Indoor air-conditioner unit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing air conditioner systems suffer from significant energy wastage and poor air quality due to inefficient methods of exchanging indoor and outdoor air, leading to increased pollution and health risks, especially during hazy weather.

Innovation Solution

An air conditioner indoor unit with a fresh air device that includes a heat exchange core body and filter screens, allowing for filtered fresh air intake and dirty air exhaust without affecting the unit's appearance, reducing energy wastage through heat exchange between fresh and dirty air passages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If outdoor fresh air is directly drawn to the room, then fresh air supply is improved, but energy wastage increases due to indoor temperature change

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefresh air supplyVSAvoidindoor energy wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

A heat exchange core body is introduced as an intermediary between outdoor fresh air and indoor dirty air. The core body enables heat transfer between the two air streams, allowing fresh air to be pre-cooled or pre-heated by exchanging heat with exhaust air, thereby reducing the energy required for temperature adjustment and minimizing indoor energy wastage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The temperature parameter of fresh air is changed through heat exchange with indoor dirty air before entering the room. By adjusting the temperature of fresh air to match indoor conditions, the energy wastage caused by direct introduction of temperature-different air is reduced, while still maintaining adequate fresh air supply.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Quantity of substance

If outdoor air is drawn directly to the room, then air exchange is improved, but air quality deteriorates due to unfiltered polluted air entry

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair exchange rateVSAvoidair pollution
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Filter screens are installed in the fresh air passage before air enters the heat exchange core body and room. This preliminary filtration action removes dust and pollutants from outdoor air before it mixes with indoor air or enters the living space, ensuring that air exchange occurs without compromising air quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Quantity of substance

If a single fan exhausts indoor air to form negative pressure, then air exchange is achieved, but energy wastage increases and refrigerating-heating effect decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair exchangeVSAvoidrefrigerating-heating energy loss
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The heat exchange core body serves as a mediator that captures thermal energy from exhaust air before it leaves the room. This recovered thermal energy is transferred to incoming fresh air, reducing the energy burden on the refrigerating-heating system and minimizing energy wastage associated with simple exhaust-based air exchange.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of discarding the thermal energy contained in exhaust air, the system recovers this energy through the heat exchange core body. The thermal energy is transferred to incoming fresh air, converting what would be wasted energy into a useful resource for pre-conditioning fresh air, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

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 effectively reduces energy wastage and improves indoor air quality by frequently exchanging air while minimizing pollution and maintaining the unit's appearance, ensuring healthier indoor environments.

Implementation Method 1

the heat exchange core body communicates with the fresh air passage and the dirty air passage, such that fresh air located in the fresh air passage and dirty air located in the dirty air passage exchange heat in the heat exchange core body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Data Source

PatentEP3779289B1Indoor air-conditioner unit
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCE INC OF ZHUHAI
  • EP3779289B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3779289B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3779289B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is an air conditioner indoor unit, including a main housing (10) and a fresh air device (20) disposed in the main housing (10); the fresh air device (20) includes: a fresh air housing (30) and a heat exchange core body (40); a fresh air passage (31) and a dirty air passage (32) are disposed in the fresh air housing (30); the fresh air housing (30) is provided with a fresh air inlet (311) and a fresh air outlet (312) that communicate with the fresh air passage (31), and a dirty air inlet (321) and a dirty air outlet (322) that communicate with the dirty air passage (32); the heat exchange core body (40) is disposed in the fresh air housing (30); the heat exchange core body (40) communicates with both the fresh air passage (31) and the dirty air passage (32), such that fresh air located in the fresh air passage (31) and dirty air located in the dirty air passage (32) exchange heat in the heat exchange core body (40); the main housing (10) includes a front panel assembly (11); an indoor air inlet (111) is formed in the front panel assembly (11); and the indoor air inlet (111) corresponds to the dirty air inlet (321) such that indoor dirty air enters the dirty air inlet (321) by the indoor air inlet (111).