Cam Disc Hinge for Embedded Appliances to Reduce Door Clearance Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hinges for embedded home appliances result in wasted space and dust accumulation due to the large gaps required for door rotation, making it difficult to fit these appliances in deep and narrow spaces without obstruction.
Innovation Solution
A hinge system featuring a cam disc with mirror-symmetrical short and long outer circular edges and a track frame in the shape of a right triangle, allowing the door to retract inwardly during opening, reducing the gap and preventing obstruction in narrow spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional hinges are used for embedded home appliances, then the door can be opened, but large gaps are required for door rotation which waste space and cause dust accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The cam disc uses curved outer edges with specific radii (first radius R1 for short edges, second radius R2 for long edges) to create a smooth rotational path. This curvature allows the door to rotate while maintaining contact with the track frame, enabling the door to retract inward without requiring large clearance gaps, thus improving space utilization while ensuring smooth door operation
Solution Approach 2:
The door is designed to retract inward into the casing during opening, creating a nested configuration where the door occupies less external space. The cam disc and track frame mechanism enables this nesting by guiding the door's rotational path to move it inward rather than outward, reducing the gap between the door and casing while maintaining ease of operation
2Volume of moving object
If the door is designed to retract inward to reduce gaps, then space is saved, but the door opening mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge structure merges the cam disc, track frame, and door into an integrated system. The cam disc is directly connected to the door, and the track frame is built into the door body, eliminating the need for separate external guiding mechanisms. This merging reduces the number of discrete components while achieving the door retraction function, thus improving space utilization without excessively increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cam disc serves multiple functions: it acts as the rotational pivot for the door, guides the door's retraction path through its curved edges, and maintains continuous contact with the track frame to ensure smooth motion. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, achieving door retraction with a relatively simple and compact hinge structure
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge for embedded home appliances, installed in between a door of a home appliance and a casing of the home appliance, includes a hinge body, an end of the hinge body is fixed on the casing of the home appliance; a cam disc is provided on another end of the hinge body, a track frame in a shape of a regular triangle is provided in the door of the home appliance, during revolution of the door of the house appliance against the casing of the home appliance, an inner surface of the track frame moves against an outer surface of the cam disc, and during moving, three points of the outer surface of the cam disc contact the inner surface of the track frame; a household appliance using the hinge for embedded home appliances.