Vehicle Air Conditioner Flexible Guide Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle air conditioners face challenges in ensuring proper mixing of cool and hot air due to limited space, leading to inconsistent temperature control, noise generation, and poor assemblability, with existing solutions failing to optimize airflow and temperature distribution effectively.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner incorporates a flexible air-blowing guide with a deformable connecting section and engaging sections that securely attach to the case, along with a flow rate distribution regulating member and an adjusting section to optimize airflow and reduce noise, ensuring uniform mixing and improved temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the case dimensions are reduced to make the air conditioner compact, then the size of the air conditioner is reduced, but the mixing region space is narrowed leading to insufficient air mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing region is divided into multiple sub-regions using partition walls, creating distinct zones for hot air mixing and cool air mixing. This segmentation allows sufficient mixing space to be achieved within a compact overall case volume, resolving the contradiction between compact size and adequate mixing region space.
Solution Approach 2:
The air-blowing guide extends in the depth direction of the case, utilizing the third dimension to provide adequate mixing length without increasing the external dimensions of the air conditioner. This dimensional approach allows sufficient mixing space while maintaining a compact overall size.
2Reliability
If an air-blowing guide is attached first during assembly, then airflow guidance is improved, but assemblability deteriorates due to difficulty in accommodating various parts
Solution Approach 1:
The air-blowing guide is integrated with the case as a unified structure, eliminating the need for separate attachment steps. The guide forms an integral part of the case, allowing all components to be assembled together in a single process, thus improving assemblability while maintaining airflow guidance functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The case structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the housing for the air conditioner, creates the mixing regions through partition walls, and guides airflow through the integrated air-blowing guide. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate air-blowing guide components, simplifying assembly.
3Volume of moving object
If the mixing region space is insufficient, then the air conditioner remains compact, but temperature control precision deteriorates due to inadequate air mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing region is segmented into hot air mixing and cool air mixing zones using partition walls. This creates sufficient effective mixing space within the compact case, ensuring thorough air mixing and precise temperature control without requiring a larger overall volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall acts as an intermediary structure that organizes and directs airflow between different zones. It facilitates proper mixing of hot and cool air by creating distinct but connected mixing regions, ensuring temperature control precision within the compact space.
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 solution enhances assemblability, optimizes airflow distribution, and reduces noise, resulting in improved temperature control and efficiency in mixing cool and hot air within the vehicle air conditioner.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible connecting section (15f) that elastically deforms
Implementation Method 2
mixing region of a hot air and a cool air
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner for a vehicle includes: an air-blowing guide that includes a flexible connecting section that elastically deforms, and a pair of engaging sections that are arranged at both ends of the flexible connecting section, is arranged in a mixing region of a hot air and a cool air, and guides the hot air and the cool air; and a case that includes a protrusion that engages the engaging section in a state where the flexible connecting section is elastically deformed, the case in which the air-blowing guide is provided.