Wedge Slider for Fan Alignment and Sealing in Ventilation Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilation device systems face challenges in achieving tightness between the fan housing and other components due to installation space tolerances, leading to potential leaks and installation issues, particularly with plastic fan housings that relax over time, compromising air tightness.
Innovation Solution
A slider with a wedge-shaped design and toothed area is used to adjust and attach the fan, allowing for precise alignment and locking without excessive stress on seals, enabling compensation for dimensional variations and relaxation, ensuring a secure air seal between the fan housing and other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fan is screwed into a frame and locked into place using known mounting methods, then the fan can be installed in the ventilation unit, but installation space tolerances cause leakage or installation failure
Solution Approach 1:
The slider is designed with movable elements including a sliding block that can move along the slider body, and a toothed rack that engages with gears. This dynamic structure allows the slider to adapt to installation space tolerances by moving and adjusting its components, ensuring reliable fan mounting despite variations in installation space dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider incorporates adjustable parameters through its mechanical design, including the position of the sliding block along the slider body and the engagement depth of the toothed rack with gears. These parameter changes enable the slider to compensate for installation space tolerances and maintain reliable fan installation.
2Ease of manufacture
If the fan housing is made of plastic to reduce weight and cost, then manufacturing is easier and cost is reduced, but the plastic housing relaxes over time causing seal loosening and air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The slider acts as an intermediary component between the fan housing and the mounting frame. It provides a rigid mechanical interface that compensates for the relaxation of plastic fan housings over time, maintaining seal tightness without requiring the fan housing itself to be rigid metal construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider's design anticipates the relaxation of plastic components over time by incorporating adjustable and movable elements that can compensate for dimensional changes. The toothed rack and gear mechanism allows for pre-adjustment and ongoing compensation to maintain seal integrity.
3Reliability
If seals are installed between the fan housing and air duct to ensure air tightness, then air leakage is prevented, but the seals are subjected to shear stress that can displace or damage them
Solution Approach 1:
The slider serves as a mediator that distributes mounting forces away from the seal interface. By providing a rigid mechanical connection between the fan housing and frame, it prevents shear stress from being transmitted to the seals, thereby protecting them from displacement or damage while maintaining air tightness.
4Reliability
If professional adjustment and securing of the fan is performed to meet sealing requirements, then air duct sealing is achieved, but the process is complex and requires specialists
Solution Approach 1:
The slider is designed to enable self-adjusting functionality through its mechanical elements. The sliding block can move along the slider body to automatically accommodate installation space variations, and the toothed rack engages with gears to provide automatic positioning. This reduces the need for complex professional adjustment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic components of the slider, including the movable sliding block and engaging toothed rack, automatically adapt to installation conditions, simplifying the installation process and reducing the need for specialized adjustment skills while maintaining reliable sealing.
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 slider facilitates precise fan adjustment and secure sealing by allowing for incremental locking and yielding, preventing shear loading on seals and maintaining air tightness, even with plastic components, thus ensuring efficient airflow and reducing maintenance complexities.
Implementation Method 1
the slider (100) has a front end (110) and a rear end (120) and further has an upper surface (130) and a lower surface (140), wherein the lower surface (140) runs obliquely to the upper surface (130) so that a plane describing the upper surface (130) and a plane describing the lower surface (140) intersect in the direction of the front end (110)
Implementation Method 2
the slider further has a toothed region, wherein the toothing region is arranged on the lower surface in a region of the rear end and has teeth projecting from the lower surface
Implementation Method 3
the slider further has a recess, wherein the recess is arranged at the rear end, wherein an upper wall of the recess runs substantially parallel to the upper surface and wherein a lower wall of the recess runs substantially parallel to the lower surface
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a
AI summary
The invention relates to a slide 100 for adjusting and securing a fan 500 in a ventilation unit, comprising a front end 110 and a rear end 120, an upper surface 130 and a lower surface 140, wherein the lower surface is inclined to the upper surface so that a plane describing the upper surface and a plane describing the lower surface intersect in the direction of the front end, a recess 150 arranged at the rear end, wherein an upper wall of the recess is substantially parallel to the upper surface and a lower wall of the recess is substantially parallel to the lower surface, and a toothed area 160 arranged on the lower surface in a region of the rear end and having teeth projecting from the lower surface, wherein the slide is designed to be inserted between the fan and a condensate tray of the ventilation unit.