Laundry Drum Control for Anti-Tangling Lint Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses face issues with laundry tangling due to water flow, leading to trapped impurities and poor filtering performance, and lint remaining in the system, especially when the rotational speed of the agitator is increased for improved washing or rinsing performance.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a method of controlling the laundry treatment process by performing dispersion operations before and after water flow creation and filtering operations, using a combination of rotational speed adjustments and directional rotations of the agitator to prevent tangling and ensure effective separation and filtration, while also creating water flow during water discharge to prevent impurities from remaining in the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the rotational speed of the agitator is decreased in the washing operation or the rinsing operation, then energy consumption is reduced, but the washing performance or rinsing performance is deteriorated and impurities cannot be separated from laundry, thereby deteriorating the filtering performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by alternating between high-speed agitation phases and low-speed dispersion phases throughout the washing and rinsing cycles. During high-speed phases, impurities are separated from laundry through strong agitation. During low-speed dispersion phases, the agitator gently redistributes laundry to prevent tangling and expose trapped impurities. This periodic alternation maintains effective impurity separation while reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous high-speed operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the rotational speed of the agitator is increased to improve washing performance, then water flow force is increased, but lint is separated from laundry and remains in the laundry after water discharge operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of lint separation into a beneficial process by intentionally using low-speed dispersion operations to gently separate lint from laundry without causing tangling. During these controlled low-speed phases, lint is separated and allowed to settle or be discharged with water, rather than being trapped in tangled laundry. This approach transforms what would normally be a harmful side effect into a controlled, beneficial lint removal process.
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 approach enhances washing, rinsing, and filtering performance by minimizing tangling and lint issues, ensuring efficient separation and discharge of impurities, thereby improving overall laundry treatment efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a water flow creation operation of rotating the drum and the agitator in the same direction so as to create water flow in the tub
Implementation Method 2
a filter unit for filtering the water discharged from the drum and then introducing the filtered water into the drum
Implementation Method 3
a dewatering operation of rotating the drum only in one direction among a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction so as to separate water from water contained in the drum
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling a laundry treatment apparatus is disclosed. The method includes rotating the drum only in one direction among a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction so as to separate water from water contained in the drum, supplying water to the tub, rotating only the agitator to an angle less than 360 degrees so as to disperse laundry in the drum, rotating only the rotator to an angle of 360 degrees or more at a rotational speed that is higher than a rotational speed of the agitator set for the dispersion operation so as to supply water to the chamber, filtering water through the filter, and rotating only the agitator to an angle less than 360 degrees at a rotational speed that is higher than the rotational speed of the agitator set for the dispersion operation but is lower than the rotational speed set for the filtering operation.