Patent Description:
As illustrated in <FIG>, a general air conditioner includes an outdoor unit <NUM> installed outdoors and an indoor unit <NUM> installed indoors. The outdoor unit <NUM> and the indoor unit <NUM> are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe <NUM> to form a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

The outdoor unit <NUM> is provided with an outdoor heat exchanger <NUM> for implementing heat exchange between outdoor air and a refrigerant, a blower fan 11F, a compressor <NUM> that compresses the refrigerant, an oil separator <NUM> that separates a lubricant from a mixture fluid that is discharged from the compressor <NUM> and includes the lubricant and the refrigerant, an expansion valve <NUM> for expanding the inflowing refrigerant to reduce the pressure to a predetermined pressure, an accumulator <NUM> for separating the inflowing refrigerant into gas and liquid, and a four-way valve <NUM> for switching between a heating operation and a cooling operation. Furthermore, the indoor unit <NUM> is provided with an indoor heat exchanger <NUM> for implementing heat exchange between indoor air and the refrigerant, a blower fan 21F, and the like. The outdoor heat exchanger <NUM>, the compressor <NUM>, the oil separator <NUM>, the expansion valve <NUM>, the accumulator <NUM>, the four-way valve <NUM>, and the indoor heat exchanger <NUM> are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe <NUM>. The refrigerant pipe <NUM> includes a liquid side refrigerant pipe <NUM> and a gas side refrigerant pipe <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the outdoor unit <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> the internal space of which is divided by a partition plate <NUM> into a heat exchange section 10A and a machine section 10B that are arranged side by side in the left and right direction. The heat exchange section 10A accommodates the outdoor heat exchanger <NUM> and the blower fan 11F. The compressor <NUM>, the oil separator <NUM>, the expansion valve <NUM>, the accumulator <NUM>, the four-way valve <NUM>, and the like are accommodated in the machine section 10B, and are visible from the outside when a service panel not illustrated on the front side of the housing <NUM> is removed, as illustrated in <FIG>.

The machine section 10B further accommodates an electrical component module <NUM> that is arranged at a substantially middle position in an upward and downward direction. The electrical component module <NUM> is a module on which a control circuit that controls an operation of the air conditioner as a whole, a setting circuit for making various settings on the air conditioner, a display circuit for displaying the status of the air conditioner, a converter circuit that converts AC power supplied from the outside into DC power and outputs the DC power, an inverter circuit that converts the DC power output from the converter circuit into AC power and outputs the AC power, other circuits, and the like are mounted. A plurality of electronic components for implementing these circuits is mounted on a printed circuit board <NUM>. The printed circuit board <NUM> is configured as a single board so that a space for the pipe can be secured therebehind in the machine section 10B.

<FIG> is a front view of the electrical component module <NUM>. The printed circuit board <NUM> is attached in an upright posture inside the machine section 10B. The printed circuit board <NUM> is divided into a low voltage region 41A and a high voltage region 41B in the upward and downward direction.

In the low voltage region 41A, low voltage electronic components are mounted. The low voltage electronic components include: an electronic component such as a microcomputer that is a part of the control circuit described above; an electronic component for operating components of the setting circuit such as a switch 41A1 and a low power connector 41A2 to and from which a plug is inserted or pulled out; and a low voltage electronic component such as an LED 41A3 that is a part of the display circuit. In the high voltage region 41B, a plurality of high voltage electronic components is mounted, which are the remaining components of the control circuit described above that perform the power conversion. Examples of such components include: a power device 41B1 such as an IC in the converter circuit or an IC in the inverter circuit; a large capacity electrolytic capacitor 41B2 for smoothing; a large capacity connector 41B3; and the like.

