Built-in domestic appliance with decorative panel applied to the door
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting systems for decorative panels on domestic appliances, such as dishwashers, are complex, expensive, and unreliable, especially when the panel interferes with underlying plinths during door opening, leading to mechanical issues and interference problems.
Innovation Solution
A simplified mounting system using a rotating bracket secured to the door, a lever pivoted on a mobile fulcrum, and a sliding mechanism that allows the panel to automatically slide upwards and downwards, avoiding interference with plinths without requiring modifications to the appliance or plinth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the panel is installed with an underlying plinth at close spacing (about 3 mm), then the appliance blends with kitchen furniture, but the panel interferes with the plinth when the door opens and the panel retracts
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system employs a dynamic mechanism where the panel's position changes automatically with door opening. A lever system with a mobile fulcrum rotates as the door opens, causing the panel to slide upward on vertical guides. This dynamic adjustment eliminates interference with the plinth while maintaining close integration spacing, resolving the contradiction between aesthetic integration and mechanical interference.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If complex mounting systems with variable fulcrum hinges or telescopic rods are used to avoid plinth interference, then panel sliding is achieved, but the structure becomes complicated, expensive, and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into independent functional components: vertical guides for panel sliding, a lever with mobile fulcrum for motion conversion, and a rotating bracket attached to the door. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function simply and reliably, avoiding the need for complex integrated mechanisms like variable fulcrum hinges or telescopic rods.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the fulcrum variable or using complex telescopic mechanisms, the invention inverts the approach by using a fixed lever with a mobile fulcrum that rotates on the frame. This inversion simplifies the structure while achieving the same effect of automatic panel sliding during door opening.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the panel slides upwards during door opening to avoid plinth interference, then interference is avoided, but the mounting system requires complex mechanisms that are expensive and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is designed to be self-actuating, using the door opening motion itself to drive the panel upward through the lever mechanism. No additional motors, actuators, or complex control systems are needed. The mobile fulcrum automatically rotates on the frame as the door opens, converting rotational motion into vertical panel displacement, thereby ensuring reliable operation without adding complexity.
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 provides a robust, reliable, and cost-effective panel mounting system with smooth operation, ensuring the panel does not interfere with plinths and can accommodate various panel heights without modifying the appliance, offering greater structural integrity and ease of installation.
Implementation Method 1
a lever (3) rotating in a vertical plane under the action of a rotating bracket (2) secured to the door
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
In a built-in domestic appliance with a door (12) hinged along its bottom side and provided with a front decorative panel (11) applied to the appliance through a mounting system including a sliding coupling between the panel (11) and the door (12) with sliding direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the door (12), the panel (11) rotates around a mobile fulcrum (10) located on a lever (3) rotating in a vertical plane under the action of a rotating bracket (2) secured to the door (12) so as to achieve an automatic upward and downward sliding of the panel (11) during the opening and closing of the door (12) respectively.