Adjustable Dryer Drum Volume to Reduce Bypass Air
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Clothes dryers experience reduced efficiency when not filled to maximum capacity due to the 'bypass effect,' where heated air passes around laundry items without effectively drying them, leading to increased energy and time consumption.
Innovation Solution
A dryer with a variable drum internal volume, achieved through a movable member, adjustment shaft, and motor system that allows the internal volume to be adjusted by rotating the shaft and moving the variable member, thereby optimizing air flow and contact with laundry items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drum is not filled to maximum capacity, then it is easier to load and unload laundry, but drying efficiency decreases due to bypass effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the drum internal volume adjustable rather than fixed. The variable member can move along the drum axis to change the effective drying volume, allowing optimization between ease of loading and drying efficiency based on the actual laundry load size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of drum internal volume from a fixed value to a variable parameter. By adjusting the position of the variable member, the internal volume can be modified to match the actual laundry load, thereby eliminating bypass effect and maintaining high drying efficiency regardless of load size.
2Productivity
If the drum internal volume is reduced to match smaller laundry loads, then drying efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a movable variable member that can be positioned at different locations along the drum axis to adjust the internal volume. This dynamic adjustment mechanism allows the drum to adapt to different laundry loads without requiring multiple fixed-volume drums, thus improving drying efficiency while controlling device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable member serves multiple functions: it acts as a volume adjustment mechanism, a structural support element, and a guide for air flow. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving volume adjustment capability.
3Productivity
If the variable member is moved to adjust internal volume, then bypass air is reduced and drying efficiency improves, but the motor and adjustment mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with a simpler system using a movable variable member that can be positioned by a motor-driven adjustment mechanism. This substitution reduces the overall mechanical complexity while maintaining the ability to adjust internal volume effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment shaft acts as an intermediary element that transmits the motor's rotational motion to the variable member, enabling controlled movement. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the direct connection between the motor and the variable member, reducing overall system complexity while achieving precise volume adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
A dryer includes a drum configured to receive a laundry item within its internal volume, a variable member positioned within the drum and configured to be movable in a lengthwise direction of the drum to thereby vary the internal volume of the drum, a motor disposed on a rear surface of the drum, the motor including a rotation shaft that is configured to rotate in a forward rotation direction or a reverse rotation direction, an adjustment shaft coupled to the rotation shaft and configured to extend to a preset position inside the drum, and a bracket fitted to the adjustment shaft and configured to couple the variable member and the adjustment shaft. The coupling of the variable member and the adjustment shaft enables movement of the variable member according to a rotation of the adjustment shaft.