JP7047402B2 - Electrical components module - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical component module attached to a machine room at the back of a service panel in front of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

As shown in FIG. 12, a general air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 10 installed outdoors and an indoor unit 20 installed indoors. The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 30 to form a steam compression type refrigeration cycle.

The outdoor unit 10 is supplied with lubricating oil from a mixed fluid of lubricating oil and refrigerant discharged from an outdoor heat exchanger 11, a blower fan 11F, a compressor 12 for compressing the refrigerant, and a compressor 12 for heat exchange between the outdoor air and the refrigerant. An oil separator 13 for separating, an expansion valve 14 for expanding the inflowing refrigerant to reduce the pressure to a predetermined pressure, an accumulator 15 for separating the inflowing refrigerant into gas and liquid, a four-way valve 16 for switching between heating operation and cooling operation, and the like are provided. There is. Further, the indoor unit 20 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 21 for heat exchange between indoor air and a refrigerant, a blower fan 21F, and the like. The refrigerant pipe 30 connects the outdoor heat exchanger 11, the compressor 12, the oil separator 13, the expansion valve 14, the accumulator 15, the four-way valve 16, and the indoor heat exchanger 21. The refrigerant pipe 30 includes a liquid-side refrigerant pipe 30L and a gas-side refrigerant pipe 30G.

As shown in FIG. 13, the outdoor unit 10 is divided into a heat exchanger room 10A and a machine room 10B in the left-right direction by a partition plate 171, and the heat exchanger room 10A has the above-mentioned outdoor heat. The exchanger 11 and the blower fan 11F are arranged. The above-mentioned compressor 12, oil separator 13, expansion valve 14, accumulator 15, four-way valve 16 and the like are housed in the machine room 10B, and these are service panels (not shown) on the front surface of the housing 17 as shown in FIG. By removing the, it becomes visible from the outside.

Further, in the machine room 10B, an electrical component module 40 is arranged at a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction thereof. The electrical component module 40 includes a control circuit that controls the overall operation of the air conditioner, a setting circuit for making various settings of the air conditioner, a display circuit that displays the state of the air conditioner, and an AC supplied from the outside. It is a module equipped with a converter circuit that converts power into DC power and outputs it, an inverter circuit that converts DC power output from the converter circuit into AC power and outputs it, and other circuits. It is equipped with multiple electronic components to realize the circuit. The printed circuit board 41 is composed of one printed circuit board so as to secure a piping space on the back side of the machine room 10B.

FIG. 14 shows the front surface of the electrical component module 40. The printed circuit board 41 is mounted in the machine room 10B in an upright posture. The printed circuit board 41 is divided into a light electric region 41A and a high electric region 41B in the vertical direction and arranged.

A low voltage is applied to the light electric region 41A for operating electronic components such as a microcomputer that constitutes a part of the control circuit, a switch 41A1 that constitutes a setting circuit, and a low power connector 41A2 for inserting and removing a plug. Electronic components and electronic components to which a low voltage is applied, such as the LED 41A3 that constitutes the display circuit, are mounted. Further, in the high power region 41B, a plurality of electronic components to which a high voltage for performing power conversion constituting the remaining part of the control circuit described above is applied, for example, a power device 41B1 such as an IC of a converter circuit and an IC of an inverter circuit. , Large-capacity electrolytic capacitor 41B2 for smoothing, high-power connector 41B3, and other electronic components are mounted.

Further, in the high electric region 41B, a cooler 50 for cooling the heat generated by the power device 41B1 is arranged. The cooler 50 includes a heat sink (not shown) having a shape that can be attached to the liquid side refrigerant pipe 30L of the refrigerant pipe 30. The heat sink is arranged on the front side of the printed circuit board 41, which is thermally coupled so as to transfer the heat generated by the power device 41B1, toward the service panel side (not shown). The refrigerant condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger 11 flows through the liquid side refrigerant pipe 30L during the cooling operation, and the refrigerant condensed by the indoor heat exchanger 21 and depressurized by the expansion valve 14 flows during the heating operation. The heat exchanger 50 is cooled, and the temperature of the power device 41B1 is kept below a predetermined value. The air conditioner described above is described in Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent No. 5472364

