Door-Mounted Lint Filter Alignment for Airtight Clothes Dryers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes dryers suffer from air leakage and reduced drying performance due to a detachable lint filter that may not be securely accommodated, leading to gaps between the filter and the door, which can cause lint to accumulate on heat exchangers and decrease heat exchange efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer design where the lint filter is accommodated within a dedicated unit on the door, ensuring proper alignment and secure attachment, preventing the door from closing unless the filter is correctly seated, thus maintaining airtightness and preventing lint accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lint filter is detachably attached to the door, then the user can easily remove and clean the lint filter, but a gap may be produced between the lint filter and the door causing air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
A door closing operation restricting member is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the door and the lint filter assembly. This member restricts door closing when the lint filter is not properly attached, thereby preventing air leakage while allowing easy removal and cleaning of the lint filter when needed.
2Ease of operation
If the lint filter is not securely accommodated, then the door can be closed, but drying performance deteriorates due to air leakage and lint accumulation on heat exchanger
Solution Approach 1:
The door closing operation restricting member performs preliminary prevention by blocking door closing before air leakage can occur. This ensures that the lint filter is properly secured in place, maintaining sealing reliability and preventing lint accumulation on the heat exchanger, thereby preserving drying performance.
3Reliability
If a secure attachment mechanism is added to prevent gap formation, then sealing reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door closing operation restricting member serves as a simple intermediary mechanism that leverages the existing door closing motion to enforce proper lint filter attachment. This approach improves sealing reliability without requiring complex additional attachment mechanisms, as it uses the door's own closing operation as the enforcement mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A clothes dryer according to the present invention includes a drying chamber, a loading port through which clothes are loaded into and removed, a door that closes the loading port, and lint filter (510) that is detachably attached to the door. Door (120) includes accommodating unit (121) that is opposed to the loading port and that accommodates lint filter (510), and lint filter (510) includes filter unit (511) and frame (512). Door (120) closes the loading port in a state where upper end (121a) of accommodating unit (121) of door (120) and upper end (512a) of frame (512) of lint filter (510) are substantially in alignment with each other. This structure securely accommodates detachable lint filter (510) into door (120).