Condensate Drain Layout for Clothes Care Cabinet Doors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clothes treatment apparatuses face issues with condensed water leakage and protruding depth of door liners, which affect the efficiency and design of the device.
Innovation Solution
A clothes treatment apparatus with a cabinet design that includes a treatment chamber, a cycle chamber, a partition plate with a drainage grill, a door liner to guide condensed water, and a condensed water guide member with an inclined surface to direct water to the drainage grill, minimizing leakage and protruding depth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a door liner is installed to guide condensed water, then condensed water leakage is prevented, but the protruding depth of the door liner increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the guiding path of condensed water from a horizontal direction (along the door liner) to a vertical direction (dropping onto the partition plate). The door liner guides water to the upper side of the partition plate, where it drops vertically onto the condensed water guide member, eliminating the need for deep horizontal protrusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a condensed water guide member as an intermediary component between the door liner and the drainage system. This guide member receives dropped condensed water and directs it to the drainage grill, allowing the door liner to have minimal protrusion while still effectively guiding water away from the cabinet.
2Reliability
If the door liner protrudes deeply to guide condensed water, then water guidance is effective, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the condensed water guidance function into two separate components: the door liner (which guides water to the partition plate) and the condensed water guide member (which receives dropped water and directs it to drainage). This segmentation allows each component to have a simple, focused structure rather than requiring a complex integrated solution.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the door liner extend deeply into the cabinet to guide water directly to drainage, the patent inverts the approach by having the door liner guide water to the upper side of the partition plate where it can drop vertically. This inverted guidance path simplifies the door liner structure while maintaining effectiveness.
3Reliability
If condensed water is discharged through the partition plate, then leakage is prevented, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The condensed water guide member is designed with an inclined guide surface that automatically directs water toward the drainage grill using gravity. This self-service design eliminates the need for precise positioning mechanisms or complex alignment systems, reducing manufacturing precision requirements while ensuring reliable water discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the guide surface from horizontal to inclined, creating a slope that naturally directs water flow toward the drainage grill. This parameter change simplifies the positioning requirements, as the inclined surface compensates for minor misalignments through its gravitational flow direction.
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
Prevents condensed water leakage outside, facilitates easy discharge, prevents water from flowing to the tank installation space, minimizes the protruding depth of the door liner, and enhances the overall design and functionality of the apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
the guide surface being inclined to have an adverse slope having a high front and a low rear with respect to the cabinet; and wherein the guide surface is inclined toward the drainage grill
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A clothes treatment apparatus includes: a cabinet (10) comprising a treatment chamber (12) for allowing clothes to be hung therein and a cycle chamber (14) for allowing machinery to be installed therein, the cycle chamber (14) being located at a lower side of the treatment chamber (12); a partition plate (11) for partitioning the treatment chamber (12) and the cycle chamber (14) from each other; a door (20) for opening and closing the cabinet (10); a door liner (180) disposed at an inside of the door (20) for guiding condensed water generated in the treatment chamber (12) and dropping the condensed water to an upper side of the partition plate (11); and a condensed water guide member (190) disposed at the partition plate (11) for guiding the condensed water dropped from the door liner (180) into the treatment chamber (12). In the clothes treatment apparatus, condensed water that falls along the door liner drops onto the partition plate, thereby minimizing the protruding depth of the door liner. In addition, the dropped condensed water is guided to the drainage grill along the condensed water guide member, thereby preventing the leakage of the condensed water to the outside.