Door hinge of a laundry treating apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating apparatuses face limitations in door opening angle due to design constraints, compromising both appearance and operational reliability, especially when a large open angle is required without compromising the simple appearance or when the door is asymmetric relative to the laundry introduction opening.
Innovation Solution
A dual hinge structure is implemented, allowing the door to rotate beyond 90 degrees with a primary and secondary rotation axis, and an eccentric hinge unit design that supports a circular or polygonal door shape, ensuring reliable operation and maintaining a sleek appearance even for concaved-type doors without protrusions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional hinge structure is used, then the door can open and close the laundry introduction opening, but the open angle is restricted and the appearance is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit is divided into multiple components: a fixing plate mounted to the body, a hinge body rotatably connected to the fixing plate, and a door connected to the hinge body. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, enabling reliable door operation while maintaining a compact overall structure that does not compromise appearance.
2Ease of operation
If the door open angle is increased beyond conventional limits, then the operational reliability is improved, but the appearance of the laundry treating apparatus is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit utilizes a vertical arrangement where the fixing plate is mounted on the body and the hinge body rotates relative to it in a vertical plane. This dimensional arrangement allows the door to achieve a large open angle while the hinge components remain compact and can be positioned to maintain the sleek front appearance of the apparatus.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple hinge structure is used, then the manufacturing is easier, but the operation reliability and durability are lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit combines multiple functional elements into a integrated assembly: the fixing plate provides mounting stability, the hinge body provides rotational movement with built-in bearing support, and the door connects to this mechanism. This merging of functions into a unified hinge unit achieves reliable and durable operation while maintaining reasonable manufacturing complexity through modular assembly.
4Ease of operation
If a dual hinge structure with primary and secondary rotation axes is implemented, then the door opening angle is increased beyond 90 degrees, but the device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit employs an asymmetric design where the first connection part connects the door to the hinge body at a position offset from the second connection part where the hinge body connects to the base member. This asymmetric connection arrangement enables the door to rotate beyond 90 degrees by creating different rotation centers, achieving enhanced operational capability while the overall structure remains relatively simple through careful geometric design.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus includes a body having a laundry introduction opening of a circular shape; a door configured to open and close the laundry introduction opening and having a display and a circular shape eccentric from the laundry introduction opening, and a hinge mounted to the body and configured to rotatably connect the door to the body, wherein the door is rotatably connected to the hinge at connection points asymmetric to each other based on a horizontal center line of the door.