Dual-Filter Laundry System for Microplastic and Lint Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laundry treatment devices, such as washing machines and tumble dryers, are ineffective in filtering microplastics, which are smaller than fibers and lint, and often allow them to escape into the environment, while also being difficult for consumers to clean and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment device equipped with both a lint filter and a microplastic filter arranged in series within the housing, where the lint filter precedes the microplastic filter, ensuring that microplastics are trapped before they reach the environment, and both filters can be easily accessed and cleaned through a single opening in the front wall, allowing for efficient filtration and maintenance without additional structural changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a lint filter is used to filter fibers and lint from the fluid, then larger particles are removed, but microplastics smaller than lint pass through and escape into the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system is segmented into two distinct filters with different mesh sizes: a lint filter for larger particles and a microplastic filter for smaller particles. This segmentation allows each filter to specialize in removing specific particle size ranges, improving overall filtration efficiency without creating an overly complex single-filter design.
Solution Approach 2:
The microplastic filter is positioned downstream within the fluid flow path, nested after the lint filter. This nested arrangement allows the microplastic filter to receive pre-filtered fluid from the lint filter, enabling effective microplastic removal while maintaining a compact integrated filter assembly within the housing.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple filters are installed to improve filtration effectiveness, then filtering performance increases, but cleaning and maintenance becomes more difficult for consumers
Solution Approach 1:
Both the lint filter and microplastic filter are merged into a single accessible location within the housing, reachable through one opening. This merging allows consumers to clean and maintain both filters through a single access point, simplifying maintenance operations despite having multiple filters in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening in the housing serves multiple functions: it provides access for loading laundry into the container and simultaneously provides access for removing and cleaning both the lint filter and microplastic filter. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate access points needed, simplifying the overall user interaction with the device.
3Ease of manufacture
If filters are placed outside the housing for easy access, then maintenance is simplified, but the device cannot be equipped with filters from the outset and requires separate attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with an asymmetric opening configuration that prioritizes filter accessibility. The opening is positioned and sized asymmetrically to provide easy access to both filters during maintenance, while the internal filter arrangement is optimized for integrated manufacturing. This asymmetric design resolves the conflict between integrated installation and easy maintenance access.
Solution Approach 2:
The filters are pre-installed and integrated into the housing during manufacturing, allowing the device to be equipped with complete filtration capability from the outset. The opening is pre-positioned in the housing design to enable future maintenance access, so no separate attachment or modification is needed by the consumer.
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 combined filter system effectively prevents microplastics from entering the environment by filtering at least 80-90% of particles between 50 µm and 5 mm in length and 10 µm in thickness, while simplifying the cleaning and replacement process for consumers.
Implementation Method 1
a lint filter, which filters fibers, lint, lint and the like
Implementation Method 2
a microplastic filter, which filters microplastics from the fluid flowing through the air pipe or water pipe
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention proposes, for example, to equip a washing machine (1) with a lint filter (14) and a microplastic filter (15) which are housed in the washing machine (1) in place of an originally provided lint filter and can be removed for cleaning through an opening (13) at the bottom of a front wall (9) of the washing machine (1), which is provided for removing the original lint filter.