Laundry treating apparatus and method for fabricating door provided thereat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating apparatuses with circular front glass doors face challenges in aligning the glass with the door frame due to the glass's characteristics, and existing adhesive application methods are variable and inefficient, requiring a method to reduce adhesive usage and prolong adhesive hardening time.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating apparatus with a door frame and front glass where the front glass is attached using a mounting guide and adhesive filling groove, and an align mark is used to guide attachment, with adhesive applied in a divided manner to minimize usage and prolong hardening time, and the align mark is made invisible from the outside by being covered with adhesive.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a mechanical object (pin, hook) is used to guide attachment position, then alignment precision is improved, but it cannot be formed on the front glass due to glass characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mounting guide as an intermediary component that bridges the door frame and front glass. The mounting guide provides the necessary mechanical alignment features (protrusions and recesses) while being separate from both the door frame and glass, allowing precise alignment without modifying the glass itself. This resolves the contradiction by providing alignment functionality through a mediator rather than directly on the incompatible surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the attachment system into separate functional components: the door frame, the mounting guide (attached to the frame), and the front glass. The mounting guide is further segmented into alignment features (protrusions) and attachment features (recesses). This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the glass remains unmodified while the mounting guide provides all necessary alignment and attachment functions.
2Reliability
If adhesive is applied in traditional method, then attachment is achieved, but adhesive amount is excessive and hardening time is short
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the adhesive application into two distinct locations: adhesive filling grooves on the door frame and an adhesive application groove on the mounting guide. This segmentation allows precise control of adhesive placement, ensuring adhesive is applied only where needed for bonding, thereby reducing total adhesive consumption while maintaining reliable attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates adhesive filling grooves that are pre-formed on the door frame before assembly. These grooves are designed to hold and distribute adhesive evenly during the attachment process. The preliminary preparation of these grooves ensures that when adhesive is applied, it is automatically distributed in optimal amounts and locations, preventing both deficiency and excess adhesive application.
3Manufacturing precision
If align mark is made visible for alignment guidance, then alignment precision is improved, but aesthetic appearance is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the mounting guide as a mediator that provides alignment functionality without visible marks on the final product. The alignment features (protrusions and recesses) are built into the mounting guide structure itself, eliminating the need for visible align marks on the front glass or door frame. The mounting guide hides the alignment mechanism while providing precise alignment, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and aesthetics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies alignment features locally at specific contact points between components rather than using continuous visible marks across surfaces. The protrusions and recesses are localized geometric features that provide alignment only where needed for bonding, making them invisible from the outside while ensuring precise alignment during assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a method for fabricating a door provided at a laundry treating apparatus, the method including: mounting a front glass to a front glass mounting jig, and mounting a door frame to a door frame mounting jig; applying an adhesive to the door frame; lifting the front glass by absorption, and then mounting onto the door frame; moving the door frame mounting jig to a compression jig; attaching the front glass to the door frame by using the compression jig; separating the door frame mounting jig from the compression jig, and moving to an initial position; and separating an assembly of the front glass attached to the door frame, from the door frame mounting jig, wherein in the applying of the adhesive to the door frame, the adhesive is applied along an adhesive filling groove formed to enclose an opening of the door frame, plural times in a divided manner.