However, in the above-mentioned outdoor unit 10, the weak electric electronic components are arranged in the light electric region 41A1 and the strong electric electronic components are arranged in the high electric region 41A2, that is, they must be mounted side by side in the vertical direction on the same front surface of the printed circuit board 41. Therefore, there is a problem that the size of the printed circuit board 41 in the vertical direction becomes large, and the printed circuit board 41 cannot be applied to the outdoor unit 10 having a small margin in the vertical space of the machine room 10B. Further, since the power device 41B1 is arranged on the front side of the electrical component module 40, the cooler 50 for cooling the power device 41B1 and the liquid side refrigerant pipe 30L are also arranged on the front side of the electrical component module 40. Special measures are required for attaching and detaching the electrical component module 40. Further, since the printed circuit board 41 of the electrical component module 40 is equipped with electronic components including a power device to which a high voltage is applied in addition to the electronic components to which a low voltage is applied, an electric shock accident due to contact is caused. Great attention should be paid to preventive measures.

The object of the present invention can be effectively applied to an outdoor unit having a housing having a small space above and below, and it is easy to attach / detach to / from the machine room, and it is not necessary to take measures to prevent an electric shock accident due to contact. It is to provide electrical equipment modules.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 relates to the main board, the power board, and the main board so that the back surface of the main board faces the front surface and the back surface of the power board faces the back surface. The front of the main board faces the service panel in the machine room at the back of the service panel in front of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner having the fixing plate on which the power board is mounted and having the refrigerant pipe. An electrical component module to which the fixing plate is attached, an electronic component to which a low voltage for controlling the air conditioner is applied is mounted on the main board, and the power board controls the air conditioner. The outdoor unit is equipped with a cooler attached to a part of the refrigerant pipe so as to face the service panel, and is equipped with an electronic component including a power device to which a high voltage is applied to perform the power. The device is thermally coupled to the cooler and comprises an upper frame for attaching the upper part of the fixing plate to the machine room and a lower frame for attaching the lower part of the fixing plate to the machine room, and the cooler is the upper frame. It is characterized in that it is attached so as to straddle the lower frame .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electrical component module according to the first aspect, a partition plate for partitioning a heat exchanger room and a machine room is attached to the outdoor unit, and one end of the upper frame and the lower frame are attached. One end of the upper frame is attached to the partition plate, and the other end of the upper frame and the other end of the lower frame are attached to the cooler.
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the electrical component module according to claim 2, the power device is located between the other end of the upper frame and the other end of the lower frame.
The invention according to claim 4 is the electrical component module according to claim 1, 2 or 3 , wherein the cooler attaches a heat sink to be thermally coupled to the power device and the heat sink to a part of the refrigerant pipe. It is characterized by having a cover.

According to the present invention, the main board is mounted on the front surface of the fixed plate and the power board is mounted on the back surface of the fixed plate. It can be significantly reduced in size as compared with the above, and can be effectively applied to an outdoor unit having a housing having a small margin in the upper and lower spaces of the machine room. Further, the power device mounted on the power substrate on the back surface side of the fixing plate is thermally coupled to the cooler, so that it is effectively cooled. Further, since the cooler faces the service panel, the cooler does not interfere with the attachment / detachment of the electrical component module from the front of the machine room. Further, the electronic component to which the low voltage is applied is mounted on the main board on the front side of the fixed plate, but the electronic component to which the high voltage is applied is mounted on the power board on the back side of the fixed plate, so that the high voltage is mounted. The electronic components to which the voltage is applied are hidden behind the fixing plate, and it is not necessary to take measures to prevent electric shock accidents due to contact.

It is a perspective view of the outdoor unit of the Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the outdoor unit with the service panel removed. It is a perspective view of the outdoor unit of the same outdoor unit with the electrical component module removed from the machine room. It is a developed perspective view of an electrical component module. It is an installation explanatory view which attaches an upper frame and a lower frame to a partition plate. It is a vertical sectional view of an electrical component module and a cooler. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is a top view which removed the top panel of an outdoor unit. It is the right side view which removed the right side panel of an outdoor unit. It is a front view of the main board. It is a front view of a power board. It is a circuit diagram of the refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner. It is a front view which removed the service panel of a conventional outdoor unit. It is a front view of the conventional electrical component module.

