Laundry treatment appliance comprising an improved drawer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry appliances with auto-dosing functionality face issues due to reduced treatment agent loading capacity, complex and bulky power supply requirements, expensive electric wirings, and unreliable mechanical connections leading to potential faults and failures.
Innovation Solution
A laundry appliance design featuring a drawer with channels for water and treatment agent mixing, a pump actuation part for fluid communication, and an electrically-operated pump driving part that couples with the pump actuation part in the retracted position, allowing efficient and reliable operation while minimizing mechanical wear and electrical connection issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the pumping apparatus is mounted on the drawer with DC motors and power supply units, then the auto-dosing functionality is enabled, but the treatment agent loading capacity is reduced and the device becomes complex and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pumping apparatus from the drawer and relocates it to the drawer seat. This separation removes the bulky power supply units and DC motors from the moving drawer component, thereby increasing the drawer's internal volume available for treatment agent storage while maintaining the auto-dosing functionality through the pump's operation from its new stationary location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the dosing system into two independent parts: the drawer containing treatment agents and the drawer seat containing the pumping apparatus. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the drawer for maximum storage capacity and the drawer seat for reliable pumping and electrical connections.
2Extent of automation
If the pumping apparatus is mounted on the drawer with complex electric wirings for wet environment, then the auto-dosing functionality is enabled, but the wiring cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical components (pumping apparatus and associated wirings) from the drawer and places them on the drawer seat. This eliminates the need for complex waterproof electrical connections in the drawer, which would be required to handle wet environments and frequent movements. The simplified wiring on the stationary drawer seat significantly reduces manufacturing costs.
3Extent of automation
If the mechanical connection is used for electric connection between drawer and drawer seat, then the auto-dosing functionality is enabled, but the connection is affected by wear and becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical connection system with a flexible cable connection system. Instead of using rigid mechanical contacts that wear out from frequent drawer movements, the flexible cable allows for reliable electrical connections that can accommodate the drawer's movement without suffering from contact wear, thereby significantly improving long-term reliability.
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 enhances the reliability and efficiency of the auto-dosing functionality by reducing mechanical wear, simplifying electrical connections, and maintaining appliance stability, thus preventing faults and ensuring effective treatment agent dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
at least one suction pump associated with the at least one container and fluidly connected to the laundry washing tub for delivering thereto dosed amounts of the treatment products; suction pipes connected between the at least one suction pump and the at least one container
Implementation Method 2
at least one pump actuation part having a suction side in fluid communication with the at least one compartment for drawing up the at least one treatment agent dose therefrom
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A laundry treatment appliance (100) is proposed. The laundry treatment appliance (100) comprises a drawer (115) adapted to slide within a drawer seat (120) along a sliding direction (X). The drawer comprising, along the sliding direction (X) from a drawer front: - a handle (205) forming the drawer front; - behind the handle (205), at least one compartment (2101,2102) adapted to contain multiple doses of at least one treatment agent; - behind the at least one compartment (2101,2102), at least one channel (2151,2152) associated with the at least one compartment (2101,2102) for channelling water and at least one treatment agent dose of the at least one laundry treatment agent towards a mixing region (220BW) of the drawer seat (120) allowing a mixture between the water and the at least one treatment agent dose; - behind the at least one channel (2151,2152), at least one pump actuation part (2251,2252) having a suction side in fluid communication with the at least one compartment (2101,2102) for drawing up the at least one treatment agent dose therefrom, and a delivery side in fluid communication with the at least one channel (2251,2252) for delivering the at least one treatment agent dose thereto.