Ceiling-Mounted Blower Rail Structure for Easy AC Maintenance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing ceiling-mounted air conditioners face difficulties in maintenance due to limited space and configuration issues, particularly when dealing with dual-axis motors or multiple blower units, which hinder efficient attachment and detachment of blower units and impact the deformation and vibration characteristics of the top plate.

Innovation Solution

A ceiling-mounted air conditioner design featuring a unit body with a bent support member that integrates the blower unit, including parallel rail members on the top plate and an aperture for sliding insertion and removal, allowing for efficient maintenance and reinforcement of the top plate without increasing its thickness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the fan casing is fixed to the unit body and only the impeller and motor are slidingly inserted through support rails, then the structure is simple for single blower units, but it cannot accommodate dual-axis motors or multiple blower units

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different blower unit configurationsVSAvoidstructural complexity of mounting system
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The blower unit is divided into separable components (motor, impeller, support member) that can be independently assembled and disassembled. The support member is segmented into a partition plate portion and a support plate portion connected by a bent connection, allowing flexible configuration for different blower unit types including dual-axis motors and multiple units.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If support fittings are mounted on the base and fan motor base is inserted from above, then fan motor can be detachably mounted, but predetermined space above support fittings is required which increases unit body size

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of fan motor mounting and detachmentVSAvoidunit body size
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of inserting the fan motor base from above onto support fittings mounted on the base, the invention inverts the approach by mounting the support member with integrated support plate on the top plate, and slidingly inserting the blower unit horizontally along rail members. This eliminates the need for vertical clearance above the base.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Device complexity

If the blower unit is directly mounted to the top plate, then the structure is simplified, but the top plate experiences deformation and vibration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidtop plate deformation and vibration characteristics
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces rail members as intermediary elements between the top plate and the blower unit. These rail members serve as both guides for sliding insertion and reinforcement structures that distribute loads, preventing direct mounting-induced deformation and vibration of the top plate while maintaining structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Ease of repair

If maintenance is performed through an inspection port in the ceiling, then components can be accessed, but the operation is difficult and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccessibility of components for maintenanceVSAvoidmaintenance time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention makes the blower unit dynamically removable rather than fixed. The support member with bent connection and sliding insertion along rail members enables the blower unit to be easily extracted through the inspection port and reinserted, transforming maintenance from a time-consuming disassembly operation to a simple plug-and-play process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2520869B1Ceiling-mounted air conditioner
Publication Date: 2018.08.22 MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND THERMAL SYST
  • EP2520869B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2520869B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2520869B1 patent drawingFigure 3(A)~3(C)

AI summary

Provided is a ceiling-mounted air conditioner that facilitates an attachment and detachment operation of a blower unit relative to a unit body regardless of the number of blower units and realizes improvement of deformation and vibration characteristics of a top plate of the unit body. In the ceiling-mounted air conditioner, the blower subunits (11A, 11B) are integrated with the support member (20A, 20B) bent substantially at a right angle, one surfaces of which are configured to be partition plates (22A, 22B) for partitioning an inside of the unit body (2) into an inlet region and an outlet region, and the other surfaces of which are configured to be support plates (21A, 21B) for supporting fans (18A, 18B, 18C) and motors (19A, 19B) of the blower subunits (11A, 11B). The blower subunits (11A, 11B) are slidingly inserted between a pair of the rail members installed in parallel on an inner surface of a top plate from one end to the other end of the top plate of the unit body (2) from the aperture (26) provided in one side surface of the unit body (2), so as to be mounted into the unit body (2) through the support members (20A, 208).