Humidifying unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing humidification systems face challenges in efficiently cooling heat generating components without impairing humidification performance, as warm air after cooling may pass through humidity control members, affecting moisture adsorption efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The humidifying unit incorporates an adsorption member with distinct moisture adsorption and release areas, a heater to heat the release area, fans for air flow generation, a housing with separate air paths for humidification and cooling, and a cooler to air-cool the heat generating component. The cooling air path joins the humidifying air path downstream of the adsorption member, ensuring that warm air after cooling does not pass through the adsorption area, thus maintaining moisture adsorption efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooler is used to air-cool the heat generating component, then the heat generating component can be effectively cooled, but the warm air after cooling may pass through the adsorption member and impair moisture adsorption efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The air paths are segmented into distinct cooling air path and humidifying air path. The cooling air path is configured to join the humidifying air path downstream of the adsorption member, ensuring that cool air for heat dissipation does not interfere with the moisture adsorption process. This spatial segmentation resolves the contradiction by isolating the cooling function from the humidification function.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure acts as an intermediary element that manages air flow paths. By designing the cooling air path to join the humidifying air path at a specific location (downstream of the adsorption member), the housing mediates between the cooling requirement and the humidification requirement, preventing warm air from contaminating the adsorption area.
2Device complexity
If the cooling air path is integrated with the humidifying air path, then the system structure is simplified, but the warm air from cooling may pass through the adsorption area and reduce humidification performance
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, the air paths are segmented into cooling and humidifying paths that join at a specific location. This segmentation allows the system to maintain structural simplicity while preventing warm air from interfering with moisture adsorption, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The air path configuration exhibits local quality differentiation: upstream of the adsorption member, the paths are separated to protect the adsorption area; downstream, the paths are joined to simplify the structure. This localized differentiation in path configuration resolves the contradiction by applying different structural approaches in different regions.
3Reliability
If separate air paths are used for cooling and humidification, then moisture adsorption efficiency is maintained, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The air paths are segmented into distinct cooling and humidifying paths only where necessary (upstream of the adsorption member), while joining downstream to reduce complexity. This selective segmentation maintains moisture adsorption efficiency while minimizing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling air path and humidifying air path are merged downstream of the adsorption member, allowing the system to benefit from path separation for protecting adsorption efficiency while reducing overall structural complexity through downstream consolidation of air flows.
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 configuration allows for effective cooling of heat generating components without compromising humidification performance, as the air path for cooling does not interfere with the moisture adsorption process, ensuring efficient humidification of the target space.
Implementation Method 1
The adsorption member has a moisture adsorption area configured to adsorb moisture and a moisture release area configured to release moisture
Implementation Method 2
The heater is configured to heat the moisture release area of the adsorption member
Implementation Method 3
a cooler configured to air-cool the heat generating component
Data Source
AI summary
A humidifying unit humidifies a target space, and includes an adsorption member having moisture adsorption and release areas, a heater that heats the moisture release area, fans to generate an air flow, a housing, an electric component including a heat generating component, and a cooler to air-cool the heat generating component. The housing accommodates the adsorption member, the heater, and the fans. The housing has a humidifying air path through which air taken from outside the housing by the fans is discharged outside the housing via the adsorption member, and a cooling air path in which the cooler is disposed and air taken from outside the housing by the fans is joined with the humidifying air path. A route of air passing through the humidifying air path from the cooling air path and being discharged outside the housing does not pass through the moisture adsorption area of the adsorption member.