Washer Drum Airflow Layout for Concentric Drive Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treatment apparatuses face challenges in maintaining concentricity between the rotor and drum during rotation, leading to vibration issues and inefficient air distribution, which affects drying performance and heat exchange.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a driver with a stator supported by a fixing panel to create a rotating magnetic field, a rotor to rotate the drum, and a supply port with more through-holes above the horizontal center line to increase air flow to the upper drum region, facilitating heat exchange and concentric axis alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the stator is fixed to the tub without being directly fixed to the decelerator, then the vibration width of the stator and decelerator can be different, but it becomes difficult to maintain concentricity between the input shaft and output shaft during rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The stator is directly fixed to the decelerator, merging their vibration characteristics. This ensures that both components vibrate together with the same width, maintaining concentricity between the input shaft and output shaft during rotation, while still allowing different vibration widths compared to the tub assembly.
2Reliability
If air is supplied equally to all regions of the drum, then uniform drying is achieved, but heat exchange efficiency with laundry in the upper space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The supply port is configured with more through-holes in the upper region than in other regions. This creates non-uniform air distribution that concentrates air supply where laundry is most likely to be located during rotation, improving heat exchange efficiency and drying performance in the upper space while maintaining adequate drying throughout.
3Ease of operation
If the rotor and drum are directly connected, then RPM and rotation direction can be easily controlled, but vibration and concentricity maintenance become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
A decelerator is introduced as an intermediary component between the rotor and drum. This allows the rotor to maintain easy RPM control while the decelerator serves as a reference body that maintains concentricity with the stator, reducing vibration and ensuring precise alignment during operation.
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
This configuration enhances air distribution, improves heat exchange, and maintains concentricity between the rotor and drum, resulting in more efficient drying and reduced vibration, thereby shortening drying time and improving performance.
Implementation Method 1
a stator supported by the fixing panel to form a rotating magnetic field, and a rotor rotated by the rotating magnetic field
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treatment apparatus includes a drum, a stator and a rotor configured to rotate the drum, a fixing panel that is spaced apart from the rear cover, that supports the stator, and that defines a panel exhaust port and a supply port, the supply port including a plurality of through-holes that pass through the fixing panel and surround the stator, and a duct body fixed to the fixing panel and configured to guide the air discharged from the panel exhaust port to the supply port. The plurality of through-holes include (i) first through-holes defined above a horizontal line passing through a center of the rotor and (ii) second through-holes defined below the horizontal line, where a number of the first through-holes is greater than a number of the second through-holes, or a total area of the first through-holes is greater than a total area of the second through-holes.