U.S. patent application number 14/247944 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-23 for air conditioner.
This patent application is currently assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is LG ELECTRONICS INC.. Invention is credited to Eunjun CHO, Kiwoong PARK, Beomsoo SEO.
Application Number | 20140311175 14/247944 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50478325 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140311175 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHO; Eunjun ; et
al. |
October 23, 2014 |
AIR CONDITIONER
Abstract
An air conditioner includes a case having an inlet and an
outlet, an first heat exchanger arranged in the case, a second heat
exchanger positioned below the first heat exchanger to have a
region overlapped with the first heat exchanger, a guide member for
blocking a space between adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger
and the second heat exchanger, and a water collecting member
provided at the guide member for collecting condensed water from
the first heat exchanger.
Inventors: |
CHO; Eunjun; (Seoul, KR)
; PARK; Kiwoong; (Seoul, KR) ; SEO; Beomsoo;
(Seoul, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LG ELECTRONICS INC. |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
50478325 |
Appl. No.: |
14/247944 |
Filed: |
April 8, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/291 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 13/30 20130101;
F25D 21/14 20130101; F24F 13/222 20130101; F24F 1/0059
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/291 |
International
Class: |
F25D 21/14 20060101
F25D021/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 19, 2013 |
KR |
10-2013-0043404 |
Jul 2, 2013 |
KR |
10-2013-0077000 |
Claims
1. An air conditioner comprising: a case having an inlet and an
outlet; a first heat exchanger arranged in the case; a second heat
exchanger positioned below the first heat exchanger to have a
region overlapped with the first heat exchanger; a guide member to
block a space between adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger
and the second heat exchanger; and a water collecting member
provided at the guide member to collect condensed water from the
first heat exchanger.
2. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water
collecting member has a holding space to collect the condensed
water, and the first heat exchanger has a lower end portion
positioned within the holding space.
3. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 2, wherein the water
collecting member includes a blocking portion extended from a
bottom of the holding space toward the first heat exchanger.
4. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 2, wherein an underside
of the first heat exchanger is arranged spaced a predetermined
distance from an inside circumferential surface of the water
collecting member.
5. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide
member includes; a first coupling portion positioned on a top side
of the second heat exchanger, a second coupling portion positioned
on an underside of the first heat exchanger, and a baffle portion
connected between the first and second coupling portions to block
the space between adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger and
the second heat exchanger.
6. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the water
collecting member is provided at the second coupling portion.
7. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the water
collecting member has one side connected to the second coupling
portion, and the other side provided with a guide portion tiltedly
extended upward.
8. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
side blocking member provided to both sides of the guide member to
prevent air from flowing through a space between both sides of at
least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger
and the case.
9. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide
member and the water collecting member include heat insulating
material.
10. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water
collecting member is stream lined.
11. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first
heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are tilted by
predetermined angles from the inlet, respectively.
12. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
overlapped region of the first heat exchanger and the second heat
exchanger has a height determined with reference to any one of the
first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger having a higher
flow rate loss.
13. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 11, wherein the height
of the overlapped region of the first heat exchanger and the second
heat exchanger is less than 60% of a height of the first heat
exchanger.
14. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first
heat exchanger has a height smaller than a height of the second
heat exchanger.
15. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
drain pan positioned under the first and second heat exchangers,
wherein the water collecting member guides the condensed water from
the first heat exchanger to the drain pan.
16. An air conditioner comprising: a case having an inlet and an
outlet; a first heat exchanger arranged in the case; a second heat
exchanger being spaced apart from the first heat exchanger; a guide
member to block a space between adjacent edges of the first heat
exchanger and the second heat exchanger, the guide member having a
water collecting groove to collect the condensed water from the
first heat exchanger; and a drain pan positioned under the first
and second heat exchangers.
17. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 16, wherein the guide
member includes; a first coupling portion positioned on a top side
of the second heat exchanger, a second coupling portion positioned
on an underside of the first heat exchanger, and a baffle portion
connected between the first and second coupling portions to block
the space between adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger and
the second heat exchanger.
18. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 17, wherein the water
collecting groove is provided at the baffle portion.
19. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 18, wherein the water
collecting groove has a bottom positioned lower than the second
coupling portion.
20. The air conditioner as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first
heat exchanger has at least a region arranged to face the water
collecting groove.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the Patent Korean
Application Nos. 10-2013-0043404, filed on Apr. 19, 2013 and
10-2013-0077000, filed on Jul. 2, 2013, which is hereby
incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] 1. Field of the Disclosure
[0003] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner which
can improve a heat exchange performance.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art
[0005] In general, the air conditioner is a machine for
heating/cooling a room or cleaning room air for providing a more
comfortable environment to a user.
[0006] In the air conditioners, there are a split type air
conditioner which has an indoor unit and an outdoor unit split from
each other, and a unitary air conditioner which has the indoor unit
and the outdoor unit produced as one unit.
[0007] In this case, the split type air conditioner is provided
with the indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger mounted
thereto for cooling or heating the room, and the outdoor unit
having a compressor mounted thereto for compressing refrigerant to
a high temperature and high pressure and discharging the same.
[0008] And, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are respectively
installed in a room and on an outside of the room split from each
other, and connected with a refrigerant pipeline.
[0009] In the meantime, the air conditioner has a total heat
exchange area of the heat exchangers in a case fixed according to a
standard of a product case size. In this case, a problem takes
place, in which the smaller the heat exchange area of the heat
exchanger compared to a flow rate of the air introduced thereto,
the smaller the flow rate becomes due to a pressure loss.
[0010] In order to solve the problem, a plurality of heat
exchangers may be installed for increasing the heat exchange area
within a limited case space. And, the plurality of heat exchangers
may be installed in a width direction (An x-axis direction in FIG.
1), or in a height direction (A y-axis direction in FIG. 1) of the
case in succession.
[0011] However, the system in which the plurality of heat
exchangers are installed in the width direction of the case in
succession is liable to cause the pressure loss of the air as the
air introduced thereto passes the plurality of the heat exchangers
in succession.
[0012] Therefore, if the plurality of heat exchangers are installed
in the case of a predetermined product standard size, a new
arrangement design is required, which can reduce the pressure loss
for increasing the flow rate of the air to be heat exchanged.
