Drain Plug and Heat Pump

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2025/002722 designating the United States, filed on Feb. 27, 2025, in the Korean Intellectual Property Receiving Office and claiming priority to Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2024-0055029, filed on Apr. 24, 2024, and 10-2024-0075295, filed on Jun. 10, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

The disclosure relates to a drain plug and a heat pump.

In general, a heat pump refers to a heating and cooling device that transfers heat from a low-temperature heat source to a high-temperature medium or from a high-temperature heat source to a low-temperature medium using heat generation or condensation heat of a refrigerant.

The heat pump may include an outdoor unit having a compressor, an expansion valve, and a heat exchanger. The outdoor unit may be provided to heat a refrigerant, and the heated refrigerant may be provided to heat heating water by heat exchange with the heating water. The heating water heated by the refrigerant may be used for space heating or hot water supply.

The heat pump may include a distribution unit that is installed indoors and receives the heated heating water and distributes the heating water to a plurality of heating spaces or hot water supply spaces.

The distribution unit supplied with heating water from the outdoor unit may supply the heating water to the heating spaces or hot water supply spaces through pipes.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug with an improved structure and a heat pump including the same.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug with an improved drainage performance and a heat pump including the same.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug capable of draining water inside a base and water inside a water frame (e.g., a tank, a tray, a valve, a pipe, and the like) and a heat pump including the same.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug capable of discharging leaked refrigerant to the outside of a housing and a heat pump including the same.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug capable of preventing/inhibiting a guide from being separated and a heat pump including the same.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug capable of preventing/inhibiting a guide from being twisted and a heat pump including the same.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a drain plug capable of easily setting a drainage direction in response to various installation environments and a heat pump including the same.

A heat pump according to an example embodiment of the disclosure may include: a housing including a base; a guide disposed inside the housing and configured to guide water; and a drain plug detachably mountable on the base. The drain plug may include: a drain body forming a drain passage; a through hole formed to pass through the drain body, the through hole configured to guide water of the base to the drain passage while the drain plug is mounted on the base; and a guide connection portion extending from the drain body and connectable to the guide, the guide connection portion configured to guide water of the guide to the drain passage while the drain plug is mounted on the base and the guide connection portion is connected to the guide.

A heat pump according to an example embodiment of the disclosure may include: a housing including a base in which an opening is formed; a water frame provided on an inside of the housing and configured to receive water; a drain plug detachably mounted to the base; and a guide configured to connect the water frame and the drain plug and to transfer water in the water frame to the drain plug. The drain plug may include: a drain body configured to be inserted into the opening; a guide connection portion extending upward from the drain body and vertically connected to the guide, the guide connection portion configured to receive water guided by the guide; and a stopper protruding from an outer surface of the drain body and configured to come into contact with at least a portion of a rim defining the opening of the base.

A drain plug detachably mounted on a base of a housing according to an example embodiment of the disclosure may include: a drain body; a through hole formed to pass through the drain body and configured to allow communication between the inside of the housing and the drain passage, the through hole configured to allow water of the base to enter therethrough; and a guide connection portion extending upward from the drain body and connectable to a guide disposed inside the housing to guide water, the guide connection portion being configured to guide water guided by the guide to enter therethrough.

Various embodiments of the disclosure and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this disclosure to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the corresponding example embodiments.

In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or a plurality of the items unless clearly indicated otherwise in a related context.

In this disclosure, phrases, such as “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B,” “A, B or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C”, may include any one or all possible combinations of items listed together in the corresponding phrase among the phrases.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of associated listed items.

The terms of “˜part”, “˜module” and “˜member” may be implemented in hardware or software. In various embodiments, a plurality of “˜parts”, “˜modules” and “˜members” may be implemented as a single component. In various embodiments, a single “˜part”, “˜module” and “˜member” may include multiple components.

Terms such as “1st”, “2nd”, “primary”, or “secondary” may be used simply to distinguish a component from other components, without limiting the component in other aspects e.g., importance or order.

When one (e.g., a first) element is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., a second element with or without the term “functionally” or “communicatively,” may refer, for example, to the one element being connected to the other element directly, wirelessly, or via a third element.

It will be understood that when the terms “includes,” “comprises,” “including,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this disclosure, specify the presence of stated features, figures, steps, operations, components, members, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, figures, steps, operations, components, members, or combinations thereof.

It will be understood that when a certain component is referred to as being “connected to”, “coupled to”, “supported by” or “in contact with” another component, it may be directly or indirectly connected to, coupled to, supported by, or in contact with the other component. When a component is indirectly connected to, coupled to, supported by, or in contact with another component, it may be connected to, coupled to, supported by, or in contact with the other component through a third component.

Throughout the disclosure, when a member is referred to as being “on” another member, the member is in contact with another member or yet another member is interposed between the two members.

Further, as used in the disclosure, the terms “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, “top”, “lower”, “bottom”, “vertical direction”, “vertically” and the like are defined with reference to the drawings, and are not intended to limit the shape and position of each component.

