Hollow Drum Drivers With Barrier Chambers for Better Laundry Wetting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing washing machine designs with scoop devices are structurally complex, prone to wear, and inefficient in effectively wetting laundry due to the dynamic pressure causing water to flow back to the sump without adequately wetting the laundry.
Innovation Solution
A solid barrier rising from the driver base forms an open chamber within the laundry drum cavity, allowing suds to be flushed over the barrier and retained, enabling a larger volume of suds to be carried and poured onto the laundry, reducing wear and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If scoop holes are closed by internal moveable seals to water laundry in both directions of rotation, then washing capability in both directions is improved, but device complexity and susceptibility to wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The driver rib is divided into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) with distinct functions. The first chamber scoops liquid, the second chamber stores liquid behind a barrier, and the third chamber facilitates liquid discharge. This segmentation allows the device to handle bidirectional rotation effectively without complex moving seals, as each chamber performs a specific function that contributes to overall versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
A liquid barrier is introduced as an intermediary element within the cavity to control liquid flow between chambers. The barrier prevents liquid from the first chamber from directly mixing with liquid in the second chamber, enabling independent control of liquid retention and discharge. This intermediary structure replaces the need for complex moveable seals while maintaining adaptability to bidirectional rotation.
2Quantity of substance
If shovel blades scoop up liquor and convey it through perforation in driver flanks, then liquid transport is achieved, but laundry wetting effectiveness decreases due to dynamic pressure causing water to flow back to sump
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by scooping and storing liquid in the first and second chambers before the laundry reaches the optimal position for wetting. The liquid is retained behind the barrier in the second chamber during the scooping phase, then discharged through outlet openings in the third chamber at the precise moment when it can effectively wet the laundry, preventing premature loss to the sump.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a temporal dimension to liquid discharge by using a rotating driver rib with timed outlet openings. Instead of continuous discharge through flank perforations, liquid is discharged at specific rotational positions through the third chamber's outlet openings, ensuring discharge occurs when liquid can effectively reach and wet the laundry rather than flowing back to the sump.
3Manufacturing precision
If driver ribs scoop suds and pour onto laundry, then laundry wetting is improved, but suds volume carried along is comparatively small
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses a nested chamber structure where the first chamber is contained within the overall driver rib structure, the second chamber is nested within the first chamber's space (separated by the barrier), and the third chamber is nested within the second chamber. This nested arrangement maximizes the suds-carrying capacity within the available space, allowing larger volumes of suds to be transported and discharged onto the laundry.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier in the second chamber performs preliminary retention of suds, allowing the chamber to be filled with a larger volume of suds before discharge. This preliminary storage capability enables the driver rib to carry along more suds than conventional single-chamber designs, increasing the quantity of washing liquid available for effective laundry wetting.
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 enhances washing efficiency, allowing for shorter wash programs, reduced energy and water consumption, and improved laundry wetting, with the barrier's design adjustable for different washing phases.
Implementation Method 1
a solid barrier rising from the driver base in the direction of the inflowing suds, which forms an open chamber inside the cavity behind it
Implementation Method 2
the chamber lying behind the upper edge can be filled with lye by flushing the barrier with further rotation of the laundry drum
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Washing machine with a driven drum (4) which can be rotated horizontally in a liquor container and with hollow drivers (11') which are disposed on the inside of a drum casing (41) and which, in the drum casing (41) in each case have a driver bottom (42), in which there is at least one inlet opening (14'). Portions of the liquor flow from a liquor at the bottom of the liquor container (1) through the inlet opening (14') into the cavity (13') of the driver (11'). After a further rotation of the drum (4) of the washing machine, these portions flow into a raised position of the driver (H') through outlet openings (15) in the ridge region of the driver (11') into the interior of the drum (4) of the washing machine. Due to the inventive construction of the driver (11'), the wetting may be more intensive than it is in the case of the previously known washing machines, and the washing process requires less time.