[0013] In the meantime, if the heat exchanger is operated as an
evaporator, condensed water formed on a surface of the heat
exchanger flows down from the heat exchanger by gravity. According
to this, problems take place in that, as the flow of the condensed
water becomes greater as the condensed water flows down to a lower
side of the heat exchanger, the heat exchange performance of the
heat exchanger becomes poorer and the flow rate of the air becomes
lower.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0014] To solve the problems, one object is to provide an air
conditioner which can reduce a pressure loss of the air as well as
increase a heat exchange area.
[0015] Another object is to provide an air conditioner which can
prevent air from flowing between edges of adjacent heat exchangers,
if a plurality of the heat exchangers are mounted.
[0016] Another object is to provide an air conditioner which can
reduce a pressure loss of the air being introduced to each heat
exchanger, if a plurality of the heat exchangers are mounted.
[0017] Another object is to provide an air conditioner which can
prevent a heat exchange performance from becoming poor due to
condensed water.
[0018] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the
disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which
follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary
skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be
learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other
advantages may be realized and attained by the structure
particularly pointed out in the written description and claims
hereof as well as the appended drawings.
[0019] To achieve these objects and other advantages, as embodied
and broadly described herein, an air conditioner includes a case
having an inlet and an outlet, an first heat exchanger arranged in
the case, a second heat exchanger positioned below the first heat
exchanger to have a region overlapped with the first heat
exchanger, a guide member for blocking a space between adjacent
edges of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger,
and a water collecting member provided at the guide member for
collecting condensed water from the first heat exchanger.
[0020] The water collecting member may have a holding space for
collecting the condensed water, and the first heat exchanger has a
lower end portion positioned within the holding space.
[0021] The water collecting member may include a blocking portion
extended from a bottom of the holding space toward the first heat
exchanger.
[0022] The upper heat exchanger may have its underside arranged
spaced a predetermined distance from an inside circumferential
surface of the water collecting member.
[0023] The guide member may include a first coupling portion
positioned on a top side of the second heat exchanger, a second
coupling portion positioned on an underside of the first heat
exchanger, and a baffle portion connected between the first and
second coupling portions for blocking the space between adjacent
edges of the first heat exchanger and the second heat
exchanger.
[0024] The water collecting member may be provided at the second
coupling portion.
[0025] The water collecting member may have one side connected to
the second coupling portion, and the other side provided with a
guide portion tiltedly extended upward.
[0026] The air conditioner may further include a side blocking
member provided to both sides of the guide member for preventing
air from flowing through a space between both sides of at least one
of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and the
case.
[0027] The guide member and the water collecting member may include
heat insulating material provided thereto.
[0028] The water collecting member is stream lined.
[0029] The firstheat exchanger and the second heat exchanger may be
tilted by predetermined angles from the inlet, respectively.
[0030] The overlapped region of the first heat exchanger and the
second heat exchanger may have a height determined with reference
to any one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat
exchanger having a higher flow rate loss.
[0031] The height of the overlapped region of the first heat
exchanger and the second heat exchanger may be less than 60% of a
height of the first heat exchanger.
[0032] The first heat exchanger may have a height smaller than a
height of the second heat exchanger.
[0033] The air conditioner may further include a drain pan
positioned under the first and second heat exchangers, for guiding
the condensed water from the first heat exchanger to the drain pan
through the water collecting member.
[0034] In another aspect, an air conditioner includes a case having
an inlet and an outlet, a first heat exchanger arranged in the
case, a second heat exchanger being spaced apart from the first
heat exchanger, a guide member for blocking a space between
adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger and the second heat
exchanger, the guide member having a water collecting groove for
collecting the condensed water from the first heat exchanger, and a
drain pan positioned under the first and second heat
exchangers.
[0035] The guide member includes a first coupling portion
positioned on a top side of the second heat exchanger, a second
coupling portion positioned on an underside of the first heat
exchanger, and a baffle portion connected between the first and
second coupling portions for blocking the space between adjacent
edges of the first heat exchanger and the second heat
exchanger.
[0036] The water collecting groove may be provided to the baffle
portion.
[0037] The water collecting groove may have a bottom positioned
lower than the second coupling portion.
[0038] The first heat exchanger has at least a region arranged to
face the water collecting groove.
[0039] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory and are not intended to limit the scope of the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the disclosure, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principle of the invention.
[0041] In the drawings:
[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section of an air conditioner in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a variation of the
guide member in FIG. 1.
[0044] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate cross-sections, each showing
another variation of the guide member in FIG. 1.
[0045] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate cross-sections, each showing
another variation of the guide member in FIG. 1.
[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of another variation
of the guide member in FIG. 1.
[0047] FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of an air conditioner having
the guide member in FIG. 5 mounted thereto.
[0048] FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section for describing a flow
process of air passing through a plurality of heat exchangers.
[0049] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a cross-section of an air
conditioner having a plurality of heat exchangers mounted tiltedly
mounted in a case, respectively, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0050] FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate perspective views each for
describing another variation of a heat exchanger.
[0051] FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-section of a duct type air
conditioner.
[0052] FIGS. 12, 13A, and 13B illustrate cross-sections of key
parts of an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred
embodiment of the present invention, respectively.
[0053] FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-section of an air conditioner in
accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0054] FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate perspective views of the guide
member in FIG. 14, respectively.
[0055] FIGS. 17A and 17B illustrate conceptual drawings for
describing positional relations of a plurality of heat exchangers,
respectively.
[0056] FIG. 18 illustrates a graph showing a performance of an air
conditioner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0057] Reference will now be made in detail to the specific
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings are
for illustrating exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
for providing the disclosure, but not for confining technical
scopes of the present invention.
[0058] Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used
throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts,
repetitive description of which will be omitted, and, for
convenience of description, a size or a shape of a member may be
shown exaggerated or not to scale, perfectly.
[0059] In the meantime, though terms including ordinal numbers,
such as first or second, can be used for describing various
elements, the elements are not confined by the terms, but are used
only for making one element distinctive from other elements.
[0060] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section of an air conditioner in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a variation of the guide
member in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate cross-sections,
each showing another variation of the guide member in FIG. 1.
