Detergent Drawer Drain Layout for Faster Washing Machine Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing washing machines require a tedious and slow process to fill the laundry with the required amount of water for the main wash cycle, using a separate, narrow inflow path that often becomes airtight, limiting the water supply to 3.5 liters per minute and potentially damaging laundry during drum movement.
Innovation Solution
The washing machine design divides the base area into sub-areas with different inclinations, each assigned to a detergent compartment with its own drain connection, allowing for rapid water supply through a detergent chamber, especially for pre-wash cycles, and separate detergent chambers for additives, enabling quicker and larger water introduction into the laundry drum without risking color fidelity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a separate narrow inflow path is used to supply water to the laundry, then the structure remains simple and airtight, but the water supply speed is limited to 3.5 liters per minute and the process becomes tedious
Solution Approach 1:
The base area of the detergent dispensing device is divided into multiple sub-areas with different inclinations, each serving as a separate drainage path. This segmentation allows multiple detergent chambers to drain simultaneously into different areas of the tub, effectively increasing the total water supply speed while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the inclination angle dimension of the base area to create multiple drainage paths. By varying the inclination angles of different sub-areas, water from different detergent chambers is directed to different drain connections, enabling parallel water flow paths that increase overall water supply speed.
2Reliability
If water is supplied through a narrow pipe in the lid area, then the structure remains compact, but the pipe becomes airtight due to residual water and requires additional ventilation lines
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the ventilation function from the water supply path by providing separate drain connections for different detergent chambers. This separation ensures that the main water supply path remains open and does not become airtight, eliminating the need for additional ventilation lines while improving ventilation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclined base area acts as an intermediary that directs water flow to specific drain connections, preventing residual water from blocking the main supply path. This intermediary structure ensures continuous water flow and reliable ventilation without requiring complex line configurations.
3Productivity
If a bypass is used to supply small amounts of water for cuff wetting, then the laundry is protected from damage, but the total water filling process becomes too slow
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the water supply function into different detergent chambers with different base area inclinations. The pre-wash detergent chamber with its specific inclination can supply water rapidly for cuff wetting, while other chambers supply additional water in parallel, increasing overall water filling efficiency without risking laundry damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables preliminary water supply to the laundry through the pre-wash detergent chamber before the main wash cycle begins. This preliminary action wets the laundry and cuff quickly and safely, allowing the main water filling process to proceed rapidly without risking damage to the laundry.
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 allows for faster and more efficient water supply to the laundry, ensuring optimal contact with detergent, reducing wash cycle duration, and preventing overflow, while ensuring safe ventilation and effective detergent distribution.
Implementation Method 1
The base area (9) is divided into sub-areas (10, 11), which, in relation to at least one of the other sub-areas, have different inclinations that deviate from the horizontal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a washing machine comprising a controllable water supply (22 to 24) for at least two detergent chambers (19 to 21) inside the housing (8) of a detergent dispensing unit (7). The aim of the invention is to make available as much of the required total quantity of water for the washing as early as possible, together with supplying the detergent, in a simpler and more rapid manner than in prior art. The outlets (35 to 37) of the detergent chambers (19 to 21) open onto an inclined base surface (9) of the housing (8) and discharge their contents into the tub (4). The base surface (9) of said washing machine is divided into sub-sections (10, 11) with differing inclinations deviating from the horizontal. Each sub-section (10, 11) is allocated to at least one detergent chamber (19 to 21) and has its own discharge connection (12, 13) in the deepest area. A washing machine of this type operates by supplying three sub-quantities in order to provide the total quantity of washing liquor. The first sub-quantity is supplied directly to the washing via the pre-wash chamber (19), the second sub-quantity is supplied as a mixture of water and the principal detergent from above into the tub (4) and the third sub-quantity is supplied directly to the washing as water, to make up the total quantity.