in which a plate-shaped metal member is bent into a Z shape. The input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d are screw terminals that are connected to a commercial power supply or the like provided outside the outdoor unit 1 via power lines and neutral lines (not shown). The connection work of the power lines and neutral lines at the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d is usually performed after the outdoor unit 1 has been installed on site.

[0021] The input terminal housing section 61 is divided into input terminal housing sections 61a, 61b, 61c, and 61d by a plurality of partition walls 66. The partition walls 66 are plate-shaped members that have insulating and invisible properties. Here, an invisible member is a member whose back side cannot be seen from the front side. Invisible members include opaque members. Input terminal 70a is housed in input terminal housing section 61a. Input terminal 70b is housed in input terminal housing section 61b. Input terminal 70c is housed in input terminal housing section 61c. Input terminal 70d is housed in input terminal housing section 61d.

[0022] The R-phase power line is connected to input terminal 70a. The S-phase power line is connected to input terminal 70b. The T-phase power line is connected to input terminal 70c. The N-phase neutral wire is connected to input terminal 70d. The terminal block body 60 or fuse cover 76 may be provided with X, Y, Z marks and an earth mark to indicate which phase each input terminal 70a to 70d corresponds to.

[0023] Each of the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d has a two-tiered structure comprising a first input terminal section 81 and a second input terminal section 82. The first input terminal section 81 and the second input terminal section 82 are positioned at different heights in the direction toward the front of the terminal block 51. In each of the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d, the first input terminal section 81 is located on the lower tier, and the second input terminal section 82 is located on the upper tier. When viewed from the front of the terminal block 51, the first input terminal section 81 and the second input terminal section 82 are arranged in parallel with each other. Another wiring is connected to the first input terminal section 81 and the second input terminal section 82. This allows two sets of wiring to be easily connected to each of the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d without interfering with each other.

[0024] The output terminal housing section 62 is formed on the other end side of the terminal block body 60. The output terminal housing section 62 is a recess that opens on the front side of the terminal block body 60. The output terminal housing section 62 houses the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d. Each of the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d has a structure in which a plate-shaped metal member is bent into a Z shape. The output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d are screw terminals that are connected to electrical equipment etc. inside the control box 4 via power lines and neutral lines (not shown).

[0025] The output terminal housing section 62 is divided into output terminal housing sections 62a, 62b, 62c, and 62d by a plurality of partition walls 67. The partition walls 67 are plate-shaped members that have insulating and invisible properties. Output terminal 72a is housed in output terminal housing section 62a. Output terminal 72b is housed in output terminal housing section 62b. Output terminal 72c is housed in output terminal housing section 62c. Output terminal 72d is housed in output terminal housing section 62d.

[0026] The fuse housing 63 is formed in the terminal block body 60 between the input terminal housing 61 and the output terminal housing 62. The fuse housing 63 is a recess with an opening 63e on the front side of the terminal block body 60. The bottom of the fuse housing 63 is formed of a material that is insulating and invisible. The fuse housing 63 houses fuses 74a, 74b, 74c and a shorting bar 75. The fuses 74a, 74b, 74c and the shorting bar 75 are inserted into the fuse housing 63 through the opening 63e. Each of the fuses 74a, 74b, and 74c is a current fuse that breaks when an overcurrent occurs.

[0027] The fuse housing 63 is separated from the input terminal housing 61 by a partition wall 64. Each of the input terminals 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d extends to the fuse housing 63. The fuse housing 63 is separated from the output terminal housing 62 by a partition wall 65. Each of the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d extends to the fuse housing 63. Both partition walls 64 and 65 are plate-shaped members that have insulating and invisible properties. As a result, the fuse housing 63 is surrounded by members that have insulating and invisible properties.

[0028] The fuse housing 63 is divided into fuse housings 63a, 63b, 63c, and 63c by a plurality of partition walls 68. The partition walls 68 are plate-shaped members that have insulating and invisible properties. A fuse 74a is housed in the fuse housing 63a. As shown in Figure 5, one terminal 74a1 of the fuse 74a is electrically connected to the input terminal 70a by a screw. The other terminal 74a2 of the fuse 74a is electrically connected to the output terminal 72a by a screw. Thus, the input terminal 70a and the output terminal 72a are electrically connected via the fuse 74a.

