Bottom-Fed Agent Dispenser to Prevent Clumping and Overflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agent dispensers in fabric treatment appliances face issues such as clumping of powder agents, poor mixing with water, premature interaction with residual water, and overflowing, which affect the efficacy of fabric treatment processes.
Innovation Solution
An agent dispenser design featuring a housing with a manifold that supplies water to the bottom of an agent compartment, ensuring water mixes with the agent from the bottom up, preventing clumping and overflowing, and facilitating effective mixing and dispensing of agents into the fabric treatment chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If water is supplied to the agent compartment from the top, then the agent dispenser structure is simple, but the agent mixes poorly with water and forms clumps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional water supply approach by supplying water to the agent compartment from the bottom upward instead of from the top downward. This reversal causes water to rise through the agent compartment, creating effective mixing and preventing clump formation while maintaining a simple dispenser structure without requiring complex mixing mechanisms
2Productivity
If water is supplied to the agent compartment, then the agent mixes with water to form solution, but premature interaction with residual water from previous cycles causes clumping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a siphon mechanism that automatically removes residual water from the agent compartment after each wash cycle before the next agent is introduced. This preliminary removal of residual water prevents premature interaction and clumping when new agent and water are supplied, ensuring reliable operation across multiple cycles
Solution Approach 2:
The siphon mechanism extracts and removes residual water from the agent compartment after each cycle. By taking out the harmful residual water that would cause clumping, the system maintains agent integrity and prevents premature interaction while preserving efficient mixing capabilities
3Quantity of substance
If the agent compartment is filled to capacity, then the agent dispenser can hold sufficient agent, but it overflows during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an overflow detection mechanism that monitors the agent compartment fill level and provides feedback to the control system. When the compartment approaches maximum capacity or during operations that might cause overflow, the system receives feedback and adjusts water supply or dispensing rates accordingly, preventing overflow while maintaining adequate agent storage capacity
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
This design enhances the mixing of agents with water, prevents clumping and overflowing, and ensures efficient dispensing of agents into the fabric treatment chamber, improving the overall performance and reliability of fabric treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
water supplied to the bottom of the agent compartment mixes with the agent in the agent compartment substantially from the bottom up
Data Source
AI summary
An agent dispenser for a fabric treatment appliance includes a housing having a manifold and an agent compartment. The manifold may be configured to receive water and supply the water to the agent compartment through an outlet port. The agent compartment may be configured to receive an agent, such as a detergent or additive, in liquid or powder form. The outlet port may be in fluid communication with the bottom of the agent compartment to supply the water to the bottom of the agent compartment whereby the water supplied to the agent compartment mixes with the agent in the agent compartment substantially from the bottom up.