Rotating Lint Filter Design for Automatic Cleaning in Clothes Dryers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clothes dryers require manual intervention to remove lint accumulated in the lint filter, which can lead to deterioration in drying performance if not regularly cleaned.
Innovation Solution
A clothes dryer equipped with a lint removal device that includes a first filter and a second filter, where the first filter is rotatable and powered by a motor to remove lint collected in the second filter without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lint filter is installed to remove lint from air, then drying performance is maintained, but lint accumulates in the filter requiring manual cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The lint filter system performs self-cleaning through a rotating first filter that acts as a cleaning member. As the first filter rotates, it scrapes lint from the second filter surface and collects it in a lint container, eliminating the need for manual intervention and maintaining continuous drying performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static filter requiring manual cleaning to a dynamic system where the first filter rotates to automatically clean the second filter. The rotation mechanism enables continuous operation without manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between maintaining performance and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If manual lint removal is required, then device complexity is low, but user convenience deteriorates and drying performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines the filtering function and cleaning function into a single integrated device. The first filter serves dual purposes: filtering lint from air during normal operation and cleaning the second filter during rotation, reducing overall device complexity while improving user convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The first filter is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both a lint filter during dryer operation and a cleaning member for the second filter during rotation. This universal design improves user convenience without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Extent of automation
If automatic lint removal is implemented, then user convenience is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves automatic lint removal through self-service mechanisms where the rotating first filter automatically cleans the second filter and deposits lint in a container. This automation is accomplished through the existing filter rotation mechanism, minimizing additional complexity while maximizing automated functionality.
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 solution effectively prevents deterioration in drying performance by automatically removing lint from the filters, enhancing user convenience by eliminating the need for manual lint removal.
Implementation Method 1
a first filter configured to filter out lint in air, a rotation member including a rotation shaft and a fin extending from the rotation shaft to scrape and collect lint collected in the lint filter
Data Source
AI summary
A clothes dryer includes a drum, an exhaust port through which air in the drum is discharged to outside of the drum, a first filter that is rotatable and is configured so that air discharged through the exhaust port passes through the first filter so as to be filtered by the first filter, a second filter disposed on one side of the first filter to remove lint in the air passed through the first filter, and a motor configured to transmit power to the first filter to rotate the first filter. The first filter and the second filter are configured so that rotation of the first filter by the motor causes lint collected in the second filter to be removed from the second filter.