Integrated Water Storage Drum Housing for Lighter, Stable Washing Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional washing machines with concrete counterweights are heavy, difficult to transport, require complex disposal, and suffer from vibration damping issues, thermal inefficiency, and increased assembly time due to the presence of a separate water accumulation tank.
Innovation Solution
A washing machine design incorporating a water accumulation tank integrated into the containment body of the rotary drum, utilizing a hollow space around the axis of rotation for fluid transfer and recycling, with vibration-damping means like shock absorbers and helical springs, reducing weight and assembly complexity while enhancing thermal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If concrete counterweights are used to stabilise the washing machine, then vibration damping is improved, but the machine weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the counterweight function and water accumulation tank function into a single integrated structure. The tank serves dual purposes: storing water for recycling and providing adjustable counterbalancing weight to dampen vibrations during spin cycles, thereby eliminating the need for separate concrete counterweights and reducing overall machine weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs adjustable counterbalancing weights within the tank that can be repositioned along the tank structure. This dynamic adjustment capability allows optimization of vibration damping for different operating conditions and laundry loads, while maintaining the weight reduction benefit of using water-filled tanks instead of fixed concrete counterweights.
2Stability of the object's composition
If concrete counterweights are used for stabilisation, then vibration damping is improved, but disposal becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the counterweight function with the water accumulation tank, creating a single component that performs both functions. This integration simplifies disposal since the tank can be drained and recycled as a standard plastic or metal component, unlike concrete counterweights that require specialized disposal procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a separate water accumulation tank is added for water recycling, then water recycling capability is improved, but device complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the water accumulation tank with the counterweight structure, creating a multi-functional component. The tank is positioned to serve both as water storage for recycling and as a counterbalancing mechanism, thereby adding water recycling capability without proportionally increasing structural complexity or assembly time.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: storing water for recycling, providing counterbalancing weight for vibration damping, and potentially serving as part of the machine's structural framework. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall device architecture.
4Stability of the object's composition
If concrete counterweights are used, then stabilisation is achieved, but thermal efficiency decreases due to heat absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the counterweight function with the water accumulation tank, eliminating concrete counterweights that absorb heat. The water in the tank does not interfere with the heating process, and the tank positioning allows it to be isolated from the heating element, thereby maintaining thermal efficiency while achieving stabilisation.
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
The solution reduces machine weight and vibration, simplifies assembly, improves thermal efficiency by recycling thermal and water resources, and facilitates easier disposal by eliminating the need for separate counterweights and tanks.
Implementation Method 1
achieves an excellent action of damping the vibrations (particularly the vibrations transmitted from the oscillating unit to the frame) and permits maximum stability of the washing machine particularly during the spin draining cycles
Implementation Method 2
For the purpose of recycling the water (and the heat associated with it) from one wash cycle to the next
Implementation Method 3
a system for delivering water, which is connectable to the water system and flows into the washing compartment, a unit for heating the water by means of a resistor and an conduit for draining the water from the washing compartment after the wash is completed
Data Source
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AI summary
A washing machine with water accumulation tank comprises a containment body (102) having a washing compartment (C1) inside of which there is a rotary drum (104) for receiving the laundry to be washed. The containment body (102) has a side wall (106) defining a ring-shaped hollow space (C2), which constitutes a water accumulation tank, which is connectable to the washing compartment (C1) for receiving and accumulating at least a portion of the water contained in the washing compartment (C1) during an operating cycle of the washing machine (100).