Outdoor Unit Casing Structure for Top Plate Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
The outdoor unit's top plate experiences stress concentration and deformation due to the load applied by support pillars during storage, as the pillars' small contact area leads to concentrated pressure and potential impression or deformation.
Innovation Solution
The casing design includes support pillars with standing wall portions and abutment portions that increase contact area with the top plate, along with buffer portions to distribute impact, and a curved shape to reduce stress concentration, while the top plate features a flat mount portion and retreat portions to enhance load distribution and prevent deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If support pillars with small contact area are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but stress concentration and deformation occur on the top plate
Solution Approach 1:
The support pillar is divided into multiple segments: standing wall portions providing structural support and abutment portions providing distributed contact surfaces. This segmentation allows the pillar to maintain structural simplicity while increasing contact area with the top plate, thereby reducing stress concentration and preventing deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The abutment portions extend in the up-and-down direction from the standing wall portions, adding a vertical dimension to the contact interface. This dimensional extension increases the contact area between the support pillar and top plate without complicating the overall structure, effectively distributing the load and preventing stress concentration.
2Manufacturing precision
If abutment portions extending upward are added to support pillars, then contact area with top plate increases and stress concentration is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment portions are merged with the standing wall portions of the support pillar, forming an integrated structure. This merging allows the support pillar to simultaneously provide structural support and distributed contact surfaces without requiring separate components, thereby reducing device complexity while improving stress distribution on the top plate.
3Reliability
If buffer portions are added between standing wall portions and abutment portions, then impact from top plate is eased and excessive stress is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Buffer portions are incorporated into the support pillar structure between the standing wall portions and abutment portions to provide beforehand cushioning against impact forces. This prior cushioning mechanism absorbs and distributes impact energy from the top plate, preventing excessive stress while being integrated into the existing support pillar design, thereby minimizing increases in device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A casing (5) of an outdoor unit includes support pillars (27), each of the support pillars having standing wall portions (41 to 46) arranged along the up and down direction, and a top plate (24) mounted on upper ends of the support pillars (27). Substantially horizontal abutment portions (51, 52) extending upward from at least a part of the standing wall portions (41, 42) and being brought into surface contact with a lower surface of the top plate (24) in a state where the top plate 24 is floated up from upper ends of the standing wall portions (41 to 46) are provided in the upper end of each of the support pillars (27).