Ceiling AC Drain Pan Structure for Lower Ventilation Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ceiling-embedded air conditioners face challenges in improving air-discharge performance due to the restricted area of the communication ports in the drain pan, which increases ventilation resistance and limits the amount of air discharged into the room.
Innovation Solution
The design enhances the drain pan by removing the thermal insulating member from the outer sidewall at the boundary with the communication ports, allowing for a larger opening area and reducing ventilation resistance, while maintaining insulating efficiency with a sheet-like synthetic resin member coating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the thermal insulating member is maintained on the outer sidewall at the boundary with communication ports, then the insulating efficiency is preserved, but the area of the communication port opening is restricted and ventilation resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal insulating member is selectively removed from the outer sidewall at the boundary with the communication ports, extracting only the portion that obstructs air flow while preserving the insulating structure in other critical areas. This allows the communication port opening area to be increased without completely eliminating thermal insulation from the drain pan.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain pan structure is designed with non-uniform thermal insulation distribution - the thermal insulating member is present in areas requiring insulation (such as the recess and inner sidewalls) but removed from the outer sidewall boundary area where air flow is prioritized. This creates local quality differentiation to simultaneously achieve both insulation and ventilation goals.
2Productivity
If the opening area of the communication port is increased, then the ventilation resistance decreases and air-discharge performance improves, but the structural integrity and insulating capability of the drain pan may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Only the specific portion of the thermal insulating member that obstructs the communication port opening is removed, while the thermal insulating member remains intact in the recess and other areas. This selective extraction increases the opening area for improved ventilation while preserving the overall insulating efficiency of the drain pan structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain pan combines the thermal insulating member (foamed plastics material) with a resin sheet member coating. The composite structure allows the insulating member to provide thermal insulation where needed while the opening configuration is optimized for air flow, achieving both insulating efficiency and ventilation performance through material composition and structural design.
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 increases the area of the communication ports, enhancing air-discharge performance by reducing ventilation resistance and improving the amount of air discharged into the room, while maintaining the insulating efficiency of the drain pan.
Implementation Method 1
the heat exchanger exchanges heat between the air and a refrigerant while the air passes through the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
The drain pan is composed of a thermal insulating member formed of a foamed plastics material such as a foamed polystyrene material
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5*
AI summary
A ceiling-embedded air conditioner includes a main body incorporating a heat exchanger, a decorative panel attached to a lower edge of the main body and including a discharge port discharging air heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger to a room, and a drain pan including a thermal insulating member and a synthetic resin member coating the thermal insulating member. The drain pan includes a recess for receiving drain water produced in the heat exchanger, a communication port provided on a periphery of the recess and communicating with the discharge port of the decorative panel, and a wall standing between the periphery of the recess and the communication port. The thermal insulating member is removed in the wall, and the wall is composed of the synthetic resin member. According to this structure, the area of the opening of the communication port of the drain pan can be improve, the ventilation resistance of the air which discharged into the room through the discharge port can be decreased, and air-discharge performance can be improved.