Retractable Laundry Drawer With Flexible Water Supply and Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Front-loading laundry treatment apparatuses require users to stoop when loading or unloading laundry due to the placement of the introduction port, which is inconvenient and can be improved by providing a support platform that also facilitates laundry treatment functions.
Innovation Solution
A detachable laundry treatment apparatus with a retractable drawer and water supply/discharge system that includes a water supply channel and discharge channel, allowing for easy water management and condensation of moisture, preventing water from remaining in the discharge unit and enabling efficient washing and drying operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a support platform is added to raise the introduction port height, then user convenience is improved, but the device cannot perform laundry treatment functions
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable drawer is designed to serve dual purposes: it raises the introduction port height for user convenience while simultaneously providing an accommodation unit capable of performing laundry treatment functions such as washing or drying small items. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by making a single structure serve both ergonomic and functional needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the support platform function with the laundry treatment function by integrating the accommodation unit directly into the drawer structure. The drawer body itself becomes both the support element that raises access height and the container for treating laundry, combining previously separate functions into one unified system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a retractable drawer with accommodation unit is provided, then laundry treatment function is enabled, but water supply and discharge becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The water supply channel utilizes a flexible hose that can extend and retract with the drawer movement. This flexible connection eliminates the need for complex rigid piping mechanisms, allowing water supply to the moving drawer while maintaining system simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a water supply channel that acts as an intermediary element connecting the fixed water source to the moving drawer. This mediator component handles the complexity of motion accommodation, allowing the rest of the system to remain simple while enabling both water supply and drawer retraction functionality.
3Ease of operation
If water supply channel is made flexible to accommodate drawer movement, then ease of operation is improved, but water may remain in the discharge unit
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge unit is designed with a downward slope toward the discharge port, creating a gravitational equipotential path that ensures water naturally flows to the discharge opening. This gravitational design works in conjunction with the flexible hose retraction to completely empty the accommodation unit, preventing water residue while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The water discharge system is designed to be dynamic, with the flexible hose and discharge unit working together during drawer retraction. As the drawer moves, the flexible hose retracts and the discharge unit's geometry ensures continuous water flow to the discharge port, completely draining the accommodation unit while accommodating the motion required for ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treatment apparatus includes a cabinet and a drawer retractably provided in the cabinet. An accommodation unit is disposed in the drawer and defines a space configured to receive washing water. A water supply channel is connected to a water supply source and is configured to supply washing water to the accommodation unit. The laundry treatment apparatus includes a body along which a water supply channel is provided, the body being rotatably provided at the cabinet. A body guider is provided at the cabinet and is configured to guide a rotational movement of the body.