Patent Publication Number: US-11378285-B2

Title: Outdoor unit for air conditioner and air conditioner

Description:
The present disclosure claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201621489193.2 as filed on Dec. 30, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as a part of the present disclosure. No new matter is added. 
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a technical field of household appliances, and more particularly to an outdoor unit for an air conditioner, and an air conditioner. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the related art, when installation personnel install an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, vacuuming operation is required after a piping system is welded. As the vacuuming operation takes a long time, the installation personnel may usually leave the installation site temporarily, and in order to prevent animals or other impurities from entering the outdoor unit, the installation personnel needs to cover the outdoor unit. However, a vacuum pump is connected to a stop valve or a refrigerant charging valve through pipes, so a panel of the outdoor unit cannot be assembled back to cover the outdoor unit, which thus can only be temporarily covered by paper sheets or other things, and the panel can be assembled back after the vacuuming operation is completed and the refrigerant is added. Moreover, during maintenance, it is necessary to disassemble the panel of the outdoor unit to detect the system pressure of the running outdoor unit of the air conditioner. In particular, many outdoor units have large sized panels, and the panel adopts a split structure in an up-and-down direction, in which case an upper panel and a lower panel need to be disassembled separately for maintenance, thereby complicating the operation and lowering the maintenance efficiency. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve at least one of the technical problems in the related art. To this end, an objective of the present disclosure is to propose an outdoor unit for an air conditioner, which simplifies processes of detection, installation and maintenance, and improves efficiencies of detection, installation and maintenance. 
     Another objective of the present disclosure is to propose an air conditioner having the above outdoor unit. 
     The outdoor unit for the air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a housing; a FREON charging nozzle provided in the housing; and a connector assembly having a first end connected with the FREON charging nozzle and a second end extending out of the housing. 
     For the outdoor unit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the first end of the connector assembly is connected with the FREON charging nozzle and the second end of the connector assembly extends out of the housing, the FREON charging nozzle can be guided from an inner side of the housing to an outer side of the housing through the connector assembly. As a result, in a process of detecting the system pressure, vacuuming, or adding a refrigerant, it is no longer necessary to disassemble a panel, thereby simplifying the processes of detection, installation and maintenance and improving the efficiencies of detection, installation and maintenance. 
     Additionally, the outdoor unit for the air conditioner according to the present disclosure may also have the following additional technical features. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector assembly includes a communication tube having a first end provided with a first connector and a second end provided with a second connector, the first connector is connected with the FREON charging nozzle, and the second connector extends out of the housing. 
     Specifically, the housing is provided with a lateral plate, the lateral plate is provided with an opening portion, and the second connector extends out of the housing through the opening portion. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the opening portion has an edge provided with at least one limiting groove, and the communication tube extends into the limiting groove and is fitted with the limiting groove. 
     Optionally, a plurality of limiting grooves are provided and spaced apart in a length direction of the opening portion. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outdoor unit further includes a cover plate detachably connected with the lateral plate to cover the opening portion. 
     Optionally, the cover plate is connected with the lateral plate through a screw or a snap. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first connector is threadedly connected with the FREON charging nozzle. 
     Optionally, the communication tube is configured as a copper tube. 
     The air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes the outdoor unit according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
     For the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the installation and maintenance efficiencies of the air conditioner is improved by providing the outdoor unit according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
     Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be given in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of the embodiments of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptions made with reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of an outdoor unit for an air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of part A circled in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
         
           
             outdoor unit  100 , 
             housing  1 , panel  11 , lateral wall  12 , lateral plate  13 , opening portion  131 , FREON charging nozzle  14 , stop valve  15 , 
             communication tube  21 , first connector  22 , second connector  23 , connector cap  231 , fixing member  232 , 
             cover plate  3 . 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below and examples of the embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings. The same or similar elements and the elements having same or similar functions are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the description. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative and used to generally understand the present disclosure, and shall not be construed to limit the present disclosure. 
     In the specification, it is to be understood that terms such as “central,” “longitudinal,” “transverse,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” “counterclockwise,” “axial,” “radial,” and “circumferential” should be construed to refer to the orientation or position relationship as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience and simplification of description and do not indicate or imply that the present disclosure have a particular orientation, or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation. Thus, these terms shall not be construed to limit the present disclosure. In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” are used herein for purpose of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance or to imply the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the feature defined with “first” and “second” may comprise one or more of this feature. In the description of the present invention, the term “a plurality of” means two or more than two, unless specified otherwise. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “coupled,” and the like are used broadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical or electrical connections; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening structures; may also be inner communications of two elements, which can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations. 