1 to 3, 8 and 9 show the outdoor unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The housing 110 of the outdoor unit 100 includes a front panel 111, a service panel 112 on the right side of the front panel 111, a right side panel 113, a left side panel 114, a top panel 115, a back panel 116, and a bottom panel 117. A stand 118 is attached to the bottom panel 117. The housing 110 is partitioned in the left-right direction by a partition plate 119 so that the back side of the front panel 111 becomes the heat exchanger room 110A and the back side of the service panel 112 becomes the machine room 110B. The partition plate 119 constitutes a part of the wall surface of the machine room 110B. The outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the blower fan 11F described above are arranged in the heat exchanger room 110A. Further, the above-mentioned refrigerant pipe 30, compressor 12, expansion valve 14, accumulator 15, sub-accumulator 15A, four-way valve 16 and the like are housed in the machine room 110B. The machine room 110B can be visually recognized from the front side of the outdoor unit 100 by removing the service panel 112.

Reference numeral 200 is an electrical component module, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, a fixing plate 210 arranged in the machine chamber 110B so that the front surface faces the back surface of the service panel 112, and a length to which the upper portion of the fixing plate 210 is attached. A length-shaped upper frame 220, a long-shaped lower frame 230 to which the lower part of the fixing plate 210 is attached, a mounting bracket 240 for attaching the upper frame 220 to the partition plate 119, and a mounting bracket for attaching the lower frame 230 to the partition plate 119. The 250, the main board 260 on which the electronic components and other electronic components that form part of the control circuit are mounted, the electronic components and other electronic components that make up the rest of the control circuit, and the power device 274 described later. It includes a power board 270 to be mounted.

In this way, the printed circuit board of the electrical component module 200 is divided into a main board 260 and a power board 270, and the main board 260 has a fixing plate 210 such that the back surface 260b described later faces the front surface 211a described later. The power board 270 is mounted on the fixing plate 210 so that the back surface 270b described later faces the back surface 211b described later on the fixing plate 210.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a cooler, which is attached to the upper frame 220 and the lower frame 230 so as to straddle the upper frame 220 and the lower frame 230 with the U-shaped bent portion 31 of the refrigerant pipe 30L attached as described later. ..

The fixing plate 210 has a main body portion 211 in which the main board 260 is mounted on the front surface 211a and the power board 270 is mounted on the back surface 211b, and the fixing plate 210 is bent 90 degrees from the upper end of the main body portion 211 toward the back surface 211b for reinforcement. It includes an upper horizontal piece 212 and an upper vertical piece 213 for mounting that is bent 90 degrees upward from the rear end of the bent piece 212. Further, a reinforcing lower horizontal piece 214 bent 90 degrees from the lower end of the main body 211 toward the front surface 211a, and a lower vertical piece 215 bent 90 degrees downward from the front end of the lower horizontal piece 214. Be prepared. Mounting portions 215a projecting downward are formed at both ends of the lower vertical piece 215.

The upper frame 220 includes a vertical piece 221 screwed to the upper vertical piece 213 of the fixing plate 210, a reinforcing upper horizontal piece 222 bent 90 degrees rearward from the upper end of the vertical piece 221 and a vertical piece 211. It is provided with a mounting piece 223 bent at 45 degrees from the left end of the screw to the front. 224 is the end to which the cooler 300 is attached.

The lower frame 230 includes a lower vertical piece 231 screwed to the lower vertical piece 215 of the fixing plate 210, an upper horizontal piece 232 bent 90 degrees rearward from the upper end of the lower vertical piece 231, and an upper horizontal piece 232. It includes a reinforcing upper vertical piece 233 bent upward by 90 degrees from the back end, and a mounting piece 234 bent 45 degrees from the left end of the lower vertical piece 231 toward the front. A terminal board 400 is attached to the front side of the lower vertical piece 231. Reference numeral 235 is an end to which the cooler 300 is attached.

