Air handling unit and method of assembly of such unit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional air handling units face issues with poor thermal and acoustic insulation due to inadequate tightness of connections between sections, leading to inefficient air treatment and compromised performance.

Innovation Solution

The air handling unit employs frameless sections with inner housing struts and multi-chamber plastic profiles to connect folded outer and inner metal sheets, ensuring a tight and secure assembly without additional means, and incorporates molded gaskets for enhanced insulation and sealing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional connection means are used between sections, then assembly is simpler, but thermal and acoustic insulation properties deteriorate due to poor tightness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidthermal and acoustic insulation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A foam gasket is introduced as an intermediary sealing element between adjacent insulating panels. The gasket is inserted into grooves on the panels and expands to fill gaps, creating a tight seal that prevents air leakage and improves thermal and acoustic insulation without complicating the assembly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The foam gasket is designed as a flexible sealing element that can deform to accommodate manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations. This flexibility ensures continuous sealing between panels while maintaining simple connection mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Object-affected harmful factors

If additional connection means are added to improve tightness, then thermal and acoustic insulation improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal and acoustic insulationVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The connection and sealing functions are merged into a single integrated system. The grooves for gasket insertion are formed as part of the insulating panel structure during manufacturing, and the same grooves serve both structural connection and sealing purposes, eliminating the need for separate sealing components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The foam gasket performs self-service by automatically expanding to fill gaps and create seals upon installation. The gasket's expansion force also helps secure the connection between panels, eliminating the need for additional fastening or adjustment operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If sections are tightly interconnected to ensure proper air movement, then air handling performance improves, but manufacturing and assembly difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair handling performanceVSAvoidassembly difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The grooves for gasket insertion are pre-formed on the insulating panels during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation ensures that the sealing elements can be easily installed during assembly without requiring complex field operations, thus maintaining both tight connections and assembly simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 improves thermal and acoustic insulation properties, ensuring proper air handling unit operation by maintaining air tightness and reducing assembly complexity.

Implementation Method 1

A foam gasket is inserted between adjacent insulating panels of the housing, ensuring tight connection of the sections

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFoam expansion: Foam

Implementation Method 2

The air handling unit employs frameless sections with inner housing struts and multi-chamber plastic profiles to connect folded outer and inner metal sheets, ensuring a tight and secure assembly without additional means

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentEP3751216B1Air handling unit and method of assembly of such unit
Publication Date: 2021.07.28 KOMFOVENT UAB
  • EP3751216B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3751216B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3751216B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method of assembling an air handling unit, the air handling unit, a door of a section of the air handling unit, a panel and a plastic profile of the air handling unit. The method includes assembling each section of the unit separately from each other, wherein the assembly of each section includes the assembly of insulating panels, connecting the outer and the inner folded metal sheets with plastic profiles without additional fastening means. The invention further reveals the air handling unit assembled by using this method. An insulating panel, the door that comprises plastic profiles and such plastic profiles are also revealed. The multi-chamber plastic profiles for interconnecting the outer and the inner folded metal sheet pieces of insulating panels of the air handling unit without additional means are also revealed.