Outdoor unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing outdoor units for air-conditioning apparatuses have a terminal block cover that protrudes significantly from the side panel, leading to increased transport efficiency and installation space requirements, design degradation, and potential damage due to collisions, while also reducing the heat exchanger's width and heat transfer efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a housing with a side panel featuring recessed surfaces to accommodate the power supply wire and terminal block cover, reducing the outward protrusion of the terminal block cover and allowing for a downsized housing by integrating the fixing member within the recessed structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the terminal block cover significantly protrudes outward from the side panel to cover the fixing member, then the terminal block and power supply wire are protected, but the housing outer-shape dimension increases, transport efficiency decreases, and installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing member is nested within the recessed surface of the side panel, and the terminal block cover is integrated into the side panel structure. This nesting arrangement allows the terminal block and power supply wire to be protected without requiring the terminal block cover to significantly protrude outward, thereby reducing the housing outer-shape dimension while maintaining protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of extending the terminal block cover outward in the horizontal dimension, the solution moves the fixing member into the recessed surface (vertical dimension). This dimensional transition allows the power supply wire to be routed through the recessed surface, eliminating the need for significant outward protrusion while maintaining wire protection and organization.
2Reliability
If the terminal block cover significantly protrudes outward from the side panel, then the terminal block is protected, but the side surface of the housing protrudes, design is degraded, and the terminal block cover is damaged due to collision
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal block cover is integrated into the side panel structure with the fixing member nested within the recessed surface. This creates a flush side surface without protrusions, improving design appearance and preventing collision damage while maintaining terminal block protection through the integrated cover structure.
3Length of stationary object
If the housing width is reduced to decrease outer-shape dimension, then transport efficiency improves, but the width dimension of the heat exchanger is reduced, leading to reduced heat transfer area and decrease in heat exchange efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply wire routing is moved from the horizontal dimension (outward protrusion) to the vertical dimension (recessed surface). This allows the housing width to be minimized for compact transport while the recessed surface provides sufficient space for wire routing and fixing member installation without compromising heat exchanger dimensions or heat exchange efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An outdoor unit includes a housing including a side panel, a terminal block accommodated in the housing, and a power supply wire connected to the terminal block. The side panel includes an outer shell surface forming a part of an outer surface of the housing, a first recessed surface recessed from the outer shell surface in an inward direction of the housing, and a second recessed surface formed in the first recessed surface and recessed from the first recessed surface in the inward direction of the housing. The power supply wire is arranged on the second recessed surface.