Multi-Outlet Airflow Control for Low-Draft Sleep Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioners often fail to provide effective dehumidification without cooling and struggle to minimize wind velocity, leading to discomfort and noise issues, while also facing challenges in preventing condensation.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioner with a controller that adjusts outlet openings and blower fan speed based on room temperature and humidity to reduce wind velocity, provide dehumidification, and prevent condensation, featuring multiple outlets and a blower fan that operates based on time and temperature settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the air conditioner operates at high cooling capacity, then the cooling effect is improved, but the wind velocity becomes too high causing user discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet is divided into multiple outlet holes instead of a single large opening. This segmentation allows the same cooling capacity to be achieved through multiple smaller streams, reducing the perceived wind velocity while maintaining the overall cooling effect.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the outlet have different characteristics - multiple small outlet holes are positioned to create localized low-velocity streams rather than a single high-velocity jet, improving comfort in the user's breathing zone while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
2Quantity of substance
If the air conditioner provides dehumidification function, then the room humidity is reduced, but the cooling effect is also reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner dynamically adjusts the outlet configuration between a single large opening (for cooling) and multiple small outlet holes (for dehumidification). This dynamic switching allows the system to optimize between cooling effect and dehumidification performance based on real-time environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by switching between different outlet configurations. When dehumidification is needed, it uses multiple small outlet holes with specific flow characteristics that prioritize moisture removal over maximum cooling effect.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the blower fan stops immediately after cooling reaches the set temperature, then energy consumption is reduced, but condensation occurs on the air conditioner surface
Solution Approach 1:
The blower fan continues to operate for a predetermined time period after the cooling temperature is reached. This preliminary continued operation prevents condensation by maintaining air flow that keeps the heat exchanger surface temperature above the dew point, eliminating the need for complex anti-condensation heating systems.
4Power
If the air conditioner uses a single large outlet, then the cooling capacity is high, but the wind velocity is too high causing noise and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The single large outlet is segmented into multiple smaller outlet holes. This segmentation distributes the total airflow into multiple lower-velocity streams, reducing noise and discomfort while maintaining the overall cooling capacity through the combined effect of all outlet holes.
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 air conditioner effectively maintains a pleasant indoor environment by reducing wind velocity, providing dehumidification without cooling, and preventing condensation, enhancing user comfort and reducing noise.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger configured to heat-exchange air drawn into the inside of the housing
Implementation Method 2
a blower fan configured to move the heat-exchanged air to discharge the heat-exchanged air to the outside of the housing
Implementation Method 3
the evaporator evaporates the decompressed refrigerants to a gas state at low temperature
Implementation Method 4
the condenser provides liquid-state refrigerants at room-temperature, high-pressure
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner and a control method thereof perform cooling through an outlet if room temperature or room humidity is high to reduce the room temperature or the room humidity, and closing the outlet to perform cooling at low velocity through an outlet hole if room temperature or room humidity reaches a predetermined value so that a user can little feel the wind velocity of cooling of the air conditioner, while maintaining indoor space at pleasant temperature or humidity. By performing cooling at low velocity through the outlet hole formed in the lower portion of the air conditioner, it is possible to cool the lower area of indoor space at pleasant temperature when a user is asleep.