Modular Laundry Drum Assembly With Interchangeable Functional Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry drum systems require a separate drum for each type of functional part configuration, leading to increased production and storage costs due to the need for prefabricated drums with specific carrier designs, limiting flexibility and reactiveness to market changes.
Innovation Solution
A modular system where identically designed drum bodies can be equipped with interchangeable sets of differently designed functional parts, such as carriers, sensors, and dosing systems, allowing for easy adaptation and retrofitting without significant production effort, using built-in parts with integrally formed fastening means and positive locking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate drums are manufactured for each functional part configuration, then each drum is optimized for its specific function, but production costs and storage complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into a standardized drum body and interchangeable functional part sets. Each functional part set can be independently designed, manufactured, and attached to the drum body, allowing various configurations without creating different drum types. This segmentation enables flexibility while maintaining a single drum design.
Solution Approach 2:
The drum body is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple different functional part sets through standardized attachment mechanisms. This allows one drum type to serve multiple functions by simply changing the functional part sets, eliminating the need for separate specialized drums.
2Reliability
If functional parts are firmly connected or molded into the drum, then attachment security is ensured, but production flexibility and adaptability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system transitions from static permanent connections to dynamic reversible connections. Functional parts can be securely attached during operation while allowing for easy removal and replacement during production or maintenance, providing both reliability and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Functional part sets are pre-assembled with their required components and attachment mechanisms before being mounted to the drum. This preliminary preparation ensures secure attachment while simplifying the production process, as pre-assembled sets can be quickly installed without complex assembly steps.
3Manufacturing precision
If specially shaped drivers are developed for specific washing functions, then washing performance is improved, but manufacturing effort and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating different drum structures for various washing functions, the system changes the parameters of interchangeable functional part sets. Different driver shapes, arrangements, and characteristics can be implemented by simply changing the functional part set while keeping the drum body and production process standardized.
Solution Approach 2:
The specialized washing function components are extracted from the drum structure and placed in separate functional part sets. This allows the drum body to remain standardized while the extracted functional components can be optimized for specific washing functions and easily swapped as needed.
4Reliability
If drivers are attached to the drum in prefabrication, then attachment security is ensured, but production costs and storage complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The driver attachment system is segmented into standardized mounting points on the drum and corresponding attachment mechanisms on the functional parts. This segmentation allows drivers to be securely attached while enabling modular production where functional parts can be manufactured separately and assembled later, reducing overall production costs.
Data Source
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AI summary
It should be possible to provide drums (2) with a larger variety of functional parts (5), (18) without considerably limiting flexibility in production and increasing the warehousing expenses. In addition, it should be possible in production to respond quickly and without problems to short-term market-related requirements. The implementation of the invention, and the advantages achievable thereby, should be possible at low costs. These objectives are achieved by a particularly advantageous modular system for drums (2) of laundry treatment machines (1) – differentiated by the types thereof in washing machines, dryers and washer-dryers, wherein the drums (2) comprise base bodies (10) and functional parts (5, 18), such as laundry carriers (3) or the like, and wherein identical drums (2) are provided for different types of laundry treatment machines (1) of one type in the connecting area to the functional parts (5), (18), wherein with the drums at least two sets of functional parts (5), (18) are associated, which in the connecting area are all identical to one another and mutually interchangeable.