Indoor embedded type heat source machine
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Indoor embedded type heat source machines face challenges in efficiently draining water from a drain pan due to their compact and thin design, which can lead to water leakage and condensation issues, especially during defrosting operations.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a drain pan with a drain pump that operates based on water level detection, a heater to prevent freezing, and antibacterial treatment, along with a heat-exchanger separating plate creating negative pressure for efficient water drainage, and is mounted on a reinforcement member to prevent bending and leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the cabinet is made thin and compact for indoor mounting, then the mounting space is reduced and indoor installation becomes possible, but the drainage of water from the drain pan becomes inefficient and water leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the drain pan movable relative to the cabinet bottom plate. The drain pan can be shifted between a first position (when no water is collected) and a second position (when water is collected), enabling efficient drainage only when necessary. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by maintaining a thin cabinet structure while ensuring reliable drainage through conditional activation of the drainage function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a movable partition as an intermediary element between the drain pan and the cabinet bottom plate. This partition creates a water storage space and controls water flow to the drainage outlet. The intermediary structure enables effective water collection and drainage in a compact cabinet without requiring additional complex drainage components, thus resolving the space-drainage reliability contradiction.
2Volume of moving object
If the cabinet is made thin and compact, then the mounting clearance is reduced, but the structural strength to prevent water leakage and support the drain pan deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cabinet structure by introducing a movable partition that divides the water storage space. This partition is selectively movable and can be positioned to provide structural support where needed. The segmentation allows the thin cabinet to maintain sufficient structural strength at critical locations while keeping the overall volume compact, preventing both water leakage and supporting the drain pan effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable partition provides dynamic structural support - it can be positioned to reinforce the cabinet structure when water is present in the drain pan, and retracted when not needed. This dynamic reinforcement maintains structural strength during critical drainage operations while allowing the cabinet to remain thin and compact during normal operation.
3Device complexity
If the drain pan is made stationary, then the structure is simple, but the drainage efficiency is reduced when water is collected
Solution Approach 1:
The drain pan is designed with selective movability rather than being completely stationary or completely movable. The movable partition allows the drain pan to shift position based on water collection needs, creating a water storage space that enhances drainage efficiency. This selective dynamics approach improves productivity during drainage operations while maintaining relatively simple structure during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the drainage function from the stationary structure by introducing a movable partition that can be activated only when water needs to be drained. This separation allows the main drain pan structure to remain simple and stationary, while the extracted drainage function is implemented through the movable partition mechanism, improving drainage efficiency without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
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 drainage of water from the drain pan, preventing leakage and condensation, while maintaining a thin and compact cabinet structure, ensuring reliable operation and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
the side, on which an air flows out, becomes negative in pressure to collect a drain water
Implementation Method 2
a heater
Implementation Method 3
a drain pump that receives an electric signal from the detection means to start or stop an operation, in which a drain water is drawn up
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is an indoor embedded type heat source machine capable of efficiently draining a drain water collected in a drain pan provided on a thin, compact cabinet. The indoor embedded type heat source machine comprises a cabinet (18) partitioned into an air inlet space and an air outlet space by a separating plate (17), an air inlet (10), through which an air is drawn into the air inlet space, an air outlet (11), through which an air is blown off from the air outlet space, and a fan (4) provided on a side of the air inlet space toward the separating plate. The indoor embedded type heat source machine comprises a compressor provided in the air inlet space so that a length direction thereof is made in parallel to a ceiling or the like, a heat exchanger provided between the fan and the compressor, and a drain pan (9) having a drainage device (9a). The drain pan (9) comprises a heat-exchanger separating plate (2a, 2b) for partitioning thereof into a side, on which an air flows into the heat exchanger, and a side, on which an air flows out from the heat exchanger.