Insertable Shell Leadframe for Reliable Washer Electrical Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water-bearing household appliances, such as washing machines and tumble dryers, face challenges in integrating electrical components in a cost-effective manner while ensuring reliable electrical connections and mechanical stability, especially during operation and potential vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A shell design with a stamped grid that can be inserted into the housing, featuring a pre-centering mechanism and encapsulated electrical connections, allows for the integration of electrical components like level sensors and pump elements, enabling automatic dosing of laundry treatment agents and ensuring reliable contact through a connecting plug and socket system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cable harness is used for contacting electrical components, then reliable electrical connection is achieved, but production effort and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection system is segmented into a stamped grid with multiple separate contact areas, each independently connected to electrical components within the shell. This eliminates the need for a complex cable harness while maintaining reliable electrical connections through direct contacts on the stamped grid.
Solution Approach 2:
The stamped grid combines multiple electrical contact functions into a single integrated component. Instead of using separate cable harnesses for each electrical component, the stamped grid provides multiple contact areas that simultaneously connect to various electrical components, simplifying the overall connection system.
2Reliability
If multiple separate contact areas are machined from sheet metal with stamped grid, then electrical connection is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stamped grid is pre-formed with all necessary contact areas and connections before final assembly. The grid is stamped and shaped in advance with precise contact points, eliminating the need for complex post-processing or assembly operations during final manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical machining of separate contact areas is replaced with a stamping process. The stamped grid is created through forming and shaping operations on sheet metal, which are simpler and more cost-effective than machining multiple separate contact components.
3Ease of operation
If the shell is designed to be inserted into the housing, then assembly flexibility is improved, but precise alignment and connection reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting plug and socket are designed with asymmetric features including positioning elements and guiding structures. This asymmetric design ensures that the shell can be easily inserted into the housing while automatically achieving precise alignment, preventing misalignment during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting plug acts as an intermediary element between the shell and housing. It includes positioning features that mediate the connection process, ensuring precise alignment and reliable electrical contact while maintaining assembly flexibility.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A water-conducting domestic appliance (1), which in particular acts as a laundry treatment appliance for washing and/or drying laundry, has a housing (2) and a shell (6), which can be inserted into the housing (2). In this case, the shell (6) has an electrically conductive leadframe (35), wherein the shell (6) accommodates electrical components (21 - 24), which are connected electrically to the leadframe (35). In addition, an electrical junction (39) is provided within the housing (2) and can be used to make electrical contact with the leadframe (35). Electrical contact is made between the leadframe (35) and the electrical junction (39) when the shell (6) has been inserted into the housing (2). In this way, it is thus possible to produce an electrical connection between a controller (45) of the water-conducting domestic appliance (1), which controller is provided in the housing (2), and the electrical components (21 - 24) which are provided in the shell (6).