Clothes Dryer Filter Assembly With Auto Lint Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes treatment apparatuses face inefficiencies in drying due to accumulation of foreign substances like lint in heat exchangers and indoor air quality issues from unfiltered discharged air, necessitating effective filtration and substance removal systems.
Innovation Solution
A clothes treating apparatus incorporating a filter assembly and foreign substance compression unit that filters and compresses air-borne foreign substances, featuring a rotating brush for substance removal and a compression unit with a reciprocating plate for efficient compression and collection, along with a sensing mechanism for monitoring and automatic cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If air is discharged from the clothes treating apparatus without filtration, then the drying process is simple and quick, but foreign substances accumulate in heat exchangers and indoor air quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the filtration function from the discharge air stream by introducing a dedicated filter assembly that captures foreign substances before they are released into the environment. This separation allows the drying process to maintain efficiency while eliminating harmful emissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter assembly acts as an intermediary component between the discharge air and the external environment. It mediates by capturing lint and foreign substances through filtration media, allowing clean air to pass through while trapping harmful particles.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a filter assembly is added to remove foreign substances from discharged air, then indoor air quality is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the filtration function with the existing discharge air pathway by integrating the filter assembly into the current apparatus structure. This combination approach adds filtration capability without requiring completely separate systems, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter assembly is designed to serve multiple functions: filtering foreign substances from discharge air, preventing lint accumulation in heat exchangers, and improving indoor air quality. This multi-functionality justifies the added component by providing multiple benefits from a single addition.
3Ease of manufacture
If the filter assembly is cleaned manually, then the manufacturing cost is low, but the loss of time and user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service cleaning mechanism where the apparatus automatically cleans its own filter assembly. A brush or cleaning element is integrated into the system to periodically remove accumulated lint from the filter media, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing user time investment.
4Device complexity
If foreign substances are not removed from the discharge air, then the device complexity remains low, but the reliability of the heat exchanger deteriorates due to lint accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by filtering foreign substances from the discharge air before they can accumulate in the heat exchanger. The filter assembly is positioned upstream in the air flow path, preventing lint and foreign particles from reaching and compromising the heat exchanger 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
Enhances drying efficiency by preventing foreign substance accumulation in heat exchangers and improves indoor air quality by ensuring filtered air discharge, with automatic filter cleaning reducing user intervention and maintaining apparatus performance.
Implementation Method 1
The filter unit is positioned to filter substances from air discharged from the accommodating space through the duct unit
Implementation Method 2
The substance removal unit may include a rotating brush
Implementation Method 3
The compression unit may include a plate configured to move in the collection unit along a horizontal axis and press substances collected in the collection unit against a side of the collection unit
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for treating clothes includes an accommodating space, an air supply unit, a duct unit, a filter unit, a substance removal unit and a collection unit that is separate from the filter unit and the substance removal unit. The accommodating space is configured to receive one or more clothing articles. The air supply unit is configured to supply air to the accommodating space. The duct unit is configured to guide discharge of air from the accommodating space. The filter unit is positioned to filter substances from air discharged from the accommodating space through the duct unit. The substance removal unit is configured to move substances remaining on a portion of the filter unit. The collection unit is configured to collect substances moved from the filter unit by the substance removal unit.