Partitioned Ball Balancer With Viscous Damping for Drum Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry apparatuses experience significant noise and vibration during the high-speed rotation of the drum, particularly in drying-spinning cycles, which affects user comfort.
Innovation Solution
A ball balancer system comprising a circular housing with partition members and viscous fluid, allowing ball members to move within the housing and compensate for eccentric drum rotation, thereby reducing noise and vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the drum rotates at high speed during drying-spinning cycle, then productivity is improved, but noise and vibration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses ball members as counterweights that automatically shift position to balance the drum's eccentric mass distribution during high-speed rotation. The balls move to the opposite side of the heavy load, creating counterbalancing force that reduces vibration and noise while maintaining high drying efficiency
2Reliability
If ball members are allowed to move freely in the housing, then balancing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple compartments by partition members, with each compartment containing a specific number of ball members. This segmentation allows independent balancing action in different zones while simplifying the overall structure and ball distribution mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
Viscous fluid is introduced as an intermediary medium that fills the spaces between ball members and partition members. The fluid dampens ball movement and reduces impact noise, enabling effective balancing while maintaining structural simplicity
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 ball balancer effectively minimizes noise and vibration by distributing the load evenly across the drum, ensuring balanced operation even at high rotation speeds, enhancing user experience and appliance stability.
Implementation Method 1
viscous fluid filled in the motion space
Data Source
AI summary
A ball balancer and a laundry apparatus having the same are disclosed. A ball balancer includes a circular housing having motion space formed therein, at least two partition members spaced apart a predetermined distance along the motion space of the housing, the partition members partitioning the motion space into at least two spaces, a plurality of ball members movable within the partitioned spaces of the motion space, and viscous fluid filled in the motion space. Such the ball balancer may reduce noise and vibration of the laundry apparatus having the same.