Air handling unit with integral inner wall features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air handling units face challenges with complex and time-consuming installation and component rearrangement due to the need for multiple brackets and supports, and the removal and replacement of components is often difficult due to complicated mounting systems.
Innovation Solution
The air handling unit features interior cabinet walls with integral mounting features and a drain pan configuration that reduces the need for additional brackets and supports, allowing for easier component retention and reorientation relative to gravity, with a double-wall construction and insulating material to enhance structural integrity and thermal resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple brackets and supports are used for component mounting, then component retention is achieved, but installation complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates mounting brackets and supports directly into the interior cabinet walls as integral features. The mounting channels are formed as part of the wall structure itself, eliminating the need for separate, detachable brackets and supports. This merging of functions reduces the number of individual components and simplifies the overall assembly process while maintaining reliable component retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting features are pre-formed as integral parts of the cabinet walls during manufacturing. The mounting channels are molded or formed into the wall structure before final assembly, so that when components are installed, the mounting infrastructure is already in place and ready for immediate use, eliminating the need for on-site installation of separate mounting hardware.
2Reliability
If multiple brackets and supports are installed, then components can be retained, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the mounting functionality into the cabinet wall structure itself, the patent eliminates the need to install separate brackets and supports during assembly. The integral mounting channels are already present in the walls, allowing components to be directly installed into these pre-formed channels, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining secure component retention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If components are removed and replaced frequently, then configuration flexibility is achieved, but difficulty of removal and replacement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the mounting system with segmented, modular components that can be easily inserted into and removed from the integral mounting channels. The removable components are designed to interface with the wall-integrated channels in a way that allows for simple snap-in or slide-in installation and equally simple removal, enabling frequent reconfiguration without complex tools or procedures.
4Ease of manufacture
If planar interior walls with insulation are used, then construction is simplified, but insulation releases particulate matter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction for the cabinet walls, combining structural panels with insulation material in an integrated manner. The insulation is enclosed within the double-wall construction, preventing particulate matter from being released into the environment. The mounting channels are formed as integral features of this composite wall structure, maintaining construction simplicity while eliminating harmful emissions.
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 design simplifies the installation and reconfiguration of air handling units by integrating mounting features and a drain pan, reducing installation time and complexity while improving thermal performance and reducing VOC emissions.
Implementation Method 1
an insulator disposed between the interior wall and the outer skin
Data Source
AI summary
An air handling unit has an interior wall configured to selectively retain a removable component of the air handling unit. An air handling unit has an interior wall configured as a drain pan. An air handling unit has an outer skin joined to the interior wall, an insulator disposed between the interior wall and the outer skin, and the interior wall has a mounting channel configured to selectively retain a removable component of the air handling unit.