Drum Gasket Nozzle Layout for Even Laundry Wetting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional washing machines with single or dual nozzles restrict the direction of water spray, leading to uneven wetting of laundry, and recent technologies for drum rotation do not significantly improve performance.
Innovation Solution
A washing machine design featuring a gasket with an annular guide pipe and multiple nozzles at different heights, allowing water to be sprayed at three or more heights, with a single common flow path and adjustable water pressure, ensuring even wetting of laundry even with large loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single or two nozzles are used for water spray, then the structure is simple, but the direction of spraying is restricted and laundry cannot be wet evenly
Solution Approach 1:
The water spray system is segmented into multiple nozzles (three or more) positioned at different heights and orientations within the drum. Each nozzle independently sprays water in a specific direction, collectively achieving comprehensive and even wetting of laundry throughout the drum volume, resolving the limitation of restricted spray direction with simple nozzle configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzles are arranged in multiple vertical dimensions (heights) within the drum, creating a three-dimensional spray distribution pattern. This multi-level arrangement enables water to reach laundry at various positions and depths, transforming the conventional single-plane spray into a volumetric wetting system that achieves uniform coverage
2Productivity
If conventional drum rotation control technologies are used, then the structure is simple, but remarkable improvement in performance cannot be expected
Solution Approach 1:
The drum rotation system incorporates variable speed control capability, allowing the drum to rotate at different speeds during various washing phases. This dynamic speed adjustment optimizes the interaction between drum motion and water spray, enhancing washing performance by adapting the mechanical action to different washing requirements without requiring complex additional mechanisms
3Length of stationary object
If water is sprayed at a single height, then the structure is simple, but the water cannot reach deep positions inside the drum
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path system is designed with vertical branching at multiple heights, creating a multi-level water distribution network. Water is delivered to nozzles positioned at different elevations within the drum, enabling comprehensive coverage from top to bottom and ensuring deep penetration into the laundry mass, transforming single-point spraying into a distributed volumetric wetting system
4Adaptability or versatility
If a single common flow path is used, then the structure is simple, but the flow rate and water pressure cannot be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The single common flow path is segmented into multiple independent branches, each leading to a separate nozzle. This segmentation allows individual flow rate and pressure adjustment for each nozzle while maintaining the simplicity of a common source, enabling flexible adaptation to different washing requirements through distributed control of water delivery parameters
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
The design achieves three-dimensional washing, ensuring thorough wetting of laundry, particularly reaching deep into the drum, and maintains effective performance even with high laundry volumes.
Implementation Method 1
a pump which sends water discharged from the tub; a guide pipe which is fixed to the gasket, and forms an annular flow path for guiding water supplied from the pump
Implementation Method 2
capable of varying the flow rate (or water pressure) of water sprayed through the nozzles
Data Source
AI summary
A washing machine includes: a casing, a tub, a drum, a cylindrical gasket connecting an input port of the casing to an opening of the tub, a pump configured to circulate water discharged from the tub; a guide pipe fixed to the gasket configured to guide water supplied from the pump, and nozzles configured to spray water from the guide pipe into the drum. The nozzles include an upper nozzle configured to spray water downward, intermediate nozzles disposed below the upper nozzle in both left and right sides and configured to spray water downward while spraying water deeper into the drum than the upper nozzle, and lower nozzles disposed above the inflow port, disposed below the intermediate nozzles in both left and right sides based on the inflow port and configured to spray water upward.