     An outdoor unit  100  for an air conditioner according to embodiments of a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing  1 , a FREON charging nozzle  14 , and a connector assembly. The FREON charging nozzle  14  is disposed in the housing  1 . The connector assembly has a first end connected with the FREON charging nozzle  14  and a second end extending out of the housing  1 . 
     For the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the first end of the connector assembly is connected with the FREON charging nozzle  14  and the second end of the connector assembly extends out of the housing  1 , the FREON charging nozzle  14  can be guided from an inner side of the housing  1  to an outer side of the housing  1  through the connector assembly. As a result, in a process of detecting the system pressure, vacuuming, or adding a refrigerant, it is no longer necessary to disassemble a panel  11 , thereby simplifying processes of detection, installation and maintenance and improving the efficiencies of detection, installation and maintenance. 
     The outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 . The air conditioner may be a single-cooling type air conditioner, or a heating-and-cooling type air conditioner, but is not limited thereto. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner according to embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure includes the housing  1 , the FREON charging nozzle  14 , and the connector assembly. 
     Specifically, the FREON charging nozzle  14  is disposed in the housing  1 . The FREON charging nozzle  14  may be configured as a FREON charging nozzle  14  on a stop valve  15 , a FREON  1  charging nozzle  14  on a refrigerant charging valve, or the like. For instance, in an example of  FIG. 3 , the housing  1  is provided with two stop valves  15  and one refrigerant charging valve therein, each stop valve  15  is provided with one FREON charging nozzle  14 , and the refrigerant charging valve is provided with one FREON charging nozzle  14 . The installation personnel can add the refrigerant to the outdoor unit, detect the system pressure, or perform vacuuming through corresponding FREON charging nozzles  14 . The first end of the connector assembly is connected with the FREON charging nozzle  14  and the second end of the connector assembly extends out of the housing  1 . One FREON charging nozzle or a plurality of FREON charging nozzles  14  may be provided. In the case where a plurality of FREON charging nozzles  14  are provided, the connector assemblies may be in one-to-one correspondence with the FREON charging nozzles  14 . Thus, the connector assembly may guide the corresponding FREON charging nozzle  14  to the outer side of the housing  1 , such that the system pressure detection, the vacuuming operation, or the refrigerant adding operation can be performed at a second connector  23  without disassembling the panel  11 , thereby simplifying processes of detection, installation and maintenance and improving the efficiencies of detection, installation and maintenance. 
     For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector assembly includes a communication tube  21 , and the communication tube  21  has a first end provided with a first connector  22  and a second end provided with the second connector  23 . The first connector  22  is connected to the FREON charging nozzle  14 , and the second connector  23  extends out of the housing  1 . 
     Optionally, the first connector  22  is threadedly connected with the FREON charging nozzle  14 . Specifically, the FREON charging nozzle  14  may be provided with an external thread, and the first connector  22  may be provided with an internal thread fitted with the external thread of the FREON charging nozzle  14 . During the assembly, the first connector  22  can be screwed onto the FREON charging nozzle  14 . The structure is simple, the installation is convenient, and the connection is reliable, which may avoid leakage of the refrigerant effectively. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication tube  21  is configured as a copper tube. Thus, the structure strength of the communication tube  21  can be enhanced, the communication tube  21  can be prevented from being corroded, the service life of the communication tube  21  can be prolonged, and the use cost can be reduced. 
     Specifically, the housing  1  is provided with a lateral plate  13 , the lateral plate  13  is provided with an opening portion  131 , and the second connector  23  extends out of the housing  1  through the opening portion  131 . The lateral plate  13  may be a lateral wall  12  of the housing  1 , or may be a transition plate between the lateral wall  12  of the housing  1  and the panel  11 . The opening portion  131  is formed as a through hole penetrating the lateral plate  13  in a thickness direction. Optionally, the outer contour shape of the opening portion  131  may be formed into a rectangular shape, an oblong shape, an elliptical shape, or the like. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second connector  23  includes a connector cap  231  detachably disposed to the second end of the communication tube  21 . When it is necessary to perform the system pressure detection, vacuuming, or refrigerant adding operation, the connector cap  231  can be removed; after completion of the operation, the connector cap  231  can be mounted to the second end of the communication tube  21  to seal the communication tube  21  so as to avoid the leakage of the refrigerant. 
