Humidifier Wet-Pack Assembly Joints Prevent Leakage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional humidifier systems face challenges with scale buildup leading to blockages, inefficiencies, and increased risk of leakage during maintenance due to misalignment and component shift during servicing.
Innovation Solution
A unitary wet-pack assembly design that includes a water panel surrounded by a scale control, a distribution tray coupled via joints to prevent separation, and a feed tube for recirculating water, reducing the need for individual component servicing and minimizing leakage risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If traditional separate component design is used, then individual components can be serviced separately, but misalignment and component shift occur during maintenance leading to leakage risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the water panel, distribution tray, and scale control into a single unitary wet-pack assembly that is pre-assembled and pre-aligned at the factory. This merging of components eliminates misalignment and component shift during maintenance operations, as the entire assembly is installed or replaced as one unit rather than being serviced component-by-component in the field.
2Reliability
If unitary wet-pack design is used, then leakage risks and misalignment are reduced, but device complexity increases due to integrated assembly
Solution Approach 1:
While the wet-pack assembly itself is unitary, the overall humidifier system is segmented into distinct modular components: the wet-pack assembly (containing water panel, distribution tray, and scale control), the valve and drain assembly, and the base. This segmentation allows the complex unitary wet-pack to be easily installed or replaced as a single module without increasing the overall system complexity, as each module can be serviced independently.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If scale control surrounds water panel on multiple sides, then scale buildup is better controlled, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scale control is pre-formed as an integrated component that surrounds the water panel on multiple sides during factory assembly. This preliminary formation of the scale control structure ensures precise alignment and proper surrounding geometry without requiring high-precision field assembly, as the component is manufactured and pre-positioned as part of the unitary wet-pack assembly.
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 unitary design simplifies maintenance, reduces leakage risks, and ensures efficient water distribution, enhancing the performance and reliability of humidifier systems by encapsulating critical components in a single cartridge.
Implementation Method 1
the feed tube is structured to direct water flow from the basin to the distribution tray for recirculation to the water panel
Implementation Method 2
a distribution tray disposed on a top portion of the water panel...structured to distribute water across the top portion of the water panel
Implementation Method 3
humidifier systems for increasing humidity of ambient air...water panel, a scale control configured to surround the water panel
Data Source
AI summary
A wet-pack assembly includes a water panel, a scale control configured to surround the water panel on at least three sides, and a distribution tray disposed on a top portion of the water panel and coupled to the scale control via one or more joints. The one or more joints prevent separation of the distribution tray from the scale control. The wet-pack assembly also includes a feed tube extending from a basin formed within the scale control to the distribution tray, where the feed tube is structured to direct water flow from the basin to the distribution tray for recirculation to the water panel.