Rotating Drum Finishing Spray for Uniform Laundry Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry finishing methods, such as dipping and spraying, suffer from low exhaustion rates of finishing compositions onto textiles, leading to inefficiencies and environmental pollution, with uneven distribution and high waste water contamination.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a laundry treatment appliance with a rotatably mounted drum and water supply, where a predetermined residual moisture content is set in the laundry, followed by spraying a finishing composition during drum rotation at or above the application speed, with alternating speeds for even distribution, using an injection device that mixes the composition with water for application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If dipping or spraying methods are used to apply finishing composition to laundry, then the finishing substances can be applied to the textiles, but the exhaustion rate is low leading to high waste water contamination and uneven distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the finishing composition from liquid to aerosol form. This transformation enables the finishing substances to be applied as a fine mist that penetrates and adheres uniformly to textile fibers, dramatically improving exhaustion rate from typical low levels to above 80%, while ensuring even distribution across the laundry load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical spraying systems with an ultrasonic atomization system. The ultrasonic vibrations generate extremely fine aerosol droplets through mechanical vibration at high frequency, eliminating the large droplet formation and uneven spray patterns characteristic of mechanical nozzles, thereby achieving both high exhaustion and uniform distribution.
2Productivity
If mechanical spray devices are used to dispense liquid product, then the liquid can be driven through the nozzle and atomized, but very large droplets are generated that can stain laundry items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical spray nozzle atomization with ultrasonic atomization. The ultrasonic transducer generates high-frequency vibrations that mechanically disrupt the liquid into extremely fine aerosol droplets at the source, eliminating the large droplet formation inherent in mechanical nozzle systems while maintaining high dispensing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrasonic atomizer operates with periodic vibration cycles at high frequency, creating controlled bursts of fine aerosol droplets. This periodic ultrasonic action ensures consistent droplet size distribution and prevents the formation of large staining droplets while maintaining continuous liquid dispensing.
3Manufacturing precision
If ultrasonic atomizer is used to generate very fine aerosols, then fine spray is achieved, but it is unsuitable for distributing microdisperse fluids or dispensing larger amounts of liquid in the shortest possible time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic control system that adjusts ultrasonic power and operating parameters in real-time. This allows the system to optimize between aerosol fineness and dispensing rate based on process requirements, enabling both fine aerosol generation and high-volume dispensing capabilities within the same system.
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrasonic atomization system is designed with adjustable parameters and multiple operating modes, making it universally applicable for both fine aerosol distribution of microdisperse fluids and high-rate dispensing of larger liquid volumes, eliminating the need for separate systems for different application requirements.
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 method achieves a higher degree of exhaustion and uniform distribution of finishing substances, reducing waste and environmental impact while allowing for efficient application of even small amounts of expensive materials like cyclodextrins and microcapsules.
Implementation Method 1
spraying a finishing composition onto the item of laundry by introducing the finishing composition from a storage container into a mixing container and from the mixing container by means of water from a water supply through an injection device
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for applying a treatment composition (3) to an item of laundry (7) in a laundry treatment device (1) comprising a rotationally mounted drum (2) and a water supply (8, 9, 28). According to the invention, (a) the predetermined residual moisture content is controlled by adding water to an item of laundry (7) during a first rotation step of the drum (2); and (b) a treatment composition (3) is sprayed onto an item of laundry (7) by means of the water supply (8, 9, 28) during a second rotational step of the drum (2), in which the drum (2) is rotated at a speed U2 which is the same as or higher than the rotational speed in which the laundry is spread around the drum. The invention also relates to a suitable laundry treatment device for carrying out said method.