Washing machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional washing machine door locking structures often protrude, causing inconvenience for users when loading or unloading laundry, and can obstruct the opening, making it difficult to access the interior smoothly.
Innovation Solution
The washing machine incorporates a door locking unit positioned on the side surfaces rather than the front, featuring a unique opening flange design with a gentler slope and a sliding mechanism that includes a mounting protrusion and concave grooves, allowing the door to be securely closed without protruding structures, enhancing user access and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the locking unit is disposed at the front surface of the door, then the door can be securely locked, but the cabinet has a protruding structure that obstructs user access
Solution Approach 1:
The locking unit is repositioned from the front surface (2D plane) to the side surface of the door, changing its spatial dimension. This relocation eliminates the protruding structure at the front while maintaining locking functionality through the side-mounted configuration with mounting protrusions and concave grooves.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing the locking unit at the conventional front surface location, the invention inverts the approach by positioning it at the side surface of the door. This inverted placement strategy resolves the conflict between security and accessibility by achieving locking function without front protrusion.
2Strength
If the opening flange has a steep slope, then the door mounting is more secure, but the opening width is reduced making it difficult to access
Solution Approach 1:
The opening flange is designed with non-uniform slope characteristics - the front flange has a gentler slope while the rear flange has a steeper slope. This local differentiation allows the front opening to be wider for better accessibility while the rear provides sufficient mounting security through the locking unit engagement.
Data Source
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AI summary
A washing machine includes a cabinet having an opening, a door to open and close the opening, and a locking unit to selectively restrict an operation of the door when the door is closed. A position of the door is adjusted through this configuration to stably close the opening and to prevent the door from being undesirably opened, and thus it is possible to improve washing efficiency. Further, a front structure of the opening may be improved, and thus laundry may be easily put in or taken out.