Outdoor Unit Top Plate Structure for Stackable Transport
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing outdoor units of air conditioning devices face increased storage and transportation costs due to the need for thick buffer members when stacked, as the protruding bolts and screws cause damage and require complex buffer designs to prevent deformation.
Innovation Solution
The outdoor unit features a top plate with flat mount surfaces in corner portions and retreat portions that are set back from the edges, allowing for insertion holes for screws or bolts, which reduces the need for a thick buffer member by distributing the load vertically and preventing contact with adjacent units, thus simplifying the buffer member's shape and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick buffer member is arranged between stacked outdoor units to prevent damage from protruding bolt heads, then the reliability of protection is improved, but the device complexity and storage cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the buffer member complex to accommodate protruding bolt heads, the invention inverts the approach by making the top plate surface recessed. The insertion holes for screws are formed in the recessed portion, causing the screw heads to be embedded within the top plate surface rather than protruding outward. This eliminates the need for complex buffer members while maintaining protection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the problematic protruding bolt heads from the external surface by forming insertion holes in the recessed portion of the top plate. The screw heads are contained within the recessed area, removing the source of damage to adjacent units and eliminating the requirement for thick buffer members.
2Strength
If a thick buffer member is used to support stacked outdoor units, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the storage cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than adding more buffer material to increase load-bearing capacity, the invention inverts the approach by creating a recessed portion in the top plate. This recessed structure provides a stable, load-distributing surface that can support stacked units without requiring additional buffer material, thereby reducing storage cost while maintaining strength.
3Ease of manufacture
If bolts and screws are used for casing assembly with heads protruding outward, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the storage and transportation cost increase due to complex buffer requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention maintains the simplicity of screw and bolt assembly by forming insertion holes in the recessed portion of the top plate. The screw heads embed into the recessed area, eliminating protrusions. This simple structural modification preserves ease of manufacture while eliminating the need for additional buffer materials for storage and transportation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An outdoor unit 2 of an air conditioning device 1 in which a compressor 11, a heat exchanger 13, and a fan 23 are accommodated in a casing 22 including a top plate 31, side plates 44, 54, and 55, and a bottom plate 30 is provided. The top plate 31 is formed in a rectangular shape, and a flat mount surface 70 is formed in each of corner portions of the top plate 31. Regarding each of sides of the top plate 31, an intermediate part excluding the corner portions serves as a retreat portion set back to the side of the device, and an end of the retreat portion and the mount surface 70 are connected by a standing surface.