The cooler 300 includes an aluminum heat sink 310 thermally coupled to a power device 274 mounted on the front surface 270a of the power substrate 270 and described later, and two heat sinks 310 having a semicircular cross section. It is composed of a U-shaped bent portion 31 of a liquid-side refrigerant pipe 30L fitted in the groove 311 and a sheet metal cover 320 for fixing the U-shaped bent portion 31 to the heat sink 310. In addition to the groove 311 the heat sink 310 has a plate portion 312 to which the power device 274 is pressed and thermally coupled, and cover mounting portions 313 and 314 formed on both sides of the plate portion 312. The cover 320 has a central presser portion 321 that presses the U-shaped bent portion 31 of the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 30L, a hook portion 322 bent from one end of the presser portion 321 and a hook portion from the other end of the presser portion 321. It is provided with a mounting portion 323 that is bent so as to face the 322.

An electronic component to which a low voltage of AC or DC of less than 50 V is applied is mounted on the main board 260, and an electronic component to which a high voltage of AC or DC of 50 V or more is applied is not mounted. As shown in FIG. 10, on the front surface 260a, there is a display setting circuit 261 including an LED lamp 261a as a display device, a DIP switch 261b and a button switch 261c as an operation unit, and a microcomputer constituting a part of a control circuit. Control IC 262 such as, a plurality of connectors 263 arranged in the peripheral portion, an expansion valve drive circuit 265 for driving the expansion valve 14, a temperature detection circuit 265 connected to a thermistor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant pipe 30 and the like. Has been done. 260b is the back surface of the main substrate 260. 260c is the upper end, 260d is the lower end, 260e is the left end, and 260f is the right end. The main board 260 is mounted on the front surface 211a of the fixing plate 210 so that the back surface 260b faces the front surface 211a of the main body portion 211 of the fixing plate 210.

An electronic component to which a high voltage of AC or DC of 50 V or more is applied is mounted on the power board 270. As shown in FIG. 11, on the front surface 270a, a diode bridge 271a for rectification, an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) element 271b in which a MOSFET is incorporated in the gate portion of a bipolar transistor to reduce the operating resistance, and an FRD for high-speed operation (FRD for high-speed operation) Fast Recovery Diode element 271c, PFC (Power Factor Correction) coil 271d for power factor improvement, and electrolytic capacitor 271e for high power smoothing are mounted. These diode bridge 271a, IGBT element 271b, FRD element 271c, PFC coil 271d, electrolytic capacitor 271e and the like constitute a converter circuit 271 that converts AC power into DC power and outputs it. Furthermore, an IPM (Intelligent Power Module) element 272 that constitutes an inverter circuit that converts DC power output from the converter circuit 271 into AC power and outputs it with a built-in drive circuit and self-protection function is also installed, and a switching power supply circuit 273. EMC (ElectroMagnetic Compatibillity) filter circuit 274, four-way valve drive circuit 275, indoor unit / outdoor unit for countermeasures against external noise and spontaneous noise including elements such as switching transformer 273a and switching IC 273b, capacitor 374a and common coil 274b. Circuits such as the communication circuit 276 are also installed. Reference numeral 270b is the back surface of the power substrate 270. 270c is the upper end, 270d is the lower end, 270e is the left end, and 270f is the right end. The diode bridge 271a, the IGBT element 271b, the FRD element 271c, the IPM element 272, and the like constitute a power device 277 that generates a large amount of heat, and are mounted vertically in the vicinity of the left end 270e. The power substrate 270 is mounted on the back surface 211b so that the back surface 270b faces the back surface 211b of the main body 211 of the fixing plate 210. The cooler 300 is abutted against a portion of the power device 277. Noise sources (not shown) other than the switching power supply circuit 273 are also collectively mounted on the power board 270. The IGBT element 271b may be replaced with a MOSFET.

