Clothes dryer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Condensation type clothes dryers face issues with noise and increased power consumption due to drainage pumps and reduced drying efficiency due to foreign matter like lint adhering to heat exchangers, which conventional filters attempt to address but lead to reduced airflow.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer system that includes a heat exchanger, a collector for condensed water, a first pump to transfer the water to a water tank, and a discharge unit using a solenoid switch or electromagnet to selectively discharge the condensed water to wash the heat exchanger, along with a filter unit in the water tank to remove lint, eliminating the need for a separate water supplier and simplifying the structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filter is installed at the inlet of the evaporator to remove foreign matter, then the drying performance is improved, but the flow rate of blown air is reduced leading to reduced drying efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the filtering function from the air flow path by placing a filter at the water inlet of the condensation water tank instead of at the evaporator inlet. This allows lint removal from condensed water without restricting the main air flow through the evaporator, thus maintaining both drying performance and drying efficiency simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces condensed water as an intermediary medium to carry lint away from the evaporator. The filter captures lint from this water intermediary rather than directly from the air stream, enabling effective lint removal while preserving optimal air flow rates for drying efficiency
2Reliability
If a drainage pump is used to drain condensed water, then the condensation function is improved, but noise and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the condensation water tank at a lower height than the evaporator, creating a gravitational potential difference. This allows condensed water to drain automatically from the evaporator to the tank without requiring a drainage pump, thereby eliminating the associated noise and power consumption while maintaining effective condensation function
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own condensed water to clean the evaporator through automatic drainage and overflow mechanisms. The condensed water naturally flows to clean lint from the evaporator surface and drains into the tank, creating a self-maintaining system that eliminates the need for additional energy-consuming components
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
This solution reduces noise and power consumption by utilizing condensed water for washing the heat exchanger, maintains drying efficiency by preventing lint accumulation, and simplifies the manufacturing process by integrating components with the top cover, thus addressing the limitations of conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger for condensing air discharged from a drum to remove moisture from the air
Implementation Method 2
The actuator may include a solenoid switch operating using an electromagnetic force
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a clothes dryer including a heat exchanger for condensing air discharged from a drum to remove moisture from the air, a collector for collecting condensed water produced in the heat exchanger, a first pump for pumping the condensed water from the collector to a water tank, and a discharge unit for selectively discharging the condensed water from the water tank, to wash the heat exchanger using the condensed water.