Electric motor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Direct-drive electric motors used in laundry washing machines face challenges in minimizing thickness, vibration, and noise, which affect the capacity and operational efficiency of washing machines.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a stator with a magnetically permeable core ring and polymeric insulating structure, along with a rotor featuring a polymeric frame and specific structural elements to reduce vibration and noise, ensuring a compact and efficient motor configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the motor thickness is reduced to maximize washing machine capacity, then the washing machine can accommodate more clothes for a given footprint, but the motor structure becomes more constrained and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the insulating structure with the fastening function by integrating fastener supports directly into the polymeric insulating structure. This combination eliminates the need for separate insulating components and fastening mechanisms, reducing overall motor thickness while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through a unified structural design
Solution Approach 2:
The polymeric insulating structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical insulation, mechanical support, and fastening capabilities through integrated fastener supports. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, enabling thinner motor design without compromising structural integrity or manufacturability
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the motor operates with minimal vibration and noise, then operational efficiency and user comfort improve, but the motor structure requires additional vibration-damping features that increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful vibrations generated by motor operation into beneficial damping effects by utilizing the polymeric material's inherent viscoelastic properties. The same material that provides insulation and structural support also serves as a vibration damper, transforming harmful mechanical vibrations into heat through internal friction, thereby reducing noise and vibration without adding complex damping mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the motor structure by using polymeric materials with specific damping characteristics. The viscoelastic properties of these materials provide frequency-dependent vibration damping, allowing the motor to operate quietly across a range of speeds without requiring additional vibration-control components
3Volume of moving object
If fastener supports are integrated into the insulating structure, then the motor achieves a more compact design, but the manufacturing process becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates fastener supports directly into the insulating structure during the molding process itself, rather than adding them as separate components afterward. This preliminary integration of fastening features into the base structure allows for a more compact motor design while managing manufacturing complexity through process optimization rather than post-assembly operations
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 results in a compact, low-vibration, and silent electric motor that maximizes washing machine capacity while maintaining efficient operation, addressing the requirements of minimal thickness and reduced noise and vibration.
Implementation Method 1
a core of magnetically permeable material including an annular core ring and stator poles spaced around and extending radially outward from the core ring
Data Source
AI summary
An electric motor suitable for use in a laundry machine comprises an improved stator and/or rotor design.