Dryer Lint Filter Rinsing for Longer Maintenance Intervals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry dryers have limited capacity and frequent maintenance intervals for removing lint due to small collection containers and restricted access, leading to inefficient fluff removal and collection.
Innovation Solution
A laundry dryer with a device for rinsing lint off filters using condensate, directing it to a larger collection container in the floor pan, where the lint is filtered and automatically drained, allowing for extended maintenance intervals and improved accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a small collection container is arranged in the area of the squeegee, then the device complexity is reduced, but the collection volume is limited and maintenance intervals are frequent
Solution Approach 1:
The collection container is relocated from the limited space area near the squeegee to the floor pan area, utilizing a different spatial dimension. This dimensional relocation provides significantly more available space, allowing the container to be enlarged while maintaining overall device simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection container is extracted from its original location near the squeegee and placed in the floor pan area. This separation allows the container to be dimensioned larger without constraining the squeegee mechanism, thereby increasing collection volume while keeping the device structure relatively simple.
2Ease of operation
If the collection container is arranged in the area of the squeegee, then access to the container is restricted, but the device complexity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The collection container is positioned in the floor pan area, which provides better accessibility from the front of the dryer. This spatial relocation in another dimension allows users to easily access and remove the container for lint disposal without adding complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection container is extracted from the restricted access area near the squeegee and relocated to the floor pan area. This separation improves user accessibility while maintaining a simple device structure, as the container can be easily removed from the front of the appliance.
3Volume of stationary object
If lint is stored in the dry state, then the volume it occupies is large, but the collection container can be smaller
Solution Approach 1:
The state parameter of lint is changed from dry to wet by introducing a rinsing device that sprays water onto the screen. This parameter change causes lint to clump together and occupy less volume, allowing the collection container to be smaller while still accommodating the same amount of lint.
Solution Approach 2:
A hydraulic rinsing system is introduced that sprays water onto the screen to wet the lint. This hydraulic action changes the physical state of lint from dry and dispersed to wet and compacted, reducing its occupied volume and enabling a more compact collection container design.
4Reliability
If a rinsing device is added to remove lint with rinsing liquid, then fluff removal is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rinsing device utilizes condensate water that is already present in the dryer system, converting a waste product into a useful resource. This self-service approach improves lint removal effectiveness without requiring additional water supply infrastructure, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Condensate water acts as an intermediary substance that facilitates lint removal from the screen. By using this intermediate medium, the system achieves improved fluff removal effectiveness while avoiding the complexity of introducing a completely new fluid delivery system.
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 significantly extends maintenance intervals for lint disposal, enabling collection of fluff from multiple drying processes without frequent emptying, with improved accessibility and hygienic handling of lint.
Implementation Method 1
a device for removing the fluff from the filter, which is designed in such a way that lint arranged outside of the process air duct or outside of the air flow can be removed by a rinsing device with which this lint arranged outside of the process air duct or outside of the air flow can be rinsed off the filter by means of rinsing liquid
Implementation Method 2
a collection container is arranged in the floor pan, which is designed to receive the lint-laden washing liquid and to filter the lint from the washing liquid
Implementation Method 3
The domestic appliance preferably includes a squeegee, by means of which the lint collected on the filter in the process air duct can be removed
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a household appliance I for the care of laundry items, comprising a process air duct 4, 5, 6 through which an airflow P is directed through a drum 2 for receiving the laundry items 1 and which includes a sieve 8 for separating lint 9 from the airflow P, and a device 15 for removing the lint 9 from the sieve 8, wherein the device 15 is designed to remove lint 9 that has collected on the sieve 8 outside the process air duct 4, 5, 6, and includes a rinsing device 16 with which this lint 9 can be rinsed from the sieve 8 with rinsing liquid. The invention also relates to a method for removing lint from a sieve 8 of the household appliance I.