Drum Washer Door Lever Geometry for Child-Release Locking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Large drum washing machines pose a risk of accidental door closure, potentially trapping children inside, as the increased size of the rotating tub can lead to unexpected door closure, necessitating a mechanism to allow children to open the door from within.
Innovation Solution
A drum washing machine with a door lock device featuring a pivotally installed door lever that includes a hook portion, rotating portion, and connecting portions, allowing the door to be opened by a predetermined force applied from inside, utilizing materials like die-cast zinc or a PolyOxyMethylene resin and glass fiber mixture, and an angle between components to facilitate release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door lock device uses a strong coupling mechanism to ensure door security, then the door cannot be opened from inside by children, but the door can be accidentally closed trapping children inside
Solution Approach 1:
The door lever includes a bent portion that changes the mechanical parameter of force transmission. When force is applied to the door, the bent portion converts this force into a releasing action that disengages the hook portion from the raised portion, allowing the door to be opened from inside. This parameter change enables the door to respond to internal force application while maintaining security during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The door lever is designed as a dynamic component that can transition between locked and unlocked states. The bent portion allows the lever to deform and release the coupling when sufficient force is applied, transforming the static locked state into a dynamic unlocked state. This enables children to open the door from inside by applying force, while the door remains securely locked during normal washing operations.
2Ease of operation
If the door lever is designed with a bent portion to enable release by force, then children can open the door from inside, but the structural complexity of the door lever increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door lever is segmented into distinct functional portions: a hook portion for engagement, a bent portion for force conversion, and a connecting portion for structural support. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall simplicity. The bent portion is a separate structural element that can be manufactured independently and assembled into the door lever.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing a complex release mechanism with multiple components, the invention inverts the approach by incorporating a simple bent portion into the door lever itself. This bent portion passively converts applied force into a releasing action without requiring additional active components, sensors, or control systems. The simplicity of this inverted design reduces overall device complexity while achieving the desired ease of operation.
3Volume of moving object
If the hook portion is positioned close to the rotating portion, then the door lever is compact, but the angle required for effective force application becomes too small
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting portion extends the door lever in a direction that optimizes the angle for force application. By positioning the hook portion and extending the connecting portion appropriately, the design creates an optimal angle between the force application point and the rotation center. This dimensional arrangement ensures that force applied to the door is effectively converted into rotational motion to open the door, while maintaining a compact overall size.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a door lock device of a drum washing machine and a drum washing machine having the same, a door of which is opened by force of a predetermined magnitude or greater. The door opening is accomplished by providing a door lever of the door lock device with a bent portion. The bent portion formed at the door lever creates a predetermined angle X° between a contact point between a holding protrusion of the door lever and a raised portion of a body of the washing machine, a center point of a door lever shaft, and a contact point between a handle contact portion of the door lever and a door handle, allowing the door to be opened upon receiving force of a predetermined magnitude or greater.