Segmented Middle Air Duct Design for Improved Molding and Air Fluidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The middle air ducts in vertical air conditioners have a complex structure and poor gas fluidity, making them difficult to manufacture and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A middle air duct design featuring three sequentially connected air ducts with gradually changing cross-sectional areas, allowing for easier molding and assembly, and enhancing air flow by progressively decreasing and increasing the flow area, along with positioning columns and mounting plates for secure fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the middle air duct uses a traditional integrated structure, then the structural strength is sufficient, but the structure becomes complex and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The middle air duct is divided into multiple separate duct sections (first middle air duct, second middle air duct, third middle air duct) that can be manufactured independently and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each section to be molded separately using standard molds, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the overall structural integrity through connection components.
2Reliability
If the middle air duct uses a traditional uniform cross-section design, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the gas fluidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the middle air duct have different cross-sectional area variations tailored to local flow requirements. The first middle air duct has a cross-sectional area that gradually decreases, the second maintains a relatively uniform cross-section, and the third gradually increases. This localized optimization of geometry improves gas fluidity in each section without requiring complete redesign of the entire duct system.
3Reliability
If the middle air duct uses gradual-change cross sectional areas, then the air fluidity improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gradual cross-sectional area changes are distributed across multiple separate duct sections rather than requiring a single complex molded part. Each section can be manufactured with standard molding tolerances, and the cumulative effect achieves the desired fluidity improvement without demanding excessive precision from any single manufacturing step.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-sectional area variations are achieved through the longitudinal arrangement of multiple duct sections with different geometries rather than requiring high-precision variation within a single section. This distributes the geometric complexity along the length dimension, allowing each cross-section to be manufactured with conventional precision while achieving overall fluidity optimization.
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 simplifies the manufacturing process and improves air fluidity by facilitating smoother air flow into and out of the duct, enhancing the overall performance of the air conditioner.
Implementation Method 1
the first air duct, the second air duct and the third air duct are communicated successively in the direction of air flow, it is easy to mold air ducts by a way of in-sequence split units, and furthermore, the way of split units reassembly after molding may lower the manufacturing difficulty of middle air ducts. Moreover, during flow process, the flow area of the air in the middle air duct will respectively decrease and increase progressively in the inlet and outlet, such a configuration may be beneficial to improving fluidity of the air in the middle air duct
Data Source
AI summary
An air duct having first to third air ducts, each of the first to third air ducts has a duct structure having a first end and a second end, the duct structure of the each of the first to third air ducts are separable from each other, a cross sectional area of the first end is greater than a cross sectional area of the second end, a plurality of cross sectional areas between the first end and the second end decrease progressively from the first end to the second end, and the first to third air ducts are communicated successively in a direction such that the second end of the duct structure of the third air duct is arranged closer to the second end of the duct structure of the first air duct and further from the first end of the duct structure of the first air duct.