A filter screen self-cleaning device and method and a clothes dryer formed thereby

Abstract

The application discloses a filter screen self-cleaning device and method and a clothes dryer formed by the same. The filter screen self-cleaning device comprises an air duct inlet, an air duct outlet, a first filter screen, a second filter screen and a control valve. One end of the first filter screen is communicated with the air duct inlet, the other end of the first filter screen is provided with the control valve, and the side surface of the first filter screen is communicated with the air duct outlet. A transition air duct is formed between the side of the control valve away from the first filter screen and the air duct outlet, and the second filter screen is arranged in the transition air duct. When the air pressure on the control valve is less than or equal to a set threshold value, the control valve is closed, and the first filter screen is communicated with the air duct outlet. When the air pressure on the control valve is greater than the set threshold value, the control valve is opened, and the first filter screen and the transition air duct are simultaneously communicated with the air duct outlet. The filter air duct formed by the control valve and the second filter screen can realize automatic cleaning of sundries in the first filter screen, and the cleaning efficiency of the filter screen is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of clothes dryers, and more particularly to a filter self-cleaning device and method, and a clothes dryer formed therefrom. Background Technology

[0002] When clothes are dried in a dryer, a lot of fine lint is produced. If not filtered, this lint will adhere to the fan, air ducts, and inside the drum, which can easily breed bacteria and mold over time, posing a health risk. For heat pump dryers, it can also clog the air ducts and heat exchangers, leading to poor heat exchange, reduced drying efficiency, or even failure.

[0003] Therefore, most dryers have a filter at the drum outlet to collect lint and avoid the aforementioned problems. However, even with the filter, the lint generated during the drying process is blocked, but if it is not cleaned in time, it will still clog the filter, increasing the pressure loss in the air duct, reducing airflow, and affecting drying efficiency. In severe cases, it can even cause the drying system to malfunction. Therefore, dryers with filters require users to manually clean the filter before each use, which is very tedious. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to at least partially solve one of the problems in related technologies. Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a filter self-cleaning device and method, and a dryer formed therefrom, which, by means of a control valve and a filtration duct formed by a second filter, enables automatic cleaning of impurities in the first filter, thereby improving filter cleaning efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: a filter self-cleaning device, comprising an air duct inlet, an air duct outlet, a first filter, a second filter, and a control valve, wherein one end of the first filter is connected to the air duct inlet, the other end of the first filter is provided with a control valve, and the side of the first filter is connected to the air duct outlet; a transition air duct is formed between the side of the control valve away from the first filter and the air duct outlet, and the second filter is provided in the transition air duct;

[0006] When the air pressure on the control valve is less than or equal to the set threshold, the control valve closes and the first filter is connected to the ventilation duct outlet; when the air pressure on the control valve is greater than the set threshold, the control valve opens and the first filter and the transition duct are simultaneously connected to the ventilation duct outlet.

[0007] Furthermore, the control valve is a damping damper that includes a rotating shaft. When the wind pressure received by the damping damper is greater than the damping force of the rotating shaft, the damping damper opens.

[0008] Furthermore, a collection box is provided between the control valve and the second filter screen.

[0009] Furthermore, the collection box is located below the control valve, and the second filter screen is located on the side of the collection box.

[0010] Furthermore, a baffle is provided inside the collection box, and the baffle is located between the control valve and the second filter screen.

[0011] Furthermore, the air duct inlet is located at the top of the first filter screen, the control valve is located at the bottom of the first filter screen, and the air duct outlet is located on the side of the first filter screen.

[0012] Furthermore, the first filter screen is cylindrical, polygonal, or conical.

[0013] A clothes dryer includes a filter self-cleaning device as described above.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes a roller, a drying and dehumidifying heating component, and a fan, wherein the fan is located between the drying and dehumidifying heating component and the roller, and the filter self-cleaning device is located between the roller and the drying and dehumidifying heating component.

