Laundry Drum Direct-Drive Mounting for Belt-Free Power Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating apparatuses face inefficiencies due to slip between belts and components, restricted rotation speed and direction changes, and space constraints caused by the placement of drivers and air circulation systems, leading to suboptimal drum rotation and air supply.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating apparatus with a driver directly connected to the drum, eliminating the need for belts and incorporating an efficient air flow structure that integrates the driver mounting bracket and air flow portion to enhance coupling stability, reduce space requirements, and improve air supply efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a belt is used to transmit power from the driver to the drum, then the driver can be disposed at the lower portion of the cabinet, but slip occurs between the belt and the driver or between the belt and the drum, reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the belt from the power transmission system, extracting the problematic intermediate element that caused slip. The driver is directly coupled to the drum through a flange connection, eliminating the belt and its associated energy losses from slip while maintaining the ability to dispose the driver at the lower portion of the cabinet.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a flange as an intermediary coupling element between the driver and drum. This rigid flange connection serves as a mediator that transmits power without slip, replacing the flexible belt while maintaining mechanical coupling between the driver shaft and drum shaft.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a belt is used for power transmission, then the driver can be positioned away from the drum, but the rotation speed and direction of the driving shaft are restricted due to belt limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the belt from the system, removing the constraint that limited rotation speed and direction control. The direct flange coupling allows the driving shaft to achieve higher rotation speeds and enables bidirectional rotation without the restrictions imposed by belt mechanics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic power transmission system where the driving shaft can freely adjust its rotation speed and direction. The direct coupling through the flange allows for dynamic control of the drum's rotation characteristics, enabling acceleration, deceleration, and bidirectional rotation without the inertial and elastic constraints of a belt system.
3Ease of manufacture
If the driver, air circulator, and heat pump are disposed on the base at the lower portion of the cabinet, then space allocation is constrained, but all components can be integrated in one location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the component arrangement by positioning the driver separately from the air circulator and heat pump. The driver is mounted on the base at the lower portion, while the air circulator is disposed at the rear, creating distinct spatial zones for different functional components. This segmentation increases the available area for each component while maintaining integration through the direct coupling between driver and drum.
Data Source
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AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus includes: a cabinet (100) including a rear plate (110) at a rear surface, a drum (200) rotatably disposed inside the cabinet and configured to receive laundry, the drum including a drum rear surface (210) facing the rear plate (110), and a driver (400) coupled to the rear plate (110) and connected to the drum (200). The rear plate (110) comprises a driver mounting portion (120) coupled to the driver (400), the driver mounting portion (120) is coupled to (i) the driver (400) from a rear side of the driver mounting portion (120) and (ii) a mounting bracket (126) to cover at least a portion of the driver mounting portion (120) from a front side of the driver mounting portion, and the driver (400), the driver mounting portion (120), and the mounting bracket (126) are at least partially stacked to be coupled to each other.