Vacuum Cleaner Self-Cleaning Filter to Reduce Fan Load and Clogging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum cleaners face issues with filter clogging due to trapped dust and foreign materials, which increases the load on the fan unit and creates an untidy appearance, and existing solutions fail to efficiently prevent the re-scattering and backward flow of dust into the dust storage unit.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum cleaner design featuring a dust collector with a first cyclone and a cleaning unit that includes rotating ribs to remove dust from the filter surface, a skirt portion to prevent re-scattering, and a driving unit to rotate the cleaning unit, ensuring efficient collection and minimizing filter clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a filter is used to separate dust and foreign materials from air in a vacuum cleaner, then dust collection efficiency is improved, but the filter becomes clogged with accumulated dust and foreign materials, increasing the load on the fan unit and creating an untidy appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum cleaner includes an automatic filter cleaning mechanism that uses a rotating brush or blade to remove dust and foreign materials from the filter surface during operation. This self-cleaning function prevents filter clogging without requiring manual intervention, maintaining dust collection efficiency while eliminating the harmful effect of accumulated dust on the filter.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary cleaning of the filter before dust accumulation becomes problematic. The automatic cleaning mechanism operates periodically or continuously to prevent clogging, ensuring the filter remains effective and the fan unit is not overloaded.
2Ease of repair
If a cleaning unit is added to remove foreign materials or dust from the filter surface, then filter maintenance is improved, but foreign materials or dust are caught by the cleaning unit and accumulated on the cleaning unit without falling into the dust storage unit
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning unit is designed with a specific geometric configuration where the removed dust and foreign materials are directed along a controlled path using guide surfaces or channels. This dimensional arrangement ensures that debris is channeled downward into the dust storage unit rather than accumulating on the cleaning mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide surfaces or flow channels act as intermediaries between the cleaning unit and the dust storage unit. These intermediary structures direct the removed debris along a predetermined path, ensuring efficient transfer to the storage compartment and preventing accumulation on the cleaning mechanism.
3Productivity
If multiple flows including high-speed rotation flow due to suction force coexist within the dust collector, then dust separation capability is improved, but the complicated flow obstructs the introduction of foreign materials and dust into the dust storage unit and causes dust to float backward or scatter
Solution Approach 1:
The dust collector is divided into distinct functional zones: a separation zone where cyclonic forces separate dust from air, a transition zone that manages flow patterns, and a collection zone where dust settles in the storage unit. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its function while minimizing interference between zones, preventing dust scattering and ensuring stable collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The design utilizes three-dimensional flow management with vertical and radial components. The dust collector creates controlled vortex flows that move dust particles downward along the walls into the storage unit, while clean air rises through the center. This multi-dimensional flow pattern prevents backward flow and scattering by directing all dust-laden flows toward the collection zone.
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 automatically cleans the filter during operation, reduces the load on the fan unit, prevents filter clogging, and simplifies maintenance by ensuring dust is efficiently collected and stored, minimizing the need for manual filter cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a first cyclone that separates larger dust and foreign materials from the airflow by a filter
Implementation Method 2
a first cyclone that separates larger dust and foreign materials from the airflow
Implementation Method 3
a second cyclone that separates relatively small dust (fine dust) from the airflow passing through the first cyclone
Implementation Method 4
a second cyclone that separates relatively small dust (fine dust) from the airflow
Implementation Method 5
a fan unit that provides suction force
Implementation Method 6
a fan unit that provides suction force
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner for separating and collecting dust and the like by using a multi-cyclone and a mesh filter, including a cleaning unit for sweeping dust and foreign materials attached to the mesh filter along an outer circumferential surface of the mesh filter, and a rotation unit coupled to the cleaning unit for rotating the cleaning unit relative to the mesh filter, whereby the cleaning unit can clean a surface of the filter automatically or manually during an operation of the cleaner, so that the filter surface can be kept clean, and a load on a fan unit caused due to foreign materials or dust can be reduced.