Outdoor unit
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor units of air conditioners lack an efficient and flexible design for light transmission and maintenance access, which hinders easy diagnosis and maintenance of electric components.
Innovation Solution
The outdoor unit incorporates a substrate with a light transmitting region and a surface mount LED that emits light toward this region, allowing for visible indication of component states through the casing opening, enhancing maintenance accessibility and flexibility in design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a reflector is used to reflect LED light toward an inspection port, then light transmission to inspection port is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the light transmission function from a complex reflector system and implements it directly through a transparent substrate. The substrate itself serves as the light transmission medium, eliminating the need for separate reflector components and inspection ports, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining illumination functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support for mounting electronic components, acts as a light transmission medium for LED visibility, and eliminates the need for separate inspection ports. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components and simplifies the device structure.
2Ease of operation
If additional access points are added for inspection, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate serves as both a structural component and an inspection window. Its transparency allows service personnel to visually inspect electronic components through the substrate itself, eliminating the need for separate access points or inspection ports while maintaining ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection function is extracted from separate access points and integrated directly into the substrate. The substrate becomes the inspection window itself, removing the need for additional openings or access mechanisms and thereby reducing device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional LED mounting methods are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but light transmission efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is designed with specific local properties: it is transparent in the regions where light transmission is needed, while providing standard mounting surfaces for electronic components. This localized optimization allows conventional manufacturing methods to be used while achieving superior light transmission efficiency in critical areas.
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
This design enables easy visual inspection of the substrate's state by service personnel, facilitating quicker diagnosis and maintenance of the outdoor unit's electric components without the need for additional access points or complex lighting systems.
Implementation Method 1
a first light source provided on the first surface. The first light source is a surface mount LED that emits light toward the light transmitting region
Data Source
AI summary
An outdoor unit of an air conditioner includes a casing having an opening for maintenance, and a substrate disposed in the casing. The substrate includes a first surface on which an electric component is disposed, and a second surface facing the opening. The substrate includes a light transmitting region in which light is transmitted from the first surface toward the second surface when the second surface is viewed from a front, and a first light source provided on the first surface. The first light source is a surface mount LED that emits light toward the light transmitting region.