OUTDOOR UNIT FOR HEAT PUMP

Description

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit for heat pump and/or air conditioner of the type specified in the preamble of the first claim.

Heat pumps and/or air conditioners are currently known, for example solutions in which the device comprises an outdoor unit and at least one indoor unit. They comprise an outdoor unit which generally includes a heat exchanger, a lamination valve, a compressor and electrical and electronic components designed to operate the heat pump. Different solutions may comprise a further heat exchanger in said outdoor unit, said solutions in any case being part of the subject matter of the present invention. Indoor units are also provided to exchange heat with the environment to be heated or cooled.

Said heat exchanger included in the outdoor unit is designed to carry out a heat exchange between the ambient air, i.e. outdoor air at atmospheric temperature, depending on whether it is used respectively as a heat pump or as an air conditioner, and a working fluid flowing inside a working circuit of said device. The working circuit, which is a section of the refrigeration circuit of devices in heat pumps and/or air conditioners, generally consists of copper pipes containing a refrigerant fluid.

Said heat exchanger further generally comprises a section of said working circuit provided with a finned pack through which the working circuit passes. Furthermore, the outdoor unit comprises a fan adapted to allow the forced passage of air through the finned pack, being arranged in a suitable position, i.e. in proximity to the exchanger, to act functionally on said exchanger.

Said outdoor unit further comprises a grille, said grille constituting at least one side or part of said unit, said grille protecting users from potentially very dangerous contact with the moving fan without substantially hindering the air flow.

The known art described above has some significant drawbacks.

In particular, in case of maintenance, it is necessary to remove the grille. Said operation requires much time and is burdensome for the operator since the grille in high power devices may weigh several kilograms. Furthermore, the removal of the grille exposes the attendant to the risk of contact with the fan, since some maintenance operations must be carried out while the device is operating. Finally, depending on the position in which said outdoor unit is installed, e.g. in proximity to light wells which may also be partly below ground level, it may be inconvenient to place the grille in proximity to the device to be maintained.

In this situation, the technical task underlying the present invention is to design an outdoor unit for heat pump capable of substantially overcoming at least part of the drawbacks mentioned.

Within the scope of said technical task, an important object of the invention is to achieve an outdoor unit for heat pump that is simple and quick to maintain.

A further technical object of the invention, within the scope of said technical task, is to achieve a heat pump that is safe also during maintenance.

The technical task and the specified objects are achieved by an outdoor unit for heat pump as claimed in the appended claim 1.

Preferred technical solutions are highlighted in the dependent claims.

The features and advantages of the invention are clarified below by a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention in axonometry and in a first configuration;

FIG. 2 illustrates the outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention in axonometry and in a second configuration;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a portion of the outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention; and

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention in the configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a second example of outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention in axonometry and in a first configuration;

FIG. 6 illustrates the second example of outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention in axonometry and in a second configuration.

In this document, the measurements, values, shapes, and geometric references (such as perpendicularity and parallelism), when associated with words like “about” or other similar terms such as “approximately” or “substantially”, should be understood as allowing for measurement errors or inaccuracies due to production and/or manufacturing errors and, especially, minor deviations from the value, size, shape, or geometric reference with which they are associated. For example, such terms, when associated with a value, preferably indicate a deviation not exceeding 10% of the value itself.

Moreover, terms such as “first”, “second”, “upper”, “lower”, “main”, and “secondary” when used do not necessarily identify an order, priority of relation, or relative position but may simply be used to more clearly distinguish different components from one another.

Unless otherwise specified, as inferred from the following discussions, terms such as “processing”, “computing”, “determining”, “computation”, or similar should be understood as referring to the action and/or processes of a computer or similar electronic computation device that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical quantities, such as electronic magnitudes of records of a computing system and/or memories, into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within computer systems, records, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices.

Unless otherwise indicated, the measurements and data reported in this text are to be considered as performed in International Standard Atmosphere ICAO (ISO 2533:1975).

With reference to the Figures, the outdoor unit for heat pump according to the invention is globally denoted by the number 1.

The invention therefore also defines a heat pump, or air conditioner, comprising the outdoor unit 1. It is preferably intended for heating and/or cooling, or in any case conditioning, a closed environment such as a building, for residential or commercial purposes or otherwise.

The outdoor unit 1 further comprises, or defines, a front surface 1a. Said surface 1a is usually flat or slightly curved and the overall shape of the outdoor unit 1 is usually parallelepiped or similar.

The outdoor unit 1 further preferably comprises a first portion 2 for heat exchange facing the front surface 1a and preferably occupying most of it. The first portion 2 comprises a finned pack 20, through which the working circuit of the heat pump 1 flows precisely for the purpose of increasing the heat exchange surface.

The first portion 2 further preferably comprises a fan 21 adapted to cause and allow the forced passage of air through said finned pack 20 and facing the front surface 1a. It preferably occupies most of the first portion 2 facing the front surface 1a.

The first portion 2 is known per se.

