External Filter Mounting for Washing Machine Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clothes treating apparatuses face challenges in improving the installation efficiency and usability of filter devices, particularly in washing machines, which are crucial for effectively filtering out foreign substances from discharged water.
Innovation Solution
A clothes treating apparatus is designed with a filter device that is mounted outside the housing and connected to a drainage device, featuring a coupler and an installation device with a supporter that allows for easy mounting on a surface, enhancing the installation process and usability of the filter device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the filter device is disposed outside the housing and connected to the drainage device, then the filter device can be easily accessed and maintained, but the installation complexity increases due to the need for external mounting structures
Solution Approach 1:
The filter device is separated from the main washing machine housing, creating an independent external unit. This segmentation allows the filter to be accessed, removed, and maintained separately from the main appliance, improving ease of repair while the coupler provides a standardized connection interface
Solution Approach 2:
A coupler is introduced as an intermediary component between the drainage device and the external filter device. This coupler simplifies the connection interface, providing a standardized mounting mechanism that reduces installation complexity despite the external disposition of the filter
2Productivity
If the filter device is mounted externally with a coupler and installation device, then the installation efficiency is improved through standardized mounting, but the device complexity increases due to additional mounting components
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler and supporter mounting portion are designed with universal coupling interfaces that can be standardized across different installations. This universality allows the same mounting mechanism to be used in various locations and configurations, improving installation efficiency while actually reducing the variety of components needed
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting functions are merged into integrated components - the coupler serves both as a connection interface and a mounting structure, while the supporter combines positioning and mounting functions. This merging reduces the total number of separate components needed, improving installation efficiency without significantly increasing device complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
A clothes treating apparatus includes a housing, a tub inside the housing, a drainage device configured to discharge water from the tub to an outside of the housing; a filter device configured to be disposed outside the housing and connected to the drainage device to receive water discharged by the drainage device and filter out foreign substances from the received water, the filter device including a coupler on a bottom of the filter device; and an installation device configured to mount the filter device to a surface, the installation device including a supporter, and the supporter including a supporter mounting portion, wherein the installation device is configured so that the supporter is seatable to the surface, and the supporter mounting portion is couplable to the coupler so that, while the supporter is seated to the surface and the supporter mounting portion is coupled to the coupler, the filter device is mounted to the surface.