Oscillating Wash Plate for High-Water-Level Top-Load Washing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry washing machines with top-loading designs are limited in their ability to maintain effective wash action at higher water levels, as they rely on inverse toroidal rollover motion, which is compromised by increased water levels, leading to reduced frictional contact and less effective cleaning, especially for heavily soiled items.
Innovation Solution
A laundry machine with a wash plate featuring radially extending vanes of increasing width, diverging sidewalls, and a convex shoulder, supported by a motor that can oscillate the wash plate to induce frictional dragging and maintain inverse toroidal rollover motion across a wider range of water levels, combined with adaptive control systems and wash plate designs that enhance frictional contact and water flow management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If water level is increased to dilute wash solution for heavily soiled items, then cleaning effectiveness for insoluble soiling is improved, but inverse toroidal rollover motion is lost due to reduced frictional contact
Solution Approach 1:
The wash plate is designed to be movable and oscillating rather than fixed, allowing it to adapt its position and motion characteristics based on water level. The oscillating mechanism enables the wash plate to maintain effective contact with laundry items across a range of water levels, restoring the inverse toroidal rollover motion even when water levels are higher than optimal for static configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by varying the oscillation amplitude and frequency of the wash plate depending on water level conditions. This dynamic parameter adjustment allows the wash plate to compensate for changes in frictional contact caused by different water levels, maintaining effective wash action across both low and high water level conditions.
2Quantity of substance
If water level is increased for traditional wash modes, then dilution of wash solution is improved, but wash action effectiveness is reduced due to loss of frictional dragging
Solution Approach 1:
The oscillating wash plate creates dynamic motion that actively engages with laundry items regardless of water level. This dynamic action compensates for the reduced frictional dragging that occurs at higher water levels, maintaining wash action effectiveness while still providing the benefits of increased water dilution for traditional wash modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The wash plate performs periodic oscillating motions that repeatedly engage and disengage with the laundry load. This periodic action ensures continuous wash effectiveness by repeatedly establishing frictional contact between the wash plate and laundry items, counteracting the tendency for frictional dragging to be lost at higher water levels.
3Ease of manufacture
If wash plate design is simplified, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but ability to maintain frictional contact across water levels is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than designing a complex fixed-geometry wash plate with multiple adjustable components, the invention uses a simpler oscillating mechanism that achieves adaptability through motion. This dynamic approach maintains frictional contact across water levels while keeping the wash plate structure relatively simple and manufacturable.
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
The solution enables effective inverse toroidal rollover washing at both low and higher water levels, improving cleaning performance for both high-efficiency and traditional wash modes, particularly for heavily soiled items by maintaining frictional contact and preventing centrifugal pumping actions.
Implementation Method 1
the cloth items directly above the wash plate are frictionally dragged in an oscillatory manner
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry machine configured to supply a first amount of water to the wash tub wherein a wash plate can be oscillated such that clothes items directly above and in contact with the impeller are frictionally dragged in a oscillatory manner with the wash chamber while continuing to oscillate said wash plate, an additional supply of water is added to said wash tub such that as cloth items lost frictional engagement with the wash plate, the cloth items continue to move along an inverse toroidal rollover path at higher water levels.