The outdoor unit 1 further preferably comprises a second portion 3 adapted to enable the operation of the heat pump 1 and including one or more among a lamination valve, a compressor, at least part of the refrigeration circuit, electrical components, electronic components. Said components are known per se and used in the outdoor units of heat pumps.

The second portion 3 preferably develops into a second volume 3a facing the front surface 1a.

Preferably, the second portion 3 and the first portion 2 make the entirety of the outdoor unit 1. Furthermore, more preferably the two portions are two parallelepiped portions which, in use, have the same height and the same depth and occupy different sections along the plane of the front surface 1a.

The outdoor unit 1 further preferably comprises a protection element 4, preferably substantially two-dimensional, at least partially open and developing along the front surface 1a. The protection element 4 is adapted to cover, in a first configuration of use, the fan 21, allowing air passage, and at least part of the second portion 3.

Typically, the protection element 4 consists of a grille, which allows a better air passage and does not leave wide openings for the entry of objects and body parts inside the outdoor unit 1, more precisely inside the section in which the fan 21 operates. Otherwise, the protection element 4 could have any form: a fabric supported by a rigid structure, a perforated plate and so on. Preferably the protection element 4 is flat, like the front surface 1a.

The protection element 4 is loosely bound and preferably also releasably bound to the remaining part of the outdoor unit 1 and is adapted to slide along said front surface 1a. The connection is carried out by means of connection 22 hereinafter described, which allow sliding along said front surface 1a or the removal of the element 4 from the remaining part of the unit 1.

The two extremes are therefore the two extreme positions that the protection element 4 can assume with respect to the remaining part of the unit 1. Clearly, by extreme position it is meant that the protection element 4 can assume these positions using the looseness given by the means of connection to the remaining part of the unit 1 properly used. It goes without saying that the user could force the looseness of the element, disassemble it or deform it.

More in detail, preferably, the element 4 can assume a first configuration of use (FIG. 1), in which the protection element 4 covers the first portion 2, entirely covering the fan 21, and more preferably entirely all the first portion 2, and at least part of the second portion 3. In the design of the outdoor unit of the accompanying Figures, the protection element covers only a part of the second portion 3, but it could obviously cover it all (FIG. 5).

The element 4 can preferably also assume a second configuration of use (FIG. 2) in which it preferably covers the first portion 2, entirely covering the fan 21, and preferably leaves the second portion 3 free, so that an attendant can work on said second portion 3.

It follows that the attendant can work to the maintenance of the second portion while the fan 21 is covered and without having to disassemble the protection element 4, but simply by shifting it.

Preferably, in order to pass between the two positions, the protection element 4, when said outdoor unit is in use, slides horizontally.

The element 4 can preferably also assume a third configuration of use, in which it is completely separated from the remaining part of the unit 1.

The means of connection 22 which allow sliding are preferably constituted by two horizontal guides 22a or rails, parallel, arranged on a front wall 1a of the outdoor unit 1, preferably on the first portion 2 facing the front surface 1a, and two sliding supports 40, preferably two fixed hooks or two wheels or the like, bound to the protection element 4 and releasably connectable to the rails 22a. Preferably, the rails 22a are arranged immediately above and below the fan 21.

The means of connection 22 may also comprise stops 23, such as handwheels, screws, snap-in supports or the like, which must be removed or suitably configured to allow the handling of the element 4 between said first and second configuration. The extremes, in particular the maintenance position, are preferably made by limit stops on the rails 22a, such as obstacles to the handling of the sliding supports 30 along the rails 22a, or the like. Preferably, the extreme delimiting the end stop of the maintenance position allows the entire fan 21 to remain covered by said grille in said position.

Clearly, the situation could be different, for example the rails could be on the element 4 or the like. Any type of guide for horizontal sliding, known to experts in the field, is applicable.

The operation of the outdoor unit 1 previously described in structural terms is the following.

The outdoor unit 1 has an operation analogous to the traditional and known one, with the protection element 4 arranged in the first configuration of use (FIG. 1, FIG. 5).

When the same unit 1 must be maintained, in particular when interventions on the second portion 3 are necessary, advantageously according to the present invention it is sufficient to remove any stops 23 and slide the protection element and arrange it in the second configuration of use (FIG. 2, FIG. 6), or in similar positions, in order to operate on the second portion 3. Moreover, according to the invention the operator does not have to lift the grille and place it, if the location does not allow, far from the operating area, thus gaining not only in safety but also in time and effort. For more important interventions it is possible to separate the element 4 by arranging it in the third configuration of use.

The outdoor unit 1 according to the invention achieves important advantages.

In fact, the passage from the covering position to the maintenance one is very quick and does not require much time.

Furthermore, the same can also be carried out while the fan 21 is operating in complete safety, since the protection element 4 covers the fan 21 also in the maintenance position.

Finally, for different maintenance, on the fan or more important ones, it is possible to disassemble the protection element 4 and move it away from the outdoor unit by disconnecting said means of connection 22.

The invention is subject to variations within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims. Within this scope, all details can be replaced by equivalent elements, and materials, shapes, and dimensions may be any.