Receiver drier

Abstract

The present invention prevents strainer deformation and damage, etc., while ensuring a degree of design freedom of a receiver drier.　The receiver dryer comprises a body portion having a bottom wall portion that has a downward protruding shape, a receiver main body portion that closes an opening in the body portion and that has a straight outflow hole that penetrates therethrough at a position offset outward from the center of the receiver main body portion, an outflow pipe that is attached to the outflow hole and is disposed inside the body portion, and a strainer that is attached to the outflow pipe and is disposed inside the body portion and that includes a mesh, wherein: the bottom wall portion includes a flat surface portion at its center and a connecting portion connecting the flat surface portion and a side wall portion; an upper surface of the flat surface portion is a flat surface orthogonal to the axis of the body portion; the outflow pipe is disposed such that a lower end pipe opening thereof faces the flat surface portion; a filter portion of the strainer includes a gradually decreasing portion having a cross-sectional area in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the body portion that gradually decreases in a downward direction; and the gradually decreasing portion faces the connecting portion of the bottom wall portion.

Description

Receiver dryer

[0001] The present invention relates to a receiver dryer.

[0002] Conventionally, in a refrigeration cycle, a receiver dryer is disposed on the downstream side of a condenser in order to perform gas-liquid separation treatment on a circulating refrigerant and store it. The receiver dryer into which high-pressure refrigerant flows needs to have a shape that can withstand high pressure. As an example of a high-pressure resistant shape, there is known a technique of improving the strength without increasing the wall thickness by making the bottom wall of the body part protrude downward in a frustum of a cone shape or the like. When such a downward protruding shape is adopted for the receiver dryer, in order to improve the refrigerant suction property, the outflow pipe is arranged coaxially with the body part and opposed to the central part of the downward protruding shape, which is the deepest part of the internal space of the body part. Patent Document 1 discloses a receiver dryer having such a configuration.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-324847

[0004] Referring to FIG. 7, the configuration of a conventional receiver dryer will be described. FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a conventional receiver dryer. As shown in FIG. 7, the receiver dryer 101 includes a tank body 110, an outflow pipe 140 disposed in the tank body 110, a bag 130 containing a desiccant (moisture absorbent) DA, and a strainer 120.

[0005] The tank body 110 includes a body part 111 and a receiver main body part 115. The body part 111 is configured by connecting a side wall part 113 and a bottom wall part 114 continuously from above.

[0006] The bottom wall part 114 has a shape that protrudes downward in a frustum of a cone shape as a whole. The bottom wall part 114 includes a connection part 114a connected to the lower end of the side wall part 113 and a flat part 114b. The center and the surrounding range of the flat part 114b are formed by a plane orthogonal to the axis of the body part 111.

[0007] The receiver body 115 has an inlet 116 and an outlet 117. The outlet 117 includes a connecting passage 117a to which the outlet pipe 140 is connected, an outlet passage 117c hanging down from the upper surface of the receiver body 115, and a connecting passage 117b that connects the connecting passage 117a and the outlet passage 117c. Here, the connecting passage 117a is formed coaxially with the body 111. The axial direction of the connecting passage 117b is formed to be perpendicular to the axial direction of the body 111. The outlet passage 117c and the inlet 116 are arranged on both sides of the axis of the receiver body 115.

[0008] The outflow pipe 140 is a straight pipe. The upper end of the outflow pipe 140 is connected to the connecting passage 117a of the outflow hole 117 and is arranged coaxially with the body portion 111. The lower end of the outflow pipe 140 extends to the vicinity of the flat portion 114b of the bottom wall portion 114. The lower end pipe opening 141 of the outflow pipe 140 faces the flat portion 114b, which is the deepest part of the body portion 111.

[0009] The strainer 120 is attached to the lower part of the outlet pipe 140. The strainer 120 includes a mounting portion 121 that is attached to the outlet pipe 140 and a filter portion 122 that collects foreign matter contained in the liquid refrigerant and allows the refrigerant to pass through. The filter portion 122 has a cylindrical tubular portion 122a that forms the side surface of the filter portion 122 and a flat portion 122c that forms the bottom surface of the filter portion 122.

[0010] In order to obtain the gas-liquid separation function, the receiver dryer 101 needs to have various components such as an inlet pipe (not shown) and a bag 130 containing a desiccant (hygroscopic agent) DA inside the tank body 110. However, if the outlet pipe 140 is arranged coaxially with the body 111, the arrangement of these components is restricted, which reduces the design flexibility.

