Heat Pump Housing Angled Access Openings

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Solution Overview

Problem

The installation of heat pumps with rear-mounted hydraulic and electrical connections is challenging due to limited access, making it difficult for installers to connect and maintain the systems, especially when the heat pump is positioned close to a wall, as the connections become hard to reach in case of faults or leaks.

Innovation Solution

The heat pump system design includes a housing with strategically angled openings for hydraulic and electrical connections, allowing for easier routing and mounting of lines, with the rear wall and base plate having a first opening for hydraulic lines and the side wall having a second opening for electrical connections, arranged at specific angles to facilitate access and protection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If hydraulic connections and electrical connections are located on the rear side of the heat pump, then the connections can be concealed by the heat pump and the length of lines can be kept short, but access to the connections for installation and maintenance becomes very limited when the heat pump is positioned against a wall

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconcealment of connectionsVSAvoidaccess to connections
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The connection housing is divided into multiple separable parts: a first housing part containing hydraulic connections and a second housing part containing electrical connections. This segmentation allows different connection types to be accessed independently through different openings in the heat pump housing, resolving the conflict between concealment and accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A connection housing serves as an intermediary structure between the heat pump interior and the external connections. It provides a protected space for connections while allowing controlled access through designated openings in the heat pump housing, thus maintaining both concealment and accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Area of stationary object

If the heat pump is positioned close to a wall during installation, then space is saved, but the installer cannot access the connections for subsequent maintenance or fault diagnosis

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation spaceVSAvoidaccessibility of connections
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

Access to connections is provided through openings in different directions on the heat pump housing (front opening for hydraulic connections, side opening for electrical connections). This multi-dimensional access approach allows maintainers to reach connections from various angles without requiring large clearance behind the unit, enabling maintenance in space-constrained installations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Adaptability or versatility

If hydraulic lines and electrical lines are routed separately to different connections, then each connection type can be optimized, but the overall system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoptimized connection routingVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The connection housing merges hydraulic and electrical connections into a single integrated structure mounted on the heat pump. This consolidation allows separate optimization of hydraulic and electrical line routing while maintaining a unified, manageable system that reduces overall complexity compared to completely separate mounting arrangements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4428470A1Heat pump system
Publication Date: 2024.09.11 STIEBEL ELTRON GMBH & CO KG
  • EP4428470A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4428470A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4428470A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a heat pump system 100 comprising a heat pump and a housing, wherein the housing includes a rear wall 240, at least one side wall 210 and a base plate 110, and wherein the heat pump system includes hydraulic connections 120, 220, 320 and electrical connections 130. The rear wall and/or the base plate has a first opening 250 for routing hydraulic lines to the hydraulic connections, and the side wall has a second opening 230 for accessing the electrical connections, wherein the first opening and the second opening are arranged at a first angle to each other.Furthermore, the electrical connections have a connection direction for connecting to electrical cables and a mounting direction, arranged at a second angle to the connection direction, for attaching the electrical cables to the electrical connections. The connection direction points towards the rear wall of the heat pump, and the mounting direction points towards the side wall of the heat pump. The heat pump system allows for easy connection of the heat pump, even when it is installed against a wall.