Active Balancer Wire Sealing and Slip Ring Design for Washing Machines
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Washing machines with passive balancers often fail to precisely locate the balancer to dampen unbalanced loads in rotating tubs, leading to vibrations and noise, which can damage components.
Innovation Solution
A washing machine design incorporating an active balancer with a waterproofing and protecting structure for the power-supplying wire and a slip ring structure to prevent wire twist, minimizing volume reduction and ensuring effective vibration damping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wire is provided to supply electric power to the active balancer module, then the active balancer can be driven, but the wire may be damaged by wash water permeation
Solution Approach 1:
A waterproofing tube is introduced as an intermediary component between the wire and the wash water environment. The tube seals around the wire passing through the flange shaft, creating a protective barrier that prevents wash water from reaching and damaging the wire while still allowing electrical power to be transmitted through the wire to the active balancer module.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire is extracted from the direct exposure to the wash water environment by routing it through the hollow portion of the flange shaft and sealing it with the waterproofing tube. This separates the wire from the harmful aquatic environment while maintaining its functional connection to the balancer module.
2Reliability
If a slip ring structure is added to prevent wire twist, then wire damage is reduced, but the axial length increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slip ring structure is nested within the existing flange shaft assembly, utilizing the hollow portion of the flange shaft for wire routing. The waterproofing tube is sealed to both the flange shaft and the balancer housing, creating a compact integrated structure that prevents wire twist without significantly increasing the overall axial length of the assembly.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If an active balancer is used to precisely damp load unbalance, then vibration and noise are minimized, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The active balancer module replaces traditional passive mechanical balancing mechanisms with an electrically actuated system. Motors or actuators are used to actively adjust the balancer positions based on detected unbalance conditions, providing more precise control over vibration damping while allowing for programmable optimization of balancing performance.
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 effectively seals the power-supplying wire to prevent wash water ingress and reduces the risk of wire damage, while the slip ring's shorter axial length minimizes volume reduction, enhancing the machine's stability and performance.
Implementation Method 1
a waterproofing tube provided between the flange shaft and the at least one balancer housing to prevent wash water from permeating the wire and to sealingly accommodate the wire
Implementation Method 2
a slip ring structure which prevents a twist of the wire
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a washing machine including a balancer module which is actively driven in a balancer housing to damp load unbalance of the washing machine, a power supplying unit provided at an outside of a tub to supply electric power to the balancer module, and a wire configured to pass through a hollow portion of a rotating shaft of a flange shaft to electrically connect the balancer module and the power supplying unit. The washing machine comprises a slip ring disposed between the rotating balancer module and the fixed power supplying unit to prevent the wire from being twisted. An internal wire disposed in a rotating tub is covered by a waterproofing tube so as to prevent moisture from permeating the internal wire. The hollow portion of the rotating shaft of the flange shaft is sealed by a stopper member and a packing member so as to prevent the moisture from permeating. An external wire disposed at an outside of the tub may be neatly arranged by a guide bracket.