Front-Loading Washer Door Cone Geometry to Prevent Laundry Snagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing washing machines face issues with items being washed getting caught in the gap between the drum and the collar due to friction, leading to potential damage and increased load on the drive motor, especially during spinning and maximum capacity operations.
Innovation Solution
A sickle-shaped recess on the filling element provides a sliding surface that repels items back into the drum interior with a tangential and axial force component, reducing friction and preventing contact with the collar, thereby minimizing the risk of damage and motor overload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bevelled filling element is used to prevent washing from remaining on the filling body, then washing deflection function is improved, but the risk of washing being caught in the gap between drum and collar increases
Solution Approach 1:
An annular elastic washing deflector is introduced as an intermediary component between the filling element and the collar. This deflector extends into the gap region and actively prevents washing from being caught between the drum and collar, while the bevelled filling element continues to perform its washing deflection function. The intermediary deflector resolves the contradiction by providing additional protection without compromising the original deflection mechanism.
2Reliability
If washing deflector is added to eliminate risks of washing being caught, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The annular elastic washing deflector is designed to perform multiple functions: it prevents washing from being caught in the gap between drum and collar, reduces friction on the collar, and can guide washing back into the drum interior. By consolidating these functions into a single component, the invention improves reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
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 design effectively reduces friction and the risk of items being caught, extends the life of the collar, lowers motor load, and reduces noise, allowing for the use of lower power motors and minimizing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
The washing is able to slide down this obliquity and drop back into the interior of the drum by the force of gravity
Implementation Method 2
a material-elastic collar by means of which the liquor container is connected on the edge of its front-side loading opening to the housing-side loading opening in a liquid tight manner
Data Source
AI summary
A washing machine includes a liquor container suspended for oscillating in a housing. A washing drum is rotatable within the liquor container. A material-elastic collar is connected for establishing a liquid tight seal on the edge of a front-side loading opening of the liquor container, connecting with a housing-side loading opening, and with a door mounted for sealing the housing-side loading opening. A filling element is located on the door and has a curved outward portion in the shape of a truncated cone. The filling element has a surface area with at least one recess commencing close to a largest diameter of the cone portion, and forms a rising surface of sickle shape in the direction of the interior of the drum and toward a smallest diameter of the cone on the surface area thereof.