Laundry treatment apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses, particularly front-loading types, face difficulties in adjusting the rotating angle of the door and opening degree of the input opening, requiring users to bend when loading or unloading laundry, and lack a functional door that can support laundry as a shelf during removal.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treatment apparatus with a door that can adjust its opening degree and rotate in different directions, allowing for easy input and removal of laundry, and featuring at least two doors with distinct rotating angles and directions to facilitate user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door is fixed in position with a standard hinge, then the structure is simple and reliable, but the user must bend at the waist when loading or removing laundry
Solution Approach 1:
The door mechanism is designed to be dynamically adjustable, allowing the door to rotate to different angles (including horizontal positions) rather than being fixed at a single angle. This enables the door to adapt to different user needs and laundry loading scenarios, eliminating the need for users to bend at the waist while maintaining operational simplicity through intuitive door movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The door system is divided into multiple independent rotatable components with separate rotation axes. The door can rotate independently around a first axis and the door assembly can rotate around a second axis, allowing segmented control of door position to achieve optimal accessibility without requiring complex integrated mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the door has fixed rotating angle, then the manufacturing and installation are simple, but the opening degree of input opening cannot be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly incorporates multiple rotation axes that allow dynamic adjustment of the opening degree. The door can rotate to different angular positions around the first axis, and the entire door assembly can rotate around the second axis, providing versatile opening degree adjustment capability while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through standardized rotational joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly is designed to perform multiple functions: it can open to different degrees for various laundry sizes, rotate to horizontal positions for easy loading, and potentially serve as a support surface. This multi-functionality is achieved through the multi-axis rotation capability that allows the same door structure to adapt to different operational requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single door is used, then the structure is simple, but the door cannot function as a shelf to support laundry during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a closure for the input opening, provides adjustable opening degrees for different laundry sizes, can rotate to horizontal positions for easy loading, and can function as a support surface or shelf when positioned horizontally. This multi-functionality is achieved without adding separate components,而是 through the versatile positioning capability of the multi-axis rotation mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The door's ability to function as a shelf is enabled by its dynamic positioning capability. When rotated to a horizontal position around the first axis, the door surface can support laundry items during removal. This dynamic repositioning allows the same door structure to transition between closure, access, and support functions without requiring additional components.
4Ease of operation
If the door rotates in a fixed direction, then the hinge structure is simple, but the door cannot provide optimized access for different scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism is segmented into multiple independent rotational movements around different axes. The door can rotate around a first axis (horizontal axis for opening/closing), and the door assembly can rotate around a second axis (vertical axis for directional adjustment). This segmentation allows independent control of each rotation, providing optimized access for different scenarios while keeping each hinge component relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The door system provides dynamic rotation capability in multiple directions rather than a single fixed rotation path. Users can rotate the door to different angles and directions depending on the laundry size, user position, and loading scenario, optimizing accessibility and convenience while maintaining simple hinge structures through standardized rotational joints.
Data Source
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AI summary
A laundry treatment apparatus comprising a cabinet (1 ) having an opening (1 1 ) formed therein; a receiving space (S) formed within the cabinet and configured to receive laundry through the opening formed in the cabinet; and at least two doors (38,39) coupled to the cabinet to selectively open and close the opening formed in the cabinet.