Outdoor heat exchanger and air conditioner having the same

An air conditioner comprising:

• a compressor;
• an expansion device;
• an indoor heat exchanger;
• and
• an outdoor heat exchanger comprising:
• a plurality of heat exchange fins,
• a plurality of refrigerant pipes that are arranged across the plurality of heat exchange fins and that are configured to guide refrigerant, and
• a plurality of connecting pipes that are connected to the plurality of refrigerant pipes to thereby define a plurality of refrigerant passages with the plurality of refrigerant pipes,
• wherein at least one of the plurality of connecting pipes comprises:
• a first pipe portion having a first end connected to one of the plurality of refrigerant pipes,
• a branch pipe portion that is branched from the first pipe portion, that extends parallel to the first pipe portion, and that is connected to another of the plurality of refrigerant passages, and
• a second pipe that is connected to the first pipe portion and that is configured to guide gas-phase refrigerant separated from refrigerant in the first pipe portion, the second pipe having an inner insert portion inserted into a second end of the first pipe portion and an outlet portion that extends from the inner insert portion in direction opposite to the second end of the first pipe portion, and
• wherein the air conditioner further comprises:
• a compressor inlet passage that is configured to communicate the refrigerant from an outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger to an inlet of the compressor during a heating operation, and
• a first bypass passage that is configured to bypass the gas-phase refrigerant from the second pipe of the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor inlet passage.