The high voltage region 41B is further provided with a cooler <NUM> that cools the heat produced by the power device 41B1. The cooler <NUM> includes a heat sink (not illustrated) shaped to be attachable to the liquid side refrigerant pipe <NUM> of the refrigerant pipe <NUM>. The heat sink is arranged to be thermally coupled with the printed circuit board <NUM> to receive the heat produced by the power device 41B1, with the front side of the printed circuit board <NUM> facing the service panel (not illustrated). In the liquid side refrigerant pipe <NUM>, the refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger <NUM> flows during the cooling operation, and the refrigerant condensed in the indoor heat exchanger <NUM> and decompressed in the expansion valve <NUM> flows during the heating operation. Thus, the heat sink of the cooler <NUM> is cooled on the basis of the temperature of the refrigerant, whereby the temperature of the power device 41B1 is maintained to be at or lower than a predetermined value. The air conditioner described above is described in document <CIT>.

Document <CIT> is considered closest prior art and discloses the features in the preamble of claim <NUM>.

According to document <CIT>, frames serve as a guide to accommodate a refrigerant jacket at a predetermined position by moving it between the two fitting parts having a hole each. There are individual screws provided which are inserted through the refrigerant jacket in a certain angle to fix the refrigerant jacket with a wall.

The outdoor unit <NUM> described above has the cooler <NUM> disposed on the front side of the printed circuit board <NUM> facing the service panel used for accessing the internal space. Thus, when maintenance work for the printed circuit board <NUM> such as replacement is performed, the refrigerant pipe <NUM> and the heat sink need to be removed from the front side of the printed circuit board <NUM>. Thus, there is a disadvantage that the maintenance work for the printed circuit board <NUM> requires a skilled hand. On top of that, there is a problem in that the mechanical strength of the supporting structure of the printed circuit board <NUM> against vibration and the like is low, because the above-described electrical component module <NUM> has the cooler <NUM> supported by the printed circuit board <NUM>.

The disclosed technique is made in view of the above, and aims to provide an electrical component module enabling the printed circuit board to be easily maintained without the need for detaching the cooler, and enabling the mechanical strength of the supporting structure of the printed circuit board to be increased with a simple structure. Solution to Problem.

To solve this problem, the invention provides an electrical component module according to claim <NUM>.

An aspect of the electrical component module disclosed in the present application enables the printed circuit board to be easily maintained without the need for detaching the cooler, and enables the mechanical strength of the supporting structure of the printed circuit board to be increased with a simple structure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an electrical component module disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The electrical component module disclosed in the present application is not limited to the embodiments described below. <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> illustrate an outdoor unit <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. The outdoor unit <NUM> has a housing <NUM> including: a front panel <NUM>; a service panel <NUM> on the right side of the front panel <NUM>; a right side panel <NUM>; a left side panel <NUM>; a top panel <NUM>; a back panel <NUM>, and a bottom panel <NUM>. Stands <NUM> are attached to the bottom panel <NUM>. The internal space of the housing <NUM> is divided by a partition plate <NUM>, in a left and right direction, into a heat exchange section 110A and a machine section 110B respectively provided behind the front panel <NUM> and the service panel <NUM>. The partition plate <NUM> is a part of a wall surface of the machine section 110B. The heat exchange section 110A accommodates the outdoor heat exchanger <NUM> and the blower fan 11F described above. Furthermore, the machine section 110B accommodates the refrigerant pipe <NUM>, the compressor <NUM>, the expansion valve <NUM>, the accumulator <NUM>, sub-accumulator 15A, the four-way valve <NUM>, and the like described above. The internal space of the machine section 110B can be viewed from the front side of the outdoor unit <NUM> when the service panel <NUM> is removed.

As illustrated in <FIG>, electrical component module <NUM> includes: a fixed plate <NUM> that is disposed in the machine section 110B to have the front surface facing the back surface of the service panel <NUM>; an upper frame <NUM> to which an upper portion of the fixed plate <NUM> serving as one end portion is attached, the upper frame <NUM> serving as a first frame that has an elongated shape; a lower frame <NUM> to which a lower portion of the fixed plate <NUM> serving as the other end portion is attached, the lower frame <NUM> serving as a second frame that has an elongated shape; an attachment metal fitting <NUM> with which the upper frame <NUM> is attached to the partition plate <NUM>; an attachment metal fitting <NUM> with which the lower frame <NUM> is attached to the partition plate <NUM>; a main board <NUM> on which the electronic components forming a part of the control circuit serving as a control unit as well as other electronic components are mounted; and a power board <NUM> on which the electronic components forming the remaining part of the control circuit and other electronic components, as well as a plurality of power devices <NUM> described later are mounted.