The electronic components mounted on the main board 260 and the power board 270 described above are merely examples, and can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In order to arrange the electrical component module 200 in the machine room 110B of the outdoor unit 100, first, a mounting bracket 240 having a slope 241 and a mounting bracket 250 having a slope 251 are previously mounted on the partition plate 119. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the mounting piece 223 of the upper frame 220 is screwed to the slope 241 of the mounting bracket 240, and the mounting piece 234 of the lower frame 230 is screwed to the slope 251 of the mounting bracket 250. As a result, the upper frame 220 and the lower frame 230 are attached to the partition plate 119 in a cantilevered posture in a lateral position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat sink 310 of the cooler 300 is screwed B1 so as to straddle between the end 224 of the vertical piece 221 of the upper frame 220 and the end 235 of the upper vertical piece 233 of the lower frame 230. , B2 to attach. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, after the U-shaped bent portion 31 of the refrigerant pipe 30L is pressed against the groove 311 of the heat sink 310, the hook portion 322 of the cover 320 is engaged with one cover mounting portion 313 of the heat sink 310. Then, the pressing portion 323 is pressed against the other cover mounting portion 314 of the heat sink 310, and the pressing portion 323 is fixed to the cover mounting portion 314 with screws B3 and B4. This work is performed with the back panel 116 of the outdoor unit 100 removed. As described above, the cooler 300 is attached so as to straddle between the end portion 224 of the upper frame 220 and the end portion 235 of the lower frame 230, and so that the plate portion 312 of the heat sink 310 faces the service panel 112. ..

Further, the main board 260 is mounted on the front 211a of the main body 211 of the fixed plate 210, and the power board 260 is mounted on the back 211b. Then, the fixing plate 210 on which the main board 260 and the power board 270 are mounted is fitted with the upper vertical piece 213 on the vertical piece 221 of the upper frame 220 and the lower vertical piece 215 on the lower vertical piece 231 of the lower frame 230. As shown above, it is attached by screws B5 and B6. At this time, the mounting piece 223 of the upper frame 220 is attached to the partition plate 119 by the mounting bracket 240, and the mounting piece 234 of the lower frame 230 is attached to the partition plate 119 by the mounting bracket 250, respectively, and the other end 224 of the upper frame 220 and the lower frame 230. Since the other end 235 of the above is fixed to the U-shaped bent portion 31 of the liquid side refrigerant pipe 30L by the cooler 300, the fixing plate 210 is firmly fixed. Further, the power device 277 of the power substrate 270 is pressed against the thick plate portion 312 of the heat sink 310 of the cooler 300 so as to be thermally coupled there. Therefore, when the operation of the air conditioner is started, the heat generated by the power device 277 is cooled by the cooler 300. If a heat-dissipating grease having high thermal conductivity is applied to the thick plate portion 312 of the heat sink 310, the thermal coupling becomes better. After the electrical component module 200 is attached to the machine room 110B as described above, a plug to which the required wiring is connected is connected to the connector 263 of the main board 260 of the electrical component module 200, and the terminal board 400 is required. Another wire is connected.

As described above, in this embodiment, the main board 260 and the power board 270 are mounted on the fixed plate 210 with the fixed plates 210 attached to the machine chamber 110B interposed therebetween so that the main boards 260 and the power board 270 are mounted on the fixed plates 210 with their backs aligned. Compared to the vertical size of the printed circuit board when the main board 260 and the power board 270 are arranged one above the other, the vertical size of the printed circuit board can be significantly reduced, and there is little room for vertical space. It can be effectively applied to the outdoor unit having the above.

Further, the lower vertical piece 231 of the lower frame 230 projects toward the front side from the fixing plate 210 by the upper horizontal piece 232, and the terminal plate 400 is attached to the front surface 231a of the lower vertical piece 231 so that the terminal plate 400 protrudes forward. Since the space SP is wide on the back surface 231b of the lower vertical piece 231, the lower frame 230 does not interfere with the piping or the like arranged in the space SP.

Further, the power device 277 mounted on the power board 270 is thermally coupled to the cooler 300 on the back surface 211b side of the fixing plate 210, but is only pressed against the cooler 300, so that the screw is used. If B5 and B6 are loosened, the fixing plate 210, the main board 260, and the power board 270 can be integrated and removed from the front of the machine room 110B without being disturbed by the cooler 300, and the main board 260 and the main board 260 can be removed. Maintenance of the power board 270 becomes easy.

