KR100667199B1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner having an improved drainage pipe structure that effectively prevents condensate from flowing backward and leaks, and is easy to clean, maintain, and repair.

To this end, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a drain pan for collecting condensate generated during the heat exchange process, and a drain pipe for discharging the condensate collected in the drain pan. A U-trap having a first flow path portion and a third flow path portion in a vertical direction and a second flow path portion in a horizontal direction connecting the first flow path portion and the third flow path portion to communicate with one end of the second flow path portion. Includes ancillary ducts. By such a configuration, the present invention prevents the leakage of condensed water to the outside of the air conditioner, thereby improving the reliability of the product and the effect of facilitating the cleaning, maintenance and repair of the drain pipe.

Description

Air Conditioner {AIR CONDITIONER}

      1 is a schematic view showing a typical duct-connected air conditioner.

      2 is a cross-sectional view of the drain pan of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 along A-A.

      3 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

      4 is a cross-sectional view showing a drain pipe including a drain pan and an oil trap in the air conditioner of FIG.

      5 is a view showing a drain pipe when the in-flight negative pressure Ps in FIG.

      6 is a cross-sectional view showing a drain pipe having an oil trap and an auxiliary pipe in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

      * Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

      10 casing 20 suction duct

      30 heat exchanger 40 blower

      50: discharge duct 60: drain pan

61: drain port 70: drain pipe

71: euro-trap 72: the first euro section

73: second euro portion 74: third euro portion

76: assistant officer 77: assistant officer socket

      The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner having an improved drainage pipe structure to effectively prevent leakage of condensate by backflow and to facilitate cleaning, maintenance, and repair.

     An air conditioner is a device that controls the temperature or humidity of an air by using heat transfer generated during evaporation or condensation of a refrigerant. In the case of a separate air conditioner, an outdoor unit for dissipating heat to hot outside air is installed outdoors, and an indoor unit for dissipating heat from indoor air having a relatively low temperature is installed to maintain a comfortable interior.

     FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a general duct-connected air conditioner in this air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a drain pan of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 along A-A. As shown in Figure 1 and 2, the general duct-connected air conditioner is formed through the casing (1) and the inlet (1a) and the inlet (1a) and the inlet (1a) is formed on both sides, respectively, A heat exchanger (2) installed at the inlet (1a) side of the casing for exchanging heat with the supplied air, and a blower (3) installed at the outlet (1b) side of the casing, providing a driving force for circulation of air, In order to collect the condensed water generated in the machine (2) and to discharge it to the outside of the casing (1) is provided with a drain pan (4) installed under the heat exchanger (2). A drain port 4a is formed at one side of the drain pan 4 for discharging condensate, and a drain pipe 5 is connected to the drain port 4a for final discharge of the condensate.

    In such a conventional air conditioner, indoor air is sucked into the casing 1 through the inlet 1a by driving the blower 3, and the sucked air is cooled while passing through the heat exchanger 2, and then the blower It is discharged to the indoor space through the (3) and the discharge port (1b). However, while the sucked indoor air is cooled by the heat exchanger (2), water vapor in the air condenses and condensate is generated. The condensate is collected in a drain pan (4) under the heat exchanger (2). 4) is discharged to the outside through the drain port (4a) formed on one side of the lower end.

     However, in the conventional duct-connected air conditioner, the blower 3 has a strong pressure and pushes the air inside the casing 1 to the discharge duct 6 through the discharge port 1b, so that the blower 3 and the heat exchanger ( Negative pressure is formed between 2). Then, due to the negative pressure in the cabin, outside air in the atmospheric pressure is rapidly introduced through the drain pipe 5 to inhibit the drainage of the condensed water collected in the drain pan 4. In addition, dust is accumulated in a filter (not shown) installed at the suction port 1a or dust is accumulated at the suction duct 7 connected to the suction port 1a, thereby preventing resistance of indoor air from flowing into the casing 1. When a lot is received, a stronger negative pressure is formed on the suction side of the blower 3, and then external air flows in more quickly, thereby strongly condensing the condensed water accumulated in the drain pan 4. In this process, the condensate splashes out of the drain pan 4 or the condensate overflows due to the fluctuation of the condensate, causing leakage to the outside of the air conditioner.