Thus, the printed circuit board of the electrical component module <NUM> is divided into the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM>. The main board <NUM> serving as the printed circuit board is mounted on the fixed plate <NUM> to have a back surface 260b described later facing a front surface 211a of the fixed plate <NUM> described later. The power board <NUM> serving as the printed circuit board is mounted on the fixed plate <NUM> to have a back surface 270b described later facing a back surface 211b of the fixed plate <NUM> described later. The fixed plate <NUM> is arranged to have the front surface 211a facing the direction toward the service panel <NUM>. The fixed plate <NUM> is arranged with the direction of connection between the upper part and the lower part of the fixed plate <NUM> being in parallel with the upward and downward direction of the machine section 110B.

The electrical component module <NUM> further includes a cooler <NUM> that is attached to a part of a refrigerant pipe <NUM>, with the refrigerant pipe <NUM> sandwiched between the back surface 211b of the fixed plate <NUM> and the cooler <NUM>. As described later, the cooler <NUM> is attached to the upper frame <NUM> and the lower frame <NUM> so as to bridge between the upper frame <NUM> and the lower frame <NUM>, with a U-shaped bent portion <NUM> of the refrigerant pipe <NUM> attached to the cooler <NUM>.

The fixed plate <NUM> includes: a main body portion <NUM> having the front surface 211a on which the main board <NUM> is mounted and the back surface 211b on which the power board <NUM> is mounted; an upper horizontal piece <NUM> for reinforcement that is bent by <NUM> degrees from the upper end of the main body portion <NUM> toward the back surface 211b; and an upper vertical piece <NUM> for attachment that is bent upward by <NUM> degrees from the rear edge of the upper horizontal piece <NUM>. The fixed plate <NUM> further includes: a lower horizontal piece <NUM> for reinforcement that is bent by <NUM> degrees from the lower end of the main body portion <NUM> toward the front surface 211a; and a lower vertical piece <NUM> for attachment that is bent downward by <NUM> degrees from the front edge of the lower horizontal piece <NUM>. The lower vertical piece <NUM> has both ends provided with attachment portions 215a protruding downward.

The upper frame <NUM> includes: a vertical piece <NUM> screwed to the upper vertical piece <NUM> of the fixed plate <NUM>; an upper horizontal piece <NUM> for reinforcement that is bent backward by <NUM> degrees from the upper end of the vertical piece <NUM>; and an attachment piece <NUM> that is bent forward by <NUM> degrees from the left end of the vertical piece <NUM>. The upper end portion of the cooler <NUM> is attached to an end portion <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM>.

The lower frame <NUM> includes: a lower vertical piece <NUM> screwed to the lower vertical piece <NUM> of the fixed plate <NUM>; an upper horizontal piece <NUM> for reinforcement that is bent backward by <NUM> degrees from the upper end of the lower vertical piece <NUM>; an upper vertical piece <NUM> for reinforcement that is bent upward by <NUM> degrees from the back end of the upper horizontal piece <NUM>; and an attachment piece <NUM> that is bent forward by <NUM> degrees from the left end of the lower vertical piece <NUM>. Then, a terminal board <NUM> is attached to the front side of the lower vertical piece <NUM>. The lower end portion of the cooler <NUM> is attached to an end portion <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM>.

