Modular Heat Exchanger Assembly for Compact Laundry Machine Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat-exchange devices for laundry treatment machines with angled flow paths require more space and are complex to manufacture and transport due to their design, leading to increased costs and logistical challenges.
Innovation Solution
A heat-exchange device design where the first and second heat exchangers are connected by a stabilizing connecting plate with material weakening, allowing for a pre-installation state that can be easily transitioned into an operating state with an angled flow path, and side plates that can be connected in a friction-fit manner for enhanced stability and handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the heat-exchange device is designed with an angled flow path through two heat exchangers connected by a connecting plate, then the installation space efficiency and flow technology are improved, but the space requirements during storage and transport increase and the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat-exchange device is divided into separable components (first heat exchanger, second heat exchanger, connecting plate, side plates) that can be stored in a compact, collapsed state and assembled into an angled configuration during installation. This segmentation allows the device to occupy minimal storage space while maintaining the space-efficient angled flow path in operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting plate incorporates material weakening (bending lines) that enable it to be deformed from a flat transport configuration into an angled operating configuration. This dynamic transformability allows the same structure to serve both compact storage and space-efficient installation purposes, resolving the contradiction between storage volume and operational space efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If the heat-exchange device is designed with an angled flow path through two heat exchangers, then the installation space efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the device into modular components that can be manufactured separately and assembled through simple connecting mechanisms (connecting plate with material weakening, friction-fit side plates), the manufacturing process is simplified. Each component can be produced using standard fabrication techniques, avoiding the need for complex integrated manufacturing of a rigid angled structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting plate's material weakening creates defined bending lines that guide the deformation process during assembly. This parameter change (from flat to angled configuration through controlled bending) simplifies manufacturing by providing clear fabrication instructions and reducing the need for complex forming operations, while still achieving the space-efficient angled flow path.
3Ease of operation
If the connecting plate stabilizes the heat-exchange device in pre-installation state to enable handling as a rigid unit, then the ease of handling during storage and transport is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting plate transitions from a rigid stabilizing structure in the pre-installation state to a flexible, deformable component during assembly. The material weakening allows it to be easily bent into the angled configuration, then stabilizes the final structure. This dynamic behavior provides ease of handling without permanent structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The material weakening in the connecting plate creates a localized change in rigidity parameters, allowing the plate to be flexible during assembly but rigid in the final installed configuration. This parameter change enables simple handling and assembly processes without requiring complex structural elements throughout the entire device.
4Ease of manufacture
If the side plates are disconnected in pre-installation state, then the ease of assembly and manufacturing is improved, but the stability of the heat-exchange device in pre-installation state decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The side plates transition from a disconnected, flexible state during assembly to a connected, stable state in the final configuration. The friction-fit connection mechanism allows for easy assembly (disconnected during manufacturing) while providing sufficient stability when connected in the installed state, resolving the contradiction between ease of assembly and structural stability.
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 design simplifies storage, transport, and manufacturing by allowing the heat-exchange device to be handled as a rigid unit, reducing space requirements and costs while maintaining an efficient angled flow path, and enabling cost-effective production and logistics.
Implementation Method 1
the connecting plate stabilizes the heat-exchange device at least in its pre-installation state such that the heat-exchange device can be handled as an essentially rigid construction unit
Implementation Method 2
a first heat exchanger (4) and a second heat exchanger (6), wherein the two heat exchangers (4, 6) are disposed successively along a flow path of process air
Implementation Method 3
heat-exchange device for a laundry treatment machine
Implementation Method 4
the connecting plate includes at least one material weakening, wherein the respective material weakening is disposed in the connecting plate extending essentially transverse to the flow path
Implementation Method 5
the first side plate and the second side plate are connectable to each other in a friction-fit manner using a side-plate connector (18)
Data Source
AI summary
A heat-exchange device (2) for a laundry treatment machine includes a first heat exchanger (4) and a second heat exchanger (6) that are disposed successively along a flow path (10) of process air in an operating state of the heat-exchange device (2), and are connected to each other by a connecting plate (8). The first heat exchanger (4) includes a first side plate (12), and the second heat exchanger (6) includes a second side plate (14), wherein the first and the second side plates (12, 14) are each disposed on a side of the heat-exchange device (2) opposite the connecting plate (8) and are disconnected at least in a pre-installation state of the heat-exchange device (2). A base module is configured to fix the relative position of the first and second heat exchangers (4, 6) with respect to each other.