Laundry Dryer Filter Assembly with Curved Chamber for Uniform Air Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in improving filter performance, increasing filter capacity and area, maintaining performance when air flow direction changes, and ensuring uniform air flow rate across the filter surface.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes an air circulator and a filter assembly with a filter chamber and a filter member. The filter member has multiple filter surfaces, and the separation distance between these surfaces and the filter chamber changes, improving air flow uniformity. The filter assembly is designed to allow air to be introduced and discharged at intersecting angles, enhancing filter performance and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the filtering area of the filter is increased, then the flow rate of air and drying efficiency are improved, but the uniformity of air flow rate on the filter surface is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filter chamber is designed with a curved inner wall that has different separation distances from different filter surfaces, creating non-uniform local characteristics. This local variation in separation distance compensates for the non-uniform air flow distribution that occurs when filtering area is increased, thereby maintaining uniform air flow rate across the entire filter surface while preserving the benefits of larger filtering area
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a flat, two-dimensional filter arrangement to a three-dimensional curved filter chamber structure. By curving the inner wall of the filter chamber, the design adds spatial dimensionality to the air flow path, allowing air to be distributed more uniformly across multiple filter surfaces at different positions and angles, thus achieving both increased filtering area and maintained flow uniformity
2Adaptability or versatility
If the flow channel is bent based on design necessity, then the air flow direction changes, but the flow rate uniformity on the flow cross-section at the bending point is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filter chamber employs a curved inner wall design instead of sharp bends or angular transitions. This curvature allows air flow direction to change gradually and smoothly, preventing flow separation and turbulence that would occur at sharp bends, thereby maintaining flow rate uniformity even when air flow direction must change to accommodate different filter surfaces
3Productivity
If the filter capacity is increased, then the filtering area is increased, but the ease of use for withdrawing and introducing the filter is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filter assembly is segmented into multiple independent filter surfaces rather than a single large filter. This segmentation allows the filter to be divided into smaller, more manageable units that can be more easily inserted and removed, while collectively providing the same total filtering area and capacity as a single large filter would provide
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
This design effectively improves filter performance, increases filter capacity and area, maintains performance despite changes in air flow direction, and ensures uniform air flow rate across the filter surface, making it easier to manage and maintain the filter.
Implementation Method 1
a filter member disposed in the filter assembly to filter foreign substances in air
Implementation Method 2
raise the temperature of air using a heat pump system that uses heat generated by compressing a fluid such as a refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
raise the temperature of air using a heater or the like that is heated by consuming electric power
Implementation Method 4
an air circulator that circulates air inside the drum
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a laundry treating apparatus including a cabinet, a drum, an air circulator, and a filter assembly, wherein the filter chamber includes a chamber inlet allowing air to be introduced along a first direction and a chamber outlet allowing air to be discharged along a second direction intersecting the first direction, wherein the filter member includes an inlet surface facing the chamber inlet and allowing air to be introduced into a filter space defined inside the filter member along the first direction, a first filter surface connected to the inlet surface, facing the chamber outlet, and allowing air in the filter space to pass therethrough along the second direction and be filtered, and a second filter surface connected to the inlet surface and allowing air in the filter space to pass therethrough and be filtered, wherein a separation distance between one surface of the filter chamber facing the second filter surface and the second filter surface decreases as a distance from the inlet surface increases.