[0011] Furthermore, when welding the receiver body 115 to the fuselage 111, in order to minimize the effects of the welding, the inlet hole 116 and outlet hole 117 are required to be formed on the central side away from the outer circumference of the receiver body 115. However, since the inlet hole 116 and outlet hole 117 (outlet passage 117c) are located on both sides of the axis of the receiver body 115, there is a problem that the overall shape of the outlet hole 117 becomes complex in order to form the connecting passage 117a coaxially with the fuselage 111.

[0012] To address these issues, it is conceivable to form the outflow hole 117 eccentrically with respect to the center of the receiver body 115, making the outflow hole 117 a straight through-hole.

[0013] Figure 8 shows an example where the outlet hole is a straight through-hole. As shown in Figure 8, by configuring the connecting passage 117a and the outlet passage 117c in a straight line, the shape of the outlet hole 117 becomes simple. In addition, the outlet pipe 140 can be shifted outward from the axis of the body portion 111, and the lower end pipe opening 141 can be positioned to face the flat portion 114b of the bottom wall portion 114, thereby improving the degree of design freedom and ensuring refrigerant suction.

[0014] However, receiver dryers are often used in environments with vibration, such as in vehicle air conditioning systems. Therefore, adopting a configuration like that shown in Figure 8 may lead to other problems.

[0015] Figure 9 shows an example where the outlet pipe is tilted. As shown in Figure 9, when vibration is applied to the receiver dryer 101, the outlet pipe 140 tilts, causing the corner of the filter portion 122 of the strainer 120 (the part where the cylindrical portion 122a and the flat portion 122c are connected) to come into contact with the connection portion 114a of the bottom wall portion 114. If this is repeated, the strainer 120 may deform or break.

[0016] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a technology that prevents deformation or damage to the strainer while ensuring the design flexibility of the receiver dryer.

[0017] To solve the above-mentioned problems, one representative receiver dryer of the present invention comprises a body portion having an open upper end and a side wall portion and a bottom wall portion connected to the lower end of the side wall portion and having a downwardly protruding shape; a receiver body portion provided in the opening of the body portion, having an outlet hole formed therein in a straight line at a position offset outward from the center of the receiver body portion; an outlet pipe attached to the outlet hole and disposed inside the body portion; and a strainer attached to the outlet pipe and disposed inside the body portion, the strainer including a mesh. In this receiver dryer, the bottom wall portion has a flat portion at its center and a connecting portion connecting the flat portion and the side wall portion, the upper surface of the flat portion is a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body portion, the outlet pipe is arranged so that its lower end pipe opening faces the flat portion, and the mesh of the strainer includes a gradually decreasing portion in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the outlet pipe gradually decreases downward, and the gradually decreasing portion faces the connecting portion of the bottom wall portion.

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that prevents deformation or damage to the strainer while ensuring the design flexibility of the receiver dryer. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

[0019] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a receiver dryer according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of a strainer according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of a receiver dryer according to the second embodiment. Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of a receiver dryer according to a comparative example. Figure 5 shows an example of the lower end position of the outlet pipe inside the strainer. Figure 6 shows a modified example of the strainer. Figure 7 shows an example of a conventional receiver dryer. Figure 8 shows an example where the outlet hole is a straight through-hole. Figure 9 shows an example where the outlet pipe is tilted.

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, in the drawings, identical parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0021] The positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges of the components shown in the drawings may not represent their actual positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the positions, sizes, shapes, and ranges disclosed in the drawings.

[0022] In this specification, "upper" refers to the receiver body side of the receiver dryer, and "lower" refers to the bottom wall side of the fuselage. The axis also includes the extension of that axis. Coaxial means not only perfectly coaxial but also nearly coaxial. Nearly coaxial includes cases where it is not perfectly coaxial due to manufacturing tolerances.

[0023] (First Embodiment) Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of the receiver dryer 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0024] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a receiver dryer according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the receiver dryer 1 includes a tank body 10, an outlet pipe 40 located inside the tank body 10, a bag 30 containing a desiccant (hygroscopic agent) DA, and a strainer 20.

[0025] The tank body 10 comprises a fuselage section 11 and a receiver body section 15.

