Indoor Unit Pipe Connection Chamber Design to Slow Refrigerant Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing split-type air-conditioning apparatus requires high accuracy in processing dimensions for on-site installation of extension pipes, leading to decreased efficiency due to the need for welding and high dimensional accuracy, which can result in insufficient sealing and potential refrigerant leakage.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cycle apparatus with a pipe connection chamber and a pipe draw-out chamber in the indoor unit, where the extension pipe penetrates a through hole, allowing the connection and arrangement of extension pipes with reduced accuracy, and the chambers function as mufflers to slow down refrigerant leakage, preventing high concentrations in indoor spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the indoor unit and extension pipe are connected by welding without joints, then refrigerant leakage is prevented, but additional jobs such as welding machine preparation and masking are needed, decreasing on-site construction efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the connection structure into separate segments: a joint body with internal sealing mechanisms and connection portions that can be assembled without welding. This segmentation allows the refrigerant-tight sealing function to be achieved through the joint's internal structure rather than requiring welded connections, thus maintaining reliability while improving installation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The joint body acts as an intermediary component between the indoor unit and extension pipe. It provides a pre-fabricated sealing interface that mediates the connection, eliminating the need for on-site welding while ensuring refrigerant-tight sealing through its internal sealing structures
2Reliability
If a hole for extension pipe penetration is highly hermetically sealed, then refrigerant leakage is prevented, but high dimensional accuracy is required for processing, decreasing on-site construction efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented from the structural hole. The joint body contains internal sealing elements (such as sealing rings or gaskets) that provide the hermetic seal, while the hole itself only needs to accommodate the joint body. This separates the high-precision sealing requirement from the low-precision structural opening, allowing easier on-site installation
Solution Approach 2:
The joint body is pre-fabricated with built-in sealing mechanisms before installation. This beforehand preparation of sealing components compensates for any dimensional variations in the hole, ensuring hermetic sealing without requiring extremely precise hole dimensions during on-site construction
3Productivity
If low accuracy in processing dimensions is used for extension pipe arrangement, then on-site construction efficiency is improved, but insufficient sealing may occur leading to refrigerant leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into the joint body (providing sealing) and the extension pipe (providing fluid passage). This allows the pipe to be installed with lower dimensional accuracy while the joint body's internal sealing structures ensure adequate sealing, decoupling the precision requirements from the actual connection interface
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism changes from relying on dimensional precision to relying on material properties (such as elastomeric sealing rings that deform to fill gaps). This parameter change allows effective sealing even when dimensional accuracy is low, improving on-site construction efficiency
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
The inside of a casing 110 constituting an indoor unit 101 of an air-conditioning apparatus 100 is laterally divided by an air passage partition 20 so that an air passage chamber 21 housing an indoor fan 7f and an indoor heat exchanger 7 is defined close to a casing side panel 117. A space in the casing 110 close to the casing side panel 118 is further vertically divided by a partition 30 having through holes 31 a and 31 b so that a pipe connection chamber 22 housing parts of the extension pipes 10a and 10b, flare joints 15a and 15b, and indoor pipes 9a and 9b is defined in an upper portion and a pipe draw-out chamber 23 in which the extension pipes 10a and 10b are arranged is defined in a lower portion. Gaps between outer peripheries of the extension pipes 10a and 10b and inner peripheries of the through holes 31 a and 31 b are filled with insulations 19a and 19b.