Fan Guard Grid-Pattern Wire Rod Design to Reduce Airflow Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fan guards increase resistance to air flow due to small intervals between wire rods, which are required to prevent insertion of hands or objects, leading to increased occupation area and airflow resistance.
Innovation Solution
A fan guard configuration featuring a grid-pattern small-diameter grid member supported on a frame portion, with large-diameter wire rods forming a box-shape and ventilation surface, including band fixing portions for transport, reduces airflow resistance while preventing hand invasion by arranging small-diameter wire rods in a grid pattern between large-diameter wire rods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If small-diameter wire rods are arranged in parallel with small intervals to prevent hand insertion, then safety is improved, but the occupation area of wire rods increases and resistance to air flow increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional linear arrangement of wire rods to a two-dimensional grid pattern. Small-diameter wire rods are arranged both horizontally and vertically between large-diameter wire rods, creating a mesh structure. This dimensional change allows the same safety function to be achieved with reduced wire rod occupation area, thereby reducing air flow resistance while maintaining the ability to prevent hand insertion.
2Reliability
If the interval between small-diameter wire rods is reduced to prevent palm insertion, then safety is improved, but the occupation area of wire rods increases
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging wire rods in a two-dimensional grid pattern rather than a single linear row, the protective coverage is expanded across the opening surface. This allows larger intervals between individual wire rods while maintaining overall safety, as the grid structure prevents insertion from multiple directions simultaneously, thereby reducing the total occupation area of wire rods.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure is segmented into multiple small-diameter wire rods arranged in a grid pattern, rather than using fewer larger rods. This segmentation allows the safety function to be distributed across multiple smaller elements that can be spaced farther apart, reducing the total occupation area while maintaining effective protection against hand insertion.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fan guard (60, 160) includes a plurality of large-diameter wire rods (70, 80) and a plurality of small-diameter wire rods (90, 91) that are arranged so as to intersect to one another, and the small-diameter wire rods are arranged in a grid pattern between the large-diameter wire rods. The fan guard is provided to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.