[0026] The body portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open upper end, and as an example, it is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. Here, a bottomed cylindrical shape is not limited to a cylindrical shape with only one end open, but also includes a cylindrical shape with both ends open and one end closed by a separate member. The body portion 11 may be made of, for example, an aluminum alloy.

[0027] In this embodiment, the body portion 11 is constructed by connecting a side wall portion 13 and a bottom wall portion 14 from above. The side wall portion 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0028] The bottom wall portion 14 has a shape that protrudes downward in a frustoconical shape as a whole. The bottom wall portion 14 includes a connecting portion 14a connected to the lower end of the side wall portion 13 and a flat portion 14b. The flat portion 14b constitutes the center of the bottom wall portion 14 and its surrounding area. The upper surface of the flat portion 14b is formed by a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body portion 11. Here, a perpendicular plane includes a perfectly perpendicular plane and a surface that has a slight error in shape relative to that plane. A surface with an error includes cases where it is not a perfectly perpendicular plane due to manufacturing errors. In this example, the thickness of the bottom wall portion 14 is constant. Therefore, the lower surface of the flat portion 14b is also formed by a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body portion 11. Also, in this example, in a side view, the connecting portion 14a and the flat portion 14b are at approximately 160 degrees.

[0029] The receiver body 15 consists of an upper disc portion 15a and a lower disc portion 15b, which has a smaller diameter than the upper disc portion 15a, connected coaxially. The receiver body 15 closes the opening at the upper end of the body portion 11. Both the outer circumference of the upper disc portion 15a and the outer circumference of the lower disc portion 15b are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. Here, "substantially cylindrical shape" means that when viewed in cross-section perpendicular to the axis, the outer circumference is circular in shape with a diameter that is substantially constant in the axial direction.

[0030] The upper disc portion 15a of the receiver body 15 is joined to the side wall portion 13 of the body portion 11 by circumferential joining, for example, by welding. The receiver body 15 may be made of, for example, an aluminum alloy.

[0031] In this embodiment, the receiver body 15 is coaxial with the fuselage 11 as a whole. However, depending on the shape of the receiver body 15, it does not have to be coaxial. For example, if the lower disc portion 15b is eccentric with respect to the upper disc portion 15a, the lower disc portion 15b will not be coaxial with the fuselage 11.

[0032] The receiver body 15 has an inlet 16 and an outlet 17. Both the inlet 16 and the outlet 17 pass straight through the receiver body 15. The inlet 16 and the outlet 17 are positioned on either side of the axis of the receiver body 15. The axis of the outlet 17 is parallel to the axis of the receiver body 15. Here, parallel includes perfectly parallel and approximately parallel. Approximately parallel includes cases where they are not perfectly parallel due to manufacturing errors, for example. Therefore, the axis of the outlet 17 is parallel to the axis of the body 11. In this example, the axis of the inlet 16 is also parallel to the axis of the receiver body 15.

[0033] The outlet pipe 40 is a straight pipe. The outlet pipe 40 is attached to a connecting passage 17a that forms, for example, the lower part of the outlet hole 17. The outlet pipe 40 extends to the vicinity of the flat portion 14b of the bottom wall portion 14. To improve refrigerant suction, the outlet pipe 40 is positioned so that its lower end pipe opening 41 faces the flat portion 14b, which is the deepest part of the body portion 11. The appearance of the outlet pipe 40 is cylindrical. That is, the outer edge of the cross-section perpendicular to the axis of the outlet pipe 40 is circular.

[0034] The strainer 20 is installed at the bottom of the outlet pipe 40. The strainer 20 is mounted coaxially with the outlet pipe 40. The lower end of the outlet pipe 40 is positioned inside the strainer 20. The strainer 20 collects foreign matter contained in the refrigerant before it flows into the lower end of the outlet pipe 40.

[0035] Next, with reference to Figure 2, the configuration of the strainer 20 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the strainer according to the first embodiment. The strainer 20 of this embodiment includes a mounting portion 21 that is attached to the outlet pipe 40 and a filter portion 22 that is attached to the mounting portion 21 and collects foreign matter contained in the liquid refrigerant.

[0036] The mounting portion 21 is provided coaxially with the outflow pipe 40. The mounting portion 21 has a cylindrical portion 21a and a flange portion 21b. The cylindrical portion 21a is cylindrical in shape, and the outflow pipe 40 is fixed inside it. The fixing means is, for example, fitting, welding, etc. The flange portion 21b is, for example, annular and extends radially outward from the lower end edge of the cylindrical portion 21a.