[0015] A method for self-cleaning a filter includes:

[0016] When the control valve is closed, the air inlet of the duct passes through the side of the first filter screen and exits from the duct outlet. At the same time, impurities in the duct are blocked inside the side of the first filter screen. As the amount of impurities on the side of the first filter screen increases, the air pressure on the control valve increases until it exceeds a set threshold. At this point, the control valve opens, and the air inlet of the duct passes through the transition duct and exits from the duct outlet. Simultaneously, the impurities on the side of the first filter screen are blown into the transition duct and blocked by the second filter screen. As the impurities in the first filter screen fall off, the air pressure on the control valve decreases until it falls below a set threshold. At this point, the control valve closes, and the air inlet of the duct passes through the side of the first filter screen and exits from the duct outlet.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided in this application has the following advantages: In this application, the opening and closing state of the control valve is related to the air pressure it receives. When the air pressure received by the control valve is less than or equal to a set threshold, the control valve is closed, and the first filter screen is connected to the ventilation duct outlet; when the air pressure received by the control valve is greater than the set threshold, the control valve is opened, and the first filter screen and the transition air duct are simultaneously connected to the ventilation duct outlet; In the initial stage of this application, the air inlet of the air duct passes through the side of the first filter screen and is output from the air duct outlet; at the same time, impurities in the air duct are blocked inside the side of the first filter screen, and at this time the air pressure received by the control valve is small and it is in a closed state; as the impurities in the side of the first filter screen increase, the air pressure received by the control valve increases until the air pressure received by the control valve exceeds the set threshold. When the threshold is reached, the control valve opens. At this time, the resistance of the air output from the side of the first filter screen is greater than the resistance output from the end of the first filter screen. Therefore, the air pressure mainly passes through the transition air duct and is output from the air duct outlet. At the same time, the impurities on the side of the first filter screen are blown into the transition air duct and intercepted by the second filter screen. As the impurities in the first filter screen fall off, the resistance of the air output from the side of the first filter screen gradually decreases, that is, the air pressure on the control valve gradually decreases until the air pressure on the control valve is less than the set threshold. The control valve closes, and the air inlet of the air duct passes through the side of the first filter screen and is output from the air duct outlet. In this application, the control valve adjusts its opening and closing state according to the air pressure, which can automatically blow the impurities on the side of the first filter screen into the transition air duct, realize the automatic cleaning of the first filter screen, and improve the cleaning efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] In the attached image:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the air pressure flow direction when the control valve is in the closed state in this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the air pressure flow direction when the control valve is in the open state in this application;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first filter screen in this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the frame of the dryer in this application;

[0025] Reference numerals: 1. First filter screen; 2. Second filter screen; 3. Control valve; 4. Collection box; 5. Baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and effects of this invention, specific embodiments are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, it should be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "longitudinal," "horizontal," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "head," and "tail" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They are only for the convenience of describing this technical solution and do not indicate that the referred mechanism or element must have a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0027] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation," "connection," "linking," "fixing," and "setting" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. When an component is referred to as being "on" or "below" another component, the component can be located "directly" or "indirectly" on the other component, or there may be one or more intermediary components. The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are only for the convenience of describing this technical solution and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined with "first," "second," "third," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] In the following description, specific details such as particular system structures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, mechanisms, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary detail.

[0029] Please see the appendix Figures 1-3The present application provides a filter self-cleaning device, including an air duct inlet, an air duct outlet, a first filter 1, a second filter 2, and a control valve 3. One end of the first filter 1 is connected to the air duct inlet, and the other end of the first filter 1 is provided with the control valve 3. The side of the first filter 1 is connected to the air duct outlet. A transition air duct is formed between the side of the control valve 3 away from the first filter 1 and the air duct outlet, and the second filter 2 is provided in the transition air duct.

[0030] In this application, the first filter is located in the air duct chamber, and the air duct chamber is connected to the ventilation duct outlet. Therefore, the air output from all directions on the side of the first filter can be blown into the air duct outlet.

