Air Handling Unit Filter Support with Dual-Direction Access Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air handling units are limited in accessing air filters due to their specific design, requiring either lateral or lower access, which restricts flexibility and maintenance, especially when installed in false ceilings.
Innovation Solution
The air handling unit design allows for angled access to air filters through both side and lower portions, featuring a support structure with rail and guiding mechanisms, enabling movement and fixing of air filters via misaligned guide elements and slots, and pressure-fixing profiles, accommodating different filter dimensions and installation orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If air handling units are specifically designed with lateral or lower access to air filters, then the structural design is simplified, but the flexibility and ease of maintenance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into modular components including a support body, guide rails, and movable support arms that can independently position themselves. This segmentation allows the structure to adapt to different access requirements without redesigning the entire system, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure incorporates movable support arms with guide elements that can dynamically adjust their position along guide rails. This dynamic capability enables the structure to provide optimal access to air filters regardless of installation location, eliminating the need for specific lateral or lower access designs while maintaining structural integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If air filters are accessed through fixed lateral or lower openings, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the adaptability to different installation conditions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed as a universal system that can accommodate various air filter sizes and installation orientations. The movable support arms and adjustable guide rails enable the same structure to serve multiple access configurations (lateral, lower, or angled), providing installation flexibility without requiring multiple specialized designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure allows for parameter adjustments in terms of support arm position, angle, and extension distance. These parameter changes enable adaptation to different installation conditions and air filter dimensions while maintaining a standardized manufacturing process for the base structure.
3Ease of operation
If air handling units are installed in false ceilings, then the visual appearance is improved, but the accessibility for maintenance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The movable support arms act as intermediaries between the fixed air handling unit housing and the air filters. These arms can extend and retract to provide access to filters located in hard-to-reach positions within the false ceiling installation, reducing maintenance difficulty without requiring complex external access mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure utilizes three-dimensional movement capabilities with support arms that can extend in multiple directions and angles. This dimensional flexibility allows maintenance personnel to access air filters from various directions even when the unit is installed in confined false ceiling spaces, improving maintenance accessibility without adding complex external mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
The present invention relates to an air handling unit, comprising a volumetric space (2) for housing an air filter (1), and a support (7) which comprises a structure (8) for holding the air filter (1), which defines a rail along which the air filter (1) can be moved between an inner portion and an outer portion of the structure (8) according to a first direction (A), and guiding means (9) in the volumetric space (2) for the movement of the structure (8) between an inner portion and an outer portion of the air handling machine according to a second direction (B). The air handling unit additionally comprises a first opening (5) for the passage of the air filter (1) between the inner portion and the outer portion of the air handling unit according to the first direction (A), and a second opening (6) for the passage of the structure (8) between the inner portion and the outer portion of the air handling unit according to the second direction (B) .