Engine-Compartment Blower Layout for Easier Vehicle AC Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle air conditioner designs face challenges in maintenance due to the blower's placement within the engine compartment, which restricts access and increases the workload and time required for maintenance, as the blower can only be accessed by removing the instrument panel and air conditioner components from the vehicle cabin.
Innovation Solution
The blower is positioned within the engine compartment with a rotating shaft inclined at an angle between 0 and 90 degrees, allowing for easier access and maintenance by attaching or detaching the motor from the upper side, and is covered by a protective cover to reduce noise and prevent foreign objects from entering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the blower is disposed within the engine compartment to reduce cabin space occupation, then the vehicle cabin becomes more spacious, but the maintenance accessibility of the blower deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blower assembly is segmented into separable components: the blower motor can be detached from the blower housing. This allows the motor to be removed and replaced independently from the engine compartment, resolving the contradiction by enabling maintenance without full disassembly while keeping the blower body in the space-constrained engine compartment
Solution Approach 2:
The motor is extracted as a separate removable component from the blower assembly. The motor can be taken out through the engine compartment for maintenance or replacement, while the blower housing remains installed. This extraction approach maintains compact cabin space while improving maintenance accessibility
2Productivity
If the blower is disposed within the engine compartment, then the overall vehicle packaging is improved, but the maintenance workload and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the blower into a stationary housing and a removable motor, the maintenance process is simplified to only require motor removal and replacement. This segmentation reduces maintenance time and workload while allowing the blower assembly to remain compactly packaged in the engine compartment
Solution Approach 2:
The motor is designed with preliminary preparation for easy removal - with detachable connections and an orientation that allows extraction through the engine compartment. This preliminary design of the detachable structure enables quick maintenance operations without requiring full disassembly of the air conditioner system
3Device complexity
If the rotating shaft is arranged vertically or horizontally, then the structure is simple, but the ventilation resistance increases and suction resistance improves poorly
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating shaft is arranged at an asymmetric oblique angle (greater than 0° and less than 90° relative to vertical) rather than traditional vertical or horizontal orientations. This asymmetric arrangement optimizes the airflow path through the blower, reducing ventilation resistance and improving suction performance while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation parameter of the rotating shaft is changed from conventional vertical (90°) or horizontal (0°) positions to an optimized oblique angle. This parameter change improves the aerodynamic characteristics of the blower, reducing resistance and enhancing ventilation efficiency without significantly increasing structural complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A present disclosure relates to a vehicle air conditioner including a blower. At least the blower is disposed within an engine compartment. The blower includes a motor that is configured to rotate a fan. A rotating shaft of the motor is diagonally arranged with an inclination angle that is greater than 0 degree and less than 90 degrees with respect to a vertical direction. An attachable/detachable direction of the motor with respect to the blower-is an upper side thereof.