Air conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in separating and maintaining suction panels in air conditioners, especially those installed at high positions, which hinders regular cleaning and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner design includes a suction panel that rotates circumferentially and is separably coupled with the housing, featuring a coupling member with a guide surface and insertion protrusion, and a supporting unit with a connecting member to maintain the panel's position during separation, allowing easy access for cleaning. Additionally, a cover member is provided to cover the housing and drain tray, rotating for easy assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the suction panel is fixed to the housing, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of operation for separation and cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The suction panel is divided into separable components including the panel body, cover member, and coupling members. The coupling members are further segmented into coupling protrusions and coupling recesses that can be independently engaged and disengaged, allowing the panel to be separated into multiple parts for easy cleaning while maintaining structural integrity when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling members are designed with movable characteristics, featuring coupling protrusions that can be inserted into and removed from coupling recesses. The guide surfaces enable dynamic movement during the coupling and separation process, transitioning from a static fixed connection to a dynamic separable connection that maintains stability when coupled but allows easy separation when needed
2Shape
If the suction panel is positioned at high locations for ceiling installation, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the ease of operation for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The suction panel assembly is segmented into separable components that can be easily detached from the housing. The cover member and panel body can be separated into multiple parts, allowing users to access and clean filters without needing to reach high locations, thus maintaining aesthetic appearance when installed while improving maintenance accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling members are designed to be easily extracted from the housing through simple insertion and removal motions. The guide surfaces facilitate smooth extraction without requiring complex tools or difficult maneuvers, enabling users to remove the suction panel for cleaning even when installed at high ceiling locations
3Ease of operation
If the coupling mechanism is simplified for easy assembly, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of the connection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism uses guide surfaces with curved geometries that guide the coupling protrusions into proper alignment with coupling recesses during insertion. This dynamic guidance ensures reliable connection while requiring only simple insertion motions from the user, maintaining both ease of operation and connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The guide surfaces act as intermediary elements between the coupling protrusions and coupling recesses. These guide surfaces facilitate smooth engagement by providing a transition path that aligns the coupling components, ensuring reliable connection without requiring complex alignment procedures from the user
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an air conditioner including a suction panel which includes a suction port through which air is suctioned in inside a housing. The suction panel is formed to rotate with an axial direction of an air blowing fan or a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the air blowing fan as a rotation axis to be coupled with or separated from the housing. Accordingly, a user may easily and intuitively separate the suction panel and falling of the suction panel, which may occur when the suction panel is separated, may be effectively reduced using a supporting unit disposed at the suction panel. Also, the housing and cover members which cover an outer perimeter of a lower portion of the housing may be coupled with each other by pressurizing the cover members toward the housing, thereby allowing the user to easily coupled the cover members.