Eccentric Dual-Hinge Door Design for Large-Angle Laundry Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in achieving a large open angle for the door while maintaining a simple appearance and ensuring operation reliability, especially with asymmetric door designs and concaved-type doors that do not protrude from the body.
Innovation Solution
A dual hinge structure with two different rotation shafts is implemented, allowing the door to open beyond 90° and accommodate a concaved-type door without gaps, using an eccentric hinge unit that is asymmetrically connected to the door and body, ensuring reliable operation and maintaining a sleek appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a conventional hinge structure is used, then the door can be opened and closed, but the open angle is restricted and the appearance is degraded due to visible fixing plates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit is divided into multiple components: a first hinge unit with a first rotation shaft for primary rotation, and a second hinge unit with a second rotation shaft for secondary rotation. This segmentation allows the door to achieve a large open angle through compound motion while keeping each individual hinge component compact and aesthetically pleasing.
Solution Approach 2:
The door opening motion is transformed from a single-plane rotation to a two-dimensional compound motion involving primary rotation about the first rotation shaft and secondary rotation about the second rotation shaft. This dimensional change enables the door to open at angles greater than 90 degrees while maintaining a sleek appearance.
2Ease of manufacture
If a simple hinge structure is used, then the manufacturing is easier, but the operation reliability and durability are lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system is segmented into two independent hinge units, each with its own rotation shaft and mounting structure. This segmentation distributes the mechanical stress and operational load across multiple components, enhancing reliability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge unit incorporates dynamic characteristics by allowing the second rotation shaft to rotate relative to the first rotation shaft, enabling the door to adapt its motion path during opening. This dynamic capability improves operational reliability by accommodating variations in door weight and opening force.
3Length of moving object
If a large open angle is implemented, then the laundry introduction opening can be fully opened, but the door structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The complex motion required for large-angle door opening is achieved by segmenting the rotation into two independent hinge units, each handling a portion of the total rotation. This segmentation simplifies the design of individual components while achieving the overall complex motion trajectory.
Solution Approach 2:
The door opening mechanism utilizes two-dimensional compound rotation to achieve large open angles. The first hinge unit provides primary rotation, while the second hinge unit provides secondary rotation, creating a combined motion that achieves greater than 90-degree opening without requiring an overly complex single-axis mechanism.
4Shape
If an asymmetric door design is used, then the display unit can be integrated, but a special mechanism is required for opening and closing
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit is designed with asymmetric mounting positions and rotation axes to accommodate the asymmetric door configuration with the display unit. The first and second rotation shafts are positioned and oriented differently, allowing the door to open in a manner that accommodates the display unit's location while maintaining balanced mechanical operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus includes: a body having a laundry introduction opening of a circular shape; a door configured to open or close the laundry introduction opening and having a display and a circular shape eccentric from the laundry introduction opening; and a hinge having a mounting portion mounted to the body, and configured to rotatably connect the door to the body, wherein a width of a lower end region of the mounting portion is narrower than a width of an upper end region of the mounting portion.