Laundry Door Modular Assembly to Reduce Vibration and Assembly Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door assemblies for laundry treatment apparatuses lack improved mechanical characteristics and efficient assembly methods, leading to instability and vibration issues.
Innovation Solution
A door assembly for laundry treatment apparatuses featuring a front frame, a cover, an inner window, and a rear frame, where the cover and either the front or rear frame are mechanically connected using a first connecting device, forming a self-supporting sub-assembly that enhances mechanical stability and facilitates assembly, with screws providing additional stability and allowing for adjustable orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If door components are fixedly connected using screws in a sandwich-structure, then mechanical strength is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is divided into modular components (front frame, rear frame, inner window, cover) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The connection system is segmented into inserting elements and receiving elements, allowing standardized assembly procedures while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Connecting elements act as intermediaries between door components, providing a standardized interface for mechanical connection. These intermediaries (screws, clips, or snap-fit elements) simplify the connection process while ensuring adequate mechanical strength through standardized design and material selection.
2Stability of the object's composition
If multiple door components are assembled together, then mechanical stability is improved, but assembly time and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Connecting elements are pre-positioned or pre-assembled with certain door components before final assembly. For example, connecting elements may be pre-attached to the front frame or inner window, allowing for faster integration during final assembly while ensuring proper alignment and stable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The door components are designed with self-aligning features and self-securing mechanisms. Connecting elements automatically engage with receiving elements through snap-fit actions or self-tapping screw mechanisms, reducing the need for precise manual alignment and manual fastening operations, thereby decreasing assembly time while maintaining stability.
3Ease of operation
If the inner window is exposed without cover protection, then ease of operation is improved, but user safety is worsened due to hot surface contact risk
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is divided into functional segments including the inner window and the cover as separate components. This segmentation allows the cover to serve as a protective barrier while maintaining the operational functionality of the inner window, enabling users to interact with the door without direct contact with hot surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover acts as an intermediary protective layer between the user and the hot inner window surface. It provides thermal insulation and physical protection while allowing users to operate the door (opening, closing, latching) without direct contact with harmful hot surfaces, thus maintaining ease of operation while improving safety.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a door (14) for a laundry treatment apparatus, in particular for a dryer, washing machine or washer-dryer. The door comprises: a front frame (30) having a central opening; an inner window (60); a cover (50) adapted to prevent the inner window front side to be touched by a user; and a rear frame (70) having a central opening. The arrangement sequence is: front frame (30), cover (50), inner window (60) and rear frame (70). The cover (50) and either the front frame (30) or the rear frame form a door subassembly (100) by being mechanically connected to each other using at least one first connecting device (38/30) that engages the cover and either the front frame or the rear frame. The inner window (60) is arranged between the front frame (30) and the rear frame (70), and the front frame (30) and the rear frame (70) are mechanically connected to each other using at least one second connecting device (42/40) that engages the rear frame and front frame.