Dryer Door Lock Structure for Sagging Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clothing dryers experience door sagging over time, leading to potential damage to the door and door locking device, which reduces the durability and functionality of the appliance.
Innovation Solution
A clothing dryer with a door locking device that includes a body unit, a locking unit, and a restoring member, allowing the door to move vertically and horizontally, and can be easily coupled to the main body without screws, featuring levers and springs to maintain engagement and support the door's operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door is rigidly fixed to the main body, then the door remains stable initially, but the door and locking device are damaged due to sagging over time
Solution Approach 1:
The door locking device is designed with movable components that allow vertical and horizontal adjustment. The locking unit can move vertically along guide rails and horizontally within the body unit, enabling the system to adapt to door sagging while maintaining secure engagement. This dynamic capability prevents damage by accommodating dimensional changes over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device incorporates restoring members (springs) that apply elastic forces to maintain optimal engagement parameters. The springs compensate for gravitational effects on the door by providing upward restoring force, and the locking unit's position can be adjusted within specific ranges to maintain proper engagement despite changes in door position over time.
2Reliability
If the door locking device is made complex to prevent sagging damage, then durability is improved, but the device becomes difficult to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The door locking device is divided into distinct modular units: a body unit, a movable locking unit, and a restoring member. Each component can be manufactured separately and assembled by simple coupling to the coupling hole, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining the functional complexity needed for durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling hole acts as an intermediary interface that simplifies the connection between the door locking device and the main body. The restoring member serves as a mediator that automatically maintains engagement without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms, reducing assembly difficulty while ensuring reliable operation.
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 solution prevents damage to the door and locking device due to sagging, enhances durability, and simplifies assembly by allowing vertical and horizontal movement, ensuring stable coupling and improved durability of the clothing dryer.
Implementation Method 1
a restoring member which is provided between the body unit and the coupling hole, supports the body unit, and comprises a vertically directed restoring force. The locking device is adapted to move vertically downward against the restoring force of the restoring member during attachment of the engaging member to the locking unit, and vertically upward due to the restoring force of the restoring member during detachment of the engaging member from the locking unit.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a clothing dryer (1) in which a structure of a door locking device (100) is improved. The clothing dryer (1) includes a main body (10) including a coupling hole (15) formed in a front surface thereof, a drying drum (20) installed inside the main body (10) and including an opening (21) formed in a front surface thereof, a door (30), and a door locking device (100) coupled to the coupling hole (15) and installed in the main body (10) so that the engaging member (31) is detachable from the main body (10), and the door (30) locking device includes a body unit (110), a locking unit (120) disposed inside the body unit (110) and from which the engaging member (31) is detachable, and a restoring member (130) which is provided between the body unit (110) and the coupling hole (15), supports the body unit (110), and includes a restoring force.