Indoor AC Drain Pump Access Structure for Faster Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The maintenance of ceiling-embedded air conditioner indoor units is hindered by the need for lengthy procedures to access and service the drain pump, due to complex processes involving heat exchanger modifications and the requirement for significant force to attach and detach the discharge plug, which also risks moisture condensation and peeling issues.
Innovation Solution
An indoor air conditioner unit design featuring a drain pump insertion port with a larger diameter than the pump, allowing for easier insertion and removal without special heat exchanger processing, and a closing member to prevent water leakage, along with a dual-cap structure for the drain port to manage moisture and facilitate maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the drain pump is detached by removing the decorative panel, electric part box and drain pan, then the drain pump can be serviced, but the maintenance operation takes an extremely long time
Solution Approach 1:
The drain pan is segmented into an upper pan body and a lower discharge plug section that can be detached independently. This allows the discharge plug to be removed for drain pump servicing without dismantling the entire decorative panel, electric part box, and drain pan assembly, significantly reducing maintenance time while maintaining serviceability.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge plug is extracted as a separate detachable component from the drain pan body. This extraction allows direct access to the drain pump through the discharge hole without requiring removal of surrounding components, resolving the contradiction between ease of repair and time loss.
2Reliability
If the discharge hole is formed to have a small diameter to prevent large amount of drain water discharge, then water leakage is controlled, but large force is required to attach and detach the discharge plug
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge plug incorporates a rubber sealing ring at its insertion end to create a water-tight seal at the local interface between the plug and discharge hole. This localized sealing approach allows the use of a larger diameter discharge hole without compromising water sealing reliability, thereby reducing the force required to attach and detach the discharge plug.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If heat insulating material is applied to the drain cap surface to prevent moisture condensation, then condensation is reduced, but peeling occurs due to long-term usage and time expense increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drain cap is extracted as a separate detachable component that can be removed and replaced independently. This eliminates the need for applying heat insulating material to the cap surface, as the cap can be simply removed during maintenance without risk of peeling, thereby extending service life and reducing maintenance time.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain cap is designed as a simple, replaceable component that can be easily removed and replaced without complex heat insulating material application. This approach trades the long-term durability of bonded insulation for the simplicity and maintainability of a replaceable component, eliminating peeling issues.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the heat exchanger is processed to be bent to avoid the drain pump, then the drain pump can be installed, but the heat exchanger installation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The drain pan is segmented with a separate discharge plug section that can be detached independently. This segmentation allows the drain pump to be installed and accessed through the removable discharge plug without requiring complex bending or modification of the heat exchanger, maintaining ease of manufacture while enabling drain pump installation.
Data Source
AI summary
An indoor unit of an air conditioner includes a heat exchanger accommodated inside a indoor unit body which is a housing whose lower face is opened, a drain pan which is disposed below the heat exchanger and receives drain water generated at the heat exchanger, a drain pump which is detachably disposed within the indoor unit body, sucks drain water accumulated in the drain pan and discharges the drain water to the outside, a drain port which is disposed at a bottom face wall section of the drain pan, the port being an opening portion through which the drain pump is insertable, and a drain cap which openably closes the drain pump insertion port.