U.S. patent application number 13/650664 was filed with the patent office on 2013-04-18 for outdoor unit for air conditioner.
The applicant listed for this patent is Seokho Choi, Donghwi Kim, Kakjoong Kim, Siyoung Oh, Yongcheol Sa. Invention is credited to Seokho Choi, Donghwi Kim, Kakjoong Kim, Siyoung Oh, Yongcheol Sa.
Application Number | 20130091889 13/650664 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47290588 |
Filed Date | 2013-04-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130091889 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Donghwi ; et
al. |
April 18, 2013 |
OUTDOOR UNIT FOR AIR CONDITIONER
Abstract
Disclosed herein is an outdoor unit for an air conditioner which
improves heat exchange performance. The outdoor unit includes a
main body having a suction hole for allowing air thereinto and a
discharge hole for discharging air therefrom; a heat exchanger
disposed within the main body, executing heat exchange with the air
flowing through the outdoor unit; a suction fan provided at the
suction hole side of the main body to generate upstream air flow
into the outdoor unit; and a discharge fan provided at the
discharge hole side of the main body to generate downstream air
flow out of the outdoor unit.
Inventors: |
Kim; Donghwi; (Changwon-si,
KR) ; Choi; Seokho; (Changwon-si, KR) ; Kim;
Kakjoong; (Changwon-si, KR) ; Sa; Yongcheol;
(Changwon-si, KR) ; Oh; Siyoung; (Changwon-si,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kim; Donghwi
Choi; Seokho
Kim; Kakjoong
Sa; Yongcheol
Oh; Siyoung |
Changwon-si
Changwon-si
Changwon-si
Changwon-si
Changwon-si |
|
KR
KR
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
47290588 |
Appl. No.: |
13/650664 |
Filed: |
October 12, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/426 ;
165/121 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 11/77 20180101;
F24F 1/14 20130101; F24F 1/38 20130101; F24F 2013/205 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/426 ;
165/121 |
International
Class: |
F28F 13/12 20060101
F28F013/12; F25D 17/06 20060101 F25D017/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 14, 2011 |
KR |
10-2011-0105400 |
Claims
1. An outdoor unit for an air conditioner comprising: a main body
having a suction hole for allowing air thereinto and a discharge
hole for discharging air therefrom; a heat exchanger disposed
within the main body, adapted for executing heat exchange with the
air flowing through the outdoor unit; a suction fan provided at the
suction hole side of the main body and being adapted to generate
upstream air flow into the outdoor unit; and a discharge fan
provided at the discharge hole side of the main body and being
adapted to generate downstream air flow out of the outdoor
unit.
2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a
controller adapted to adjust the rotational velocities of the
suction fan and the discharge fan so that the upstream air flow and
the downstream air flow have different velocities.
3. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, further comprising a
controller adapted to adjust the rotational velocities of the
suction fan and the discharge fan so that the upstream air flow and
the downstream air flow have identical velocities
4. The outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the suction fan is positioned at a lower portion of the outdoor
unit and is adapted to generate the upstream air flow in the
horizontal direction, and wherein the discharge fan is positioned
at an upper portion of the outdoor unit and is adapted to generate
the downstream air flow in the vertical direction.
5. The outdoor unit according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a
plurality of suction holes is formed on a plurality of
circumferential surfaces of the main body.
6. The outdoor unit according to claim 5, wherein the heat
exchanger includes a plurality of sections facing towards the
plurality of suction holes.
7. The outdoor unit according to claim 6, wherein the main body has
a rectangular parallelepiped shape and the suction holes are formed
on three lateral sides of the main body.
8. The outdoor unit according to claim 7, wherein the suction fan
faces one in the middle of said three lateral sides of the main
body, and wherein the section of the heat exchanger facing said one
in the middle of three lateral sides is disposed more upstream than
the suction fan in the air flow path.
9. The outdoor unit according to claim 7, wherein the suction fan
faces one in the middle of said three lateral sides of the main
body, and wherein the section of the heat exchanger facing said one
in the middle of three lateral sides is disposed more downstream
than the suction fan in the air flow path.
