Air Conditioner Indoor Unit Sliding Door for Stable Water Tank Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indoor air conditioner units face challenges in sliding door mechanisms, including deflection, eccentricity, and friction, which affect the stability and operation of the door assembly when it protrudes from the cabinet, and there is a need for a solution that minimizes these issues while ensuring the door only moves enough to expose the water tank.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a side moving assembly with top and bottom supporters, a door slide module, and a gear driving mechanism that allows the door to slide in a left-right direction, with a fixed plate positioned to maintain the door's center of gravity within the cabinet's width, reducing eccentricity and friction, and automatically controlling the door's movement to expose the water tank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door assembly is entirely slid to expose the water tank, then the water tank accessibility is improved, but deflection and eccentricity occur due to the load of the entire door
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is divided into a fixed plate portion and a movable door portion. The fixed plate remains stationary while the door portion slides horizontally to expose the water tank. This segmentation allows the heavy door assembly to be partially fixed, reducing deflection and eccentricity while still enabling water tank accessibility through the movable portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding function is extracted from the entire door assembly and applied only to the door portion. The fixed plate is extracted as a stationary support structure, while the door portion is designed to slide independently on rails. This extraction allows the door to move only to the extent necessary for water tank access without moving the entire heavy assembly.
2Ease of operation
If the door assembly protrudes out of the cabinet assembly during sliding, then the water tank can be exposed, but eccentricity is caused by the movement
Solution Approach 1:
The fixed plate is positioned asymmetrically within the cabinet assembly, specifically centered in the vertical direction but offset horizontally. The door assembly slides horizontally along rails that are asymmetrically positioned relative to the cabinet centerline. This asymmetric configuration allows the door to protrude for water tank access while maintaining balance and minimizing eccentricity through careful positioning of the center of gravity.
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly is designed to skip or move only through the specific range necessary to expose the water tank, rather than moving the entire door throughout the cabinet. The sliding mechanism allows rapid movement to the required position without unnecessary travel, reducing the time and distance the door protrudes, thereby minimizing eccentricity effects.
3Device complexity
If a traditional rotation-based door opening mechanism is used, then the structure is simple, but a large amount of front space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly transitions from a static or rotation-based mechanism to a dynamic sliding mechanism. The door portion moves horizontally along rails driven by a gear mechanism, allowing the door to slide open in a compact manner that requires minimal front space compared to rotation-based mechanisms. This dynamic sliding action maintains structural simplicity while reducing space requirements.
4Ease of operation
If the door assembly slides along the front surface of the cabinet, then movement is enabled, but friction increases during operation
Solution Approach 1:
Rails are introduced as intermediary elements between the door assembly and the cabinet assembly. The door portion slides along these rails rather than directly against the cabinet surface. The rails provide a low-friction interface that facilitates smooth horizontal movement of the door assembly while reducing energy loss through friction during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An indoor unit of an air conditioner includes a cabinet assembly; a door assembly disposed at a front of the cabinet assembly to cover the front of the cabinet assembly; a fixed plate fixed to the cabinet assembly and disposed between the door assembly and the cabinet assembly; and a door assembly moving part disposed between the door assembly and the fixed plate to move the door assembly in a left-right direction with respect to the cabinet assembly. When seen from the front of the cabinet assembly, the fixed plate is fixed eccentric in a direction where the door assembly moves such that when the door assembly moves, a center line of the door assembly remains within a left-right width of the fixed plate.