[0061] The air conditioner 100 to be described in this
specification may be a split type air conditioner having an indoor
unit and an outdoor unit split from each other, and the air
conditioner 100 may indicate the indoor unit of the split type air
conditioner, only.
[0062] Referring to FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 includes a case
110, a plurality of heat exchangers 120: 121, and 123, a fan 130,
and a guide member 210.
[0063] The air conditioner 100 includes a case 110 having an inlet
111 and an outlet 113, an upper heat exchanger 121 arranged in the
case 110, and a lower heat exchanger 123 being spaced apart from
the upper heat exchanger 121. A lower heat exchanger 123 may be
positioned below the upper heat exchanger 121 to have a region
overlapped with the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0064] And, the air conditioner 100 also includes a guide member
210 for blocking a space between adjacent edges of the upper heat
exchanger 121 and the lower heat exchanger 123, and a water
collecting member 220 provided to the guide member 210 for
collecting and draining condensed water from the upper heat
exchanger 121.
[0065] The case 110 forms an exterior appearance of the air
conditioner 100, and has the inlet 111 and the outlet 113.
[0066] And, upon putting the fan 130 in the case 110 into
operation, the air is introduced into the case through the inlet
111. Then, the air is heated or cooled in a course of passing
through the plurality of heat exchangers 120, and the air heated or
cooled thus is discharged to an outside of the air conditioner
through the outlet 113.
[0067] The inlet 111 may be provided in the case 110 lower than the
outlet 113, and the fan 130 may be arranged at a side of the outlet
113.
[0068] The plurality of heat exchangers 120 are arranged in the
case 110 in a state spaced in up/down and front/rear
directions.
[0069] Referring to FIG. 1, the upper heat exchanger 121 and the
lower heat exchanger 123 are arranged spaced by predetermined
distances in a width direction (Hereafter, an x-axis direction),
and in a height direction (Hereafter, a y-axis direction) of the
case 110, respectively.
[0070] And, for convenience of description, in the first
embodiment, a heat exchanger positioned on an upper side in the
y-axis direction in FIG. 1 relatively will be called as an upper
heat exchanger 121 or a first heat exchanger 121, and a heat
exchanger positioned on a lower side in the y-axis direction in
FIG. 1 relatively will be called as a lower heat exchanger 123 or a
second heat exchanger 123.
[0071] In this case, the upper and lower heat exchangers 121 and
123 are arranged to have a region thereof overlapped with each
other when the heat exchangers 121 and 123 are seen from the inlet
111.
[0072] That is, the upper heat exchanger 121 and the lower heat
exchanger 123 are arranged to have a region thereof overlapped in
the y-axis direction. More specifically, with reference to the
inlet 111, a portion of a lower side of the upper heat exchanger
121 and a portion of an upper side of the lower heat exchanger 123
are overlapped.
[0073] In the meantime, a largest length of a heat exchanger area
is limited by a height Hc of a space in the case 110 the heat
exchangers are mounted therein. However, the air conditioner of the
embodiment suggests overlapping of the regions of the upper and
lower heat exchangers 121 and 123 for increasing a total heat
exchanger area.
[0074] Moreover, as the heat exchanger 120 is divided into the
plurality of the heat exchangers 121 and 123, heights L1 and L2 of
the upper and the lower heat exchangers 121 and 123 can be reduced,
respectively.
[0075] Moreover, the upper and the lower heat exchangers 121 and
123 may be of fin-tube type heat exchangers, respectively.
[0076] And, by reducing the heights of the upper and the lower heat
exchangers 121 and 123, amounts of the condensed water formed at
the surfaces of the upper and the lower heat exchangers 121 and 123
may be reduced, respectively.
[0077] In detail, if the condensed water is formed at the upper
heat exchanger 121, the condensed water flows down to a lower side
of the upper heat exchanger 121 by gravity. According to this, the
flow of the condensed water increases as the condensed water goes
to the lower side of the upper heat exchanger 121 to make the heat
exchange performance of the upper heat exchanger 121 poor.
[0078] However, since the air conditioner of the embodiment can
reduce the heights of the upper and lower heat exchangers 121 and
123 respectively, the flow of the condensed water can be reduced,
enabling to improve the heat exchange performances of the upper and
lower heat exchangers 121 and 123, respectively.
[0079] In the meantime, it is important to prevent the air from
flowing through a space between the adjacent edges of the upper
heat exchanger 121 and the lower heat exchanger 123 arranged spaced
in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, respectively.
[0080] The guide member 210 performs a function of blocking the
space between the adjacent edges of the upper heat exchanger 121
and the lower heat exchanger 123.
[0081] Moreover, the guide member 210 performs a function of
guiding the air introduced through the inlet 111 to pass through
the upper heat exchanger 121 and the lower heat exchanger 123,
respectively.
[0082] That is, even in a case the upper heat exchanger 121 and the
lower heat exchanger 123 have regions overlapped with each other,
the guide member 210 performs the function of guiding the air flow
to make adequate heat exchange throughout an entire height L1 of
the upper heat exchanger 121 and an entire height L2 of the lower
heat exchanger 123.
[0083] As one variation, the guide member 210 may include a first
coupling portion 211 positioned on a top side of the lower heat
exchanger 123, a second coupling portion 213 positioned on an
underside of the upper heat exchanger 121, and a baffle portion 215
connected between the first and second coupling portions 211 and
213 to block the space between the adjacent edges of the upper heat
exchanger 121 and the lower heat exchanger 123.
[0084] It is preferable that the first coupling portion 211 is in
close contact with the top side of the lower heat exchanger 123,
and the second coupling portion 213 is in close contact with the
underside of the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0085] In this case, as the first coupling portion 211 is in close
contact with the top side of the lower heat exchanger 123 to cover
the top side, a contact area between the first coupling portion 211
and the heat exchanger 123 can be increased.
[0086] According to this, shaking of the guide member 210 by the
air flow can also be prevented.
[0087] The baffle portion 215 has a shape of a diagonal extension
between the first coupling portion 211 and the second coupling
portion 213.
[0088] In the meantime, the water collecting member 220 is provided
to the guide member 210 for performing functions of collecting the
condensed water from the surface of the upper heat exchanger 121,
and draining the condensed water collected thus to an outside of
the air conditioner. The collecting member 220 has at least one
drainage hole 227.
