Movable Partition Wall for Adjustable Laundry Chamber Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in managing different types of clothes simultaneously, as they often waste energy due to non-adjustable division of accommodation spaces, interference between dividing walls and hangers, and limited control over steam and aroma supply.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating apparatus with a movable dividing portion that adjusts the size of accommodation spaces, allowing independent control of steam, hot air, and aroma supply to each space, and includes sensors to prevent interference with hangers and a pressor to remove wrinkles without interfering with the dividing wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a vertical fake wall is installed inside the first chamber to divide the accommodation space, then the accommodation space can be divided, but it is impossible to divide a space between the hanger bar and a top surface of the first chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The hanger bar is made movable along the guide rail instead of being fixed, allowing it to adapt its position according to the dividing wall location. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to divide space between the hanger bar and top surface, resolving the structural limitation while maintaining space division capability
Solution Approach 2:
The hanger bar is divided into multiple segments that can move independently along the guide rail. This segmentation allows different portions of the hanger bar to be positioned optimally relative to the dividing wall, enabling flexible space utilization above and below the divider
2Adaptability or versatility
If a partition wall is unrolled to a top surface of the accommodation space to form a partition wall, then the accommodation space can be divided into first space and second space, but sizes of the first space and the second space are not able to be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall is designed to be movable rather than fixed at a single unrolled position. The guide rail system allows the partition wall to be repositioned continuously along its length, enabling dynamic adjustment of space sizes while maintaining the division functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rail acts as an intermediary mechanism between the partition wall and the chamber structure, allowing smooth and controlled movement of the partition wall to adjust space sizes without direct manual handling of the wall itself
3Reliability
If hot air and steam are supplied to an entirety of an accommodation space, then the laundry can be treated, but waste occurs in terms of energy
Solution Approach 1:
The steam supply system is configured to deliver steam locally to specific zones within the accommodation space rather than uniformly to the entire space. This localized steam delivery maintains effective laundry treatment in treated zones while reducing energy consumption in untreated zones
Solution Approach 2:
The accommodation space is segmented by the movable partition wall into distinct treatment zones. Each zone can be independently treated with steam and hot air, allowing energy to be concentrated only where needed rather than wasted in unused or differently-treated portions of the space
4Ease of operation
If only one laundry treating operation is performed in each space, then the operation is simple, but there is an inconvenience of having to move the laundry again to a corresponding space after removing the partition wall
Solution Approach 1:
Each space created by the partition wall is designed to support multiple laundry treating operations (steaming, drying, refreshing) rather than being dedicated to a single operation. This multi-functionality allows different operations to be performed in the same space without requiring laundry relocation, reducing time loss while maintaining operational simplicity
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 solution enables efficient and energy-saving laundry treatment by allowing variable space adjustment, preventing hanger interference, and optimizing steam and dry time for different types of clothes, while maintaining independent control over steam and aroma supply.
Implementation Method 1
a steam unit positioned inside the second chamber to generate steam and supply steam into the first chamber
Implementation Method 2
the steamer is an apparatus that removes the wrinkles by applying heat to the laundry via convection rather than directly heating the laundry
Implementation Method 3
a blower unit positioned inside the second chamber to circulate air inside the first chamber
Implementation Method 4
a heat exchange portion disposed inside the blower unit so as to exchange heat with air sucked from the first chamber
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a clothing treatment apparatus comprising: a cabinet having an insertion hole formed in one side thereof; a first chamber positioned inside the cabinet so as to accommodate clothing; and a dividing part for dividing the first chamber into at least one space so that the space of the first chamber may be efficiently divided and used, wherein the dividing part is movable so that the size of the plurality of spaces may be adjusted.