Air Conditioner Front Panel Assembly to Conceal Mounting Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing design of air-conditioning apparatus indoor units suffers from a degradation in design property when the front panel is opened, as fixing holes and claw portions are visually recognizable, compromising the aesthetic appeal of the transparent design panel.
Innovation Solution
The indoor unit features a front panel with a base panel of opaque material and a transparent design panel, where the design panel is mounted to cover the base panel using a flange and fitting portions, hiding the base panel's side portions and claw portions from view, thereby enhancing the design aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the front panel uses a transparent design panel with visible fixing holes and claw portions for mounting, then the mounting structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the design property and aesthetic appearance are degraded when the panel is opened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the mounting components (fixing holes and claw portions) from the visible front surface and relocates them to the back surface of the design panel. This allows the front surface to maintain its aesthetic transparency without visible mounting structures, while the back surface accommodates the necessary fixing holes and claw portions for assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the mounting structure from a two-dimensional front surface arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration where fixing holes and claw portions are positioned on the back surface. This dimensional relocation resolves the conflict between manufacturing simplicity and aesthetic appearance by separating the functional mounting elements from the visual front surface.
2Shape
If the fixing holes are formed as recessed shapes to reduce visual recognition, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the claw portions are still visible through the transparent design panel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the claw portions from the front surface area and positions them on the back surface of the design panel, opposite to the fixing holes. This extraction ensures that neither the fixing holes nor the claw portions are simultaneously visible from the front, eliminating the need for complex recessed structures while maintaining aesthetic appearance.
3Shape
If the design panel is made transparent to enhance design property, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the internal components and mounting structures become visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the transparency of the design panel by strategically positioning mounting components on the back surface in another dimension. The fixing holes and claw portions are arranged on the back surface such that they are not visible from the front, transforming the transparency from a potential disadvantage into an aesthetic advantage while maintaining structural functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus including a rectangular front panel provided on a front surface side of an indoor unit body. The rectangular front panel is constructed such that a design panel is mounted to a front surface side of a base panel, that a flange of the design panel is received in a groove portion of the base panel, and that first fitting portions of the base panel and second fitting portions of the design panel are fitted to each other.