Door-Mounted Washer Dispenser Baffles to Prevent Fluid Sloshing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating appliances experience fluid sloshing and leakage due to inertial forces when the door is closed or opened, causing treating chemistries to spill from reservoirs mounted on the inner surface of the door.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser with open-top reservoirs and a siphon tube fluidly coupled to the treating chamber, featuring a siphon cap with baffles that extend into the reservoir to prevent sloshing and a funnel to seal the opening, minimizing fluid movement during door motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the dispenser reservoirs are mounted on the inner surface of the door, then the treating chemistry can be easily accessed and dispensed, but the strong inertial forces during door closing cause the treating chemistries to slosh out and leak
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is divided into multiple compartments by baffles that extend vertically into the reservoir. These baffles segment the fluid space to reduce sloshing motion and prevent treating chemistry from reaching the opening during door closing, thereby maintaining fluid containment while preserving easy access through the siphon tube
Solution Approach 2:
A cap with a funnel is introduced as an intermediary element that closes the opening of the reservoir. This intermediary structure prevents direct exposure of the treating chemistry to the external environment during door motion, while still allowing the siphon tube to function for dispensing when needed
2Ease of operation
If the door is opened before a wash cycle begins, then the operator can access the treating chamber, but the swinging motion causes fluids to fall to the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical baffles segment the reservoir into smaller compartments, which significantly reduces the amplitude and volume of fluid sloshing during door opening. This segmentation ensures that even when the door swings, the treating chemistry remains contained within the compartmentalized reservoir and does not spill to the floor
Solution Approach 2:
The cap with funnel acts as an intermediary barrier that seals the reservoir opening, preventing fluid from escaping during door opening. This intermediary structure allows the door to swing freely for access while the cap maintains fluid containment
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 solution effectively reduces fluid sloshing and leakage by compartmentalizing the fluid within the reservoir, ensuring that treating chemistries are accurately dispensed into the treating chamber without spills, enhancing the operational efficiency of laundry treating appliances.
Implementation Method 1
a siphon tube fluidly coupled to the treating chamber
Implementation Method 2
at least one baffle extending into the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a washing machine including a cabinet defining a housing with internal components of a conventional automated clothes washer, a door mounted to the cabinet where it moves along a path of travel to selectively close an access opening to the cabinet, and a dispenser formed integrally with the rear face of the door. The dispenser includes a plurality of reservoirs. Each reservoir utilizes a siphon that has a siphon cap with at least one baffle extending laterally relative to the rear face to retard the flow of liquid within the reservoir.