Washing Machine Drum Paddle Layout for Drainage and Gentle Spin-Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Washing machine drums face a design challenge in balancing efficient drainage of water and particles with gentle spin-drying, as large drainage holes are required for effective washing but small holes are needed for gentle spin-drying, leading to conflicting requirements.
Innovation Solution
The drum design incorporates paddles with evacuation holes positioned near the base, larger than standard drainage holes, and a segmented jacket surface with different zones for drainage and spin-drying, guiding laundry to specific zones to optimize particle evacuation and gentle spin-drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If drainage holes are made large to improve drainage efficiency during washing, then particle evacuation and water drainage are improved, but spin-drying becomes rougher and less gentle
Solution Approach 1:
The drum surface is segmented into multiple zones with different hole sizes: a first zone with larger drainage holes for efficient particle evacuation during washing, and a second zone with smaller drainage holes for gentle spin-drying. This spatial segmentation allows each zone to optimize for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the drum surface are given different local qualities in terms of hole size. The first zone (drainage zone) has larger holes specifically where particle evacuation is most needed, while the second zone (spin-drying zone) has smaller holes where gentle handling is prioritized. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing large holes where they help and small holes where they are needed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If drainage holes are made small to enable gentle spin-drying, then spin-drying becomes gentler, but drainage efficiency and particle evacuation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The drum surface is divided into functional zones: a first zone with smaller holes optimized for gentle spin-drying, and a second zone with larger holes optimized for efficient drainage. This segmentation ensures that small holes are placed only where gentleness is the priority, while drainage efficiency is maintained in the second zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The drum surface exhibits local quality variation with smaller holes in the spin-drying zone and larger holes in the drainage zone. This allows the system to provide gentle spin-drying where needed while maintaining high drainage efficiency in other areas, resolving the contradiction between gentleness and productivity.
3Productivity
If paddles are provided with evacuation holes to improve particle removal, then particle evacuation is enhanced, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The paddle structure is merged with the drainage hole system by integrating evacuation holes directly into the paddle bodies. This combining of functions allows the paddles to serve dual purposes: stirring/lifting the laundry and simultaneously evacuating particles through their built-in holes, thereby enhancing particle removal without requiring separate evacuation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The paddles are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as mechanical agitators for washing and as particle evacuation devices through their integrated holes. This universal design allows a single component to perform multiple functions, improving particle evacuation efficiency while avoiding the complexity of adding separate evacuation systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a drum (1) for a washing machine comprising a jacket surface (2) and at least one paddle (5). The side surface of the paddle (5) is concave, convex or wedge-shaped at the distal end thereof, such that laundry is conveyed in the axial direction from one zone (drainage zone), during rotation of the drum (1), towards the zone (spin-drying zone) of the drum in the axial direction that is designed for spin-drying the laundry.