Dynamic Balancing Assembly for Laundry Drum Vibration Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional laundry machines face challenges with load imbalance during the spin cycle, leading to vibrations that cause noise and potential damage, and existing balancing assemblies often compromise on capacity or require more space, making them unsuitable for smaller homes.

Innovation Solution

A dynamic balancing assembly with orbital counterweight devices, controlled by a load imbalance sensor and control unit, adjusts the position of counterweights around the primary rotation axis to counteract load imbalances within the drum, ensuring balanced operation without reducing capacity or increasing machine size.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a conventional balancing assembly is mounted to the drum, then vibration is reduced, but the drum capacity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration reductionVSAvoiddrum capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The balancing assembly is nested within the drum structure, with counterweights positioned in recesses or cavities of the drum rather than adding external components. This allows the balancing mechanism to be integrated into the existing drum volume, maintaining drum capacity while providing vibration reduction through dynamic counterweight adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The balancing assembly uses movable counterweights that can dynamically adjust their position along the drum circumference based on detected load imbalances. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to effectively balance varying laundry loads without requiring a fixed, space-consuming balancing structure that would permanently reduce drum capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Quantity of substance

If the laundry machine is made larger to allow for greater load capacity, then more laundry can be accommodated, but the machine cannot be used in smaller homes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveload capacityVSAvoidmachine size

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the operational parameters of the drum by dynamically adjusting counterweight positions to optimize balancing performance. This allows the drum to operate efficiently at various load levels without requiring a larger physical drum size, thereby maintaining high load capacity within a compact machine footprint suitable for smaller homes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Speed

If the drum rotates at high velocity during spin cycle, then water extraction is improved, but strong vibrations and noise are generated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverotational velocityVSAvoidvibration and noise

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The balancing assembly employs counterweights that generate opposing forces to counteract the centrifugal forces and vibrations produced by the rotating laundry load. By dynamically positioning these counterweights, the system neutralizes harmful vibrations and noise even at high rotational velocities, enabling effective water extraction without excessive disturbance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses sensors to detect load imbalance conditions and provides feedback to the control system, which then adjusts counterweight positions accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the drum to maintain high rotational velocity for effective water extraction while continuously compensating for vibrations and noise through real-time balancing adjustments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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 solution effectively reduces vibrations, maintains capacity, and allows for compact designs suitable for smaller spaces by dynamically adjusting counterweights to balance the load, enhancing the operational stability and efficiency of laundry machines.

Implementation Method 1

the control unit controllably moves the first counterweight device along the orbital balancing passage to adjust an angular position of the first counterweight device around the primary rotation axis to counteract a detected load imbalance in the drum

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Implementation Method 2

one or more load imbalance sensors communicatively coupled to the control unit and configured to output a load imbalance signal to the control unit

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration: Vibration

Data Source

PatentUS11661695B2Laundry apparatuses having dynamic balancing assemblies

Publication Date: 2023.05.30 PROCTER & GAMBLE CO

AI summary

A laundry apparatus includes a tub, a drum, a control unit, a motor, and a dynamic balancing assembly. The drum is positioned within a fluid containment envelope of the tub and rotatable relative to the tub about a primary rotation axis. The motor is coupled to the tub and operatively coupled to the drum to cause rotation of the drum. The dynamic balancing assembly includes an orbital balancing passage arranged concentrically around the motor, a first counterweight device, and a second counterweight device. The first and second counterweight devices are positioned within the orbital balancing passage and are responsive to the control unit to move the first and second counterweight devices along the orbital balancing passage to adjust an angular position of the first and second counterweight devices. A cross-sectional plane passes through the dynamic balancing assembly, the motor, and the fluid containment envelope of the tub.