[0089] In detail, if the upper heat exchanger 121 is operated as an
evaporator, the condensed water formed at the surface of the upper
heat exchanger 121 flows down by gravity, possibly, toward the
surface of the lower heat exchanger 123.
[0090] In the embodiment, the water collecting member 220 collects
the condensed water from the upper heat exchanger 121 as well as
prevents the condensed water from flowing toward the lower heat
exchanger 123. That is, condensed water from the upper heat
exchanger is guided to the drain pan 140 through the drainage hole
227 of the water collecting member 220.
[0091] According to this, by preventing the condensed water from
dropping down to the lower heat exchanger 123, it is possible to
prevent the condensed water of the upper heat exchanger 121 from
making the heat exchange performance of the lower heat exchanger
123 poor.
[0092] And, of the two heat exchangers 120 having ends overlapped
with each other, it is preferable that the water collecting member
220 is provided to the guide member 210 at a position corresponding
to a condensed water dropping direction of the upper heat exchanger
121.
[0093] For example, the water collecting member 220 may be provided
to the second coupling portion 213 of the guide member 210, which
is in close contact with the underside of the upper heat exchanger
121.
[0094] And, the water collecting member 220 may have a holding
space S to position the underside of the upper heat exchanger 121
therein for collecting the condensed water thereto.
[0095] And, the water collecting member 220 may have a box shape
with an opened upper side.
[0096] That is, in order to secure the holding space S, the upper
heat exchanger 121 may have at least the underside spaced a
predetermined distance from an inside circumferential surface of
the water collecting member 220.
[0097] And, the water collecting member 220 can prevent the
condensed water dropping to a lower side of the upper heat
exchanger 121 from splashing to an outside of the water collecting
member 220.
[0098] Moreover, the guide member 210 and the water collecting
member 220 have extensions in a length direction of the upper heat
exchanger 121 or the lower heat exchanger 123. The guide member 210
and the water collecting member 220 have lengths the same as a
length direction length of the upper heat exchanger 121 or the
lower heat exchanger 123. According to this, the condensed water
dropping to the lower side of the upper heat exchanger 120 can be
collected at the water collecting member 220, entirely.
[0099] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the water collecting member
220 may have a blocking portion 221 extended toward the upper heat
exchanger 121 from a bottom of the holding space S.
[0100] The blocking portion 221 performs a function of blocking the
air which does not pass the upper heat exchanger 121, but through
the holding space S, to by pass the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0101] That is, by guiding the air passing the holding space S
through a gap between the second coupling portion 213 of the guide
member 210 and the underside of the upper heat exchanger 121 to an
upper side of the upper heat exchanger 121, the blocking portion
221 can guide the air introduced to the holding space S to an
inside of the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0102] In this case, the blocking portion 221 may be extended from
the bottom of the holding space S vertically to a height Hp at
which the blocking portion 221 abuts with the underside of the
upper heat exchanger 121. According to this, the blocking portion
221 can guide the air introduced to the holding space S to the
upper heat exchanger 121, entirely.
[0103] And, referring to FIG. 3B, the water collecting member 220
may have a guide portion 223 extended tilted upward.
[0104] And, the water collecting member 220 has one side connected
to the second coupling portion 213, and the other side provided
with the guide portion 223 extended tilted upward.
[0105] The guide portion 223 performs a function of guiding the
condensed water splashing from the surface of the upper heat
exchanger 121 toward the air flow direction (The x-axis direction
in FIG. 1) by the air being introduced thereto to the inside of the
holding space S.
[0106] In this case, it is preferable that a top side of the guide
portion 223 is extended tilted upward higher than the underside of
the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0107] And, if the upper heat exchanger 121 is positioned in rear
of the lower heat exchanger 123 with reference to the air
introduction direction, the guide portion 223 may be provided to
the water collecting member 220.
[0108] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate cross-sections each showing
another variation of the guide member in FIG. 1.
[0109] Referring to FIG. 4A, a heat insulating material 230 may be
provided to at least one of the water collecting member 220 and the
guide member 210.
[0110] The heat insulating material 230 provided to the water
collecting member 220 blocks heat exchange between the condensed
water collected at the holding space S and the air passed through
the lower heat exchanger 123, for preventing a total heat exchange
performance from dropping.
[0111] And, the heat insulating material 230 provided to the guide
member 210 prevents heat exchange from taking place between the air
passed through the lower heat exchanger 123 and the air introduced
to the upper heat exchanger 121 with the guide member 210 disposed
therebetween, thereby improving the heat exchange performance.
[0112] In the meantime, the first coupling portion 211 of the guide
member 210 may be in close contact with the lower heat exchanger
123 to cover only a portion of the top side of the lower heat
exchanger 123.
[0113] At the time the guide member 210 is being mounted in the air
conditioner, after mounting the plurality of the heat exchangers
120, the guide member 210 may be inserted in, and secured to, the
space between the plurality of heat exchangers 120.
[0114] That is, if the first coupling portion 211 is formed to be
in close contact with only the portion of the top side of the lower
heat exchanger 123, reducing a length of the first coupling portion
211, the insertion of the guide member 210 in the space between the
upper and lower heat exchangers 121 and 123 becomes easier.
[0115] And, referring to FIG. 4B, the water collecting member 220
may be stream lined, that is, sharp edges may be removed, for
guiding the air flowing in contact with the underside of the water
collecting member 220 smoothly, thereby reducing air flow
resistance.
[0116] Preferably, only the underside of the water collecting
member 220 may be stream lined. Similarly, in order to reduce the
air flow resistance, the guide member 223 may also be stream
lined.
[0117] And, the water collecting member 220 may have a
supplementary blocking portion 225 provided between the blocking
portion 221 and the guide portion 223. The supplementary blocking
portion 225 may be a vertical extension from a bottom of the water
collecting member 220 to be in close contact with a side of a lower
portion of the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0118] Similar to the blocking portion 221, the supplementary
blocking portion 225 performs a function of blocking the air moving
around the upper heat exchanger 121 through the holding space S.
Moreover, since the supplementary blocking portion 225 increases
the contact area to the upper heat exchanger 121, the shaking of
the water collecting member 220 by the air flow may be
prevented.
