Air conditioner including heat exchanger

Abstract

An air conditioner may include indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, wherein at least one of the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger includes: first and second heat exchange units respectively including a first plurality and a second plurality of heat transfer tubes through which a refrigerant is flowable, and a connection unit connecting the first and the second heat exchange units in series so that refrigerant flows through the first plurality of heat transfer tubes in a first direction, then through the connection unit and then through the second plurality of heat transfer tubes in a second direction opposite the first direction, and the refrigerant that flowed through at least one heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes does not mix in the connection unit with the refrigerant that flowed through other heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes.

1 . An air conditioner comprising:
 an indoor heat exchanger; and   an outdoor heat exchanger,   wherein at least one of the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger includes:
 a first heat exchange unit including a first plurality of heat transfer tubes through which a refrigerant is flowable, 
 a second heat exchange unit including a second plurality of heat transfer tubes through which the refrigerant is flowable, and 
 a connection unit connecting the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit to each other in series so that the refrigerant flows through the first plurality of heat transfer tubes in a first direction, then through the connection unit, and then through the second plurality of heat transfer tubes in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the refrigerant that flowed through at least one heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes does not mix in the connection unit with the refrigerant that flowed through other heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes. 
   
     
     
         2 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the connection unit connects the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit so that the refrigerant that flowed through each heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes does not mix in the connection unit with the refrigerant that flowed through another heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes. 
     
     
         3 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the connection unit connects the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit so that a first refrigerant flow path length that the refrigerant travels through a first heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes, then through the connection unit, and then through a first heat transfer tube of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes is almost equal to a second refrigerant flow path length that the refrigerant travels through a second heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes, then through the connection unit, and then through a second heat transfer tube of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes. 
     
     
         4 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein
 the connection unit includes a plurality of connection flow paths, each connection flow path of the plurality of connection flow paths having a connection flow path length,   the first plurality of heat transfer tubes, the second plurality of heat transfer tubes, and the plurality of connection flow paths respectively correspond to one another, and   each connection flow path of the plurality of connection flow paths connects, to each other, a heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and a heat transfer tube of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes, and   each connection flow path length of the plurality of connection flow paths are almost equal.   
     
     
         5 . The air conditioner of  claim 4 , wherein each connection flow path of the plurality of connection flow paths connects heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes based on heat transfer tube positions within the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit respectively, so that first heat transfer tube positions of heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes respectively correspond to second heat transfer tube positions of heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes. 
     
     
         6 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein
 the connection unit includes a plurality of connection flow paths and each connection flow path of the plurality of connection flow paths connects, to each other, a heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and a heat transfer tube of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes,   the first plurality of heat transfer tubes, the second plurality of heat transfer tubes, and the plurality of connection flow paths respectively correspond to one another, and   each connection flow path of the plurality of connection flow paths connects heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes based on heat transfer tube positions within the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit respectively, so that first heat transfer tube positions of heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes symmetrically correspond to second heat transfer tube positions of heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes.   
     
     
         7 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein
 a number of heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes is equal to a number of heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes, and   respective lengths of heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes are almost equal.   
     
     
         8 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one dummy heat transfer tube, which is between the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit, and through which no refrigerant is flowable. 
     
     
         9 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first plurality of heat transfer tubes are arranged side-by-side in an up- and down direction,   the second plurality of heat transfer tubes are arranged side-by-side in the up- and down direction,   the second heat exchange unit is adjacent to the first heat exchange unit in the up- and down direction,   the connection unit includes a vertical-switching connection unit connecting downstream-side ends of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes to upstream-side ends of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes to introduce the refrigerant that flowed through the first plurality of heat transfer tubes into the second plurality of heat transfer tubes, and   the vertical-switching connection unit includes a plurality of vertical-connection flow paths configured so that heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes individually communicate with heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes.   
     
     
         10 . The air conditioner of  claim 9 , wherein a number of heat transfer tubes of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes, a number of heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes, and a number of vertical-connection flow paths are equal to one another. 
     
     
         11 . The air conditioner of  claim 10 , wherein
 the plurality of vertical-connection flow paths connect the first plurality of heat transfer tubes to the second plurality of heat transfer tubes so that a first heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and a second heat transfer tube of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes which individually communicate are located at a same position in an up-and-down direction within the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit respectively, and   flow-path lengths of the plurality of vertical-connection flow paths are almost equal.   
     
     
         12 . The air conditioner of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of vertical-connection flow paths connect the first plurality of heat transfer tubes to the second plurality of heat transfer tubes so that a first heat transfer tube of the first plurality of heat transfer tubes and a second heat transfer tube of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes are symmetric to each other in an up-and-down direction about a plane between the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit. 
     
     
         13 . The air conditioner of  claim 9 , wherein
 the at least one of the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger includes:
 a third heat exchange unit including a third plurality of heat transfer tubes through which the refrigerant is flowable, which are arranged side-by-side in an up-and-down direction, 
   the third heat exchange unit is arranged adjacent to the second heat exchange unit in a horizontal direction,   the connection unit includes a horizontal-switching connection unit connecting downstream-side ends of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes to upstream-side ends of the third plurality of heat transfer tubes to introduce the refrigerant that flowed through the second plurality of heat transfer tubes into the third plurality of heat transfer tubes, and   the horizontal-switching connection unit includes a plurality of horizontal-connection flow paths configured so that heat transfer tubes of the second plurality of heat transfer tubes individually communicate with heat transfer tubes of the third plurality of heat transfer tubes.   
     
     
         14 . The air conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heat exchange units comprise:
 a leeward heat exchange unit group, which comprises a plurality of leeward heat exchange units arranged in a direction orthogonal to an air-flow direction and the plurality of refrigerant flow paths; and   a windward heat exchange unit group, which comprises a plurality of windward heat exchange units arranged in the direction orthogonal to the air-flow direction and the plurality of refrigerant flow paths and is arranged on a more windward side than the leeward heat exchange unit group, and   the indoor heat exchanger comprises:   an inlet tube connected to one of the plurality of windward heat exchange units and introducing the refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant flow paths; and   
       an outlet tube connected to another one of the plurality of windward heat exchange units and discharging the refrigerant from the plurality of refrigerant flow paths. 
     
     
         15 . The air conditioner of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of heat exchange units comprise a plurality of heat exchange unit groups, which are arranged in the air-flow direction and each comprise a plurality of heat exchange units arranged in the direction orthogonal to the air-flow direction and the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, and
 the outdoor heat exchanger comprises:   an inlet tube connected to a heat exchange unit in one of the plurality of heat exchange unit groups and introducing the refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant flow paths; and   
       an outlet tube connected to a heat exchange unit in another one of the plurality of heat exchange unit groups and discharging the refrigerant from the plurality of refrigerant flow paths.