Hereinafter, various example embodiments according to the disclosure will be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings.

a diagram illustrating an example heat pump according to various embodiments.

The heat pumpmay perform indoor heating, indoor cooling, indoor floor heating, and/or hot water supply through heat exchange between air and a refrigerant, heat exchange between refrigerant and refrigerant, and/or heat exchange between refrigerant and water.

Referring to, the heat pumpmay include an outdoor unit. The heat pumpmay include at least one indoor unit,,,, and/orthat is connected to the outdoor unitthrough at least one pipe R and/or W) and is disposed indoors. The heat pumpmay include an indoor unit. The heat pumpmay include a distribution unit. The heat pumpmay include heating units,, and/or. There is no limitation on the number of outdoor unitsand indoor devices.

The outdoor unitmay be disposed outdoors. The outdoor unitmay exchange heat with outdoor air. The outdoor unitmay perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and outdoor air by utilizing phase change of the refrigerant (e.g., evaporation or condensation). For example, the outdoor unitmay release heat of the refrigerant to the outdoor air by utilizing condensation of the refrigerant. In addition, the outdoor unitmay absorb heat of the outdoor air into the refrigerant by utilizing evaporation of the refrigerant.

The indoor unitmay be disposed indoors. The indoor unitmay exchange heat with indoor air. The indoor unitmay perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air by utilizing phase change of the refrigerant (e.g., evaporation or condensation). For example, the indoor unitmay absorb heat of the indoor air into the refrigerant by utilizing evaporation of the refrigerant, thereby cooling an air conditioning space. In addition, the indoor unitmay release the heat of the refrigerant into the indoor air utilizing the condensation of the refrigerant, thereby heating the air-conditioning space. The indoor unitmay be referred to as a heating and cooling device.

The distribution unitmay be disposed indoors. The distribution unitmay be provided to distribute heating water to the heating units,and/orthat heat heating locations requiring heating.

In the disclosure, heating water may refer to water used for heating. The heating water may flow along the water pipe W.

For example, the heating water may be provided to be heated in the outdoor unit. For example, the heating water may be heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant through the heat exchanger, seeof the outdoor unit.

The above description is only one example of various methods in which heating water is heated, and it should be understood that the heating water may be heated by a separate heating device installed indoors. For example, a heat exchanger may be installed in the distribution unit, and the heating water may be heated in the distribution unit. Hereinafter, a method in which the heating water is heated by the outdoor unitwill be described as an example.

The heating units,, and/ormay be installed indoors. The heating units,, and/ormay be provided to supply heat energy to a location requiring heating by utilizing the heating water. In addition, the heating units,, and/ormay be provided to directly supply the heating water to a location requiring hot water supply.

The heat pumpmay include a first heating unit.

For example, the first heating unitmay include a hot water supply unit. The hot water supply unitmay be provided to directly supply heated heating water to a user according to a user's request.

For example, the first heating unitmay include a first heating valve. The first heating valvemay be provided on a water pipe W connecting the outdoor unitand the first heating unit. The first heating valvemay open and close the water pipe W or control the flow rate of water flowing through the water pipe W. In the drawing, the first heating valveis illustrated as a single unit thereof, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first heating valvemay be provided as a plurality of units thereof.

The heat pumpmay include a second heating unit.

For example, the second heating unitmay include a device configured to heat an indoor space by performing heat exchange between heating water and indoor air. For example, the second heating unitmay include a radiatorconfigured to release heat energy of the heating water into the indoor atmosphere.

For example, the second heating unitmay include a second heating valve. The second heating valvemay be provided on a water pipe W connecting the outdoor unitand the second heating unit. The second heating valvemay open and close the water pipe W or control the flow rate of water flowing through the water pipe W. In the drawing, the second heating valveis illustrated as a single unit thereof, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the second heating valvemay be provided as a plurality thereof.

For example, the second heating unitmay include a second heating unit controller. The second heating unit controllermay be provided to control the operation of the second heating valveand/or the operation of the radiator.

The heat pumpmay include a third heating unit.

For example, the third heating unitmay be provided to heat at least a portion of a space in which the third heating unitis installed. For example, the third heating unitmay include an underfloor heater. For example, the third heating unitmay be provided to heat the floor of a space in which the underfloor heateris installed through the heat of the heating water. The underfloor heatermay be installed to pass the floor in which the third heating unitis installed.

For example, the third heating unitmay include a third heating valve. The third heating valvemay be arranged on a water pipe W connecting the outdoor unitand the third heating unit. The third heating valvemay open and close the water pipe W or control the flow rate of water flowing through the water pipe W. In the drawing, the third heating valveis illustrated as a single unit thereof, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the third heating valvemay be provided as a plurality of units thereof.

For example, the third heating unitmay include a third heating unit controller. The third heating unit controllermay be provided to control the operation of the third heating valveand/or the operation of the underfloor heater.