Drain pump and clothes dryer having a drain pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drain pumps in clothes dryers are prone to clogging due to foreign substances being sucked in, which increases the load and can lead to damage, and existing lint removal methods do not effectively prevent this issue.
Innovation Solution
A drain pump design with a circular hub impeller and tangentially oriented discharge port, combined with a lint filter cleaner that uses water to remove lint, minimizes clogging by guiding water and foreign substances away from the impeller and discharge port, preventing them from being wound around the impeller shaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional drain pump is used to discharge water and lint, then the drain pump can remove lint from the dryer, but foreign substances block the suction hole or are wound around the impeller causing clogging and increased load
Solution Approach 1:
The pump housing is divided into an upper housing and a lower housing that can be separated. This segmentation allows easy access to the impeller and suction area for cleaning accumulated lint and foreign substances, thereby maintaining reliable operation without compromising lint removal capability
Solution Approach 2:
The impeller is designed as a removable component that can be easily extracted from the pump housing. This allows users to remove and clean the impeller of wound foreign substances, preventing clogging and maintaining consistent pump performance for lint discharge
2Productivity
If the drain pump operates with clogged suction holes or impeller, then foreign substances are removed from the dryer, but the load of the drain pump increases leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The pump housing includes a removable cover that provides preliminary access to the suction hole and impeller area. This allows users to clean accumulated foreign substances before they cause significant clogging and load increase, maintaining efficient operation
Solution Approach 2:
The design accepts that lint and foreign substances will accumulate and requires periodic simple cleaning operations. The easy-access structure enables quick maintenance without complex disassembly, making the system robust against load increases from normal operation
3Ease of operation
If water is sprayed through nozzles to remove lint from the lint filter, then lint is removed from the filter, but the water and lint are introduced into the drain pump causing clogging
Solution Approach 1:
A lint trap or screen is positioned in the water flow path between the spray nozzle and the drain pump. This intermediary component captures lint and foreign substances from the cleaning water before they reach the pump, preventing clogging while maintaining easy lint filter cleaning operation
Solution Approach 2:
The design separates the lint removal function from the water discharge path by providing direct access to the lint filter or a removable lint collection chamber. This allows lint to be removed without necessarily pumping large volumes of water through the pump, reducing clogging risk
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 design minimizes the likelihood of foreign substances blocking the drain pump, reducing power consumption and the risk of damage, while ensuring smooth discharge of debris, thus maintaining efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
an impeller, which comprises a circular hub, a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from the outer circumferential surface of the impeller shaft and the lower surface of the hub, the edge of each blade including a linear portion and an extension portion which is gradually rounded from an end of the linear portion toward an edge of the hub
Implementation Method 2
The lower surface of the hub is rounded. The hub has a longitudinal cross section in which a thickness of the hub is gradually increased from the central portion of the lower surface of the hub toward the edge of the hub, to allow the water to be guided downward while being radially discharged along the lower surface of the hub
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
A drain pump is provided that may include a pump motor; an impeller connected to a rotational shaft of the pump motor. The impeller may include a circular hub, an impeller shaft that extends from a center of a lower surface of the hub, and a plurality of blades that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the impeller shaft and the lower surface of the hub in a radial direction of the hub. The hub may have a longitudinal cross section in which a thickness of the hub gradually increases from the center of the lower surface toward an edge thereof.