Viscous Ball Balancer Structure for Washer Drum Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry apparatuses experience significant noise and vibration during the rotation of the drum, particularly in washing machines or single appliances performing both washing and drying operations, due to eccentric rotation and uneven laundry distribution.
Innovation Solution
A ball balancer with a circular housing containing a motion space filled with viscous fluid and movable ball members, which compensates for eccentric rotation by moving to balance the drum, reducing noise and vibration. The balancer includes a closing member to seal fluid inlet and outlet, and partition members to distribute ball members uniformly, preventing them from colliding and causing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple separate coaxial chambers with movable balls are used for balancing, then vibration and noise are reduced, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate coaxial chambers into a single integrated chamber structure. Instead of using multiple independent chambers with separate movable balls, the invention employs one chamber containing multiple movable balls that work together to balance vibration and noise, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the balancing effect
Solution Approach 2:
The single chamber structure serves multiple functions: it contains multiple movable balls for vibration balancing, provides a sealed environment for viscous fluid, and integrates the fluid inlet and air outlet systems. This multi-functionality reduces the overall device complexity compared to multiple separate chambers
2Object-affected harmful factors
If viscous fluid is filled in the motion space to reduce noise and vibration, then harmful factors are reduced, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with pre-formed fluid inlet and air outlet structures that are prepared in advance for fluid filling. The closing member is also pre-designed to seal these openings, allowing the viscous fluid to be filled during assembly without requiring complex post-manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 2:
The closing member acts as an intermediary component that seals the fluid inlet and air outlet after the viscous fluid is filled. This simple sealing mechanism allows easy manufacturing by decoupling the fluid filling process from the housing manufacturing, reducing overall manufacturing complexity
3Reliability
If ball members are allowed to move freely in the motion space to balance eccentric rotation, then balancing effectiveness is improved, but the risk of collision and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The viscous fluid acts as an intermediary medium between the movable balls and each other, as well as between the balls and the housing wall. This fluid provides damping that reduces collision intensity and prevents direct impacts, thereby protecting the ball members from damage while allowing them to move freely for effective balancing
Solution Approach 2:
The viscous fluid is filled in advance to occupy the motion space, creating a cushioning environment before any ball movement or collisions occur. This pre-existing fluid medium absorbs impact energy and prevents direct ball-to-ball or ball-to-wall collisions, protecting the ball members from damage
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 ball balancer effectively reduces noise and vibration by balancing the drum's eccentric rotation, ensuring efficient operation and manufacturing efficiency through the use of viscous fluid and partitioned spaces within the balancer.
Implementation Method 1
viscous fluid filled in the motion space via the fluid inlet formed in the housing
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of ball members movable in motion space of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A ball balancer and a laundry apparatus having the same are disclosed. A. ball balancer includes a circular housing comprising motion space formed therein, a fluid inlet and an air outlet, a plurality of ball members movable in motion space of the housing, a closing member closing up the fluid inlet and the air outlet, and viscous fluid filled in the motion space via the fluid inlet formed in the housing. The ball balancer according to the present invention may be fabricated more efficiently.