Outdoor Unit Pipe Shielding for Dew Protection of Electronics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In outdoor air-conditioning units, refrigerant pipes often need to be positioned above electronic components due to limited space, leading to dew formation and potential dripping onto these components.
Innovation Solution
An outdoor unit design featuring a housing with a partition plate that separates the space into a fan chamber and a machine chamber, where a refrigerant pipe and valve are positioned above electronic components, and a drip inhibiting portion covers the refrigerant pipe and valve to prevent dew from dripping onto the electronic components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If refrigerant pipe is disposed above electronic components due to limited space, then space utilization is improved, but dew dripping onto electronic components occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A drip inhibiting portion is introduced as an intermediary component between the refrigerant pipe and electronic components. This portion intercepts dew dripping from the refrigerant pipe before it can reach the electronic components, thus resolving the contradiction by allowing the refrigerant pipe to remain in its space-efficient position above the electronics while preventing harmful dew contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The drip inhibiting portion performs preliminary protection by blocking dew drip paths in advance. By positioning this protective structure beforehand in the dew drip trajectory, the system prevents the harmful effect of dew reaching electronic components while maintaining the space-efficient layout where refrigerant pipes are above the electronics.
2Device complexity
If refrigerant pipe is positioned above electronic components, then compact design is improved, but reliability of electronic components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The drip inhibiting portion serves as a protective intermediary that allows the compact design with refrigerant pipes above electronics to be maintained while safeguarding electronic component reliability. It blocks the dew drip path without requiring a change in the spatial arrangement of major components.
Solution Approach 2:
The drip inhibiting portion can be implemented as a flexible protective shell or thin film structure that covers or surrounds the refrigerant pipe in the dew drip region. This flexible structure effectively blocks dew while maintaining the compact overall design and not interfering with the spatial efficiency of the arrangement.
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 drip inhibiting portion effectively prevents dew from the refrigerant pipe from reaching electronic components, ensuring they remain dry and reducing the risk of short circuits.
Implementation Method 1
an outdoor heat exchanger provided in the housing, the outdoor heat exchanger allowing refrigerant and air to exchange heat with each other
Implementation Method 2
outdoor heat exchanger allowing refrigerant and air to exchange heat
Implementation Method 3
refrigerant and air to exchange heat with each other
Implementation Method 4
a compressor provided in the housing, the compressor being configured to compress refrigerant
Implementation Method 5
a drip inhibiting portion that covers the refrigerant pipe and a lower part of the valve, the drip inhibiting portion inhibiting water dripping from the refrigerant pipe from dripping onto the electronic component
Data Source
AI summary
An outdoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes a housing; a compressor provided in the housing and configured to compress refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger provided in the housing and allowing refrigerant and air to exchange heat with each other; a partition plate provided in the housing and partitioning an inside of the housing into a fan chamber and a machine chamber in which the compressor is provided; an electronic component provided in the machine chamber; a refrigerant pipe provided in the machine chamber and connecting the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger and disposed above the electronic component; a valve connected to the refrigerant pipe in the machine chamber and disposed above the electronic component; and a drip inhibiting portion that covers the refrigerant pipe and a lower part of the valve and inhibits water dripping from the refrigerant pipe from dripping onto the electronic component.