[0031] In this application, the opening and closing state of control valve 3 is related to the air pressure it receives. When the air pressure received by control valve 3 is less than or equal to a set threshold, control valve 3 is closed, and the first filter screen 1 is connected to the ventilation duct outlet. When the air pressure received by control valve 3 is greater than the set threshold, control valve 3 is opened, and the first filter screen 1 and the transition air duct are simultaneously connected to the ventilation duct outlet. In the initial stage of this application, the air inlet of the air duct passes through the side of the first filter screen 1 and is output from the air duct outlet. At the same time, impurities in the air duct are blocked inside the side of the first filter screen 1. At this time, the air pressure received by control valve 3 is relatively small, and it is in a closed state. As the impurities in the side of the first filter screen 1 increase, the air pressure received by control valve 3 increases until the air pressure received by control valve 3 exceeds the set threshold, at which point control valve 3 opens, and the air flows from the first filter screen 1 to the ventilation duct outlet. The resistance output from the side of the first filter 1 is greater than the resistance output from the end of the first filter 1. Therefore, the air pressure mainly passes through the transition air duct and is output from the air duct outlet. At the same time, the impurities on the side of the first filter 1 are blown into the transition air duct and intercepted by the second filter 2. As the impurities in the first filter 1 fall off, the resistance of the air output from the side of the first filter 1 gradually decreases, that is, the air pressure on the control valve 3 gradually decreases until the air pressure on the control valve 3 is less than the set threshold. The control valve 3 closes, and the air inlet of the air duct passes through the side of the first filter 1 and is output from the air duct outlet. In this application, the control valve 3 adjusts its opening and closing state according to the air pressure, which can automatically blow the impurities on the side of the first filter 1 into the transition air duct, realize the automatic cleaning of the first filter 1, and improve the cleaning efficiency.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] This application provides a filter self-cleaning device, including an air duct inlet, an air duct outlet, a first filter 1, a second filter 2, and a control valve 3. One end of the first filter 1 is connected to the air duct inlet, and the other end of the first filter 1 is provided with the control valve 3. The side of the first filter 1 is connected to the air duct outlet. A transition air duct is formed between the side of the control valve 3 away from the first filter 1 and the air duct outlet, and the second filter 2 is provided in the transition air duct. In this application, the control valve 3 is a pressure control valve 3. When the pressure on the control valve 3 is less than or equal to a set threshold, the control valve 3 is closed, and only the first filter 1 is connected to the air duct outlet. When the pressure on the control valve 3 is greater than the set threshold, the control valve 3 is opened, and both the first filter 1 and the transition air duct are connected to the air duct outlet.

[0034] In this application, control valve 3 can specifically be a damping damper. A damping damper refers to a damper with damping or resistance. This damper is not controlled by other valves. When the force applied to the damping damper by the outside is greater than the damping force, the damper opens; when the force applied to the damping damper is less than the damping force, the damper closes. Specifically, the damping damper can be considered as a damper with a rotating shaft, where air pressure is applied to the rotating shaft. When the force applied by the outside is greater than the damping force, the damper is in the open state; when the force applied by the outside is less than the damping force, the damper is in the closed state. Specifically, in this application, the force applied by the outside refers to the air pressure exerted by the air inlet of the duct on control valve 3.

[0035] In this application, a collection box 4 is also provided between the control valve 3 and the second filter screen 2. Specifically, a filtration duct is formed between the control valve 3 and the second filter screen 2. The filtration duct only works when the side of the first filter screen 1 is blocked. Specifically, when debris blocks the side of the first filter screen 1, the air cannot effectively enter the duct outlet, thus increasing the force on the side and end face of the first filter screen 1. This force is the air pressure. When the air pressure is greater than the set threshold, the control valve 3 opens. Since there are no impurities on the side of the first filter screen 1 near the control valve 3, the flow resistance is small, and the air will enter the second filter screen 2 from the control valve 3 and be output to the duct outlet. During this process, the air blows the impurities on the side of the first filter screen 1 into the transition duct and is intercepted by the second filter screen 2. After the impurities on the side of the first filter screen 1 are blown off, the air will be output from the side of the first filter screen 1 again, making the air pressure on the control valve 3 decrease. When it is less than the set threshold, the control valve 3 will close and return to the initial state. In this application, the collection box 4 is used to collect impurities blown off from the side of the first filter screen 1. After the impurities are blown off, the control valve 3 is closed, and the transition air duct is no longer connected to the ventilation duct outlet.

