Indoor AC Air Guide Structure for Compact Low-Noise Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indoor air conditioner units face challenges in manufacturing and cost due to the use of tangential fans, which require large heat exchangers and precise passage design, and are prone to increased differential pressure when dust accumulates on filters.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a turbo fan with a guide device featuring a curved surface and movable discharge panel to efficiently direct airflow, allowing for a compact and slim unit with reduced manufacturing costs and improved air discharge control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a tangential fan is used to suction indoor air, then noise is reduced, but the heat exchanger must be manufactured in large size and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a curved guide surface in the guide device that directs airflow from the turbo fan. This curved geometry optimizes airflow patterns to achieve quiet operation similar to tangential fans, while allowing the use of a smaller, more manufacturable heat exchanger configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device acts as an intermediary component between the turbo fan and the heat exchanger. It mediates the airflow to reduce noise effects while maintaining effective heat exchange, thereby eliminating the need for an oversized heat exchanger that would otherwise be required with tangential fan designs.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a tangential fan is used, then noise is reduced, but the air passage design must be precise and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device serves as a simplified intermediary that replaces complex air passage designs. Its curved guide surface provides the necessary airflow direction control without requiring precise and complex passage geometries, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining noise reduction benefits.
3Reliability
If dust accumulates on the filter member, then differential pressure increases causing surging, but the tangential fan design offers no easy mitigation
Solution Approach 1:
The turbo fan design with the guide device creates a more tolerant airflow system that is less sensitive to filter clogging. The system maintains stable operation even when dust accumulates on the filter, reducing the frequency and urgency of maintenance interventions.
4Volume of moving object
If the indoor unit is made compact and slim, then space is saved, but manufacturing precision and cost control become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The curved guide surface in the compact design optimizes airflow in a limited space, achieving effective air discharge without requiring large dimensions. This curved geometry allows compact packaging while maintaining manufacturing feasibility and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable discharge panel provides dynamic adjustment capability in a compact unit. This movable component allows flexible airflow control without increasing the overall unit size, maintaining both compactness and manufacturing ease.
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
The solution enables a compact, cost-effective indoor air conditioner unit with efficient air discharge and reduced manufacturing costs, while maintaining reliable airflow and ease of operation.
Implementation Method 1
a guide device disposed to surround the turbo fan, and having a curved surface for guiding air discharged from the turbo fan
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an indoor unit for an air conditioner. The indoor unit for the air conditioner includes a case having at least one suction hole, a heat exchanger disposed at a side of the suction hole, a fan rotatably disposed at a discharge side of the heat exchanger, a front panel coupled to a front portion of the case, the front panel including a discharge part, a discharge panel disposed on the discharge part, and a guide device disposed to surround the fan, the guide device having a curved surface for guiding air discharged from the fan to the guide part.