Pleated Dust Filter Deflector for Sustained Vacuum Suction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dust filters in vacuum cleaners become clogged with dust particles, leading to increased air resistance and reduced suction power, particularly with fine dust, and existing cleaning methods are not effective enough in maintaining suction power without frequent filter replacement.
Innovation Solution
A dust filter design with deflectors having flexible plates that increase in stiffness towards the suspension, allowing for vigorous pleat deflection and dust removal, featuring a width that decreases with distance from the suspension to enhance stiffness and durability, enabling effective knocking off of dust from the filter membrane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the flexible plate is made uniformly stiff throughout, then the overall stiffness increases for effective dust removal, but the durability decreases due to excessive bending loads at the suspension area
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible plate is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional dimensions, specifically with a width that decreases from the suspension area toward the free end. This creates locally different stiffness properties: the wider base near the suspension provides high stiffness to withstand bending loads, while the narrower distal portion allows greater flexibility for effective pleat engagement and dust removal without excessive stress concentration
2Reliability
If the deflector moves slowly along the pleats, then the durability of the flexible plate increases, but the dust removal effectiveness decreases due to insufficient impact energy
Solution Approach 1:
The deflector is designed to periodically strike the pleats rather than continuously push them. The flexible plate's elastic properties allow it to accumulate bending energy during the approach phase and then release it suddenly upon contact with the pleat, creating periodic high-energy impacts that effectively dislodge dust particles while allowing recovery time for the plate, thus maintaining durability
3Productivity
If the pleats are made stiffer for quick spring back motion, then the dust removal effectiveness improves, but the energy required for deflection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pleats are designed with dynamic characteristics that allow them to be easily deflected during the cleaning process and then quickly spring back to their original position. The pleat structure incorporates sufficient flexibility to be moved by the deflector with moderate energy input, while the rapid elastic recovery provides the necessary impact velocity to shake off dust particles effectively, optimizing the energy-to-effectiveness ratio
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 increased stiffness of the flexible plates allows for high-energy impacts on pleats, effectively removing dust and maintaining suction power by quickly returning to the original shape, enabling efficient cleaning of the filter membrane without undue wear or reduction in durability.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible plate is stiffer in areas thereof where bending loads in use are relatively high than it is in areas where bending loads in use are relatively low. This causes the flexible plate to have a higher overall stiffness without undue reduction of the durability.
Implementation Method 2
the energetic return of the deflector towards its unloaded position also causes the deflector to strike the next pleat with a high energy impact, so that dust is effectively knocked off that next pleat
Data Source
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AI summary
A dust filter for filtering dust out of an air stream has a filter membrane (2) pleated into a row of pleats. A pleat deflector (3 A, 3B) is movably suspended for movability along the row of pleats, for cleaning the filter membrane (2). The deflector (3A, 3B) has a free end (9 A, 9B) extending between the pleats when the deflector (3 A, 3B) and the pleats are in undeflected condition, such that when the deflector (3 A, 3B) is moved along the row of pleats, the pleats are deflected and released in succession along the row. The deflector (3 A, 3B) is or comprises a flexible plate (1OA, 10B) of which at least a portion between the suspension (4) and the free end (9 A, 9B) has a width transverse to the direction of movability of the deflector (3A, 3B), which decreases with the distance to the suspension (4). Thereby, a deflector of increased stiffness is obtained which is advantageous for effective dust removal.