[0029] A fuse 74b is housed in the fuse housing 63b. One terminal of the fuse 74b is electrically connected to the input terminal 70b by a screw. The other terminal of the fuse 74b is electrically connected to the output terminal 72b by a screw. Thus, the input terminal 70b and the output terminal 72b are electrically connected via the fuse 74b.

[0030] A fuse 74c is housed in the fuse housing 63c. One terminal of the fuse 74c is electrically connected to the input terminal 70c by a screw. The other terminal of the fuse 74c is electrically connected to the output terminal 72c by a screw. Thus, the input terminal 70c and the output terminal 72c are electrically connected via the fuse 74c.

[0031] A shorting bar 75 is housed in the fuse housing 63d. One terminal of the shorting bar 75 is electrically connected to the input terminal 70d by a screw. The other terminal of the shorting bar 75 is electrically connected to the output terminal 72d by a screw. Thus, the input terminal 70d and the output terminal 72d are electrically connected via the shorting bar 75.

[0032] A fuse cover 76 is attached to the front opening 63e of the fuse housing 63. The fuses 74a, 74b, 74c and the shorting bar 75 inside the fuse housing 63 are covered by the fuse cover 76. The fuse cover 76 is fixed to the terminal block body 60 by two fixing screws 80. The fuse cover 76 is a plate-shaped member that has insulating and invisible properties. After the fuse cover 76 is attached to the terminal block 51, the fuses 74a, 74b, and 74c are not visible from the outside.

[0033] In this embodiment, the fuse cover 76 is fixed to the terminal block body 60 by fixing screws 80, but the fuse cover 76 may also be fixed to the terminal block body 60 by fitting or the like.

[0034] A latch mechanism 76a is provided at one end of the fuse cover 76. The latch mechanism 76a supports the input terminal cover 71, which will be described later. A latch mechanism 76b is provided at the other end of the fuse cover 76. The latch mechanism 76b supports the output terminal cover 73, which will be described later.

[0035] An input terminal cover 71 is mounted on the front side of the input terminal housing 61, adjacent to the fuse cover 76. The input terminal cover 71 is made of a transparent material. A rotating shaft 71a is provided at the end of the input terminal cover 71 on the fuse cover 76 side. The rotating shaft 71a is rotatably supported by a latch mechanism 76a. As a result, the input terminal cover 71 can be opened and closed vertically using the latch mechanism 76a as a pivot point.

[0036] An output terminal cover 73 is mounted on the front side of the output terminal housing 62, adjacent to the fuse cover 76. The output terminal cover 73 is made of a transparent material. A rotating shaft 73a is provided at the end of the output terminal cover 73 on the fuse cover 76 side. The rotating shaft 73a is rotatably supported by a latch mechanism 76b. As a result, the output terminal cover 73 can be opened and closed vertically using the latch mechanism 76b as a pivot point.

[0037] Figures 6 and 7 show an example of the configuration of an air conditioner having multiple outdoor units. As shown in Figure 6, this air conditioner has N outdoor units A, B, ..., N and N indoor units A, B, ..., N. The number of outdoor units and the number of indoor units may be different. Each outdoor unit is connected in parallel to each indoor unit via refrigerant piping 101 shown by solid lines and refrigerant piping 102 shown by dashed lines. The N outdoor units are controlled in coordination.

[0038] As shown in Figure 7, in the case of a three-phase four-wire system, the terminal block 51 of outdoor unit A of this air conditioner is connected to the commercial power supply by four power lines 103 (three power lines and one neutral line). In addition, the terminal block 51 of outdoor unit A is connected to the terminal block 51 of outdoor unit B by four power jumper lines 104. Thus, it is desirable that the terminal blocks 51 of at least (N-1) of the N outdoor units have a two-tiered input terminal structure 70a to 70d, as shown in the terminal blocks 51 in Figures 3 to 5. For example, in the terminal block 51 of outdoor unit A, each power line 103 is connected to the upper second input terminal section 82, and each power jumper line 104 is connected to the first input terminal section 81.

[0039] As described above, the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to this embodiment is equipped with a control box 4 that houses a terminal block 51. The terminal block 51 has a terminal block body 60, input terminals 70a to 70c and output terminals 72a to 72c provided on the terminal block body 60, and fuses 74a to 74c connected between the input terminals 70a to 70c and the output terminals 72a to 72c. The terminal block body 60 has a fuse housing section 63 formed on the front side of the terminal block 51, which has an opening 63e and houses the fuses 74a to 74c. The fuses 74a to 74c are covered by a fuse cover 76 attached to the opening 63e. The fuse cover 76 is invisible so that the fuses 74a to 74c cannot be seen from outside the terminal block 51.