The present invention is to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner having a drain pipe structure that can prevent the condensate generated in the heat exchange process of the air conditioner to be leaked back by the negative pressure in the cabin have.

Another object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that can easily clean the foreign matter accumulated in the drain pipe.

An air conditioner according to the present invention for achieving this object is provided with a drain pan for collecting condensate generated during the heat exchange process and a drain pipe connected to a drain hole formed in the drain pan for discharging the condensed water collected in the drain pan. In the air conditioner, the drain pipe has a flow path having two first flow paths and three flow paths in the vertical direction and a second flow path in the horizontal direction connecting the first flow path and the third flow path to prevent backflow of condensate. It characterized in that it comprises a trap (U-trap), and an auxiliary pipe communicating with one end of the second flow path.

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In addition, the drain pipe is characterized in that it is formed using a transparent synthetic resin to observe the inside of the pipe from time to time to clean at an appropriate time.
In addition, the outlet of the auxiliary pipe may be provided with an auxiliary pipe socket to open and close the auxiliary pipe.

     Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. 3 is a perspective view showing an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the casing 10 to form the appearance, the suction duct 20 for sucking the air into the casing 10, and the suction A heat exchanger 30 provided on the suction side of the casing 10 to exchange heat with the compressed air, a blower 40 for flowing air into and out of the casing 10, and air heat exchanged inside the casing 10. Discharge duct 50 for discharging the gas into the room, and a drain pan 60 for collecting and discharging the condensed water formed in the heat exchanger 30.

The casing 10 has a substantially hexahedral shape, and one side of the casing 10 communicates with the suction duct 20 to form a suction port 11 for suctioning indoor air into the casing 10, and the discharge duct on the other side of the casing 10. The discharge port 12 is formed in communication with the 50 to discharge the air inside the casing 10. The inlet 11 may be provided with a filter (not shown) for removing the foreign matter of the air sucked into the casing (10). A heat exchanger 30 is installed in the casing 10 adjacent to the inlet 11 to heat and cool the air introduced through the inlet 11, and the air is circulated in the outlet 12. Blower 40 is installed to provide power for. Meanwhile, a drain pan 60 is installed at a lower portion of the heat exchanger 30 to collect condensate generated as the air is cooled during the heat exchange process and to drain the condensate to the outside. The condensed water collected at one side of the drain pan 60 is collected. Drain port 61 is formed so that it can be discharged through the drain pipe (70).

When the blower 40 is operated in such an air conditioner, indoor air is sucked into the casing 10 through the suction duct 20 and the suction port 11, and the sucked air is cooled by the heat exchanger 30. After it is discharged back to the room through the blower 40, the discharge port 12 and the discharge duct (50). At this time, in the process of exchanging the sucked air with the heat exchanger 30, condensed water is formed in the heat exchanger 30 according to the cooling of the air. After collected in 60, it is finally discharged through the drain 61, the drain pipe (70). However, since the discharge pressure of the blower 40 may inhibit the drainage of the condensed water or prevent the condensed water from flowing back due to the in-situ negative pressure generated between the blower 40 and the heat exchanger 30 in the casing 10. The conditioner has a drain pipe structure to prevent this phenomenon.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a drain pipe including a drain pan and an oil trap in the air conditioner of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a drain pipe when the negative pressure Ps acts in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the drain pipe 70 of the air conditioner according to the present invention has an oil trap 71 to prevent backflow of condensate. The oil trap 71 includes a first flow passage portion 72, a third flow passage portion 74, and the first flow passage portion 72 and the third flow passage portion 74 having a vertical direction such as a 'U' shape. It consists of a second flow path portion 73 is formed in the horizontal direction to connect the. Here, the first flow path portion 72 is a portion close to the drain port 61 of the drain pan 60 in the oil trap 71 and is a vertical flow path directly affected by negative pressure in the cabin, and the third flow path portion 74. ) Is the up and down flow path connected to the second flow path portion 73 and the upper side thereof is connected to the outlet pipe 75 for the final discharge.

