Bubble Drum Washing for Functional Clothes Without Fiber Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional washing machines often damage the fiber structures of functional clothes like hiking and ski wear during washing, leading to a trade-off between maintaining their functionality and achieving effective cleaning performance.
Innovation Solution
A control method for a washing machine that uses bubble washing by generating detergent bubbles and varying the motor's drive operation rate stepwise to wash functional clothes without causing mechanical damage, including a wetting operation, main washing operations with controlled motor speeds, and final dehydration to preserve the clothes' functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mechanical force washing is used to achieve effective cleaning performance, then washing performance is improved, but fiber structure damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical force washing system with a bubble washing system. Bubbles are generated by injecting gas into the wash water, creating numerous small air pockets that rise and burst on the fabric surface. This substitution eliminates direct mechanical impact while maintaining cleaning effectiveness through the mechanical action of bubble formation and collapse, which loosens and removes contaminants without damaging fiber structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the washing system by introducing gas bubbles with specific size distributions (0.1-10mm diameter) and controlling their generation rate. The bubble washing process uses parameters such as gas flow rate, bubble size distribution, and bubble concentration to achieve effective cleaning. This parameter change transforms the washing mechanism from direct mechanical force to a gentler bubble-based action that preserves fiber integrity while maintaining washing performance.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If mechanical force is reduced to maintain functionality of functional clothes, then fiber structure damage is prevented, but washing performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces bubbles as an intermediary medium between the wash water and the fabric surface. These bubbles act as a mediator that transfers cleaning action to the fabric without requiring direct mechanical force. The bubbles rise through the water, attach to contaminants on the fabric, and burst, releasing cleaning agents and removing dirt. This intermediary mechanism enables effective washing of functional clothes while maintaining their fiber structure and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic principles by injecting gas into the wash water to generate bubbles. The gas injection system creates controlled bubble formation that rises through the water and interacts with the fabric. This pneumatic approach replaces conventional mechanical agitation with a gas-driven bubble washing process that is gentler on functional fabrics while maintaining effective contaminant removal through bubble dynamics and associated fluid motion.
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 method effectively removes sweat and contaminants from functional clothes while maintaining their surface and fiber integrity, ensuring both effective washing performance and preserved functionality.
Implementation Method 1
generating bubbles of detergent dissolved water to apply the bubbles to the clothes
Data Source
AI summary
A washing machine includes a water tub; a water supply device to supply water into the water tub; a detergent supply device to supply detergent; a circulating device to circulate the water supplied into the water tub; a drum mounted in the water tub to receive clothes therein; a motor to rotate the drum; and a control unit to control the water supply device and the detergent supply device so that the water and the detergent are supplied into the water tub, bubbles of detergent dissolved water are generated, and washing of functional clothes is performed using the bubbles by varying a drive operation rate of the motor stepwise for a washing period.