The cooler <NUM> includes: a heat sink <NUM> made of aluminum that is thermally coupled with the plurality of power devices <NUM>, which will be described later, mounted on a front surface 270a of the power board <NUM>; the U-shaped bent portion <NUM> of the liquid side refrigerant pipe <NUM> fit in two grooves <NUM> that are formed in the heat sink <NUM> and have semicircular cross sections; and a cover <NUM> that is made of sheet metal and is used for fixing the U-shaped bent portion <NUM> on the heat sink <NUM>. In addition to the grooves <NUM>, the heat sink <NUM> includes: a thick plate portion <NUM> against which the power devices <NUM> are pressed for the thermal coupling; and cover attachment portions <NUM> and <NUM> formed on both sides of the thick plate portion <NUM>. The cover <NUM> includes: a holding portion <NUM> at the center with which the U-shaped bent portion <NUM> of the liquid side refrigerant pipe <NUM> is pressed; a hook portion <NUM> bent from one end of the holding portion <NUM>; and an attachment portion <NUM> bent from the other end of the holding portion <NUM> to face the hook portion <NUM>.

On the front surface 260a of the main board <NUM>, the electronic components forming a part of the control circuit and other electronic components are mounted as described above. Specifically, as illustrated in <FIG>, the components mounted on the front surface 260a of the main board <NUM> include: an AC input current detection/temperature detection circuit <NUM>; an actuator drive circuit <NUM> that drives the expansion valve <NUM> and the four-way valve <NUM>; a display setting circuit <NUM> including an LED lamp 263a serving as a display unit as well as a DIP switch 263b and a button switch 263c serving as an operation unit, and the like; a main control IC <NUM> such as a microcomputer; an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) filter circuit <NUM> for countering internal and external noise including a common mode choke coil 265a and capacitors 265b; a switching power circuit <NUM> including a switching transformer 266a and a switching IC 266b; an inrush current control circuit <NUM>; and a plurality of connectors <NUM> arranged in a peripheral portion. The reference numeral 260b denotes the back surface of the main board <NUM>. The main board <NUM> is formed in a rectangular shape and has an upper end 260c, a lower end 260d, a left end 260e, and a right end 260f. The main board <NUM> is mounted on the front surface 211a of the main body portion <NUM> of the fixed plate <NUM> to have the back surface 260b facing the front surface 211a.

On the front surface 270a of the power board <NUM>, the electronic components forming the remaining part of the control circuit, including the plurality of power devices <NUM> described later, are mounted as described above. Specifically, as illustrated in <FIG>, the components mounted include: a diode bridge circuit 271a for rectification; two insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) elements 271b having a reduced operation resistance achieved with a MOSFET provided in the gate part of a bipolar transistor; two fast recovery diode (FRD) elements 271c for high speed operation; two power factor correction (PFC) coils 271d for power factor correction; and two aluminum electrolytic capacitors 271e for high power smoothing. The diode bridge circuit 271a, the IGBT elements 271b, the FRD elements 271c, the PFC coils 271d, the electrolytic capacitors 271e, and the like form a converter circuit <NUM> that converts AC power supplied from the outside and outputs the resultant power. Furthermore, an intelligent power module (IPM) element <NUM> and an inverter control IC <NUM> are mounted to form an inverter circuit with a drive circuit and a self-protection function. The inverter circuit converts the DC power supplied from the converter circuit <NUM> into AC power and outputs the AC power. The reference numeral 270b denotes the back surface of the power board <NUM>. The power board <NUM> is formed in a rectangular shape and has an upper end 270c, a lower end 270d, a left end 270e, and a right end 270f. Each of the diode bridge circuit 271a, the IGBT elements 271b, the FRD elements 271c, and the IPM element <NUM> is the power device <NUM> that produces a large amount of heat. These components are mounted in a vertical arrangement near the left end 270e so as to be more effectively coolable by the cooler <NUM>. The power board <NUM> is mounted on the back surface 211b to have the back surface 270b facing the back surface 211b of the main body portion <NUM> of the fixed plate <NUM>. The cooler <NUM> faces and is in contact with portions of the plurality of power devices <NUM>.

