Dryer Air Duct Filter Layout for High Lint Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clothes dryers face issues with limited space in drying air ducts, leading to insufficient mesh density in filter nets, resulting in high wind resistance and blockages, and require additional mounting structures that compromise aesthetics and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A filter apparatus is designed to be wholly inserted into and removed from the drying air duct through the air inlet, allowing for increased mesh density and improved filtering efficiency, while maintaining a compact design that avoids the need for external mounting ports and preserves structural strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of meshes of the filter net is increased to improve filtering efficiency, then the filtering performance is improved, but the wind resistance increases and the filter net is liable to be blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system is divided into multiple independent filter nets arranged in series within the drying air duct. Each filter net has a reasonable mesh density that balances filtering capability and airflow resistance, rather than using a single filter net with excessively high mesh density. This segmentation allows the airflow to pass through multiple filtering stages progressively, achieving high filtering efficiency while maintaining acceptable wind resistance at each stage.
2Reliability
If a second layer of filter net is mounted to ensure cleanliness of the condenser, then the filtering performance is improved, but the space requirement increases and the duct structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple filter nets are nested within each other in the radial direction of the drying air duct. The filter nets are arranged concentrically, with each filter net positioned inside the previous one, similar to nested dolls. This nesting arrangement allows multiple filtering layers to be installed within the limited cross-sectional space of the duct without significantly increasing the overall volume or requiring additional mounting space outside the existing duct structure.
3Area of stationary object
If filter nets are mounted in the drying air duct to improve filtering, then the filtering area is increased, but the duct space is limited and only a layer of filter net can be arranged
Solution Approach 1:
The filter nets are arranged in the radial dimension of the duct rather than only in the axial direction. By utilizing the radial space from the center to the wall of the circular duct, multiple filter nets can be stacked concentrically, effectively increasing the total filtering area without extending the axial length of the duct or requiring additional external space. This dimensional transformation allows maximum utilization of the available duct volume.
4Ease of operation
If a filter apparatus picking and placing port is formed in the front panel to enable filter installation, then the filter can be mounted, but the appearance of the clothes dryer is destroyed and aesthetic appearance is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The filter apparatus is designed to be installed and removed through the existing air inlet opening of the drying air duct, which is already present in the front support for its intended function. The air inlet serves dual purposes: as an operational opening for the duct system and as an access point for filter installation and maintenance. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated filter access ports in the front panel, maintaining the aesthetic appearance while still enabling easy filter servicing.
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
The solution enhances filtering efficiency by increasing the area for thread scrap capture, prevents blockages, and maintains a sleek appearance by eliminating the need for external mounting ports, ensuring effective and aesthetically pleasing operation.
Implementation Method 1
the filter apparatus is inserted into and mounted in the drying air duct from the air inlet and covers a whole cross section of the drying air duct
Data Source
AI summary
A clothes dryer has a front support and a filter apparatus. The front support includes a drying air duct having an air outlet that communicates with a circulation air duct arranged inside the clothes dryer. An air inlet of the drying air duct communicates with a clothes treating chamber of the clothes dryer. The filter apparatus is inserted into and mounted in the air duct from the air inlet and covers the whole cross section of the drying air duct. The entire filter apparatus can be accommodated and mounted in the internal space of the front support, so that the area of the filter apparatus blocking thread scraps is increased, and the filtering efficiency is improved.