Portable Air Conditioner Bumper Structure for Collision Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated type portable air conditioners face challenges with space efficiency, thermal interference, accurate temperature measurement, damage from movement, and user convenience due to design limitations, including increased volume, thermal interference, and difficulties in installing sensors and handling condensate.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a housing with separate heat exchangers on opposite sides, a blower fan that discharges air upward, a partition wall to prevent air mixing, and a bumper system for protection during movement, along with a draw-out water tank with a water level detection mechanism to enhance user convenience and prevent condensate scattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If heat exchanger, blower fan, and passage are disposed front and rear surfaces to enable cooling and heating, then simultaneous cooling and heating is achieved, but volume increases and space efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a linear front-rear arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration where heat exchangers are disposed on opposite side surfaces (left and right) of the housing. This spatial reorganization allows simultaneous cooling and heating functions while reducing the overall volume by utilizing lateral space rather than extending the front-rear dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where the blower fan is positioned at the center and heat exchangers are arranged around it on opposite side surfaces. This compact nested arrangement allows multiple functional components to occupy overlapping or adjacent spaces, achieving dual cooling and heating capabilities without proportionally increasing volume.
2Volume of moving object
If components are compactly arranged to improve space efficiency, then volume is reduced, but thermal interference between components occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature sensor from the thermally interfering environment by positioning it in a location that measures external air temperature rather than being surrounded by hot components. This separation allows accurate temperature measurement despite the compact arrangement of heat-generating components like the blower fan and heat exchangers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces air passages as intermediary channels that allow external air to reach the temperature sensor without direct contact with thermally interfering components. These passages act as thermal buffers, enabling the sensor to accurately measure external air temperature while the compact component arrangement maintains space efficiency.
3Measurement precision
If temperature sensor is placed near heat exchanger to measure external air temperature, then temperature measurement is achieved, but thermal interference prevents accurate measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor is extracted from the thermal environment of the heat exchanger and positioned to measure external air temperature through dedicated air passages. This extraction eliminates thermal interference while maintaining the sensor's ability to measure the required parameter accurately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct thermal contact measurement with a remote measurement approach where the sensor measures external air temperature through air passages rather than direct contact with the heat exchanger. This substitution of measurement methodology eliminates thermal interference while preserving measurement functionality.
4Ease of operation
If moving wheels are installed at lower portion for easy movement, then mobility is improved, but outer appearance is damaged by collision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by installing a bumper at the lower portion of the housing, which is the area most susceptible to collision damage during movement. This protective structure is positioned in advance to absorb and distribute impact forces, preventing damage to the outer appearance while maintaining the mobility provided by the wheels.
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper is designed as a separate, detachable component that can be independently replaced or maintained. This segmentation allows the protective function to be separated from the main housing structure, enabling easy repair or replacement of the bumper without affecting the entire air conditioner unit.
5Quantity of substance
If water tank is disposed at lower portion for condensate storage, then condensate collection is achieved, but sensor installation is difficult and user convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The water tank is designed with a draw-out structure that allows it to be dynamically moved between a stored position at the lower portion (for optimal condensate collection) and a removed position (for easy sensor installation and user access). This dynamic configuration enables the system to switch between optimal operational positioning and maintenance/access positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The water tank is segmented as a separate, removable module from the main housing. This segmentation allows the tank to be independently handled, installed, and maintained without affecting the rest of the air conditioner system, thereby improving user convenience while maintaining its function for condensate storage at the lower portion.
6Productivity
If negative pressure is generated inside housing for air circulation, then air flow is improved, but condensate scatters and causes corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of negative pressure (which causes condensate scattering) into a beneficial force by using it to drive condensate through a drain pipe. The negative pressure that would otherwise scatter condensate is redirected to actively push condensate toward the drainage system, transforming a harmful effect into a useful drainage mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain pipe acts as an intermediary channel that intercepts condensate before it can scatter due to negative pressure. This intermediary structure provides a controlled pathway for condensate removal, preventing the harmful scattering effect while maintaining the air circulation benefits of negative pressure generation.
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
This configuration allows for simultaneous cooling and heating with high space efficiency, accurate temperature measurement, protection from collisions, improved user convenience, and effective condensate management without scattering, addressing the limitations of integrated type air conditioners.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchanger heat-exchanged with external air introduced through a firs side surface of the housing
Implementation Method 2
a second heat exchanger heat-exchanged with external air introduced through a second side surface of the housing
Implementation Method 3
a blower fan configured to generate a negative pressure in the internal space so that the external air is introduced
Implementation Method 4
a partition wall provided between the first guide part and the second guide part to prevent the external air guided to the front part and the rear part of the heat exchange chamber from being mixed with each other
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a bumper for a portable air conditioner. The bumper for a portable air conditioner is provided in the portable air conditioner including a fist outer surface and a second outer surface connected to the first outer surface and includes an upper bumper and lower bumper coupled to a lower side of the upper bumper. The upper bumper includes a first upper body fixed to the first outer surface, and a second upper body connected to the first upper body and being in contact with the second outer surface. The lower bumper includes a first lower body fixed to the first outer surface and coupled to a lower end of the first upper body, and a second lower body connected to the first lower body, coupled to a lower end of the second upper body, and being in contact with the second outer surface. In the upper bumper and the lower bumper, one or more of sliding operations on the first outer surface or the second outer surface interfere with each other.