Air conditioner
View Patent ↗Task: To provide a high quality air conditioner with high efficiency and stability, preventing adverse effect of manufacturing variation on the refrigerant distribution. Solution: The air conditioner having an expansion valve for decompressing a refrigerant, and a heat exchanger for heat exchange between the refrigerant and air. The air conditioner includes a first linearly shaped piping that is connected to the expansion valve and vertically disposed, a branch pipe connected to the first piping for branching a refrigerant flow path into a plurality of sections, a plurality of second pipings connected to the branch pipe, and a plurality of distributors connected to the second piping for further branching the refrigerant flow path to the heat exchanger.
1. An air conditioner including an expansion valve for decompressing a refrigerant and a heat exchanger for heat exchange between the refrigerant and air, the air conditioner comprising:
a first linearly shaped piping that is connected to the expansion valve and vertically disposed;
a branch pipe including an upper connection portion connected to the first piping and including first and second branch portions each oriented perpendicular with respect to the first linearly shaped piping such that the refrigerant flows through each of the first and second branch portions in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the upper connection portion;
a first L-shaped piping having a bend at a right angle and having one end connected to the first branch portion and another end connected to a first distributor; and
a second L-shaped piping having a bend at a right angle and having one end connected to the second branch portion and another end connected to a second distributor,
wherein the first distributor and the second distributor further branch a refrigerant flow path to the heat exchanger and are vertically disposed.
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flow path after each respective right angle bend of the first L-shaped piping and the second L-shaped piping is parallel to the flow path of the refrigerant through the first linearly shaped piping.
3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second branch portions of the branch pipe has a recess disposed thereon.
4. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the first L-shaped piping and the second L-shaped piping have a different flow resistance in the refrigerant flow path from the branch pipe to the first and second distributors.
5. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein a strainer is disposed between the expansion valve and the first piping.
6. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flow path in each of the first and second distributors is vertically oriented.
7. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of heat exchangers are provided.