Indoor Unit Flap Layout for Rearward Downward Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning systems face challenges in generating sufficient rearward and downward airflow due to mid-air spreading of conditioned air, which affects the distribution and comfort of air conditioning in a room.
Innovation Solution
A wall-mounted air conditioning indoor unit is designed with a front flap and a rear flap that adjust the direction of outlet air, using inclined airflow surfaces and a Coanda effect to guide air flow along the wall and floor, reducing mid-air spreading and enhancing airflow towards the lower portion of the side wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If two horizontal louvers are used to blow air diagonally downward, then air can be delivered toward the wall surface, but the conditioned air spreads forward from the lower end of the front-side horizontal louver, preventing sufficient rearward and downward airflow generation
Solution Approach 1:
The air outlet is divided into multiple segments with different flap structures: a rear flap (first airflow guiding member) and a front flap (second airflow guiding member). Each segment handles a specific portion of the airflow, with the rear flap generating the primary rearward-downward flow and the front flap fine-tuning the air direction. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each flap's function to achieve the desired airflow pattern without mid-air spreading.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional horizontal louvers to a three-dimensional airflow guiding system. The rear flap is positioned at the rear side of the air outlet and angled to generate rearward-flowing air, while the front flap is positioned at the front side and angled to adjust the air direction downward. This spatial arrangement in multiple dimensions enables the air to follow a controlled path along the wall surface without spreading forward, effectively creating the desired airflow trajectory.
2Productivity
If the front flap's lower end is positioned lower than the air outlet's lowermost end, then the airflow can be directed toward the lower portion of the side wall, but the airflow may spread forward before reaching the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The rear flap is positioned and angled to preliminarily generate the rearward and downward airflow component before the air reaches the front flap. By pre-establishing the rearward flow direction at the rear outlet side, the air is already committed to moving backward and downward, reducing the tendency to spread forward even when the front flap directs air toward the lower wall portion.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the airflow are given different directional qualities: the rear flap imparts a rearward-downward component to the air, while the front flap provides fine adjustment for downward direction. This local differentiation of airflow properties allows the air to maintain rearward flow characteristics throughout its trajectory, preventing mid-air spreading while achieving accurate direction control at the target wall location.
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 system effectively generates a substantial rearward and downward airflow, improving air distribution and comfort by ensuring air flows along the wall and floor without direct hits, creating an 'unfelt' airflow that enhances temperature regulation.
Implementation Method 1
The conditioned air travels downward along the wall surface because of the Coanda effect, flows over the floor surface, and circulates in the room.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is a problem of the present invention to provide an air conditioning indoor unit that can reduce midway spreading of a rearward and downward airflow and generate a sufficient amount of the rearward and downward airflow. In an air conditioning indoor unit (10), outlet air traveling through an air passage space sandwiched between a front flap group (30) (a front flap (31) and an auxiliary front flap (32)) and a rear flap (40) proceeds along the air passage space in a state in which forward spreading of the outlet air is blocked by the front flap (31) until the outlet air reaches lower than a lowermost end of an air outlet (15), and when the outlet air leaves the air passage space, the outlet air becomes an airflow along a second surface (40b) of the rear flap (40), so an "unfelt airflow" heading toward a lower portion of a side wall is sufficiently generated.