[0037] The filter section 22 is fixed to the flange 21b of the mounting section 21. The filter section 22 is, for example, coaxial with the mounting section 21. That is, the filter section 22 is coaxial with the outflow pipe 40. The filter section 22 has a shape that bulges downward. For example, the filter section 22 is bottomed cylindrical, truncated cone, bowl-shaped, etc. Also, the filter section 22 is formed of, for example, a metal mesh. Thus, in this embodiment, the filter section 22 constitutes a part of the outer surface of the strainer 20. However, for example, if one end of the filter section 22 is fixed to the outflow pipe 40 without a separate member such as the mounting section 21, the filter section 22 becomes the strainer, and the filter section 22 constitutes the entire outer surface of the strainer. Thus, the filter section 22 may be configured to constitute at least a part of the outer surface of the strainer 20.

[0038] In this example, the filter portion 22 has a cylindrical tubular portion 22a that forms the side surface of the filter portion 22, a flat portion 22c that forms the bottom surface of the filter portion 22, and a bowl-shaped portion 22b that connects the tubular portion 22a and the flat portion 22c. The upper end of the tubular portion 22a is fixed to the flange portion 21b of the mounting portion 21. Specifically, the upper end of the tubular portion 22a is formed in a flange shape that extends radially outward. This outer circumference is crimped and fixed to the outer circumference of the flange portion 21b. More specifically, the outer circumference of the flange portion 21b is folded radially inward, and this folded portion is crimped and fixed. Note that the above-described fixing of the filter portion 22 to the mounting portion 21 is just one example.

[0039] The bowl-shaped portion 22b has a circular arc shape in its cross-section including the axis (i.e., a shape without corners). The cross-sectional area of ​​the cylindrical portion 22a in the direction perpendicular to the axis gradually decreases toward the flat portion 22c. The flat portion 22c is positioned to face the planar portion 14b of the bottom wall portion 14.

[0040] As a result, even when the outlet pipe 40 is tilted due to vibration or the like, the filter portion 22 of the strainer 20 is prevented from contacting the bottom wall portion 14 of the body portion 11.

[0041] In the present embodiment, by adopting the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent deformation, breakage, etc. of the strainer 20 while ensuring the freedom of design of the receiver dryer 1.

[0042] (Second Embodiment) Generally, the shape of the tank body of a receiver dryer varies depending on perspectives such as pressure resistance and the arrangement relationship with surrounding members, and the shape of the bottom wall portion of the tank body is no exception. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a tank body in which the bottom wall portion protrudes more significantly downward compared to the tank body 10 of the first embodiment.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be explained that the present invention is also effective for such a shape of the tank body. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the receiver dryer of the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a comparative example of the receiver dryer.

[0044] The receiver dryer 51 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has a different shape of the tank body 60, particularly the shape of the bottom wall portion 64 of the body portion 61, compared to the receiver dryer 1 of the first embodiment. However, since the other configurations are the same as those of the receiver dryer 1, the description of the configurations other than the bottom wall portion 64 will be omitted. Also, the receiver dryer 151 of the comparative example shown in FIG. 4 has a different shape of the tank body 160, particularly the shape of the bottom wall portion 164 of the body portion 161, compared to the receiver dryer 101 of FIG. 8. However, since the other configurations are the same as those of the receiver dryer 101, the description of the configurations other than the bottom wall portion 164 will be omitted.

[0045] The bottom wall portion 64 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has a shape that protrudes downward in a frustum of a cone shape as a whole, similar to the bottom wall portion 14 of the first embodiment. The bottom wall portion 64 includes a connecting portion 64a connected to the lower end of the side wall portion 63 and a flat portion 64b. The center and the surrounding range of the flat portion 64b are formed by a plane orthogonal to the axis of the body portion 61. In the present embodiment, in a side view, the connecting portion 64a and the flat portion 64b form an angle of approximately 140 degrees. The fact that this angle is smaller compared to the first embodiment is the difference between the two.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, a strainer 20 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is adopted for the tank body 60. As a result, the outflow pipe 40 can be disposed at a position separated from the axis of the tank body 60 by a distance L to the outside.

