Laundry treating apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drawer-type laundry treating apparatuses face issues with water supply and drain pipes twisting inside the cabinet, leading to vibration transmission and reduced durability, and lack an integrated structure for water supply, tub exhaust, and pump exhaust pipes.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a drawer with a tub and drum, a door that opens and closes an inlet, and a gasket for high sealing force, along with guides and a lock system that allows the door to reciprocate between closed and open positions, minimizing vibration-induced inlet opening and enabling the door to remain inside the cabinet during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drawer is extended from or retracted into the cabinet, then the laundry treating apparatus can perform washing operations, but the water supply pipe or drain pipe may twist inside the cabinet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible corrugated pipes for water supply and drainage connections. These corrugated pipes can bend and flex without twisting or damaging the internal structure, allowing the drawer to extend and retract freely while maintaining reliable fluid connections. The corrugated structure provides flexibility while preventing the pipe twisting problem.
2Reliability
If a support structure with connection shaft is used to prevent pipe twisting, then pipe reliability is improved, but vibration from drawer movement is transmitted to the cabinet and connection shaft durability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible corrugated pipe design eliminates the need for rigid connection shafts and support structures. The corrugated pipe itself provides the necessary flexibility and shock absorption, preventing vibration transmission to the cabinet while maintaining stable fluid connections. This eliminates the durability issues associated with connection shafts subjected to repeated vibration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If water supply, tub exhaust, and pump exhaust pipes are designed as independent apparatuses, then installation flexibility is maintained, but the apparatus lacks an integrated structure for efficient water management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates water supply, tub exhaust, and pump exhaust functions into a unified manifold structure. This integrated design consolidates multiple fluid pathways into a single coordinated system, improving water management efficiency while maintaining installation flexibility through modular connection points. The manifold allows all fluid operations to occur through one structured interface rather than separate apparatuses.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a laundry treating apparatus including a cabinet having a front face with a drawer hole defined therein, and a rear cover for forming a rear face of the cabinet, a drawer including a drawer body, a drawer cover for forming a top face of the drawer body, and a cover through-hole defined to penetrate the drawer cover, a tub including a tub body disposed inside the drawer, a tub cover for forming a top face of the tub body, and an inlet defined to penetrate the tub cover, a drum rotatably disposed in the tub, a gasket fixed to the tub cover, a door for closing the inlet by pressing the gasket, a first guide and a second guide, a third guide for providing the path for the door to reciprocate between the first point and the second point, and a door lock.