Laundry treating apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry treating apparatuses face challenges in maintaining effective friction between lifters and laundry, leading to inefficient laundry operation due to issues like excessive lifting, imbalance, and potential deformation of lifters, which can result in uneven washing and potential damage to the drum.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a lifter design with a metal frame cover and synthetic resin lifter frame, featuring side protrusions and a unique coupling mechanism to ensure consistent friction and rigidity, preventing deformation and maintaining effective laundry distribution and washing efficiency across varying drum capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the height of the lifter is increased to lift laundry more effectively, then the laundry can be raised to a higher position, but the laundry may be excessively lifted and fall directly onto the bottom portion of the drum instead of rolling, causing tumbling motion rather than rolling motion
Solution Approach 1:
The lifter is designed with a curved surface that has varying height across its surface, with the highest point at the center and lower points at the edges. This local variation in height allows the lifter to effectively lift laundry at the center while preventing excessive lifting at the edges, maintaining proper rolling motion.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire lifter uniformly high, the invention inverts the approach by making the center higher and edges lower, creating a curved profile that achieves effective lifting without causing tumbling motion.
2Ease of operation
If the height of the lifter is decreased to prevent excessive lifting, then the laundry can maintain rolling motion, but the friction between the lifter and laundry may be insufficient to lift laundry that has fallen to the lowest point of the drum
Solution Approach 1:
The curved surface of the lifter creates local variations in contact pressure and friction force. The center portion with higher height generates greater friction force to lift laundry from the lowest point, while the edges with lower height maintain rolling motion.
3Strength
If the second member is made of metal to provide structural strength, then the lifter can maintain its shape, but plastic deformation may occur under external force, causing the vertex of the dome shape to be depressed and the internal space to deform
Solution Approach 1:
The lifter is constructed as a composite structure with a metal frame cover providing overall structural strength and a synthetic resin filling material providing internal support and shape stability. This combination prevents plastic deformation of the dome vertex while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The synthetic resin filling is specifically placed in the dome-shaped internal space to provide localized support to the vertex and curved surfaces, preventing depression and deformation where it is most needed.
4Ease of manufacture
If a thin metal plate is used to form the frame cover to reduce weight and cost, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the rigidity may be insufficient to prevent deformation under load
Solution Approach 1:
The thin metal frame cover is combined with synthetic resin filling material to create a composite structure that provides both rigidity and strength. The resin filling acts as a structural core that prevents deformation, allowing the use of thinner metal plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin metal frame cover acts as a shell structure that, when combined with the rigid synthetic resin filling, provides sufficient stiffness and strength while maintaining a lightweight construction.
5Volume of moving object
If the gap between the outer surface of the first member and the inner surface of the second member is reduced to improve structural compactness, then the overall size is reduced, but foreign substances may be trapped in the gap, causing hygienic problems
Solution Approach 1:
The gap between the frame cover and filling is intentionally maintained at specific locations, particularly around the periphery, to prevent foreign substance accumulation while keeping the overall structure compact.
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 design enhances the frictional action between lifters and laundry, ensuring efficient laundry operation, preventing deformation, and maintaining rigidity even with thin metal frames, thus improving washing power and reducing the risk of drum damage.
Implementation Method 1
The rolling motion may also gently rub the laundry by friction between the laundry and the drum while the laundry rolls.
Implementation Method 2
the laundry may be lifted up high due to drag force of the lifter
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating apparatus includes: a drum configured to receive laundry and to rotate about a rotation axis that extends in a front-rear direction of the laundry treating apparatus; and a lifter disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the drum and configured to rotate about the rotation axis based on rotation of the drum. The lifter includes: a lifter upper plate portion spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the drum, a lifter sidewall portion that is made of metal and that extends from lifter upper plate portion toward the inner circumferential surface of the drum, and a side protrusion that protrudes from an outer surface of the lifter sidewall portion. The lifter sidewall portion has a lower end coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum and an upper end connected to the lifter upper plate portion.