Self-Cleaning Prefiltration Belt for Air Purifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air purifiers face issues with pet hair clogging the filter element's air inlets, leading to reduced filtration capacity and frequent cleaning or replacement needs.
Innovation Solution
A prefiltration structure comprising a prefiltration belt with a scraping member and accommodation chamber, driven by a transmission gear system, which scrapes off impurities onto the belt and collects them in the chamber, reducing the need for frequent cleaning or replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filter element is used in an air purifier, then filtration capacity is improved, but pet hair and dust accumulate on the surface causing clogging and requiring frequent cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The prefiltration belt performs preliminary filtration of pet hair and dust before air enters the filter element. By intercepting and removing larger particles in advance, the main filter element is protected from clogging, thereby reducing the frequency of cleaning required while maintaining filtration capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The prefiltration belt acts as an intermediary component between the air inlet and the filter element. It captures pet hair and dust particles that would otherwise accumulate on the filter element surface, serving as a protective barrier that extends the cleaning interval
2Reliability
If a prefiltration belt is added to prevent clogging, then filtration efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional transmission components
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission gear system serves multiple functions: it drives the prefiltration belt for filtration, simultaneously drives the scraping member for cleaning, and coordinates the rotation of both components. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate drive mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving both filtration and self-cleaning
3Loss of time
If a scraping member is used to clean the prefiltration belt, then maintenance frequency is reduced, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The scraping member is designed to automatically clean the prefiltration belt during its rotation. The scraping member contacts the prefiltration belt and scrapes off accumulated impurities, which fall into the collection chamber. This self-service cleaning mechanism reduces maintenance time and frequency without requiring external intervention or complex additional systems
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a prefiltration structure for filter element and an air purifier, comprising: a first transmission belt, a second transmission belt, a first transmission gear, a prefiltration belt having opposing windward and leeward portions, and a driving member. The prefiltration belt is arranged at a side of a filter element to pre-filter the air entering the filter element, thereby reducing the frequency of cleaning or replacement of the filter element. When impurities are accumulated on the windward portion of the prefiltration belt, the driving member outputs power to drive the first transmission belt and the second transmission belt to rotate synchronously, thereby driving the prefiltration belt to rotate simultaneously. Meanwhile, a scraping member scrapes off the impurities accumulated on a surface of the prefiltration belt into an accommodation chamber, so that the prefiltration belt is cleaned.