Nested Lint Filter Cartridge for Easier Dryer Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rotary-drum household laundry dryers have air-filtering cartridges that are difficult to clean due to fluff and lint particles accumulating on both inner and outer surfaces, causing operational issues during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a wedge-shaped air-filtering cartridge with separable, hinged valve-like pieces and a permeable-to-air upper lid, allowing for easy opening and cleaning, with additional layers for enhanced filtration, ensuring fluff and lint particles are contained within the cartridge during maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional air-filtering cartridge is used in laundry dryers, then filtration of fluff and lint particles is achieved, but the cartridge becomes difficult to clean due to particle accumulation on both inner and outer surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The air-filtering cartridge is divided into multiple separable filtering elements or layers that can be independently removed and cleaned. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access and clean each filtering element separately, solving the problem of difficult cleaning while maintaining effective filtration across all surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtering elements are designed to be extractable from the cartridge housing, allowing them to be removed for external cleaning. This extraction capability enables thorough cleaning of both inner and outer surfaces without disassembling the entire cartridge structure, significantly improving maintenance ease while preserving filtration reliability.
2Reliability
If the air-filtering cartridge is made with multiple filtering layers, then filtration effectiveness is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple filtering layers are nested within each other in a compact arrangement, with each layer contained within the cartridge housing. This nested structure provides enhanced filtration effectiveness through multiple layers while minimizing the increase in device complexity by organizing the layers in a space-efficient, hierarchical manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtering layers are constructed using flexible, thin-film materials that can be easily manufactured and assembled. These flexible filtering elements conform to the cartridge structure and can be installed or removed as complete units, reducing the complexity of handling and assembling multiple rigid filtering components.
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 improved air-filtering cartridge facilitates easier and more effective cleaning by containing fluff and lint particles inside the cartridge, reducing maintenance challenges and ensuring uninterrupted dryer operation.
Implementation Method 1
an air-filtering cartridge (15) which is fitted in removable manner into the air-vent (10) and is structured to restrain the fluff and/or lint particles
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Laundry dryer (1) comprising an outer casing (2) having a front wall (2a) provided with a laundry loading/unloading pass-through opening, and an air-filtering cartridge (15) which is fitted in removable manner into an air-vent (10) which is passed through by a laundry drying airflow (f). the air-filtering cartridge (15) comprises a first substantially bag- or pocket- shaped, air-filtering shell or vessel (20, 120) which is dimensioned for being inserted/plugged into said air-vent (10) and is structured to restrain the fluff and/or lint particles in suspension into the airflow (f); the air-filtering cartridge (15) furthermore comprising a second substantially bag- or pocket- shaped, air-filtering shell or vessel (30, 130) which is fitted/recessed into said first air-filtering shell or vessel (20, 120) so as to be crossed by substantially the same airflow (f) that crosses the first air-filtering shell or vessel (20 120), is structured to restrain the fluff and/or lint particles in suspension into the airflow (f), and is mechanically coupled to said first air-filtering shell or vessel (20, 120) in sliding manner.