[0119] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of another variation
of the guide member in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 illustrates a front view
of an air conditioner having the guide member in FIG. 5 mounted
thereto.
[0120] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide member 210 may have a
side blocking member 240 provided thereto.
[0121] And, the side blocking member 240 is provided to both sides
of the guide member 210 to be positioned between both sides of the
upper and lower heat exchangers 121 and 123, and an inside of the
case 110.
[0122] The side blocking member 240 blocks both sides of the
overlapped one end portion of each of the heat exchangers 121 and
123 for blocking the air flow through the space G between both
sides of the plurality of the upper and lower heat exchangers 121
and 123, and the inside of the case 110.
[0123] The guide member 210, the water collecting member 220, and
the side blocking member 240 may be formed as one unit. According
to this, since the guide member 210, the water collecting member
220, and the side blocking member 240 are not required to be
assembled again after the guide member 210, the water collecting
member 220, and the side blocking member 240 are fabricated, a
fabrication process can be reduced.
[0124] And, since the guide member 210, the water collecting member
220, and the side blocking member 240 are formed as one unit, by
securing the side blocking member 240 to the case 110, the guide
member 210, and the water collecting member 220 can be secured to
the inside of the case 110 without securing the guide member 210,
and the water collecting member 220 to the upper or lower heat
exchanger 121 or 123 or the case 110, separately.
[0125] The foregoing air conditioner will be described taking a
detailed example.
[0126] The air conditioner of the present invention includes a case
110, a first heat exchanger 121 and a second heat exchanger 123
provided in the case 110, a guide member 210 for blocking a gap
between the first heat exchanger 121 and the second heat exchanger
123, and a water collecting member 220 provided to the guide member
210.
[0127] In this case, the second heat exchanger 123 is provided
below the first heat exchanger 121 arranged to have an upper
portion of the second heat exchanger 123 overlapped with a lower
portion of the first heat exchanger 121.
[0128] The guide member 210 is extended from a top side of the
second heat exchanger 123 to an underside of the first heat
exchanger 121 to block the gap between the underside of the first
heat exchanger 121 and the top side of the second heat exchanger
123.
[0129] And, the guide member 210 is provided such that the water
collecting member 220 is positioned on the underside of the first
heat exchanger 121 for collecting the condensed water from the
first heat exchanger 121.
[0130] The water collecting member 220 has a holding space S
provided thereto for collecting the condensed water, and a lower
end portion of the first heat exchanger 121 may be positioned
within the holding space S.
[0131] The water collecting member 220 includes a blocking portion
221 projected from the bottom of the holding space S for blocking
the air bypassing the first heat exchanger 121 through the holding
space S to prevent the heat exchanger performance from
dropping.
[0132] And, the water collecting member 220 may include a guide
portion 223 for guiding the condensed water splashing from the
first heat exchanger 121 by the air flow.
[0133] FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section for describing a flow
process of air passing through a plurality of heat exchangers.
[0134] Referring to FIG. 7, three or more heat exchangers 120a,
120b, 120c, and 120d may be provided in the case 110.
[0135] For convenience of description, the heat exchangers may be
called as a first heat exchanger 120a, a second heat exchanger
120b, a third heat exchanger 120c, and a fourth heat exchanger 120d
starting from an upper side of the inside of the case 110.
[0136] The first heat exchanger 120a and the fourth heat exchanger
120d have only one overlapped ends respectively, and the second
heat exchanger 120b, and the third heat exchanger 120c positioned
in middle have both ends overlapped with adjacent heat exchangers,
respectively.
[0137] In this case, the guide member 210 may be plural for the
guide member 210 to be provided between the plurality of heat
exchangers 120, respectively. Similarly, the water collecting
member 220 may be plural for providing the water collecting member
220 to each of the plurality of guide members 210.
[0138] In this case, the water collecting member 220 may be
provided to collect the condensed water from one of adjacent heat
exchangers 120 positioned higher than the other.
[0139] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a cross-section of an air
conditioner having a plurality of heat exchangers mounted tiltedly
mounted in the case, respectively, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0140] Referring to FIG. 8A, the first heat exchanger 121 and the
second heat exchanger 123 may be arranged tilted by predetermined
angles from the inlet 111, respectively.
[0141] And, the first heat exchanger 121 and the second heat
exchanger 123 may be arranged tilted by the same angle from the
inlet 111. Also, the second heat exchanger 123 may be positioned
below the first heat exchanger 121 to have a region overlapped with
the first heat exchanger 121.
[0142] If the heat exchangers 121 and 123 are tiltedly mounted,
enabling to secure an adequate space between the inlet 111 in the
case 110 and the first and second heat exchangers 121 and 123, flow
resistance and a flow rate of the air can be increased.
[0143] Referring to FIG. 8B, the first heat exchanger 121' and the
second heat exchanger 123' may be arranged tilted by predetermined
angles from the inlet 111, respectively. Also, the second heat
exchanger 123' may be spaced apart from the first heat exchanger
121'. And, the second heat exchanger 123' may not be positioned
below the first heat exchanger 121 to have a region overlapped with
the first heat exchanger 121.
[0144] A guide member 210' may block a gap between the first heat
exchanger 121' and the second heat exchanger 123', and a water
collecting member 220' provided to the guide member 210'.
[0145] In this case, the second heat exchanger 123' is provided
below the first heat exchanger 121'.
[0146] The guide member 210' is extended from a top side of the
second heat exchanger 123' to an underside of the first heat
exchanger 121' to block the gap between the underside of the first
heat exchanger 121' and the top side of the second heat exchanger
123'.
[0147] And, the guide member 210' is provided such that the water
collecting member 220' is positioned on the underside of the first
heat exchanger 121' for collecting the condensed water from the
first heat exchanger 121'.
[0148] The water collecting member 220' has a holding space
provided thereto for collecting the condensed water, and a lower
end portion of the first heat exchanger 121' may be positioned
within the holding space.
[0149] FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate perspective views each for
describing another variation of a heat exchanger.
[0150] Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the heat exchanger 120 may have
a bent shape. In this case, the guide member 210 and the water
collecting member 220 may also have a bent shape to match with the
bent shape of the heat exchanger 120.
