Filter Cage Rib Structure for Impact-Tolerant Air-Moving Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cage designs in air-moving systems, such as wet/dry vacuum cleaners, are prone to damage due to their significant stiffness, which can lead to failure in supporting axial forces and preventing unwanted objects or fingers from entering the impeller.
Innovation Solution
A cage design with energy-absorbing structural ribbing, featuring longitudinally angled ribs at a non-zero angle to the longitudinal axis and circumferential ribs, which can absorb impacts and provide a more robust structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cage is made with axial ribs aligned in the longitudinal direction to provide stiffness, then the cage can support axial forces and maintain structural rigidity, but the cage becomes prone to damage from impacts and handling due to excessive stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of the ribs from axial (0 degrees to longitudinal axis) to angled (non-zero angle to longitudinal axis). This parameter change allows the ribs to provide both axial support and impact absorption capabilities, resolving the contradiction between stiffness and damage resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structural design combining axial ribs for stiffness with angled energy-absorbing ribs for impact tolerance. This composite approach integrates two different functional requirements into a single cage structure, achieving both axial force support and impact damage resistance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cage is made with significant stiffness to prevent collapse and protect the impeller, then the cage can maintain its shape and provide safety shielding, but the cage becomes damaged in handling and operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates energy-absorbing ribs that act as a cushioning mechanism before impacts occur. These ribs are designed to deform and absorb impact energy during handling and operation, protecting the cage from damage while maintaining structural rigidity during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the rib orientation parameter from axial alignment to angled configuration. This parameter change enables the ribs to function dual-purpose: maintaining structural stability during operation while absorbing impact energy during handling, thus preventing damage.
3Force
If the cage uses axial ribs to create a stiff structure, then the cage can effectively seal the filter and prevent leakage, but the cage lacks the ability to absorb impacts and tolerate damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines axial ribs that provide sealing force with angled energy-absorbing ribs that provide impact resistance. This composite structure allows the cage to simultaneously maintain effective sealing while tolerating impacts and handling damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different rib orientations in different locations or functions within the cage structure. The axial ribs provide localized sealing force where needed, while the angled ribs provide localized impact absorption, creating a structure with spatially varying properties that addresses both requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a system having a cage mounted in an air-moving system, such as a wet and dry vacuum cleaner, which provides energy-absorbing structural ribbing for a more robust cage. The energy-absorbing ribs can tolerate impacts better than the relatively stiff, axial ribs aligned in a longitudinal direction of the cage found in prior efforts. The energy-absorbing ribs are formed in a non-aligned direction to the longitudinal axis, that is, at some non-zero angle to the axis. Circumferential ribs can be formed at some angle to the energy-absorbing ribs.