10. The outdoor unit according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising
a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, wherein the compressor
is positioned more downstream than the suction fan in the air flow
path.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2011-0105400, filed on Oct. 14, 2011 in the
Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an outdoor unit for an air
conditioner, and more particularly to an outdoor unit for an air
conditioner which improves heat exchange performance.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In general, an air conditioner cools or heats an indoor
space using a refrigeration cycle including compressors, an outdoor
heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an indoor heat exchanger.
That is, the air conditioner may include a cooling device to cool
an indoor space and a heating device to heat the indoor space.
Further, the air conditioner may have both functions of cooling and
heating an indoor space.
[0006] Air conditioners are generally divided into a window type
and a separate type or split type. While the window type and
separate type air conditioners have the same functions, the window
type air conditioner has a cooling function and a heat radiating
function which are integrated, and is directly installed on a wall
or a window of a house by perforating the wall or hanging a device
on the window, and the separate type air conditioner is configured
such that an indoor unit provided with an indoor heat exchanger is
installed indoors, an outdoor unit provided with compressors and an
outdoor heat exchanger is installed outdoors and the indoor unit
and the outdoor unit separated from each other are connected by a
refrigerant pipe.
[0007] The outdoor unit achieves heat exchange between outdoor air
and a refrigerant through the outdoor heat exchanger, and is
provided with an air blowing device, such as a fan to generate
outdoor air flow to achieve effective heat exchange between the
outdoor air and the refrigerant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor
unit for an air conditioner which improves heat exchange
performance.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
outdoor unit for an air conditioner which increases the total
volume of air flowing in the outdoor unit to improve heat exchange
performance.
[0010] The objects of the present invention are not limited to the
above-mentioned objects and other objects that have not been
mentioned above will become evident to those skilled in the art
from the following description.
[0011] To achieve the above objects, there is provided an outdoor
unit for an air conditioner according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, including a main body having a suction hole
for allowing air thereinto and a discharge hole for discharging air
therefrom; a heat exchanger disposed within the main body, adapted
for executing heat exchange with the air flowing through the
outdoor unit; a suction fan provided at the suction hole side of
the main body and being adapted to generate upstream air flow into
the outdoor unit; and a discharge fan provided at the discharge
hole side of the main body and being adapted to generate downstream
air flow out of the outdoor unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above and other objects, features and other advantages
of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an air conditioner in
accordance with the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an outdoor unit of the air
conditioner of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the outdoor unit
of FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a partial front view of the outdoor unit of FIG.
3;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the outdoor unit of
FIG. 3;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a view illustrating air flow in the outdoor unit
of FIG. 3;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a front view of an outdoor unit in accordance with
another embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a partial front view of the outdoor unit of FIG.
8; and
[0022] FIG. 10 is a horizontal sectional view of the outdoor unit
of FIG. 8.
[0023] FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are graphs showing experimental
results illustrating the average air velocity according to the
height of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The advantages and features of the present invention, and
the way of attaining them, will become apparent with reference to
embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to
refer to the same or like parts.
[0025] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with
reference to the drawings to illustrate an outdoor unit for an air
conditioner in accordance with the embodiments of the present
invention.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an air conditioner in
accordance with the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit
diagram of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. 1.
[0027] The air conditioner in accordance with the present
invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is a heat pump type multi air
conditioner which includes a plurality of indoor units IU and a
plurality of outdoor units OU connected to the plurality of indoor
units IU, and selectively executes cooling and heating.
[0028] The plural indoor units IU and the plural outdoor units OU
are connected in parallel by liquid pipes through which a
refrigerant in a liquid state passes and gas pipes through which
the refrigerant in a gas state passes.
[0029] Each of the plural indoor units IU includes an indoor heat
exchanger 11 to cool or heat indoor air while executing heat
exchange between the refrigerant and the indoor air, an indoor air
blower 12 to suck the indoor air into the indoor unit IU and then
to discharge the indoor air, having exchanged heat with the
refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 11, to the outside of the
indoor unit IU, and an indoor expansion device 13 to expand the
refrigerant flowing toward the indoor heat exchanger 11. The indoor
expansion device 13 includes an electronic expansion valve, such as
an LEV or EEV, to adjust expansion of the refrigerant.
[0030] The plural outdoor units OU have the same structure, and
hereinafter, one outdoor unit OU is described for convenience of
description.
