Tilted Dryer Door and Lint Filter Layout to Prevent Air Path Jamming

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laundry drying apparatuses require users to bend at the waist to introduce and remove laundry, causing inconvenience, and the lint filter location can lead to jamming issues and air path obstruction.

Innovation Solution

A laundry drying apparatus with a tilted door and a lint filter mounted between the door and drum, allowing easier access and separation, and an auxiliary device to raise the cabinet height for enhanced convenience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the door is installed vertically at the front of the cabinet, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the user must bend at the waist to introduce and remove laundry causing inconvenience

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser convenienceVSAvoiddoor structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The door is designed with an asymmetric tilted structure rather than a conventional vertical orientation. The door body is inclined at an angle of 5-15 degrees relative to the vertical direction, creating an asymmetric configuration that improves user accessibility by reducing waist bending while maintaining structural integrity through the tilted hinge connection to the cabinet

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If the lint filter is installed in the collection duct at the front end of the drying drum, then it can catch lint effectively, but the lint filter may be clogged by laundry and obstruct the air path

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair path reliabilityVSAvoidlaundry jamming and air path obstruction
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The lint filter is extracted from its traditional position within the collection duct and relocated to the door. Specifically, the lint filter is installed in the door at a position that is easily accessible to users for cleaning and maintenance. This extraction removes the lint filter from the air path entirely, eliminating the risk of laundry jamming the filter and obstructing air flow while maintaining effective lint collection functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A door-mounted lint filter housing serves as an intermediary structure that separates the lint filtration function from the air circulation path. The housing includes a removable filter element that can be easily accessed through the door, allowing users to clean or replace the filter without disassembling the collection duct or disturbing the air path components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If the door glass protrudes inward of the drum to prevent laundry movement, then laundry protection is improved, but the gap between the door glass and drum may cause laundry to get stuck

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelaundry movement controlVSAvoidlaundry jamming between door glass and drum
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of having the door glass protrude inward toward the drum creating a narrowing gap, the design inverts this configuration by ensuring the door glass does not protrude beyond the drum surface, or by providing a clearance gap between the door glass and drum. This inversion prevents laundry from being pinched or jammed in the gap while the door glass still provides the necessary structural support and viewing function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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 tilted door design reduces user bending and facilitates easier lint filter installation and air flow, improving user access and drying efficiency by preventing jamming and air resistance.

Implementation Method 1

a heating duct 55 connected to the collection duct 52 to heat air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 2

a condensation duct 56 connected to the heating duct 55 to condense moisture contained in air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCondensation: Condensation

Data Source

PatentEP2829653B1Laundry drying apparatus
Publication Date: 2020.01.08 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP2829653B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2829653B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2829653B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed is a laundry drying apparatus. The laundry drying apparatus comprises a cabinet (110) including a front panel (111) provided with an opening for introduction of laundry, a drying drum (120) horizontally installed within the cabinet, and an air supply device (140) configured to collect air inside the drying drum and supply the air into the drying drum. The front panel (111) includes an upper region (B) where a door (114) is installed and a lower region (C) located below the upper region, and the upper region (B) is tilted rearward of the cabinet by a predetermined angle.