Removable Cooling Fan Shaft for Tumble Dryer Compressor Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

The complex installation and difficult removal of the cooling fan in tumble dryers with heat pump devices, particularly due to the need for special brackets and complex assembly in the floor area, pose challenges for efficient compressor cooling and quick maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A shaft with a lateral opening in the base module allows for easy insertion and removal of the cooling fan, featuring a box-shaped design with resilient elements for precise centering and a snap hook for secure mounting, along with a holder for electrical connection, simplifying the assembly and maintenance process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the cooling fan is installed in the floor area using special brackets, then efficient cooling of the compressor is achieved, but the installation becomes very complex and difficult to dismantle

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidinstallation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shaft is designed as a separate, removable component from the base module, allowing the cooling fan to be accessed by simply removing the shaft rather than disassembling complex brackets. This segmentation isolates the cooling fan assembly into a manageable unit that can be easily serviced.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling fan is extracted from the complex bracket system and placed inside a simple shaft that can be removed as a single unit. This extraction simplifies the installation and maintenance process by eliminating the need for special brackets while maintaining cooling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the cooling fan is securely mounted in the floor area, then reliable cooling is ensured, but quick replacement during maintenance becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling reliabilityVSAvoidfan replacement ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The shaft transitions from a fixed state during operation (providing secure mounting) to a removable state during maintenance (allowing easy fan replacement). This dynamic design enables the system to switch between reliability and ease of repair modes as needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If the shaft is designed with a lateral opening, then easy insertion and removal of the cooling fan is achieved, but the structural integrity may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefan installation easeVSAvoidshaft structural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The lateral opening is positioned strategically in the shaft to provide access for fan installation while maintaining sufficient material in critical areas to preserve structural integrity. The opening is sized and shaped to minimize weakening of the shaft while maximizing ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 simplifies the assembly and maintenance of the cooling fan, ensuring precise air transport and efficient cooling of the compressor, while allowing for quick and easy replacement in case of defects, reducing the complexity of the installation process and improving maintenance efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

the cooling fan for the compressor mounted on the base module can be inserted into the shaft... the cooling fan sucks in the outside air and blows it directly onto the compressor... so that it is cooled from the outside

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 2

resilient elements are arranged in the wall area of the shaft for holding the cooling fan without play when it is pushed in. The resilient elements can be molded out of the plastic wall... and thereby form the forced centering of the housing in the shaft

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

in the opening area of the shaft there is a snap hook which secures against automatic slipping out and which engages behind the cooling fan housing when pushed in

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical Fastening: Mechanical Fastener

Implementation Method 4

the process air being guided over the condenser for heating

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat Exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 5

in which the refrigerant circulates via an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttle device

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Data Source

PatentEP2801654B1Laundry dryer with drum which is mounted so as to be rotatable in a housing

Publication Date: 2019.06.12 MIELE & CO KG

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AI summary

The invention relates to a clothes dryer (1) with a drum (3) rotatably mounted in a housing (2), which in its basic design comprises a base module (4) in which heated process air is supplied to the drum (3), and in which the dryer (1) is equipped with a heat pump unit arranged in the base module (4), in which refrigerant circulates in a cycle via an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion device, the process air being heated by passing over the condenser, and a cooling fan (5) being provided for cooling the compressor and/or the refrigerant. For easy assembly and disassembly, the base module (4), as an assembly with the heat pump unit, has a shaft (6) in which the cooling fan (5) for the compressor, which is enclosed in the base module (4), can be inserted.