[0031] One outdoor unit OU includes compressors 22 and 24, an
outdoor heat exchanger 170, an outdoor air blower (not shown), an
outdoor expansion device 50, and a cooling/heating switching valve
60.
[0032] The compressors 22 and 24 serve to compress the refrigerant,
and here, plural compressors 22 and 24 are connected in parallel by
refrigerant channels. The compressors 22 and 24 include a capacity
variable compressor 22, such as an inverter compressor, and a
constant speed compressor 24. The suction sides of the compressors
22 and 24 are connected to one common accumulator 27, and oil
separators 28 and 29 and check valves 31 and 32 are respectively
connected to the discharge sides of the compressors 22 and 24.
[0033] The outdoor heat exchanger 170 is a fin-tube type heat
exchanger, and functions as a condenser during a cooling operation
and as an evaporator during a heating operation and a defrosting
operation. The outdoor heat exchanger 170 is provided with a
refrigerant channel 42 in which the refrigerant flows.
[0034] The outdoor expansion device 50 does not expand the
refrigerant when the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor
heat exchanger 170 passes through the outdoor expansion device 50
during the cooling operation, and expands the refrigerant when the
refrigerant passes through the outdoor expansion device 50 during
the heating operation. The outdoor expansion device 50 is installed
between the refrigerant channel 42 of the outdoor heat exchanger
170 and the indoor expansion device 13, and includes an outdoor
expansion valve 52 and a check valve 54 which are connected in
parallel.
[0035] The cooling/heating switching valve 60 enables the
refrigerant compressed by the compressors 22 and 24 to flow to the
outdoor heat exchanger 170 and the refrigerant having passed
through the indoor heat exchanger 11 to flow to the compressors 22
and 24 during the cooling operation, and enables the refrigerant
compressed by the compressors 22 and 24 to flow to the indoor heat
exchanger 11 and the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor
heat exchanger 170 to flow to the compressors 22 and 24 during the
heating operation. The cooling/heating switching valve 60 is
connected to the compressors 22 and 24, the outdoor heat exchanger
170, the indoor heat exchanger 11 and the accumulator 27.
[0036] The outdoor unit OU is provided with suction holes through
which outdoor air is sucked into an outdoor unit case 90 forming
the external appearance of the outdoor unit OU and a discharge hole
through which air having exchanged heat with the outdoor heat
exchanger 170 within the outdoor unit case 90 is discharged to the
outside. The compressors 22 and 24, the accumulator 27, the oil
separators 28 and 29, the check valves 31 and 32, the outdoor heat
exchanger 170, the outdoor expansion device 50 and the
cooling/heating switching valve 60 are installed within the outdoor
unit case 90.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4
is an exploded perspective view of the outdoor unit of FIG. 3.
[0038] The outdoor unit OU of the air conditioner in accordance
with this embodiment includes: an outdoor unit base 110 forming the
bottom surface of the outdoor unit OU; an outdoor unit main body
100 connected to the outdoor unit base 110 and provided with
suction holes 123, 133 and 163 formed on the circumferential
surfaces thereof to suck air into the outdoor unit main body 100
therethrough and a discharge hole 143 formed on the top surface
thereof; the outdoor heat exchanger 170 disposed within the outdoor
unit main body 100 having sections facing towards each of the
suction holes 123, 133 and 163; a discharge fan 148 provided around
the discharge hole 143 of the outdoor unit main body 100 to
generate air flow in the vertical direction; and a suction fan 198
provided in the lower portion of the outdoor unit main body 100 to
generate air flow in the horizontal direction.
[0039] In this embodiment, the upward and downward directions mean
the vertical direction, i.e., the direction of gravity, and the
forward and backward directions and the rightward and leftward
directions mean the horizontal directions perpendicular to the
upward and downward directions.
[0040] The outdoor unit case 90 includes the outdoor unit base 110
and the outdoor unit main body 100, and forms the external
appearance of the outdoor unit OU. The outdoor unit base 110 forms
the external appearance of the bottom surface of the outdoor unit
case 90, and the compressors 22 and 24, the oil separators 28 and
29, the accumulator 27 and the outdoor heat exchanger 170 are
installed on top of the outdoor unit base 110.
