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  Air-conditioning outdoor unit, air-conditioner, and compressor unitUSPTO Application #: 20070039346Title: Air-conditioning outdoor unit, air-conditioner, and compressor unit Abstract: An air-conditioning outdoor unit of the present invention has a pair of primary ports of a four-way switching valve that is connected to a discharge port and an intake port of a compressor. A first secondary port of a pair of secondary ports of the four-way switching valve is connected to an external connection port, and a second secondary port is connected to an outdoor heat exchanger. Flexible pipes, are inserted between the first secondary port and the external connection port and between the second secondary port and the outdoor heat exchanger. (end of abstract)
Agent: GlobalIPCounselors, LLP - Washington, DC, US Inventor: Yukimasa Yano USPTO Applicaton #: 20070039346 - Class: 062295000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Resiliently Supported Power And/or Heat Rejecting Element The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070039346. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an air-conditioning outdoor unit, an air conditioner, and a compressor unit. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Usually, as shown in FIG. 8, an air conditioner is disposed with a compressor 51, a four-way switching valve 52, an outdoor heat exchanger 53, an expansion valve (decompression mechanism) 54, and an indoor heat exchanger 55. A pair of primary ports 56a and 56b of the four-way switching valve 52 is connected to a discharge port and an intake port of the compressor 51. One secondary port 57a of a pair of secondary ports 57a and 57b of the four-way switching valve 52 is connected to a gas pipe 58. The gas pipe 58 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 55 via a gas closing valve 59. The other secondary port 57b of the pair of secondary ports 57a and 57b of the four-way switching valve 52 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 53. The expansion valve 54 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 53. The expansion valve 54 and the indoor heat exchanger 55 are connected via a liquid closing valve 60. An accumulator 61 is disposed between the four-way switching valve 52 and the intake port of the compressor 51. [0003] Incidentally, an air-conditioning outdoor unit is configured as a result of the compressor 51, the four-way switching valve 52, the outdoor heat exchanger 53, the expansion valve 54 and the like being housed inside an outdoor unit casing (not shown). The gas closing valve 59 and the liquid closing valve 60 are disposed close to the air-conditioning outdoor unit and function as external connection ports for connecting to an indoor unit. [0004] In the above air-conditioning outdoor unit, as shown in FIG. 8, when the compressor 51 is driven when the four-way switching valve 52 is in the state represented by the solid lines, refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51 sequentially flows through the four-way switching valve 52, the indoor heat exchanger 55, the expansion valve 54 and the outdoor heat exchanger 53, and the indoor heat exchanger 55 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 53 functions as an evaporator such that a room interior can be heated. Further, when the four-way switching valve 52 is switched to the state represented by the dotted lines and the compressor 51 is driven, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 51 sequentially flows through the four-way switching valve 52, the outdoor heat exchanger 53, the expansion valve 54 and the indoor heat exchanger 55, and the outdoor heat exchanger 53 functions as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 55 functions as an evaporator such that the room interior can be cooled. [0005] As described above, the compressor 51, the four-way switching valve 52, the outdoor heat exchanger 53, the expansion valve 54 and the like are housed inside the outdoor unit casing of the air-conditioning outdoor unit. For this reason, vibration and noise of the compressor 51 and the like are transmitted to the outdoor unit casing via pipes and the like, and leak to the outside from the outdoor unit casing. In order to avoid this phenomenon, air-conditioning outdoor units are known where a vibration absorbing mechanism comprising a trap portion or a loop portion is disposed in pipes laid inside the outdoor unit casing (e.g., see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In these air-conditioning outdoor units, as shown in FIG. 9, a vibration absorbing mechanism 63 is disposed between the four-way switching valve 52 and the compressor 51, and alleviates the vibration and noise of the compressor 51 and the like. <Patent Document 1> [0006] Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 8-14705 (FIG. 1) <Patent Document 2> [0007] Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 9-89417 (FIG. 1) DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0008] However, when the vibration absorbing mechanism 63 comprising a loop portion or the like is disposed, a large amount of space becomes necessary inside the outdoor unit casing for the vibration absorbing mechanism 63, and the overall outdoor unit becomes large. [0009] Further, when the vibration absorbing mechanism 63 is disposed, the number of assembly man-hours is large and the outdoor unit has poor assemblability (productivity) because it is necessary to dispose the trap portion or the loop portion. [0010] Moreover, the refrigerant intake path of the compressor 51 becomes longer as a result of disposing the vibration absorbing mechanism 63, which leads to an increase in pressure loss at the intake side, and the COP (Coefficient of Performance) drops. [0011] Furthermore, because the vibration absorbing mechanism 63 is disposed between the four-way switching valve 52 and the compressor 51, the vibration absorbing mechanism 63 becomes disposed at a site far from a pipe fixing portion such as the connection port of the outdoor unit casing and the outdoor heat exchanger. For this reason, even if the vibration and noise of the compressor 51 are reduced by the vibration absorbing mechanism 63, the vibration and noise generated between the vibration absorbing mechanism 63 and the pipe fixing portion such as the connection port cannot be reduced, and the vibration and noise leaking from the outdoor unit casing cannot be efficiently reduced. [0012] The present invention has been made in order to address these conventional drawbacks, and it is an object thereof to provide an air-conditioning outdoor unit, an air conditioner and a compressor unit that can be made compact and reduce noise, and which have excellent assemblability. [0013] In the present invention, a pair of primary ports of a four-way switching valve is respectively connected to a discharge port and an intake port of a compressor, and flexible pipes are connected to a pair of secondary ports of the four-way switching valve. For this reason, the vibration and noise of the compressor are damped by the flexible pipes, and it becomes difficult for them to be transmitted close to objects connected to the opposite side of the secondary ports of the flexible pipes. Thus, the air-conditioning outdoor unit and the air conditioner can be made compact and reduce noise. Further, because flexible pipes are used, the air-conditioning outdoor unit has excellent assemblability [0014] Further, when one of the secondary ports of the four-way switching valve and an external connection port are connected by a flexible pipe and the other secondary port of the four-way switching valve and an outdoor heat exchanger are connected by a flexible pipe, the flexible pipes become disposed in positions close to pipe fixing portions that are the outdoor heat exchanger and the external connection port in an outdoor unit casing. Thus, the vibration and noise from the compressor and the like can be absorbed at portions close to the pipe fixing portions in the outdoor unit casing, and vibration and noise leaking to the outside via the outdoor unit casing can be more reliably reduced. Thus, an air conditioner that is quiet with little vibration and noise can be provided. [0015] Further, when the pair of primary ports of the four-way switching valve is directly connected to the discharge port and the intake port of the compressor without intervening a vibration absorbing mechanism such as a trap portion or a loop portion, it becomes unnecessary to dispose space for the vibration absorbing mechanism. Consequently, the overall air-conditioning outdoor unit can be made compact. Moreover, because a vibration absorbing mechanism is not disposed, the number of assembly man-hours is reduced by that much, and a reduction in cost and an improvement in assemblability (productivity) are realized. Moreover, as a result of a vibration absorbing mechanism not being disposed, the intake path of the compressor becomes shorter, an increase in pressure loss at the intake side can be suppressed, and the COP is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner disposed with an air-conditioning outdoor unit pertaining to an embodiment of the invention. [0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of relevant portions of the air-conditioning outdoor unit pertaining to the embodiment of the invention. [0018] FIG. 3 is a front view of relevant portions of the air-conditioning outdoor unit pertaining to the embodiment of the invention. Continue reading... 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