Then, the size of the power board <NUM> in the upward and downward direction is set to correspond to the size of the plurality of power devices <NUM> in the vertically arrangement, and the PFC coils 271d, the electrolytic capacitors 271e, and the inverter control IC <NUM>, and the like are arranged to be within this size in the upward and downward direction. Thus, the vertical size of the power board <NUM> is set to be slightly larger than the upward and downward direction size of the plurality of power devices <NUM> in the vertical arrangement. The size of the main board <NUM> in the upward and downward direction is set to be substantially the same as the size of the power board <NUM> in the upward and downward direction. The AC input current detection/temperature detection circuit <NUM>, the actuator drive circuit <NUM>, the display setting circuit <NUM>, the main control IC <NUM>, the EMC filter circuit <NUM>, the switching power circuit <NUM>, the inrush current control circuit <NUM>, the connectors <NUM>, and the like are mounted to be within this size. The IGBT elements 271b may be replaced with a MOSFET.

The electronic components mounted on the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> described above are merely examples, and can be changed within the scope of the attached claims. The electronic components mounted on the main board <NUM> are low voltage electronic components that operate at a low voltage, and the electronic components mounted on the power board <NUM> are high voltage electronic components that operate at a high voltage. The high voltage electronic components produce a larger amount of heat and noise compared with the low voltage electronic components.

For arranging the electrical component module <NUM> in the machine section 110B of the outdoor unit <NUM>, first of all, the attachment metal fitting <NUM> having an inclined surface <NUM> and the attachment metal fitting <NUM> having an inclined surface <NUM> are mounted on the partition plate <NUM> in advance. Then, as illustrated in <FIG>, the attachment piece <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM> is screwed to the inclined surface <NUM> of the attachment metal fitting <NUM>, and the attachment piece <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM> is screwed to the inclined surface <NUM> of the attachment metal fitting <NUM>. As a result, the upper frame <NUM> and the lower frame <NUM> are attached to the partition plate <NUM> in a cantilevered manner, to extend along the lateral direction.

Next, as illustrated in <FIG>, the heat sink <NUM> of the cooler <NUM> is installed using screws B1 and B2, so as to bridge between the end portion <NUM> of the vertical piece <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM> and the end portion <NUM> of the upper vertical piece <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM>. Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the U-shaped bent portion <NUM> of the refrigerant pipe <NUM> is pressed into the grooves <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM> of the cover <NUM> is engaged with one cover attachment portion <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM>, the attachment portion <NUM> is pressed against the other cover attachment portion <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM>, and the attachment portion <NUM> is fixed to the cover attachment portion <NUM> using screws B3 and B4. This work is performed with the back panel <NUM> of the outdoor unit <NUM> removed. With the operation described above, the cooler <NUM> is arranged so as to bridge between the end portion <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM> and the end portion <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM>, with the thick plate portion <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM> facing the direction toward the service panel <NUM>.

The main board <NUM> is mounted on the front surface 211a of the main body portion <NUM> of the fixed plate <NUM>, and the power board <NUM> is mounted on the back surface 211b. Then, the fixed plate <NUM> on which the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> are mounted is attached using the screws B5 and B6 with the upper vertical piece <NUM> overlapped on the vertical piece <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM> and the lower vertical piece <NUM> overlapped on the lower vertical piece <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM>. The fixed plate <NUM> is tightly fixed because the attachment piece <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM> and the attachment piece <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM> are attached to the partition plate <NUM> respectively via the attachment metal fitting <NUM> and the attachment metal fitting <NUM>, and the other end <NUM> of the upper frame <NUM> and the other end <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM> are fixed to the U-shaped bent portion <NUM> of the liquid side refrigerant pipe <NUM> via the cooler <NUM>. In addition, the plurality of power devices <NUM> of the power board <NUM> is pressed against the thick plate portion <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM> of the cooler <NUM>, for thermal coupling therebetween. Thus, when the air conditioner starts operating, the heat produced by the power devices <NUM> is cooled by the cooler <NUM>. If the thick plate portion <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM> is coated with thermal grease having high thermal conductivity, the thermal coupling can further be improved. After the electrical component module <NUM> has been attached to the machine section 110B as described above, a plug to which required wiring is connected is connected to the connector <NUM> of the main board <NUM> of the electrical component module <NUM>, and another required wiring is connected to the terminal board <NUM>.

