Apparatus for treating laundry

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional dryers face challenges in maximizing the space for holding laundry due to their rotatable drum design, which limits efficient drying and can cause unbalanced distribution of laundry, leading to vibration and potential air leakage.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates circular guides and auxiliary guides that support the drum's noncircular looped curve shape, ensuring maximum space utilization and minimizing friction, while a lift module and drum sealer enhance laundry tumbling and prevent air leakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If a rotatable drum is used to hold laundry, then the dryer can rotate to distribute laundry, but the space for holding laundry cannot be maximized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace for holding laundryVSAvoidrotatable drum operation

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of making the drum rotatable to distribute laundry, the invention inverts the approach by using a fixed noncircular looped curve shaped drum that naturally tumbles laundry through its geometry. The drum maintains a constant shape with varying curvature along its circumference, allowing laundry to shift and redistribute without rotation, thereby maximizing internal space while eliminating rotational mechanics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the drum is made rotatable to distribute laundry, then laundry can be moved around, but vibration and air leakage occur due to unbalanced distribution

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelaundry distribution uniformityVSAvoidvibration and air leakage prevention

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The drum is designed with a noncircular looped curve cross-section featuring varying curvature along its circumference. This curved geometry naturally promotes uniform laundry distribution as laundry shifts along the curved surface, eliminating the vibration and air leakage problems associated with rotatable drums while maintaining effective laundry movement and exposure to drying air.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Volume of moving object

If a fixed noncircular looped curve shaped drum is used, then space is maximized and vibration is reduced, but the drum cannot rotate to distribute laundry

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace for holding laundryVSAvoidlaundry distribution uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The drum incorporates localized lifting portions with different curvature radii along its circumference. These lifting portions create varying local conditions that promote natural laundry tumbling and redistribution as air flows through the drum. The non-uniform curvature distribution ensures laundry is continuously repositioned without requiring drum rotation, maximizing both space utilization and distribution uniformity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9809917B2Apparatus for treating laundry

Publication Date: 2017.11.07 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

Provided is a laundry treating apparatus including a drum, a circular guide, and a panel. The drum holds laundry, has a front side and a rear side opened, and has a cross-section of a noncircular looped curve in which a distance from a rotation center is not uniform. The circular guide rotatably supports a portion of the drum in which a section curvature is uniform. The panel is provided on a front side or a rear side of the drum and supports the circular guide such that the circular guide is rotatable.