[0036] To facilitate the blowing off and collection of impurities, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this application, the air duct inlet is located at the top of the first filter screen 1, the control valve 3 is located at the bottom of the first filter screen 1, the air duct outlet is located at the bottom side of the first filter screen 1, the collection box 4 is located below the control valve 3, and the second filter screen 2 is located on the side of the collection box 4. Thus, when the air only passes through the first filter screen 1 for output, the air blows vertically into the first filter screen 1, and the bottom is blocked by the closed control valve 3, so the air direction becomes horizontal output. When the air passes through the transition air duct for output, the air blows vertically into the first filter screen 1 and vertically downwards along the open control valve 3. After being blocked by the collection box 4, the air direction becomes horizontal output, and after passing through the second filter screen 2, it is output to the air duct outlet.

[0037] In this application, the collection box 4 can collect some impurities, and the impurities not collected by the collection box 4 can be blocked by the second filter screen 2. In order to collect as many impurities as possible in the collection box 4, a baffle 5 is provided inside the collection box 4 near the second filter screen 2. The height of the baffle 5 can be higher than the height of the collection box 4. The baffle 5 is located between the control valve 3 and the second filter screen 2. Since the air direction can be changed after being blocked, the presence of the baffle 5 can keep the impurities in the collection box 4. The air is output from above the baffle 5 through the second filter screen 2, and a small amount of impurities are intercepted at the second filter screen 2 with the air.

[0038] In this application, the impurities are mainly hair and other impurities. The size of the gaps between the first filter screen 1 and the second filter screen 2 can be designed according to the size of the hair and other impurities.

[0039] In this application, the second filter 2 has a mesh structure, which only needs to intercept impurities passing through it. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the first filter 1 in this application can be cylindrical, polygonal, or conical. Specifically, it can be a mesh filter forming a cylindrical, polygonal, or conical structure. The gaps for blocking impurities are located on the side of the first filter 1. At the same time, both ends of the first filter 1 can be notches. The top notch is used for air intake and does not require filtration. The bottom end is used to install a control valve 3. The control valve 3 includes a rotating shaft and a rotating plate connected to the rotating shaft. The rotating plate is smaller than or equal to the bottom area of ​​the first filter 1. When the rotating shaft drives the rotating plate to open, the top and bottom ends of the first filter 1 are connected to the transition air duct.

[0040] Example 2

[0041] This application provides a filter self-cleaning method, which uses the filter self-cleaning device in Example 1, and includes the following steps:

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in the initial state, control valve 3 is closed, and the air inlet of the air duct passes through the side of the first filter screen 1 and is output from the air duct outlet; at the same time, impurities in the air duct are blocked inside the side of the first filter screen 1.

[0043] like Figure 2As shown, as impurities increase on the side of the first filter screen 1, the air pressure on the control valve 3 increases until it exceeds a set threshold. At this point, the control valve 3 opens. The set threshold can be the damping force of the control valve 3 itself. Specifically, the control valve 3 can be a damping damper. A damping damper is a damper with damping or resistance. This damper is not controlled by other valves. When the force applied to the damping damper by the outside is greater than the damping force, the damper opens. When the force applied to the damping damper is less than the damping force, the damper closes.

[0044] At this time, the resistance of the wind output from the side of the first filter 1 is greater than the resistance output from the end of the first filter 1. Therefore, the wind pressure is mainly output from the air outlet through the transition air duct. During the blowing process, the wind blows the impurities on the side of the first filter 1 into the collection box 4 below the control valve 3. The collection box 4 is also equipped with a high baffle 5, which is located between the control valve 3 and the second filter 2. This allows most of the impurities to be blocked by the baffle 5 and remain in the collection box 4. At the same time, the wind changes direction after passing through the baffle 5 and passes through the second filter 2 to be output to the air outlet. A small amount of impurities that are not blocked by the baffle 5 are blocked by the second filter 2. As the impurities in the first filter 1 fall off, the resistance of the wind output from the side of the first filter 1 gradually decreases. That is, the wind pressure on the control valve 3 gradually decreases until the wind pressure on the control valve 3 is less than the set threshold. The control valve 3 closes, and the wind inlet of the air duct passes through the side of the first filter 1 and is output from the air outlet.

[0045] During the air intake process, the above cycle is repeated. When the side of the first filter screen 1 is blocked, the control valve 3 opens, and the impurities on the side of the first filter screen 1 are blown into the collection box 4. After the impurities in the first filter screen 1 are blown off, the control valve 3 closes, and the cycle repeats until the entire blowing process is completed.