[0047] On the other hand, the receiver dryer 151 of the comparative example shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that, in the receiver dryer 101 of FIG. 8, the tank body 110 is replaced with a tank body 160 having the same shape as the tank body 60 of FIG. 3.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 4, in the receiver dryer 151 of the comparative example, when the outflow pipe 140 is disposed at a position separated from the axis of the tank body 160 by a distance L to the outside as in FIG. 3, it does not work well. That is, the corner portion of the filter portion 122 of the strainer 120 (the portion where the cylindrical portion 122a and the flat portion 122c are connected) comes into contact with the connection portion 114a of the bottom wall portion 64. Therefore, the outflow pipe 140 has to be disposed within a range closer to the axis than the position separated from the axis of the tank body 160 by a distance L to the outside.

[0049] Thus, in this embodiment, even if the bottom wall portion 164 of the tank body 160 protrudes significantly downward, the arrangement range of the outflow pipe 40 can be ensured, so that the degree of freedom in the design of the receiver dryer 151 can be guaranteed.

[0050] (Relationship between the position of the outflow pipe and the position of the strainer in the body portion) Next, referring to FIG. 5, the relationship between the position of the outflow pipe 40 and the position of the strainer 20 in the body portion 11 will be described.

[0051] Figure 5 shows an example of the relationship between the lower end position of the outlet pipe and the position of the strainer within the main body. In Figure 5, distance a represents the distance from the inner surface (upper surface) of the flat portion 14b of the bottom wall portion 14 to the lower end pipe opening 41 of the outlet pipe 40. This corresponds to the liquid level height at which refrigerant suction begins and is generally determined according to the suction performance required of the receiver dryer 1. P is the set of points in the filter portion 22 that are closest to the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of the outlet pipe at distance b. Also, c is the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet pipe. In this example, the filter portion 22 is configured to include a cylindrical portion 22a, a bowl-shaped portion 22b, and a flat portion 22c. Therefore, the portion P in the filter portion 22 that is closest to the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of the outlet pipe is located in the bowl-shaped portion 22b.

[0052] In order to ensure optimal refrigerant suction performance of the outlet pipe 40, it is preferable that even if the filter section 22 becomes partially clogged during use, a sufficient supply of refrigerant can be maintained up to the lower end of the outlet pipe 40. In other words, even if the filter section 22 becomes partially clogged, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path up to the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the outlet pipe 40.

[0053] The areas in the filter section 22 that are prone to clogging are those through which the refrigerant easily passes. This is specifically the area that faces the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the area in the filter section 22 where clogging occurs expands outward as the system is used.

[0054] Thus, even if clogging occurs in the filter section 22 in the area facing the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 in the vertical direction, and the clogging area further expands outward, the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path between the part P closest to the outer edge of the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 in the filter section 22 and the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the outlet pipe 40. This prevents a situation where the amount of refrigerant reaching the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 is less than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path of the outlet pipe 40. In other words, it becomes possible to optimize the refrigerant suction performance of the outlet pipe 40.

[0055] As described above, the position of the lower end of the outlet pipe 40 corresponds to the liquid level height at which refrigerant suction begins. This is generally determined according to the suction performance required of the receiver dryer 1. In other words, distance a is a fixed value. By positioning the strainer 20 in a suitable position relative to the outlet pipe 40, whose position (distance a) is determined in this way, the refrigerant suction performance of the outlet pipe 40 can be optimized. To put it another way, since the position of the outlet pipe 40 is fixed by distance a, the suitable position of the strainer 20 relative to the outlet pipe 40 is the suitable position of the strainer 20 relative to the body 11.

[0056] The preferred position of the strainer 20 relative to the body portion 11 will be explained in detail. Assume a frustoconical shape with the lower end of the outflow pipe 40 as the upper base and the imaginary circle formed by portion P as the lower base. In this case (in Figure 5, the cross section parallel to the axis of the outflow pipe 40 of this frustoconical shape is shown by a dotted line), if the distance from the upper base to the lower base of this frustoconical shape is f, then in order for the area of ​​the side surface of the frustoconical shape to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area c of the outflow pipe 40, the following relationship must be satisfied, where d is the diameter of the upper base of the frustoconical shape (the diameter of the lower end of the outflow pipe 40) and e is the diameter of the lower base: c < π(d / 2 + e / 2)((e / 2 - d / 2) ２ +f ２ ) １／２

[0057] In this equation, d is a predetermined value. By adjusting the vertical position of the strainer 20 relative to the outflow pipe 40, the position of section P is changed, and the values ​​e and f are changed accordingly. That is, the position where e and f satisfy the above equation is the suitable position for the strainer 20 relative to the body section 11. Note that the term "frustoconical" here refers to an approximate shape, not a precise one.