[0041] The outdoor unit main body 100 is connected to the outdoor
unit base 110. The outdoor unit main body 100 has a rectangular
parallelepipedal shape, the bottom surface of which is opened. The
suction holes 123, 133 and 163 through which air is sucked into the
outdoor unit main body 100 are formed on the circumferential
surfaces of the outdoor unit main body 100. The discharge hole 143
is formed on the top surface of the outdoor unit main body 100.
Preferably, the suction holes 123, 133 and 163 are formed on three
surfaces, i.e., the rear, the left and the right surfaces, from
among the circumferential surfaces of the outdoor unit main body
100. In this embodiment, the suction holes 123, 133 and 163 include
left suction holes 123, right suction holes 133 and rear suction
holes 163.
[0042] The outdoor unit main body 100 includes a left panel 120
forming the left surface of the outdoor unit case 90, a right panel
130 forming the right surface of the outdoor unit case 90, a top
panel 140 forming the top surface of the outdoor unit case 90, a
front panel 150 forming the front surface of the outdoor unit case
90, and a rear panel 160 forming the rear surface of the outdoor
unit case 90.
[0043] The left panel 120 forms the external appearance of the left
surface of the outdoor unit OU, and is connected to the left
portion of the outdoor unit base 110. The left panel 120 is
provided with a left grill 122 formed thereon so as to suck outdoor
air into the outdoor unit main body 100. The left grill 122 forms
the left suction holes 123 through which outdoor air is sucked into
the outdoor unit main body 100 from the left side.
[0044] The right panel 130 forms the external appearance of the
right surface of the outdoor unit OU, and is connected to the right
portion of the outdoor unit base 110. The right panel 130 is
provided with a right grill 132 formed thereon so as to suck
outdoor air into the outdoor unit main body 100. The right grill
132 forms the right suction holes 133 through which outdoor air is
sucked into the outdoor unit main body 100 from the right side.
[0045] The top panel 140 forms the external appearance of the top
surface of the outdoor unit OU, is connected to the upper portions
of the left panel 120 and the right panel 130, and is provided with
the discharge hole 143. The top panel 140 is provided with a
discharge grill 142 located above the discharge hole 143.
[0046] The front panel 150 forms the external appearance of the
front surface of the outdoor unit OU, and is disposed in front of a
space surrounded by the outdoor unit base 110, the left panel 120,
the right panel 130 and the top panel 140.
[0047] The rear panel 160 forms the external appearance of the rear
surface of the outdoor unit OU, and is disposed in the rear of the
space surrounded by the left panel 120, the right panel 130 and the
top panel 140. The rear panel 160 is provided with a rear grill 162
so as to suck outdoor air into the outdoor unit main body 100. The
rear grill 162 forms the rear suction holes 163 through which
outdoor air is sucked into the outdoor unit main body 100 from the
rear.
[0048] The outdoor heat exchanger 170 is disposed within the
outdoor unit main body 100 and includes a plurality of sections
facing towards each of the suction holes 123, 133 and 163. In this
embodiment, the suction holes 123, 133 and 163 include the left
suction holes 123, the right suction holes 133 and the rear suction
holes 163, and the outdoor heat exchanger 170 has three horizontal
sections forming D shape. The outdoor heat exchanger 170 having
three sections is configured to surround the compressors 22 and 24,
the oil separators 28 and 29 and the accumulator 27 installed on
the top surface of the outdoor unit base 110.
[0049] From among the three sections of the outdoor heat exchanger
170, the left section has one of its major surfaces facing towards
the left suction holes 123 formed on the left panel 120, the right
section has one of its major surfaces facing towards the right
suction holes 133 formed on the right panel 130, and the rear
section has one of its major surfaces facing towards the rear
suction holes 163 formed on the rear panel 160.
[0050] The discharge fan 148 is provided at the discharge hole 143
of the outdoor unit main body 100 and generates air flow in the
vertical direction. The discharge fan 148 is disposed below the top
panel 140 so as to correspond to the discharge hole 143. The
discharge fan 148 is supported by discharge brackets 147 connected
to the front panel 150 and the rear panel 160.