The electrical component module <NUM> described above has two printed circuit boards that are the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM>, but may be configured to include only one printed circuit board. <FIG> is a perspective view of an electrical component module <NUM> according to a modification of the embodiment.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a single printed circuit board <NUM> is fixed on the front surface 211a of the fixed plate <NUM> to have a front surface 360a facing the direction toward the service panel <NUM> (see <FIG>) and to have a back surface 360b facing the front surface 211a of the fixed plate <NUM>. In the printed circuit board <NUM>, the printed circuit board <NUM> according to the modification is a single board in which the main board <NUM> having the front surface 260a on which electronic components forming a part of the control circuit and the power board <NUM> having the front surface 270a on which electronic components including the plurality of power devices <NUM> and forming the remaining part of the control circuit are collectively configured. The printed circuit board <NUM> is formed in a rectangular shape and has an upper end 360c, a lower end 360d, a left end 360e, and a right end 360f.

The plurality of power devices <NUM> is provided on at least one of the front surface 360a and the back surface 360b of the printed circuit board <NUM>. When the power devices <NUM> are provided on the front surface 360a of the printed circuit board <NUM>, the power devices <NUM> protrudes on the side of the back surface 360b of the printed circuit board <NUM> through a through hole (not illustrated) of the printed circuit board <NUM>.

The fixed plate <NUM> is provided with openings <NUM> for thermally coupling the plurality of power devices <NUM>, mounted on the printed circuit board <NUM>, with the cooler <NUM>. The openings <NUM> are formed at positions that face the power devices <NUM>. The power devices <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> attached to the fixed plate <NUM> are in contact with the thick plate portion <NUM> of the heat sink <NUM> of the cooler <NUM> through the openings <NUM>.

Instead of the openings <NUM>, a notched portion (not illustrated) through which the power devices <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> pass may be formed in an outer circumference portion of the fixed plate <NUM>. The fixed plate <NUM> is not limited to the structure having the openings <NUM> and the notched portion. For example, the power devices <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> may be arranged on the outer circumference side of the fixed plate <NUM> to be thermally coupled with the cooler <NUM> over the outer circumference portion of the fixed plate <NUM>.

As described above, the electrical component module <NUM> according to the present embodiment includes: the fixed plate <NUM> on which the control circuit is mounted, the fixed plate <NUM> being arranged to have the front surface 211a facing the direction toward the service panel <NUM>; and the cooler <NUM> attached to a part of the refrigerant pipe <NUM> with the refrigerant pipe <NUM> sandwiched between the back surface 211b of the fixed plate <NUM> and the cooler <NUM>. This allows maintenance work to be easily performed on the printed circuit board <NUM> (or the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM>) of the control circuit without the need for removing the cooler <NUM> from the machine section 110B when the maintenance work is performed on the printed circuit board <NUM> (or the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM>) of the control circuit. The electrical component module <NUM> further includes: the upper frame <NUM> having an elongated shape with which the upper portion of the fixed plate <NUM> is attached to the machine section 110B; and the lower frame <NUM> having an elongated shape with which the lower portion of the fixed plate <NUM> is attached to the machine section 110B. The cooler <NUM> is attached to bridge between the upper frame <NUM> and the lower frame <NUM>. As described above, the upper frame <NUM> and the lower frame <NUM> are connected to each other via the fixed plate <NUM> and via the cooler <NUM>. Thus, the mechanical strength of a supporting structure for the main board <NUM>, the power board <NUM>, and the printed circuit board <NUM> supported by the fixed plate <NUM>, the upper frame <NUM>, and the lower frame <NUM> can be improved with a simple structure. More specifically, in the electrical component module <NUM>, the cooler <NUM> also serves as a part of the supporting structure for the main board <NUM>, the power board <NUM>, and the printed circuit board <NUM>, so that the supporting structure can be simplified.

