Laundry Drum Airflow and Drive Layout for Concentric Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry treatment devices face challenges in maintaining concentricity between the rotor and drum, minimizing drive part volume, ensuring even air distribution, reducing drying time, and minimizing drum deformation and vibrations, while requiring high torque and efficient air supply.
Innovation Solution
The proposed apparatus includes a drive part with a stator forming a rotating field, a rotor rotated by this field, and a power transmission part fixed to a panel to transmit rotational motion to the drum, along with a cooling flow path and an air supply system that uses perforated holes and ducts to distribute air evenly and reduce vibrations, allowing for low-torque operation and efficient drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a belt connects the dry drum and rotating shaft, then the drum can rotate without requiring high torque, but the drum body may deform due to belt tension
Solution Approach 1:
A power transmission part is introduced as an intermediary component between the rotating shaft and the drum. This power transmission part receives rotational force from the rotating shaft and transmits it to the drum, eliminating the need for direct belt connection while reducing drum deformation. The power transmission part acts as a mediator that decouples the tension-induced deformation from the drum body.
2Device complexity
If the stator is fixed to the tub instead of the decelerator, then the structure is simpler, but concentricity between the rotor and drum cannot be maintained during vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The stator is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the magnetic field generator and the mounting base for the decelerator. By integrating these functions into a single component that is fixed to the rotating shaft, the system maintains concentricity while avoiding the complexity of separate mounting structures. This multi-functional design ensures that the stator moves with the rotating shaft, preserving alignment during vibration.
3Device complexity
If air is supplied intensively to a prescribed area of the drum, then the air supply system is simpler, but drying time increases due to uneven air distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The air supply system is segmented into multiple air outlets distributed around the drum's circumferential direction. Instead of concentrating air supply in one location, the system divides the air discharge into multiple zones, ensuring even air distribution across different areas of the drum. This segmentation of the air supply function reduces drying time by preventing localized saturation while maintaining system simplicity through a modular outlet configuration.
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
This configuration achieves a concentric axis between the rotor and drum, minimizes drive part volume, reduces drying time, and minimizes drum deformation and vibrations, enabling efficient and controlled drying with reduced energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a stator forming a rotating field, a rotor rotated by the rotating field
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus includes a drum including a drum body, a front cover, and a rear cover, a fixed panel that is spaced apart from the rear cover and defines a panel inlet and a panel outlet, a rotor, an exhaust duct configured to guide air from the drum to the panel outlet, a heat exchanger configured dehumidify air in the exhaust duct, a flow path forming part fixed to the fixed panel and in contact with the drum, a duct body fixed to the fixed panel and configured to guide air from the panel outlet to the panel inlet, the duct body receiving the rotor, and a flow path guide configured to guide a portion of the air from the panel outlet to the duct body in a clockwise direction and another portion of the air from the panel outlet to the duct body in a counterclockwise direction.