Air conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioners face inefficiencies in cooling the PCB due to high-temperature external air blown by the fan and motor assembly, which hampers effective heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner incorporates a control box with a cooling module that utilizes both refrigerant cooling and air cooling, featuring a refrigerant pipe, heat transfer plates, and a heat absorbing plate to create an air circulation passage for efficient heat exchange, with a circulating fan directing cooled air to high and low heat generation components on the PCB.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If external air is used for cooling the PCB, then the cooling system is simple, but the cooling efficiency deteriorates when external air temperature is high
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into two independent parts: a refrigerant cooling path for high-heat components and an air cooling path for low-heat components. This segmentation allows each cooling method to be optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction by maintaining system simplicity while improving overall cooling efficiency through targeted approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
Different cooling methods are applied to different regions of the PCB based on heat generation characteristics. High-heat components receive refrigerant cooling while low-heat components receive air cooling. This local quality approach ensures optimal cooling efficiency for each component type without requiring a completely complex system redesign.
2Temperature
If refrigerant cooling is applied to all components, then cooling efficiency is maximized, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Refrigerant cooling is applied only to high-heat generating components on the PCB, while standard air cooling suffices for low-heat components. This selective application of refrigerant cooling maximizes cooling efficiency where needed while avoiding the increased complexity and power consumption that would result from applying refrigerant cooling to all components.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full refrigerant cooling system to all components, the invention uses partial action by targeting only the high-heat components that require enhanced cooling. This partial application achieves sufficient cooling efficiency while maintaining simpler device architecture and lower power consumption.
3Stability of the object's composition
If uniform cooling is applied to all PCB components, then temperature distribution is balanced, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system applies different cooling intensities to different regions of the PCB based on local heat generation characteristics. High-heat components receive intensive refrigerant cooling while low-heat components receive milder air cooling. This local quality approach maintains adequate temperature distribution balance while significantly reducing overall power consumption compared to uniform high-intensity cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses partial action by applying enhanced refrigerant cooling only to high-heat components rather than uniformly to all components. This selective approach maintains sufficient temperature balance where needed while avoiding excessive power consumption in regions where standard air cooling is adequate.
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 solution enables quick and uniform cooling of the PCB and control box interior, minimizing power consumption loss by leveraging refrigerant cooling for high heat components and air cooling for low heat components, regardless of external temperature conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling module for making a first electric component of the plurality of electric components to heat exchange with refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
a heat transfer plate in contact with the refrigerant pipe and the first electric component
Implementation Method 3
a heat absorbing plate in contact with the heat transfer plate for heat exchange with the air in the air circulation passage
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
Disclosed in an air conditioner including a control box having a space formed therein, a PCB arranged to form an air circulation passage in the space, the PCB having a plurality of electric components mounted thereto, a cooling module for making a first electric component of the plurality of electric components to heat exchange with refrigerant, and a circulating fan arranged in the air circulation passage to make air to flow to a second electric component of the plurality of electric components after cooled by the cooling module, thereby dissipating heat from an inside of the control box with a mixed cooling system of a refrigerant cooling system and an air cooling system, efficiently.