[0058] (Modifications) Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0059] Figure 6 shows a modified example of the strainer. For example, in the first and second embodiments, the portion of the strainer 20 where the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the outflow pipe gradually decreases downwards (gradual reduction portion) is, as an example, a bowl-shaped portion 22b. However, as another example (modification), it may be a frustoconical portion.

[0060] This modified strainer 24 will be explained using Figure 6(a). As shown in Figure 6(a), the strainer 24 has a mounting portion 21 and a filter portion 25. The filter portion 25 has a cylindrical tube portion 25a that forms the side surface, a flat portion 25c that forms the bottom surface of the filter portion 25, and a frustoconical portion 25b that connects the cylindrical portion 25a and the flat portion 25c.

[0061] The flat section 25c is circular in shape when viewed from above. The flat section 25c is arranged coaxially with the filter section 25. The diameter of the flat section 25c is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical section 25a. The frustoconical section 25b is frustoconical in shape, with its diameter decreasing from the lower end of the cylindrical section 25a towards the flat section 25c.

[0062] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the filter portion 22 of the strainer 20 is composed of a cylindrical portion 22a that forms the side surface of the filter portion 22, a flat portion 22c that forms the bottom surface of the filter portion 22, and a bowl-shaped portion 22b that connects the cylindrical portion 22a and the flat portion 22c. However, it is not limited to this. The filter portion 22 may also be configured without the cylindrical portion 22a and the flat portion 22c.

[0063] This modified strainer 26 will be explained using Figure 6(b). As shown in Figure 6(b), the strainer 26 has a mounting portion 21 and a filter portion 27. The filter portion 27 has neither a cylindrical portion nor a flat portion, and is composed only of a bowl-shaped portion 27b. In other words, the filter portion 27 is hemispherical.

[0064] In addition, the modified example shown in Figure 6(b) has a bowl-shaped portion 27b as the tapering section, but instead, a frustoconical portion as shown in Figure 6(a) may be used as the tapering section. In other words, the modified example shown in Figure 6(a) may have a configuration in which the filter section 25 does not have a cylindrical portion 25a and a flat portion 25c. In this modified example, the filter section 25 is conical.

[0065] Furthermore, the filter section 22 may be configured to include either a cylindrical section 22a or a flat section 22c, in addition to a tapering section (for example, a bowl-shaped section 22b). That is, the filter section 27 in Figure 6(b) may be configured to include a cylindrical section 25a as shown in Figure 6(a). Alternatively, the filter section 27 may be configured to include a flat section 25c as shown in Figure 6(a). Similarly, the filter section 25 in Figure 6(a) may be configured not to include a cylindrical section 25a. Alternatively, the filter section 25 in Figure 6(a) may be configured not to include a flat section 25c.

[0066] Furthermore, the filter section 22 may include a portion of any shape between the tapering section (e.g., the bowl-shaped section 22b) and the cylindrical section 22a or the flat section 22c. For example, a portion of a frustoconical section, as shown in Figure 6(a), can be interposed between the tapering section (e.g., the bowl-shaped section 22b) and the cylindrical section 22a, or between the tapering section (e.g., the bowl-shaped section 22b) and the flat section 22c.

[0067] As described above, the filter portion of the strainer of the present invention may have a configuration in which there are no corners in the portion facing the connection portion of the bottom wall, regardless of whether there is a cylindrical portion or a flat portion. In other words, the portion facing the connection portion of the bottom wall may have a configuration in which the cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the outflow pipe gradually decreases downwards. Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, a configuration was described in which the lower end of the outflow pipe 40 is located inside the filter portion 22. In other examples, the lower end of the outflow pipe 40 may be located inside the mounting portion 21, that is, the lower end of the outflow pipe 40 may not be located inside the filter portion 22.