[0051] The discharge fan 148 is rotated by a discharge motor 146,
and the discharge motor 146 is installed on the discharge brackets
147. A shroud 149 forming a channel is provided around the
discharge fan 148. The shroud 149 is connected to the front panel
150 and the rear panel 160 and is disposed below the top panel
140.
[0052] The discharge fan 148 generates outdoor air flow to achieve
heat exchange between the outdoor air and the refrigerant within
the outdoor heat exchanger 170. Preferably, the discharge fan 148
is an axial fan having an axis formed in the vertical direction
(the upward and downward directions) to discharge the outdoor air
within the outdoor unit main body 100 to the outside. The discharge
fan 148 discharges outdoor air sucked through the suction holes
123, 133 and 163 upward.
[0053] The suction fan 198 is provided in the lower portion of the
outdoor unit main body 100, and generates air flow in the
horizontal direction. The suction fan 198 is disposed on the
outdoor unit base 110. The suction fan 198 is supported by a
suction bracket 197 connected to the top surface of the outdoor
unit base 110. The suction fan 198 is rotated by a suction motor
196, and the suction motor 196 is installed on the suction bracket
197.
[0054] The suction fan 198 generates outdoor air flow together with
the discharge fan 148 to achieve heat exchange between the outdoor
air and the refrigerant within the outdoor heat exchanger 170.
Preferably, the suction fan 198 is an axial fan having an axis
formed in the horizontal direction to suck outdoor air from the
outside of the outdoor unit main body 100 into the outdoor unit
main body 100. Preferably, the suction fan 198 has the axis formed
in the forward and backward directions and thus generates air flow
in the forward and backward directions.
[0055] A controller 180 controls the compressors 22 and 24, the
outdoor expansion device 50, the cooling/heating switching valve
60, the discharge motor 146 and the suction motor 196 according to
required cooling/heating performance.
[0056] FIG. 5 is a partial front view of the outdoor unit of FIG.
3, FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the outdoor unit of
FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a view illustrating air flow in the outdoor
unit of FIG. 3.
[0057] The suction fan 198 of the outdoor unit OU in accordance
with the embodiment of the present invention is disposed close to
the outdoor heat exchanger 170 facing the rear section from among
the three sections of the outdoor heat exchanger 170. The suction
fan 198 is disposed in the rear portion of the outdoor unit OU to
be close to the rear section of the outdoor heat exchanger 170. The
suction fan 198 is provided between the rear section of the outdoor
heat exchanger 170 and the compressors 22 and 24. In other words,
the rear section of the outdoor heat exchanger 170 is disposed more
upstream than the suction fan 198 in the air flow path. The suction
bracket 197 supporting the suction fan 198 is connected to the rear
portion of the outdoor unit base 110.
[0058] The suction fan 198 causes outdoor air to be sucked into the
outdoor unit main body 100 through the rear suction holes 163 and
then to flow toward the compressors 22 and 24 via the rear section
of the outdoor heat exchanger 170. The suction fan 198 generates
outdoor air flow from the rear to the front.
[0059] Preferably, the suction fan 198 forms an air velocity
similar to the air velocity of the discharge fan 148. With
reference to FIG. 7, the velocity of upstream sucked air SD made by
the suction fan 198 is preferably similar to the velocity of
downstream discharged air SU made by the discharge fan 148. The
controller 180 controls the suction motor 196 and the discharge
motor 146 and thus adjusts the rotational velocity of the suction
fan 198 and the rotational velocity of the discharge fan 148 so
that the velocity of the upstream sucked air SD is similar to the
velocity of the downstream discharged air SU.
[0060] If the velocity of the downstream discharged air SU passing
through the upper portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 170 and the
velocity of the upstream sucked air SD passing through the lower
portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 170 are similar to each
other, the total volume of air passing through the outdoor heat
exchanger 170 is increased and heat exchange performance of the
outdoor heat exchanger 170 is improved.
[0061] FIG. 8 is a front view of an outdoor unit in accordance with
another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a partial
front view of the outdoor unit of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a
horizontal sectional view of the outdoor unit of FIG. 8.
[0062] A suction fan 298 of an outdoor unit OU in accordance with
this embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the front
portion of the outdoor unit main body 100 facing the rear section
from among the three sections of the outdoor heat exchanger 170.
