Washer Door Hinge Layout for Wide Opening Circular Doors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in achieving a large open angle for the door, especially with concaved-type doors that do not protrude from the body, and require a mechanism that maintains operation reliability and aesthetic integration while supporting asymmetric doors with display units.
Innovation Solution
A dual hinge structure with a biased mounting portion and an accommodation groove for electrical wires, allowing the door to open beyond 90 degrees and maintain a simple appearance, even for circular doors eccentric from the laundry introduction opening, with a hinge unit positioned eccentrically to enhance reliability and support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional hinge structure is used for a concaved-type door, then the door can be opened and closed, but the open angle is restricted and the appearance is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit is divided into multiple components: a fixed hinge portion mounted to the body, a movable hinge portion connected to the door, and a connection member linking them. This segmentation allows the movable hinge portion to rotate relative to the fixed portion, enabling the door to open to angles greater than 90 degrees while maintaining a compact overall structure suitable for concaved-type doors.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism introduces rotational movement in a second dimension. The connection member rotates relative to the fixed hinge portion, allowing the door to move from a simple arc-shaped opening path to a more complex trajectory that achieves larger open angles without increasing the protrusion of the door from the body.
2Ease of manufacture
If a simple hinge structure is used, then the manufacturing is easier, but the appearance is degraded due to quadrangular door and fixing plate
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit is designed to be substantially hidden within the door assembly. The fixed hinge portion is mounted inside the body, and the connection member is substantially covered by the door when closed. This extraction of the hinge mechanism from visible view allows for a clean, simple appearance while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized hinge components.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge components are nested within the door assembly structure. The connection member is positioned such that it is substantially covered by the door in the closed state, and the movable hinge portion is integrated into the door's internal structure. This nesting allows the hinge mechanism to be hidden, providing a simple appearance while using straightforward manufacturing processes.
3Shape
If the door is made circular with display unit, then the aesthetic sense is improved, but the hinge mechanism becomes complex and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge unit is positioned asymmetrically on the circular door, with the fixed hinge portion mounted at a specific location on the body and the connection member oriented to accommodate the circular shape. This asymmetric arrangement allows the circular door with display unit to open reliably while maintaining aesthetic appearance, as the hinge components are hidden within the door assembly.
4Ease of operation
If the door is opened completely, then the laundry introduction opening is fully accessible, but the door structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is designed to allow the door to dynamically open to angles greater than 90 degrees. The movable hinge portion can rotate relative to the fixed hinge portion, enabling the door to achieve a completely open state where the laundry introduction opening is fully accessible. This dynamic capability is achieved through the rotational degrees of freedom in the hinge mechanism while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A
AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus (1) includes: a body (20) having a laundry introduction opening (20a) of a circular shape; a door (10) having a display unit (12), having a circular shape eccentric from the laundry introduction opening, and configured to open and close the laundry introduction opening; and a hinge unit (30) having a mounting portion (311) mounted to the body, and configured to rotatably connect the door to the body, wherein the mounting portion is formed such that a width (BW) of a lower end region thereof is narrower than a width (TW) of an upper end region thereof.