Oscillating Wash Plate Geometry for High-Water-Level Rollover
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry washing machines with top-loading designs, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,722, are limited in their wash effectiveness at higher water levels, as they fail to maintain the inverse toroidal rollover motion necessary for effective cleaning, particularly with heavily soiled or insoluble soils like mud and sand, due to reduced frictional contact and water efficiency considerations.
Innovation Solution
A laundry machine with a wash plate featuring a central hub and radially extending vanes of increasing width, diverging sidewalls, and a convex shoulder, along with a motor-driven oscillation mechanism, enhances frictional dragging and rollover motion across a wider water level range, incorporating adaptive control systems and wash plate designs to maintain inverse toroidal rollover patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If water level is increased to dilute wash solution for heavily soiled laundry, then wash solution dilution is improved, but inverse toroidal rollover motion is lost due to reduced frictional contact
Solution Approach 1:
The wash plate is designed with oscillating motion capability, allowing it to dynamically adjust its movement pattern based on water level. The oscillation mechanism enables the wash plate to maintain effective contact with laundry items even at higher water levels, preserving the rollover motion through controlled dynamic movement rather than static friction alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The wash plate geometry is modified with specifically designed vanes having varying widths and angles, along with a raised central hub. These parameter changes in the wash plate structure enable it to effectively move laundry items through a larger portion of the wash basket, maintaining wash effectiveness across a broader range of water levels.
2Reliability
If water level is decreased to maintain frictional contact for inverse toroidal rollover, then wash action effectiveness is improved, but water efficiency is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The oscillating wash plate creates dynamic movement patterns that effectively agitate and move laundry items through the wash basket regardless of water level. This dynamic action ensures wash effectiveness is maintained even when using higher water levels for better dilution, eliminating the need to sacrifice water efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If wash plate design is simplified, then manufacturing ease is improved, but wash performance across varying water levels is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The wash plate is segmented into multiple functional zones including a raised central hub, radially extending vanes of varying widths, and an outer periphery. This segmentation allows each zone to perform a specific function in moving laundry items through the wash basket, achieving complex wash performance through modular geometric features that can be manufactured using standard processes.
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 enhanced wash plate design and control systems enable effective inverse toroidal rollover at both low and higher water levels, improving wash performance for both high-efficiency and traditional deep fill modes, effectively addressing the limitations of previous machines by maintaining contact and cleaning action across varying water levels.
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.