Even if all the condensed water collected in the drain pan 60 is drained, the oil trap 71 is always filled with water. Thus, the stored water forms a level difference when negative pressure Ps occurs in the cabin. By compensating the in-flight negative pressure Ps by the head pressure, the condensate is prevented from strongly flowing from the drain pipe 70 toward the drain pan 60 due to the pressure difference. The negative pressure in the cabin is not always constant during the operation of the air conditioner, but may change over time due to various reasons such as the change in the output of the blower and the resistance received during the inflow of room air. In general, it represents the standardized maximum negative pressure that can be generated in the cabin.

In order to stably prevent the water in the first flow passage portion 72 from rising by the negative pressure Ps in the plane and overflowing toward the drain pan 60, the drain pan from the upper point B at which the first flow passage portion 72 ends. The vertical distance H to the drain port 61 of 60 is made to be larger than the height Hp corresponding to the inboard negative pressure Ps. Then, even if the level of water filled in the first flow path portion 72 rises due to in-flight negative pressure Ps, the highest level is always under the drain 61 of the drain pan 60, so that the drain pan 60 does not have a backflow of condensate. ) Condensate can be stably discharged through the drain pipe (70).

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a drain pipe having an oil trap and an auxiliary pipe in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the drain pipe of the air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention further includes an auxiliary pipe 76 communicating with the second flow path portion 73 of the oil trap 71 in the flow direction. do. The outlet of the auxiliary pipe 76 is provided with an auxiliary pipe socket 77 so as to open and close the auxiliary pipe 76 as necessary. When the air conditioner is used for a certain period of time, foreign matter or foreign matters accumulate on the oil trap 71. The bottom portion of the oil trap 71, that is, the second flow path portion 73 is not easy to clean due to its structure. However, in the present invention, if a cleaning is required by providing a separate auxiliary pipe 76 communicated with the second flow path portion 73 of the oil trap 71, the auxiliary pipe socket 77 is opened by a tool such as a brush. The flow path portion 73 can be easily cleaned. In addition, since the auxiliary pipe 76 may be used to remove the water accumulated in the U-trap 71 prior to the operation when the drain pipe 70 needs to be separated due to a reason such as repair or replacement of the drain pipe 70. It further enhances the convenience of maintenance and repair of air conditioners.

On the other hand, the drain pipe 70 is preferably formed by using a transparent synthetic resin to observe the inside of the pipe from time to time to clean at an appropriate time.

      As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention has a U-trap designed to effectively prevent condensate from flowing back due to negative pressure in the cabin, thereby preventing the condensate from leaking out of the air conditioner. It is effective to improve.

      In addition, the air conditioner according to the present invention is provided with a separate auxiliary pipe in communication with the bottom of the oil trap has an effect that can facilitate the cleaning, maintenance, repair of the drain pipe.

Claims (4)

An air conditioner having a drain pan for collecting condensate generated during a heat exchange process and a drain pipe connected to a drain hole formed in the drain pan for discharging the condensed water collected in the drain pan, The drain pipe has a first flow path part having two first flow path parts and a third flow path part in a vertical direction, and a second flow path part in a horizontal direction connecting the first flow path part and the third flow path part to prevent backflow of condensate (U−). trap), and an auxiliary pipe communicating with one end of the second flow path part. delete       The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the u-trap is formed using a transparent synthetic resin so that the inside of the tube can be observed.       The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an outlet of the auxiliary pipe is provided with an auxiliary pipe socket to open and close the auxiliary pipe.

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