The suction fan 208 is disposed in the front portion of the outdoor
unit OU to be close to a front panel 250 of the outdoor unit main
body 100. The suction fan 298 is provided between the front panel
250 forming the front surface of the outdoor unit main body 100 and
the compressors 22 and 24. Further, the rear section of the outdoor
heat exchanger 170 is disposed in the rear portion of the outdoor
unit OU to be close to the rear panel 160. In other words, the
compressors 22 and 24 are positioned more downstream than the
suction fan in the air flow path, while the rear section of the
outdoor heat exchanger 170 is disposed further downstream from the
compressors 22 and 24. The suction fan 298 is provided below the
controller 180. A suction bracket 297 supporting the suction fan
298 is connected to the front portion of the outdoor unit base
110.
[0063] A front suction hole 253 corresponding to the suction fan
298 is formed on the front panel 250 of the outdoor unit main body
100. The front panel 250 is provided with a front grill 252 to suck
outdoor air into the outdoor unit main body 100. The front grill
252 is provided in the front suction hole 253 to suck outdoor air
from the front therethrough.
[0064] The suction fan 298 causes outdoor air to be sucked into the
outdoor unit main body 100 through the front suction hole 253 and
then to flow toward the compressors 22 and 24. The suction fan 298
generates outdoor air flow from the front to the rear. Preferably,
the suction fan 298 forms an air velocity similar to the air
velocity of the discharge fan 148.
[0065] FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are graphs showing experimental
results illustrating the average air velocity according to the
height of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0066] FIG. 11(a) is a graph illustrating the average air velocity
according to the height of the outdoor unit OU when only the
discharge fan 148 is rotated without the suction fan 198, and FIG.
11(b) is a graph illustrating the average air velocity according to
the height of the outdoor unit OU when the suction fan 198 is
provided and thus both the suction fan 198 and the discharge fan
148 are rotated.
[0067] In FIG. 11(a), the average air velocity at the lower end of
the outdoor unit OU is about 2 m/s, the average air velocity at the
middle portion of the outdoor unit OU is about 4 m/s, and the
average air velocity at the upper end of the outdoor unit OU is
about 6 m/s. On the other hand, in case that the suction fan 198 is
provided, as shown in FIG. 11(b), all the average air velocities at
the lower end, the middle portion and the upper end of the outdoor
unit OU are about 6 m/s, and thus the total volume of air passing
through the outdoor heat exchanger 170 may be increased and heat
exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 170 may be
improved.
[0068] Table 1 shows the total volumes of air according to the
rotating velocity of the discharge fan 148 if the suction fan 198
is not provided and if the suction fan 198 is provided. All the
values shown below are comparative values to reference values.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Rotating velocity Rotating velocity (%) of
discharge (%) of suction Total air volume fan fan (%) Case 1 100 0
100 Case 2 100 100 120 Case 3 200 0 200 Case 4 200 100 220
[0069] Further, Table 2 shows coefficients of performance (COPs) of
the air conditioner during the cooling operation and the heating
operation if the suction fan 198 is not provided and if the suction
fan 198 is provided. All the values shown below are comparative
values to reference values.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 COP (%) during cooling COP (%) during
heating operation operation Without suction fan 100 100 With
suction fan 103 105
[0070] From the above experimental results, it is understood that
efficiency of the air conditioner during the heating operation if
the suction fan 198 is provided is increased.
[0071] As apparent from the above description, an outdoor unit for
an air conditioner in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention has at least one of the following effects.
[0072] First, the outdoor unit is provided with a discharge fan
generating air flow in the vertical direction and a suction fan
generating air flow in the horizontal direction, thereby increasing
the total volume of air passing through an outdoor heat
exchanger.
[0073] Second, the outdoor unit allows the velocity of air passing
through the upper portion of the outdoor heat exchanger and the
velocity of air passing through the lower portion of the outdoor
heat exchanger to be similar to each other, thereby solving
unbalance in refrigerant distribution.
[0074] Third, the outdoor unit increases the total volume of air
and solves unbalance in refrigerant distribution, thereby improving
heat exchange performance.
[0075] Effects of the present invention are not limited to the
above-stated effects, and those skilled in the art will understand
other effects, which are not stated above, from the accompanying
claims.
[0076] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope of the
invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
* * * * *