Air conditioner
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing ceiling-embedded indoor air conditioner units require the removal of multiple components, including the fan, drain pan, and guide member, for maintenance, which complicates the process and can lead to inefficiencies in air flow and increased noise due to backflow of air.
Innovation Solution
The design integrates a guide member with the drain pan and a bell mouth structure that allows the fan to be detached without removing the guide member, improving maintenance accessibility and reducing noise by efficiently guiding air flow away from the fan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the fan is detachably installed inside the main body for easy maintenance, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but the guide member and drain pan must be removed first which complicates the maintenance process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the indoor unit into distinct detachable modules: the fan assembly can be removed independently from the guide member and drain pan. The guide member is separated from the drain pan structure, allowing the fan to be accessed and removed without disturbing the drainage system. This modular segmentation enables maintenance personnel to service the fan separately, reducing maintenance complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fan assembly is positioned within the main body such that it can be detached through the opening without removing outer components. The guide member and drain pan are arranged in a nested configuration where the guide member is positioned above the drain pan, allowing the fan to be accessed first while the drain pan remains in place, simplifying the maintenance sequence.
2Volume of moving object
If the guide member is positioned close to the fan for compact design, then device compactness is improved, but air backflow into the fan occurs which reduces efficiency and increases noise
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member acts as an intermediary component positioned between the fan and the discharged air flow path. It redirects the air flow away from the fan inlet, preventing backflow while maintaining a compact overall structure. The guide member's specific geometry creates a flow separation that eliminates the need for excessive spacing between the fan and housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member features a curved surface that smoothly redirects air flow from the fan discharge away from the fan inlet. This curved geometry efficiently guides the air flow in a compact configuration, preventing backflow while maintaining short distances between components, thus achieving both compactness and efficiency.
3Area of stationary object
If air is discharged horizontally perpendicular to the sucking direction, then space utilization is improved, but air accumulation occurs which increases power consumption and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful air backflow is extracted and redirected away from the fan inlet by the guide member. The guide member creates a separate discharge path that prevents the horizontally discharged air from circulating back into the fan, eliminating air accumulation and reducing the energy required to maintain air flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The horizontal discharge direction, which could potentially cause air backflow, is converted into a beneficial flow pattern by the guide member. The guide member redirects the air flow to follow a path that prevents backflow, transforming what could be a harmful recirculation into an efficient one-way flow that reduces power consumption and noise.
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 enhances maintenance efficiency, suppresses noise and vibration, and improves blowing efficiency by preventing air backflow and reducing power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a fan including a shroud and detachably installed inside the main body through the opening for guiding indoor air to be sucked in through the sucking hole in the vertical direction and discharged in the horizontal direction
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger arranged in the radial direction of the fan to be separated from the fan for performing heat exchange on the air discharged from the fan
Implementation Method 3
a guide member arranged between the fan and the heat exchanger in the radial direction of the fan to be separated from the fan for guiding the air discharged from the fan toward the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
The shroud may comprise an absorbing hole through which air sucked in through the sucking hole and air discharged from the fan and then sucked back into the fan are sucked
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an air conditioner having improved maintenance ability by arranging a fan to be attached or detached without removing a guide member. An air conditioner includes a main body with an opening formed in the bottom, a ceiling panel arranged under the main body for covering the opening, and having a sucking hole through which air is sucked in and a discharging hole through which air is discharged, a fan detachably installed inside the main body through the opening for guiding indoor air to be sucked in through the sucking hole in the vertical direction and discharged in the horizontal direction, a heat exchanger arranged in the radial direction of the fan to be separated from the fan for performing heat exchange on the air discharged from the fan and a guide member arranged between the fan and the heat exchanger in the radial direction of the fan to be separated from the fan for guiding the air discharged from the fan toward the heat exchanger.