Indoor Unit Louver Grooves to Prevent Flow Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indoor units with louvers in air outlets face issues with separated air flows leading to dew condensation and sink marks during molding, particularly when the blade-shaped louvers are molded using injection molding techniques.
Innovation Solution
The indoor unit features a louver with a blade shape and recessed grooves on its second surface, where the blade thickness and groove depth gradually increase and decrease from the leading edge to the trailing edge, and the grooves extend orthogonally to the air flow direction, reducing air flow separation and minimizing sink marks by maintaining a uniform base thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the louver is formed with a blade shape to suppress air flow separation, then air flow separation is reduced, but sink marks occur during injection molding
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating grooves at specific locations on the louver surface where air flow separation is most likely to occur. These grooves are positioned strategically to modify local flow characteristics without changing the overall blade shape, thus maintaining both aerodynamic performance and molding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves introduced in the invention create curved surface features that guide air flow smoothly along the louver surface. This curvature modification prevents flow separation by maintaining attached flow conditions, resolving the contradiction between achieving smooth flow and avoiding molding defects.
2Reliability
If the blade thickness is increased at the leading edge to prevent separation, then air flow attachment is improved, but sink marks occur during molding
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly increasing blade thickness throughout, the invention applies local modifications through grooves only at specific locations where flow separation is problematic. This localized approach maintains adequate thickness for flow attachment while avoiding excessive thickness that would cause sink marks during molding.
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 design effectively suppresses air flow separation and dew condensation while preventing sink marks by ensuring the air flows along the louver surfaces and maintaining a consistent base thickness, enhancing the overall performance and manufacturing quality of the indoor unit.
Implementation Method 1
when a difference between a direction of an air flow flowing in to the vicinity of a leading edge of the louver and the blowing-out direction adjusted by the louver is large, separated air flows tend to be produced on the surface of the louver
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
On a second surface (72) of a louver (70) of an indoor unit (10), a plurality of grooves (G) recessed toward a first surface (71) side and extending in a direction crossing an air flow direction are provided side-by-side in the air flow direction. A peak of a groove depth (d) in the plurality of grooves (G) is present in a region on a leading edge (73) side in the louver (70). The groove depths (d) in the plurality of grooves (G) gradually increase from the leading edge (73) side toward a position of the peak of the groove depth (d) and gradually decrease from the position of the peak of the groove depth (d) toward a trailing edge side (74). The position of the peak of the groove depth (d) is provided in a region corresponding to a position of a peak of a blade thickness (T).