Washer Door Sealing Structure for Drawer Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses face challenges in allowing a drawer to be discharged from a cabinet when the door is opened, interference between the door and introduction aperture, and in achieving effective sealing without adhesive surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a tub, drum, door, hinge, fixing unit, and a sealing unit with a C-shaped cross section that provides even and firm attachment to the door, allowing the door to be easily opened and closed while maintaining a hermetic seal without adhesives, and includes position sensing and notification systems to assist users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door is opened while the drawer is inserted into the cabinet, then the door can be opened to access the introduction aperture, but the door interferes with the drawer discharge path preventing the drawer from being discharged
Solution Approach 1:
The door is configured to be movable between a closed position (when the drawer is discharged) and an open position (when the drawer is inserted). This dynamic positioning allows the door to adapt its location based on the drawer's state, eliminating interference with drawer discharge while maintaining access to the introduction aperture when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The door is positioned in a different spatial dimension (vertically above the introduction aperture) rather than blocking the horizontal discharge path of the drawer. This dimensional separation allows the door to fulfill its sealing function without interfering with drawer discharge operations
2Reliability
If a sealing unit with adhesive surfaces is used to seal the introduction aperture, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing complexity and environmental concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive surfaces are completely removed from the sealing unit design. Instead of using adhesives to attach the sealing member to the door, the patent employs a purely mechanical attachment system using protrusions and recesses that engage through elastic deformation, eliminating the need for chemical bonding agents
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing unit utilizes the elastic properties of its own material to achieve both attachment to the door and sealing of the introduction aperture. The elastic deformation of the sealing member provides both the bonding force for attachment and the sealing force for closing the aperture, making the system self-sufficient without external adhesives
3Ease of manufacture
If the sealing member is made with uniform thickness, then manufacturing is simplified, but sealing effectiveness at the ends of the member is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member features variable thickness along its length, with greater thickness at the ends and reduced thickness in the middle section. This non-uniform geometry concentrates the elastic force at the end regions where sealing is most critical, ensuring effective sealing at the introduction aperture while maintaining manufacturability through a simple geometric progression
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
Enables the drawer to be discharged without door interference, ensures effective sealing, and notifies users of door opening, providing a secure and user-friendly operation.
Implementation Method 1
a sealing unit provided to one of the door or the introduction aperture and configured to seal the introduction aperture
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treatment apparatus includes a tub body for receiving water, a tub cover that covers an upper surface of the tub body and that defines an introduction aperture, a drum located inside the tub body for receiving laundry, a door for opening and closing the introduction aperture, a hinge that rotatably couples the door to the tub cover, a fixing unit that releasably couples a portion of the door to the tub cover, and a sealing unit on the door or the introduction aperture that is configured to seal the introduction aperture based on the introduction aperture being closed by the door. A portion of the sealing unit located in a direction in which the fixing unit is provided has a different diameter from a diameter of a portion of the sealing unit that is located in a direction in which the hinge is provided.