Laundry Machine Cover Hinge With Elastic Low-Clearance Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry treating machines face issues with cover design, leading to accidental damage, user safety concerns, and maintenance difficulties due to sudden opening movements and low hinge clearance, resulting in increased maintenance and repair costs.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating machine with a cover connected by hinges featuring two rotation pins with distinct axes that move closer when mounted, allowing for elastic deformation and reduced clearance, enabling safer and more user-friendly operation, and facilitating easier maintenance by allowing the cover to detach safely from the casing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the cover is connected to the casing by hinges with low clearance to avoid vibrations, then vibration reduction is achieved, but the hinges become more prone to breaking under accidental loads
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system incorporates an elastic element that allows dynamic adjustment of the connection between cover and casing. The elastic element enables the hinge to flex under accidental loads (increasing durability) while maintaining low clearance during normal operation (reducing vibrations). This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction between stability and reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the cover is designed to project outwardly from the front upright side wall when opened, then easy access to internal parts is provided, but the cover becomes vulnerable to accidental damage and user injury
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic element in the hinge system acts as a cushioning mechanism that absorbs accidental impacts before they can cause damage. When the cover projects outward for access, any accidental contact or overload is absorbed by the elastic deformation, preventing breaking of the cover or hinges and avoiding user injury from sudden collapses.
3Reliability
If the cover is firmly connected to the casing to prevent accidental detachment, then structural integrity is maintained, but maintenance operations become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connection with elastic element provides a dynamic system that is firm during normal operation (maintaining structural integrity) but can be intentionally disengaged for maintenance. The elastic element allows controlled detachment when needed for maintenance operations, then re-engages to restore structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between firm connection and ease of repair.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3a
AI summary
The present invention relates to a laundry treating machine (1) comprising a casing (2) accommodating a laundry chamber (7) suitable for receiving laundry to be treated and a closing door (8) provided for allowing access to the chamber, said machine being provided with a cover (20) which is removably connected to said casing (2) by means of at least one hinge (30, 30') supporting said cover (20) in rotation around a rotation axis (X), so that it can swing between a closed position and an opened position around said rotation axis. Said hinge (30, 30') comprises at least two rotation pins (35, 36, 36') which, in a dismounted configuration of said cover (20), have respective distinct axes (Y, Z), and, in a mounted configuration of said cover (20), when they are coupled to at least two respective seats (37, 38, 38'), said at least two rotation pins (35, 36, 36') have said respective axes (Y, Z) moved closer than in said dismounted configuration of said cover (20).