Laundry treating apparatus

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in adjusting the interval between lifters in a drum, leading to inefficient washing due to constant lifter spacing, which results in some laundry not coming into contact with lifters, especially in drums of varying lengths.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus features a drum with two sets of mounting slots for lifters, allowing the installation position to be adjusted based on which group of slots the insertion protrusions are inserted into, enabling flexible adjustment of lifter spacing according to drum capacity, ensuring all laundry comes into contact with lifters.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of stationary object

If the drum length is increased to provide larger capacity, then the drum volume is increased, but the interval between lifters becomes excessively large causing laundry at the ends to not contact lifters

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrum capacityVSAvoidlaundry contact with lifters
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The lifter installation structure enables dynamic adjustment of lifter positions along the drum's front-rear direction. Multiple mounting holes are provided at different positions, allowing the lifter installation position to be changed according to drum capacity, thereby maintaining effective laundry contact across various drum sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Volume of stationary object

If the drum length is decreased to provide smaller capacity, then the drum volume is decreased, but the constant lifter interval causes reduced washing effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrum capacityVSAvoidwashing effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of stationary objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The lifter installation structure enables dynamic adjustment of lifter positions along the drum's front-rear direction. Multiple mounting holes are provided at different positions, allowing the lifter installation position to be changed according to drum capacity, thereby maintaining effective laundry contact across various drum sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If separate lifter designs are created for different drum lengths, then the washing effectiveness is optimized for each drum size, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewashing effectivenessVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

A single universal lifter design is used across different drum capacities. The lifter can be installed at multiple positions along the drum's front-rear direction by selecting different mounting holes, allowing one lifter design to serve multiple drum sizes without requiring separate designs for each capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Ease of manufacture

If the lifter interval is kept constant for all drum sizes, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the laundry at the front and rear ends cannot contact the lifters in large capacity drums

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidwashing effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The lifter installation structure enables dynamic adjustment of lifter positions along the drum's front-rear direction. Multiple mounting holes are provided at different positions, allowing the lifter installation position to be changed according to drum capacity, thereby maintaining effective laundry contact across various drum sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3690105B1Laundry treating apparatus
Publication Date: 2021.03.10 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3690105B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3690105B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3690105B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a drum (51) configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending in a front-rear direction, and first and second lifters (61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b) disposed on the drum in the front-rear direction. The first lifter includes at least one insertion protrusion (627), the drum has one or more mounting slots in a first group and one or more mounting slots in a second group, the mounting slot in the second group (G2) is formed in a region shifted rearward within a range in which the mounting slot in the second group partially overlaps the mounting slot in the first group (G1), and the at least one insertion protrusion is selectively inserted into the mounting slot in the first group or the mounting slot in the second group.