     Further, the connector assembly includes a fixing member  232 , and the fixing member  232  may be fitted over the second end of the communication tube  21  adjacent to the second connector  23 , and the fixing member  232  may be fixed to the lateral plate  13  through a threaded fastener. Thus, the position of the communication tube  21  can be stabilized, so as to reduce the shaking of the communication tube  21  when the air conditioner operates. Optionally, the threaded fastener may be a screw, a bolt, etc. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the opening portion  131  has an edge provided with at least one limiting groove, and the communication tube  21  extends into the limiting groove to be fitted with the limiting groove  55 . One limiting groove or a plurality of limiting grooves may be provided. Optionally, the limiting groove may be formed into a semi-circular groove. Thus, the communication tube  21  is conveniently extended into and fitted in the limiting groove, so that the movement of the communication tube  21  can be restricted by the limiting groove, thereby further stabilizing the position of the communication tube  21 . 
     For instance, in the example of  FIG. 3 , a plurality of limiting grooves are provided and spaced apart in a length direction of the opening portion  131 . 
     During the assembly, the second connector  23  may extend out of the opening portion  131 , then the communication tube  21  is caught in the limiting groove, and the fixing member  232  is fixed to the lateral plate  13 . 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner further includes a cover plate  3  detachably connected with the lateral plate  13  to cover the opening portion  131 . That is, the cover plate  3  may be used to cover the opening portion  131 . The cover plate  3  has a cross sectional area substantially identical to the opening portion  131  or substantially identical to a cross sectional area of the lateral plate  13 , as long as the opening portion  131  can be cover, which is not specifically limited by the present disclosure. As a result, non-professionals can be prevented from touching the second connector  23 , and the second connector  23  can be protected from being affected by the environment such as sunshine and rain, thereby improving the reliability of the connector assembly and prolonging the service life of the connector assembly. 
     Optionally, the cover plate  3  is connected with the lateral plate  13  through a screw or a snap, which makes the structure simple and the assembly or disassembly convenient. During the system pressure detection, vacuuming, or refrigerant adding operation, only the cover plate  3  needs to be removed, and the panel  11  does not need to be disassembled, thereby simplifying processes of detection, installation and maintenance and improving the efficiencies of detection, installation and maintenance. 
     Other configurations and operations of the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure are known to those skilled in the art, and will not be elaborated herein. 
     A specific embodiment of the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner includes the housing  1 , the FREON charging nozzle  14 , the connector assembly, and the cover plate  3 . 
     The housing  1  is provided with the lateral plate  13 , and the lateral plate  13  is provided with a rectangular opening portion  131 . The FREON charging nozzle  14  includes two FREON freon charging nozzles  14  for two stop valves  15  and a FREON charging nozzle  14  for one refrigerant charging valve, and each FREON charging nozzle  14  is provided with one connector assembly. The connector assembly includes the communication tube  21 , and the first end of the communication tube  21  is provided with the first connector  22  while the second end of the communication tube  21  is provided with the second connector  23 . The first connector  22  is threadedly connected with the FREON charging nozzle  14 , and the second connector  23  extends out of the housing  1  through the opening portion  131 . 
     The second connector  23  includes the connector cap  231  and the fixing member  232 , the connector cap  231  is detachably disposed to the second end of the communication tube  21 , and the fixing member  232  may be fixed to the lateral plate  13  through a threaded fastener. The edge of the opening portion  131  is provided with a plurality of limiting grooves spaced apart in the length direction of the opening portion  131 , and the communication tube  21  extends into the limiting groove and is fitted with the limiting groove. 
     The cover plate  3  is connected with the lateral plate  13  through a snap, and the cross sectional area of the cover plate  3  is substantially identical to that of the lateral plate  13 . 
     For the outdoor unit  100  for the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the system pressure detection, the vacuuming operation, or the refrigerant adding operation can be performed at the second connector  23  without disassembling the panel  11 , thereby simplifying processes of detection, installation and maintenance and improving the efficiencies of detection, installation and maintenance. 
     An air conditioner according to embodiments of a second aspect of the present disclosure includes the outdoor unit  100  according to the embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
     For the air conditioner according to embodiments of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the installation and maintenance efficiencies of the air conditioner is improved by providing the outdoor unit  100  according to the embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
     Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “an illustrative embodiment,” “an example,” “a specific example,” or “some examples,” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. 
     Although embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes, modifications, alternatives, and variations can be made in the above embodiments without departing from the principle and purpose of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims or the like.