Air conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air conditioners with outlet ports on both the lower and front surfaces of the main body experience unstable wind speed distribution and potential reverse flow due to increased ventilation resistance from dust accumulation, leading to condensation formation as their service life progresses.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner design includes a diffuser and guiding wall configuration where the outlet port spans across the lower and front surfaces, with a diffuser that diverges downstream to reduce reverse flow and stabilize airflow, combined with vertically and laterally flat grill designs to minimize dust accumulation and enhance airflow stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the outlet port is disposed on the lower surface and front surface of the main body to expand air expulsion coverage, then the air conditioner can expel conditioned air over a wide area, but the wind speed distribution becomes unstable and reverse flow occurs when ventilation resistance increases due to dust accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet port is divided into two separate outlets: a front outlet disposed on the front surface and a lower outlet disposed on the lower surface. This segmentation allows each outlet to have optimized airflow paths through separate guiding walls, preventing the instability that would occur in a unified multi-surface outlet system
Solution Approach 2:
Guiding walls are introduced as intermediary structures between the blower fan and the outlet ports. These guiding walls include a front guiding wall for the front outlet and a lower guiding wall for the lower outlet, which actively direct and stabilize airflow paths, preventing reverse flow and maintaining stable wind speed distribution even when ventilation resistance increases
2Area of stationary object
If the outlet port spans the lower surface and front surface to increase air expulsion coverage, then wide area conditioning is achieved, but condensation forms due to reverse flow from the outlet port to the blower fan
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet port is segmented into separate front and lower outlets with independent guiding wall structures. This segmentation prevents the mixed airflow patterns that cause reverse flow and subsequent condensation formation in unified multi-surface outlet designs
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding walls act as intermediary structures that actively manage airflow paths, preventing reverse flow from reaching the blower fan. By introducing these intermediary guiding structures, the harmful reverse flow that leads to condensation is blocked before it can form
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 reduces condensation formation and maintains stable airflow distribution across the target space even under increased ventilation resistance, improving noise reduction and maintaining efficient air expulsion over a wide area.
Implementation Method 1
a diffuser that diverges downstream to reduce reverse flow and stabilize airflow
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An air conditioner includes a main body that includes a suction port and an outlet port, wherein: the main body includes a front surface, a back surface, an upper surface, a lower surface, and a pair of side surfaces; the suction port is formed on any of the front surface, the upper surface, and the side surfaces; the outlet port is formed on at least the lower surface; an outlet air channel is upstream from the outlet port; a side of the outlet air channel near the front surface is formed by a diffuser; and the diffuser includes a portion that diverges from an imaginary straight line that constitutes a direction of extension of an upstream portion of the diffuser increasingly toward a downstream end of the diffuser in a side view.