[0151] That is, if the inlet 111 is provided, not only in a front
of the case 110, but also in a side of the case 110, in order to
position the heat exchanger 120 throughout an entire region of the
inlet 111, the heat exchanger 120 may have bent shapes of `` (See
FIG. 9), ``, and ` ` (See FIG. 10).
[0152] FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-section of a duct type air
conditioner.
[0153] The air conditioner of the embodiment can be applied, not
only to a stand type air conditioner, but also to a duct type air
conditioner shown in FIG. 11.
[0154] In detail, the case 110 of the duct type air conditioner has
an inlet 111 and an outlet 113, and the inlet 111 and the outlet
113 in the case 110 have ducts 117 mounted thereto,
respectively.
[0155] Similarly, the plurality of heat exchangers 120: 121, and
123 are arranged to have one end portions overlapped with each
other respectively, and the guide members 210 are provided between
the plurality of heat exchangers 120, respectively.
[0156] FIGS. 12, 13A, and 13B illustrate sections of key parts of
an air conditioner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment
of the present invention, respectively.
[0157] Referring to FIG. 12, the air conditioner includes a
plurality of heat exchangers 121 and 123, and guide members 310
provided between the plurality of heat exchangers 121 and 123,
respectively.
[0158] In detail, the air conditioner includes a case 100 having an
inlet 111 and an outlet 113, a first heat exchanger 121 arranged in
the case 100, and a second heat exchanger 123 positioned below the
first heat exchanger 121 to have a region overlapped with the first
heat exchanger 121.
[0159] And, the air conditioner includes a guide member 310 having
a water collecting groove 317 for blocking a space between adjacent
edges of the first heat exchanger 121 and the second heat exchanger
123 and collecting condensed water from the first heat exchanger
121.
[0160] And, the air conditioner includes a drain pan 140 (See FIG.
14) positioned under the first and second heat exchangers 121 and
123.
[0161] In this case, the guide member 310 may have the water
collecting groove 317 provided thereto for collecting the condensed
water from the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0162] The guide member 310 may include a first coupling portion
311 and a second coupling portion 313 positioned in an up/down
direction in close contact with the overlapped ends of the upper
and lower heat exchangers 121 and 123 respectively, and a baffle
portion 315 extended between the first coupling portion 311 and the
second coupling portion 313.
[0163] In the embodiment, the water collecting groove 317 is
provided to the baffle portion 315 of the guide member 310, and the
water collecting groove 317 has a bottom positioned lower than the
second coupling portion 313.
[0164] According to this, the condensed water from the upper heat
exchanger 121 may drop to the second coupling portion 313, and,
therefrom, may be guided to the water collecting groove 317 which
is positioned relatively low along a surface of the guide member
310.
[0165] Thus, since the water collecting groove 317 can prevent the
condensed water from flowing to the other heat exchanger 123
positioned lower than the upper heat exchanger 121, dropping of the
heat exchange performance of the lower heat exchanger 123 by the
condensed water from the upper heat exchanger 121 can be
prevented.
[0166] In this case, the second coupling portion 313 may be in
close contact with the upper heat exchanger 121 to surround an
underside of the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0167] In the meantime, it is preferable that the condensed water
collected at the water collecting member 210 and the water
collecting groove 317 is guided, and drained to the drain pan
140.
[0168] Referring to FIG. 13A, the guide member 310 may have a
tilted guide portion 319 provided thereto extended upward from the
second coupling portion 313.
[0169] And, the guide portion 319 prevents the condensed water
splashing from the surface of the upper heat exchanger 121 in an
air flow direction from dropping to an outside of the second
coupling portion 313.
[0170] The guide portion 319 may have a top side that is higher
than the underside of the upper heat exchanger 121.
[0171] The guide member 310 may have a heat insulating material 320
provided thereto, for blocking heat exchange between the condensed
water collected at the water collecting groove 317 and the air
passed through the lower heat exchanger 123, thereby preventing the
heat exchange performance from becoming poor.
[0172] The heat insulating material 320 blocks heat exchange
between the air passed through the lower heat exchanger 123 and the
air flowing toward the upper heat exchanger 121 with the guide
member 310 disposed therebetween, thereby preventing the heat
exchange performance of the air conditioner from becoming poor.
[0173] The guide member 310 may be stream lined. According to this,
resistance of the air flowing in contact with the guide member 310
can be reduced.
[0174] In comparison to the air conditioner in accordance with the
first preferred embodiment, the air conditioner in accordance with
the second preferred embodiment has no water collecting member
coupled thereto additionally, but has the water collecting groove
317 formed at the guide member 310, to provide an advantage of easy
fabrication. However, a length of the baffle portion 315, which
becomes longer for providing the water collecting groove 317, is
liable to cause a horizontal gap T between the upper and lower heat
exchangers 121 and 123 to be larger.
[0175] Referring to FIG. 13B, the upper heat exchanger 121 may be
moved forward toward the lower heat exchanger 123 by a
predetermined distance d so that a portion of the underside of the
upper heat exchanger 121 is in contact with the second coupling
portion 313.
[0176] In detail, the upper heat exchanger 121 may have at least a
portion arranged to face the water collecting groove 317.
[0177] That is, the second coupling portion 313 may be provided to
support only the portion of the upper heat exchanger 121 for
reducing a horizontal gap T' between the upper heat exchanger 121
and the lower heat exchanger 123.
[0178] FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-section of an air conditioner in
accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present
invention, and FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate perspective views of the
guide member in FIG. 14, respectively.
[0179] Referring to FIG. 14, the air conditioner 100 includes a
case 110, a plurality of heat exchangers 20: 21 and 22, a fan 130,
and a guide member 10.
[0180] In detail, the air conditioner 100 includes a case 110
having an inlet 111 and an outlet 113, a first heat exchanger 21
arranged on an inlet 111 side, a second heat exchanger 23 arranged
to have a region thereof overlapped with the first heat exchanger
21 with reference to the inlet, and a guide member 10 for blocking
a space between adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger 21 and
the second heat exchanger 23.
[0181] In this case, it is preferable that the overlapped region of
the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 has a
height A to be determined with reference to a height L1 or L2 of
the first heat exchanger 21 or the second heat exchanger 23.
