Indoor unit for air conditioner

Abstract

An indoor unit for an air conditioner, the indoor unit having a tube made of a stainless steel material, and the tube includes a wrinkle part that is bendable.

1 . An indoor unit for an air conditioner, comprising:
 a case having a heat exchanger and a fan installed therein; and   a stainless steel tube connected to the heat exchanger to guide a flow of a refrigerant, the stainless steel tube comprising:   a first tube body connected to the heat exchanger and extending in a first direction;   at least one wrinkle part connected to the first tube body; and   a second tube body connected to the wrinkle part and extending in a second direction that is different than the first direction.   
     
     
         2 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the case comprises:
 a first space part located at a lateral side of the heat exchanger, the first tube body being disposed inside the first space part; and   a second space part located below the heat exchanger, the second tube body being disposed inside the second space part.   
     
     
         3 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the wrinkle part is located at an inner edge region of the case. 
     
     
         4 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the stainless steel tube comprises a gas tube through which a gas refrigerant flows and a liquid tube through which a liquid refrigerant flows, wherein the wrinkle part is provided in each of the gas tube and the liquid tube. 
     
     
         5 . The indoor unit of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a distributor connected to the liquid tube and configured to distribute the refrigerant flowing through the liquid tube into a plurality of inflow parts of the heat exchanger; and   a plurality of capillaries extending from the distributor to the plurality of inflow parts.   
     
     
         6 . The indoor unit of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a distribution guide part disposed in the liquid tube, the distribution guide part being located at an inlet side of a distributor and configured to allow the refrigerant flowing through the liquid tube to be uniformly distributed into the distributor.   
     
     
         7 . The indoor unit of  claim 6 , wherein the distribution guide part comprises a hollow tube having a spiral shape. 
     
     
         8 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the stainless steel tube comprises a gas tube through which a gas refrigerant flows and a liquid tube through which a liquid refrigerant flows, wherein the wrinkle part is provided in the gas tube but is not provided in the liquid tube. 
     
     
         9 . The indoor unit of  claim 8 , wherein the gas tube comprises a stainless steel material, and the liquid tube comprises a copper material. 
     
     
         10 . The indoor unit of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a distribution guide part disposed in the liquid tube, the distribution guide part comprising a spiral hollow tube that is configured to guide the refrigerant into a distributor.   
     
     
         11 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of through covers to cover a through-hole disposed at side surfaces of the case, each of the through covers being selectively removable according to a bending direction of the tube.   
     
     
         12 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the wrinkle part comprises peaks and valleys, which are alternately repeatedly arranged. 
     
     
         13 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a vertical direction, and the second direction is a horizontal direction. 
     
     
         14 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a support bracket to support the heat exchanger; and   first and second brackets that protrude outward from the support bracket and provided at sides of the stainless steel tube.   
     
     
         15 . The indoor unit of  claim 1 , further comprising a tube bracket provided in the second space part to support the stainless steel tube. 
     
     
         16 . An indoor unit for an air conditioner, comprising:
 a case having a heat exchanger and a fan installed therein; and   a tube connected to the heat exchanger to guide a flow of a refrigerant, the tube comprising:   a first tube body connected to the heat exchanger and extending vertically at a lower side of the heat exchanger;   a second tube body extending horizontally at a lower side of the heat exchanger; and   a wrinkle part disposed between the first and second tube bodies, the wrinkle part being bent in a lower edge region of the case.   
     
     
         17 . The indoor unit of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a distributor configured to distribute the refrigerant into a plurality of inflow parts of the heat exchanger;   a plurality of capillaries extending from the distributor to the plurality of inflow parts; and   a distribution guide part disposed at an inlet side of the distributor and having a spiral shape.   
     
     
         18 . The indoor unit of  claim 16 , wherein the tube comprises a stainless steel material. 
     
     
         19 . The indoor unit of  claim 16 , wherein the tube comprises a gas tube to receive a gas refrigerant and a liquid tube to receive a liquid refrigerant, and
 the wrinkle part is provided in the gas tube and is not provided in the liquid tube.   
     
     
         20 . The indoor unit of  claim 19 , wherein the gas tube comprises a stainless steel material, and the liquid tube comprises a copper material.