[0068] Furthermore, this specification also includes disclosure of the following inventions. (First Embodiment) A receiver dryer comprising: a body portion having an upper end that is open and having a side wall portion and a bottom wall portion connected to the lower end of the side wall portion and having a downwardly protruding shape; a receiver body portion provided in the opening of the body portion, wherein an outflow hole is formed therein, which is linearly penetrating at a position offset outward from the center of the receiver body portion; an outflow pipe attached to the outflow hole and disposed within the body portion; and a strainer attached to the outflow pipe and disposed within the body portion, the strainer including a mesh, wherein the bottom wall portion has a flat portion at its center and a connecting portion connecting the flat portion and the side wall portion; the upper surface of the flat portion is a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body portion; the outflow pipe is disposed such that its lower end pipe opening faces the flat portion; and the mesh of the strainer includes a tapering portion whose cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the outflow pipe gradually decreases downward, and the tapering portion faces the connecting portion of the bottom wall portion.

[0069] (Second embodiment) The receiver dryer of the first embodiment, characterized in that the tapering portion of the mesh is bowl-shaped or frustoconical.

[0070] (Third embodiment) The receiver dryer of the first or second embodiment, wherein the mesh comprises, in addition to the tapering portion, at least one of a cylindrical tube portion connected above the tapering portion and a flat portion connected below and perpendicular to the axis of the tube portion, and the flat portion faces the planar portion of the bottom wall.

[0071] (Fourth embodiment) A receiver dryer according to any of the first to third embodiments, wherein the strainer is arranged coaxially with the outflow pipe, the outflow pipe is cylindrical, and when the lower end of the outflow pipe is taken as the upper base surface, and the virtual circle formed by the set of points closest to the outer edge of the lower end of the outflow pipe in the tapering portion of the strainer is taken as the lower base surface, the distance along the axis of the outflow pipe from the upper base surface to the lower base surface is set such that the area of ​​the frustoconical side surface having the upper base surface and the lower base surface is greater than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the outflow pipe.

[0072] 1, 51, 101, 151: Receiver dryer 10, 110, 160: Tank body 11, 61, 111, 161: Main body 13, 63, 113, 163: Side wall 14, 64, 114, 164: Bottom wall 14a, 64a, 114a, 164a: Connection part 14b, 64b, 114b, 164b: Flat part 15, 115: Receiver body part 15a: Upper disc part 15b: Lower disc part 16, 116: Inlet hole 17, 117: Outlet hole 20, 24, 26, 120: Strainer 21, 121: Mounting part 22, 25, 27, 122: Filter part 22a, 25a, 122a: Cylinder part 22b, 27b: Bowl-shaped section 22c, 25c, 122c: Flat section 25b: Truncus section 30, 130: Bag containing desiccant (hygroscopic agent) DA 40, 140: Outlet pipe 41, 141: Lower pipe opening 117a: Connecting passage 117b: Connecting passage 117c: Outlet passage

Claims

1. A receiver dryer comprising: a body portion having an upper end that is open and having a side wall portion and a bottom wall portion connected to the lower end of the side wall portion and having a downwardly protruding shape; a receiver body portion provided in the opening of the body portion, wherein an outflow hole is formed therein, linearly penetrating at a position offset outward from the center of the receiver body portion; an outflow pipe attached to the outflow hole and disposed within the body portion; and a strainer attached to the outflow pipe and disposed within the body portion, the strainer including a mesh, wherein the bottom wall portion has a flat portion at its center and a connecting portion connecting the flat portion and the side wall portion; the upper surface of the flat portion is a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body portion; the outflow pipe is disposed such that its lower end pipe opening faces the flat portion; and the mesh of the strainer includes a tapering portion whose cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the outflow pipe gradually decreases downward, and the tapering portion faces the connecting portion of the bottom wall portion.

2. The receiver dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that the tapering portion of the mesh is bowl-shaped or truncated cone-shaped.

3. The receiver dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mesh comprises, in addition to the tapering portion, at least one of a cylindrical tube portion connected above the tapering portion and a flat portion connected below the tapering portion, the lower surface of which is a plane perpendicular to the axis of the tapering portion, and the flat portion faces the flat portion of the bottom wall.

4. The receiver dryer according to claim 1, wherein the strainer is arranged coaxially with the outflow pipe, the outflow pipe is cylindrical, and when the lower end of the outflow pipe is taken as the upper base and the virtual circle formed by the set of points closest to the outer edge of the lower end of the outflow pipe in the tapering portion of the strainer is taken as the lower base, the distance along the axis of the outflow pipe from the upper base to the lower base is set such that the area of ​​the frustoconical side surface having the upper base and the lower base is greater than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the outflow pipe.

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