[0040] With this configuration, fuses 74a to 74c can be housed in the fuse housing section 63 formed in the terminal block body 60, thus integrating the terminal block 51 and fuses 74a to 74c. This reduces the number of terminals and eliminates the need for wiring connections between the terminal block 51 and fuses 74a to 74c. As a result, the degree of freedom in arranging components within the control box 4 is improved, allowing the control box 4 to be made smaller. Furthermore, since a filter consisting of a coil can be placed in close proximity to the terminal block 51, it is also advantageous in terms of noise reduction.

[0041] Furthermore, air conditioners conforming to the North American standard UL60335 require a structure that can prevent malicious fuse replacement (for example, a service technician with low safety awareness replacing a blown fuse with an iron core). With the above configuration, fuses 74a to 74c are covered by the fuse cover 76, so fuses 74a to 74c are not visible from the outside. Therefore, unless one is aware of the structure of the terminal block 51, fuse replacement becomes impossible or difficult, thus preventing malicious fuse replacement. For this reason, the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner with the above configuration can conform to the North American standard UL60335.

[0042] In the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to this embodiment, the terminal block body 60 is fitted with an input terminal cover 71 that covers the input terminals 70a to 70c and an output terminal cover 73 that covers the output terminals 72a to 72c. The input terminal cover 71 and the output terminal cover 73 are each supported by a fuse cover 76 so as to be openable and closable.

[0043] With this configuration, the input terminals 70a to 70c are covered by the input terminal cover 71, and the output terminals 72a to 72c are covered by the output terminal cover 73, thus preventing electric shock. Furthermore, since both the input terminal cover 71 and the output terminal cover 73 can be opened and closed, wiring work at the input terminals 70a to 70c and the output terminals 72a to 72c can be easily performed.

[0044] In the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, each of the input terminals 70a to 70c has a first input terminal portion 81 and a second input terminal portion 82. The first input terminal portion 81 and the second input terminal portion 82 are provided at positions where the heights in the direction toward the front side of the terminal block 51 are different from each other.

[0045] According to this configuration, since each of the input terminals 70a to 70c can have a multi-stage structure, even when a plurality of outdoor units 1 are connected by cross wiring, the connection work at the input terminals 70a to 70c can be easily performed.

[0046] In the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the second input terminal portion 82 is provided at a position higher than the first input terminal portion 81. A power supply terminal (for example, a terminal at one end of the power supply line 103) is connected to the second input terminal portion 82. A terminal (for example, a terminal at one end of the power supply cross wire 104) connected to the terminal block of another outdoor unit is connected to the first input terminal portion 81. According to this configuration, the connection work at the input terminals 70a to 70c can be easily performed.

[0047] Embodiment 2. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the input terminal cover 71 and the output terminal cover 73 are removed from the terminal block 51. The vertical direction in FIG. 8 represents the vertical up and down direction. In the present embodiment, a three-wire terminal block 51 is illustrated.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of ventilation holes 76c are formed in the fuse cover 76. Each ventilation hole 76c is formed in a slit shape that is long in the vertical direction. The fuse housing portion 63 communicates with the space outside the terminal block 51 through the ventilation holes 76c. The fuses 74a to 74c in the fuse housing portion 63 can be visually recognized from the outside of the terminal block 51 through the ventilation holes 76c. The fuses 74a to 74c and the screws for fixing the fuses 74a to 74c may be visible through the ventilation holes 76c, but a driver cannot be inserted into the ventilation holes 76c to remove the screws for fixing the fuses 74a to 74c.

[0049] Furthermore, the partition wall 64 has multiple ventilation holes 64a. The fuse housing 63 is in communication with the space outside the terminal block 51, even through the ventilation holes 64a. The partition wall 65 has multiple ventilation holes 65a. The fuse housing 63 is in communication with the space outside the terminal block 51, even through the ventilation holes 65a. The provision of these ventilation holes 76c, 64a, and 65a promotes air convection within the fuse housing 63, thereby improving the heat dissipation of fuses 74a to 74c (not shown in Figure 8).

