Additive injecting apparatus and laundry treatment machine including the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive injection systems for laundry treatment machines lack the ability to uniformly inject additives, such as anti-scale agents, according to the flow of solvents, leading to inefficient use and potential excessive consumption of additives.
Innovation Solution
An additive injection apparatus with a nozzle featuring an inclination forming part and a floater that converges to a non-circular communicating hole, allowing for controlled injection of additives with a specific gravity greater than the solvent, ensuring additives are injected only when the solvent flows, and the floater closes the communicating hole when flow stops, preventing excessive use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If additives are injected continuously to ensure uniform distribution in solvent, then uniformity of additive distribution is improved, but additive consumption increases and waste occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic injection system where the additive injection is activated only when solvent flow is detected through a flow sensor. The injection amount is dynamically adjusted based on the detected flow rate, ensuring uniform distribution during operation while preventing waste when the system is idle or flow is insufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a flow sensor that continuously monitors solvent flow and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the additive injection accordingly - injecting when flow is adequate and uniformity is needed, and stopping when flow is insufficient to prevent waste.
2Reliability
If additive injection is activated continuously to maintain effective concentration, then effectiveness of additive action is improved, but additive consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically controls additive injection based on real-time solvent flow detection. The injection is activated only when sufficient solvent flow is detected to ensure effective additive action, and deactivated when flow is insufficient, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing unnecessary consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the solvent flow itself to trigger and control the additive injection process. The flow sensor detects the presence and rate of solvent flow, and this information automatically controls the injection timing and amount, eliminating the need for continuous injection and reducing consumption while maintaining effectiveness.
3Quantity of substance
If additive is injected in large amounts at once, then sufficient additive availability is ensured, but uniform distribution is compromised and waste occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of injecting the full required amount of additive at once, the system uses partial injection based on detected solvent flow. The control unit calculates and delivers only the necessary portion of additive corresponding to the actual flow rate, ensuring sufficient availability for the current operational needs while achieving uniform distribution and avoiding waste from excessive injection.
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 apparatus ensures uniform injection of additives, optimizing their use by injecting only when necessary, reducing waste and maintaining effective concentrations within the solvent flow.
Implementation Method 1
a floater (140) disposed in the main body (110) to open or close the communicating hole (131) by rising and falling according to the flow of the solvent
Implementation Method 2
The additive may have a specific gravity larger than the solvent... a convergent part forming an inclination surface that converges to the communicating hole such that a component with the additive dissolved therein is guided to the communicating hole together with the solvent
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
Provided are an additive injection apparatus and a laundry treatment machine including the same. The additive injection apparatus includes a main body (110), and additive container (120), a nozzle (130), and a floater (140). The main body (110) is disposed on a path along which a solvent flows and includes an inlet (112) and an outlet (113) for receiving and discharging the solvent, respectively. The additive container (120) holds an additive. The nozzle (130) has a communicating hole (131) for communicating between the main body (110) and the additive container (120). The floater (140) is disposed in the main body, and rises and falls according to the flow of the solvent to open and close the communicating hole (131).