Outdoor AC Electrical Chamber Layout for Cable Access and Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioner outside units face challenges such as narrow space constraints for operation, cable entanglement and interference, and airflow obstruction due to complex configurations, which hinder efficient maintenance and operation.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a case with a heat exchange chamber and an electric chamber, featuring an inspection window for accessing the display device, a terminal block with separate cable connections, and a service cover to facilitate easy maintenance, along with a fixing member to manage cables and prevent entanglement and airflow disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the display unit is provided in the front surface part of the outside unit, then the operational state can be displayed, but the display unit is shielded by the panel and cannot be read by users
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit is relocated from the front surface part to the side surface part of the outside unit. This spatial repositioning in a different dimension allows users to view the display without removing the front panel, eliminating the shielding problem while maintaining display functionality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide member is installed in the panel to prevent air re-introduction, then air discharge is controlled, but the guide member must be dismantled to access the display unit
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit is moved to the side surface part, which is a different dimension from the front surface part where the guide member is installed. This allows users to access the display unit by removing only the side panel, not the entire front panel with the guide member, thus maintaining air discharge control while improving accessibility.
3Area of stationary object
If the outside unit is installed on an outer wall of a building, then space is utilized, but the panel cannot be substantially separated for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The outside unit is divided into separate modular sections: the front surface part containing the guide member and heat exchange components, and the side surface part containing the display unit and electrical components. This segmentation allows the side panel to be removed for maintenance without affecting the front panel's structural integrity or the unit's installation on outer walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The display unit and its access panel are positioned on the side surface part, which can be independently accessed from a different dimension than the front surface. This allows maintenance personnel to service the display unit by removing only the side panel, even when the unit is installed on an outer wall where front panel removal would be problematic.
4Ease of manufacture
If multiple cables are positioned inside the outside unit, then connections are established, but cable entanglement and interference occur
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal block is extracted and positioned on the side surface part of the outside unit, separate from the heat exchange chamber. This extraction allows cables to be connected in an organized manner on the side panel, preventing entanglement and interference with the heat exchange components while maintaining all necessary electrical connections.
Data Source
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AI summary
An air conditioner having an outside unit that includes an electric chamber in which an electric part is provided and a case having a heat exchange chamber which is provided in one side of the electric chamber and includes a heat exchanger, wherein the electric part includes a plurality of electric components, an electric panel in which the plurality of electric components are provided, and a terminal block provided on one side of the electric panel and including a terminal part.