Indoor Unit Suction Port Structure to Prevent Light Fringes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus with a suction port in the front design panel, extending in the width direction, suffers from light and dark fringes due to the reflection of light off the reinforcement unit, which spoils the design.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a front design panel with a recessed suction port extending rearward, featuring a connecting portion with a bottom wall located below the upper edge of the lower panel, ensuring that reflected light is directed onto a low position, preventing the brightening of the connecting portion and minimizing light and dark fringes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a suction port is formed in the front design panel extending in the width direction, then heat exchange performance is improved, but light and dark fringes appear spoiling the design
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating a connecting portion with specific geometric features (bottom wall and inner wall forming a recessed structure) at the location where the suction port divides the front design panel. This localized structural modification selectively controls light reflection in the problematic area while maintaining the overall aesthetic design and heat exchange performance improvements from the suction port configuration.
2Productivity
If the front design panel is divided into upper and lower parts by the suction port, then air intake is improved, but strength of the front design panel is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies segmentation by dividing the connecting portion into distinct structural elements: a bottom wall extending rearward from the lower panel and an inner wall extending upward to connect the upper and lower panels. This segmented structure provides reinforcement at critical locations while maintaining the suction port's air intake function. The segmentation creates a reinforcement unit that restores structural strength without compromising the divided panel configuration needed for air intake.
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 inhibits the brightening of the connecting portion, thus preventing light and dark fringes in the suction port, maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the indoor unit while allowing for improved heat exchange performance and structural reinforcement.
Implementation Method 1
light reflected off the lower part of the reinforcement unit is reflected onto an inner wall
Data Source
AI summary
An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes a front design panel in which a recess is formed as a suction port through which air is sucked, the recess being depressed rearward from a front face and extending in a width direction. The front design panel includes a lower panel extending in the width direction below the recess, an upper panel extending in the width direction above the recess, and a connecting portion connecting a back side of the lower panel and a back side of the upper panel. The connecting portion includes a bottom wall extending rearward from the lower panel, and an inner wall extending upward from the bottom wall and connecting to the upper panel. The bottom wall is located below an upper edge of the lower panel.