Further, since the main board 260 is equipped with a display setting circuit 261 including an LED lamp 261a, a DIP switch 261b, a button switch 261c, and a plurality of connectors 263 on the front surface 260a, the outdoor unit 100 to the service panel 112 Just by removing, you can check the operation contents of the air conditioner by the display contents of the LED lamp 261a, change the setting contents by operating the DIP switch 261b, the button switch 261c, etc., or plug the connector 263. It becomes easy to switch the circuit connection by inserting and removing.

Further, the converter circuit 271 that generates noise, the inverter circuit 272, the switching power supply circuit 273, and other noise generation sources are collectively mounted on the power board 270. The entire circumference of the power board 270 is covered with a fixing plate 210, a partition plate 119, a right side panel 113, a top panel 115, a back panel 116, a bottom panel 117, and the like. Therefore, the noise generated by the noise source of the power board 270 is effectively shielded, and it is possible to prevent the noise from affecting the electronic components mounted on the main board 260 side, which is a special noise countermeasure. Is unnecessary.

Further, the electronic component to which the low voltage is applied is mounted on the main board 260 on the front surface of the fixed plate 210, but the electronic component to which the high voltage is applied is mounted on the power board 270 on the back surface of the fixed plate 210. The electronic component to which the high voltage is applied is hidden from the front of the fixing plate 210, and it is not necessary to take measures to prevent an electric shock accident due to contact.

30L: Liquid side refrigerant piping, 31: U-shaped bent part 100: Outdoor unit, 110: Housing, 110A: Heat exchanger room, 110B: Machine room, 111: Front panel, 112: Service panel, 113: Right side Panel, 114: Left side panel, 115: Top panel, 116: Back panel, 117: Bottom panel, 118: Stand, 119: Partition plate 200: Electrical component module 210: Fixed plate, 211: Main body, 211a: Front , 211b: Back surface, 212: Upper horizontal piece, 213: Upper vertical piece, 214: Lower horizontal piece, 215: Lower vertical piece 220: Upper frame, 221: Vertical piece, 222: Horizontal piece, 223: Mounting piece 230: Lower Frame, 231: Lower vertical piece, 232: Upper horizontal piece, 233: Upper vertical piece, 234: Mounting piece 240: Mounting bracket 250: Mounting bracket 260: Main board, 260a: Front, 260b: Back side 270: Power board, 270a : Front, 270b: Back, 277: Power device 300: Cooler, 310: Heat sink, 320: Cover 400: Terminal plate

Claims (4)

A refrigerant pipe is provided with a main board, a power board, and a fixing plate on which the main board and the power board are mounted so that the back surface of the main board faces the front surface and the back surface of the power board faces the back surface. An electrical component module to which the fixing plate is attached so that the front surface of the main board faces the service panel in the machine room on the back side of the service panel in front of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
An electronic component to which a low voltage for controlling the air conditioner is applied is mounted on the main board.
An electronic component including a power device to which a high voltage for controlling the air conditioner is applied is mounted on the power board.
The outdoor unit comprises a cooler attached to a portion of the refrigerant pipe so as to face the service panel, and the power device is thermally coupled to the cooler.
An upper frame for attaching the upper part of the fixing plate to the machine room and a lower frame for attaching the lower part of the fixing plate to the machine room are provided, and the cooler is attached so as to straddle the upper frame and the lower frame . An electrical component module characterized by this. In the electrical component module according to claim 1 ,
A partition plate that separates the heat exchanger room and the machine room is attached to the outdoor unit.
An electrical component module characterized in that one end of the upper frame and one end of the lower frame are attached to the partition plate, and the other end of the upper frame and the other end of the lower frame are attached to the cooler. In the electrical component module according to claim 2 ,
The power device is an electrical component module characterized in that it is located between the other end of the upper frame and the other end of the lower frame. In the electrical component module according to claim 1, 2 or 3 .
The cooler is an electrical component module comprising a heat sink that is thermally coupled to the power device and a cover that attaches the heat sink to a part of the refrigerant pipe.

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