Door locking device and washing machine having same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional washing machines require the door to be opened during a wash cycle to insert additional laundry, disrupting the wash process and inefficiency due to the need to drain wash water.
Innovation Solution
A washing machine with an auxiliary laundry inlet at the door that allows for inserting additional laundry without opening the main door, utilizing a door locking device with a latch and locker mechanism to control the auxiliary door's opening and closing, enabling automatic operation during the wash cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the door is opened to insert additional laundry during washing, then the laundry can be added, but the wash water must be drained first causing interruption and loss of time
Solution Approach 1:
The door is divided into a main door and an auxiliary door. The auxiliary door can be opened independently to provide an auxiliary laundry inlet, allowing additional laundry to be inserted without opening the main door. This segmentation enables the washing process to continue uninterrupted while still providing access for adding laundry.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary door acts as an intermediary element between the user and the washing drum. It provides a mediated access path through the door assembly, allowing laundry insertion without requiring full door opening and water drainage. The auxiliary door mediates between the need for water containment and the need for laundry access.
2Productivity
If an auxiliary door is added to allow laundry insertion without opening main door, then washing continuity is improved, but device complexity increases due to locking mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism integrates the latch and locker into a unified system where the latch engages with the locker to secure the auxiliary door. The lifter component is combined with the latch structure, allowing a single actuation motion to simultaneously disengage the latch from the locker and lift the auxiliary door open. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism transitions from a static locked state to a dynamic unlocked state through the lifter's movement. When the lifter is actuated, it dynamically changes the position of the latch, causing it to disengage from the locker and move to an opened position. This dynamic behavior allows the auxiliary door to be easily opened on demand while maintaining security when closed.
3Device complexity
If the latch moves only in one direction to engage with auxiliary door, then结构简单性 is improved, but reliability decreases due to limited movement control
Solution Approach 1:
The latch is given freedom of movement in multiple dimensions rather than being constrained to a single linear path. The latch can move in a first direction to engage with the auxiliary door, and also move in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to disengage from the locker. This multi-dimensional movement capability provides more reliable locking control while maintaining relatively simple mechanism structure.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
In a washing machine having a door locking device that allows a door to keep an opening closed, the door locking device includes a latch configured to move in a first direction to restrict the door and move in a second direction, which is opposite the first direction, to release the restriction on the door and a locker configured to limit movement of the latch in the second direction. By such a configuration, the door can be opened/closed, restricted, and opened using a single device.