[0182] Referring to FIG. 14, the first heat exchanger 21 and the
second heat exchanger 23 are arranged in a state where the first
heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 are spaced by
predetermined distances in a width direction (Hereafter, an x-axis
direction) and a height direction (Hereafter, a y-axis direction)
of the case 110, respectively.
[0183] For convenience of description, one of the heat exchangers
positioned close to the inlet 111 side is called the first heat
exchanger 21, and the other heat exchanger positioned in rear of
the first heat exchanger 21 is called the second heat exchanger
23.
[0184] In this case, the first and second heat exchangers 21 and 23
are arranged to have an overlapped region if seen from the inlet
111. That is, the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat
exchanger 23 are arranged to have the overlapped region in the
y-axis direction. In detail, with reference to the inlet 111, a
lower end portion of the first heat exchanger 21 and an upper end
portion of the second heat exchanger 23 are overlapped.
[0185] In the meantime, a largest length of a heat exchange area is
limited by a height Hc of a heat exchanger mounting space in the
case 110. However, since the air conditioner of the embodiment has
the overlapped region between the first and second heat exchangers
21 and 23, increasing the heat exchange area, a total heat exchange
area can be increased.
[0186] Moreover, as the heat exchanger 20 is divided into the
plurality of the heat exchangers 21, and 23, heights L1 and L2 of
the upper and the lower heat exchangers 21 and 23 can be reduced,
respectively.
[0187] Moreover, the upper and the lower heat exchangers 21 and 23
may be of fin-tube type heat exchangers, respectively.
[0188] In the meantime, it is important to prevent the air from
flowing through a space between the adjacent edges of the first
heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 arranged spaced
in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, respectively.
[0189] The guide member 10 performs a function of blocking the
space between the adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger 21 and
the second heat exchanger 23. Moreover, the guide member 10
performs a function of guiding the air introduced through the inlet
111 to pass through the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat
exchanger 23.
[0190] That is, even in a case the first heat exchanger 21 and the
second heat exchanger 23 have regions overlapped with each other,
the guide member 10 performs the function of guiding the air flow
to make adequate heat exchange throughout an entire height L1 of
the first heat exchanger 21 and an entire height L2 of the second
heat exchanger 23.
[0191] Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the guide member 10 may
include a first coupling portion 11 mounted to the first heat
exchanger 21, a second coupling portion 13 mounted to the second
heat exchanger 23, and a baffle portion 15 connected between the
first and second coupling portions to block the space between the
adjacent edges of the first heat exchanger and the second heat
exchanger.
[0192] As a variation, the first coupling portion 11 performs a
function of supporting the underside of the first heat exchanger
21, and the second coupling portion 13 performs a function of
supporting the top side of the second heat exchanger 23.
[0193] In detail, the first coupling portion 11 may be in close
contact with the underside of the first heat exchanger 21, and the
second coupling portion 13 may be in close contact with the top
side of the second heat exchanger.
[0194] Heat insulating material (Not shown) may be provided to at
least one of the first coupling portion 11 and the second coupling
portion 13, and description of the insulating material is the same
with the description made in the first embodiment.
[0195] And, the baffle portion 15 may be a diagonal extension due
to a difference of in height between the first coupling portion 11
and the second coupling portion 13.
[0196] Referring to FIG. 16, the guide member 10 may include a side
blocking member 240 provided to at least one of the first coupling
portion 11 and the second coupling portion 13, for performing a
function of preventing introduction of the air through a space
between both sides of at least one of the heat exchangers and the
case 110.
[0197] In the meantime, in the case 110, there may be a drain pan
140 provided under the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat
exchanger 23. The drain pan 140 performs a function of collecting
the condensed water from the first heat exchanger 21 and the second
heat exchanger 23.
[0198] As described before, if the first heat exchanger 21 and the
second heat exchanger 23 are arranged to have the overlapped
region, an air flow rate may be reduced due to a pressure loss of
the air.
[0199] Therefore, it is preferred to determine a height A of the
overlapped region.
[0200] As a variation, the height A of the overlapped region of the
first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 may be
determined with reference to the height of any one of the heat
exchangers 21 and 23 having a larger flow rate loss.
[0201] A height of the first heat exchanger 21 and a height of the
second heat exchanger 23 may be determined to be different from
each other, and, in this case, the height A of the overlapped
region of the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger
23 may be determined to be less than 60% of the height of any one
of the heat exchangers 21 and 23 having a smaller height.
[0202] The height A of the overlapped region of the first heat
exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 may be determined to
be less than 60% of the height L1 of the first heat exchanger 21 or
less than 60% of the height L2 of the second heat exchanger 23.
[0203] FIGS. 17A and 17B illustrate conceptual drawings for
describing positional relations of a plurality of heat exchangers
respectively, and FIG. 18 illustrates a graph showing a performance
of an air conditioner in accordance with a third preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
[0204] FIG. 17A illustrates a case in which the first heat
exchanger 21 is positioned on an upper side and the second heat
exchanger 23 is positioned on a lower side, and FIG. 17B
illustrates a case in which the first heat exchanger 21 is
positioned on the lower side and the second heat exchanger 23 is
positioned on the upper side.
[0205] Referring to FIG. 17A, the first heat exchanger 21 has a
region positioned above the second heat exchanger 23, and it is
preferable that the height of the overlapped region A of the first
heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 is determined to
be less than 60% of the height L1 of the first heat exchanger.
[0206] Or, the height L1 of the first heat exchanger 21 and the
height L2 of the second heat exchanger 23 may be configured to be
the same. However, if the second heat exchanger 23 is arranged
close to the drain pan 140, the pressure loss of a second heat
exchanger 23 side may be higher than the pressure loss of a first
heat exchanger 21 side.
[0207] In order to compensate for the pressure loss, the height L1
of the first heat exchanger 21 may be determined to be smaller than
the height L2 of the second heat exchanger 23. This is because the
fin-tube type heat exchanger has a pressure loss which becomes the
lower as a height of the heat exchanger becomes the higher, to have
an increased air flow rate.
