Adjustable drip pan
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vertically-oriented evaporator units in air conditioning systems pose challenges for servicing and replacing drip pans due to their tightly-enclosed installation, making it difficult to address condensation issues effectively.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable drip pan system comprising a bottom pan and a top pan, both made from corrosion-resistant materials, which form a water-impermeable basin with ridges and slopes to collect water, allowing for slidable adjustment along an axis for fitting into tight spaces and accommodating varying orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional fixed drip pan is used in vertically-oriented evaporator units, then the drip pan can effectively collect condensation water, but the drip pan becomes difficult to service and replace due to tight enclosure
Solution Approach 1:
The drip pan is divided into two separate pans (first drip pan and second drip pan) that can be independently installed and serviced. This segmentation allows one pan to remain in place while the other is removed for maintenance, solving the accessibility problem in tightly-enclosed vertical evaporator units while maintaining continuous condensation collection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The drip pan system transitions from a fixed, static design to a dynamic configuration where the two pans can be selectively positioned and adjusted. This allows the system to adapt between operational states (both pans in use, one pan serviced, or pans repositioned) to balance effectiveness with maintainability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the drip pan is designed for tight enclosure installation, then the drip pan fits into vertically-oriented evaporator units, but the drip pan becomes difficult to adjust and position
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the drip pan into two separate units, each pan can be independently positioned and adjusted within the tight enclosure. This makes installation and positioning significantly easier compared to attempting to maneuver a single large fixed drip pan into the same confined space
Solution Approach 2:
The two drip pans are designed to nest within the same enclosure space, with one pan positioned above or adjacent to the other. This nesting arrangement maximizes space utilization in vertically-oriented units while maintaining accessibility for positioning and adjustment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adjustable design enables easy installation and maintenance in tight spaces, effectively collecting and managing condensate water, with optional integration of a float switch for automatic system control, enhancing operational reliability and user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
said top floor slopes downward towards said lip, said bottom floor slopes downward toward said reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable drip pan designed to be installed into tightly-enclosed spaces. Specifically, an adjustable drip pan comprising a bottom pan, said bottom pan comprising a bottom floor, a reservoir, and one or more walls; and a top pan, said top pan comprising a top floor and a lip, wherein said one or more walls form a ridge. Said ridge, said bottom floor, and said reservoir create a water-impermeable basin for collecting water, and said bottom pan and said top pan are slidably adjustable in a plane along an axis, where adjustment of said bottom pan and said top pan is limited, in a first direction of said axis, by touching of said lip and said ridge, and in a second direction of said axis, by touching of a first one of said one or more walls all and said top pan.