Curved Airflow Vane Geometry for Horizontal AC Airflow Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing air conditioner designs face issues with dew condensation due to air intake from inside the room near the outlet and separation of air currents at the airflow-direction vane, especially when the blowing direction is closer to horizontal.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner incorporates an airflow-direction vane with a first curved portion and a second curved portion, where the first curved portion has a larger curvature than the second, and a flat plate portion upstream, optimized with specific angles and shapes to prevent air current separation and dew condensation, including an outflow angle of 20° to 40° and an inflow angle of 10° to 25°, and a boundary portion that changes position across the longitudinal direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the blowing direction of the airflow-direction vane is set closer to the horizontal direction to increase the airflow rate on the inner side, then the air velocity increases and intake of air from inside the room is suppressed, but separation of air current occurs at the airflow-direction vane
Solution Approach 1:
The airflow-direction vane incorporates a curved surface with a specific curvature radius (R1) that is 0.05 to 0.15 times the height (H) of the air outlet. This curvature allows the air current to follow the contour of the vane smoothly during horizontal blowing, preventing flow separation while maintaining high air velocity on the inner side that suppresses unwanted air intake from the room.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the curvature radius parameter (R1) as a specific proportion (0.05 to 0.15 times H) of the air outlet height, and sets the outflow angle within 20° to 40°. These parameter changes enable the vane to achieve both high air velocity for suppressing room air intake and smooth air current flow without separation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a bent portion is formed in the upstream-side part of the airflow-direction vane to separate from the air duct wall, then the air duct area on the main-body center side is secured and dew condensation is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming a discrete bent portion that adds structural complexity, the patent integrates the curvature directly into the upstream-side surface of the airflow-direction vane. The curved surface with radius R1 naturally guides the air current away from the air duct wall, securing the air duct area and preventing dew condensation through a unified, simpler vane structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of the bent portion with the airflow-direction vane itself, creating a unified structure. The curved surface of the vane simultaneously directs airflow to prevent dew condensation and controls the blowing direction, eliminating the need for separate bent portion components and reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Provided is an air conditioner including: a heat exchanger (5) housed inside a main body (1) and arranged in a flow passage of air to be sucked into the main body through an air inlet and blown out to a target space through an air outlet; and an airflow-direction vane (7) arranged at the air outlet. The airflow-direction vane includes a first curved portion (41) and a second curved portion (43). The first curvedportion is positioned on an upstream side with respect to the second curved portion, and a curvature of the first curved portion is larger than a curvature of the second curved portion.