By the way, when only a single printed circuit board <NUM> is used in the outdoor unit <NUM> (<FIG>), the low voltage electronic components are provided in the low voltage region and the high voltage electronic components are provided in the high voltage region, with the components arranged along the upward and downward direction of the single printed circuit board <NUM>. When the low voltage electronic components and the high voltage electronic components are thus arranged in series along the upward and downward direction of the printed circuit board <NUM>, the printed circuit board <NUM> needs to have a large size in the upward and downward direction. Thus, such a printed circuit board <NUM> is difficult to apply to an outdoor unit with a machine section not having much space in the upward and downward direction. In view of this, the printed circuit board <NUM> is preferably divided into two printed circuit boards (the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM>) to be separately mounted on the front surface 211a and the back surface 211b of the fixed plate <NUM>. Meanwhile, if there is a difference between the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> in the upward and downward direction size, the effect of dividing the printed circuit board <NUM> into two boards is compromised.

In view of this, in the present embodiment, the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> in a back-to-back state are mounted on the fixed plate <NUM> via the fixed plate <NUM> attached to the machine section 110B. Thus, the size of the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> in the upward and downward direction can be substantially reduced from the size of the printed circuit board in the upward and downward direction in the case where the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> are arranged in series in the upward and downward direction to be a single board. Thus, this configuration can be effectively applied to the outdoor unit including a housing without much space in the upward and downward direction.

In this configuration, the electronic components other than the power devices <NUM> are distributed between the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> with the upward and downward direction size of the power board <NUM> set to correspond to the size of the plurality of power devices <NUM> arranged in the upward and downward direction, and with the size of the main board <NUM> set to be the same as or substantially the same as the upward and downward direction size. Thus, the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM> can have small sizes in the upward and downward direction.

Furthermore, the lower vertical piece <NUM> of the lower frame <NUM> protrudes toward the front surface beyond the fixed plate <NUM> due to the upper horizontal piece <NUM>, and the terminal board <NUM> is attached to the front surface 231a of the lower vertical piece <NUM>. Thus, the terminal board <NUM> protrudes forward so as to be easily accessible, and a wide space SP can be provided to the back surface 231b of the lower vertical piece <NUM>. Thus, the lower frame <NUM> does not interfere with a pipe and the like to be arranged in the space SP.

The plurality of power devices <NUM> mounted on the power board <NUM> is thermally coupled with the cooler <NUM> on the back surface 211b side of the fixed plate <NUM>, and is simply pressed against the cooler <NUM>. Thus, by loosening the screws B5 and B6, the fixed plate <NUM>, the main board <NUM>, and the power board <NUM> can be integrally removed from the front surface of the machine section 110B without the cooler <NUM> hindering this operation, whereby maintenance work can be easily performed on the main board <NUM> and the power board <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An electrical component module (<NUM>) attachable to a machine section (110B) provided behind a service panel (<NUM>) arranged on a front side of an outdoor unit (<NUM>) of an air conditioner including a refrigerant pipe (<NUM>), the electrical component module (<NUM>) comprising:
a control unit (<NUM>) that controls the air conditioner;
a fixed plate (<NUM>) on which the control unit (<NUM>) is mounted, the fixed plate (<NUM>) being arranged to have a front surface (211a) facing a direction toward the service panel (<NUM>);
a cooler (<NUM>) that is attachable to a part of the refrigerant pipe (<NUM>) and is arranged on a back surface (211b) side of the fixed plate (<NUM>); wherein
the control unit (<NUM>) includes a printed circuit board (<NUM>) on which a power device (<NUM>) is mounted, and
the power device (<NUM>) is thermally coupled with the cooler (<NUM>),
the electrical component module further comprises a partition plate (<NUM>) for being attached to the outdoor unit (<NUM>) to partition between the machine section (110B) and a heat exchange section (11OA), U
characterized in that
a first frame (<NUM>) is attached to one end portion of the fixed plate (<NUM>); and
a second frame (<NUM>) is attached to another end portion of the fixed plate (<NUM>), and
the cooler (<NUM>) is attached to bridge between the first frame (<NUM>) and the second frame (<NUM>), and
one end (<NUM>) of the first frame (<NUM>) and one end (<NUM>) of the second frame (<NUM>) are attached to the partition plate (<NUM>) and another end (<NUM>) of the first frame (<NUM>) and another end (<NUM>) of the second frame (<NUM>) are attached to the cooler (<NUM>).