[0046] In this application, the impurities in the collection box 4 can be cleaned periodically. Compared with the method of directly cleaning the first filter 1, this application can extend the blowing time, so that the impurities in the first filter 1 are automatically blown off and cleaned. The transition duct only works when cleaning the first filter 1 and does not work normally. This can ensure that the impurities in the collection box 4 are cleaned at longer intervals, extend the blowing time, and reduce the number of times and efficiency of impurity cleaning.

[0047] Example 3

[0048] This application provides a clothes dryer, including a drum, a drying, dehumidifying, and heating assembly, and a fan, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the fan is located between the drying and dehumidifying heating component and the roller, and the filter self-cleaning device is located between the roller and the drying and dehumidifying heating component.

[0049] The drying and dehumidifying heating device is used to dehumidify and heat the air. The dry hot air enters the drum through the fan to dry the clothes. After passing through the drum, the air becomes humid cold air. The humid cold air passes through the filter self-cleaning device in Example 1 to remove impurities such as lint, and then circulates back to the drying and dehumidifying heating device for dehumidification and heating. The cycle is repeated to complete the drying of the clothes in the drum.

[0050] It is understood that the above embodiments only illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can freely combine the above technical features without departing from the concept of the present invention, and can also make several modifications and improvements, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent transformations and modifications made with respect to the scope of the claims of the present invention should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A screen self-cleaning device, characterized by, The filter screen self-cleaning device comprises an air duct inlet, an air duct outlet, a first filter screen, a second filter screen and a control valve, wherein one end of the first filter screen is connected with the air duct inlet, the other end of the first filter screen is provided with the control valve, the side surface of the first filter screen is connected with the air duct outlet, a transition air duct is formed between the side of the control valve far from the first filter screen and the air duct outlet, the second filter screen is arranged in the transition air duct, the air duct inlet is located at the top end of the first filter screen, the control valve is located at the bottom end of the first filter screen, and the air duct outlet is located at the side of the first filter screen. When the wind pressure received by the control valve is less than or equal to the set threshold value, the control valve is closed, and the first filter screen is connected with the air duct outlet; when the wind pressure received by the control valve is greater than the set threshold value, the control valve is opened, and the first filter screen and the transition air duct are simultaneously connected with the air duct outlet. The control valve is a damping air door comprising a rotating shaft, and the damping air door is opened when the wind pressure received by the damping air door is greater than the damping force of the rotating shaft.

2. The screen self-cleaning device of claim 1, wherein, The collecting box is located below the control valve, and the second filter screen is located at the side of the collecting box.

3. A screen self-cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein, The inside of the collecting box is provided with a baffle, and the baffle is located between the control valve and the second filter screen.

4. The screen self-cleaning device of claim 1, wherein, The first filter screen is in a cylindrical shape, a polygonal shape or a conical shape.

5. A clothes dryer characterized by The filter screen self-cleaning device comprises any one of claims 1-4.

6. A clothes dryer as claimed in claim 5 wherein, The filter screen self-cleaning device further comprises a roller, a drying and dehumidifying heating assembly and a fan, wherein the fan is located between the drying and dehumidifying heating assembly and the roller, and the filter screen self-cleaning device is located between the roller and the drying and dehumidifying heating assembly.

7. A method for performing self-cleaning of a filter screen using the self-cleaning device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The filter screen self-cleaning device comprises: When the control valve is closed, the wind from the air duct inlet is output from the air duct outlet through the side surface of the first filter screen, and the impurities in the air duct are blocked in the side surface of the first filter screen; as the impurities in the side surface of the first filter screen increase, the wind pressure received by the control valve becomes greater until the wind pressure received by the control valve is greater than the set threshold value, the control valve is opened, the wind from the air duct inlet is output from the air duct outlet through the transition air duct, and the impurities in the side surface of the first filter screen are blown into the transition air duct and blocked by the second filter screen; as the impurities in the first filter screen fall off, the wind pressure received by the control valve becomes smaller until the wind pressure received by the control valve is less than the set threshold value, the control valve is closed, and the wind from the air duct inlet is output from the air duct outlet through the side surface of the first filter screen.

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