Apparatus for treating laundry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating devices face issues with the aesthetic unity of the door due to exposed fastening members and weld lines, increased door thickness, and higher production costs, which also lead to potential breakage and defects in the hinge holder.
Innovation Solution
A hinge holder design with uniform thickness, reinforced recesses, and a stop portion to limit excessive rotation, allowing for reduced material usage and improved durability, while maintaining rigidity and preventing breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door diameter is increased to improve user accessibility and aesthetic impression, then the door can serve as a better interface for control and recognition, but the door may collide with the hinge part at wider opening angles, causing breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing a stop portion that limits the opening angle of the door before collision can occur. The stop portion protrudes from the cabinet body and contacts the inner frame or outer frame when the door reaches a predetermined opening angle, preventing further rotation that would cause breakage. This preventive measure is built into the structure in advance.
2Strength
If the hinge part thickness is increased to maintain rigidity, then the hinge part can better support the door weight and stress, but the door thickness increases and material and molding costs are raised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating reinforcement at the critical stress point - the projection portion of the hinge part that connects to the door. The reinforce recess is formed only at this specific location where bending stress is highest, rather than increasing the thickness of the entire hinge holder. This localized reinforcement maintains rigidity where needed while minimizing material usage and molding costs.
3Shape
If the door diameter is increased to accommodate the control panel, then the aesthetic impression is emphasized, but the outer frame and inner frame collision with the hinge part causes breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The stop portion is designed to contact the inner frame or outer frame at a predetermined opening angle before collision with the hinge part can occur. This preliminary contact prevents the frames from reaching the position where breakage would happen, allowing the door to maintain its larger diameter for aesthetic purposes while preventing structural failure.
4Ease of manufacture
If the hinge holder thickness is reduced to lower production costs, then material usage is decreased, but the rigidity and durability of the hinge holder may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge holder is designed with uniform thickness to reduce production costs, but a reinforce recess is formed at the projection portion where bending stress is highest. This localized reinforcement compensates for the reduced overall thickness, maintaining rigidity and durability at the critical stress point while allowing the rest of the hinge holder to have minimal thickness for cost efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a laundry treating apparatus comprising a cabinet (1) having an opening (13), a laundry receiving part (20) provided within the cabinet (1) to receive the laundry therein, the laundry receiving part (20) having an input entrance communicating with the opening (13), a door (8) opening/closing the opening (13), and a hinge part (900) joining the door (8) to the cabinet (1) rotatably, the hinge part (900) including a base (910) joined to the cabinet (1), a projection portion (912, 913) projected from the base (910) to be connected to the door (8), a hinge holder (920) joined to the door (8) to support one side of the projection portion (912, 913) rotatably, and a hinge cover (930) joined to the hinge holder (920) to support the other side of the projection portion (912, 913) rotatably, wherein the hinge holder (920) further includes a reinforce recess (923) having one side formed concave. The hinge holder is formed in uniform thickness.