Outdoor Unit Motor Support for Variable Heat Exchanger Sizes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing outdoor units for air-conditioning apparatus require multiple motor support members to accommodate heat exchangers of varying heights and thicknesses, leading to increased manufacturing costs and complexity in inventory and distribution management.
Innovation Solution
An outdoor unit design featuring a fan motor support member with a locking section and an adjustable size section, allowing the same motor support member to be used across different heat exchanger types by fitting the size adjustment section into the locking section based on the heat exchanger's dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple motor support members are used to accommodate different heat exchanger sizes, then the adaptability to various heat exchanger types is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The motor support member is designed with a universal structure that can accommodate multiple heat exchanger types through a single standardized component design, eliminating the need for multiple specialized support members for different heat exchanger sizes and configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The motor support member is divided into functional sections including a locking section with downward groove and an adjustment section, allowing independent adjustment of each segment to adapt to different heat exchanger dimensions while maintaining a single standardized component design
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple motor support members are prepared for different heat exchanger specifications, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to multiple molds
Solution Approach 1:
A single motor support member design serves multiple heat exchanger types, requiring only one mold for production rather than multiple specialized molds, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining broad compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The motor support member incorporates adjustable parameters through its segmentation into locking and adjustment sections, allowing the same component to be configured for different heat exchanger dimensions without requiring different molded parts
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple motor support member types are used, then the adaptability to various heat exchangers is improved, but the inventory and distribution management becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
By standardizing the motor support member design to work with multiple heat exchanger types, the system reduces the variety of components that need to be inventoried and distributed, simplifying supply chain management while maintaining compatibility across different applications
Data Source
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AI summary
[Object] Provided is an outdoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus, which is compatible with a plurality of types of heat exchangers by mounting another component on the structure of a motor support member so as to share the motor support member among the plurality of types of heat exchangers. [Solution] The outdoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes: a housing having an opening formed in a rear surface thereof and an air outlet formed in a front surface thereof; a heat exchanger (11) covering the opening of the rear surface of the housing from an inside of the housing; a fan motor support member (20) having an air-sending device fixed to a center portion thereof, a part of the fan motor support member above the air-sending device being locked onto an upper end side of the heat exchanger (11) and a part of the fan motor support member below the air-sending device being fixed onto a bottom panel of the housing; an inverted U-shaped locking plate (26) formed on an upper side of the fan motor support member (20), the inverted U-shaped locking plate (26) having a downward groove; and a size adjustment section (30) to be fitted into the downward groove of the inverted U-shaped locking plate (26) in accordance with a height and a thickness of the heat exchanger (11) so that the heat exchanger (11) is fitted into the downward groove of the inverted U-shaped locking plate (26) through intermediation of the size adjustment section (30).