Self-Cleaning Lint Filter Assembly for Automated Washer-Dryer Cycles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry machines require human intervention for lint filter cleaning, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to energy, water, and time consumption, and they lack autonomy in processing multiple loads.
Innovation Solution
An autonomously cleanable lint filter assembly for combination washing and drying machines, featuring a housing with multiple mesh filters, a spring-loaded axle, and spray nozzles that automatically clean the filters during the drying cycle based on sensor inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual lint filter cleaning is required, then the filter can be cleaned, but time consumption and labor are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically cleans the lint filter using spray nozzles that deliver liquid cleaner and rotating brushes during the drying cycle, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing cleaning time to just 10-20 seconds per cycle
Solution Approach 2:
The lint filter is cleaned automatically during the drying cycle before the next load is processed, preventing lint accumulation and maintaining optimal airflow without requiring separate manual cleaning operations
2Extent of automation
If lint filter cleaning is automated, then labor is reduced, but device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The spray nozzles and rotating brushes are integrated into the existing filter housing structure, serving both cleaning functions and structural support roles, thereby minimizing additional complexity while achieving automation
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning mechanism (spray nozzles and brushes) is merged with the filter assembly itself, using the same space and structural elements for both filtration and self-cleaning functions
3Reliability
If multiple mesh filters are used, then lint filtration is improved, but airflow resistance is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system is divided into multiple mesh filters with progressively finer spacing, allowing each filter to capture different sizes of lint particles while maintaining overall airflow efficiency through staged filtration
Solution Approach 2:
The system periodically reverses airflow direction during the drying cycle to prevent lint accumulation on one side of the filters, maintaining balanced airflow resistance and reducing blower energy requirements
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
Reduces the need for manual lint filter cleaning, enhances energy efficiency by reusing heat, and minimizes resource consumption by automating the cleaning process across multiple loads.
Implementation Method 1
a blower configured to pull an airflow through the lint filter assembly from an air outlet of the combination washing and drying machine
Implementation Method 2
the axle being spring loaded at at least one end for bidirectional movement along a longitudinal axis
Implementation Method 3
each of the at least two spray nozzles being configured to deliver a spray of liquid to one of the two or more mesh filters
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomously cleanable lint filter assembly disposed in a closed air loop for a combination washing and drying machine includes a housing disposed upstream of a fan configured to pull airflow through the lint filter assembly from an air outlet of the combination washing and drying machine, two or more mesh filters spaced apart and disposed within the housing, a spring loaded axle extending through the housing and receiving thereabout the two or more mesh filters, three or more drain holes disposed within a lower half of the housing, two or more annular flanges disposed on an inner surface of the housing configured to receive thereon in a reversible face seal mating under force imparted by airflow one of the two or more mesh filters, and at least two spray nozzles disposed within the housing configured to deliver sprays of liquid to one of the two or more mesh filters.