Dosing device and system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dosing devices for automatic washing machines face challenges in accurately dispensing tablets of active ingredients due to bulkiness, jamming issues, and spatial constraints, especially when dealing with tablets that are not spherical in shape.
Innovation Solution
A dosing device with a metering mechanism featuring a rotatable wheel and a cylindrical housing, which maximizes separation between the wheel and inlet/output openings to prevent jamming, along with an agitation mechanism to ensure tablets are not wedged, and a container design that allows for the storage and dispensing of multiple tablets, each containing a unit dose of active ingredient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a rotating disc mechanism is used to dispense tablets, then tablets can be delivered from storage to the wash tank, but the device becomes bulky and jamming issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing device is divided into separate functional modules: a metering mechanism with a rotatable wheel for precise tablet delivery, and a separate container for tablet storage. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall device bulk while maintaining dispensing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The metering mechanism is extracted as a distinct component from the storage container. The wheel-based metering mechanism is positioned separately from the tablet bulk storage, allowing compact arrangement that reduces device volume while preventing tablet jamming through proper spatial separation.
2Volume of moving object
If tablets are stored in a container with limited space, then the device can be compact, but tablet jamming and wedging issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The exit port of the container is designed with specific local characteristics - a funnel-shaped geometry that creates a controlled transition zone. This local quality improvement at the critical discharge point ensures smooth tablet flow without jamming, while the rest of the container maintains compact dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
A funnel-shaped intermediate structure is provided between the container interior and the exit port. This intermediary geometry acts as a mediator that guides tablets smoothly from the compact storage space to the delivery point, preventing jamming without requiring increased container volume.
3Device complexity
If the wheel is positioned close to inlet and output openings, then the device structure is simplified, but tablet jamming increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is positioned at a predetermined distance from the inlet and output openings, creating a buffer zone that prevents tablets from becoming jammed. This preliminary spatial arrangement counteracts potential jamming issues before they can occur, maintaining reliable tablet flow without requiring complex anti-jamming mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A dosing device or system for dispensing tablets, which can include at least one active ingredient for an automatic washing process, into an automatic washing machine, wherein the dosing device or system is for dispensing one or more, but not all, of the tablets at once into the automatic washing machine, and wherein the dosing device or system can be for dispensing only one tablet at once.