Dryer Lint Filter Screw Design to Prevent Clogging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes dryers often fail to collect lint effectively, as it can get caught between the filter and the screw, leading to clogging and incomplete lint removal.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer design featuring a lint removing device with a cylindrical filter, a spiral screw, an elastic member, and a contact rib, which ensures the lint is scraped off and collected efficiently by maintaining contact with the inner surface of the filter and using a controller for reverse and forward rotation to convey lint effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a spiral screw is used to scrape lint from the filter, then lint removal efficiency is improved, but lint may get caught between the filter and screw causing clogging
Solution Approach 1:
An elastic member is introduced as an intermediary element between the screw blade and the lint filter. This elastic member contacts the inner surface of the lint filter and prevents lint from being trapped between the screw and filter, while still allowing the screw to effectively scrape lint off the filter surface.
2Productivity
If the screw contacts the inner surface of the filter to scrape lint, then lint collection is improved, but lint may accumulate around the rotating screw
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member acts as a mediator that prevents lint from adhering to the screw blade while still allowing the screw to scrape lint from the filter. The elastic member's properties prevent lint from being trapped on the outer edge of the screw blade during rotation.
3Device complexity
If a conventional lint removing device is used, then device complexity is reduced, but lint cannot be completely removed leading to maintenance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member is added to the conventional lint removing device structure. This simple addition of an intermediary element significantly improves lint removal completeness by preventing lint from being trapped between the screw and filter, without substantially increasing device complexity.
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 prevents lint from being interposed between the filter and screw, ensures complete lint collection, and reduces clogging, allowing for efficient operation and reduced maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member configured to protrude to an outside of the blade to be in contact with an inner surface of the lint filter and the contact rib
Implementation Method 2
a screw having a spiral blade rotatably provided in an axial direction of the lint filter, a contact rib formed at an opening of the lint filter
Data Source
AI summary
A clothes dryer having a lint collecting device for collecting lint is disclosed. The clothes dryer includes: a drum; a duct through which drying air discharged from the drum flows; and a lint removing device disposed in a path of the duct to filter lint contained in the air, wherein the lint removing device includes a cylindrical lint filter of which a part of an outer surface is open, a screw having a spiral blade rotatably provided in an axial direction of the lint filter, a contact rib formed at an opening of the lint filter, and an elastic member configured to protrude to an outside of the blade to be in contact with an inner surface of the lint filter and the contact rib.