Outdoor unit

Abstract

An outdoor unit includes a part of a main refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, an indoor-unit-side heat exchanger, an electronic expansion valve, and an outdoor-unit-side heat exchanger via a main refrigerant pipe, a bypass circuit bypassing refrigerant discharged from the compressor and flowing through the main refrigerant circuit, a controller configured to control a flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the main refrigerant circuit and a flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the bypass circuit, an outdoor unit base supporting the compressor and the outdoor-unit-side heat exchanger, a snow-protection frame provided below the outdoor unit base, the snow-protection frame supporting the outdoor unit base, and a load heating unit provided to the snow-protection frame the load heating unit and configured to heat a portion around the load heating unit by exchanging heat between a heat medium flowing through the load heating unit and the refrigerant flowing through the bypass circuit.

1 . An outdoor unit comprising:
 a part of a first refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a compressor, an indoor-unit-side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and an outdoor-unit-side heat exchanger via a refrigerant pipe;   a second refrigerant circuit bypassing refrigerant discharged from the compressor and flowing through the first refrigerant circuit;   an outdoor unit base supporting the compressor and the outdoor-unit-side heat exchanger;   a snow-protection frame provided below the outdoor unit base, the snow-protection frame supporting the outdoor unit base; and   a load heating unit provided to the snow-protection frame, the load heating unit configured to heat a portion around the load heating unit by exchanging heat between a heat medium flowing through the load heating unit and refrigerant flowing through the second refrigerant circuit.   
     
     
         2 . The outdoor unit of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second refrigerant circuit includes   a bypass pipe connected to each of a pipe on a suction side of the compressor and a pipe on a discharge side of the compressor to bypass the refrigerant, and   a first solenoid valve adjusting a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the bypass pipe.   
     
     
         3 . The outdoor unit of  claim 2 , further comprising a controller configured to control a flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first refrigerant circuit and a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the second refrigerant circuit,
 wherein the snow-protection frame includes a snowfall sensor detecting snow accumulated around the snow-protection frame, and   wherein the controller causes the load heating unit to operate by controlling the first solenoid valve depending on a distance between the outdoor unit base and the snow detected by the snowfall sensor.   
     
     
         4 . The outdoor unit of  claim 3 , further comprising a second solenoid valve provided between the indoor-unit-side heat exchanger and the discharge side of the compressor, the second solenoid valve adjusting a flow rate of the refrigerant to be supplied to the indoor-unit-side heat exchanger,
 wherein the controller closes the second solenoid valve and opens the first solenoid valve when heating operation is stopped.   
     
     
         5 . The outdoor unit of  claim 4 , further comprising a switching unit,
 wherein the controller increases an operation frequency of the compressor depending on setting contents of the switching unit when the heating operation is stopped.   
     
     
         6 . The outdoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the load heating unit is provided inside or below the snow-protection frame. 
     
     
         7 . The outdoor unit of  claim 1 , wherein the heat medium is antifreeze.