Laundry appliance drainage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Laundry appliances face issues with particles and liquids becoming entrapped in undesired areas, leading to impaired performance and poor consumer perception, particularly around air filters.

Innovation Solution

A laundry appliance design featuring a housing with a drain path that directs liquid away from the air filter, ensuring efficient drainage and preventing liquid accumulation, while maintaining filter accessibility for cleaning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an air filter is positioned in the laundry appliance to entrap particles, then particle removal performance is improved, but liquid may become entrapped around the filter causing poor consumer perception

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticle removal performanceVSAvoidliquid entrapment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is segmented into multiple drainage regions with separate drain paths, allowing liquid to be directed away from the filter while maintaining filter functionality for particle removal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A drain path acts as an intermediary structure between the filter housing and the liquid collection system, providing a dedicated channel for liquid removal that prevents liquid accumulation around the filter

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If liquid drainage is improved around the filter, then liquid entrapment is reduced, but filter accessibility for cleaning may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveliquid entrapmentVSAvoidfilter accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The filter assembly is designed as a separable unit that can be removed from the housing while the drainage structure remains in place, allowing independent access to the filter for cleaning without affecting the drainage system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The drain path is positioned in a different spatial dimension or plane relative to the filter, allowing both components to coexist without interference - the drain path channels liquid along the housing walls away from the filter area

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

Enhances appliance performance by preventing liquid entrapment and facilitating easy filter maintenance, thus improving user experience and operational efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

An air filter is positioned between the laundry basket and the heating system upstream of the heating system, whereby a flow of return air from the chamber passes through and is filtered by the air filter

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFiltration: Filter (physical)

Implementation Method 2

a drain path extends through the housing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravity-driven flow: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentUS12398501B2Laundry appliance drainage

Publication Date: 2025.08.26 HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS INC

AI summary

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet defining an interior volume with a housing mounted within the interior volume of the cabinet. An air filter is positioned in the housing. The air filter may be positioned upstream of a heating system of the laundry appliance. The laundry appliance also includes a drain path extending through the housing.