Door-Integrated Detergent Storage Tank for Clothes Treatment Apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience as they need to manually introduce detergent and fabric softener into a clothes treatment apparatus every time it is operated, requiring adjustment based on the wash course, type of clothes, and amount, and this setup compromises the external appearance with an external detergent introduction unit.
Innovation Solution
A clothes treatment apparatus with a detachable and fillable fluid storage tank integrated into the door, allowing for a predetermined amount of detergent or fabric softener to be stored and automatically or manually dispensed based on user selection, eliminating the need for external units and enhancing the appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a detergent introduction unit is provided on the outer surface of the cabinet, then the user can directly introduce detergent, but the external appearance becomes less neat
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent introduction unit is extracted from the cabinet exterior and integrated into the door assembly. The door includes a first hinge unit for rotation and a second hinge unit for tilting, allowing the detergent introduction unit to be accessed when the door is opened, thus maintaining a neat cabinet exterior while preserving ease of detergent introduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent introduction functionality is moved from the external cabinet surface to the door structure, utilizing the door's multi-dimensional movement (rotation via first hinge unit and tilting via second hinge unit) to provide access to the detergent introduction unit without compromising the cabinet's external appearance.
2Measurement precision
If the user directly adjusts and introduces detergent every time, then the dosage can be precise, but the operation becomes inconvenient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The detergent introduction unit is designed to be pre-filled or pre-prepared within the door structure. The door can be tilted forward using the second hinge unit to expose the detergent introduction unit, allowing the user to quickly access and introduce detergent without needing to adjust and prepare it each time, thus reducing operational time while maintaining dosage precision.
3Shape
If the detergent introduction unit is integrated into the door with hinge units, then the external appearance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door mechanism is segmented into two functional hinge units: a first hinge unit for rotating the door and a second hinge unit for tilting the door forward. This segmentation allows independent control of door opening and detergent introduction unit exposure, simplifying the overall operation while achieving the desired external appearance and functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A clothes treating apparatus comprises a cabinet; a drum that is installed in the cabinet so as to be rotatable and accommodates objects to be treated; and a door installed on the front side of the cabinet, wherein one or more removable storage tanks are detachably provided on the door to store at least one of a detergent and a fabric softener. The fluid storage tanks are filled, in advance, with a predetermined amount of detergent and/or fabric softener sufficient for operating the clothes treating apparatus a plurality of times so that it is possible to solve the inconvenience of having to introduce a detergent and/or a fabric softener in the clothes treating apparatus whenever operating the clothes treating apparatus.