Laundry Drawer Flow Channel Layout to Prevent Pipe Tangling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drawer-type laundry treating apparatuses face issues with tangling of water supply and drain pipes within the cabinet when the drawer is extended or retracted, and these pipes are not designed as an integrated structure, leading to increased installation space and vibration transmission to the cabinet, which affects durability.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating apparatus with integrated water supply and drain flow channels that minimize tangling and vibration transmission, featuring a support system between the cabinet and drawer to manage these channels, including a dispenser with separate water supply and exhaust flow channels, and a flow channel support system to prevent pipe entanglement and vibration transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If water supply pipe and drain pipe are installed inside the cabinet, then water supply and drainage functions are achieved, but the pipes become twisted when the drawer is extended or retracted
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into a first support bar rotatably fixed to the cabinet and a second support bar having one end rotatably fixed to the drawer and the other end connected to the first support bar. This segmentation allows each bar to independently manage different aspects of the support function, enabling the drawer to extend and retract while keeping the pipes organized through the coordinated movement of the segmented support bars.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the drawer is equipped with a support structure connecting to the cabinet, then pipe tangling is prevented, but vibration from the drawer is transmitted to the cabinet
Solution Approach 1:
The support bars function as intermediary elements between the drawer and the cabinet. The first support bar is rotatably fixed to the cabinet, and the second support bar has one end rotatably fixed to the drawer and the other end connected to the first support bar. This intermediary support structure prevents direct rigid connection, allowing the system to maintain pipe arrangement stability while isolating vibration transmission through the rotational joints.
3Ease of manufacture
If water supply and drain pipes are installed as separate components, then installation flexibility is improved, but installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water supply pipe and drain pipe are merged into an integrated flow channel structure formed within the drawer body. The flow channel includes a water supply flow channel and a drain flow channel that are combined in a single integrated component, reducing the overall installation space while maintaining the functional flexibility of separate water supply and drainage pathways.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a laundry treating apparatus including a cabinet, a drawer including a drawer body, a drawer cover, a first detergent flow channel, and a first detergent supply hole defined to penetrate the drawer cover, a tub including a tub body disposed inside the drawer, a tub cover for forming a top face of the tub body, and an exhaust hole penetrating the tub cover, a drum rotatably disposed in the tub, a discharge flow channel, a dispenser including a flow channel body fixed to the drawer, a first water supply flow channel defined in the flow channel body, an exhaust flow channel defined in the flow channel body, a flow channel cover, and a cover through-hole connected to the exhaust flow channel, a first connection pipe, a first flow channel water supply pipe, and a tub exhaust pipe for connecting the exhaust flow channel with the exhaust hole.