Laundry machine with discharge manifold comprising a pump assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry machine discharge systems face challenges with complex and unreliable assembly due to flexible hoses, which can lead to mechanical stress and instability during operation, and known rigid manifolds do not facilitate faster assembly or simpler interconnections between components.
Innovation Solution
A compact, single-piece discharge manifold made of hard material that houses a filter element and connects with a drain pump to form a watertight chamber, allowing for a robust and reliable draining system with reduced connections, enabling faster assembly and improved mechanical stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flexible hose is used for the discharge duct, then the discharge system can be assembled quickly, but the connection becomes unreliable due to mechanical stress during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the discharge manifold and pump housing into a single integrated component made of rigid material. This combination eliminates the need for flexible hoses and multiple separate connections, providing both mechanical stability and reliable fluid-tight sealing while maintaining ease of assembly as a single unit.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid discharge manifold is used, then mechanical stability is improved, but assembly becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge manifold and pump housing are merged into a single rigid component that can be installed as one piece. This integration maintains the mechanical stability of rigid materials while simplifying assembly, as the unified structure requires fewer connection steps and less complex alignment procedures compared to assembling multiple separate rigid components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate components are used in the discharge system, then each component can be optimized independently, but the number of connections increases leading to more potential failure points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the discharge manifold, pump housing, and related fluid channels into a single integrated component. This merger eliminates multiple internal connections and joints, thereby reducing the number of potential leakage points and failure modes while maintaining the ability to optimize the overall fluid flow path and structural integrity as a unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated discharge manifold-pump housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a fluid distribution manifold, a pump enclosure, a structural support element, and a sealed fluid-tight chamber. This multi-functionality reduces the total component count and connection requirements while maintaining system versatility and optimization capabilities.
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 provides a robust, reliable, and cost-effective draining system with simplified assembly, reducing mechanical stress and improving the reliability of the discharge system by minimizing the number of connections required.
Implementation Method 1
a drain pump adapted to drain liquid from the discharge manifold, the drain pump comprising an impeller member adapted to impel a liquid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
Laundry machine (100) comprising a tub (200), whereby said tub (200) comprises: a discharge hole (240) for draining liquid out of the tub (200), a discharge manifold (300) adapted to be fluidly connected to the discharge hole (240) for collecting liquid drained from the tub (200), a filter element (510) adapted to at least partly block fluff and or foreign bodies reaching the discharge manifold (300) from the tub (200), a drain pump (505) adapted to drain liquid from the discharge manifold (300), the drain pump (505) comprising an impeller member (550) adapted to impel a liquid. The discharge manifold (300) houses the filter element (540) and is connected with the drain pump (505) by forming an impeller chamber (710) operatively housing the impeller member (550) of the drain pump (505).