[0050] The fuse cover 76 is fixed to the terminal block body 60 by two fixing screws 80. The heads of the two fixing screws 80 are covered by a molded portion 83 formed on the fuse cover 76. In the manufacturing process of the terminal block 51, the molded portion 83 is formed from the molding material after the fuse cover 76 has been fixed to the terminal block body 60 by the fixing screws 80. As a result, the fixing screws 80 are not visible from the outside of the terminal block 51. Because the fixing screws 80 are not visible, the fuse cover 76 cannot be attached to or detached from the terminal block body 60. The other configurations are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0051] Alternatively, a label or the like can be used instead of the molded portion 83. That is, a label or the like may be provided on the fuse cover 76 so as to cover the heads of the two fixing screws 80. This also prevents the fixing screws 80 from being visible from the outside of the terminal block 51.

[0052] As described above, the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to this embodiment is equipped with a control box 4 that houses a terminal block 51. The terminal block 51 has a terminal block body 60, input terminals 70a to 70c and output terminals 72a to 72c provided on the terminal block body 60, and fuses 74a to 74c connected between the input terminals 70a to 70c and the output terminals 72a to 72c. The terminal block body 60 has a fuse housing section 63 formed on the front side of the terminal block 51, which has an opening 63e and houses the fuses 74a to 74c. The fuses 74a to 74c are covered by a fuse cover 76 attached to the opening 63e. The fuse cover 76 is attached to the terminal block body 60 in a way that prevents it from being detached.

[0053] With this configuration, fuses 74a to 74c can be housed in the fuse housing section 63 formed in the terminal block body 60, thus integrating the terminal block 51 and fuses 74a to 74c. This reduces the number of terminals and eliminates the need for wiring connections between the terminal block 51 and fuses 74a to 74c. As a result, the degree of freedom in arranging components within the control box 4 is improved, allowing the control box 4 to be made smaller. Furthermore, since a filter consisting of a coil can be placed in close proximity to the terminal block 51, it is also advantageous in terms of noise reduction.

[0054] Furthermore, air conditioners conforming to the North American standard UL60335 require a structure that can prevent malicious fuse replacement (for example, a service technician with low safety awareness replacing a blown fuse with an iron core). With the above configuration, since the fuse cover 76 is permanently attached to the terminal block body 60, even if fuses 74a to 74c are visible from outside the terminal block 51, fuse replacement becomes impossible or difficult, thus preventing malicious fuse replacement. For this reason, the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner with the above configuration can conform to the North American standard UL60335.

[0055] In the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to this embodiment, the fuse cover 76 is fixed to the terminal block body 60 by fixing screws 80. The fixing screws 80 are an example of fixing members. The fixing screws 80 are provided so as not to be visible from the outside of the terminal block 51.

[0056] With this configuration, the fixing screws 80 that secure the fuse cover 76 are not visible from the outside of the terminal block 51, making it impossible to attach or detach the fuse cover 76 from the terminal block body 60. Therefore, fuse replacement becomes impossible or difficult, preventing malicious fuse replacement.

[0057] Embodiment 3. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 3 will be described. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal block according to this embodiment. Figure 9 shows the state in which the input terminal cover 71 and the output terminal cover 73 have been removed from the terminal block 51.

[0058] As shown in Figure 9, each of the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d has a two-tiered structure comprising a first output terminal section 84 and a second output terminal section 85. The first output terminal section 84 and the second output terminal section 85 are positioned at different heights in the direction toward the front of the terminal block 51. In each of the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d, the first output terminal section 84 is located on the lower tier, and the second output terminal section 85 is located on the upper tier. When viewed from the front of the terminal block 51, the first output terminal section 84 and the second output terminal section 85 are arranged in parallel with each other. Another wiring is connected to the first output terminal section 84 and the second output terminal section 85. This allows two sets of wiring to be easily connected to each of the output terminals 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d without interfering with each other. The other configurations are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0059] As described above, in the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to this embodiment, each of the output terminals 72a to 72c has a first output terminal section 84 and a second output terminal section 85. The first output terminal section 84 and the second output terminal section 85 are provided at positions where their heights are different from each other in the direction toward the front side of the terminal block 51.

[0060] When multiple outdoor units 1 are connected by jumper wiring, the jumper wiring is connected to the first output terminal section 84 or the second output terminal section 85 of the output terminals 72a to 72c, respectively. In this case, it is possible to achieve a configuration in which the terminal block 51 of this embodiment is used for the terminal block of one representative outdoor unit 1, and general terminal blocks that do not have integrated fuses are used for the terminal blocks of the other outdoor units.