[0208] And, if the first heat exchanger 21 is positioned above the
second heat exchanger 23, the guide member 10 may have a water
collecting member (Not shown) provided thereto with a holding space
for collecting the condensed water from the first heat exchanger
21. In this case the water collecting member may be provided to the
first coupling portion 11 of the guide member 10.
[0209] In the meantime, as described in the first embodiment, the
water collecting member performs a function of preventing the
condensed water from the surface of the first heat exchanger 21
from flowing to the second heat exchanger 23.
[0210] Different from this, referring to FIG. 17B, the second heat
exchanger 23 has a region positioned above the first heat exchanger
21.
[0211] In this structure, the guide member 30 has the first
coupling portion 31 provided to position higher than the second
coupling portion 33, and the baffle portion 35 may be a downward
diagonal extension in the x-axis direction.
[0212] In the meantime, it is preferable that the height A of the
overlapped region of the first heat exchanger 21 and the second
heat exchanger 23 is determined to be less than 60% of the height
L2 of the second heat exchanger.
[0213] The height L1 of the first heat exchanger 21 and the height
L2 of the second heat exchanger 23 may be configured to be the
same. However, if the first heat exchanger 21 is arranged close to
the drain pan 140, the pressure loss of a first heat exchanger 21
side may be higher than the pressure loss of a second heat
exchanger 23 side.
[0214] In order to compensate for the pressure loss, the height L2
of the second heat exchanger 23 may be determined to be smaller
than the height L1 of the first heat exchanger 21. This is because
the fin-tube type heat exchanger has a pressure loss which becomes
the lower as a height of the heat exchanger becomes the higher, to
have an increased air flow rate.
[0215] And, if the second heat exchanger 23 is positioned above the
first heat exchanger 21, the guide member 10 may have a water
collecting member (Not shown) provided thereto with a holding space
for collecting the condensed water from the second heat exchanger
23. In this case the water collecting member may be provided to the
second coupling portion 33 of the guide member 30.
[0216] In the meantime, the water collecting member performs a
function of preventing the condensed water from the surface of the
second heat exchanger 23 positioned on an upper side from flowing
to the first heat exchanger 21 positioned on a lower side. A
detailed description of the water collecting member is the same
with the water collecting member described in the first
embodiment.
[0217] Referring to FIG. 18, a transverse axis denotes a ratio A/L1
or A/L2 of the height of the overlapped region to the height of the
first or second heat exchanger, and a longitudinal axis denotes an
air flow rate. Curves in the graph denote rotation speeds of fans
different from one another, respectively.
[0218] In this case, the graph shows a characteristic in which the
flow rates increase according to increase of the height A of the
overlapped region even if the rotation speeds of the fans are
different from one another, and it can be noted that the graph
shows a trend in which the flow rates decrease contrary to above,
if the height A of the overlapped region increases, further.
[0219] That is, it is preferable that the height A of the
overlapped region is determined to be less than 60% of the height
L1 of the first heat exchanger 21 or the height L2 of the second
heat exchanger 23. More preferably, the height A of the overlapped
region is determined to be 20% to 40% of the height L1 of the first
heat exchanger 21 or the height L2 of the second heat exchanger
23.
[0220] As described before, the height A of the overlapped region
of the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 may
be determined with reference to the height of any one of the heat
exchangers 21 and 23 having a larger flow rate loss.
[0221] And, in a case the height L1 of the first heat exchanger 21
and the height L2 of the second heat exchanger 23 are determined to
be different from each other, it is preferable that the height A of
the overlapped region of the first heat exchanger 21 and the second
heat exchanger 23 is determined to be less than 60% of the height
of any one of the heat exchangers 21 and 23 having a smaller
height.
[0222] More preferably, the height A of the overlapped region of
the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 23 is
determined to be 20% to 40% of the height of any one of the heat
exchangers 21 and 23 having a smaller height.
[0223] Referring to FIGS. 17A and 18, a transverse axis denotes a
ratio of the height A of the overlapped region to the height L1 of
the first heat exchanger, and a longitudinal axis denotes the flow
rate.
[0224] As described before, if the first heat exchanger 21 is
positioned above the second heat exchanger 23 relatively, the
second heat exchanger 23 has a higher pressure loss.
[0225] Therefore, the second heat exchanger 23 may have a height L2
determined higher than the height L1 of the first heat exchanger
21.
[0226] In this case, the height A of the overlapped region may be
determined with reference to the height L1 of the first heat
exchanger 21, and, preferably, the height A of the overlapped
region may be determined to be less than 60% of the height L1 of
the first heat exchanger 21. More preferably, the height A of the
overlapped region may be determined to be 20%.about.40% of the
height L1 of the first heat exchanger 21.
[0227] Different from this, referring to FIGS. 17B and 18, a
transverse axis denotes a ratio of the height A of the overlapped
region to the height L2 of the second heat exchanger, and a
longitudinal axis denotes the flow rate.
[0228] As described before, if the second heat exchanger 23 is
positioned above the first heat exchanger 21 relatively, the first
heat exchanger 21 has a higher pressure loss.
[0229] Therefore, the first heat exchanger 21 may have a height L1
determined higher than the height L2 of the second heat exchanger
23.
[0230] In this case, the height A of the overlapped region may be
determined with reference to the height L2 of the second heat
exchanger 22, and, preferably, the height A of the overlapped
region may be determined to be less than 60% of the height L2 of
the second heat exchanger 23. More preferably, the height A of the
overlapped region may be determined to be 20%.about.40% of the
height L2 of the second heat exchanger 23.
[0231] In the meantime, in the first embodiment and the second
embodiment too, the height A of the overlapped region is determined
the same with the description in the third embodiment.
[0232] As has been described, the air conditioner related to one
embodiment of the present invention can reduce a pressure loss of
the air as well as increase a heat exchange area.
[0233] The air conditioner related to one embodiment of the present
invention can prevent air from flowing between edges of adjacent
heat exchangers, if a plurality of the heat exchangers are
mounted.
[0234] The air conditioner related to one embodiment of the present
invention can reduce a pressure loss of the air being introduced to
each heat exchanger, if a plurality of the heat exchangers are
mounted.
[0235] The air conditioner related to one embodiment of the present
invention can prevent a heat exchange performance from becoming
poor due to condensed water.
[0236] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made without departing from the
spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the
modifications and variations are covered within the scope of the
appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *