Vertical Filter Cleaner for Rear-Intake Indoor Air Conditioners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indoor air conditioner units with rear-mounted filters face challenges in cleaning due to limited space and weight, requiring users to access filters from the back, which is inconvenient and inefficient, especially when filters need to be moved or deformed for cleaning, and existing filter cleaners are limited in their ability to remove substances stuck in filters effectively.
Innovation Solution
An indoor air conditioner unit with a filter cleaner that moves upward and downward along a guide rail, equipped with a mobile gear, guide rollers, an agitator, and a dust container, allowing for effective removal of foreign substances from filters without requiring filter movement or deformation, and enabling easy insertion and removal of the dust container from the front.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a filter is disposed at the air suction port in the rear of the cabinet, then the air suction function is improved, but the ease of operation for filter cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The filter cleaner automatically moves along the guide rail and cleans the filter without user intervention. The cleaning mechanism includes an agitator that rotates to dislodge dust and a suction fan that automatically removes the loosened particles, enabling the system to clean itself without requiring user access to the rear of the cabinet.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical action of user cleaning is replaced by an automated cleaning mechanism. The system uses a motor-driven agitator to mechanically dislodge dust and a suction fan to remove particles, substituting the need for manual user intervention with an automated electromechanical system.
2Device complexity
If a suction method is used to remove foreign substances from the filter, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of foreign substance removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning mechanism merges two functions: an agitator that mechanically dislodges foreign substances from the filter and a suction fan that removes the loosened particles. This combination ensures that both deeply embedded and surface-level contaminants are effectively removed, overcoming the limitations of suction alone while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitator performs preliminary action by mechanically dislodging and loosening foreign substances from the filter before the suction fan removes them. This preliminary mechanical action prepares the contaminants for efficient suction removal, ensuring more reliable cleaning of even deeply embedded particles.
3Area of stationary object
If the filter cleaner moves upward and downward with respect to the filter, then the area of cleaning is improved, but the weight of the filter cleaner increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter cleaner is designed to dynamically move along the guide rail in the upward and downward directions, allowing a single lighter unit to clean the entire vertical surface area of the filter. This dynamic movement capability enables full-area cleaning without requiring a heavy stationary cleaner that covers all areas simultaneously.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the shape of the filter is deformed to move in the left-right direction, then the adaptability of the filter cleaner is improved, but the manufacturing precision of the filter deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of deforming the filter in the left-right direction, the cleaning mechanism moves in the upward and downward directions along the guide rail. This dimensional change in the cleaning approach allows the filter to maintain its original shape and manufacturing precision while still achieving comprehensive cleaning coverage through vertical movement.
Data Source
AI summary
The indoor unit for the air conditioner according to the present invention includes: a cabinet assembly forming an external appearance of the indoor unit and having an air suction port formed in a rear of the cabinet assembly; a filter module disposed at the air suction port to filter dust contained in air being introduced through the air suction port; a filter cleaner configured to move upward and downward in a rear of the filter module to remove foreign substances stuck in the filter module; a guide rail vertically disposed on one side of the filter module and configured to guide upward and downward movement of the filter cleaner.