[0061] In the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner according to this embodiment, the second output terminal section 85 is located at a higher position than the first output terminal section 84. Terminals of components unrelated to the outdoor unit 1 (for example, terminals for connecting to optional parts installed on-site) are connected to the second output terminal section 85. Terminals of components inside the control box 4 are connected to the first output terminal section 84. This configuration makes it easy to perform wiring work at the output terminals 72a to 72c.

[0062] 1 Outdoor unit, 2 Outdoor heat exchanger, 3 Fan, 4 Control box, 11 Compressor, 40 Enclosure, 41 Top panel, 42 Front panel, 43 Side panel, 44 Side panel, 45 Bottom panel, 46 Fan guard, 47 Air outlet, 50 Control board, 51 Terminal block, 52 Noise filter, 53 Reactor, 54 Control circuit section, 55 Inverter circuit section, 56 Inverter circuit section, 57 Communication circuit section, 60 Terminal block body, 61 Input terminal housing, 61a Input terminal housing, 61b Input terminal housing, 61c Input terminal housing, 61d Input terminal housing, 62 Output terminal housing, 62a Output terminal housing, 62b Output terminal housing, 62c Output terminal housing, 62d Output terminal housing, 63 Fuse housing, 63a Fuse housing, 63b Fuse housing, 63c Fuse housing, 63d Fuse housing, 63e Opening, 64 Partition wall, 64a Ventilation hole, 65 Partition wall, 65a Ventilation hole, 66 Partition wall, 67 Partition wall, 68 Partition wall, 70a Input terminal, 70b Input terminal, 70c Input terminal, 70d Input terminal, 71 Input terminal cover, 71a Rotating shaft, 72a Output terminal, 72b Output terminal, 72c Output terminal, 72d Output terminal, 73 Output terminal cover, 73a Rotating shaft, 74a Fuse, 74a1 Terminal, 74a2 Terminal, 74b Fuse, 74c Fuse, 75 Shorting bar, 76 Fuse cover, 76a Latch mechanism, 76b Latch mechanism, 76c Ventilation hole, 80 Fixing screw, 81 First input terminal section, 82 83 Second input terminal section, 84 Molded section, 84 First output terminal section, 85 Second output terminal section, 101 Refrigerant piping, 102 Refrigerant piping, 103 Power line, 104 Power jumper line.

Claims

1. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner equipped with a control box housing a terminal block, wherein the terminal block comprises: a terminal block body; input terminals and output terminals provided on the terminal block body; and a fuse connected between the input terminals and the output terminals, the terminal block body having an opening on the front side of the terminal block for housing the fuse, the fuse being covered by a fuse cover attached to the opening, and the fuse cover being invisible so that the fuse cannot be seen from outside the terminal block.

2. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner equipped with a control box housing a terminal block, wherein the terminal block comprises: a terminal block body; input terminals and output terminals provided on the terminal block body; and a fuse connected between the input terminals and the output terminals, the terminal block body having an opening on the front side of the terminal block for housing the fuse, the fuse being covered by a fuse cover attached to the opening, and the fuse cover being irremovably attached to the terminal block body.

3. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the terminal block body is fitted with an input terminal cover that covers the input terminals and an output terminal cover that covers the output terminals, and each of the input terminal cover and the output terminal cover is supported by the fuse cover so as to be openable and closable.

4. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the input terminal has a first input terminal section and a second input terminal section, and the first input terminal section and the second input terminal section are provided at positions where their heights in the direction toward the front side of the terminal block are different from each other.

5. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the second input terminal section is provided at a higher position than the first input terminal section, a power terminal is connected to the second input terminal section, and a terminal that is connected to the terminal block of another outdoor unit is connected to the first input terminal section.

6. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fuse cover is fixed to the terminal block body by a fixing member, and the fixing member is provided in such a way that it cannot be seen from the outside of the terminal block.

7. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the output terminal has a first output terminal section and a second output terminal section, and the first output terminal section and the second output terminal section are provided at positions where their heights in the direction toward the front side of the terminal block are different from each other.

8. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the second output terminal section is located at a higher position than the first output terminal section, terminals of components unrelated to the outdoor unit are connected to the second output terminal section, and terminals of components of the control box are connected to the first output terminal section.

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