Table Fan Circulation System for Automated Filter Cleaning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing table fans are complicated to clean, with high water consumption and unreliable cleaning modes in extractor hoods, leading to inefficient impurity removal from filter elements and housings.
Innovation Solution
A table fan with a circulation system for guiding cleaning liquid in a closed circuit, where at least one portion of the filter element is located, allowing for multiple cleaning cycles with varying temperatures and compositions, and the use of a reservoir, nozzles, and a pump to automate the cleaning process without removing the filter element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If filter elements are removed and cleaned in a dishwasher, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to disassembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element is designed to remain installed in the table fan during cleaning, eliminating the need for user disassembly. The circulation system automatically directs cleaning liquid through the filter element in its installed position, allowing the system to clean itself without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning function is extracted from manual processes and integrated into the table fan system through an automated circulation system. The cleaning liquid circulation path is designed to flow through the filter element while it remains in place, separating the cleaning action from the filter removal action.
2Reliability
If a spraying device is used in extractor hoods, then cleaning capability is improved, but water consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation system creates a closed loop where cleaning liquid continuously flows through the filter element, is collected, and reused. This continuous circulation allows the same cleaning liquid to be applied multiple times to different areas of the filter element, maximizing the utility of each unit of water and significantly reducing overall consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding used cleaning water after a single application, the system recovers the cleaning liquid by collecting it from the filter element and pump housing, then reuses it through the circulation system. This recovery and reuse process minimizes water consumption while maintaining effective cleaning capability.
3Device complexity
If manual cleaning is required for non-removable parts, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and time efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation system serves multiple functions: it directs cleaning liquid to the filter element, collects the cleaning liquid after application, and pumps it back for reuse. This multi-functional system achieves automated cleaning without requiring complex disassembly mechanisms or multiple separate cleaning devices, maintaining structural simplicity while dramatically improving cleaning efficiency.
4Device complexity
If cleaning liquid is sprayed in one mode only, then device complexity is reduced, but cleaning reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation system dynamically adapts the cleaning process by continuously circulating cleaning liquid through the filter element multiple times. The system can vary the circulation patterns and apply cleaning liquid to different areas of the filter element during successive cycles, ensuring comprehensive cleaning coverage and reliable removal of impurities from all surfaces.
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
Enables reliable, efficient, and automated cleaning of filter elements with reduced water consumption, allowing for different cleaning modes and minimizing the need for manual intervention, while maintaining optimal filter performance.
Implementation Method 1
a circulation system for guiding cleaning liquid in a cleaning circuit
Implementation Method 2
at least one pump for pumping the cleaning liquid to the at least one nozzle
Implementation Method 3
at least one nozzle at least temporarily directed at the at least one filter element
Data Source
AI summary
A table fan includes a fan generating a flow of air, a cleaning device including a circulation system for guiding cleaning liquid in a cleaning circuit, a filter chamber having a suction opening via which air is suctioned downwards, and a filter element arranged in the filter chamber and having at least one portion which is located in the cleaning circuit.