Compliant Door Hinge With Progressive Resistance for Tip-Over Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional appliance door hinges with break-away features risk causing damage and spillage when subjected to sudden loads, leading to the acceleration of doors, which is why they are not used in commercial or residential ranges, and existing robust hinge designs struggle to balance static and dynamic loads without anti-tip brackets.
Innovation Solution
A compliant hinge mechanism that provides a preload to balance the door in a first open position and applies an increasing resistive force as the door opens further, preventing excessive opening and potential damage or spillage by controlling door motion through a combination of a pivoting member, spring housing, and cam surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a break-away feature is used to prevent appliance tipping, then the appliance is protected from tipping over, but the door may accelerate to the floor causing damage to the door, floor or user, and may cause spillage of utensil contents
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge incorporates a resilient element (spring) that is pre-loaded to provide a cushioning effect. When the door is subjected to a sudden load, the spring absorbs the impact energy through controlled deformation, preventing the door from accelerating rapidly to the floor while maintaining tip-over protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism changes the force parameter dynamically through the spring's elastic properties. The spring provides a progressive resistive force that increases with deformation, transforming the abrupt break-away force into a controlled, gradually increasing resistance that prevents door acceleration while maintaining tip-over prevention capability.
2Strength
If a robust hinge design is used to meet static door loading requirements, then the hinge can handle sudden applied loads, but it requires anti-tip brackets and has a narrow performance range making it impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism combines multiple functions into a single device: it provides static door loading support, sudden load absorption, and inherent anti-tip protection through the spring's progressive resistance. This eliminates the need for separate anti-tip brackets while broadening the performance range to handle various loading conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge transitions from a static robust design to a dynamic system with a pre-loaded spring that adapts its resistance based on the applied load. The spring provides progressive resistance that automatically adjusts to the magnitude of the applied force, enabling the hinge to handle a wide range of loads from normal operation to sudden impacts without requiring complex additional components.
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 compliant hinge mechanism effectively absorbs sudden loads, prevents appliance tipping, and reduces the risk of spillage by gradually increasing the force resistance as the door opens past the initial position, eliminating the need for anti-tip brackets and minimizing installation time and costs.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient element configured to provide a preload to balance the door in an open position
Implementation Method 2
The force required to rotate the door toward the second open position increases the further the door is opened past the first open position
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus including a frame, a door and a compliant hinge mechanism hingably mounting the door to the frame, the compliant hinge mechanism including a resistance configured to provide a preload to balance the door in a first open position and an increasing force resisting further opening of the door when the preload is overcome and the door is opened past the first open position.