Tub Support and Heater Nesting for Compact Washer Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses with a minimum volume face challenges such as ineffective vibration control of the tub, difficulty in installing a heater due to space constraints, overheating of the heater, and potential damage from the drum's rotation.
Innovation Solution
The laundry treatment apparatus includes a housing, a tub with a receiving portion for the heater, and a tub support unit with connectors that allow for easy heater installation and vibration control, while also enabling simultaneous injection molding of the connector and receiving portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the tub is fixed inside the cabinet using a conventional tub support unit, then the tub can be supported, but the tub cannot be effectively prevented from vibrating in the height direction of the cabinet
Solution Approach 1:
The tub support unit is divided into multiple independent support members (first support members attached to the cabinet and second support members attached to the tub) connected by flexible connectors. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while collectively providing stable support and vibration damping in the height direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector acts as an intermediary element between the first support members (fixed to cabinet) and second support members (fixed to tub). It transmits support forces while allowing controlled movement, effectively mediating the interaction between the tub and cabinet to prevent vibration.
2Volume of stationary object
If the laundry treatment apparatus is designed with minimum volume, then the apparatus size is reduced, but the heater cannot be properly installed and may overheat or be damaged by drum rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The heater is nested within the tub structure by inserting it through a tub through-portion into the receiving portion formed in the tub bottom. This nested arrangement allows the heater to be accommodated within the limited space of a compact apparatus while maintaining proper installation and protection from drum rotation damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater installation space is created by utilizing the vertical dimension through the tub through-portion, allowing the heater to extend from the tub bottom upward into the available space between the tub bottom and drum bottom, rather than requiring additional horizontal space.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the tub support unit uses multiple support members and connectors, then tub vibration is controlled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are designed with homogeneous structures - each first support member and corresponding second support member have similar configurations, and the connectors are uniform in design. This homogeneity simplifies manufacturing and assembly while providing consistent vibration control performance across all support points.
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
This design allows for a compact apparatus with a heater installation space, prevents overheating and damage to the heater, and effectively controls tub vibration, ensuring efficient laundry washing and preventing impurities from remaining on the door.
Implementation Method 1
a heater that is configured to heat water in the tub
Implementation Method 2
a tub support unit that allows the tub to be supported inside the housing in a state in which vibration of the tub in the height direction of the cabinet is damped
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treatment apparatus includes a housing. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes a tub. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes a drum. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes a heater. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes a tub through-portion formed in the tub so that the heater is inserted into a space located between a bottom surface of the drum and a bottom surface of the tub. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes three or more first support members. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes second support members that protrude from a circumferential surface of the tub, a number of the second support members being equal to a number of the three or more first support members. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes a plurality of connectors that are each configured to connect a first support member and a second support member.